He groaned under his breath. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
She strolled in like this was a long overdue social call and she’d been invited to join us. “Oh, I’m not kidding. I did have that exact same thought when I realized what you were up to, though.”
“What are you talking about?” He sighed, annoyance tightening his features as he held her gaze. “Seriously, Eug?—”
“Imagine my surprise when I found out my little sister is marrying Jesse, but it was Will there instead. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Alex arched an eyebrow at her. “Eugenie Roderick, I’m assuming.”
“You assume correctly.” She glanced at me. “Did you really think that you could fool me?”
I let out a slow breath. Although I’d suspected that she’d recognized me back in London, her being here now was a variable I hadn’t accounted for. It didn’t bode well, but I couldn’t let her see shock, surprise, or worry from me.
Regardless of what she knew, at the end of the day, Eugenie had always been self-serving. If she’d come all the way here, it wouldn’t have been simply to help her sister find a wedding dress or to come say hi to her ex.
That much, I knew for sure, and that was what I needed to focus on. Not my feelings about being caught in the act. “You came here with a purpose. What is it?”
Her smile widened. “Oh, I like you.”
“That’s nice, but I didn’t ask for your approval.”
“Pity.”
Alex’s arms came up to cross over his chest, his patience visibly thinning. “What do you want?”
Eugenie clasped her hands together, focusing on him now as yet another smile spread on her lips. “I want to help.”
Jesse made a noise that suggested he didn’t believe it for a second. “You want to help? Yeah, okay. What exactly is it that you want to help with, and what do you want in return?”
“I’ve discovered your little ruse,” she continued, glancing between us. “Of course, I’m willing to not say a word.”
“For a price,” I concluded, sighing. “You’re incredibly predictable. How much do you want, Eugenie?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Two hundred million dollars.”
Alex choked on his coffee and my extremities turned to ice, but Jesse just rolled his eyes. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“I never joke about money.”
He smirked at her. “I do, but this is too ridiculous to be funny.”
I finally managed to find my voice, shaking off the shock and getting straight to the point. “Why is that your number? What could you possibly need that much money for?”
Her smile didn’t falter. “My boyfriend is in a bit of trouble with some investors in Dubai and I need the money to make up for some unfortunate debt tied to his crypto company.”
“You mean cryptoscheme.” Alex shook his head. “Absolutely not.”
“See, that’s the problem with you,” Eugenie said lightly. “You say no before you’ve even considered the upside.”
Alex sniffed. “There is no upside.”
“There is,” Jesse cut in, drawing both mine and Alex’s attention as he shrugged lightly. “Give her the money.”
Alex arched an eyebrow at him, looking completely baffled for once in his life. “Over my dead body.”
Jesse sighed. “It solves the problem.”
“Sure, but it creates ten more,” Alex argued. “You have to realize that.”
