Page 60 of Baby for My Enemy Billionaire

“That’s what you say to me? No ‘hi, it’s been a while’ or something like that?”

“I’ve told you so many times that I don’t want anything to do with you. Why do you keep harassing me?”

“I’m not harassing you, Jade.”

I hate his voice now. He makes it sound like I’m very slow in the head. He used to do that before. How did I not end it with him much sooner if he spoke to me like that?

“You are. I’ve ended things, told you where to go, and the least you can do is respect my wishes and leave me alone. The fact that you’re not even listening to me when you say you love and respect me shows that you didn’t care about me and my feelings at all.”

“I’m trying to get hold of you because I love you, Jade. And what about my feelings?”

“Your feelings?” I bark out a laugh. “I can’t believe you think you’re a victim here! Your feelings don’t matter when you’re the one who cheated and made our relationship implode. Then you keep stalking and pestering me.”

Nate groans.

“Jade, let’s not do this. Can’t we just meet to talk? Seeing you're still there, I can come to your store.”

“Don’t even think about it. If you do, I’m calling the police.”

“Jade…”

“No!” I shout, my voice seeming to echo around the store. “I will call them if you come here. And don’t contact me again. I don’t want to hear from you or see you. If you cared about anyone except yourself, you would know you’re on thin ice right now. Put your listening ears on and fuck off out of my life!”

“Wait, Jade…”

I slam the receiver down, cutting off the protests I can hear down the line. For a moment, I can’t move as the blood pounds in my ears to the point my head feels like it’s throbbing. I never knew a guy could fill me with such rage until I met Nate.

Then again, that’s not entirely true. I discovered it when I found out who Finn was to me. But, even then, that is still different. Mostly because my attraction for Finn is more potent than what I had for Nate. And Finn hasn’t been bugging me; he’s actually given me space.

It doesn’t stop me from looking at my phone whenever it buzzes or even when I lie to myself about checking the time. I just want to see something, anything, from him. But then I feel like a fool after what he did, and I have to put my phone down before I throw it across the room.

I’m still pissed that he didn’t tell me he was my landlord, but once I calmed down and thought about it more clearly, I understood Finn’s underside more. I’m upset with how he kept it from me, but still…

I’d be willing to forgive him if he came by, but he hasn’t. Katie and his mother have, and they are getting so many books I’m worried I won’t have anything left to sell. Finn hasn’t come in once, and while it seems like Katie and Mrs. Clements are dropping hints about Finn’s life, I’m not about to ask. I need to remain professional, not like a lovesick idiot.

Lovesick. I didn’t think I would ever be like that. At least I’m not like that with Nate. All I feel for him is rage.

The bastard certainly never knew when to quit. I can’t begin to count the number of times he’s called or texted me, wanting to talk or something close to it. Why do some guys get the message and others don’t?

Nate has to be wired wrong in the head.

The phone starts ringing again, and I’m about to snatch up the receiver and scream into Nate’s ear that he needs to leave me alone, but then I see the time on the clock. It’s one minute past closing time. Which means I don’t have to answer the phone. The voicemail will kick in in a few moments, and whoever calls will have to talk into the void. Hopefully, Nate will hang up and not talk so much that the voicemail is just him.

I just wish the ringing would stop, though.

Going back to what I was doing, I put the remaining books on the shelf and stepped back to look at my work. The new stock had come in yesterday, and it took me forever to get them up. The store seems fully stocked.

That’s one thing dealt with, thank God. Now I can go up to my apartment. Any paperwork can be done up there instead of in the store, mostly because I can put the TV on in the background while I work.

And also so Nate can’t come up to the store and try to get in. I have a fire escape through the stockroom, but he knows I have a back way out. If he sees me, he’s not going anywhere. I need to be in my apartment so I don’t have to see his face.

Getting my paperwork together, I put it in a folder and check that everything is turned off or not left behind. There doesn’t seem to be anything out of place, so I head towards the door.

Only for the world to suddenly tilt to one side, and I stumble. The ground comes up to me faster than I’m comfortable with, and I hit the floor. My head explodes in pain, and then everything goes black.

***

Finn

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