Chapter 9 Adeline
Adeline POV
I need to tell him that in two weeks, he's going to be my boss. Our parents' impending marriage has let me realize that I can't keep lying to myself and him about my feelings for him. We both like each other, and if we're going to do something about it, we need to lay all the cards on the table.
That means I need to trust him with the truth.
I grab my phone and head down the hall to the West Wing, where Percy’s room is.
When I get to his door, I find it slightly ajar. I raise my hand to knock on the door when I hear his voice.
"I know," Percy says in a low, urgent voice that lets me know he's on the phone. I could either announce my presence or leave, but for some reason, I don't do any of that. I stand there, mesmerized by his intimate tone. He sounds soft and vulnerable in a way he's never been with me.
"I miss you too," he says, and my heart drops as my world tilts on its axis. Except that's not the end of it. "I know it’s been hard," he continues. "I hate being this far away from you. I hate that I can't tell anyone."
He pauses and sighs at whatever the person on the other end said. His sigh is one of pure longing, and I'm immediately jealous and angry. Jealous of this woman that's so special to him and angry that I've been played, as I suspected all along. I've been so stupid!
The pieces click together in my mind, and the picture it paints makes me want to vomit.
Of course he has someone. Men like Percy always do. The "friend" he visited for Thanksgiving was probably her.
This woman was the reason he wanted to keep us a secret all along.
I feel like a fool. A naive, stupid little girl who thought she found someone that got her. I thought we were bonding, not knowing I was a distraction and a way to pass time until he could be with the love of his life.
"Yeah," Percy says again. "I’ll see you soon, I promise. Just wait for me."
I don't want to hear the rest. I turn and walk back to my room. This is an ugly reminder of why I don't trust people or allow myself to be in complicated situations, I'm the one who comes out hurt. Another reminder that everyone lies. My father. My mother. And now Percy. I go back to my room, close the door, and lock it.
I take out my suitcase and start to pack my things, refusing to look at all the dresses I've worn around Percy and how he looked at me in them.
When I wake up the next morning, I am Adeline Volkov Dmitriev at my finest. Cold, professional, and distant but polite. I refuse to act like a teenager with no control of her feelings.
Mom and Richard are already at breakfast when I go to breakfast, and Percy walks in a minute later.
He looks tired, but when he sees me, his face lights up with a small, secret smile that's meant to be for the two of us. He opens his mouth, probably to ask if I’m coming to the track tonight.
"Good morning," I say, cutting him off coldly. I look straight through him, choosing to focus on the wall behind his head. "Mom, Richard. I’ve decided to take an earlier flight back. I have to prepare for the internship."
Percy looks up sharply. "What?"
"I booked my ticket," I continue, ignoring him completely. "The car will be here in an hour."
"But Adeline!" Mom protests. "We have two more days!"
"I have work to do," I say flatly. "Unlike some people, I can't afford to play games and while away time."
I finally look at Percy but make sure that he can see my disgust for his betrayal on my face. Also to let him know that he's no longer welcome to me.
He has the audacity to look shocked and hurt. Good, let him feel one bit of the way I'm feeling.
"Adeline," he starts. "What happened? Did something..."
"Don't," I snap. "Just don't."
I grab my coffee, down it in one gulp even though it's hot, and walk out of the room. He doesn't follow me because he thinks I might need space or just be moody. He doesn't know why I've turned on him.
Well, let him wonder.
Two hours later, I’m on a plane back to the city.
After about two hours of staring at his contact info on my phone, I delete his number. I don't stop there, I delete all the traces of the island from my phone. Moving forward, I'm going to focus on my future, which currently relies on the internship.
And when I walk into Royal & Associates in two weeks and see him standing there as my boss, I won't be the girl who rode his bike or the girl he kissed and slept with before we became step-siblings. I will be another stranger intern in his firm.
Two Months Later
My phone buzzes on the nightstand. I don't need to look at it to know who it is. I'm already familiar with his schedule.
For the first two weeks after I left the island, he called every day. Sometimes twice. He sent texts ranging from angry ("Pick up the phone, Adeline") to confused ("What did I do?") to desperate ("Just tell me you’re okay").
I didn't answer a single one, and when I blocked his number, he called from a different one. I blocked that one too, and he called the landline at my apartment, a number I still had no idea how he got.
Now, two months later, the calls have slowed down, but they haven't stopped. He is persistent. I’ll give him that. But so am I. I stare at the vibrating phone until the screen goes dark.
It’s been two months since I walked out of that mansion and two months since I've thrown myself into my final semester exams and picking up extra shifts at the bar. Also two months of trying to forget him, all to no avail.
God, I hate myself for it, but I miss him. I miss the banter. I miss the way he challenged me. I miss the feeling of sitting behind him on the Ducati, holding onto his waist like I belonged there.
"He loves someone else," I remind myself so many times, but that does nothing for my brain or my heart.
Sometimes, I get so angry at the unfairness of it all, and the anger makes me ride my bike like a possessed woman. I am probably possessed by Percy the way he won't leave my head.
The warehouse district is freezing in February. The wind cuts through my leather jacket, but the cold feels good. I win three races so easily it's embarrassing.
"You're driving angry again, Ghost." Tommy says as I pull into the pit, and he hands me a wad of cash.
"I'm driving to win," I correct him as I pocket the money.
"You haven't been the same since you came back from your vacation. What happened out there?"