Page 38 of How to Get Even

Despite the way she’d seemed to enjoy this evening’s meal, Bella Carmichael had expensive tastes and no matter what Chase did, he was still the son of a mechanic and a school teacher from Secaucus, no way near good enough for the likes of her.

* * *

He was no good.

No good at all, Bella mused as she paced back and forth in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that, in the apartment’s dim lighting, only reflected her, superimposed on a New York nightscape.

She didn’t want to have walks home in the dark with him. She didn’t want to see what he wanted for Nayak, didn’t want to understand why he wanted that.She didn’t want to know about his mother, nor did she want to feel some kinship with him, some hope that she could be understood by him.

She shook her head.

She absolutely could not. COULD. NOT. Fall for his charms.

She was here to do one thing and one thing only. Get revenge. For Astrid. Who so desperately deserved it.

And besides, if she didn’t, then what would that mean? For the girls? For Astrid who was winding Aiden Carter up like a toy. And Paige, who was at this very minute driving Bella’s coward of an ex-fiancé out of his damn mind. And Sienna, who was going to nail Paige’s truly despicable piece of…you know what, in a way that he would never get over.

No. Bella would do what she needed to do: destroy Chase Miller professionallywithoutfalling under his spell.

Her phone vibrated from where it was nestled in her coat pocket. She must not have taken her phone off silent from this afternoon. Crossing the living room, she retrieved her phone and, seeing the most recent message from Sienna, Bella scanned back up to the top of the chain to the first unread message.

Just Desserts WhatsApp Group. 08.33EST.

Astrid

So I’ve been invited into the lion’s den… Aiden’s cooking dinner!

Paige

Sienna

Be careful, Aiden can be pretty charming when he wants to be.

Astrid

Well, technically he’s cooking for Blake and me, but it beats a meet up at the rink.

Paige

Blake is going to be there?!

Astrid

I’m sure there will be opportunities to get up close and personal with the right twin.

Paige

So long as you remember which one that is!

Astrid

Have you been speaking to Bella?

Paige

She may have mentioned you have something of a bad boy addiction…

Astrid

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