Page 94 of Forbidden Grumpy Boss

“It is?” I frown, the sun getting into my eyes. “Enlighten me.”

“Leah’s on her way to end things as we speak,” he says, a smirk practically dripping through the phone.

My heart skips a beat. “What?”

“You didn’t really think she’d put you above her family, did you? I told you she was only with you because she wanted to hurt me. As soon as we sorted things out, you became irrelevant.”

“Fuck you.”

Harvey chuckles. “Family’s everything, Silas. And you’ve been a fool for believing otherwise.”

His words twist in my gut. This can’t be true. Leah would never . . .

“Harvey—"

The call ends before I can say another word, and a sense of dread settles over me. My eyes blur as I rush to my contact list and dial Leah. I press the phone against my ear, my head churning with thoughts.

This has to be bullshit. Harvey’s just playing mind games. A phone starts ringing, and I'm shocked when I hear the ringtone from my living room.

“What the—"

I turn, and through the glass, I see Caleb waving at me excitedly.

“Dad! Leah’s here!” he shouts.

I freeze. Leah’s here. Harvey wasn’t lying. Is she really here to end things?

She steps out onto the balcony, her sunglasses catching the remaining sunlight, her sundress fluttering lightly around her knees. Her face is set in a pained expression, lips pressed tight, eyes obviously hidden to hide her emotions.

She’s glowing, somehow looking different. But my anger is already simmering from Harvey’s words, and I can barely appreciate it.

“You got what you wanted, didn’t you?” she starts, folding her arms tightly across her chest.

“I got what I wanted? Are youfuckingserious?”

“Dad already called off the people he paid to protest, hasn’t he?”

“He will, yeah.” I stare at her, my fists clenched beside me, barely keeping a lid on my anger. “And you? A place at your father’s company.”

She rubs her arm, shaking her head. “You think I care about that, Silas?”

“I thought you didn’t.” I take a step closer. “Hell, you talked so much about how much you didn’t care when, in truth, that was probably all you fucking cared about from the very beginning!”

She scoffs and then runs a hand through her hair. “You know, I just realized something. You used me. That’s all this has been since Rome. You,” she points at me, “using me. You never really cared about me, did you? You set this whole engagement thing up because you—”

“You went along with it!”

“Because you saved my life, and I felt like I owed you!”

“And because you wanted to hurt your father.” I tapped my chest. “Iusedyou? That’s bullshit. Youusedme. And now, you’re walking away.”

“Because you walked away first!”

I stare at her, taken aback by her words, the pain in her voice stinging more than I want to admit. “What the hell are you talking about?” I step closer, hands spread wide in frustration. “Harvey has been on a relentless campaign to rip apart everything I’ve worked for—everything I’ve built. I’ve had no peace since he—”

“Oh, I’msosorry for stealing your peace, Silas.”

“You know that’s not what I’m saying!”

---