“Because I know you, Imogen. You were counting down the days until you could jump into bed with that prick.”
“No, I loved you!”
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did! You were the one who… who was so cold and unloving. You checked out of our relationship months before I cheated on you. You’re the one who made me feel unwanted and unloved. Like I was nothing more than a decoration on your arm or another statue in your penthouse.”
Regrettably, there might be some painful truth to her words. My reasoning for being with her wasn’t out of the love she craved,but I’m not foolish enough to believe she ever truly loved me in return. “Then you should have left.”
“I wanted us to work.”
“All the way into another man’s bed?”
“Women have needs, Elijah. I thought men like you enjoyed competition.”
“I’m not competing with anyone for anything. My personal life is exactly that. Personal. My heart isn’t a game.”
“Could have fooled me.” She snorts.
“I’m hanging up.”
“No, Elijah, wait.”
“What?”
“I… I miss you. I thought maybe… maybe now that all the court stuff is finalized and over, maybe we could get a drink? Go and talk like we used to?”
“I have nothing to say to you, Imogen.”
“You could at least try!”
“Why?” I straighten up in my stool and glance down toward the gate. “We can’t even talk on the phone without sniping at one another. There’s nothing left between us. There hasn’t been for months.”
“Was thereever?” Imogen demands, her words sharp like the needle manicure she always gets.
“Goodbye, Imogen.”
“I’m coming to see you tomorrow. We’ll talk face to face.”
“You do that.” I hang up with a tap of the earpiece.
I won’t be here tomorrow.
Twenty-Two minutes. That phone call felt way longer. I focus on my drink and then, after a handful of complimentary mini pretzels, I dig my latest business proposal out of my briefcase.
This is my New Year. Amber Ltd is finally expanding out of pure gemstone acquisition and dipping its toes into the jewelry market. It’s time we cut out the greedy middleman and spent more of our time and effort creating beautiful jewelry for the masses. I’m sick to the back teeth of the stuck-up, obnoxious elite acting like they’re better than everyone else because of the gemstones on their fingers.
The world of Imogens needs a reality check.
Two pages in, another call comes through, this time from Buster, my CFO.
“Elijah, tell me you’re not on the plane yet.”
“I’m not on the plane yet.”
“Excellent. I have concerns.”
“Concerns you can tell me in fifteen minutes?” I ask with a glance at the gate.
