Page 62 of Meet Jon, the Billionaire

His eyes narrowed. “You think this is all about me? I’d have sold Acme Bread already if it were. There are tons of people who rely on Acme Bread to pay for their homes, to feed their families. It’s not just my neck on the line. You’re more important to me than profits, Amelia.”

My resolve weakened. He seemed so sincere, his blue gaze just dripped with it. But then I remembered what he’d done, and my anger returned.

“If that’s true, I just have one question: When are you going to start acting like it?”

I turned on my heel and stalked toward the door. I could hear him seething behind me.

“Yeah, go ahead and leave. I’ve got an empire to run. What have you got to do, sweep out the cooler?”

I turned at him in shock, and he seemed to realize that he’d crossed a line.

“Oh god, I’m sorry,” he said, hand clapping over his mouth. “I was angry, and I don’t have any right to be.”

“Finally, you say something I can agree with.”

I slammed the door behind me, then walked back and gave it two more heavy slams for good measure. Then I stormed out of the building. My phone flashed with his number, but I angrily turned it off. I was done with him. For good. I had been a fool to think he actually liked me, let alone cared about me.

I guess Pedro and Yerkov were right. He really is out of my league. All he ever wanted was that fucking corner lot. I wish I’d never even had the idea to try and bid for it.

I didn’t drive home, because I was so pissed off. I headed out to a little patch of greenery where I could watch the Hudson trickle past. I sat there for a long time, trying to convince myself that I really didn’t care that Jonathon turned out to be such a lying prick.

But the fact of the matter was, I did care. I had been starting to think I was falling in love with him, and then he betrayed me. Again.

I covered my face in my hands and sobbed. A pigeon landed nearby and strutted around, looking at me quizzically.

“Sorry, I don’t have any bread,” I said in a voice still thick with my crying fit.

The pigeon jumped up onto the bench. I considered it for a moment and laughed.

“I’d bring you home with me, but I’m afraid my cat would probably eat you.”

Tickled Pink hasn’t been fed since this morning… I’d better get home.

I stood up, scaring the pigeon, and headed back to my car. It took a while to get back home, but I didn’t mind. It gave me time to grieve what might have been between Jonathon and I.

If only he hadn’t betrayed me.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Jonathon

I wasn’t feeling very tiger-like after Amelia left my office. Her slap hadn’t even registered as physical pain. The mental anguish created too much feedback.

I’d been planning to tell Amelia about my plan to launch a new product to literally wash the taste of the Salmon and Lox toaster pastries from their mouths. I figured that after I removed the bidding war, there would be nothing keeping us apart.

Damn it, Jack. Why didn’t you call me back and get confirmation?

I shook my head and admonished myself. No, I shouldn’t be taking it out on Jack. I was the one who hired her, and I didn’t bother texting or calling her back to make sure her instructions were perfectly clear. If I wanted someone to blame for all of it, I had only to look in a mirror.

I am my own assassin. Or at least, I’ve assassinated my one chance to be happy.

I’ll admit that I spent a couple of hours wallowing in self-pity. I went after the scotch I kept in my drawer, but then I remembered that I had already drunk it. I hit up my assistant to go to the bar on the ground floor and bring back a bottle. As soon as it was dropped off, I opened the bottle and started to tilt it back and drink right from the spout.

The sun had long since set by then, and my office window looking out on the city had become a virtual mirror. I caught sight of myself with the bottle in hand and stopped.

No. This isn’t going to end well. This won’t solve any of my problems.

I set the bottle back down and replaced the cap. I realized that I had to make the situation right. Even if Amelia never wanted to forgive me, ever, I still needed to apologize to her Aunt Petunia.

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