Page 34 of How to Break My Heart 1
The moment he notices me, he rubs the back of his neck, tension radiating from him. He gives me a terse warning thathis call will take a while, but I’m not about to leave. So, I stay by the door, listening as a group of men argue over the speaker, their voices a chaotic mix of frustration and ego.
“Gentlemen, please,” he commands while pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s focus on the next step rather than this back-and-forth. I’ll get my team on it today, and we’ll see what our rights are before we make the next move.”
“Beaumont, there is a lot riding on this,” a man warns.
“Yes, John. I’m acutely aware.”
The conversation continues for another few minutes before Aston puts his foot down and tells everyone he’s hanging up.
As soon as it ends, I raise my arms in frustration. “Have you heard of text messages? You know, like…sorry, I can’t make it?”
“Sorry, I couldn’t make it” is all he says.
“I sat there for over an hour waiting for you. You don’t think I have better things to do? God, you’re such a jerk.”
“This is business, Everleigh,” he bellows while resting his hands on his desk with his head down. “Not some frivolous party to be planned.”
“Oh, so sorry. Yes, of course, the billionaire has business to do. You don’t think my time is as important, right? I also run a business, Aston. I may not be a billionaire, but it’s my livelihood and the livelihood of my employees.”
Aston’s back is toward me. He doesn’t say a word as I stand in complete silence. My eyes scan the room, noticing it hasn’t changed one bit. Once, Maddy made us sneak in here to steal some money from him so we could go to the movies. I remember the moment so vividly, the way I stood frozen with my breath caught in my throat from the fear of being caught.
His phone begins to ring, and the thought of him answering another call while our conversation remains unfinished is enough to make me exhale loudly.
“Madelina,” he answers in a tired voice, placing the call on speaker.
“Is everything okay?” she asks, worried. “I had to rush to the city, but I heard you on the phone all night.”
“Yes,” Aston replies, looking directly at me. “Everleigh is at the house, and we are just about to sit down to discuss some details.”
“Thank God. I’ll be back tomorrow. See you guys then.”
The call ends, but our argument hasn’t.
Aston turns his back to me again, this time staring out the window. If I thought he was rude before, I obviously haven’t seen just how much of a jerk he can be.
“I’m giving you one more chance,” I warn him. “You either want to do this for your sister, or you don’t.”
“You make it sound so easy,” he says in a low voice.
I place my hands on my hips. “I’m sorry spending time with me is such a drag. Do you really hate methis much? This is all for Maddy!”
Slowly, he turns around to stare into my eyes. His gaze is penetrating, so much so that I desperately want to spin away, but his pull is much stronger than I care to admit. A fluttery, empty feeling sits in the pit of my stomach.
His eyes look almost as if they’ve turned dark as he whispers, “Everleigh, you have no idea what I would do for my sister.”
Every time he says my name, my chest pounds uncontrollably, leaving me breathless.
And now, I have no idea what to think or how to feel.
“I… I think we should—”
“I need to shower,” he interrupts, then begins unbuttoning his shirt.
Is he for real right now?
I let out a huff. “We aren’t finished talking.”
“I’m more than happy to carry the conversation into the shower.” He observes my reaction, and his smug expression is annoying as hell. “I mean, this is important, is it not?”
