Page 157 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

She flashed him a peace sign, saying weakly, “Sorry.”

They checked the offices one at a time, with half of them empty while the other half was occupied by interns from Derek Christopoulos’ staff. They all had their headsets on and were in front of their laptops, furiously typing as they monitored bids for the ongoing online auction.

When they reached the office at the end of the hallway, Grant and Fawn looked at each other.

“L-last one,” Grant muttered under his breath.

Her smile wobbled. “I know. And either they’re both here or they’re somewhere else.”

Grant gave her an odd look. “A few m-minutes ago, you were convinced they w-weren’t together.”

She looked at him steadily. “It’s the only plausible reason, isn’t it?” Another tiny little ache in her heart, but it hurt a hundred times more now. “But I trust him.”

This time, Grant didn’t say anything, only turning towards the door, and Fawn swallowed behind him as he reached for the knob.

Grant opened the door slowly, and her heart began to play a staccato beat out of fear.

And then she heard the prince say, “Come in, Bennett. I’ve been waiting for you two.”

Ah.

Pushing past Grant, she tumbled inside the room—-

One second.

One second for her to memorize everything she saw inside the room—-

Matte gray walls.

A low ceiling.

White blinds drawn shut over four pairs of windows.

A pile of empty boxes next to a gray couch.

A money tree on the opposite corner.

And at the center of the room was the prince, dressed in his beautiful black tux, and there was something hurtfully nostalgic in the way he was perched on the edge of the desk.

His green eyes collided with hers.

Surreal, everything was so stupidly, painfully surreal.

He was alone, but it didn’t matter.

Lou wasn’t with him, but she almost wished it were the other way around.

Because the way the prince was looking at her now—-

One second,Fawn thought numbly again.

One second for her to immortalize the scene in her mind.

One second for her world to crumble.

One second for the ground to disappear under her, and then she was falling, falling, falling—-

Heartbreak was viciously cruel like that.

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