Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 27498 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27498 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 137(@200wpm)___ 110(@250wpm)___ 92(@300wpm)
“Alex,” I warn, my tone dropping into a low, lethal rumble. “Do not test me today.”
“I’m just observing,” she replies, entirely unfazed. She shifts her weight, looking me dead in the eyes. “To answer you first question: it doesn’t matter where I was with Romy yesterday. When you hired me, my contract stated I would manage your schedule and run errands. I never once specified what kind of errand I would be on yesterday. If a friend of mine needs assistance, I provide it.”
“She isn’t just a friend, and you damn well know it!” I roar, the sound echoing off the high ceilings of the office. “She’s mine. And you’re hiding her from me.”
“Rory belongs to no one but herself, Vik,” Alex counters sharply, her witty demeanor vanishing for a fraction of a second, replaced by a fierce protectiveness. Almost just as quickly, she smooths her expression back into an aloof shrug. “Besides, we needed to tie up a few loose ends yesterday. She’s been scarce because she’s been incredibly busy getting her things in order.”
“What things?” My heart stops. The blood in my veins freeze.
“She got a job offer,” Alex says, entirely too casual, as if she were delivering a routing quarterly earnings report. “A massive one. It’s sudden, but it’s an incredible opportunity. So, she’s scrambling to wrap up her life here.” The room tilts. I grab the edges of my desk so hard the wood groans beneath my fingers.
A job offer.
Moving.
Leaving.
The words hit me like a ton of bricks, knocking the wind straight out of my lungs. Romy is leaving the city. She’s leaving me, permanently cutting the tie before I can even apologize, before I can even find out the reason as to why she cut things off.
“Where?” I demand, the word ripping from me, a terrifying, guttural roar that would have brought any other employee in the building to their knees. “Where is she going, Alex? Tell me right now.” She doesn’t blink. She casually shrugs her shoulders, her expression one of detached indifference.
“New York,” she replies smoothly. New York. A state that’s nearly a six-hour flight and twenty-four hundred miles away. If she buried herself in the crowded streets of Manhattan, I’d never find her without a fuck of a lot of help. She’s actively running away, putting states between us, erasing herself from my life.
The hell she is.
A shockwave of adrenaline explodes through my entire body. The paralysis that kept me chained to my desk, drowning in self-pity and top-shelf vodka for far too long, shatters into millions of pieces. The fear doesn’t vanish, it transforms into an all-consuming urgency. I can’t let her leave. I can’t let her step onto a train, or a plane, or walk out of my life, for that matter. Not without fighting for her. I’ll tear apart New York brick by brick if I have to, but first, I’m going to stop her before she even leaves her apartment.
I don’t say another word, I don’t issue another order, I don’t grab my coat, and I don’t look at my assistant again. I lunge from around my desk, my massive frame moving with a sudden, violent speed similar to a freight train breaking its tracks. I round the desk in a single stride, my focus locked entirely on the double doors. Alex chooses that moment to stand directly in my path, and it catches me off guard by the sheer force of my movement. I veer, charging past her, and nearly clip her shoulders with a bruising power.
“Whoa—!” Alex gasps, her heels nearly losing their grip on the polished hardwood floor. Her hands fly up. She manages to catch herself without my help, and I don’t look back or apologize. Instead, I pull the heavy doors open, bursting into the executive lobby like a hurricane. My leather shoes slam violently against the marble tile as I sprint toward the private elevators, where my hand violently smacks the call button over and over again.
“Vik!” Alex calls out behind me, sharp and slightly out of breath. The elevator doors slide open with a soft chime, and I throw myself inside. My thumb pushes the button for the garage level until the metal doors seal me away from the outside world. The elevator descends, my chest heaving and my dark eyes fixed on the shift of floor numbers.
I’m going after Romy. And god help anyone who tries to stand in my way.
CHAPTER SEVEN
romy
The violent, recurring thudding vibrating through the floorboards and walls doesn’t just wake me up, it rattles my teeth. I groan, a deep, guttural sound full of pure aggravation, and bury myself deeper into the pillow. I drag my thick floral duvet over my head, praying that whatever construction crew or delusional neighbor that’s causing the racket will miraculously disappear. Too bad the pounding doesn’t stop. It only grows louder, more frantic, and resembles a heavy fist assaulting my front door that makes my drywall hum.