Chapter 28
Chapter 28:
She turned back and pried his fingers from her arm one by one. “Nothing you buy will ever replace something my mother left behind. I refuse to let something that matters so much to me end up with someone who means nothing to me. And if you want to talk about manners, you might want to examine your own first p>
Ryan struggled to find his voice. Her cold, distant gaze cut straight through him.
A faint, bitter smile crossed Kailey’s lips. “Since she needs you by her side, you should get going. But I expect my mother’s emerald amulet back tonight. If you can’t manage that, I’ll go and get it myself p>
Ryan stood there for a moment, a vein pulsing at his temple, trying to decide whether she was bluffing. A sharp tug at his collar did nothing to ease the tension coiled inside him.
Back in her room, Kailey shrugged off her jacket and dropped onto her bed, eyes stinging as a wave of frustration crashed over her.
𝗧𝗵𝘰𝗎𝗌𝖺ո𝖽s оf rе𝖺𝗱𝘦𝘳𝘀 о𝗻
“Ryan, you bastard,” she muttered.
Giving away her keepsake was bad enough. That he had given it to Olivia was unforgivable.
She bit down on the blanket in frustration, only to be interrupted by her phone vibrating beside her.
She hesitated for a second. When Kyson’s name appeared on the screen, she wiped her face and answered. “Kyson p>
He picked up on her mood immediately, his voice gentle. “Did something happen? Are you upset p>
The tears threatened to return, though she tried to sound composed. “It’s nothing, really. Just a minor thing p>
She repeated it to herself, hoping she might believe it. After all, she would be gone in a week. There was no point getting caught up in this.
Kyson had just wrapped up a meeting and was making his way down the hall, phone pressed to his ear. A woman from the partners team fell into step behind him, tapped his shoulder lightly, then gave him a playful look. “Mr. Blake, would you be free to join me for dinner p>
With an easy smile, he held up his phone. “Sorry, I’ll have to take a rain check. My fiancée needs me—she’s not having the best day, and I’d like to cheer her up p>
Kailey heard every word. Warmth crept into her cheeks, and she pulled the blanket over her head with a quiet grumble. “Kyson, don’t be silly. I’m not asking you to cheer me up p>
Kyson gave a quiet laugh and stepped away from the others, as if the rest of the world had simply ceased to matter. “Alright, are you going to tell me what really happened? What’s been eating at you p>
Kailey hesitated for only a second before deciding there was no point in holding back.
“You know… my parents didn’t leave me with much. The only thing I have is this emerald amulet. My mom put it on me before I left home, and it’s the one piece of them I still carry. I treasure it more than anything. I was so afraid something would happen to it that I asked Ryan to keep it safe for me. But he just handed it over to Olivia. He keeps saying she only borrowed it, but that doesn’t matter. It was mine. How could he think that was acceptable p>