Page 94 of High Stakes

“Didn’t your henchman warn you I was coming?” I ask, holding up the papers.

He places his hands on his hips and stares at the ground, “You didn’t need to hand deliver them.” I hate that he looks so good, and yet I feel so . . . lost.

“I like to face my problems rather than get staff to deal with them.”

“You’ve seen sense and signed them?” he asks, finally meeting my eye.

“Why do you want to share my business?”

“I paid for it,” he snaps.

“You paid for my virginity,” I counter, “To ease your guilt.”

“And now you’ve got your own back, you can sign half over, and we can move on.”

I narrow my eyes, “This isn’t a game to me, Aiden. I’ve built this business up and now you just want to take half to hurt me.”

“It’s good business sense,” he snaps.

“It’s a game. It’s all you know.” I cry out in anger, “Why do you want to share this when you hate me.” I think I see him soften slightly but he recovers quickly.

“Sign the papers, Bella.”

“I’ll sign,” I eventually say, “If you agree to be a silent partner.”

He scoffs, “You don’t have the right to come here and make demands.”

“This is my life,” I cry, “You’ve already taken so much from me, and it’s clear you’re only doing this to punish me, so agree to be silent and I’ll sign the fucking papers, and you won’t have to deal with me again.”

He eventually gives a slight nod. “I’ll have Drake add the clause in.”

I hand the papers back to him. “Thank you.”

“Did he agree?” asks Aria the following day.

I nod and she claps her hands together, smiling. “That’s great news.”

I hate that I’m about to crush her dreams. “It doesn’t change anything.”

Her smile fades. “But if he stays out of the business, you can run it how you like. Plus, he can put in a cash injection. You can get some more equipment, expand to meet the demand.” I take her hands and tears fill her eyes. “Don’t,” she whispers sadly, “Don’t give me that sympathetic look.”

“I’m not leaving you, Aria.”

“You are,” she cries dramatically, and I can’t help but laugh. “If I can’t see you in the flesh, or touch you, then you’releaving me.”

I nod in agreement, “You’re right. But we discussed this already, and you know why I have to do this.”

The shop doorbell rings, and I kiss her on the cheek before heading back into my shop where I find Aiden. I inhale sharply before composing myself. “That was quick,” I say, forcing a smile.

He hands me the papers and I take them over to the desk. “You should have someone read over that,” he mutters.

I pull a pen from my drawer and skip through the pages. “I’d rather just get it over and done with.” I spot the extra clause and turn to the final page. “How will this all work?”

“You’ll run things, and I’ll take half the profits,” he says, with a slight smirk. Just the thought of breaking my back for him to take half, makes me sick.

“And what happens if you decide you want more?” I ask, “How do I know this will be my final battle with you?”

“You’ll just have to trust me.”

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