Chapter 3 #2
“Sure,” I said. “Of course. I’ll start researching large capacity venues that still allow for intimacy and atmosphere. Something that feels personal, even with a thousand guests.”
Elena gave me a tight smile, as if thinking I couldn’t pull this off. It felt like I was on a leash, like I was two seconds away from being fired. I couldn’t afford to mess this up. Not with my rent three weeks late and Blaze threatening to harm my son.
Working with Luca—for Luca—was going to be one of the most difficult requirements of my life, but quitting wasn't an option. So, Elena must never find out. She had no idea that the man sitting next to her hadn’t just been my lover. He’d been my Fated Mate.
I fought the sudden urge to scoff. Fuck fate.
The conversation carried on. Mostly between Elena and me. Luca said nothing. He just sat there, legs crossed, eyes glued to me like a strip of tape that was stuck too tight to remove.
He didn’t say a single word, made no effort to contribute. So why had he stayed for the entire meeting? To play statue? Or to mess with me? Either way, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting under my skin.
Eventually, it was over, and relief began to creep in. I was finally going to leave. But then Elena stood and said, “Wait—I’ll grab my iPad. I sketched out a few ideas that should give you a clearer picture of what I want. Think of it like a free pass into my world.”
I closed my notebook, slipped the pen inside, and tucked both into my bag. “Could I use your restroom, please?”
I didn’t actually need to go. I just couldn’t bear the thought of being alone in the same room as Luca once Elena left.
“There’s a bathroom down the hall to your left,” Elena said.
I gave her a quick, appreciative smile before rising and heading in that direction.
Despite the thirty minutes that had passed, my heartbeat still thundered in my ears. Seeing Luca Vaughn again had unraveled me in ways I hadn’t prepared for.
When I reached the bathroom, I gripped the sink like it was the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.
What the hell was he doing here of all places?
No. I knew exactly what he was doing here.
He was getting married.
I pressed a trembling palm to my face. I should’ve done my research before taking the job. Should’ve cared enough to actually read the groom’s name. But I’d been too desperate. Too focused on getting the job, too distracted by mounting bills and recent threats.
I looked up at the mirror. My face was pale, like I’d been running a fever. My cheeks were flushed. My breathing was shallow and erratic now that I finally had the space to feel.
And my eyes…the sheen in them pissed me off more than anything.
I hated him.
I hated that he could still make me feel like this. That after five goddamn years—after everything—my body still recognized him.
Still wanted him.
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.
Suddenly, the door flew open and Luca entered. No, he strode in. One hand was buried casually in his pocket, like he had every right to be here. His scent filled the bathroom, hitting me like a freight train. Masculine. Strong. So very Luca.
My eyes snapped wide, more out of panic than anything. This house was crawling with servants. Anyone could walk by and see the wedding planner in the bathroom with the groom. And then I could kiss my job goodbye.
“Get out.”
He didn’t move. He just stood there, his towering frame soaking up the space like he owned it. His gaze flicked down the length of my body, then back up to my face.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Leila,” he said. “I know because I can read you like a fucking textbook.”
I blinked, stunned. That…that was what he opened with? After five years? Five years since he had rejected me, since he had ripped me in half—this was what he had to say after all that time?
Red-hot anger surged to the surface. “I’m sorry, Luca. Were you expecting me to run into your arms like I’m the fool you took me for?”
His jaw ticced just slightly. Most people wouldn’t have noticed. But I wasn’t most people.
“Where have you been?” he demanded.
My lips curled with disbelief. “What right do you have to ask me that?”
“I’m not here to fight you, Leila. I just want to talk.”
“Talk?” I scoffed. “Now you want to talk. After you accused me of cheating and stealing from you? After throwing me out without a second glance? After letting the pack eat me alive while you stood by and watched?” My voice trembled, thick with rage. “You didn’t care enough to talk then.”
His eyes flickered with something. Regret? Maybe guilt? But the emotion disappeared just as quickly as it came. “I saw what looked like betrayal.”
I felt the anger in me threaten to detonate. I had to press my lips together to keep from screaming at him. This was neither the appropriate place nor the appropriate time. Plus, I wasn’t feeling like reliving the most horrible moment of my life in his fiancée’s guest bathroom.
“Did you come here because of me?”
His tone was casual, but his eyes weren’t.
They darkened as they took me in, slow and calculated, like he was dissecting every inch of me.
There was no kindness in the way his gaze lingered.
It was like he was remembering everything we used to be, and daring me to pretend it meant nothing.
As if some part of him still thought I was his.
My mouth dropped open in disbelief. I’d always known Luca to be an audacious man, with an ego that was larger than life. But it seemed like that ego had gotten even bigger over the years.
“You think I applied for this job because of you? Don’t flatter yourself, Luca. Until five minutes ago, I didn’t know you were the groom. Believe me, if I had, I never would’ve taken it.”
His gaze pinned me in place. Calculating. Assessing. As if searching for the lie in what I’d just said.
I swallowed. Not out of guilt, but because my body betrayed me every time he looked at me like that—like I still belonged to him.
“I have nothing to say to you, Luca. What happened between us is in the past, and that is where it should remain. I don’t give a damn about you, so please, get out of here before someone sees us.”
He inched closer to me, only a hairsbreadth separating us now. “You don’t?”
“I don’t,” I ground out.
His gaze dropped to my lips, then lower. “Then why are you breathing so heavily?”
I hated him for noticing. Hated myself more for letting him affect me.
“I’m not,” I whispered.
His response was a smirk I wanted to slap right off his face.
We stared at each other, the tension between us stretched like a tripwire ready to snap. Unlike mine, his breath was steady. He was cool, calm, and collected, while I felt like I was on the verge of combustion.
The tension was broken by the sound of my phone buzzing. And without even looking at the caller ID, desperate for something else to turn my attention to, I hit the answer button.
“Miss Carter? It’s Mr. Monroe.”
My blood froze a little at the sound of Ollie’s teacher’s voice. I froze.
Luca seemed to notice the shift in my expression as his gaze sharpened on me.
“It’s twenty minutes past school’s pick-up time,” Mr. Monroe continued gently. “I just wanted to remind you in case you were swamped and lost track of time.”
“I’ll be there in a moment,” I said quickly and hung up.
Without meeting Luca’s eyes, I shoved my phone in my bag. “I have to go.”
“Where?”
I tried to move past him, but his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
“Who’s Ollie?”
My heartbeat ricocheted in my chest, and I prayed he couldn’t hear it.
“He’s…my neighbor’s kid. I promised to pick him up from school today.”
A lie. A stupid, obvious lie. But he didn’t push.
I wriggled out of his grip and walked away, fast.
Because the truth?
Ollie was mine.
Ollie was his.
And he had no idea.
Not yet.
And if I could help it, he never would.
I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.
There was a time when he could see right through me. When one glance was all it took for Luca to read me like a headline. And if he saw me now, I was afraid he’d see the truth I’d buried for five years.
Before Ollie.
Before the silence.
Before Vaughn Industries and everything that came after.