Chapter 48
CHAPTER 48
ABIGAIL
“I ’m so glad that part of the night is over,” I murmured to Jeffrey as we descended the few steps from the stage. “I thought we did really well. Congratulations, partner.”
He chuckled. “I’d say those congratulations are due to you. You were a champion up there, Abi. Well done.”
Irina, the emcee and one of my sister’s friends, giggled behind us. “You’re both superstars. Seriously, it’s going to be an amazing night. I’m glad I get to be here to share it with you both.”
We reached the bottom of the stairs and I turned to face her. “You’re sure you’ve got everything you need, right?”
She smiled. “Relax. I’ve got this. Go get out there and enjoy the fruits of your labor. It must’ve been insanely hard work to pull all this off. There’s nothing more for you to do now other than to have fun.”
“We also have to check on everything,” Jeffrey said stiffly, as if he was offended by her suggestion of having fun for the rest of the evening. “Fit Gal’s sponsors and partners will be expecting us to make sure the event goes off without a hitch.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Simon making his way in our direction and my heart stuttered. Although there were over two hundred people in this room, he was suddenly the only one I could see.
Dressed impeccably in a tailored black suit with a black mask on his face, his beard as short and neatly trimmed as ever, he was a definite heartbreaker. All that dark hair had been styled to one side, and although I was making a point of not looking directly at him, I could feel the intensity of his gaze on me.
With my heart pounding and my lungs threatening to go on strike, the only thing I knew in that moment was that I couldn’t talk to him right then. It was all still too raw and I just wasn’t up to it, so I jumped on the first idea for escape that raced into my mind and grabbed Jeffrey’s hand.
“Sorry to have to cut this short, but I need you for something real quick, Jeff.” Tugging him with me into the first room that I saw, I made sure to shut the door behind us and then I released him, spinning around to give him an apologetic smile. “That was a bit abrupt. I apologize. I just wanted to know if you’d checked on the ice situation with the bartenders? I didn’t talk to them before we started and I just remembered.”
It was a weak excuse, but Jeffrey didn’t question me. His eyebrows pinched together for a moment. Then he shook his head. “I haven’t checked in with them either, but I’ll go do that now. Thanks for the reminder, Abi.”
“Sure thing.” I inhaled deeply and brought my hands to my hips, still waiting for my pounding heart to calm down.
As it did, I became more aware of our surroundings, realizing that the room I’d pulled him into was a cozy, small lounge area off the ballroom. The lighting was low and comforting, overstuffed leather couches scattered around an unlit fireplace in the center.
Jeffrey frowned at me. “Are you okay? Your eyes are a little shiny right now.”
“No. No, I’m fine. Thank you. I think it was just the stage, you know? I was a little nervous about it and I may be suffering from a mild case of shock that it went so well.”
Understanding softened his features and he nodded. “If it helps, I wouldn’t have guessed that you were nervous. You totally rocked it. I’ll go check on the ice.”
“Thanks, Jeff.” I smiled. “So far, everything is going great though, so after you’ve checked in with the bartenders, try to have some fun, okay? Irina was right. We should enjoy the fruits of our labor.”
He scrunched up his nose and shrugged. “I’ll try, but big, fancy gatherings aren’t really my scene. I’d much rather be working.”
“Go out there and have a blast,” I instructed lightly. “I’m just going to take a breath, but I’ll be back out there in just a bit.”
He nodded and tugged at the lapels of his jacket before he spun on his heels, pausing when he reached the door to look back at me. “Take all the time you need, but you should go have a blast when you’re ready too. Most of this wouldn’t have been possible without you.”
I managed another smile, though it was weaker this time. “I’ll just be a few. Promise.”
Jeffrey returned my smile. Then he was gone and I was finally, mercifully, alone. A shuddering breath left me and I choked back a sob, the real pain of having spotted Simon only just really hitting me now. I wouldn’t let him ruin my evening, but damn.
That hurts.
Soft laughter from somewhere just outside the door drifted to my ears and I froze, but I quickly forced my feet to move. There was a whole series of these little side rooms beside the ballroom, all of which had been closed off from the actual ballroom for this evening, but each of the rooms had wide doors opening onto the main space if needed for a specific event.
They were all connected through interior doors as well and I moved from the one I’d been in, just needing some privacy for a few before I’d rejoin the party. The last thing I wanted was for someone to open that door Jeffrey and I had come in through and stumble right upon me.
As I found a much smaller, more formal sitting area nearer the staircase, I sank down on one of the hard, white couches, dropping my face into my hands. I focused on my breathing rather than the sting of pain racing through my insides, desperately trying to pull myself together.
This was a big night for me and I really wanted to enjoy it, but knowing he was here was putting a damper on things. I was still sitting there in the near dark when I heard familiar voices coming from the direction of the staircase.
“It’s so good to see you here, Simon,” Ashley said. “When we decided that the teams should attend each other’s events, we weren’t sure how well it was going to be received, but it’s wonderful to see you supporting Jeffrey and Abigail.”
I couldn’t quite make out his response and I knew I shouldn’t have cared, but I found myself rising to my feet anyway. Quietly moving closer to the door that opened up to the ballroom from the room I was in, I seriously questioned my own sanity—but that didn’t stop me from going over.
Morbid curiosity is real. Got it.
My heart was pounding in my ears, my palms suddenly a little clammy. I closed my eyes, trying to recenter myself, but it didn’t work. When I opened them again, I was only a few steps away from the door, and instead of walking away, I went even closer.
A sliver of light from the ballroom poured in through the door, which I only realized now had been left ajar. Before I could stop myself, I was leaning forward, peering through the crack like some kind of psycho stalker. Ashley and Simon were only about a yard away from me, and though my heart was still thundering in my ears, I didn’t need to hear to be able to see them.
And I could see them, alright.
Mostly, what I saw was the two of them standing much closer than regular coworkers, but it wasn’t what almost knocked me on my ass. It was the bracelet in Ashley’s hand that did that. Dangling between her manicured fingers was the bracelet with the seahorses on it that I’d admired at the aquarium in Florida.
I could’ve explained away how close they were standing as Ashley just hitting on him again, but this? There was only one way she would be holding that specific bracelet—and it was that he’d bought it for her there.
The bracelet I’d wanted to buy for myself to commemorate the moments he and I had shared that day. I felt like I was going to throw up. My stomach churned and my knees suddenly felt weak.
That’s all this ever was, isn’t it? A way for him to use me to get close to the client.
Simon was smart. He would’ve known that he’d be able to get to me, distract me, and then use his techniques to charm Ashley. While he hadn’t completely succeeded in distracting me, it was clear that the rest of the plan was still in motion.
Immediately turning my back on the crack in the door, I forced my feet to move me away from them. As fast and as far as I could get.
All I could see when I blinked was that silver bracelet in her hand and the surprised, excited smile on her lips, but I could not break down right then. I couldn’t rush out there and demand to know why he’d bought it for her . I couldn’t confront him about what he’d been doing all this time with me . Besides, he’d been pretty clear when we’d spoken earlier.
All I needed to do right then was to focus on this event and make sure it finished strong. I could let loose hell on Simon later, but for now, the ball had to be my priority. If there was so much as one hiccup tonight, it could cost us the win. As far as I knew, Simon and Karen’s event had been flawless. It was up to me to make sure that ours was the same.
That didn’t stop it from hurting, though. Just when I’d started opening myself up to him again, this had happened. First the distance, then him telling me that he needed to focus only on the client right now, and then, him wooing said client with a bracelet I had wanted.
No doubt he’d spun some bull crap to her about it reminding him of her and their time together at the expo in Florida. Bastard.
I huffed out a breath and stopped walking when I reached the lounge Jeffrey and I had been in before. Right through that door was a masked ball that I was putting on for a kick-ass foundation and maybe Simon was right.
Maybe my focus should also be completely on winning the client right now. Heaven only knew, splitting my focus between Fit Gal and having him back in my life hadn’t felt like much of a challenge. It’d come naturally to me, but my loyalty had to be fully with my family’s company.
Obviously, his loyalty was to himself. Just like it always had been and perhaps rightly so. Whatever I might think about Astor and Co, it was his family’s company. Thinking that we could ever be together, ever share anything, had been silly.
Our families had always been and probably always would be rivals. Simon and I had shared some good times, but it seemed like that was where things between us had always been destined to stay.
I squeezed my fingers around my hips, drawing in one final, deep breath before I’d go rejoin my party. In that moment, I realized that although it was Simon’s worst nightmare, I could totally see all the ways in which he could become his father.
It was a pity because buried deep down in there was a guy I still believed was genuinely good, but it wasn’t up to me to coax him out. Simon had to make his own choices—and there was nothing I could do about it—even if I believed they were the wrong ones.