Page 66 of Envy

I let the jab at my mother slide. Everyone knows how I feel about her.

I don’t give a fuck.

“Let it go, John,” Draven speaks up, scrolling through his phone. He’s bored, itching to get back to Gia and the kids.

John doesn’t take the hint.

“So, does anyone have anything to say about Luke?” he asks, bringing up thereal reasonwe were called here. “The boy’s father is distraught.”

“He shouldn’t have stuck his nose where it didn’t belong,” I say flatly, my tone devoid of emotion. “He was warned, John. Drop it.”

John snaps. “You son of a bitch!” he roars, lunging out of his seat.

I grin. “You’re not wrong,” I reply lazily. “But then again,you married her.”

The chair behind him topples over, slamming against the floor-to-ceiling window.

Silence blankets the room.

Reid sighs, shaking his head. “Pay him,” he says simply. “If he starts any trouble, the Consortium will take care of it.”

We all know what that means. We’ll take care of it.

John’s face twists in rage, but he knows he’s lost. “You won’t get away with this,” he spits before storming out of the boardroom.

Coward.

“Handle it,” Old Man Caruthers orders. “The girl is your responsibility, Garret. Do what you want with her.”

His tone leaves no room for debate. “Alaric already briefed me.” Then,he lowers the gavel. The meeting is over.

We all rise.

Valen’s father turns to him, eyes filled with fire and hate. “He’s your responsibility now,” he seethes. “You got what you wanted.” Then, he storms off.

Valen meets my gaze. Azriel is officially a son of Kenyan. But people don’t know the truth. As nice as they think he is, there’s a part of him his father doesn’t want the world to see.

He’s a patient from the fourth floor.

And someone had to help me nail that fucker to the cross.

For the thirdtime this morning, I retch into the toilet, my stomach twisting violently. My nose runs, snot dripping, as I clutch the rim, feeling like my insides might spill out through my mouth.

Leaning back against the cold tile wall, I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand, sweat slicking my brow. My ribs ache from the force of vomiting. Maybe I ate something bad. Or maybe I caught a stomach bug.

I exhale shakily and glance at the small teak table near the sink, where a folded note waits for me.

Garret’s handwriting. My heart clenches. He was the one behind the first note. Who would’ve thought Garret Nox was a romantic?

Smiling softly, I pick up the letter, pressing it to my chest. Ilove him. The forever kind. The kind that roots itself so deeply inside you, no one could ever measure up.

He’s embedded in me like vines creeping through cracks,wrapping around my heart, refusing to let go.

I unfold the letter, my pulse pounding as I read:

You have broken the darkness around my heart with a kiss.

Your warmth, the scent of your skin.

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