by Todd, E. L.
He turned around. “What?”
“Victoria planned all of this so you’d break up with me. Then she would slide in and pick up the pieces.”
He shook his head. “You’re fucking unbelievable.”
“Why would she help me if she wanted to get back together with you? It doesn’t make sense. Why would she give me the letter that proclaimed her love for you? She did all of this to make herself look good and me look bad.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Even if that was true, no one forced you to open that letter, Cassie. I don’t care what Victoria does. As long as she doesn’t touch me or make a move, I will always be civil to her. If she made a trap, you’re the one who walked right into it. This is the bottom line; none of this would have happened if you trusted me.”
“I do trust you.”
“Don’t lie to me!”
“I do,” I said. “I just let my past get to me.”
His eyes burned with anger. “How can I ever trust you?”
“You can,” I said. “I’ll never do something like that again.”
“Have you been going through my phone too?”
“Of course not!”
He shook his head.
“Babe, I’m so sorry. I love you. Please don’t go.”
“I’m so fucking pissed right now.”
“Please don’t break up with me.” The tears fell down my face. I started to sob, hating the idea of losing him. I couldn’t go on if he left.
He gave me a sympathetic look. Tony came to me and wrapped his arms around me. “You still don’t trust me.”
I sobbed into his shoulder. “What?”
“I’m not leaving you. I’m hurt you think I would.”
“But—I was wrong.”
He sighed. “I’m really pissed at you right now, Cassie. I can’t say that I’m not. But we’ll work through it.”
I gripped him tightly. “Thank you.”
Tony pulled away. “I should go.”
“Please stay.”
“I haven’t been this angry in a long time, Cassie. I just want to be alone.”
“But it’s your birthday.”
“And it’s the worst birthday of my life.” He walked out and slammed the door.
17
Tony didn’t call me for the next two days. He said we would work through our relationship so I gave him the space he needed. I really regretted what I did. It was stupid and selfish. If I had just told the truth, that I read the letter, he probably wouldn’t be nearly as angry. After everything I did, I’m surprised he didn’t dump me. If the situation was reversed, I know that’s what I would have done.
I went to work and completed my designs. They were shipped out to models and designers Tony knew, where they were showcased at different distributors. Almost immediately, I got invoices requesting more of the gowns I was creating. I sent them over to the manufacturer and cashed the check. It was too good to be true. My business had taken off almost immediately. If it weren’t for Tony’s connections, it would have taken me a decade to get to the level I was now, if it ever became successful at all.
Magazines wanted to feature me and have interviews. I almost fainted when I got my first one. After they rolled in, I received one from Castle Magazine. Rejecting that request gave me the greatest satisfaction. It probably would have felt even better if Tony and I weren’t in such a bad place.
When I got home that night, I sat on the couch and stared at the wall. I missed Tony so much and it was driving me crazy. I decided to call him. When it rang three times, I assumed he wasn’t going to answer.
I heard the click on the line. “Hey,” he said quietly.
“Hi.”
We were silent for a while.
“I’m sorry for calling. I just really miss you.”
I heard a voice in the background. “Excuse me for a moment,” he whispered. His voice sounded like it was away from the receiver.
“I’m sorry to bother you. Where are you?”
“I’m with Victoria.”
“Oh.”
It was silent again.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I—I’m just wondering.”
“We’re talking to her distributors in Milan for your company,” he snapped. “What else would we be doing? Fucking? If I wanted to fuck her, I would do it.”
“That isn’t what I meant,” I said quickly. “I really was just curious.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry I snapped.”
“It’s okay. I deserved it.”
“No you didn’t,” he said gently.
“Did you tell her everything?”
“No,” he said. “I told her you gave me the letter, which wasn’t opened.”
“Oh…”
“I don’t want to ruin the relationship between you. You need her, Cassie.”
I wasn’t expecting that.
“I told her you just forgot.”
“What did you say in regards to the letter?”
He sighed loudly. “It’s none of your business what I said.”
“I’m sorry…”
He cursed. “I’m sorry for being such an asshole. I told her I was in love with you and I intend to marry you. That there will never be anything between she and I.”
I felt my heart melt. “You intend to marry me?”
“I thought that was obvious.”
I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Victoria had been rejected.
“It hurts me that you even had to ask.”
“Well, she’s a fucking supermodel.”
“Shut the hell up. I’m sick of hearing that.”
I fell silent.
“I should go,” he said. “We still have some things to do.”
“Can I see you? I really miss you.”
“Not tonight,” he said. “I’m still livid.”
“Oh…okay.”
“Come by when you get off work tomorrow. I’ll be better then.”
“Okay,” I said happily.
“Cassie, I know I’m being a jerk right now, but I want you to know that I love you with my whole heart. There’s no room for anyone else but you. And I’m sorry for behaving this way.”
That was music to my ears. “I love you too.”
“I’ll make it up to you when I see you.”
“And I’ll do the same.”
There was a smile in his voice. “Maybe you could wear that scarf you made me…just the scarf.”
I blushed. “I might…”
“Make sure you bring it over.”
“I won’t forget.”
“Bye, baby.”
“Bye.”
I waited until he hung up before I put the phone down. Now I felt a million times better. He and I were going to be okay. And Victoria had no idea anything was wrong. Her evil plan hadn’t worked. She might try again, but I wasn’t concerned about it. I had to forget about the heartbreak I suffered from Danny. It was in the past and it needed to stay there.
There was a knock on my door. I stayed on the couch for a moment, trying to guess who might be visiting me. I knew it wasn’t Tony. I walked to the peep hole and looked through. My heart raced when I recognized the face on the other side. It was Janet.
Maybe she came to apologize to me, to make everything better. Tony would get his sister back and my best friend would be returned to me. I opened the door and looked at her.
She didn’t look remorseful or sad. If anything, she looked like she would rip my throat out then feed it to a pack of wild dogs. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me.
“Hey,” I said hesitantly.
“You have a lot of fucking nerve.”
“Excuse me?”
“My brother is more important to me than anything. He isn’t just my family, he’s my best friend. And you took him away from me.”
“No, you did that, Janet.”
“Shut the hell up and let me
talk. I didn’t get to see him on his birthday. My mom asked why we weren’t doing anything and I had to lie to her. I hate lying. I didn’t call Tony on his birthday. I didn’t even get him a gift. I miss him and I want him back.”
“You can have him whenever you want him,” I said.
She shook her head. “Layla told me you started your own clothing line. Apparently it’s going really well.”
Shit.
“And I know who’s responsible for that. You’ve only been together for a few months and you’re already stealing his wallet.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“No, it’s exactly what I think.”
“I’m not using him! He forced me to do it.”
“You’re such a fucking liar.”
“And I’m paying him back.”
“You and I both know Tony would never take it. You took millions of dollars from him. You’re a fucking lying skank.”
I felt the anger explode inside me. “I love him. I don’t care what you think.”
“You love him?” she said with a laugh. “You have no right to say that.”
“I tell him every day.”
“My brother is ruining his life with you.”
That stung. “I treat him right.”
“By taking his mail, reading it, and then hiding it from him?”
My eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
“Scott tells me everything.” She glared at me. “I can’t believe you would do that to him, especially after everything he’s done for you.”
“I made a mistake. He and I worked it out.”
“You will end this relationship with him.”
“Janet, I wish things could be different. I really do. But you’re falsely accusing me of using him. I’m not going to give in and neither is he. We are both really happy. You should be supportive.”
“I love my brother and I’ll do everything I can to protect him, even if it costs our relationship. Do you realize what you’re doing to him? You’re ostracizing him from his family. Do you have any idea how close we are? You’re ruining that. Tony can’t see his own nephew, he can’t see me, and he can’t see my parents when we see them. You’re ruining something that means the world to him. If you really love him, you’ll end the relationship.”
I stared at her, feeling sick to my stomach.
“You know I’m right. He can always get a new girlfriend. But he can’t get a new family.”
“Janet, I swear that I’m not with him for his money.”
“Your words mean nothing to me. I might believe that you love him if you let him go. It’s the right thing to do.”
I took a deep breath. “But I make him happy.”
“No, you don’t. In a year he’ll realize he made a horrible mistake. He’ll resent you and loathe you for it. Believe me. I know my brother.” She stepped away. “I expect you to do the right thing. And if you do, you and I might be able to work on our relationship.”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t want it.”
She turned on her heel and left.
17
I got another huge order from a company in Milan the next day.
“Cassie, this is insane,” Orlando said. “I mean, you’re already a millionaire.”
“Yeah.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Did you hear what I said?”
“Yes, Orlando.”
“You’re already a fashion icon. There are too many orders that can even be filled. I bet Pia is being grilled at this very moment.”
I leaned back in my chair and thought about my conversation with Janet.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Orlando said.
“I’m just…distracted.”
“Well, stop being distracted. You’re fucking rich.”
“No, I’m not. Everything I’m making goes back to Tony.”
He rolled his eyes. “It’s still exciting. You’ve already made back the investment you put into this company. The next time you get paid it will actually be for a profit.”
“It is amazing,” I said simply.
“You’re living the dream, Cassie. In ten years, you’ll have more money than you know what to do with.”
“I don’t care about money,” I said.
“Then what do you care about?”
“Tony.”
I’m not following,” he said. “Is there something going on between you?”
I didn’t want to talk about it. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. Now that I had fallen so madly in love with him, I realized how selfish I was. I was selfish from the beginning. I was no good for him. The reason why I feared being alone was because I was meant to be alone. Danny cheated on me because I wasn’t good for him either. I had to end it with him. He was losing his entire family because of me. Janet was right. I had to do the right thing.
“Everything is fine,” I lied.
He eyed me. “It doesn’t seem like it.”
“I need to get back to work, Orlando.”
“I can take the hint.” He turned and walked away.
I went through my finances and determined how much money I had. A lot of dough was rolling in. With the expenses and the income, we had almost broke even. That was enough for now. I had enough credit and had a successful business so I could get a loan to pay back Tony. I could pay myself back through time.
After work I went to the bank and applied for it. I was surprised that I got it. I made some profit from the business but not a lot. The interest rate of the loan was ridiculous, but I needed to pay back Tony. I couldn’t do this without returning his money to him first.
When I arrived at his apartment, I didn’t want to go inside. I stood in the hallway for half an hour, dreading the moment. After I finally stilled my heart, I walked inside. Tony was sitting at the kitchen table, going through the files from the company.
He stood up and kissed me, making me melt immediately. “Baby, I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” I wrapped my arms around him and held him tightly. It felt so good to feel his embrace. I never wanted to let go. I could stay like that forever.
He pulled away and kissed my forehead. “How are you?”
I was worse than I had ever been. “Good. You?”
“Amazing,” he said. “I can’t believe how well the line is doing. You’re a huge success.”
“No, you are. You made all of this happen.”
“But you’re the one who designed the clothes.”
I shrugged. “It’s not that hard.”
“Maybe for a genius like you.” He rubbed his nose against mine. “Let’s go in the bedroom.”
I couldn’t let that happen. If we made love, I’d chicken out. I already didn’t want to do this. Being with him would just make it harder. “There’s something I want to give you.”
“A surprise?”
“I guess.” I pulled out the box that held his scarf and put it on the table.
“Ooh,” he said. “I’m glad you remembered this.”
I opened my wallet and handed him the check. “Here’s your money back.”
He raised an eyebrow when he looked at it. “What?”
“This is all the money you invested in the company.”
“But how is that possible?” He took the check and studied it. “Did you get a loan?”
“It doesn’t matter. We’re square.”
“Cassie, the whole point of me giving you the money is so you wouldn’t have to pay interest.”
“I’ve made a lot of money already,” I said. “I’ll be able to pay that back in no time.”
“But this was still completely unnecessary.”
“It gives me peace of mind.”
He stared at me. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
I took a deep breath. I couldn’t cry. It wasn’t going to happen. “I’ve been thinking…”
His eyes were glued to my face.
“I don’t think we should be together anymore.”
H
is eyes immediately lost their light. “What?”
“This isn’t working for me.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I was just pulling shit out of my ass. If I told him the truth, he wouldn’t accept the break up.
“What are you talking about, Cassie?”
“I don’t want to be with you anymore,” I said firmly.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t believe you.”
“Well, I don’t.”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re over, Tony. I can’t be in this relationship anymore. I don’t feel the same way.”
“Cassie, I said I was sorry for the way I behaved and I meant it. I didn’t mean to be an ass to you.”
I looked away.
He grabbed my hips and looked into my face. “You’re just upset and I understand that. The last two days have been rough for both of us.” He kissed me and my knees became weak. His hands dug into my sides and his tongue slid across mine. I felt myself give in to the love I had for him. I pulled away before it could go any further.
“No,” I said.
His eyes widened. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
“We’re over. That’s it.”
“But why?”
“I don’t want to be with you anymore. I made that clear. Go be with Victoria.”
“Where the hell is this coming from? Why are you pushing me away?”
“I’m not,” I said. “I just want to break up.”
“But you love me.”
I kept my mouth closed.
“Cassie, you love me.”
This was going nowhere.
“We aren’t ending this. You can’t break up with me. I won’t let you.”
“I just wanted the money to start the company,” I said simply. “I got what I wanted. Now let me go.”
He dropped his hands to his sides. He looked pained, like someone shot him in the stomach. “You’re lying.”
“I’m really not,” I said with a straight face. “I got the investment I needed and I paid you back. My empire is ready. I don’t need you anymore.”
Tony stepped back, his eyes watery.
I hated the look on his face. I hated it, I hated it.
“You were using me this whole time?”
I nodded.
“But—you weren’t. No one is that good of an actor.”
“Well, I am.”
He looked at the floor then ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t believe you.”