Page 96 of Pucking Billionaire

Oh, and tellingly, there are zero after the conversation we just had.

My stomach sinking, I call Abigail.

“Hey,” she says. “Are you back? I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“Yeah. Just got back. I wanted?—”

“No, me first,” she chirps excitedly. “I’ve got the job. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

My chest squeezes. Abigail’s already gotten the job. And Mason must’ve known this—but he didn’t use the information to his advantage, just like he never brought up delaying the cruise ship when I was seasick.

“You there?” Abigail asks.

“Yeah. I’m happy for you,” I say. “It’s just that… I think I fucked up. Big.”

“What happened?”

I tell her, and when I finish, she confirms what I already thought: Mason must have known she got the job for at least two days now, via his friend, which means what I interpreted as a threat was simply a point Mason tried to make.

“Can’t he get you fired?” I ask, but I don’t believe that anymore.

“Extremely unlikely,” she says. “For starters, when you join Octothorpe, you get shares in the company as a sign-on bonus—and they cost a fortune. If they terminated me for no reason at all, I’d get to keep those. Furthermore?—”

“I’ve got to fix this,” I say, more to myself than to her.

“Yes, you do,” she says sternly. “Now go and do that. We’ll talk after.”

I hang up and dial Mr. Cohen to make the necessary arrangements before telling Richard to get my fastest car ready.

I’m going to Mason’s place, and I’m going to make this right.

Chapter 34

Mason

When I storm into my apartment, both Spike and the cat sitter I hired to look after him examine me with similarly worried expressions.

I pay the woman and relieve her of her duties, then soothingly stroke Spike’s fur—the soothing more for me than for him. After a while, my anger has cooled to the point where I want to go back and explain to Sophia that I’d never torpedo her friend’s job, not that it’s even possible now that she’s been hired.

But no.

Sophia won’t open the gates for me. Or talk to me again.

Fucking fuck. I was so jealous after meeting her ex I couldn’t control my big mouth.

Then again, I don’t care if she doesn’t open the gates. I’m heading back there. If I don’t set the record straight, I?—

My phone rings.

It’s Cohen.

I don’t have time for lawyers right now, so I ignore it… except he calls again. And again.

“What?” I bark into the phone.

He informs me that Sophia is selling me the team, and for a pittance.

“No,” I say. “Not if this means we’re never going to see each other again.”

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