Page 102 of Enchanting the CEO

I didn't actually want him to step inside the house, so at two o'clock, I was waiting for him in the yard, holding the ancient laptop in my arms. He arrived ten minutes later. He was always chronically late.

I looked at him and simply felt nothing. Not even repulsion, let alone pain.

The second he stepped out of the car, he smirked, looking at the house. "Nice lodgings. Got your hands on a rich boyfriend?"

"None of your business," I said. "Why do you even need the laptop? Your fancy company can buy you another one."

"I’m starting my own business, and I don’t want to waste money on buying a new laptop for an employee. This old piece of crap will do," he said. His voice was unusually tight, though he still managed to sneer the words.

“What about your job? You were so proud of it.”

“It didn’t work out.”

“So you’ve been fired,” I concluded.

“Don’t act so superior. The job market is tough. Isn’t that the excuse you always gave me? Have you finally managed to get one?”

I straightened up. "I'm running my own touring company."

He snorted. "So I was right. You clearly have a rich boyfriend to support your hobby."

"Fuck you," I bellowed. “You have never, not once, been supportive of me or anything I ever did even though I helped you through college."

He rolled his eyes. "How many times are you going to throw that in my face? You want me to crawl at your feet for my whole life?"

"No, just treat me with basic human decency," I replied. “Here's your laptop. There's the gate. Leave."

He yanked the laptop from me, inspecting it. "All right, no scratches."

I balled my hands into fists. "What the fuck? You’re checking it for damage?"

"Obviously. I want to see if it still works."

I cocked a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Is there a plug out here?"

"No, there isn't." I didn't bother to check. I just wanted him to go.

"Then let's go inside. I need to know if it's still working."

"You’re not stepping inside the house," I said incredulously. "You wanted your laptop, you've got it. That's it."

"Come on. Don't be like this. What use do I have for a laptop that doesn't work?"

"I haven't even opened it."

"Really? Then why did you take it with you?"

That was a good question.

"Probably because I knew your cheap ass would want it back at some point. Knowing you, you'd make me pay for it if I didn't have it anymore."

He pointed at me. "If this doesn't work, you'll be buying a new one."

"For fuck's sake, what's wrong with you?" I asked. "Just take your laptop and do whatever you want with it. Stop being such an ass."

He jerked his head back. "Now that you've got the rich boyfriend"—he tipped his head toward the house—"you finally have a backbone?"

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