“Good,” Anh said, then hung up.
It was freezing out, but his blood ran hot through his veins. Emmeline had asked Anh to simplygivethe investment to him? And it sounded like she hadn’t only made this request once.
His thoughts raced as understanding dawned upon him.
And that only made him angrier. Anh was wrong; it wasn’t out of character, what Emmeline was trying to do.
It was what she always did: thought of others before she thought of herself. She was going to let him win because she loved him, even if it meant she lost.
He stalked to the bookshop, utterly exasperated. When he entered, he spotted her browsing the bookshelves. No notebook, no notes, nothing.
The sight only further increased his ire. So that was why it had seemed like she hadn’t done any work on Monday, why she hadn’t shown up yesterday. She had already decided to give up—for him.
He stalked over to her. “Sterling,” he snapped, and she glanced up, surprised by his tone. “Come with me.”
Taking her hand, he walked her to the office. He shut thedoor behind them, trying to catch his breath, but he could hardly think straight.
“Luke, what is it?” she asked, eyes concerned. “Is everything okay?”
“No,” he said, voice hard. “Everything is not okay.” He broke off, clenching his jaw, and Emmeline reached for him, but he held up a hand, stopping her.
“Luke—” she started.
“Why?” he asked, finally finding his voice again. “Whywould you tell Anh to give me the investment?”
Her expression softened, the worry fading away. Stepping toward him, she touched a gentle hand to his cheek, but he shook his head.
“Because I want you to win,” she said. Frustration beat through him. She was impossible.
“Even if it means you’ll lose?”
“I can find another investor,” she said. Of course she had an explanation; she would have gone through the entire reasoning to make it seem okay. She always thought she was so clever, the cleverest person in the room, but she wasn’t always right.
He made an irritated sound, his temper flaring. “And I can’t?”
Her brows wrinkled. “That’s not what I’m saying—I’m just trying...” She broke off, sighing. “Please, let me do this for you. I want to.”
“What about what I want?” He ran an agitated hand through his hair. “Em, how could you possibly think I would be okay with a situation like this? That I would just let you throw away all your hard work for my sake?”
Her eyes widened. He shook his head, chest burning. “You really think I’m that selfish—that self-centered? That I would just accept this?”
“No, that’s not what...” She made a frustrated sound, stepping toward him. He stepped back, too upset with her. Hurt crossed her face. “I just want to help.”
“I don’t want your pity!” he cried. It wasn’t fair, or right.
He knew she was coming from a good place, but he hated the thought of her giving up something she wanted for anyone, let alone for him. He couldn’t bear it.
He didn’t want her to do this, to give up something she wanted just for his sake. If he tried to say that, she would say it was fine—she was used to it.
But he didn’t want that. Not between them.
He wanted them to be partners—equals.
“It’s humiliating,” he said through gritted teeth. Her eyes widened with despair. “And insulting. Anh thought that I had put the idea in your head.”
“Luke, I’m sorry,” she said. “I never meant for it to come across that way. I only wanted—”
Even though it killed him to do so, he needed her to understand he wouldn’t let her sacrifice her happiness or success for him. He cared about her more than any stupid investment. And he wouldn’t let her set this precedent in their relationship.
