Page 96 of His Ruin
Dinneristense—forkshittingplates, chewing, and glasses clinking. I can feel how thick the atmosphere is, but nothing compares to the chaos unfolding inside my head.
Kaden kissed me.
He still wants me.
No one has any clue as to why he’s actually here except me. But that’s not enough to erase what he’s done. It took me years to heal from him, and I’m not going to let a declaration of obsession and a promise to follow me to the ends of the Earth destroy the progress I made. Not when I’ve been hurting for so long, and he couldn’t even bother to reach out.
He ruined me once, and I can’t let that happen again. No matter how bittersweet it felt to have his lips on mine. All I feel is rage now.
How could he do this to us?
Leave without a word and then pop back up when my life has become breezy?
It isn’t fair…
Dylan is seated beside me, picking at his chicken before he clears his throat. “The sales projections say we’re a year ahead of schedule. I’m thinking about opening an office in Texas soon.”
Dad’s brows lift. “That’s great. How is your turnover rate?”
“Ten percent,” Dylan preens.
Kaden is across from me, eating like he’s been starving for years as he shovels yams and chicken into his mouth. He’s hunched over, his eyes flickering up to my fiancéas if he’s disturbed his meal entirely. “You know,Dylan…” He sings as he sits back in his chair.
I can already feel my headache forming as I take a long sip of my rosé.
“Everything I learn about you is against my will,” Kaden says, tilting his head in a challenge.
My fiancé‘s jaw twinges. “Dude, what is your issue with me?”
Dad’s face is turning red. He’s already pissed off from earlier, and his son isn’t making matters any better. Mom fidgets in her chair, waving a hand to try to calm the room from the explosion that’s lurking in the distance. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s just enjoy dinner—”
“Something is very wrong,” Kaden interrupts. “I just can’t decide if it’s Melody’s chicken, which you burned by the way, or the fact that I don’t like you.”
Dad’s knife pauses as his teeth grind and his cold stare bites into his son. It’s a warning, but one that Kaden clearly isn’t listening to.
Instead, mybrothersits back, crossing his arms over his chest as he rakes his gaze judgmentally across Dylan. “You’re a lot like a fucking golden retriever who learned how to file taxes, you know? A realdog.”
“Kaden!” Mom gasps.
There’s something in his voice that makes me pause—a note that implies secrecy. It’s a thinly veiled threat, shrouded in humor so sharp it almost passes for a joke.
But it isn’t a joke.
His words are a freshly sharpened blade.
Dylan gets this look—it’s the same one I’ve seen him use when he’s speaking with investors who belittle his company. His smile becomes thin and strained as he sets his fork down. “Wow,” he says lightly. “That’s specific. Should I be flattered you think I can do taxes?”
Kaden doesn’t laugh as he leans forward now, resting his forearms on the edge of the table. His eyes are locked on my fiancé—hunting.
Dad clears his throat roughly. “That’s enough. Both of you.”
Kaden tilts his head, slow and conniving. “No, I’m serious,” he says, gaze never leaving Dylan. “You’ve got that look—eager, loyal, and always wagging your tail when someone calls you agood boy.” His lips curl further. “If only you knew how tosit.”
Dylan’s jaw flexes tightly. “If you have something to say, then say it.”
There’s a flicker in Kaden’s eyes.Satisfaction. My fiancé is playing right into his hands. “Oh, I will,” he croons low. “Just not here.”
My stomach drops—a pile of rocks weighing me down. If there’s one thing I know about the man across from me, it’s that he doesn’t hold his tongue.
