Page 67 of Ardent Desires

“Alex, please,” Vanessa pleads, reaching for my arm. “We didn’t want it to go this far. We thought it could work out. Logan convinced us…”

“Logan?” I spit out his name like poison. “Logan’s the one who orchestrated this whole thing. You’re just his puppet.”

Logan raises an eyebrow, amused. “Puppet? I think you’re just mad because you’re losing control. This is business, Xander. You’re too emotional to see the bigger picture.”

“Emotional?” I laugh, a bitter sound. “You think I’m emotional? I’m furious, Logan! You’ve taken everything from me. This was my project, my vision, and you’ve turned it into your damn playground.”

“And you thought you could just stroll back in here like nothing happened?” he fires back, shrugging. “You’ve been absent, and now you want to claim what’s rightfully mine?”

I step forward, my heart racing with rage. “What’s rightfully yours? You think this is yours? You’ve hijacked something that was built on my sweat and blood!”

David holds up a hand, his face pale. “Let’s just think for a second. We can work this out.”

“Work it out? You mean I should just hand over my hard work to you two?”

The audience murmurs, some whispering, others taking notes. I can practically see the headlines forming in their minds.

“Alex,” Vanessa says softly, her eyes pleading. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

“Right, because it’s gone so well for me so far,” I snap, throwing my hands up in exasperation. “You’ve both betrayed me in the worst way. And you think I’m just going to sit back and let it happen?”

“Maybe if you’d kept up with the project instead of hiding in your little worldfuckingyour assistant, you wouldn’t be in this position,” Logan mocks, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

“Keep her name out of your fucking mouth,” I say.

“Seems I did strike a nerve,” Logan smirks. “Now Xander, enough with the theatrics. This is my day. I won this round. I amlaunching this project. Maybe you can get the next one. Now if security can escort Mr. Blackwood out…”

I take a deep breath, trying to rein in the chaos swirling in my mind. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? Playing all sides like a fucking chess master?”

“I’m just smarter than you,” he replies, his confidence infuriating. “I always have been.”

David steps closer, desperation in his voice. “I didn’t want this, Alex. You have to understand. I was stuck. I didn’t know how to save my family without making a choice.”

“You saved your family by screwing me over?”

“I had to do what I had to do,” he says, his voice low. “Your dad ruined mine. I thought I could make it right.”

I shake my head, disbelief washing over me again. “Make it right? By backstabbing your best friend?”

“Let’s not pretend we were ever that close,” he counters, the bitterness seeping through. “You’ve been living in your bubble while I’ve been dealing with the fallout from your father’s actions. You have no idea what it’s like.”

“You think I don’t know about sacrifice? About loss?”

The room is tense, every pair of eyes on us, waiting for the next move.

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” I demand. “Why keep it a secret?”

“Because I was scared,” he admits, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I thought if I could get this project under control, maybe it would change everything.”

“And instead, you’ve just turned everything into a disaster.”

Logan interrupts, stepping in. “This isn’t about you anymore, Alex. It’s about moving forward. We have a project to run.”

“Run? You’re ruining it!” I shout back, frustration boiling over. “You’re taking something that was built on trust and destroying it for your gain.”

The audience watches, rapt. I can see some taking photos, capturing this moment of chaos.

“Maybe it’s time you realized you can’t always get what you want,” Logan says, his voice dripping with condescension.