Chapter 32
Lumi
I didn’t say a single word as he walked out.
The heavy click of the front door closing felt like the end of the entire night.
The apartnt instantly went dead silent, the remaining hum of the TV from the other room suddenly sounding incredibly loud and empty.
I stood in the exact sa spot on the kitchen floor, staring at the empty doorway. My skin still felt tight where the soap had dried on my cheek, and the center of my forehead still carried the faint, warm mory of his lips. But my insides were entirely numb.
Victoria is waiting for .
The words repeated in my mind, stripping away every single bit of joy I had felt just two minutes ago. I raised my hand, my fingers trembling slightly as I touched my forehead.
"Stupid," I whispered to the empty room. "You are so stupid, Lumi."
I forced my hands down, clamping them into tight fists. I had no right to feel this wave of betrayal crashing over .
Ren hadn’t lied to . He hadn’t promised anything. He was simply Neve’s brother, a man who had been a rock for when my world fell apart.
He was an adult with a life, a background, and a woman he was legally bound to marry, no matter how awful she treated people.
And more than anything, I needed to rember who I was. I was a mother fighting a war against a monster nad Callum.
I didn’t have the ti or the emotional space to get tangled up in a ssy relationship with a guy who belonged to soone else.
A guy who was way younger than and is my best friend brother.
Nothing can happen between us. Nothing will ever happen between us.
I marched over to the sink, turned the cold water on full blast, and splashed it over my face until the soap was entirely gone and my skin was stinging from the chill.
I grabbed a towel, wiped my face roughly, and walked into the living room to turn off the TV.
I sat down on the edge of the sofa, pulling my laptop onto my knees. If I couldn’t sleep, I was going to work.
I spent the next four hours staring at the glowing screen, ignoring the heavy ache in my chest.
I searched through local car dealerships, comparing prices and models for sothing sturdy but affordable.
I also pulled up real estate listings, looking for small townhouses or apartnts for rent near the Reed Building.
I needed my own roof over my head. I needed to build a safe, stable ho so that when I finally dragged Callum to court, no judge could tell I didn’t have a proper place for my three-year-old boy.
By the ti my eyes started burning and the clock on the laptop screen read 3:00 AM, I finally shut the lid.
I climbed into the spare bed, pulling the blanket up to my chin. I stared at the dark ceiling, forcing myself to clear my mind of dark eyes, leather jackets, and the sound of deep laughter.
The best few hours is about business, I told myself as my eyes finally drifted shut. Only business.
The next morning, the alarm on my phone buzzed at exactly 7:00 AM.
I jumped out of bed, the exhaustion from the night before fading under a fresh wave of adrenaline.
I took a quick shower, pulled my hair back into a neat, tight bun, and put on a structured grey blazer with matching trousers.
I looked sharp. I looked like a woman who was ready to buy a car and reclaim a business empire.
As I was grabbing my purse and notebook from the kitchen counter, a low, heavy knock sounded at the front door.
My stomach did a sharp, familiar flip. I hated myself for it, but I couldn’t stop it. I walked over, unlocked the deadbolt, and pulled the door open.
Ren was standing there on the welco mat.
He looked like he hadn’t slept a single wink either. His dark eyes were bloodshot, the shadow of a morning beard covering his tight jaw, and his large fra looked incredibly tense under his black leather jacket. His right hand, still bandaged, was tucked casually into his pocket.
For a second, neither of us said anything. The mory of the kitchen foam and the forehead kiss hung heavily in the small gap between us.
Ren cleared his throat roughly, his deep voice breaking the silence. "Ready?"
"Ready," I replied, my voice completely smooth and professional. I stepped past him into the hallway, locking the apartnt door behind .
We walked down the concrete stairs and out into the bright morning sun in total silence. His sleek black car was idling by the curb, the engine purring softly.
Ren walked ahead, opening the passenger door for without a word. I slid inside, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead as he walked around the hood and climbed into the driver’s seat.
As he pulled the car away from the curb and rged into the morning traffic, the quiet inside the vehicle beca suffocating.
"I found a dealership about ten miles away," I said, keeping my tone strictly conversational as I opened my notebook. "They have a few reliable sedans that fit my budget. We can head there first."
Ren kept his eyes on the road, his large hands gripping the steering wheel firmly. "No."
I blinked, turning my head to look at him. "What do you an, no?"
"We’re going to the main dealership downtown," he rumbled quietly, his jaw tightening.
"I already called ahead. A friend of mine owns the place. He has a solid, all-wheel-drive SUV waiting for you. It’s safer, has better mileage, and he’s giving it to you for half the market price."
I frowned, a sudden spark of irritation rising in my chest. "Ren, I told you I want to handle this myself. I don’t need you using your connections to get favors."
Ren didn’t snap back. He didn’t even raise his voice. He just kept his eyes on the road ahead, his tone low and completely unyielding.
"You’re building a company from scratch, Lumi. You need to save every dollar you have for the renovations on the Reed Building. Taking a discount from a trusted friend isn’t a handout. It’s a smart business move." He paused, his voice dropping a fraction lower.
"And I want you in sothing safe. This city gets bad rain in the sumr. A small sedan won’t cut it when you’re hauling supplies."
I opened my mouth to argue, to tell him that I didn’t want him caring about my safety anymore, but the words got stuck in my throat.
He was right about the budget. Every dollar saved on a car was a dollar I could put toward fixing the broken elevator or patching the leaky roof at Vale Global Holdings.
I let out a slow sigh, closing my notebook with a soft snap. "Fine. We’ll go to your friend."
A tiny, almost invisible tension released from his shoulders, but his face remained completely blank.
Within fifteen minutes, he pulled the car into the lot of a massive, modern dealership downtown. A tall man in a sharp suit was already standing outside, waving at us as Ren parked the sedan.
The process was surprisingly quick. Ren’s friend kept his word, showing a beautiful, blacked-out SUV that looked practically brand new.
It was spacious, sturdy, and when the man showed the final price tag, my jaw almost dropped. It was exactly what I needed, and it left a massive chunk of my savings completely untouched.
I signed the paperwork, handed over the bank draft, and took the keys, a genuine feeling of accomplishnt washing over .
"Thank you," I said to the dealer as we shook hands.
"Don’t thank , miss," the man smiled, glancing over at Ren, who was standing a few feet back with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Thank him. He called at four in the morning demanding I pull this specific vehicle from the back lot for you." My breath hitched.
I turned around to look at Ren. He imdiately shifted his gaze away, looking out at the main road as if he hadn’t heard a single word.
My heart did that stupid, frantic flutter again, but I forced it down, clamping a lock on it.
Twenty minutes later, we were driving back toward the center of town. Ren was leading the way in his black car, and I was driving right behind him in my new SUV.
The short drive went quickly, and soon, the massive, dusty glass structure of the Reed Building lood in the distance.
The tarnished bronze letters of VALE GLOBAL HOLDINGS glead faintly under the morning sun.
We pulled into the cracked parking lot, killing our engines at the sa ti. I climbed out of my new car, holding my notebook tightly against my ribs as Ren walked up to join .
We stood together at the rusted front gate, looking up at the dead empire I was about to bring back to life.
"Today we start checking the lower offices," I said, trying to anchor myself in the work. "We need to see how much of the electrical wiring can be saved."
Ren nodded, reaching out to push the heavy iron gate open with a loud, rusty groan. "I’ll handle the heavy lifting. You just take the notes."
We stepped onto the property, but before we could even reach the main glass doors of the lobby, the loud, sharp honk of a car horn shattered the morning quiet.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Ren froze beside , his entire body instantly turning into a rigid wall of muscle.
We both turned around slowly.
A sleek, expensive sports car had just pulled into the parking lot, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
The driver’s side door clicked open, and a woman stepped out, her high heels clicking loudly against the cracked ground.
It was Victoria.
She had a massive, bright white bandage wrapped tightly around her left ankle, and she was leaning heavily on a polished wooden cane.
Her blonde hair was back in a perfect ponytail, and her eyes were burning with pure fury as she stared right at us.
"I knew I’d find you here," Victoria hissed, her voice cutting through the open air like a whip as she limped forward, pointing her cane straight at my face.
"Ren, get away from that trashy woman right now."
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