CHAPTER 2

I pace up and down my office, thinking about ways to murder Beau. It felt so surreal seeing him after all this time. The nerve of him to show up today as an investor. Did he expect me to smile and welcome him? He must be on something to think I would forget what he did to me. Seven years have passed, but it doesn't mean I would open my arms wide and welcome him as if nothing had happened. It’s going to take longer than that for me to forgive him.

"Lilah, you need to calm down. You look like you’re about to kill someone," Camila says, sounding worried as she watches me.

"That's because I want to, or rather I need to." I say, fuming with anger.

"I’m very sorry I invited him. I swear if I knew it was the same Beau who broke your heart years ago. I would’ve never picked him to be our investor. I’m so sorry." Beau and I started dating when I was sixteen and broke up before I went to college, so Camila never met him. But she’d heard the stories.

"I know. You don't have to apologize. I’m sure Beau found out I was a partner here and did anything he could to become our investor."

"Yeah, I’m starting to think so, too. I wonder why?"

"I wish I knew, because I can bet it's not for a good reason. He is the devil, and the fact that he wants to be an investor in our company can only be because he has something bad up his sleeve."

"Oh my God, what are we going to do?" Camila asks, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes.

"I know it was hard to find an investor, but we must search again. There is no way Beau will be our investor on this earth. I'll never allow it."

"I won't either, but it was so hard to find someone, and now we are back to square one," Camila sighs, visibly overwhelmed with the whole situation.

"I know, but we have to find someone else. We don't have a choice."

"I'll try my best and start looking immediately."

"Thank you so much for understanding."

"You are my best friend, of course I understand." She softly smiles.

"You’re the best." Some of the tension I’ve been feeling leaves me at Camila’s words. We can fix this.

I walk over to my chair as she gets up from her seat and comments on the shift in my mood. "I’m happy you are no longer angry."

"Me too, and hopefully, I can forget I even saw him."

***

It's only been a few hours since Camila left my office, and I feel like removing my brain from my head. I’m so frustrated because my mind keeps returning to Beau. Everything seems to remind me of him. I completely lose focus on the work in front of me. My mind is consumed with thoughts of him. I hate that even after so many years, he still has such an effect on me.

"Fuck." My laptop bangs shut, and I pass my hands through my hair. "I hate you, Beau!" I scream at the walls of my office. God! Why did he show up today? Anyone could’ve been the investor. Why did it have to be him, God? Why? I pull at my hair in frustration.

Try as I might to clear my mind of him, it’s impossible. Eventually, I decide to take the rest of the day off. It’s understandable that I can’t focus. I haven’t seen the man in seven years, and the one time I do, he’s clearly trying to find a way to ruin my life.

As I arrange my things to leave the office, I consider whether it's a better idea to go home or go somewhere else. Dad would be surprised to see me already home when he returns from work today. He will try to pester me into telling him why, which wouldn’t be a good idea. If Dad knows Beau is in town, he will have his head. And I love my dad too much to have him go to prison. Maybe I could visit Tamara. If I’m lucky, she might not be too busy to talk with me right now. On my way out, I pass Camila's office and let her know I’m taking the day off.

I walk outside the parking lot and get into my pearl white Tesla. One call from my dad and I could have a new one in front of me in mere minutes. Perks of having a parent who sits on the board.

After what feels like forever, I finally make it to the restaurant where Tamara works as a manager and find a parking space. It's always like this around lunch time. I should’ve known better than to come now, but I didn't have a choice. Camila is still busy at the office, and Tamara is the only other person I can talk to. The car beeps behind me as I lock it before walking into the restaurant.

"Lilah, what are you doing here by this time of the day?" One of the servers asks as she walks past me with a tray filled with plates.

I smile in reply. "I missed your boss, so I decided to stop by and see her. Where is she?"

"In her office, I think."

"Alright, thank you."

I knock on the door of Tamara's office once I reach it. A voice inside tells me to come in.

"Hey, bestie," I say, stepping through the doorway.

"Lilah, what are you doing here?" Tamara asks, surprised to see me. We don't differ much in appearance. Dark-skinned, dark brown eyes, and natural dark hair, but Tamara’s locks are highlighted with burgundy because of the braids she has in right now.

"You won't believe what happened today." I sit opposite her on one of the chairs facing her desk.

"What happened? Is Uncle Fred fine?"

Tamara and I aren't blood-related, but our families have known each other for so long that we might as well be. We went to boarding school together in Nigeria, even though she was born in the States. Her questions are not surprising since I’m a workaholic. The only reason I would leave work before closing time is if something terrible happened—which something terrible technically did. The devil himself appeared before my eyes today.

"Nothing is wrong with Dad,” I reassure her. “But I did see him today."

"Him who?"

"Him." I don't want to say his name out loud. It will only make me angry again.

Tamara puts it together quickly. "Beau…" Her eyes widen as she says his name. Beau is the only possible person I could be referring to. I won't say his name when talking about him, and Tamara knows this.

"Yes, him. And you won't believe how."

"Tell me."

"He was the investor who came to the meeting today."

"No, you’re joking." Tamara covers her mouth with her hand as her eyes continue to widen as I tell her the day’s events.

"No, I'm not. Beau is the one supposedly interested in making my dreams come true. Beau, the devil." My brows pull together, etching a deep frown onto my face as I realize he just wants to crush my dreams instead of seeing them come to life. There is no other explanation for why he wants to invest. He knows I would never agree to work with him. I am sure he is just trying to ruin my life—again. Apparently, he feels he didn’t do enough damage when he broke my heart.

"I can't believe this; he really came to your office today for an investment meeting?" Tamara sounds like she still finds the words coming out of my mouth unbelievable.

"Yes, he did."

"He must be mad then, because him thinking he could be an investor in your company after the way he broke your heart defies all logic."

"I agree. And I can't believe he’s in Austin! Dad purposefully moved us here from Dallas, so I wouldn't have to deal with running into him. Now I think it’s unavoidable."

"This is a big city; you might not have to worry about running into him, especially if you keep him from investing."

"I hope I don't, because if I do I might just claw those gray eyes out of his stupid head."

One of the things I had loved most about Beau was his eyes. They’re so beautiful that when we were together, I would get lost in them constantly. But after what he did, I can’t stand the sight of gray eyes.

 “Let’s hope for everyone’s sake, neither of you sees each other again anytime soon.” Tamara says wryly.