She Was Never Just the Billionaire’s Wife (Natasha and Chase) novel Chapter 110

(Piper)

The wheels hit the tarmac at LAX and my blood is already moving too fast.

Sharp and bright, like something switched on inside me.

I don’t like it. Excitement is Julian’s drug of choice. I like order in my life.

I don't wait for the seatbelt sign to ding.

I grab my bag and walk straight past the flight attendants.

I bypass the polite LA traffic by throwing a hundred-dollar bill at the driver of my town car to use the breakdown lane.

I need to keep moving.

If I stop, if I actually sit still and think about what I’m doing, I’ll turn around and fly right back to New York.

I walk into the Stein M&A offices looking exactly like what I am.

A Morton.

The receptionist stands up. "Excuse me, you can't just-"

I don't even look at her. I don't break my stride. I walk straight down the hall, push open the door to Gloria’s office, and step inside.

Gloria looks up from her laptop and I have to give her props for not even looking surprised to see me there.

She looks amazing, but there’s no warmth in her gaze.

"What are you doing here, Piper?" she asks.

"What am I doing?" I drop my bag on one of the leather guest chairs.

"What are you doing? You’re letting Nathanial circle you again. He’s a wreck, Gloria. He’s obsessed with his dead sister, he’s going to lose us money on the Bauer deal, and you think this is a good time to play Florence Nightingale?"

"I’m not playing anything."

"He broke your heart," I snap.

The words taste like acid.

"He chose Sonia over you. He let a spoiled teenager run you out of his life. And now you’re answering his calls? Have some self-respect."

Gloria leans back in her chair to study me.

She doesn’t rise to the bait.

She doesn't get defensive.

She just looks at me.

It’s the exact same x-ray stare she used to give me in London when I was lying through my teeth.

"Are you done?" she asks quietly.

"No. I want to know why you're suddenly making yourself available to a man who-"

"You didn’t fly five thousand miles for your brother, Piper."

The words hang in the air.

My mouth stops working.

The armor I wear every day, the armor that keeps me sharp and untouchable, develops a massive, terrifying crack right down the center.

London.

The smell of the heavy rain hitting the pavement outside her flat.

The taste of the overpriced gin we drank because it was trendy.

The exact weight of the silence in her living room when the joking suddenly stopped.

I had spent my entire life up to that point thinking I was broken.

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