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“Go home. I can cover for you.”
“No way.” I stand, and with it, my anger wakes up, a hard wall looming over me. “I’d say screw him, but I already did that.”
Amberley’s eyes snap wide, and then she laughs loudly. I smile, and she hugs me tightly. “Let’s pray he gets diarrhoea during his flight.”
“Okay.” I smile. “The worst bout of diarrhoea ever,” I affirm.
“Explosive.” She giggles. “Come on.”
Chapter23
Cain
Iwatch the camera playback. Each time Lauren’s face crumples, I rewind and hit play. Some would accuse me of being a masochist, but every time I witness the hurt fall across her face, I remind myself why I walked away. I wanted to forget her, but I forgot myself in the process. She offered everything and took nothing, but she owns me. There is a quiet resilience about Lauren that I want to devour. I lost a huge part of me when my father killed himself, but I found a small part of it when I was with Lauren. She deserved more than my dismissal just now. Leaving her last night has weighed heavily on my mind, and returning to New York will give me the distance I need to focus on Royce.
Danvers already emailed this morning to confirm the will we suspected was fake has been sent for testing. There is no way I will be able to search Carson Court, but I know Perry has been back over the weekend to try and secure the original. I’m just hoping Royce’s password choice has been as predictable as his business strategy. If my father’s safe is still situated in the study, it’s likely it is locked in there.
On the screen, Amberley rushes to Lauren, and I see her comfort her friend and throw daggers at me over her shoulder. I felt them, sharp slices to my spine as I walked away. I fucking deserve them. I want Lauren, but I don’t want her anywhere near Royce.
Amberley escorts her back to the staffroom. Slamming my laptop shut, I pack up my things and meet Justine in the corridor. She's travelling with me and is pulling a small case along beside her. Her hair is pulled into a severe bun, and her skirt suit is a navy ensemble. She’s serious and efficient. I have no idea how she puts up with me, but I couldn’t function without her. “The car is ready, and the jet is fuelled.”
“Thank you, Justine.”
My assistant double-takes. “Are you okay?”
“Because I said thank you?” I muse.
“No, because New York is suddenly the place to be?”
“I have work to attend to.”
Her lips purse, but I don’t elaborate. I texted Matt and Perry this morning, updating them about my plans to head to New York. I need to get my head in gear before Royce and my mother return from St. Lucia. I need the distance. No distractions. No pretty brunettes messing with my head.
One weekend with Lauren, and I don’t even recognise myself anymore. We take the elevator down, and as soon as the doors open, I feel her eyes on me and the accusation she’s regarding me with. I keep my head down, pulling my phone out to tap an imaginary message.
My father would be ashamed of me. I’m ashamed of my behaviour.
Perry is cursing me to hell and back. I informed him I put an end to things last night, and he has sent me one-word insults all morning.
Lauren and I exchanged numbers, or at least she let me put my number in her phone before the weekend was up, and I made a note of hers. She hasn’t called, but I know she is settled in her new apartment, courtesy of Kelvin Deeks. That bulldozer has been surprisingly useful.
Ignoring the latest insult from my friend, I scroll through my contacts, my thumb hovering over her number. I want to explain, but instead, I lock it and drop it in my suit pocket, exiting out onto the street, regret curdling in my stomach.
Our ride idles just outside, and Justine and I load the boot up before slipping inside to head straight for the airport.
* * *
“Anything to report?” I lounge back in my chair, my feet kicked up on the desk. It’s been two weeks, and I’ve asked the same question each time I’ve spoken to Perry. What I really mean is anything to report on Lauren.
“London isn’t missing you,” he retorts.
My lip curls, and I fight the compulsion to ask him exactly what that means, but he beats me to it. My phone pings with an attachment. Opening it, I come face to face with Lauren’s beautiful smile. She is dressed to impress and has loose curls weighing her hair down. Perry, Amberley, Kat, and Matt smile back at me from the image.
“When was this?”
“Last night, we arranged to meet at BANK.” I nod but say nothing, absorbing the information like a hammer to the chest. Perry must sense my unease because he adds, “They cleared the air with one another, but that was it.”They, meaning Lauren and Matteo.
Clearing my throat, I slide my feet back to the floor and adjust my tie. “Any news on the will?” He needs to find it.
