Chapter 28
TWENTY-EIGHT
Ariana
Stephen was on the new couch I’d just bought for my office, slouched back with his head resting against it, legs sprawled. His gaze tracked me with wordless heat, following every move I made.
I tilted my head, brows lifting in a silent What?
He only shook his head, slow and wordless.
I took my time crossing the room and eased into his lap. His hands found my arms first, then slid up to cup my cheeks. His gaze softened, yet his focus sharpened, as if committing every detail to memory.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked softly.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, still silent. His eyes stayed locked on mine, as though quietly peeling back every layer, the ones I offered freely and the ones I kept barricaded deep inside.
“Stephen…”
His hands slipped from my cheeks, and after a few beats of silence, he finally said, “Something’s different about you.”
“Different how?” I asked.
“You’re a little lighter. I can see it in your expression.”
“Maybe because my plans have been executed perfectly.”
“Maybe.” He nodded. “Are they all finished?”
“Not quite,” I replied. “The process of buying The Mercer Group isn’t finalized yet. When it’s done, Grayson agreed to make an announcement at the town hall meeting a week from now.”
“And then you’re done?”
I studied his face, trying to see where he was going with this. “Not yet,” I said quietly. “I still have a plan for Grayson’s parents. And Demi needs to have her payback too.”
“Ari.” He sighed. “For Grayson to make that announcement, isn’t that humiliation enough? And for Demi, didn’t you already send her the pictures of her husband’s infidelity?”
“That’s not enough.”
“Is there going to be an end to this?” he asked, his tone rough.
“After those two are executed, then I’m done.”
“Promise?” he asked softly, sounding hopeful.
I nodded. “Promise.”
He leaned forward, his lips only an inch from mine, and whispered, “And then you can be mine?”
“Stephen…”
His hand slipped to the back of my neck, drawing me to him before his lips found mine.
The kiss was soft at first, deepening only slightly, as if he wanted to savor every second, to linger, to pour himself into it.
It was different from the way we used to kiss.
It was slower and gentler this time, almost as if he was branding himself into me, claiming me, making sure I wouldn’t slip away.
And I kissed him back.
But my mind was elsewhere.
I couldn’t focus on him, and lately that truth had been gnawing at me more and more. Being with Stephen was supposed to feel like home, yet Grayson still haunted my heart. That realization was becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.
Sometimes I wondered what Stephen thought about Grayson. He knew Grayson was the ghost hanging between us. Did he feel threatened by him?
And why would a man like Stephen want to wait for someone like me?
But as I had wondered so many times before, why wouldn’t I want to be with Stephen? He was perfect in every way. And he loved me so much that he would wait for me.
And then I remembered that I had kissed Grayson.
Not a soft, careful kiss, but one that consumed me from the inside out.
It wasn’t meant to be safe. It was a storm breaking inside me, fierce and burning.
I kissed him with a hunger I had never known, as if my soul had been holding its breath until that very moment.
It was wild, reckless, a surrender I couldn’t control.
And I knew why.
Because no matter how much I tried to deny it, my body, my heart, and my soul had been waiting for him—waiting for him to come back to me. My mind fought it, shoving it down, because the hurt and the anger had been all-consuming, swallowing me whole.
But now I wasn’t sure if the anger still completely held me. I could feel it fading, little by little. The hurt remained, sharp and unyielding, but it no longer devoured me the way it once had.
“Ari,” he spoke against my lips before pulling back, his eyes searching mine for whatever I was giving away. “You’re not kissing me back.”
He drew away a little more. “Your mind is full of something. Tell me.”
I looked at him, certain he didn’t deserve this—didn’t deserve me like this. My heart would never be his.
Even though I wasn’t sure I could be with Grayson either, not when forgiveness still felt impossible.
Maybe I was destined to love Grayson for the rest of my life, yet never be with him.
But I had to stop whatever this was with Stephen. I couldn’t keep stringing him along.
I slid off his lap and sat beside him. His expression shifted instantly, as if he already knew whatever I was about to say would hurt. He looked at me like a man awaiting his verdict.
“I kissed Grayson,” I said, putting it out in the open. “And I was the one who kissed him first.”
His eyes dimmed, the light in them fading. The change in his face was like a shadow sweeping over it. I knew it hurt him, but I couldn’t keep this from him. We’d never been in an official relationship, but I knew how he felt about me.
“I don’t know what came over me, but it was me. I kissed him.”
“Ari,” he breathed, then paused, as if searching for the right words and finding none. He turned away, facing forward, leaning back into the couch.
“So, I think we shouldn’t continue this,” I said softly. “I don’t want to hurt you. And it’s not fair when I can’t give you all of me.”
“Do you still love him?” he asked quietly, still not looking at me.
“Yes,” I admitted.
“Even after everything he’s done to you?”
I sighed and leaned back beside him. We both stared ahead. “I can’t stop it, Stephen. I can’t turn it off.”
“Will you go back to him?”
I shook my head. “I still don’t know if I could.”
After a long silence, he spoke at last, his voice heavy with resignation. “Do what makes you happy, Ari.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t answer. We sat quietly, each lost in our own thoughts—until a loud knock rattled the door. It flew open, and Allen burst in, frantic.
“Ari, you’ve got to see what’s outside Belrose! Two women are fighting, and Grayson’s in the middle of them!”
“What?” I shot up from the couch and ran, following Allen down the stairs and out of Ana?s, Stephen close behind me.
When I reached the sidewalk, I saw Taylor and Demi screaming at each other.
I couldn’t help it—I laughed.
“Is this your doing?” Stephen’s whisper was low, brushing against my ear.
“Yes.” I nodded, eyes locked on the scene before me. Another laugh slipped out as Demi swung her bag, striking Taylor hard on the arm.
Taylor’s fury ignited, and she shoved Demi back with both hands. Grayson stepped in, trying to wedge himself between them, but they didn’t even see him.
From across the street, Demi’s voice carried, cold and cutting.
“You’re a cheap whore!” she screamed, her words sharp enough to cut. “Can’t even get a man on your own, can you? You strutted around bragging about Luca, and he dumped you—right there, in front of everyone. Humiliated you like the pathetic little fraud you are!”
Taylor looked taken aback, the insult hitting its mark, but she fired back instantly. “At least I didn’t have to trap a man by spreading my legs for every thick wallet that walked by. Newsflash, Demi—everyone knows your husband cheats on you because even he can’t stand being around you.”
My God, they didn’t even care that everyone could hear them. A crowd had already formed, faces lit with the thrill of the spectacle. I had to see it up close. I wanted to listen to every venom-laced word.
I checked left, then right, and stepped off the curb, crossing the street without a second thought, tuning out Allen and Stephen’s voices calling after me.
“And you just got fired because you faked your degree, didn’t you?
” Demi’s voice sliced through the air before she broke into a manic, almost gleeful laugh.
“You regret telling me that now, don’t you?
You’re nothing but a pathetic whore and a lying fraud!
I can’t believe I wasted a single second of my life being your friend. You make me sick.”
Taylor sucked in a sharp breath. Her eyes went wide like saucers. She gaped, her mouth opening and closing, words failing her. Then, without thinking, she swung and punched Demi square in the nose.
Demi screamed, clutching her face, blood trickling between her fingers.
“Taylor!” Grayson shouted, panic and disbelief in his voice.
“I—I’m sorry!” Taylor stammered, trembling. “I didn’t mean to—” She turned to Grayson, her voice shaking. “Gray…”
“I’m going to sue you for this!” Demi spat, fury dripping from every word. “Everybody saw you punch me!”
Taylor blinked, stunned, but recovered in an instant. “You hit me first! Everybody saw that, too!”
Demi growled, her body stiff with rage, glaring at Taylor, but it was clear she was hurting. Her nose needed attention immediately. With a final snarl, she stormed off.
Taylor locked eyes with Grayson, his glare a mix of anger, disappointment, and helplessness. With a bratty huff, she turned and marched inside.
The crowd that had gathered began to scatter, some chuckling, some whispering. And then Grayson’s eyes found me.
He knew. It was my doing.
I froze. His expression was unreadable, or maybe I just didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes aimed at me, too.
He turned and walked back to Belrose, silent and purposeful, leaving a weight in the air that pressed against me.
Later that night, back at my apartment, after a shower and just as I was about to pour wine and lose myself in a book, the doorbell rang.
I thought it was Stephen, but it wasn’t.
It was Grayson.
He barged in before I could speak. I closed the door behind him and faced him, bracing for whatever storm he carried.
“Ari,” he said, tense, jaw clenched. “It was you, wasn’t it? Did you send something to Demi telling her Taylor was sleeping with her husband?”
I crossed my arms, holding his gaze. “Yes. It was me.” I didn’t want to lie. “But she didn’t know it was me who sent it.”
“So how come Taylor told me she was certain it was you?”
I shrugged. “Who else would do this to them?”
Then it hit me—I’d already told Taylor I knew about it when she confronted me at Ana?s.
“I warned Taylor not to say anything to Demi that might give it away. But who knows what she would do when I’m not watching?” He ground his teeth, anger flashing in his eyes, and then hissed, “But Ari… what the fuck were you thinking?”
“They both needed to feel it. The humiliation,” I said calmly. “I wanted a confrontation, and the bonus was that they were stupid enough to do it in the street.”
He shook his head, fists tight at his sides. His steps toward me were slow and predatory. “That’s not what I mean,” he said, grunting. “It’s not about punishing Taylor or Demi. That’s not it.”
I stared at him, and confusion washed over me.
He straightened fully, towering over me.
“Jack Helser. Demi’s husband.” He took a sharp breath.
“You humiliated him, too, Ari. You could ruin his marriage. No matter what he feels about Demi, she is his wife. Revealing his affairs will not be taken lightly, especially since the man has done nothing to you.”
His eyes darkened, fear flickering behind the anger. “Helser is dangerous. More dangerous than you realize. And if he ever finds out it was you, you can be sure he will come after you.”