Lounging on my plush beige couch with my legs stretched and locked at my ankles, I take a sip of my wine and gaze out of the glass wall across from me. Over the past years, from choosing my initial office, back in my company, to settling with this apartment as my house, I've been drawn to huge windows. Preferably glass walls. The wider, the better.

It reminds me of Spencer, like a small part of him will always and forever be everywhere with me, with no one ever knowing.

I check my phone again, and he has read the message with my place's location. It's been five minutes since I spoke to him on the phone. If he has seen the text, he has to be on his way, right?

Even though he said no, something in his voice ticked off my sixth sense he was lying... perhaps for his own sake.

After all, I made my voice sound seductive just to piss him off... and get a reaction out of him.

I sip my wine again and smile to myself, regardless of my jittery nerves. The roads are empty. He has to reach here in about twenty minutes. Our buildings are not that far away from each other... if he hasn't moved from his flat, the one I've been to.

My mind wanders back to his place. It was the first place I ever kissed him, and the first place he ever made me have one of my best orgasms on his kitchen counter. Then the night he finally gave in and we got it on... and the night of my birthday.

A shaky sigh slips from my lips. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, trying not to think Julia now sleeps on that same bed he made love to me. I snap my eyes open, refusing to allow my brain to venture any further because I'll lose my mind.

With the dimmed lights, and the two serving girls keeping my place tidy on the break for the night, I'm half tempted to light up candles just to taunt him. But I don't want to look stupid, like he's really important to me and I'd spend that much time and effort just for his arrival.

What if he doesn't show up, though?

I shake my head and straighten myself, sipping my wine again.

No. He will. He has to.

Anxiously, I glance at the entrance door, behind the couch, across the living room, as though he'll magically appear and walk through that door.

Playing around with Spencer is a dangerous game. After he fucked me last night, my emotions have been all over the place. I cannot risk jeopardizing my chances of bringing down Benjamin just because my heart skips a beat when I see Spencer.

I down my drink and place the glass on the coffee table before getting to my feet and pacing up and down the hall.

He'll come. I know he will. He won't choose Julia over me... he can't do that. Spencer still wants me, if he didn't, he never would have given in. He even kissed me today. Oh God, that kiss.

I push my hand through my hair and run my palms over my mini dress barely reaching my midthigh. Every few seconds I glance at the door, waiting for the doorbell to ring or the lobby guy to call me and inform me Spencer is here.

My nerves are jittery and slowly, I can't help but wonder, what if he won't show up?

He was the one who left me and didn't look back after all.

My fingers fidget like crazy, and my heart keeps drumming. I continue walking up and down before the glass wall.

Julia is nice, feeling such strong resentment towards her fills me up with guilt, but I can't stop myself. I really can't stand to see her with Spencer, especially after the way he kissed me today.

Last night, I managed to convince myself, whatever happened was a mindless fucking, he was slightly drunk and I needed to get a reaction out of him.

But I can't say the same thing with the kiss. Especially the second one.

Fuck it. I'm over him. I'll move to San Francisco once this shitstorm is over and I won't ever have to see a single person from the Wright family again.

I halt and gaze out of the window, crossing my arms. Each time I repeat I don't care about him, the stupider it sounds in my head. Every time I try to convince myself I can mess with him and remain unaffected; I cringe at the lie.

But I have to fake it till I make it.

I glance at the watch and it's been over thirty minutes. Anxiety sits at the pit of my stomach and humiliation slowly ebbs into my system. What if he truly decided not to come? What if he chose Julia over me?

I can't blame him for choosing her either. She's his fiancée, they're going to get married, for real, and maybe even start a family...

My chest contracts at the thought painfully and my bottom lip quivers.

Why would he choose me over her? She's taller, has better skin, she's pretty by all means, and probably saner, more stable than me.

All I ever was to him was the girl who ruined his life.

My frown deepens.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

He's not the man who drove halfway through the city a few hours before the new year's countdown just to get a tub of ice cream for me to make me happy. At least he's not that man for me anymore...

My throat squeezes painfully and I hug myself, desperately trying to gulp away the thick lump.

Has he ever done this for Julia? Does he do these sorts of things for her?

I blink away the tears and steady my breathing. I shouldn't have let him kiss me today. It was so utterly wrong.

He can do whatever the fuck he wants.

Fuck him and Julia.

I grumble under my breath, cursing both of them as I start marching to my bedroom.

My phone's ringtone goes off and I spin on my heels. With a sudden blast of excitement, I sprint to my phone on the coffee table and receive the call from the lobby.

"Yes?" I ask, trying my hardest to hide how happy I am. I have to press my lips tightly together despite grinning from ear to ear, to hold back a squeal.

"A man says he wants to meet y-"

"Send him up," I say without waiting for him to finish and hang up. I throw my phone to the nearest sofa and hurry to my bedroom to check my appearance and make sure I look good.

The ever-so-austere, self-righteous prick, chose me, his ex, over his current fiancée.

I giggle at the thought as I hurry back to the living room and wait for him to ring my doorbell.

I fan my face, in case my cheeks have flushed, and try to school my expression to a confident coyness.

When he does ring the doorbell, I take my time crossing the room like I wasn't squealing and running around like a crazy teenager.

I open the door, and there he stands, Spencer with his hair messier than usual, and navy tee and dark grey trousers.

"I knew you would come," I say instead of greeting him.

"Fuck you," he growls.

I bite my bottom to suppress my grin, stepping aside for him to walk inside. As I close the door, I notice he has stopped in his track and is staring at the entire wall made of glass across from him.

"I thought you didn't like top floors; in case something goes wrong." He turns to me, his dark blue eyes glint with curiosity and a hint of wonder. His brows crease, like he's trying to find connections... or maybe not jump to a conclusion, it's hard to tell.

Nonchalant, I shrug. "There's a saying, 'the view is to die for', and I believe anyone who lives this sort of building strongly abides by that," I recite the words he told me five years ago when he was taking me to his place for the first time.

The sad smile curling his lips assures me he caught on too.

Spencer pushes his hands into his pockets and looks at me expectantly. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"

I wave my hand at the dining table before setting towards it and he follows me. "Do you want me to get you anything? Tea, coffee, beer, wine." I throw a glance over my shoulder, smirking as I add, "Whiskey, or scotch?"

He glowers at me and I grin in return making him roll his eyes.

I turn on my iPad and open the documents Sophia sent me a few hours after I got home. Spencer stands next to me, close enough his intoxicating scent tickles my nose and I can feel the warmth radiating off his body.

His gaze drops to the iPad, and his brows knit together as he studies the notes.

I wait a minute for him to read the entire page before I explain, "Sophia dug these up, according to the bank transactions, it can't be proved Benjamin is directly involved, but these two people who have transferred the money both to the driver and the guy we spoke with today were his men."

Spencer tabs the screen and goes to the next page.

"But he somehow got rid of them two years ago, one of them died in a skiing accident and the other drowned, apparently he fell off his cruise or something."

"Do you think they were accidents?" Spencer glances at me before leaning down and inspecting the information closely.

"Not really," I sigh. "But there are no proofs, and those cases have been closed."

He nods. "You have to find another way to associate him with the accident."

I cross my arms and lean to the edge of the dining table as I observe him. "I don't want William to find out about these things."

"Why not? It's not like it's a big breakthrough or something."

"Exactly." I tuck my hair behind my ear before folding my arms again. "I don't know how he'll react to our lack of proofs and losing one of the most promising ways of getting rid of him."

"He won't call off the deal, Gracie," Spencer says, his voice quiet.

I don't answer him and look away. I'm not so sure about that. If I'm of no use to William, he has no reason to keep me around. Then I'll have to find a way to hold strong against Benjamin's attacks at taking me down and overtaking the MK industry.

"I know him," Spencer starts, sounding firmer. My attention jumps back to him. "He won't back down from this deal."

I plaster a cynical smile. "And how that sucks for you."

His features harden with annoyance, his jaw clenches and he drops his focus back to the iPad.

"Aw, don't be pissy about it," I croon and plant my hand on his shoulder, paying no heed to how my palm tingles just by touching him. "You'll get rid of me, one day, maybe, but don't hold your breath."

"William might not put an end to this stupid contract, but I will find a way to make you leave."

"In your wildest dreams, baby, alongside where you can fantasize about sleeping with me without feeling guilty about your fiancée." A mocking smile arches my lips.

His nostrils flare, his body tensing up. I lift my hand from him, just to curl a strand of my hair around my finger as I peer at him through my lashes.

"It's remarkable how irritatingly petty you can be at times," he snarls.

"You call it being petty, and I call it daring, it's just a matter of semantics." I push myself off the edge of the dining table and hold his burning gaze.

"If you really want to get me out of your life sooner rather than later, talk to your dad and convince him to add a clause, the contract can end whenever we reach our goal, anytime sooner than five years, without mentioning it's my idea. And without telling anyone, you'll help me gather evidence against Benjamin to get rid of him. Can you do that?"

He stares at me for a long moment as though contemplating. "And if I don't agree?"

I lift a shoulder in a bored shrug. "Julia will find out how you utterly forgot her and fucked me last night."

His fingers curl into a fist. "I wasn't expecting you'd start blackmailing me so soon," he mutters through gritted teeth, but his anger gives place to smugness, making me frown with confusion.

"You're really stuck, aren't you? And you're in dire need of help," he muses.

"I'm not stuck, nor do I need help, especially not yours," I irritably say and plant myself in front of him. "I'm just smoothening out the path for myself." I force a smile to meet his cold features.

He leans to me, a corner of his mouth twitching upwards. "Call it whatever you want, but it's just a matter of semantics, and the truth underneath won't change."

I glare at him. Asshole.

"I'll think about it," he dismissively says.

"Can't you come up with a plan right now?" I press, holding gaze.

"I need to get back to my place, I'll update you if I came up with something."

I purse my mouth as he side-steps me. I fist my hands, trying to overlook the sting of his words. He's leaving me to be with Julia.

Should I be doing this?

Obviously not.

Am I looking for a fight?

Maybe, who knows?

"Of course, run back to your place, we don't want your sweet fiancée to find out how you snuck out at night to meet your ex," I disdainfully say as I spin around and face his back.

He halts and turns to scowls at me. I plaster a fake smile, and clasp my hands behind my back.

"Are you planning on telling her what happened?" I tilt my head and lock my eyes with his.

He presses his mouth to a thin line.

I gasp dramatically. "The man who preached honesty is planning on lying to his own fiancée?" I click my tongue and shake my head.

"What's your problem?" he snaps.

"Nothing." I shrug, taking one stride towards him. "I just want you to see what you're doing is way worse than what I did to you five years ago."

"You got me drunk," he barks.

"That's no excuse, and you know it too. And what about today? You looked pretty sober to me."

"A mistake." He jabs his index finger at me. "You are my biggest mistake."

If I had a heart, it would have broken from the sheer tone of his voice, but thankfully I don't.

Or at least I hope I don't, because breathing steadily is getting a little harder and my chest squeezes painfully.

"Of course." I force a mocking smile to my face. "That's how you console yourself when you know you should be with the woman who you're planning to spend the rest of your life with? But here you are, in my house, in front of me right now."

He shakes his head. "You're a shockingly atrocious human being."

"Oh, so now I'm atrocious for pointing out the hard truths that you're running away from?"

"There are no truths."

I snort and inch closer to him. "Are you sure about that?" I take another step to him and crane my neck to hold his gaze. "Because the way you kissed me last night, the way you didn't stop, or today's kisses don't entirely agree."

I raise my eyebrow at his fuming form.

"Just admit, Julia is not the one for you. That you can't share the bed with her right after being with me. We both know you wouldn't have let things escalate if you cared enough about Julia... but you want me more. You came to me tonight. You chose me over her. Doesn't that say something to you?"

He huffs a scoff. "I didn't choose you over her. I chose my future with her over you by coming here tonight. I know you well enough to be sure as long as you're around, you won't ever let things stay the same between me and Julia. I'll do everything in my power to throw you out of my life."

I bury the hurt. I'd never want to kick him out of my life. Wanting to put distance, or going away is so much different than wanting to throw someone out of your life. Like plucking out a thorn and tossing it aside. "You can never throw me out of your life, because I'm the only one who can make you do things, feel things, no one else is able to."

His face abruptly goes blank and I'm positive I've hit a nerve somewhere deep within him.

"I'm irresistible for you," I murmur, studying his face and eyes, hoping to catch a flicker of emotion, but it's useless. "You're just too scared to admit that," I add.

"Your words won't work on me, I'm not like your sidekick loser of a boyfriend." The venom in his voice surprises me. 

I blink with confusion. It takes me an embarrassingly long moment to realize he's referring to Nathan.

"Now if you'll excuse me," he spits. "I have to get back to my place before Julia finds out I'm gone. But I do suggest you snap out of your delirious bubble."

Just as he's about to turn and stalk off, I mock. "You're scared of losing her?" I roll my eyes and twirl my hair around my index finger. "Oh, right! If she finds out you've snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, you won't be able to put up with your stupid act of self-righteousness. Because a man like you, doesn't even know the basics of wanting someone in your life out of love." 

A cruel smile pulls the corners of his mouth as his glacial eyes cut through me. "You're wrong. I really don't want to lose her. I want her in my life, for reasons that are foreign to your selfish nature."

The blow comes way harder than I ever expected, it not only hurts me mentally, but physically too.

He's lying. He has to be.

Spencer doesn't stop though. "But these things are far beyond your understanding. I don't blame you though, how can you comprehend a real relationship when you've never had one?" He bends to me. "You're just a wave of thrill, that gets boring over time. So think twice before you do anything that might ruin my relationship with Julia, or even hurt her, because I promise you, it won't end well for you. Don't drag her into your vile games."

I want to scream at top of my lungs, call him all sorts of names and maybe smack him too. But I stay frozen as I stare at him.

I should be spitting witty remarks to show him how stupid and pathetic he sounds, but my mind is blank.

He found the crack and punched it with all his might.

I swallow hard and fist my hands, forcing myself back into my shield of armor. I regain my bearings, but before I can stop myself, even though it hurts like hell, shredding me to pieces from inside out, the question tumbles out of my mouth anyway. "Do you love Julia?" 

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Oh well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, vote if you did, and comment your thoughts. Who was crueler in your opinion in their argument? Gracie, or Spencer? I mean she did start it, but did he go too far?

Thank you for reading this chapter. I know I said we'd have a double update but I ended up reading over half of Punk 57 :") so yeah, I didn't get the chance to write, oops xD

I'm falling behind from my schedule, and I hate it, so tomorrow we might have way more updates 👀 let's see how much I can manage to write =)

Also, I just realised this story hit 3k reads, like OMG! I was not expecting this book to hit 3k so soon! Thank you sooo much! *.* <3

Stay safe, lots of love, happy reading ♡