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“Go.” He glared at me before stepping out of the way.
I bypassed the remainder of Travis’s entourage and walked into the gym.
Standing at the center of a ring, Travis was bobbing and weaving, throwing punches at a dummy’s torso.
“I see that you’ve healed pretty quickly.” Travis’s eyes met mine. “I wouldn’t get too comfortable with that jaw if I were you. It’ll be broken again by the time you leave.”
“Fuck you, Travis.” I glared at him.
“Come closer and say that shit to my face.”
“Gladly.” I moved closer, and he punched the dummy a few more times.
Climbing past the ropes, I walked right up to him.
“You really do have a death wish, don’t you?” he asked.
“Shut the fuck up, and let me explain this,” I said. “If you don’t, one of us is leaving here hurt, and I can guarantee it won’t be me.”
“Only one of us is a professional fighter, Hayden.”
“And only one of us has ever lost at something we’re the best at,” I said. “Reminder: You just fucking lost in Las Vegas.”
His face reddened, and he flexed his wrists. “I suggest you hurry up and say whatever the hell you want to say.”
“One, you’re lucky that I’m in love with your sister. Two, Penelope is my best friend,” I said. “Not you, and it’s been that way for years. I was never attracted to her when you selfishly made me agree to look after her when you left.”
He clenched his jaw, but he didn’t say a word.
“It was strictly platonic for years, and there was nothing there.” I admitted. “But I fell for her long before I came to New York. That’s actually why I fucking came here, because in the best interest for her career, I didn’t want to distract her. So I—”
“Fucked your way across the city until you decided that you wanted someone naïve to settle down with?”
“I’m still in love with your sister, and I don’t care if you agree with it or not.” I shrugged. “If you think so low of me that I was actually grooming her like a sick person and wasn’t looking after her, that’s on you. Because if I have to choose between which one of your relationships means the most to me, it won’t be the one I had with you.”
Silence.
I considered punching him in the eye, paying him back for the senseless beatdown he gave me, but he suddenly stepped back.
“I heard you with another woman in your room in Vegas,” he said.
“Like I told you before, there was no other woman.”
“And Anya Sterling?”
“A run-in with bad timing,” I said. “It was also blown completely out of proportion. I would never cheat on Penelope.”
He stared at me for a long time, looking torn between believing me and lunging at me.
I flexed my fist just in case it was the latter.
“I’m not sorry,” he said.
“I wouldn’t accept your apology if you were.” I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the attempt, though.”
“Okay, I really am sorry.” He looked genuine. “I just thought you were treating her like every other woman you’ve—Well, you know.”
“I’m still not accepting your apology, especially if that’s the best you can do.” I crossed my arms. “You fractured my fucking eye socket.”
“If you thought some other guy hurt Penelope, I’m sure you would’ve done much worse.”
“You left me bleeding on the kitchen floor.”
“I remember you calling me about a certain guy you beat to a pulp before. What exactly did he do to Crown?”
I sighed. “Apology accepted. Have you talked to her? She’s ignoring me.”
“For now. She’ll have to talk to you within the next few months or so, I’m sure.”
“You must not know how long she can hold a grudge.”
He stared at me blankly for several seconds. “She didn’t tell you?”
“Tell me what?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I met her in Salt Lake City, but she’s upset with me now, too. I can try to call her.”
“No, that’s okay,” I said, stepping out of the ring. “I’ll find her myself.”
Forty-Seven
Present Day
Penelope
The moment that I landed in New York, I took a cab to Seventh Avenue Bank.
Since Travis made such a huge deal about this bank account, I decided to withdraw every dime and use it toward a new condo.
If there was enough for that, anyway.
“Thank you for calling ahead of your arrival, Miss Carter.” The bank manager extended his hand when I stepped through the doors. “We’re still getting things together, but we’ll be handling this in my office.”
“Sounds perfect.” I followed him into a large room where other suits were waiting.
He motioned for me to take a seat.
“Just to confirm, a few years ago, Mr. Carter transformed this account into a money market. Then he started a new one in your name and invested almost all of it into Cinder’s shares. Does that sound correct?”
