Page 110 of Blue Gold

“So you didn’t meet Vito?”

“I… I did, but⁠—”

“And you didn’t lie about it, too?”

I opened my mouth, only to shut it immediately because he was right, and yet, the whole thing was getting blown out of proportion.

With a sigh, I placed my hand on my waist. “Yes, I’ve met with Vito, but only to tell him he made a mistake.”

“You—”

“No.” I lifted one finger up. “Now you let me speak.”

The muscle in his jaw twitched before he bit his lips, almost like he was struggling not to answer back.

“As I was trying to say, I only asked Vito to give you another chance. At no point in our short conversation did I offer him anything in return. I’d never do that, Elliot. Never.” I held his stare to make sure he got this one right. And honestly, the fact that he assumed I was capable of doing so was insulting. “I didn’t tell you about the meeting because it wasn’t important, as I didn’t settle anything with Vito, let alone pay him to hire you.”

“Why should I believe you?” he challenged me with a raised chin.

“Because I’m not a liar.”

He tsked. “Really? You should tell that to Claudia, then.”

Hurt, I stopped in my tracks and stared at him. The brief fear in his eyes told me that he understood he’d just crossed a line. Yet, in the same breath, he was still too angry to step down from the hill he’d climbed on. And clearly, I’d have to ignore that inappropriate comment.

“The only one responsible for you getting the job is you, Elliot. Not me.”

“So you just talked?”

Whenever he was angry, I noticed Elliot turned to English, as if I wasn’t worthy of speaking his language. It was somehow both charming and amusing.

“Yes.” I swallowed hard, my throat dry from all the bending over backward. “And quite frankly, other than making a fool out of myself in front of Vito, I did nothing. So the fact that he still hired you despite your boyfriend being a complete idiot is even more incredible.”

Elliot’s eyes snapped to mine, a deep crease between his brows. “Vito knows?”

“Huh?”

“Did you tell Vito about us?”

I scratched my jaw. “Technically, he found out for himself.”

“And you didn’t deny it?”

Worried I’d just made another mistake, I chose my next words carefully. “Well, yes. There was no point denying it. Hopefully, he’s a discreet man, although only time will tell.”

“Someone knows about us,” Elliot muttered, his words barely understandable as he dropped his eyes to the floor.

“Pardon?”

Looking up, his face beamed with joy. “Someone knows we’re together.”

Elliot

It was true that I was furious with him and didn’t plan to let go of my anger anytime soon. Not only did I burn my chicken because of him, but his actions made me feel insecure about our relationship.

More insecure.

The differences between us were so big it was hard not to see them, with him being richer, older, smarter, and successful. I’d already been at a disadvantage since the start, and when he did stuff like that, it only made the gap bigger. A gap I so desperately worked to close. Why? Because it was only a matter of time before he’d want to go back to Claudia, someone who was his equal in age, intelligence, and style. No matter how he looked at it, next to him, I was a kid, same as the little sister he’d just had to bail out of jail. How was getting me this job any different from bailing her out? It wasn’t, because in the end, he fixed both problems with his resources⁠—