pter 82
Her mother gets into the barkent beside her and her father slams the door she and then turns to me never forgive you for this My needle Castry to hold it together. “Deservedly in” I watch the car slowly disappear.
I’ve never felt so guilty and sul. Ariana doench deserve any of this.
Mark and Andrew stand silently tear the elevator and 1 march past them. “You’re all on fucking notice,” I growel “When I pay a fortune for security, i want fucking security”
Their faces fall, and I hit the elevator botton with force and close the door on them.
I’m so over this fucking day, Teat sUANË.
Iride to the top: the elevator doors open up ilireetly into my penthause, and I step out and walk straight to my bar. With shaky hands, I pour myself glass of scotch and drink it straight, it burns all the way down. And so it should, I deserve it,
1 pour another one and go and flop on my couch. I stare into space for a long time. I picture Ariana and don’t even want to imagine what’s happening at her parents right now.
1dig into my pocket to see that Seraphina has tested me.
It’s fine. I hope she’s okay
Do what you need to do.
exhale in relief, thank fock for that.
I lift my glass to my lips, my hand shaking like a leaf. I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever been so stressed. I go to the medicine cabinet and rattle through the meds, finally I find some Xanax and pop two and wash them down with more scotch.
I breathe deep and pace back and forth as I try to will my nervous system to calm down
Slowly and surely, I feel the Xanax take bold, my heartbeat slows and the shaking begins to subside
I lie on the couch and stare at the wall. My penthouse is quiet and as the shadows of daylight leave, I left alone in the dark with my conscience. It’s lonely here.
“And this here.” I paint to the whiteboard. “Is lick my fingers on try to remember. “Tack, what is it, his name has escaped me.” “John?” Alessio
cuts in
“Yeah.” I clench my jaw, fuck. “John will be looking after the…““Program?” Alessio cuts me off
The board members glance at each other and I want to sink through the floor.
“Can we break for five minutes?” Alessio interrupts me. “I need to take a very important call.”
“Of course, meet hack here in fifteen,” I tell everyone. I march out of the boardroom and into my office. I wash my face in my bathroom and feel someone standing beside me. I glance up to see Alessig leaning on the doorjamb
“You all right, man?”
“Yep.“I dry my face and walk past him back into my office.
“The story about Ariana today in the newspaper has rattled you?”
“You mean the picture of me and her getting tf my jet, holding hands, with the heule Ferrara and Ariana race on romantic getaway?”
He winces. “Pretty much”
“I just need to get through this meeting before I can even think about that dumpster fire”
“Have you spoken to Seraphina?”
CAR BETHAVNÍ LOOP Faked My Death and Found REAL FREEDOM
Chapter R2
“No, I ranked myself out last night and fell asleep. I’ll call her tonight.”
“Do home.” he says. “You’re inten your game, and you’re doing more Karin than good in there. Fork
“I’m going to tell them you have a migraine and take over the meeting”
My eyes search his. “I won’t go home, but if you could take over the meeting, I’d be grateful. I’m sorry?
“Don’t be.” He pulls me into a log. “That’s why you have a brother, to catch you when you
“Thanks” hug him a Intle longer than normal. “You okay?” Ile frown
Inod. “Yep, tough week.”
At five pm, I walk out of the Ferrara building to a crowd of photographers.
“Mr. Ferrara, is the wedding back on? Security pushes me through the crowd.
“Ariana and you make a beautiful couple, Can you tell us about your romantic getaway?” someone else calls. I’m bundled into the back of the car and we pull out into the traffic, we whiz through the streets of New York and I glance at my phone to see five missed calls from Elias, Seraphina’s security guard
I frown and dial his mumber. “Hello, Mr. Ferrara,” he says nervously.
“What?”
“Just letting you know that Seraphina had lunch again with Jack Spalding today.”
Adrenaline surges through my system and my eyes flicker red. “Is that so.”
Chapter 83
Seraphins
Is my ten as 1 brod the remote up in the television to us the channel. I probably should go to heel. It’s after 10pm, but I’m in the le ait bie
Ihear the front step go and then a soft knock on the door. Who in the world?
Iepen the door in a rush to see Gabriel, he’s in a navy suit and his dark cold ayes hold mine. Animosity drips from his every call, and a frisson of fear runs through me. “Gabulel
“Where the fuck did you go today?” he growls,
Before I can even process what he just said he brushes past me into the house and begins to pace. He’s beyond furious.
“What?” I froWIL..
“You heard me don’t act fucking stupid,” be fumes. “Where did you have lunch today?” he sneers
Oh shit, my lunch with Jack, I completely forgot all about that.
Right…I open my mouth to reply but he cuts me off.
“The blown my entire fucking life to smithereens to be with you and here you are, going on bunch dates with another man,” he grows. “What happened after lunch is what I want to know “He begins to pace with his hands on his hips, his fury palpable.
“I’m having the worst week of my entire life, and I have to worry about Ariana and work and the children, and now, to top it all off. I’ve had to rush al the way here to rein in my out of control girlfriend.”
I begin to hear my angry heartbeat in my ears and I put my weight onto my back foot. “First, I’m not your girlfriend. Don’t ever call me that again”
oh yes you fucking are “The veins in his forehead are sticking out so far, I can almost see his pulse.
“Since when?” I put my hands on my hips in disgust.
“Since Saturday night.”
“What? There was no being exclusive conversation.” I screw up my face.
“We had sex, Gabriel, that’s it.”
“That’s it?” he explodes. “That is not fucking it?”
“Calm down.”
“will not fucking calm down,” he yells.
“You’re going to wake up the children.” I whisper angrily
“Good, go wake them up.” He points upstairs like a madman. “Go tell them that I’ve thrown away my entire life to be with their mother, who just told me that she used me for sex I’m sure they would love to hear all about it.”
He’s beginning to really piss me off now,
“Inever asked you to leave anything, in fact.” I throw my hands up. “Go back to your entire life, Gabriel” I walk out into the kitchen and he’s hot on my heels. “Marry your everything and leave me the hell alone, I don’t have time for your dramatics”
“You will not see him again. Do you understand me?
“You can’t tell me what to do”
“Watch me!” he explodes. “You will do what I say “I’m never going to do what you say,” I spit.
“You can and you will”
