“You’re one smooth operator,” Dylan remarked, slinging his right arm over Flora’s shoulder, pulling her in tight.
Flora scoffed, “His way to solve the issue of Wonda’s project worked like a charm, but he didn’t tie up all the loose ends. Now he’s got a ticking time bomb on our hands. never thought you, THE GREAT Mr. Bowles, would go the extra mile for a small fry like me.”
Dylan’s chest shook with laughter. “Flora, do you really despise me that much?”
Flora kept mum. She’d just washed her face, and cold water still clung to her hair.
Dylan reached out, tilting her face toward his. “Your old flame came back, and you two could’ve picked up where you left off. You might’ve even become the Norris family’s lady of the house, living on easy street. Flora, are you regretting that you hadn’t kept you cool and waited for him for an extra few days? But now it’s too late. You got in bed with me, the enemy, and it’s not so easy to walk away, is it?”
His words hit Flora where it hurt. Dylan was a wedge between her and Justin, and a little pressure was all it took to cause unbearable pain.
Flora stared at the flawless face before her. Fate had dealt him a winning hand but hadn’t given him a kind soul.
She had to be strong, couldn’t cry in front of Dylan. But when a person was pushed to the brink, one single emotional blow can make the dam burst.
Flora knew her future was up in smoke.
Tears fell, but she told herself it wasn’t really crying. It was just the bitterness that weighed her down, needing to escape.
Seeing her tear-streaked face only fired Dylan up more.
He grabbed a slice of apple and jammed it into Flora’s mouth. Her teeth clashed with his fingers, and she wanted to spit it out.
“Swallow it!” Dylan barked, cramming another piece into her mouth until it was full.
In that moment, Flora felt utterly degraded, the apple’s taste like dust in her mouth.
“I’ve already found out that Justin’s uncle is a big shot, but once this case goes public, I’ll make sure he’s toast.”
Dylan clamped Flora’s chin, forcing her to face him. “And if you need witnesses, I’ve got ’em lined up.”
As Flora tried to swallow the unchewed apple, she choked. “Cough, cough!”
“Swallow it,” Dylan pressed, clamping his hand over Flora’s mouth. He watched her face contort in agony, then shoved her head back against the couch.
“Let me tell you, I could bring Justin down in a heartbeat. Just half of La Comte is more than enough to take on Farnection. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Flora’s eyes widened, her mouth smothered by his hand, the apple lodged between her teeth and throat. Her face turned red, and tears streamed down her cheeks, seeping through the gaps between his fingers.
“Ha!” Dylan scoffed, his lips twisting into a sneer. “No joke. So, you’re gonna stay squeaky clean for him now?”
“Look, I thought he was a goner, which is why I caved to your demands,” Flora admitted.
“So, you’re saying, if some other dude had been there for you back then, you’d have ended up in his sheets?” he taunted.
Flora winced as her wrist throbbed, her fingers tingling from the lack of blood flow. “There were no ‘what ifs’ back then. Plus, no one could hold a candle to Dylan when it comes to social influence.”
Right now, Justin’s fate hung in the balance, so Flora couldn’t risk getting on Dylan’s bad side.
“Think he’d still treasure you like a rare gem if he knew you’d been with me?” Dylan’s twisted smirk grew bolder and more sinister.
Inhaling deeply, Flora steeled herself and felt a bit lighter. “Don’t sweat it. I won’t keep our fling under wraps from Justin. I’ve kept this secret long enough—I might as well lay it all out. It’ll hurt at first, but I believe we’ll get through it.”
The grin on Dylan chiseled face froze, his lips pulling back.
Dylan couldn’t believe that, he, of all people, had become a blemish she was desperate to erase? A wave of defeat washed over Dylan’s face, making him look even more wicked.
