Chapter 18
I had done everything in my power to avoid Vaughn, but the holiday season was impossible to escape.
The thought of spending Christmas with both our families under one roof filled me with dread.
It wasn’t just the awkwardness of being near him—it was the unspoken tension that had been building for weeks.
But avoiding Vaughn was becoming more difficult, especially when we had to face each other in meetings. And it all came to a head during one of those dreaded gatherings.
We were in a conference room with a few of the company’s top executives.
The meeting was supposed to be about the upcoming merger, but Vaughn seemed intent on pushing my buttons.
Every comment he made, every sly look he threw my way, felt like a direct challenge.
I could feel my patience wearing thin, and I knew I wasn’t the only one who noticed.
"Josephine, I think you're missing the point," Vaughn said, his tone dripping with condescension. "The strategy we're discussing is to protect our interests, not to indulge your idealistic fantasies."
I shot him a glare. "My idealistic fantasies are about securing the future of this company, something you seem to have forgotten."
Vaughn smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Maybe if you focused more on the company and less on…"
I knew exactly what he was referring to. Jealousy oozed from his every pore especially when I was with his father.
"Enough!" Colson’s voice cut through the tension like a knife. He stood up, his eyes cold and stern. The room fell silent, and I realized just how far we’d let things go.
"This meeting is over," Colson announced, not bothering to hide his displeasure. "Everyone else, you’re dismissed."
The executives quickly gathered their things and left, casting curious glances our way. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks, a mix of anger and embarrassment. Vaughn and I remained seated, avoiding each other’s gaze.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Colson turned his attention to us. "What the hell was that?" he demanded, his voice low but furious. "Do you have any idea how unprofessional you both just looked?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but he held up a hand. "Save it. I don't care who started it or why. This kind of behavior is unacceptable. If you have issues, you sort them out privately. Understood?"
Vaughn and I both nodded, the tension between us still palpable. Colson sighed, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off a headache. "I expect better from both of you. Now get out of my office and figure out how to work together without tearing each other apart."
I stood up, feeling a weight settle in my chest. As I walked out of Colson’s office, I could feel Vaughn’s presence behind me, a constant reminder of the mess we were in. But there was no escaping it now. Christmas was coming, and so was another round of this torturous dance.
I went back to my office, sinking to my chair and feeling weary.
In the couple of weeks since I started working with Colson, Vaughn had been picking at me.
It was little digs here and there, like I wasn’t capable of being his father’s protégé.
I put my head on the desk as Vaughn slipped into my office.
"Joey."
I looked up, and there he was, striding toward my desk with that infuriating confidence. My body tensed, every muscle coiled tight, ready for a confrontation I wasn’t in the mood to have.
"Get out," I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended.
"No. We need to talk this over." Vaughn's tone was determined, almost coaxing, but I wasn’t buying it.
I leaned back in my chair, letting out a frustrated breath. "Talk what over? The fact that you’re obsessed with me? That you think screwing me once will somehow get me out of your system?"
He grinned, that maddening grin that always managed to get under my skin. "Only one way to find out..."
"That’s not going to happen, Vaughn." My voice was firm, but the tremor in my hands betrayed me. "Why can’t you understand that I’m with your father? I’m committed to him, and I plan to stay faithful."
Vaughn’s expression hardened, and he leaned forward, planting both hands on the edge of my desk. "What about that night in the kitchen? What if I had slipped my hand into your pants? Would you have let me go further?"
An embarrassed flush crept up my neck. The memory of that night made my stomach twist. "I thought you were Colson. Why did you switch cologne?"
"I like it," he said with a casual shrug, as if that explained everything.
I shook my head, anger flaring again. "No. You had a plan. Did you think I’d be in bed, and you could just slip in and have your way with me? That’s a violation of trust, Vaughn."
"Joey, you were mine first."
I let out a sarcastic laugh. "I was never yours. You had all those years to make me yours, and you did nothing but torment me. Did you know I used to call you and Simone the terrorist twins?"
Vaughn burst out laughing, the sound deep and genuine, as if I’d just told the funniest joke in the world. "You did not."
I jutted out my chin, refusing to back down. "Logan and I used to agree on it."
He stroked his chin, mimicking the way Colson often did, and I hated the way it made my heart skip a beat. "Logan? I don’t think you know your brother as well as you think."
I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. "What are you talking about?"
"Ask him," Vaughn said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I doubt he thinks Simone is so bad."
"He does. He knows what she did to me," I countered, my voice laced with certainty.
Vaughn’s expression remained unreadable, but the challenge in his eyes was unmistakable. "We’ll see about that."
"Logan knows what you both did to me," I shot back, the anger in my voice undeniable. "Easton was the only one who cared."
Vaughn plopped down on the couch in my office, casually stretching out as if he owned the place. "You mean poor little lost boy? He was grasping for something, and he found you. He needed something after my mother died."
Tears burned the back of my eyes, but I swallowed them down.
I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.
"And he found it with me. That would explain why he was my friend even before your mother died. He gave me the friendship you could’ve, instead of acting like a complete asshole.
God, Vaughn, you’re so fucking self-entitled, and you always have been. "
He scrubbed a hand over his face, a gesture that looked almost vulnerable, but I knew better. "So, you’re telling me I don’t have a chance?"
I shook my head firmly. "You never did. I don’t date jerks. And as long as I’m married to your father, you could be Mother Teresa, and I still wouldn’t date you."
He pursed his lips and slowly rose to his feet, a hint of something unreadable in his eyes. "You wound me."
"Let Serena soothe it," I retorted, keeping my voice steady. "She’ll be your wife soon."
"But not the one I want," he muttered under his breath as he walked out the door.
I watched him leave, my heart heavy with a mix of anger and sadness. Vaughn had always been impossible, but this—this was something else. And no matter what he wanted, I couldn’t give it to him. I wouldn’t.
I pushed my chair out and headed downstairs to see Logan. Vaughn’s cryptic statement had left me uneasy, and I needed answers. Even though Logan’s office was just one floor down, I took the elevator. I still couldn’t bring myself to use the stairs after what Simone had done.
When I entered Logan’s office unannounced, he was on the phone, speaking between bites of a sandwich.
He glanced up, surprised to see me, but continued his conversation.
His office was a fraction of the size of mine, with no sitting area, and the view from his windows was blocked by a taller building across the street.
I sat in front of his desk, waiting for him to finish.
As he hung up, he looked at me with a raised brow. "To what do I owe this visit? Did we have a scheduled lunch I forgot?"
I didn’t waste time. I needed to know if Logan was the mystery man coming and going from the guest house. The very thought made me shudder, but I had to confront it. "No, we did not. I want the truth."
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. "I’m not sure what you mean."
"Are you dating anyone?" I asked, my voice firm.
Logan sighed, the weight of whatever he was hiding evident in his expression. "I’m seeing someone."
"Who? And why haven’t I met her?"
My brother’s shoulders slumped, and he looked away. "It’s complicated."
A cold realization washed over me, and I could barely keep my voice steady. "Is it because the woman you’re seeing is Simone?"
He tensed, his silence more telling than any words could be. "It’s complicated," he repeated, avoiding my gaze.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My voice cracked with emotion as I pressed on. "Bullshit! You know what she did to me. God, Logan, she tried to kill me."
Before he could respond, the door burst open, and there she was—Simone. She froze when she saw me, the tension in the room thickening.
"I’ll come back," she said quietly, her eyes darting between Logan and me.
"No, stay," I said, my voice cold as steel. The confrontation I had been avoiding for years was finally here, and I wasn’t backing down.
Simone hesitated for a moment, then crossed the room and sat down in the chair next to mine. I stiffened, crossing my arms tightly over my chest, my gaze swinging between her and Logan. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until I couldn’t stand it anymore.
"Well?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. "Someone want to start explaining?"
Logan looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. "Joey, it’s not what you think?—"
"Don’t," I cut him off, my eyes narrowing. "Don’t insult me by pretending this isn’t exactly what it looks like. I’m not blind, Logan. I know you, and I know when you’re hiding something."
Simone shifted in her seat, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her usual air of confidence was gone, replaced by something I couldn’t quite place. Was it guilt? Regret? I couldn’t tell, and it infuriated me.
"Josephine," Simone began, her voice soft but steady. "This wasn’t planned. It just... happened."
I let out a bitter laugh, uncrossing my arms to point an accusing finger at her. "What happened, Simone? Did you just conveniently forget the hell you put me through? The lies, the manipulation, the fact that you tried to kill me? Or did you think Logan wouldn’t care about any of that?"
Simone flinched, and for a split second, I saw something like pain flash across her face. But I wasn’t about to be fooled. Not again.
Logan finally looked at me, his eyes filled with something I hadn’t seen in a long time—shame. "Joey, I know what she did. But people change. She’s changed."
"People don’t change," I snapped, my heart pounding in my chest. "They just get better at hiding who they really are."
Simone leaned forward, her voice desperate. "Josephine, I’m not that person anymore. I regret everything that happened between us, but I can’t undo the past. I can only try to be better now."
"Better?" I echoed, incredulous. "You think dating my brother is somehow better? You think that’s going to make me forgive you?"
"I’m not asking for your forgiveness," Simone said quietly, her eyes locked on mine. "I’m asking for a chance to prove that I’m not the same person who hurt you."
I shook my head, disbelief washing over me. "You’re seriously sitting here asking me to be okay with this? With you two together?"
Logan stepped in, his voice calm but firm. "Joey, I wouldn’t have started dating her if I didn’t believe she’d changed. I wouldn’t put you through that."
"Then why didn’t you tell me?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why keep it a secret?"
He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Because I knew how much it would hurt you. And I wasn’t sure... I wasn’t sure if we could make it work. I didn’t want to drag you into something that might not last."
I stared at him, my anger battling with the hurt that was quickly rising to the surface. "So, what now? You expect me to just accept this? To pretend that everything’s fine?"
"No," Simone said, her voice firm but gentle. "I don’t expect anything from you, Josephine. But I want to be honest with you. For once, I want to do the right thing."
I swallowed hard, trying to process everything. This wasn’t how I’d imagined this confrontation going. I’d expected anger, accusations, maybe even a fight. But instead, I was faced with something far more complicated—an apology. A plea for understanding.
And I didn’t know what to do with it.
"You both have a lot of nerve," I finally said, my voice shaky but resolute. "Don’t think for a second that I’m just going to forget everything that happened. You broke my trust, both of you. And that’s not something you can fix with a few words and good intentions."
Logan nodded, accepting my words with a grim expression. "I know. And I’m not asking you to."
Simone looked at me, her eyes full of something I couldn’t quite read. "I don’t want to hurt you anymore, Josephine. I just... I just want a chance to be better."
I took a deep breath, standing up from my chair. "I need time. To think, to process this. Don’t expect me to come around anytime soon."
With that, I turned and walked out of Logan’s office, my heart heavy with the weight of what had just unfolded. I wasn’t sure where we would go from here, but one thing was clear—I couldn’t trust them. Not yet. Maybe not ever.