Page 64 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“Are you angry just because my dad’s found out about us, or is there another reason?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you ashamed of me?” Her question is quiet, almost lost in the hum of the car engine.

“What?” I blink, taken aback. “No, of course not. This isn’t about us. This is about Harvey.” I run a hand through my hair. “It’s a mess, and he won’t take it well.”

“So, if my father weren’t in the picture, you wouldn’t care that the world knew we were together?”

I hold her gaze. Why is she asking me this? “Can we, please, just focus on Harvey’s situation, Leah?”

“I thought as much.”

“Don’t do that, Leah.”

“What?”

“Don’t assume things on my behalf.” I shake my head. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, I promise you it isn’t like that.”

“If you say so.”

We fall into silence as the cityscape whizzes past the tinted windows. The car glides smoothly through traffic. But inside, the tension is anything but smooth. My mind’s racing, mapping out how the conversation with Harvey will go.

Spoiler: not well.

When we pull up to Harvey’s mansion, a towering, stone-clad monstrosity that looks more like a castle than a home, I brace myself. The wrought-iron gates swing open, and the car rolls up the driveway, stopping just shy of the grand entrance—Leah’s childhood home.

I glance at her, but she’s staring straight ahead, her fingers nervously twisting a loose thread on her jacket. She looks mildly annoyed to be here. I wonder if she’s thinking about her mom.

“Ready?” I ask, though I’m not sure either of us is.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She shrugs, pushing the door open.

We step out into the cool afternoon air, the wind tugging at Leah’s dark hair as we approach the front door. Before I can even knock, the door swings open, and Lizzie stands there—Harvey’s much-too-young, much-too-tacky girlfriend. She’s wearing some kind of tight, glittering cocktail dress, even though it’s barely noon, and her blonde hair is teased to high heaven.

She looks shocked to see us, but quickly recovers, a sly smile creeping across her lips. She glances behind her shoulders as if to see if Harvey will get mad at her for smiling. The tension in her shoulders disappears when she doesn’t see him.

“Oh!” Her voice is high-pitched, faux-sweet. “I didn’t know you two would be here.”

Leah rolls her eyes so hard that I’m surprised they don’t get stuck. I manage a tight smile. “Yeah, we didn’t plan on being here either. We’re here to talk to Harvey.”

“Mhmm.”

“Can you get him for us?”

Lizzie giggles.Why does she always giggle?Then, she flashes a conspiratorial grin. “I’m rooting for you two, you know. It’s romantic.”

I offer her nothing but a flat “thanks” before she totters off, her heels clicking too loudly on the marble floor. Who wears heels in their own home?

Leah glares after her. “Rooting for us? She doesn’t even know us.”

I shrug. “She’s probably rooting for herself to stay on Harvey’s good side.”

The grand foyer, vaulted ceilings, marble floors, and expensive art pieces, are familiar. I used to be comfortable here whenever I visited. But now it feels suffocating.

“Is that—” Leah’s words trail off as she points towards a corner.

The white wall in that corner is blotched brown like bourbon, and broken glass litter the floor. Harvey probably threw that in anger. Hell, scratch the probably. That’s definitely his doing.

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