Page 15 of Michael

His attention was caught when he heard Summer say, “Did you go to the chalet? Did you really take her with you and give her the romantic package intended for me?” The last part came out bitter.

“Yes, I came to the chalet with Ambra. I told you I was going to do that. She won the prize.”

“But did you follow through on the plan to get revenge and humiliate her like you told me you were going to do?” she asked.

He sighed. “I told you I was only doing this for revenge and to humiliate her because I—” He turned to look at the door because he thought he had heard something. He strode over to it, opening it quickly, but no one was standing there. He glanced around, and seeing nothing, he shut the door completely.

“Things have changed, and I no longer want to get back at Ambra.”

“You fucked her?” Summer shrieked loudly in his ear, causing it to pop.

He stiffened in anger. “It is none of your business who I take as my partner. We are not together Summer, and I don’t think we will work. We should just be friends.”

“All that chasing me...all the promises you made to me, stringing me along. You selfish bastard!”

He raised his eyebrows. “You mean you kept me spinning, and now that I am no longer interested because of your games, you want to turn this all on me?”

“You won’t get away with this, you owe me!” Summer continued to screech.

“Don’t threaten me; you won’t like the outcome, Summer. You know my family’s reach and what I can do,” Michael said, his voice ice cold.

“I—”

He heard the front door slamming, and dread hit him. He walked out of the study with Summer still talking in his ear, but he couldn’t hear anything but the sound of his pounding heart and then the sound of a car starting up. Ambra was leaving.

He had an overwhelming feeling that he needed to hurry and catch her before she could leave because he knew that she was fleeing because of what she had overheard. She must have made that sound at the study door and heard some of his conversation.

He threw open the door to see her reversing out of the driveway, her eyes focused on the rear-view mirrors before suddenly flashing up to his. She hit the gas pedal to continue going backwards down the driveway until she could find a spot to turn around.

Michael hung up on Summer, not caring that he had cut her off. He didn’t bother to dial Ambra’s phone because he knew she would not pick up. He texted her instead and stared at her when he sent her the message. He saw her pause for a second, the car slowing down, and grab her phone that was next to her on the seat. She glanced at the message and then narrowed her eyes at him before turning the car around and heading down the road.

He grinned and closed the door, sending one more last text before whistling as he went up the stairs to go change.

***

Ambra fumed at the messages Michael had sent her as she drove away from the chalet. She had been hurt, humiliated, and angered when she overheard the conversation between Summer and Michael. This had all been about him getting revenge on her. She couldn’t believe how the amazing couple of days spent with him had turned into ashes. She had left before he could humiliate her even more. It seemed he still wanted another pound of flesh from her.

When she had halted at the first ping of the phone, she knew she should have ignored it and now regretted seeing his messages.

He was pissed, and his threat had been loud and clear. ‘You know I love a good game of hide-and-seek. I so love the chase, especially if it is you. See you soon.’

She narrowed her eyes at him and then turned the car around as he closed the chalet’s door behind him. She heard another ping from her phone and kept driving as she swiped to see what else he had written.

‘And you will pay for taking what belongs to me away.’

She huffed, her anger rising. How dare he threaten her? She drove for a while to put some space between them, and then when she had gotten far enough, she dialed someone.

“I need your help.”

Chapter 7

Ambra sighed and took a sip of her rum punch before turning on the little fan she had brought with her to the beach, where she was resting on her lounge chair and using the umbrella for shade. She was at Coco’s family’s beachfront house in Barbados, where Coco had invited Ambra to stay for a while. She had arrived almost two weeks earlier.

No one knew that she and Coco had become friends after meeting at Carter and Zahara’s wedding. Coco had been the perfect person to call to find a place to hide for a little while before having to go home and face the vengeful wrath of Michael.

“How you are liking my Houdini act?” she asked out loud with a smirk, thinking back to the conversation she had with Coco when she phoned her after her weekend with Michael.

“I need your help. I need to go somewhere no one will find me for a while and—”