Page 83 of Rosabel and the Billionaire Beast

I was already shaking my head. He and Adelie had already dealt with their fair share of garbage from this stupid pact. They’d come out on top and were now happily married as a result of what they’d endured because of that nightmare. I didn’t need to rope him back into it again.

No. I could handle it on my own.

Me:It’s all good. Stay with your wife. I’ll figure something out.

Maddox:Let me know if you hear anything else.

I tapped my phone against my knee, thinking through it all. What was going on?

Whatever the case was, it was time to send Rosabel home. It was time to keep her as far from me as possible, like I should have all along. And just hope nothing would happen to her from here on out.

TWENTY-TWO

rosabel

My limbs were frozen.Even though he’d left the car, I couldn’t bring myself to move, so I sat in the backseat of Duncan’s luxury car, watching him storm into the house.

Staring. Lost. Wondering.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed before my door opened. Clive stood there in his suit with apology in his eyes. I took the hand he offered and slipped out of the car and onto the gravel driveway, feeling oddly listless.

Duncan had talked about my going home. Maybe itwastime I packed it in and left. What was I still doing here?

The driver must have read the consternation on my face because he cleared his throat and gave me a sympathetic smile. Too late, I realized my hand was still in his.

Smiling but not really smiling, I slipped my hand free and stepped back so he could close the car door behind me.

“Sorry,” I muttered, taking a few steps toward the lake house.

The afternoon air was much cooler up here in the mountains than it had been at The Painted Lady. Just how late was it? I wasn’t sure. I hadn’t paid much attention to the time, but it had to be well after lunch by now.

Clive kept pace, walking beside me. “I know it’s none of my business,” he began, “but I know the boss thinks highly of you.”

This made me stop. I gazed up at him, at the gray beard hugging his round chin. “Oh?”

Nicole had said the same thing in the kitchen a few days ago. How could either of them possibly know that?

“He made all kinds of arrangements before we came,” Clive said, keeping his hands clasped behind his back.

“What kind of arrangements?” I asked.

“He made sure we stocked books in the library because, though he’s never picked one up that I’ve ever seen, he knew how much you like to get lost in ‘em. He also stocked the fridge with your favorite drinks and had the gardener tend the roses out back since he said he knew they were your favorite.”

A lump rose in my throat. Duncan had bought me roses before, for my birthday. I also remembered finding the flavored waters in the fridge. I hadn’t considered that Duncan had been the one to request them for me.

“He did?”

“He also made some special arrangements in that workout room of his. Added a treadmill and some smaller weights.”

“The treadmill,” I said, realizing now why it was there. Duncan wasn’t a runner. Why else would he have a treadmill?

“As far as I know, Nicole said a package came for you today, too.”

“A package?” I said. My gaze cast toward the front porch, where packages were usually waiting whenever I’d ordered anything back home.

From what I could see, nothing was there.

“Better check your room when you get inside. All I’m saying is, he cares about you.”

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