“I don’t belong here?” I laugh without humor, “Where do I belong, Regina?”
“Wherever it is you crawled out from.”
“Do you know who I am, Regina?” I ask her seriously.
“You’re not worth knowing.”
“Look, I don’t know what weird claim you think you have on my husband but fighting with me is not going to win you any battles. Desperation is not a good look.”
“Malakai is mine. So how about you just disappear.” She shrugs and gives me a fake as fuck smile.
“Malakai is not an item one can pick up and put in their pocket. That man can’t be owned.”
“And that right there is why you’re not right for him.”
She’s so sure on her answer she drops my eyes and goes back to touching up her red lips.
“Why don’t you go tell that to him?” I challenge, “I’m sure he’d love to know.”
“We were good before you turned up.” She meets my eyes again, venom and hate radiating from her. “He would be married to me right now. So, you need to leave so I can have what is rightfully mine. Know your place before you get hurt, honey.”
“You like this hotel?” I lean on the counter just as Willow exits the stall, going straight for Regina. Igrab her wrist and drag her back, shaking my head at her. She relents but not before her eyes cut through Regina as if she could end her with a look alone. For me, she would, which is why I stop her.
“It’s going to be mine.” She tells me, “I know Malakai is working on procuring it. Just for me.”
Nowthatis funny.
“Is that right?” I glance at Willow whose eyebrows have shot up to her hairline.
“Yes.”
“I wonder when that meeting is going to go ahead,” I say as if thinking out loud, “Did you know the hotel was for sale?” I ask Willow.
“News to me.”
“Why would you two know anything?”
This is juvenile. And boring.
“This hotel belongs to me, Regina. If you had bothered to look into me at all, you’d realize my last name isn’t just Lauder, it’stheLauder. I am Olivia Lauder, the current and only owner of the Lauder Hotels and Resorts. This is mine, and I’m not really sure how you didn’t make the connection.”
Shock crosses her face before she masks it quickly and steps away from the basin. She closes the gap between us, looking down her nose at me.
“Leave him,” she warns in a low voice, “Before you get hurt.”
I shake my head and step back, putting the space back between us. “Your desperation is ugly, Regina.” I turnmy back on her, ready to end the conversation there but my hair is suddenly yanked, hard.
My scalp burns with how hard she’s just pulled me back and I almost lose my footing, barely managing to catch myself before I fall on my ass. I swing around, startling her enough that she lets go of my hair.
I don’t even realize I’m doing it when my hand swings back and I clock her straight on the mouth with my fist.
I was aiming for the nose.
Pain bursts in my knuckles and I’m pretty sure something just cracked, but Regina is on the floor, cupping her lip in shock.
“Oh shit.” I whisper.
I’ve never hit anyone before.
