Page 42 of The Grumpy Billionaire

She shifted her pose and let out a dramatic sigh. “I suppose I’ll just have to wipe my tears with my gummy worm wrapper.”

I could not make sense of this wild, irrational, and untamed girl, willing to take a hit—for gummy worms.

The three-minute warning sounded, and there she stayed.

Fuming, I headed back and took my seat in the front row with Charlie.

Stella sauntered in a few minutes later, making a point of eating a purple gummy worm right there in front of me.

Undisciplined. Scrappy. Reckless.

Infuriating.

I lose another hand.

Luther settles in next to me. “You okay?”

“All good.”

“Except for the part where you’re playing like shit.” Leon rakes in the chips. “Are we gonna have to reduce your ante, Hugo?”

“Definitely not,” I say.

“He’s trying to lull us into a false sense of security,” Ronan suggests.

“Hugo doesn’t bluff,” Cooper says. “He doesn’t play mind games.”

Cooper’s right. I play numbers and the odds, pure and simple. No bluffing, no mind games. Poker’s easy to win if you pay attention.

A new deal goes around. I examine my cards. I track the play.

I need to see her again—not for a replay of what happened, but to discuss what happened. To affirm that it won’t happen again. To institute some form of ground rules between us.

I pop another Tums and organize my chips.

“Dude, it’s not candy,” Cooper jokes.

I grunt and toss away the wrapper.

The six of us have known each other for years, but we don’t do feelings or get into each other’s personal business, so the comment was a bit odd.

It’s also understood that what’s said at the card table stays at the card table.

I’d always liked that rule. Simple. No room for interpretation. Nothing said leaves the room.

I’ve come to hate that rule, but I keep my promises. I uphold my rules. Except, apparently, when it comes to Stella.

ChapterTwenty

Stella

Janeand I are collating packets up at the copier. She’s doing the sorting and I’m doing the stapling and the bitter regretting.

I staple a sheaf and put it aside.

Unruly. Reckless. Refuses to follow orders. Exasperating. Incorrigible.

Not being entirely clear on the meaning of the word, I looked it up and found this:an incorrigible person’s behavior is bad—resistant to change or correction.

---