Page 105 of A Simple Reminder

“This hotel is our gateway into the U.S. market. Do you even grasp how much money is tied up in this project? How much is riding on this?"

He exhales sharply, frustration tightening his features. “Can you at least look at me when I’m speaking to you? When will you start thinking with your head instead of your dick?”

“Of course, I know all of this!” I snap back, my temper flaring. “I’m working. I’ve been working hard, and we’re almost done. You saw it with your own eyes.”

“No.” He stops pacing, turning to face me fully. “What I saw with my own eyes was your tongue down my wife’s best friend’s throat. Do you understand what’s going to happen when Leora finds out you’re using her friend?”

“I’m not using her!” The words burst out of me, my voice loud. I won’t stand him thinking I’m using her.

Lucas narrows his eyes, his voice dropping to an icy calm. “Are you sleeping with her?”

“Lucas—”

“Are. You. Sleeping. With. Her?” He takes a step closer, his voice a low, dangerous growl.

“Yes,” I admit, my voice clipped. “But it’s not what you think. We’ve been together before?—”

He raises a hand, cutting me off. “Enough. I don’t want to hear it.” His tone is final, leaving no room for argument. “You need to listen to me and listen closely. Sophie is here to do a job. An important job. Leora picked her for this because it’s her chance to put her name on the map. This project will elevate her career after what that jackass Jared did. And don’t get me started on why you hired him in the first place.”

I grit my teeth but stay silent, his words hitting their mark like a well-placed punch. Because he’s right. I never should’ve hired Jared.

Last week, Sophie told me everything. About their history. About what he did. I still see the way she looked at me when she said it—like she was bracing for my reaction, like she wasn’t sure if I’d snap.

She was right to worry.

I barely got through hearing it without seeing red. She had to grip my arm, press her palms to my chest, hold me back before I made my way to his apartment, broke his front door down, and put him through the fucking wall.

But the anger I felt then? It’s nothing compared to what slams into me when Lucas keeps going.

“Jared saw you two kissing. Do you think he won’t use that against her? Against us? How do you think that will look?”

“He did what?” My head snaps up, my blood turning to ice before it boils over. My fists curl, my entire body locking up as I force out, “It won’t come to that. I'll speak with him.” My voice is firm, final.

But Lucas just laughs—sharp, cold, like he already knows I’m an idiot for thinking it’s that simple.

“He will speak, Liam. And when he does, it will look bad for her. For you. For all of us. What happens when Sophie leaves because of this? Because I promise you, she will. Then we’ll be left without an interior designer. Do you think anyone at her level will take on a project that’s eighty percent done? There’s no money in that, Liam, and it’ll ruin our timeline. You’re risking everything for a simple fuck.”

“She isn’t a simple fuck.”

“I don’t care if she’s acomplexfuck,” he retorts coldly. “But that’s what it is to the outside world. You being the reckless little brother again.”

“Reckless?” My voice rises, sharp and unwavering. “I’m not reckless, Lucas. You’re just too stubborn, too stuck in the past, to see anything other than your outdated ideas of me.”

“Ma tetmanyak,Liam.” When he switches to Arabic, I know he’s deadly serious.

“I’m not fucking with you.” I tug at the back of my neck, feeling the tension coil tighter with every second. “I’m trying to explain, but you don’t want to hear it. You just keep throwing your accusations like you’ve already made up your mind.” I feel like I’m on trial with no chance to defend myself. “I don’t know what to say for you to understand.”

“Make this right,” he snaps, his voice like a whip, as he drags a hand through his hair, the motion sharp and frustrated. ”I left my pregnant wife at home to check on you. And this is what I walk into?” He glares at me, his jaw tightening, the weight of his words sinking in. “I won’t let you hurt Sophie. First, because she’s an amazing woman who deserves better, and second, because Leora will lose her mind if you do. And believe me, you don’t want to deal with that.”Standing, I toss the towel aside, facing him head-on. “Can you stop being CEO-Lucas for a minute and just be my brother?”

“Don’t–”

“Be quiet for one second and listen to me.” My chest rises and falls, my breath ragged with the weight of everything I’ve been holding back. My hands clench at my sides, barely keeping my anger in check as I meet his piercing glare.

“Liam.” His warning doesn't stop me from continuing.

“No.” I take a step closer, my voice firm, unyielding. “It’s my turn to speak and your turn to shut up.” My chest heaves as I hold his gaze, the words spilling out before I can stop them.

“I’m not playing any games. I would never do that to Sophie. She deserves more than that—more than you’ll ever understand. She’s brilliant, she’s talented, and she’s the only reason this project is where it is now. You think I’d risk everything if this wasn’t real?” My voice wavers, but I don’t back down, my eyes locked on his. “What’s between us isn’t some meaningless fling. I won’t let anyone treat her like she’s disposable. Not you. Not anyone.”

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