Page 59 of The Billionaire and the Runaway

“Oh, Ari-bear-y. I’m so sorry,” she whispers as she pulls me up into a hug. I cry for a good five minutes before she pulls my head away from her chest. “Tell me everything. I’m ordering us sushi. You shouldn’t drink, but I’m getting sake.”

She pulls out her phone and taps the screen a few times. “It’ll be here in thirty-five minutes. Now, spill it.”

I press the remote so the head of my bed rises. I look at Katia and then back at my hands. “He doesn’t love me,” I start, feeling the tears well again. And then I spend the next three hours telling her everything, every little detail that I can recall, including my dad yelling at me for, like, two days about lying to him. But clearly, he’s not too mad at Katia because she’s here and not blocked from the penthouse. She listens, not interjecting except for a few questions, which is very un-Katia-like. And when I finish, I lean back, popping the last bite of salmon sushi in my mouth.

“Wow. Just…wow,” she says. “First of all, Kimberly needs to go. She totally told your dad and the fact that she knew about the farm is super sketchy. We need to figure out a plan of action there. Two, there’s no way Eric just stopped loving you. He was totally falling for you one second, saving your life and shit, and then he ghosts you? That doesn’t add up.” She pauses as I consider what she’s said.

“So what do we do?” I ask.

She smirks. “We’re going to get you out of this”—she knocks lightly on my cast—“and then, we’re going to fix this mess. I’ll admit, I like you better here in the city where we can hang out, but I like you even better when you're happy, and you were so happy there, Ari. It was like Ari two point oh, and we need to find her again. But first thing is first, we are most definitely getting you a shower because you reek. I don’t know what shit helper your dad hired, but they are not earning their keep.”

I roll my eyes. “I can’t get this leg wet. That’s what reeks,” I explain.

“Ewww. Seriously?” she asks as she pulls her hand away from my leg as if it’s diseased.

“Well, nursing definitely isn’t in your future,” I mutter with a glare.

She grimaces. “Nope. Definitely not for me.” She looks at my hair. “At least let me wash that mop on your head.”

“Fine,” I mutter.

“Great. We can start scheming about how to fix everything else,” she says excitedly. She claps her hands. “This is just like the good old days.”

It’s my turn to grimace because our college plans never seemed to go right.

* * *

Katia’s been camping out here for three days. We’ve binged countless episodes of our favorite shows. We’ve video-chatted with our college friends. She’s told me all about this guy she met while sailing around the Mediterranean. Kimberly has been surprisingly absent until today.

I just got back from getting my cast off and I’m dying to take a proper bath. I still have to use the wheelchair, but at least my leg isn’t the weight of a concrete pillar.

“Your father wants to see you,” Kimberly says as she stands in my doorway.

Katia looks her up and down. “How’s it feel?” she asks.

Kimberly frowns, clearly not understanding. Oh shit. Katia is about to call her ass out.

I hold up a hand, stopping Katia. Katia freezes and looks at me because this has never happened before, but I’m a changed woman. I can stand up for myself.

“Why’d you tell my father where I was?” I ask her, crossing my arms and giving her my best pointed look.

“Because he was worried sick and he has a right to know where you’re at,” she says deadpan. Oh, she’s good.

“Then why the veiled threat before you left for your trip?” I ask.

She shrugs. “I was merely giving you a little time to wrap up your charity farmer project.Iwas being nice.”

I roll my eyes. Kimberly doesn’t have a nice bone in her body.

“Right,” I state sarcastically.

“Believe what you want, Ariana,” she huffs and walks away, leaving Katia fuming.

“That bitch is up to something!” Katia stews.

“I know. Like I told you, she called with that threat. I just don’t get it,” I state.

“Let’s get you soaking in the tub. Where’s that nurse?” Like clockwork, a woman named Diedre walks in and looks at me.

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