Page 116 of Heart Sick Hate

Crew: And don’t bother wearing panties, I’m just going to rip them off you if you do

Echo: Charming

Crew: You love it

I love you.Not that I’m brave enough yet to type it.

34

Echo

The door to Dad’soffice opens right as the paper jams in the printer.

“When did you get this thing? It’s archaic.” I look up, laughing, expecting to see Dad standing in his office doorway.

Instead, cat eyes stare back at me.

A dark, narrow gaze perfectly paired with a disinterested frown. I don’t know this girl, but I recognize her from the party last night. She stopped by Rhett and me a few times and tried to pull him aside. But he brushed her off in favor of projecting us as the perfect couple, so she disappeared early in the night.

Her dark hair is pulled up in a neat bun on top of her head, and the blush that coated her cheeks each time she spoke to Rhett has been replaced with a stone-coldexpression.

“My Dad’s still out there if you’re looking for him.” I tip my chin to the door.

“I’m not.” She crosses her arms over her chest and taps her nails on her forearm. “I’m Angelina.”

The darkest smirk ticks up in the corner of her mouth as she steps inside and closes the door behind her. She walks across the room and stops at the desk across from me.

“You know who I am?”

I nod.

“Good. We can skip the general unpleasantries then.”

“What are you doing here?” I shuffle the paper until the printer’s teeth finally release it.

She plants a hand over the stack and presses it to the desk. “Stopping you from messing everything up.”

My gaze moves to hers and it’s darker now—focused. Lethal. She’s not holding back and that can only mean one thing, she didn’t walk in here to make friends.

The hair on the back of my neck stands tall as she pulls her hand back, examining her manicure. Instinct whispers in my ear like I should have seen this coming.

“I overheard your little chat with your father.” She flicks her gaze to me again. “Love, happiness, blah, blah, blah. How sweet and supportive of him.”

She taps a perfectly manicured nail against her flesh.

“My conversation is none of your business.”

“You’d think.” She smiles, so dark and empty I’m not sure what Rhett sees in her. “Except, all of this is my business. Rhett ismy manafter all.”

“And you can have him.” I can’t help but chuckle as I start to move around the desk.

If that’s what she’s worried about, she must have missed the most important points of the conversation.

I’m about to move around her for the door when she grabs onto my arm, stopping me, her nails digging in. But I break free and push her off. If she’s after a fight, I’m not the person she should pick one with. I don’t come from her world of glass castles, and I have no problem proving it, whether I want what’s best for Rhett or not.

“I don’t need your permission,” she snaps.

“Then what’s the issue?” I roll my shoulders back. “Because I don’t want him. He’s yours. I’m not the enemy here.”

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