Chapter 29
RENéE
An hour. That’s how long it took for them to dismantle everything I’d worked for. When I finally stepped out of that cold, suffocating room, my legs felt like they were made of lead. Elise had her arms draped around my shoulders, murmuring soft, meaningless words meant to comfort me. They barely registered, just a dull hum against the roaring in my head. Rose and someone from HR flanked me, their footsteps echoing too loudly in the cold, lifeless hallway. I didn’t bother speaking. What was the point? Fighting back felt as useless as screaming into the void.
Before the door clicked shut behind me, I glanced back at Javier. Just once. His face was blank, emotionless. He didn’t even look at me. That silence, his silence, cut deeper than Wane’s accusations ever could.
From that moment, everything spiraled out of control. It was like the company had turned into a machine, one designed solely to crush me. Evidence after evidence appeared out of nowhere, each piece sharper than the last. The designs? Leaked from my email. The tour dates? Somehow traced to my login. Every damning breadcrumb led back to me.
By the time I found myself sitting in HR’s office, the reality of it all started to settle in. The chair beneath me felt too stiff, the air too cold. The HR manager sat across from me, her voice like a hammer driving nails into a coffin.
“We have no choice but to terminate your employment, effective immediately,” she said, not even bothering to soften the blow. “Until the legal team resolves this matter, you will be held financially responsible for the damages incurred by the company.”
My breath caught in my throat. Terminated. Fired. Just like that, two days after everything fell apart. All those late nights, early mornings, skipped meals, and endless sacrifices—for nothing. It was gone, slipping through my fingers like ash.
I packed up my desk in a fog, barely aware of what I was doing. My hands shook as I placed my things into a small cardboard box, every item a reminder of what I was losing. I emptied my office, and the only thing that remained were the white peonies. There were whispers and sideways glances from my coworkers—people I used to laugh with, share coffee breaks with. Now, they couldn’t even look me in the eye.
The humiliation burned. My pride begged me not to cry, not here, not in front of them. I clenched my jaw, blinking back tears. They wouldn’t get the satisfaction of seeing me break.
But the pain didn’t stop at the loss of my job or the accusations hanging over my head. No, the worst part was Javier. His silence during the meeting, his distance, his refusal to even acknowledge me as everything crumbled—it felt like a betrayal I hadn’t seen coming.
I thought he’d have my back. I thought he’d at least say something , stand up for me, defend me the way he had so many times before. But no. He’d stood there, watched it all fall apart, and said nothing.
That hurt the most. More than the whispers, more than the termination letter. It planted itself in my chest like a thorn, refusing to loosen its grip. It reminded me why I keep my heart locked up, why I don’t let anyone in. Because loving someone… or believing they love you? That’s how you get burned.
The days that followed were not much better either. Every time I unlocked my phone or passed a newsstand, it was impossible to escape. Inara’s name was everywhere—plastered on front pages, trending on social media, dissected by talk shows. “Popstar’s Secret Romance Exposed!” “Leaked Tour Dates Fuel Love Triangle Rumors!” And somehow, every whisper of speculation circled back to me.
The pieces fell into place quickly enough. “A Lowe Printify employee.” “An inside source.” It was like they were all holding arrows and aiming directly at me. It didn’t matter how loudly I denied it. Once the world made up its mind, there was no room left for the truth.
A week crawled by before the company finally struck a deal with Inara’s team. I was called back into the office, though it didn’t feel like the workplace I used to know. The air was cold and heavy, and every look that passed over me carried judgment. My attorney—a sharp, no-nonsense woman my brothers had arranged—walked beside me into the conference room. Across the table sat the company’s legal team, their faces unreadable and their boss missing. Of course, he isn’t here.
“We’ve reached an agreement,” one of them said. “Miss Margot, you’ll be required to pay substantial compensation to the company for damages incurred.”
The words barely registered. I stared at him, my mouth suddenly dry. “How much?” I managed to choke out, though I wasn’t sure I wanted the answer.
When they said the number, it felt like the ground had been ripped out from under me. The room spun. It wasn’t just a lot of money—it was more than I could ever hope to earn on my own. My throat tightened as I turned to my attorney. She gave me a small, steadying nod. Stay calm.
“This is the best option we have right now,” she said quietly. “It avoids a long court battle... and potential criminal charges.”
I swallowed hard. My hands were clenched so tightly in my lap I could feel my nails digging into my palms. Fighting this would only prolong the nightmare. My brothers had already offered to swoop in, as they always did, and burn Lowe Printify to the ground if I wanted them to. It would’ve been so easy to let them pay the settlement, to let them take over and fix it all. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.
“I’ll handle it myself,” I’d told them. Over and over, until they grudgingly agreed to step back. Still, the weight of it all felt unbearable. Knowing they could make it go away with a snap of their fingers didn’t make the burden any lighter.
Two weeks later, my world looked unrecognizable.
“You're light on your feet,” the man said, flashing a practiced smile as he led me around the floor—well, tried to. I smiled politely, offering a curt, “Thanks,” before forcing myself to fall into step with him. It wasn’t easy. He moved like he had two left feet, and I felt like I was dragging a dead weight around.
There was no point in holding onto Javier. Love was an illusion, and feelings—especially for someone like him—only led to one thing: pain. So, I did what I had to. I started looking for a husband. Cold. Practical. Business-like. My brothers hadn’t been thrilled, which was ironic, considering I thought they’d be over the moon. But who cared? This marriage wasn’t about love or happiness. It was a business deal, plain and simple.
The song changed, and I found myself paired with another partner—Nicolas De Clercq, the son of a top Belgian politician and, by way of his mother, a prince from a small European principality. His reputation preceded him: privileged, arrogant, a notorious flirt and a brat. And tonight, he was living up to every word of it.
“You know,” Nicolas leaned in, his voice dripping with self-assured charm, “I could make a woman like you very happy.” His eyes raked over me, and I had to fight the urge to gag.
I offered a tight-lipped smile. “Is that so?” My tone was as flat as his attempt. Cheap flirts were a dime a dozen, and Nicolas wasn’t even good at it.
He smirked, clearly mistaking my indifference for interest. “Absolutely. I know how to take care of things... behind closed doors.”
He couldn’t take care of a damn stick, let alone anything else. I rolled my eyes, already scanning the room for an excuse to leave. And that’s when I saw him .
Javier.
Standing at the edge of the dance floor, his eyes locked on me like I was the only person in the room. His jaw was tight, and his grip on the champagne glass looked dangerous—like he was one second away from shattering it. My heart did an involuntary leap, but I quickly shoved it down. What the hell was he doing here?
If he thought he could just show up and expect me to drop everything for him, he was dead wrong.
The song ended, and Nicolas pulled back, his arrogant smirk firmly in place. “So,” he drawled, “what do you think? Should we take this somewhere more... private?”
I clenched my jaw, wanting nothing more than to punch that smug expression right off his face. But instead, I glanced at Javier, who hadn’t moved an inch, then back at Nicolas.
“Sure,” I said, plastering on my sweetest smile.
Nicolas leaned in, his grin wide, like he’d just won the damn lottery. His lips crashed into mine with zero finesse, and I felt… nothing. I’d kissed cold coffee cups with more life than this. My lips deserved better. Hell, I deserved better. I forced myself to stay still, already mentally preparing for the life I’d mapped out—one full of empty kisses and fake smiles. If I married a guy like him, I’d need more than patience. I’d need a good stash of wine and some top-tier toys just to survive.
And then, just as I’d feared but somehow expected, he was yanked off me. No, not yanked— ripped away.
I stumbled forward, blinking, and there he was. Javier. His chest heaving, fists clenched, his jaw so tight I thought it might crack.
“What the hell is your problem?” I snapped, shoving past the shock.
“How dare you!” Nicolas roared, scrambling to his feet. “Do you even know who my father is?”
Javier’s eyes were ice-cold. “Why? Did your mother not tell you?”
I almost laughed. Almost. But His Highness was seething, turning redder by the second.
“Do you know this man, Renée?” Nicolas hissed.
Javier took a step closer. “Listen, boy . If I see you near her again—hell, if you’re within fifty meters of her—I’ll rip your heart out and feed it to you. Are we clear?”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t be in a fifty-meter radius of me !” I snapped, stepping between them.
Javier’s gaze flicked to me, softening for a split second. “Don’t, please. Love ,” he whispered, taking a step closer. “I’m barely holding it together after seeing you let this fucker touch you.”
My breath caught in my throat. Love? He didn’t get to call me that. Not after everything.
“What is it to you, Javier?” I said, my nails digging into my palms.
“It’s fucking everything to me!” His voice broke on the last word.
Before I could respond, Nicolas, ever the entitled brat, stepped forward, puffing his chest out like a rooster. “You better walk away now,” he sneered, pointing a trembling finger at Javier. “I’ll have security drag you out. You have any idea who my father is?”
I sighed inwardly. Here we go...
Javier didn’t even blink. He turned slowly, his eyes dark and steady as they locked on Nicolas. “Leave,” he said. “Before I rip off each of your limbs and shove them up your royal ass.”
Nicolas’s face turned red, his nostrils flaring. “You can’t talk to me like that! Do you know who my father is?” His voice cracked slightly, making me cringe. I didn’t know guys could whine like that.
Javier tilted his head, a slow, mocking smile spreading across his face. “Maybe I’ll send a few of your limbs to your father as a gift. I’m sure he’ll appreciate the gesture.”
Nicolas stumbled back a step, his bravado crumbling. “Renée!” he turned to me, his voice rising in a pathetic plea.
I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Just... get out of here , Nicolas.”
“My father will hear about this!” he spat before storming off.
I turned on Javier, shoving at his shoulder. It was like trying to move a wall. “What the hell is your problem?”
He didn’t budge, his jaw still tight. “I could ask you the same thing,” he shot back.
“You have no business being in my business,” I said, my voice trembling with anger.
“I have every damn right to be involved in anything that concerns you!”
I scoffed. “Oh really? Since when?”
Javier took a step closer, “Since you’re my damn girlfriend.”
My breath hitched for half a second, but I recovered quickly, and glared at him. “Fake girlfriend.” I corrected. “Remember? We were only pretending.”
His smirk was instant, smug and infuriating. “Oh yeah. We had a contract.” He mused, tilting his head. “That reminds me—we had agreed on the terms that I get to have whatever I want for pretending to be your boyfriend.”
I crossed my arms, glaring up at him. “And what exactly do you want?”
His answer came too fast. “You.”
My damn heart stuttered, heat licking up my spine before I clenched my fists and shoved Javier away. “Fuck you,” I bit out. “And fuck the contract.
Javier chuckled. “You keep on proving me right, sweetheart.” He drawled. “Even though you can afford what I want, but it’s your fucking ego that won’t allow you to.”
That struck a nerve. “You want to talk about affordability?” I sneered, stepping closer, jabbing a finger against his chest. “You act like you’re the one calling the shots, but newsflash, Javier—you can’t even handle my damn ego.”
His eyes darkened. “Is that a challenge Ms. Margot?”
The corner of my lip tilted up. “It’s a fucking fact.”
The space between us crackled. My pulse thundered in my ears, his smirk widening as if he could hear it too.
And I hated that he probably could.
Javier tilted his head, watching me with that unreadable expression of his. “You act like I haven’t already handled you before.” He chuckled. “Remember that time I had you withering and begging under me.”
My breath caught, a rush of heat flooding my skin, but I shoved the reaction away. It was true. He could handle me, my every alter ego and he could do it well, too well. But he could also hurt me beyond measure. Which he did.
My heart clenched.
“You don’t get to say that,” I snapped, my voice quieter. “Not now. Not after everything. You made it clear where you stood. Your silence said it all. So don’t show up here acting like you care now.”
For the first time in our fight, Javier’s smirk faltered. Just for a second. But it was enough. Enough to tell me I’d hit where it hurt.
His jaw tensed, but he stepped closer, his face inches from mine. “You think I don’t care?” His voice was low, a growl that sent a shiver down my spine. “You think standing by, saying nothing, was easy? I’ve fought for you in ways you’ll never know. But you’ve always seen me as the enemy. Maybe that’s all I’ll ever be to you. And that’s fine.”
I swallowed; my throat tight. “You should’ve said something. You let me fall apart while you stood there and watched.”
“And I regret that with each breath I take.” He grasped my face. “Renée. Love.” He pressed his forehead against mine.
“I never learned how to speak my mind,” he said quietly. “I didn’t know how to tell you. The first time I saw you walk into that office, I fell. I fell so hard it scared the hell out of me. I didn’t know what to do. So, I stayed. I kept working there even though I didn’t need to, just to be close to you. I took every chance I could to talk to you, to be near you. And the flowers... I thought they could speak for me. But I was wrong. Flowers without a face or a note weren’t enough, but I kept sending them because they made you smile. It took me too long to figure out how to tell you this, and I hate myself for that.”
My walls began to crack, his words hitting harder than I wanted to admit. “You say all that,” I whispered, my voice shaking, “and yet you still took this long to show up.”
Javier’s voice softened, his eyes searching mine. “I showed up because losing you was killing me. I don’t care if you hate me for it. I’ll fight every damn day if that’s what it takes. But I couldn’t stay silent anymore. Not when you’re the only thing that’s ever made me feel alive.”
My heart slammed against my ribs, and I tried to look away, but he wouldn’t let me. His gaze pinned me in place, every word sinking into me like a knife.
Love isn’t supposed to sneak in and wreck everything you’ve built to keep yourself safe. It shouldn’t twist your insides or make you question everything. It should feel like home, like peace, like quiet after a storm. But this… this chaos. Him. Javier.
I swallowed hard, the realization hitting me like a freight train. He wrecked me and healed me at the same time. I hated him, wanted him, and needed him all at once.
I was drunk—on him, on us, on everything we weren’t supposed to be. And yet, standing there in the hallway, my heart breaking and mending at the same moment, I couldn’t deny it anymore.
Javier stepped closer, so close there wasn’t even air between us. My back pressed against the cold brick wall, but I barely noticed. It was just him—his presence, his heat, his intensity.
“I’m not good with words,” he began, his voice rough with emotion, like he was pulling each syllable from the depths of his soul. His gaze locked onto mine, intense and unrelenting, as if he could see every crack in my armor, every scar I tried to hide. “But I need you to hear this, Renée. I need you to feel this.”
My breath hitched, my heart pounding like a drum against my ribs. But I couldn’t look away—not from him, not from the way his words seemed to tether me to the ground and set me free all at once.
“You…” His hand reached up, fingers brushing against my temple before tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. The touch was so gentle, so reverent, it made my chest ache. Then his palm cupped my cheek, warm and steady, like he was anchoring me. “You’re not just the air I want to breathe—you’re the only air I can breathe. You’re my clarity in all this chaos, the one thing that makes sense when nothing else does.”
His thumb traced a soft, trembling line along my cheekbone as his voice dropped lower, almost breaking. “If you asked me, Renée… if you so much as whispered it, I’d bring the whole damn world to your feet. Without hesitation. Without question. Because nothing— nothing —matters as much as you.”
My heart clenched, and I wanted to pull away, to argue, to tell him it was too much. But I couldn’t.
His thumb stroked my lips, gently. “When I saw that man touch you tonight…” He exhaled sharply. “I wanted to rip him apart. Because you’re mine, Renée. You’re mine. Only I get to touch you, to be close to you like this.”
His words wrapped around me, suffocating and intoxicating all at once.
“And you know what else?” he continued, his voice dropping even lower, his lips brushing against my forehead, then my temple. “I want to make sure there’s nothing left in your brain but me . That you feel nothing but me . That your body remembers no one but me. ”
Before I could react, his lips were on mine. The kiss was a claim, fierce and demanding, but it melted into something softer, something that shattered the last of my defenses. When he pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, and I felt the tremor in his breath.
“Tell me, Renée,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Tell me to walk away, and I will. But I’ll spend the rest of my life making up for every mistake I made. I will try and keep trying until you forgive me until I’m the man you deserve.”
I stared at him, my chest heaving as a million thoughts collided in my head. I should’ve told him to leave. I should’ve pushed him away, shut the door at this moment, and walked back into the chaos I knew—the mess that didn’t come with hope or heartbreak.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I grabbed his face, my fingers trembling against the roughness of his jaw, and pulled him down to me. I kissed him like I was drowning and he was the only air left in the world.