Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 68583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68583 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 343(@200wpm)___ 274(@250wpm)___ 229(@300wpm)
My stomach dropped. “Holy shit.”
“I know!” she cried out. “What the hell were they thinking?”
I scrubbed my face. “I don’t know what to say.”
“And obviously, I freaked the fuck out, because it’s Taigen. He literally had me attempting suicide in high school. Twice. I still have flashbacks to how he hurt me. And then, there’s Markus, being all buddy-buddy with him.”
“How did you not know it was him from the photos?” Copper asked.
Cerise turned to him. “He had a beard. And tattoos. He was in the military, and he’s just different. But he shaved so he could propose tonight, and I knew him immediately.”
Before Cerise could say anything more, Markus slammed into the room, angry as hell and his eyes blazing. “That was embarrassing, Cerise.”
That had my ire rising.
“Embarrassing that she had a guttural reaction to the man that terrorized her to the point of suicide in high school? Twice?” I laughed humorlessly. “You’re joking, right?”
Markus, who’d never met me before, turned to survey me. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know,” I said. “I was there for all of it. I was the one who found her on the bathroom floor after she swallowed a bottle of her mom’s pills. I was also the one to find her when she tried to jump off a bridge. She might’ve pulled away from me, and everyone, after she moved away, but that was to heal. She’s always been a very special person in my life, and you’re deluding yourself if you think this isn’t a bigger deal.”
“You know nothing. Ray…” Markus started, but I was already shaking my head. “His name is Taigen. Taigen Reyes. Whomever this ‘Ray’ character is he’s portrayed to you is literally not him. He’s a bully and a psychopath. You need to be very careful about how you handle your next words and actions.”
“I can and will do what I want to do, because you’re fucking nobody but a friend from high school. You don’t even know her anymore.” He rolled his eyes. “Plus, from what I’ve heard Joey say about you, you’re not much more than a whore and a liar.”
That got Copper stiffening. “Excuse me?”
He’d been quiet until now, but not because he wasn’t feeling the same rage that I was, but because he was trying to control it.
“You’re not going to handle me like you’ve handled Joey,” he said, eyeing Copper. “I have enough money to burn your world down.”
“You could try,” Copper said in a deceptively calm voice.
“You’re joking right now, aren’t you, Markus?” Cerise gasped. “I told you Joey was smooth with his words. He’s not the victim here.”
“I’m not sure I quite trust your judgment anymore,” Markus replied coolly.
Cerise turned her head, surveying Markus with a look of understanding crossing her face.
“You know, I tried really hard,” she said quietly. “I tried to be the perfect fiancée. I tried to give it everything I had, because our families insisted that this was the best opportunity for us both to move into the future with our companies. But I can’t do it. I won’t.”
She slipped the ring off her finger, then walked to the sink.
She dropped it into the drain, then for good measure flipped the garbage disposal on.
The grinding, crunching sound filled the room, and she turned to Copper and me. “You happen to know anyone that can give me a ride?”
Copper’s lips twitched. “Have a buddy outside that can give you a lift anywhere you want to go. But before you go, do you know where I can find Thom Rissi?”
“I’ll show you to him on my way out the door. I need to find my purse,” she muttered. “Let’s go.”
That was the most eventful twenty minutes that I’d had in months.
Getting Cerise out of the event hall proved to be a feat.
She wanted to be spoken to by everyone, but mostly her sister, Jade, and her mom.
Jade looked confused, which was understandable, and her mom just looked pissed.
Her “you’re acting like a child” followed her into the room where she’d stored her things.
She angrily stripped out of her dress, throwing it to the floor in the middle of the room.
She stepped into tight jeans, faded Doc Martens, and a black t-shirt that said “Flower Mound Track” on it.
I’d grinned at the old shirt.
She’d stormed out of the room with my hand in hers, and together she’d walked us up to an uptight looking man in a bow tie double fisting shots of whiskey.
His smarmy smile made me want to shiver, especially when it was directed at me after he’d greeted Cerise with disgust.
“I don’t know why they want to meet you, but here we are,” she blurted. “I don’t like you, don’t like your fake campaign bullshit, and I hope that you get hit by a car. Now, Baker’s hot guy friend, where can I find that ride you promised?”