Page 34 of The Heir

"Hello, Anna," he says in a deeper voice than normal. My brow arches, and the corner of my lip curls.

"Chris!' she says with a bright smile on her face. "You look so good!"

"Oh, he doesn't like to be called-"I try, but he interrupts me.

"Thanks. You look ravishing." Christopher gushes, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Ravishing?

I stand there silently, holding my clutch with both hands in front of me. Insecurity and hurt fills me because he couldn't be bothered to say two words without me begging for attention, and my brows furrow together in confusion, seeing how he so obviously compliments her.

Standing there uncomfortably, I stiffen even more, feeling a pair of eyes staring at me. Uneasy, I turn my head, searching for whoever it is,when suddenly my eyes drift to the right and I see King watching me. Making my heart skip a beat.

I blink, but he's still there, standing there in the mill of people, staring at me.

The others drift past him in between us, and the noise and chatter of the venue suddenly falls away as we lock eyes. He doesn't grin, smile, or move. Just stares into my soul.

I go to move my head slowly to break our eye contact, when suddenly that fucking scent hits me.

The one that I slept on all night. The one in my shower.

The overbearingly disgusting scent fills my nose uncomfortably, and I look over sharply seeing Anna holding a matching spray and dabbing it on her wrists. Unfortunately, it's also when I notice that Christopher has his fingers on her elbow. Tears prick my eyes and I roll my lips, hearing her throaty laugh as Christopher says something to her too quiet for me to hear.

I look back up to see King still standing there in the same spot, staring at me with an almost hungry expression on his face. Or maybe it's pity at seeing the man I've been rejecting him for be so enamored with this woman. Who's not me.

The tears in my eyes make everything blurry, but all I can hear is Anna laughing.

Am I going crazy? Did the run earlier scramble my brain?

I shake my head because thishasto be a horrible coincidence. Christopher wouldn't do this to me. My breasts heave as I just stare, seeing King begin to move, headed to me, but I can't move. I'm locked in place because my mind is telling me that Anna might be having an affair with my boyfriend, who I thought was going to propose to me tonight.

My heart won't let me believe it though.

It doesn't make sense. Why would they do this to me? Why would she do this to me? Why wouldhedo this to me?

I feel my chin tremble as I clench my lips tightly. My face leaves King and turns to back to Christopher and Anna. I feel like I might be hallucinating, making up that I see his eyes soften as he looks at her, hanging on her every move. My eyes drift over them slowly, my head tilts, taking in her dress that his tie matches perfectly.

I startle as King makes his way to me and picks up my hand just as the first tear slips down my cheek, he presses his lips to the back of my hand and letting them linger. I wipe my tear away quickly.

"Ma'am, you are exquisite," he says quietly, right in front of Christopher and Anna.

I swallow thickly because I can't trust myself to talk. My eyes swing back to Christopher, who's looking at me with a perplexed expression, and so is Anna, who turns her eyes to King and holds her hand out to his. The look that King throws to Anna makes my skin shrivel tight, and I gasp at how chilly the temperature plummets between us all.

"I told you already,you are not her. You don't get what she gets. Period. What can't you understand about that?" He all but snarls at Anna, making her step back in shock.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that. Who are you?" Christopher snaps, tilting his head and putting half his body in front of Anna's. To make matters worse, two of King's men walk up behind us and flank either side of me and King.

My heart begins to race because I don't think I can tolerate an altercation between the two men right now. I need a minute to think rationally about this because there has to be some mistake. I'm misconstruing something. He wouldn't be doing this so blatantly in front of me. They both wouldn't.

Would they?

I clear my throat, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Christopher, this is my business partner, Hendrix King." My words are rapid as they come out. I don't want a fight. I need a minute away from this shit that I can't believe is happening. Maybe Christopher's lack of attention really is bothering me more than I think, for me to be thinking he's having an affair. I weakly snatch at King's arm, needing space. "K-King, let's go look at the art, I think I see something that might go good with Fabian's restaurant. Excuse us." I bite out to Christopher and Anna who are both standing there looking confusedly at King.

Turning, we make our way through security and I let out a little whimper as I attempt to take a deep breath. But each one just gets caught in my throat.

"Isobel, are you okay?" King's voice softens, full of concern, almost topples me over into a full blown crying fit.

"Hm-hm. Hm-hm." My throat tickles, burning as it clogs up with unshed tears. I wrap around his arm tightly like he's a lifeline, keeping me from sinking.

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