The smile finally reaches his eyes, and a chill settles along my back even as anger knots in my belly. Nothing good can come of his reappearance in my life.
“She’s very beautiful,” he says finally. “You’re a lucky man.”
“Fuck off.”
He raises an eyebrow and faces my siblings. “Is he always this touchy? Or is it just a sense of…personal inadequacy?” He turns to Elizabeth. “What do you think, Lizzie?”
“That is not my name.” Her voice is careful, neither warm nor cold. She looks at him up and down but not snottily. My sister’s too polite for that.
“Stiff as ever, I see.” Something hard and dark flashes in his eyes. But then he blinks once, and he’s back to his usual insufferable self.
I grind my teeth. I don’t want him anywhere near Elizabeth or Paige. After Lauren, his parting words were, “I’m going to destroy the people you love the most, just like you did to me.”
“Get out,” I say.
“Now now, let’s not make a scene. I haven’t done anything, and I’m your fiancée’s guest. I’ll go if Paige wants me to.”
“Stay away from me and mine,” I warn him.
“Ooh, was that a line from a script? Brilliantly delivered.” Anthony looks around, every inch the relaxed party guest. “They’re adults, so I’m sure they can make up their own minds as to who to associate with.”
I know without a doubt that he’s here to make me pay for what happened. And Paige and Elizabeth are both in his crosshairs.
I’m not too worried about my sister. She doesn’t like to place herself in dangerous situations, and she’s extra careful since a stalker incident some years ago. Even if you aren’t a celebrity, when you’re a gorgeous heiress with a heart of gold, you get targeted by some sick fucks. I can ask her to stay away from Anthony, and she will.
But Paige? She does what she wants. And the thing is she’s not even my employee anymore. She’s my fiancée, even if our arrangement isn’t real. She would never agree to do everything I tell her to, and I don’t want to let her in on the whole sordid history. It’s none of her business…and I don’t want to see the disillusionment in her eyes.
Anthony knows that.
“I’ll only say this once, Anthony. I will ruin you if you fuck with me, or anyone close to me.”
“I’m sure you’ll try.” Ice fills Anthony’s face. “I’m not the same helpless young man from seven years ago, Ryder.”
“No. Just disowned now, right?” I bare my teeth in a smile. I don’t know the details, but his father publicly disowned him a couple of years back. Given how much Tulane Blackwood loves success and money, Anthony had to have done something really bad if all his wealth can’t make up for it.
My last line finally cracks his façade. Anger erupts in his gaze. His face turns livid, and the muscles in his jaw clench.
Come on, throw the first punch.
I’d love an excuse to toss him out.
Then the heat vanishes from his gaze and the tension from his body. He merely nods at Elizabeth and walks away.
Acid eats at my gut. He would’ve punched me in the face seven years ago. Now…he’s controlled. And that worries me more than his threats.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Paige
After I sort out the minor crisis in the kitchen, which required my input thanks to a model who decided to pitch a fit over “allergies” and “unnatural” food—I return to the party. It’s impossible to spot Ryder in the massive, heaving crush. I can’t believe he knows this many people.
My progress across the ballroom is glacial. Guests stop me to say hello, offer congratulations and make small talk. Their faces all seem familiar, except I can’t remember their names anymore. I start to wish for an assistant who had every attendee memorized and could whisper their names into my ear, like that scene from The Devil Wears Prada. Unfortunately I don’t think it’s something I can ask for. Ryder’s never needed me for that, so I’ll just have to get through this as best I can.
“I must say, that dress looks stunning on you.”
I turn around. “Anthony!” Finally, someone I recognize and who is also my guest. “I didn’t know if you could make it.”
“Oh, believe me. Wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
I smile. “I’m happy to hear that. Have you seen Ryder?”
“A few minutes ago.”
“Great. I hope you two had a chance to catch up.”
He chuckles. “That we did. Thank you, Paige. It was quite…gratifying to see him again after so long.”