Chapter Twenty-Seven
Magnus
F uck.
My entire world rocks and not in the good way. The expression on Zoey’s face rips a hole inside me, one so large I don’t know how the hell I can heal it.
“Zoey? Are you seeing this guy? It’s gotta be a scam. He’s out of your league.”
My gaze snaps to Bronn and deadly fury stalks through my veins. “Get the fuck out of here, Lichtenfeld. You know exactly zero.”
“Yeah, right, I’m not going anywhere.”
My hand balls into a fist. I’m ready to punch the asshole’s lights out. Not because he gave me away, although that’s a good reason —Zoey would have found out eventually, even if my plan tonight had worked out—but because he actually dared say she wasn’t good enough.
Zoey Smith is better than me and Bronn put together. She’s better than most people I’ve met and I already feel like dirt for what I have to do. This dickwad doesn’t need to make things worse by making her feel worse.
A voice in the back of my head says I’ve done that myself, but I ignore it.
“Go, Bronn. I need to talk to him.”
The steel in her voice is cold and implacable and even an idiot like Bronn recognizes it. “Fine,” he mutters. “But if you haven’t signed anything, give me a call—”
“Go.”
Once he leaves, she just stares at me. It’s a look I know will haunt me for years to come.
Not the ice and hate and disgust there, but the pain. The shattered trust, the shattered belief in me, and worse, in herself. All that is there. And I did that. I put that there.
I reach out for her, but she recoils and I drop my hand.
“Oh, my God. I’m an idiot. How much did you laugh at me? And that letter? The one I stupidly trusted you with. Was that just a lie?”
“No. I went to take care of it. You shouldn’t have been sent that. Zoey,” I say, keeping my voice quiet and even. “Can we go inside? We’re on the street and—”
“You think I’m going to invite you into my place?”
It’s pretty much mine now, because of the nature of her equity loan. And my finagling. But I keep that to myself because I’m a fucking bastard of the most selfish kind and there’s no way out of this. Billions of dollars for one small business she can open elsewhere? With a bigger wad of money cushioning her?
I don’t even know why she took the damn loan, since I didn’t go through with the Gran con for the imaginary operation. Cold feet. Weak. Call it what you will, in the end, I simply couldn’t do it to her.
“Zoey?”
“No. You don’t step foot in my life again. I don’t care if I starve to death. You won’t get this place.”
“That’s not how things work and you know it.” I stop and take a breath. I need to stick to my track. “I was going to tell—”
“If you say tell me who you are, I’m not going to believe you.”
I shove a hand through my hair. “No, I wasn’t going to do that. I didn’t want to hurt you.”
“Coward.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said you’re a coward.” She swallows hard and her eyes shine like she’s going to cry but no tears come. Zoey is made of stronger stuff than that. “You weren’t going to tell me because you wanted to leave looking good, knowing I’d feel bad for you and your gran and just hope you both had a good life and…”
Zoey trails off as her eyes widen. “I’m an even bigger moron than I thought. She’s not your gran, is she?”
“No.”
“And I— I gave—” Now she closes her eyes and something cold and dark streams through me because that empty apartment flashes in my head. I close the gap between us and take hold of her shoulders, ignoring the flinch and her attempt to pull free.
“Zoey,” I say, “this is important. What did you do? What did you give Amelia?”
She laughs and I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a bitter and harsh sound come from her mouth. “It’s not even Amanda. I’m too stupid to live. That’s what they say, isn’t it? About idiots like me?”
“What did you give her?”
“Played into your plan.”
“You were never meant to give her anything. What did you do, Zoey?”
“I gave her money to pay her back rent.”
“Fuck me.” She pulls at me and this time I let her go. “Can you get it back?”
But I know what she’s going to say.
“You know I can’t because she gave you that money.”
“She didn’t. She scammed us both. She was meant to be a sympathetic ticket.” One I was going to use to con Zoey, but I keep that part to myself. “I need to go, but I’ll be back.”
“No. Don’t come here. Don’t call me. Don’t do anything.”
And with that, she turns and unlocks her door, slamming it in my face.
I want to bang on the door. I want to break it down and make her listen, even though I know I have no right.
No right, and it’s not going to change a damn thing. I can’t save her place, but I can get her damn money back. I pull out my phone and call one of my cars.
It’s after midnight in my office and I’ve got Georgio working on the Amelia situation. Fuck. I can’t believe the old broad scammed Zoey. If she hadn’t targeted someone like Zoey I might actually respect her.
She scammed me, too.
I work through the night and by seven a.m. there’s a team tracking her down. When you have the kind of money I do, conning a woman I care about is beyond stupid. I’m getting the money back. And it will be soon.
At eight, my mother comes into my office. “I don’t know why I have staff.”
“They wouldn’t dare stop me, Magnus, and you know it.”
I shoot her a look as I half close my computer. “Yeah, I noticed that.”
“It’s a gift mothers have.”
“Why am I suddenly your favorite son?”
She laughs. “I wouldn’t say favorite, but Kingston’s out of town, Hudson and dear Scarlett are on some kind of second honeymoon, and Ryder…” The humor fades. “Ryder’s in a whole lot of trouble. I thought you were going to speak to him.”
“I can’t work miracles, and I did. He likes being a player, and it doesn’t hurt anyone.”
“There’s a husband out there who thinks differently.”
I don’t have time for this. I stand up as my phone buzzes. Georgio with a text. But I shrug as I glance at my mother. “According to Ry, they’re separated and this is publicity between the couple. They’re using him to further their time in the limelight. She’s famous, the husband—” I stop. “Ryder’s a lot of things, but he doesn’t lie. And his business is going from success to success. Even if it wasn’t, that’s his issue, no one else’s.”
“Yes, but that’s not my concern. It’s the board and there’s that meeting.”
“Is it today?”
“It’s a last minute one today. You’re going to have to represent your brothers.”
Shit. “Fine, whatever.”
My phone buzzes again. Another message. I pick it up but my mother crosses over to me and puts her hand on my arm. “You’re not going to ask about the Sinclair jewels or the board?”
“If Jenson and his little team turn about and say I haven’t shown heart, then there’s nothing else I can do. I’m not about to denounce everything I own and I’m a little late and a little too atheist to join the priesthood, so…”
“I think you’re going to prove that, but sometimes real heart isn’t quantifiable.”
I click on the phone and my heart suddenly speeds up. “Mother?”
“Why don’t I like that tone?”
“You’re going to have to represent us all. I have somewhere to be.”
I take a deep breath as I knock on the door some hours later.
Leaving my mother to deal with things doesn’t bother me. This does. Right here, right now.
No one answers, but I know she’s home and I knock again. Louder. More instant.
Finally locks click and chains rattle and the door opens.
She’s all dolled up, a million miles both in distance and in appearance to how I last saw her.
I lean against the door jamb, placing my foot strategically to make sure if she tries to slam it she can’t.
“Hello, Amelia,” I say to the old lady. “I think we need to have a nice long talk. Don’t you?”