Chapter Twenty-Six

Gustin pov

Gustin sat at his desk, staring blankly at the stack of reports in front of him. The numbers and graphs meant nothing right now. He was becoming distracted way too often it was actually becoming a thing.

His mind was elsewhere, replaying the conversation he had with Leilani at the restaurant a few days ago. Her words haunted him.

When she had left him there, all he'd heard for a moment was ringing in his ears and then by the time he rushed out to see her she was already gone.

He had picked up the phone to call several times over the last two weeks but each time her words played in his head

"You don’t deserve to be in their lives," she'd said, well to be honest that wasn't what she had said but at the time that was all he had heard.

She had not screamed it , Leilani never shouted but those words pierced him deeper than any anger or hostility ever could.

She had always been the rational one, and even though he hated admitting it, Leilani had a point.

Did he deserve to be in his children’s lives?

For the last four years, he had been absent, more focused on building his empire than on his family.

He should have checked her, when she had left.

He would have know she was pregnant if he did but running after her had been too unimportant to him.

He had missed birthdays, first steps, and countless moments that could never be recaptured or gotten back.

When Leilani had asked for a divorce, it wasn’t a surprise to him. He had seen it coming , his seeming affair had been something on the news for months leading up to it. Leilani was the wife he had not really wanted but needed because of the connection to her father it offered even if the man's own business had been hanging on by it's coattails.

It had been a mutually beneficial arrangement. So the fact that the distance between them was more than just physical was not a surprise either and the emotional chasm was not something he was sure he could bridge. But he wanted to try—for his children, if nothing else.

The only problem was that Leilani had moved on, or at least she was trying to. The few times they had spoken since she had gotten back said it all.

He leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair as he thought about how to fix this, how to fix anything.

But before he could dwell any longer, a notification pinged on his phone. He glanced down at the message, his jaw tightening immediately as he read the name associated with the news.

Billionaire tycoons now rivals in love..Beneath it was a picture of Leilani getting into a car with a man and not just any man. With Sebastian Wolfe.

Leilani had taken a job with Sebastian Wolfe.

Gustin's blood ran cold.

Of all the people in the world, why him?

Sebastian Wolfe wasn’t just a competitor; he was the man who would stop at nothing to tear down everything Gustin had built and laugh in the ashes if he could .

They had been at each other’s throats for years, each trying to outmaneuver the other in the cutthroat tech world.

Wolfe was ruthless, calculating, and utterly biased. He treated Gustin like he was nothing because he came from money and so Gustin treated him like he was nothing because he had nothing.

The fact that Leilani had gone to work for him felt like a betrayal, whether she realized it or not, and he wasn't sure she hadn't noticed it.

He clenched his fists, trying to contain the surge of anger.

He knew Leilani had every right to work wherever she wanted, but Sebastian Wolfe? There were thousands of companies, other opportunities.

Hell his company was hiring she could have fucking come here.

Or was this not a coincidence, maybe she was sending him message.

Gustin picked up his phone and dialed her number without hesitation.

The phone rang twice before she answered, her voice calm but distant.

“Gustin.” she replied

" I'm surprised you called, wasn't sure you had a telephone" he winced at her words.

“Leilani, I just found out you’re working for Sebastian Wolfe,” he said, his voice sharper than he intended.

There was a pause.

“I don’t see why that’s any of your concern.”

“It is when it involves our children,” he snapped.

“You think it’s wise to work for someone who’s been trying to destroy everything I’ve built?”

Leilani sighed, clearly unfazed by his anger.

“This isn’t about you, Gustin. I took the job because it’s a good opportunity for me. I need to provide for the kids, and Sebastian offered a position that suits my skills.”

“You could have found something else,” Gustin argued.

“Anywhere else, with me even ”

" Did it occur to you that I knew that and chose him anyway

" Are you fucking him" he hissed

" What " she stuttered and

" You heard me " he muttered and she sighed

" That's the problem ,I was hoping I didn't hear you say that."

" Look" she muttered exasperated

“I don’t owe you an explanation for my career choices,” she said, her voice growing colder.

“My only priority is making sure our kids are taken care of. What I do for work is my decision, not yours.”

He gripped the edge of his desk, trying to rein in his frustration.

“I’m not going to let you work for him.”

There was silence on the other end, then a low chuckle.

“Let me? You don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do anymore, Gustin. That ship sailed a long time ago.”

" Come to my office" he muttered

" No"'

“I’m serious, Leilani,” he warned.

“Either you come to my office and we discuss this like adults, or I’ll come to yours. And I guarantee you won’t want that.”