Page 9 of Discretion at Its Finest

“Why would I?” His voice stayed calm, the kind of calm that always frightened me more than shouting ever could. “They erased me. And now they’re facing their own mistakes.”

He leaned in slightly, enough that I had to tip my head back to hold his gaze. “But you…” His eyes dragged over me, steady, consuming. “You didn’t just watch it happen. Youletthem bury me. You kept silent.”

My chest ached, heat creeping up my throat. “I didn’t have a choice—”

“There’s always a choice, Vieve.” My knees weakened. “And youchosehim. You chose silence and to let me die in their eyes.” I blinked hard, my hands trembling against the counter.

“And then… You climbed into his bed like it was the only place you’d ever belonged.” Tears burned at the corners of my eyes, but I couldn’t look away.

“You let them take everything from me. And then, you took what was left.” His voice was low, steady, but it cut deeper than if he’d screamed.

My breath came unevenly. He was so close I almost thought he was taking it from me. “I—” I whispered, and he tilted his head.

“You what, Genevieve? You didn’t mean to?”

“Reid…”

He shook his head. “It’s too late for apologies…You think you can play mother, fiancée, perfect little Newman trophy wife while pretending I never existed?”

My knees nearly buckled.

“You can’t,” he whispered, false sympathy laced in his voice as he leaned in closer, his breath ghosting my cheek. “Because every piece of it is mine. The man you call your future husband. The child you call yours. The company that can’t hold for much longer.” His eyes pinned me, merciless. “Even you…”

I flinched, feeling his hand on my cheek, wiping away the lone tear I didn’t even know had fallen. “All of it. Stolen from me.”

He let the silence stretch, his thumb grazing the edge of my jaw before he pulled his hand away. “I’m not here to save your family, Vieve.” His voice dropped, final. “I’m here to take back everything that was taken from me.Starting with you.”

The words weren’t tender. They weren’t about love. It was a promise. A vow that he would ruin me. That he would take everything. And there was nothing I could do to stop him.

Chapter five

Reid

She’d gotten more beautiful. The thought was unwanted but undeniable. Her body was softer where it mattered, sharper where it needed to be. She was shorter than I remembered. Small waist, long dark hair spilling loose in waves, lips still made to ruin a man’s patience. Her face was soft, delicate even, but her eyes… Christ. Wide, dark,guilty. The kind that couldbegwithout a word.

It made mesick.

And it made me fucking hard.

Every piece of her screamed a lie she thought she could hide behind. She took on this curated role as if she belonged in it. The doting mother, the perfect fiancée, the woman who belonged to someone else. But under it all was the girl who had watched me burn and hadn’t lifted a finger to stop it. The woman who had once been mine.

The pitter-patter of feet on the tile broke the silence. “Mommy!” The boy’s voice cracked through the air. He crashed into her legs, clutching a toy car in one small fist.

She finally tore her eyes from mine. Relief hit her face like oxygen. She dropped down to him fast, kneeling at his height, clutching him like a shield. Her voice pitched high, too sweet and bright as she babbled back at him.

I watched their interaction in silence.

“Lovebug, did you start playing already?” she asked, trying to steady her voice, trying to distract her mind.

She was even smaller on her knees, hair falling around her shoulders as the boy leaned into her. She tried to look at him, but her gaze kept flicking up like she could feel mine burning through her. I wanted her to feel how close I was, how much closer Icouldget.

But I turned away, leaving her with her boy and the lie of safety one final time. Because I had a meeting to attend. There were bigger games to play today. And when I was finished with the Newmans, she wouldn’t have anywhere left to hide.

The boardroom reeked of desperation before I even stepped inside. Old men in tailored suits shifting in their seats, voices hushed, eyes darting to me like I was the executioner and savior rolled into one.

Idiots.

I adjusted my cufflinks as I crossed the room, not sparing them the courtesy of urgency. If they needed me here, they’d wait.