Page 32 of Fractured Faceoff

“I have a client?—”

“Sugar, it'll be quick,” he drawled, leaning against the doorframe with that infuriatingly casual stance. “I promise.”

I clenched my teeth. That drawl did things to my heart I wished it didn’t. “You have thirty seconds.”

A smirk spread across his face like he’d won something. My heart betrayed me, thumping harder at the sight.

“I think you and I need to date,” he said.

I choked on my own spit.

"I'm sorry?" I said, my voice dripping with disbelief. Did I hear him right?

Jared stepped closer, his eyes steady on mine. "Ava doesn't know what she wants, Isla. She needs to realize she's making a mistake."

I shook my head, trying to process his words. "She won't. Why would you even want to be with her after what she did?"

"It's not about being with her," he said, his tone flat. "It's about making her realize what she lost."

"Revenge?" The word tasted bitter in my mouth.

"Something like that." He shrugged, as if this were the most natural thing in the world.

I leaned back against my desk, crossing my arms over my chest. "You think pretending to date me will make Ava come running back to you?"

His gaze hardened. "I think it'll make her see that she's not the only one who can move on."

"And you think I'm just going to go along with this plan of yours?"

"You owe me," he said simply.

My jaw clenched. "I don't owe you anything, Jared."

"Maybe not," he conceded, "but you'd be helping Ava too. She needs a wake-up call."

I stared at him, trying to read his intentions. This plan of his was insane, but a small part of me wanted to see Ava get knocked off her pedestal. "And what if it doesn't work?"

"Then we move on," he said, his eyesnever leaving mine.

I let out a sigh, running a hand through my hair. This was risky and probably stupid, but I couldn't deny the thrill that coursed through me at the thought of shaking things up.

"You cannot be serious," I said, staring at Jared like he'd grown a second head. "Don't you have anyone else...?" My voice trailed off as the realization hit me. "Oh. I get it. It's because I'm her sister, huh?"

Jared didn't deny it. He just stood there, eyes steady and unflinching.

"Jared," I said, my voice cracking despite my best efforts. I didn't know why this hurt, but it did. It was like I wasn't even a good pick for something like this outside of being Ava's sister.

Before I could respond, the phone on my desk rang, slicing through the tension. I grabbed it, grateful for the distraction. "Hello?"

"I have Brody on line two," the secretary said. "I'm going to patch him through."

"No, wait—" But she was gone before I could stop her.

"Isla?" Brody's voice crackled through the receiver. "We need to discuss this lease. Technically, there's three more months on it, and you've moved out."

"And?" I asked through clenched teeth, glancing at Jared who watched me intently. I didn't want to do this in front of him, but I refused to run away from Brody and make him think he had any effect on me.

"And you can't just leave me stuck with the full rent," Brody continued, his tone accusatory.

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