“I’m not going to pretend I don’t.”
My pulse kicks harder, but I don’t move.
“I’ve been here,” she continues, softer now, but no less sharp. “Showing up. Building something with him.”
A pause.
“And you…?”
Her eyes flicker—just for a second.
Enough to show it matters.
“Until recently… you weren’t even in the picture.” I fire off before I can stop the words from coming out of my mouth like bullets.
That one hits her—hard.
Because it’s true.
I straighten slowly, shoulders pulling back.
“Maybe, I’ll just put myself back in the game now.”
Her lips press together—just barely.
A crack in the polish.
“Yeah,” she says.
Her tone shifts just a fraction cooler.
“Now that things… changed.”
Her gaze flicks again.
Pointed.
Meaning clear.
Money. Power. Name.
“Convenient timing.”
I shake my head once.
“You don’t get to reduce me to that.” My voice is still calm—but firmer now. “You don’t know what I’ve been through. What I’ve worked for.”
Her chin lifts.
“I know exactly what you are,” she says.
A beat.
“Competition.”
Silence again.
“I’m not trying to be your enemy,” she adds.
