Page 65 of My Ruthless Neighbor

“Didn’t know you liked slumming it with a lowly waitress.” She muses.

I stiffen. I try not to let it show on my face how much her words affected me. My hand sneaks up to touch the colorful scarf around my neck in the hopes of drawing some strength from it.

It’s just three of us out here. I stick out like a sore thumb. It hurts. The feeling of not belonging.

I resent the awkwardness that takes over me.

I should defend myself. Say something equally mean to her. But that would jeopardize Archer’s case. He wouldn’t want me to create a scene. He just wants her gone.

He may not have pictured this outcome, but it’s still in his favor. She caught us. I don’t have to deliver the message anymore. My role here has ended.

I want to walk away and leave the two alone but I force myself not to.

They are currently engrossed in a staring contest. A silent battle of sorts. Something tells me, that if I so much as breathed loudly, it would shift their focus back at me. And I don’t want that.

So I remain standing, rigid and uncomfortable. I can also feel the tension radiating off Archer.

He is the one to shatter the silence. “I was wrong.”

She shoots him a smile, her eyes glinting. It’s creepy as hell. “That’s all I wanted to hear. Let’s go back. Food’s getting cold.”

When she reaches for his arm, he steps back, pocketing his hands. “I wasn’t finished, Meagan.”

“Oh,” her brows raise as her hand drops to her side, her fingers curling. Her expression stays calm and composed. But the clenching of her fingers betrays her act.

“I was wrong that I deemed you to be perfect wife material. I was wrong to overlook the fact that you forced me to go on a date with you by snitching.” He clenches his jaw. “And last but not least, I was wrong to waste my time looking for alternatives to reject you politely.”

She sniffs. “I am willing to ignore what you just said. Let’s forget about this. I didn’t see anything. Nothing happened.” She looks at me, her gaze moving from my head to my feet. Her lips tip down in disgust. “We shouldn’t let anything disrupt our union.”

“You think like a businesswoman.” Archer comments. Meagan smiles at that.

“And although a woman like you would be suitable for a workaholic like me, I still wouldn’t give you the time of day.”

“What?” She shrieks. No longer composed now.

“A person who looks down on another based on their economic class sickens me.” His tone is hard. Then, “I would’ve demanded you to apologize to Summer but I know it would lack sincerity.”

For a moment, no one speaks. Archer ruthlessly destroyed her in seconds. He took a stand for me.

Meagan’s mouth is tight as she glares at him. But in a second, as if a switch went off, her expression is back to being calm.

Her lips curl in a smile once again. “I am going back in there now. Fix yourself and join me soon. It’s rude to keep your date waiting.” She says softly before entering through the back door, leaving us both stunned.

“Holy Shit,” I mutter, still staring at the door, mouth agape. “You weren’t kidding. She really doesn’t take no for an answer.”

He turns to me with a sigh. “Not much shocks me. But she definitely did.”

“I’ll deal with her.”

“No, you will not. I already fucked up stringing you along. I shouldn’t have done that.” His eyes fall to my mouth for a beat. He clears his throat. “I’ll have to talk to her parents.”

“Your plan failed. So we are going to do this my way.” I grin.

He closes the gap between us. “You mean by lying.”

I open my mouth but he beats me. “No.”

“You called in the favor I owe you, right? Now you can’t stop me.”

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