Page 111 of The Rival's Obsession
Eve’s brow furrows. “Then what?—?”
I cut her off with a shake of my head. “You want the truth?”
She nods.
I look at the window, the city burning gold against the glass. “You’ve already figured out enough. And with the board vote a few days away… what the hell.” I glance back at her. “Our graves are already dug.”
“It was five years ago,” I say, voice quieter now, but steady. “Right after the firm announced us as co-CEOs.”
Eve doesn’t speak, just sips her wine. Waiting.
“It was the night our first major architectural win went public. Wolfe Industries. The whole city was buzzing—every blog, every paper. We had reporters lined up, investors throwing money at us. It was the first time I actually believed we could do this. Together.”
I look down at the glass in my hand and twist the stem slowly.
“Grant invited me back to his penthouse that night. Said we should toast the moment. Just the two of us.”
Her brows lift slightly, but she stays silent.
“It started simple,” I continue. “Champagne. Loosened ties. That massive sound system humming low in the background while we talked about everything—our fathers, how we got here, what it cost. All of it.”
I glance up at her, let the next part land the way it should.
“And maybe the champagne made me reckless. Or maybe I’d just been holding it in for too long. But I told him.”
“Told him what?” Eve asks, voice soft now. Less guarded.
“That I’ve always had a crush on him.”
Her brows arch at that.
“It wasn’t some ploy. Just… a quiet truth I’d buried,” I say. “I told him I remembered seeing him again after I returned from the UK. How he looked standing there at our father’s office, a man just like me. And I thought,fuck.He’s still the most beautiful boy I’ve ever seen.”
I close my eyes, just for a second. “He always was. But seeing him again… it was like I could finally breathe for the first time since I left.”
When I open them, Eve is watching me like she’s seeing something new. Not with judgment. Just… clarity.
“I tested the water,” I admit. “Said it quietly. Asked if he’d ever thought about me that way.”
“And?” she prompts.
“He didn’t laugh. Didn’t pull away. He hesitated, like he didn’t want to admit it. Then he nodded. Just once. But it was enough.”
The memory is sharp. Bright as fire, and I rub my bottom lip like I can still feel him there.
“I kissed him. Careful, at first. Like I was expecting him to bolt. But he didn’t. He kissed me back. Hard. And then it was like years of wanting broke open all at once.”
My voice drops as I speak, the memory curling around me like smoke.
“Our clothes were half off in a second. Hands were everywhere. I pushed him back onto the table, held him steady as I ground against him. My mouth on his chest, his head tipped back like he was coming apart.”
I take a breath and run my hands down my face, resting my elbows on my knees—because the next part still makes my blood run cold.
“And that’s when the suite door opened.”
Eve tenses slightly.
“Corrine walked in,” I say. “Sobbing. Hysterical. Said something was wrong.”
