Page 7 of F*ckboys

They don't see the storm brewing, but it's coming. After all these years, the reckoning has arrived. This is no longer just business, it's personal. It's not only my clients that I look out for.

Aksel glances up, pinning me with an unreadable look. I straighten, smoothing my expression into indifference. Let him wonder and guess. Let him squirm the way I did. Victory will taste so much sweeter when he realizes too late that he's been outplayed by the girl he once betrayed.

The game isn't over yet, but it will be. And I will emerge the winner.

Aksel strides toward me, Carissa clinging to his arm. I turn away, scanning the room for potential allies and dismissing him from my thoughts. He doesn't deserve my attention.

"Fallon." His voice is rough, edged with an emotion I can't identify.

I face him, arching a brow. "What is it?"

"We need to talk." His gaze darts to Carissa. "Privately."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Please." There's a hint of desperation in that single word. "Five minutes. That's all I ask."

I consider refusing but curiosity wins out, plus him ditching Carissa for me will give me a sense of satisfaction. What does he want now, after all these years?

I nod curtly. "Five minutes. No more."

Carissa sniffs and wrenches her hand away from Aksel's arm. She scans the room, her gaze quickly finding the bar, and she slinks in that direction.

He leads me to a secluded alcove, tension radiating from him in waves. I fold my arms, waiting. The clock is ticking.

"Listen, I made a mistake," he says. "Choosing my family's company over you is the second biggest regret of my life. Listening to her," he gestures over his shoulder toward Carissa, "is the first."

My lips twist. Is this meant to be an apology? It's too little, too late. "Time's almost up. And if you really felt that way, it seems a little strange that you'd be spending all night with her, laughing at her jokes and letting her hands roam all over you."

"Fallon, please. I never stopped caring for you." He reaches for my hand and I jerk away. "We can start over. Together we can do what we promised and finally be free of our families' control."

"And why would I trust you now?" I sneer, my eyes flitting in Carissa's direction. "You betrayed me once. You'll do it again. It's like a joke to you. She's even floating around ready to destroy us all over again."

"I won't. I swear on my life, I'm done letting others control me." His eyes meet mine, burning with passion. "We always dreamed of building our own empire. This is our chance. Say you'll give me another chance, and it will be just like old times. You and me against the world."

The words ignite bittersweet memories that assault me without warning. Once upon a time, I might have agreed. Once upon a time, Aksel had my heart. But not anymore.

His words transport me to our senior year. We're lounging in Aksel's room, papers strewn across the floor as we plot our next move while completing an assignment. His fingers trail up my arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake.

"Your father will never see it coming," he murmurs against my neck. "By the time he figures out our plan, it'll be too late."

A shiver runs down my spine at his touch and words. This is our world: secrets, forbidden romance, and outmaneuvering our powerful families. Vowing to distance ourselves from our family businesses and to alter the courses of our destinies.

"We're going to rule the city one day, Fallon." His eyes gleam with ambition and something else I'm afraid to name. "Together, no one can stand in our way."

The memory fades, bitterness flooding my senses. Together. What a joke. Within months, Aksel betrayed me, among other things siding with his family to secure a position in their rapidly expanding company. While Aksel climbed the corporate ladder, I was left behind sticking to what we had promised. I felt like a pawn that had been played in a game I didn't know I was part of.

I slam back into the present, rage simmering beneath my skin.

"Time’s up," I say coldly. "Get out of my sight."

Aksel's face crumples, but he has no one to blame but himself. The time for fairy tale endings is over. Now, there will be only vengeance.

The gala swirls around me as Aksel disappears, defeated, into the crowd. My heart pounds with equal parts fury and satisfaction. I've won this round, but the game is far from over.

A bony hand touches my shoulder, and I whirl to find Carissa standing behind me. Her smile is sympathetic, but her eyes gleam with triumph. She knows how much Aksel's betrayal cut me, and now she thinks his failure here gives her an opening.

She's wrong.

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