Page 15 of Runaway Girl
“Loved.”
“Huh?”
“Loved—as in past tense.”
Ethan shuddered as if he were struck with a live electrical wire, devastation coating his features. “I will earn back your affection, Ali. I’ll earn back your love. I’m going to prove myself to you.”
A pretty speech with pretty words. I also took note that he never professed any such feelings for me.So why the fuck is he here?
I sighed. “Show me some respect.”
“You’re one of the very few people in my life I do respect, Ali.”
“Your actions don’t align with your words. What you did isn’t respectful. The way you’ve treated me isn’t respectful. You being hereat my job,trying to bulldoze me into getting what you want is not respectful!”
Stella Financial Management had a strict, ironclad, no fraternisation policy. Due to the calibre of clients, there were a lot of social climbers who wanted a spot in the industry—to get close to the rich and famous. I was not going to give up my job for a man.
So, Ethan coming into my workplace, wanting to discuss our personal issues—more like bully me into forgiveness—caused a volcano of rage to erupt inside me.
“It’s over, Ethan. Leave. Now.”
Red raised up his neck, and his eyes swam with a certain type of unhinged quality. He was about to blow, and I was not fucking having it.
He went to stand, and my hand automatically curled over the photo frame on my desk. The dildo obviously wasn’t enough to beat some common decency into him, so maybe my smiling family could do it for me.
As he opened his mouth to let loose, we were interrupted by a loud knock.
We both froze, staring at each other, a silent stand-off in the charged environment.
One breath. Two.
I equalised my voice. “Come in.”
Felix slipped his head through the door, his brows popping when he took in Ethan—who was not supposed to be there.
“Ah, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was unaware you were with someone, Alica.”
I smiled. “That’s okay. I was just informing Mr Harris that he’s not my client anymore. That you have a vision for the way you want to move forward with his account. And let me say, Felix, Mr Harris can’t wait to see what you have planned.”
Felix beamed behind Ethan’s back as the man in question seethed before me. Only I could see his face, and based on his expression, he wanted to fucking throttle me.
That’s right, motherfucker. Get out of my office.
Felix advanced forward and offered a hand which Ethan had no choice but to reciprocate the handshake.
“I look forward to working with you, Mr Harris. I have a spare half hour if you want to come to my office to discuss your account. Alicia’s next appointment has just arrived.”
Ethan agreed and shuffled out the door behind my boss. Just before he passed the threshold, my ex-lover glanced over his shoulder with a look I had only caught a couple of times before.
He usually locked that openness up tight, loathe to give up any type of vulnerability. But sometimes, his deep-set emotions would filter through.
They were small moments, little snapshots of connection. Sometimes, after we were intimate or when I spontaneously made him laugh.
It was the look of pure longing.
Chapter 10
ETHAN
