Page 18 of Dissolving Prejudice

“Have I told you how gorgeous you are?”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” he grunted, then rubbed his temples. “Would you please just go?”

Considering his words, I twisted my lips and then shrugged. “Nah. I don’t have anything else to do.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched as the vein in his neck popped. “Well, I do. I’m about to meet someone.”

Yeah, right.

“And who would that be?”

“Again, none of your business.”

I reached to stroke his hand when he slapped me away. “Dare to touch me and I’ll empty the pepper spray I carry with me in your damn face,” he warned, yet somehow, I found it extremely hot.

Fuck, I loved our little banters. In fact, I was having a blast—that was until I noticed a familiar face walking into the shop.

“What the hell?” I hissed, eyes pinned on Jordan’s ugly face, who stood at the entrance to the store while looking around. Just when I thought it might be an unfortunate coincidence, Shay-Lee turned around.

“Babe, I’m over here,” he said, waving his hand in the air.

Babe?

My eyes snapped back to Shay-Lee, who was still waving to Jordan.

BABE?

Did he just call Jordan—motherfucking—Keller babe?

And while still busy with my growing fury, Jordan started to walk toward us. His gaze immediately landed on me like a hunter with a target as he studied me with narrowed eyes. My pulse kicked up a notch, and by the time he reached our table, I was so mad that my brain couldn’t come up with any coherent thought, and instead, I sat there with my teeth gritted so hard I might have broken something.

“Hey, babe.” Shay-Lee said that damn word again while getting up to greet Jordan with a hug and a—

I slammed my hand flat on the table once their lips touched and, like an idiot, continued to glare at them with wide eyes. I was seeing red as my whole world was slowly closing around me, and I swore to God I was a second away from breaking something when Jordan’s hand slid to Shay-Lee’s slim waist.

What. The. Fuck.

Jordan finally removed his lips from Shay-Lee’s only to turn his attention to me. Displeasure was evident on his stupid face, judging by his pinched brows and tensed jaw.

“What’s he doing here?” he asked while Shay-Lee began packing his things into his bag.

“Beats me. He just popped up out of nowhere.”

My heart was hammering so fast I could hear it in my ears, and I realized I had yet to say a single word and instead sat there like the pathetic bastard I was. To be honest, I was in a pure state of shock, and I could only blame my cocky ass for that. In the years I’d been away, I had many scenarios of what would happen once Shay-Lee and I reunited. I spent nights imagining how much he’d miss me, not once stopping to think that he might have moved on. Maybe because being with someone else seemed impossible to me, I assumed it would be the same for him. Guess I was wrong because Shay-Lee didn’t just move on with a random man but with damn Jordan, of all people? The fucking bastard who lied on the stand without missing a beat. Oh yeah, I still remembered all the lies that son of a bitch spat between sobbing while testifying against me on my trial. The anger that thrummed in my ears like drums finally snapped me out of my shock, and I spoke.

“What the fuck?” I hissed, eyes locked on Shay-Lee’s blank expression.

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’?” I bit back, trying to pretend Jordan wasn’t standing right next to us. “You’re dating?”

“Engaged, actually,” Shay-Lee said so casually, then proceeded to show me his hand, flashing a ring in my face that I didn’t notice until now.

My chest tightened like I’d just been kicked, and my heart fucking dropped. But it wasn’t just shock that hit me like a bitch but hurt. Pure hurt that spread through me like a disease. I swallowed hard, my eyes moving to Shay-Lee’s neck, which was clear of my necklace. The necklace I’d given him when he agreed to marry me nearly five years ago. The lack of it only increased my humiliation. But never one to be good at containing his emotions, I turned toward the thing I knew best and got angry.

“You son of a bitch,” I hissed at Jordan after I got up.

Jordan didn’t miss the opportunity and stepped toward me until we were face-to-face.