Page 23 of The Billionaire's Betrayal
"Stop," I protested."I don't want to know!I don't want to be an accomplice in your sadistic games!"
Leila giggled.
"Hello," Audrey interrupted us, stopping at our table with a radiant smile."May I join you?"
Leila gave me a perplexed look, but propriety prevented us from refusing.Since she had joined Community Pilot, this was the first time she had taken such an initiative.Usually, she was surrounded by a court of men fascinated by her beauty and women seeking to benefit from her charisma and influence.
"Hello, Audrey," I replied with feigned cordiality."No problem, have a seat."
She pulled out a chair and sat down with disconcerting ease.
"Thank you," she said, placing her bag nonchalantly.
Leila, breaking the uncomfortable silence that was settling in, took the initiative to restart the conversation.
"How's work going?"she asked with polite curiosity.
Audrey straightened slightly, visibly delighted by the attention.
"Very well, thank you.Tristan is an incredible boss," she marveled, her eyes sparkling."He always has time for me.Thanks to his availability, I'm learning a lot.He's even started entrusting me with strategic files."
Leila nodded, sketching a facade smile.
"That's great," she felt obliged to comment.
"Isn't it?"Audrey continued enthusiastically."I've barely been here four months, and he's already entrusting me with the implementation of the Australian branch!"
My heart skipped a beat before painfully racing in my chest.
The Australian branch?
Last I heard, we were supposed to work on it together...It was our project.Until now, we had always collaborated on the deployment of branches, spending entire evenings discussing and laughing, bent over plans and projections.And he was entrusting the project to Audrey?Without even telling me?
"Of course, he assured me he would be there to help," Audrey continued.
I clenched my jaw to stem the pain of betrayal.I didn't understand.Why was he doing this?The idea of questioning Audrey's words didn't even cross my mind.There was too much satisfaction, too much arrogance in her tone.She was jubilant, the bitch, because she knew this project mattered to me.Certainly less than the Hope Foundation, but still.
Leila was giving me worried looks that I was trying to ignore.The slightest eye contact risked breaking the precarious dam holding back my emotions.I mechanically nodded, pretending to listen, while Audrey enthusiastically detailed her daily interactions with Tristan.
Each new revelation was like a stab.Our canceled meetings, the time they spent together...Everything suddenly took on a different meaning.Darker.More painful.The trust I had in Tristan, that certainty of being a united team, was cracking a little more with each word.
The minutes stretched like hours.My meal remained untouched on my plate, my stomach too knotted to swallow anything.
"What did I miss?"Leila asked, entering my office after lunch.
"I don't know any more than you do," I replied, trying to control the trembling in my voice.
Leila frowned, her concern palpable.
"The implementation of the Australian branch?Weren't you supposed to work on that with Tristan?"
I lowered my eyes to my hands, which I was nervously fidgeting with.The words remained stuck in my throat.How to admit that the man I loved, the one with whom I shared my life and dreams, seemed to be gradually erasing me from his projects?Shame mingled with pain.
"Hey, beautiful," Leila said, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder, her concern growing in the face of my silence."Don't jump to conclusions, okay?Talk to him."
"He's coming home later and later at night, and he's canceled our work sessions to spend that time with her," I finally admitted, my voice barely audible.
The words burned my throat, making real what I had been trying to deny for weeks.Leila gently lifted my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze filled with fierce tenderness.
