“I’m okay,” I murmured, though my gaze dropped back to his hand. “But you are not. You need to get this taken care of.”
“My hand doesn’t matter,” he said, his eyes never leaving mine as he ignored his bleeding knuckles.
I furrowed my brows, ready to ask what did matter, but he stepped closer before I could speak.
“What matters is that you are safe and okay. I’d rather bleed a thousand times than let anyone lay a hand on you. God, Anna… if anyone ever tried to hurt you, I swear I’d do worse than this.”
I swallowed hard, his words hitting deeper than I wanted to admit. And I didn’t even know what to say. The only thing that came out was a quiet, “Thank you.”
His hands cupped my face, but I didn’t pull away. “If you really want to thank me, give me a chance.”
My heart stuttered.
I shook my head, barely breathing. “Landon, I’m just a chase for you. A game. I’m sure you don’t want this.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t decide that for me. Don’t judge me by who I was. I want this. I want YOU. A life with you. And I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life the way I’m about this.”
“Fucking lie,” I murmur, opening my eyes and dragging my gaze back to the file. My chest burns, my fists clenching as his words replay like a curse. God, why the hell did I make the biggest mistake of my life by believing him? Believing that someone like Landon Hayes could ever mean what he said.
But it doesn’t matter anymore. It’s all in the past. And I’ll be damned if I ever give him that power over me again.
Chapter 2
Landon
I lean back in the leather chair and watch the city lights flickering through the glass. I take a slow sip of scotch, its burn slicing down my throat. Hell, that damn sting is the only thing that reminds me I’m not completely numb.
Three years.That’s how long it took me to build Hayes International, my empire. A five-star hotel chain that defines luxury in New York. Something I built from the ground up, making me feel as if I’ve lived a hundred lives to get here.
Of course, my parents offered to help with a check, just like they always did. But I didn’t take a damn cent from them. I’d leaned on their fortune long enough while growing up. This time, it needed to be mine. So I poured every bit of my savings and paycheck into it.
Now, I’ve got it all. Money, fame, and the life I’d always wanted, all on my terms at just thirty. But somewhere along the way, I lost the only thing that ever truly mattered.Anna.
All the zeroes in my bank account, every faceless woman in my bed… none of it has ever touched the emptiness that crept in the moment I walked away from her.
Yeah, I know. I’m the one who fucked it all up. I’m the one who broke her… broke us. And what kills me the most is that I had everything that mattered and still treated it like it meant nothing. I kept convincing myself marriage was a cage, that playing house would eventually suffocate me. So I walked away before we could start despising each other. Thought I was doing us both good.
And now, I’d trade anything, everything, just to have her back with me again.
Yes, I know I’m a fucked-up, confusing bastard… the kind of man she doesn’t deserve.
But that doesn’t mean I’m stepping aside. Hell no. I’ve already made my first move to bring her back to me. I know it won’t be easy working my way into her life again. I’m aware that no amount of regret will ever be enough to earn back her trust. But none of that is going to stop me from fighting my way in. Because the ruthless businessman that I’ve become has taught me one thing—what’s mine stays mine. And if I have to burn the whole damn world down for it, I will.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when the door creaks open without so much as a knock, but I don’t bother turning or snapping at whoever it is.
Only one person would dare to walk in like that.
“You’re still here,” Jack’s voice says from behind me.
I turn in my chair, glaring at him as I set my whiskey glass down hard on the desk.
“I own the place. I’ll stay as long as I damn well want.” The words come out with more bite than necessary, but I’m in no mood to explain myself.
“Burning yourself out with work won’t help,” Jack replies, settling into the chair opposite me.
I ignore his smart-ass mouth and focus on the file lying open on my desk, the one that confirms the interview. Hername is printed in bold at the top.Anna Delgado. Not Anna Hayes anymore. And fuck, if that doesn’t hit like a freight train, reminding me of how I brutally shattered the only thing that ever felt like home.
Jack sighs. “So, you’re really going through with this interview?”
