“The t-t-two hundred dollar s-s-steak?” All the color drains from Veronica’s face. She looks like she’s on the verge of fainting.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
Veronica twists her pearl necklace between her fingers as she slips her mask back on. “No, of course not.”
“Perfect! I’ll leave the waiter a nice fat tip, too.” Annalise grins. “I’ll see you after lunch!” She walks to the elevator, and I follow after her.
The elevator doors shut, trapping us both inside, and I give Annalise a sidelong glance. “Fuck. Is she always like that?”
“Yeah. I usually get the brunt of it. She’s been out to get me since day one.”
My lips tilt into a knowing smile. “The Annalise I knew would’ve ripped her a new one.”
“Well, a lot has changed since then.” She turns away, avoiding eye contact.
The remainder of the ride is filled with an awkward silence. She sighs with relief when the elevator doors finally open, scurrying to the exit like she can’t get away from me fast enough.
I chase after her and grab her wrist, turning her to face me.
“So I don’t even get a thank you for saving your ass from getting fired?”
She shakes her wrist free from my grasp. “I didn’t need you to defend me. I could’ve spoken for myself.”
“Oh, really?” My brows soar upward. “Because from where I was standing, you were too busy looking like a deer in headlights.”
Rolling her eyes, she reaches for the door, but I stand in front of it, blocking her.
“Get out of my way. You’re cutting into my lunch break.”Using all of her strength, she tries to push me out of the way, but I don’t move an inch.
“Can I join you for lunch? I don’t have practice today, so maybe we can?—”
“Just stop, Maddox!” she snaps.
“Stop what?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb. You’re trying to make up for what you did in the past,” she scoffs. “I appreciate what you did for me in there, but nothing you do could ever fix things between us. So do us both a favor and stop trying, okay?”
I open my mouth to reply, but the words catch in my throat.
“You may have your dream career, a nice car, and all the money in the world, but you sure as hell will never have me.”
Her words slice through me like a blade, reopening old wounds I thought had healed.
Many people would look at my life and be envious of it. I have it all: money, power, fame. But what does that matter when you don’t have anyone to share it with? Sure, I could probably have any girl in the world, but none of them would ever come close to making me feel the way Annalise does.
I haven't been the same since the day she walked out of my life. She’s the reason I can never be in another relationship. It wouldn’t be fair, because my heart will only ever belong to her.
I hate how much power she still holds over me. She makes me feel weak, and I despise that. I’m too prideful to show her how much her words affect me, even though it feels like she just ripped my heart out of my chest and tore it into a million pieces.
“Quite bold of you to assume that I’m trying to get you back.” I snicker. “I don’t waste my time chasing after someone who doesn’t want me. I’m quite offended that you think I’d be so pathetic.”
She stares down at her feet, pretending to pick lint off her shirt.
“I simply wanted to keep things cordial between us sincewe’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other now,” I state, tucking my hands into the pockets of my slacks. “But if you’d rather us not speak, then I’ll respect your wishes and stay out of your way.”
I push open the door and step through. “I’ll see you next week, Monroe.” I feel her gaze lingering on me as I walk away.
CHAPTER SIX
