Jake’s jaw tightened. “No, I’d expect nothing less from an opportunistic bitch like her.”
“Vaffanculo.”
At the harsh tone, Jake flinched, but his mouth kept running. “Did you get to fuck her?”
“None of your fucking business.”
A cruel laugh left him. “I take it you did considering you’re defending her like this.” His cold eyes found her. “Wow, Emily, you really deserve actress of the fucking year. You gave him in a couple of months what you refused to give me for years.”
“One more word,” Nicolas said tightly. “If one more word comes out of your mouth you won’t be able to speak through it for at least a week.”
The bodyguards shifted toward Jake, nailing down Nicolas’s promise. He didn’t dare speak again.
“Call her anything like you did earlier or talk about her choice of givingherbody, and I swear to god, you won’t get the chance to worry about my bodyguards because I’ll fuck you up myself. You should be grateful that I don’t want to get my hands dirty from the likes of you, but trust me when I say I’m not completely averse to it if it involves my woman.”
Jake bristled, but still said nothing.
To be fair, it was smart of him. Nicolas soundedterrifying.
He spared him one last deadly stare before taking Emily’s hand in his own. “Let’s go, my love.”
As they walked past Jake, her eyes trailed up to see Stella standing in the hallway.
Just when things couldn’t get any worse…
Stella’s body shook,nails digging painfully into the palm of her hands. “You planned everything?”
Emily sighed. “I wasn’t planning for a full reunion, but it’s such a pleasure to see you too, Stella.”
“I asked you if you planned all of this!” she shrieked and tried to grab her, but Nicolas’s body blocked Stella.
“I would suggest you rethink what you just tried to do.”
Stella looked up him. “Oh.” Her voice dropped. “This is new.”
Nicolas sized her up. “Move.”
She scoffed. “Excuse me?”
“I said move,” he repeated. “Or I’ll move you. You don’t get to talk to her. Much lesslookat her from this point onward. And you sure as hell don’t get to touch what’s mine.”
Stella winced like she’d just been slapped.
Emily saw it, the exact moment it hit her. That flicker of panic behind the eyes, the way her mouth opened like she was about to speak but couldn’t find the words. Stella was slowly realizing the truth: she hadn’t been winning. Not even close.
She thought she was clever, thought Emily was just another casualty in her little game. But Emily had beenpulling the strings all along, letting her bask in the illusion of control.
And now? That illusion was crumbling.
Stella was so upset she lunged herself across Nicolas’s arms.
Emily pulled him out of the way, not wanting him to react in a way they’d both regret.
Stella’s knees scraped the floors with a screech as she fell. It didn’t take long before she looked up with hateful eyes.
“Did you still just?—”
Emily gripped Nicolas and shook her head at him. He reluctantly let it go. As she turned so they could leave, Stella let out a wail. Emily turned around in time to see her holding her belly and crying.
