“Ms. Vivian is fine,” Edward assured me. “However, there’s been a…” He let out a small cough. “Development I thought you should be aware of. She has a visitor.”
I waited impatiently for him to finish. Vivian received visitors all the time. None of them warranted a phone call, unless…
“From what I gathered, it’s a former paramour. I believe his name is Heath.”
It took a beat for the implications to sink in. Once they did, fury slipped beneath my skin like a slow, creeping poison.
What thefuckwas Heath doing in my house? He was supposed to be in fucking California.
I was going to murder Christian. He must’ve known Heath was in New York, and he hadn’t said a damn thing about it.
“Normally, I wouldn’t bother you with such a matter, but he was quite insistenton seeing Ms. Vivian. She agreed to let him in, but…” Another delicate cough. “Given hisunexpectedarrival, I wanted to alert you.”
Blood drummed in my ears, distorting Edward’s voice.
I was in D.C.
Vivian was in New York with her ex.
I made up my mind in two seconds.
“Keep an eye on them, and don’t let him leave until I’m home,” I ordered. “I’m flying back tonight.”
It was an eighty-minute commercial flight between the cities. My jet could make it in fifty.
“Yes, sir.”
I hung up and reentered the library. Part of me wanted to strangle Christian for purposely withholding information from me, but I had a more pressing issue at hand.
“I have to go back to New York.” I grabbed my jacket off the back of the couch. “There’s a…personal matter I need to deal with.”
Christian looked up from his phone and slid it into his pocket. “Sorry to hear that,” he said mildly. “I’ll walk you out.”
Pinpricks of anger and something else vibrated beneath my skin on our way to the foyer.
Fear.
What the fuck was I afraid of? Heath wanted a second chance with Vivian; he wouldn’t physically hurt her. I trusted Edward to manage the situation; one call from him, and my home security team would have Heath wishing he’d never stepped foot east of the Rockies.
But what if Vivianwantedto see him? Our relationship hadn’t been the warmest since our office argument. She could’ve called Heath over while I was away. Heath could be convincing her to give him another chance right this minute.
It shouldn’t matter, considering our match was doomed from the start.
But for some unknown reason, it did.
Christian and I reached the front door.
“This personal matter…” he said as I exited into the hall. “Wouldn’t happen to be Vivian’s ex-boyfriend showing up at your house, would it?”
Surprise halted my steps, followed by a cold blast of fury. I turned, my glare lasering in on Christian. “What thefuckdid you do, Harper?”
“I merely facilitated a reunion between your fiancée and an old friend,” he said casually. “Since you enjoyed fucking with me so much, I figured I’d return the favor. Oh, and Dante?” His smile lacked any hint of humor. “Touch Stella again, and you’ll no longerhave afiancée.”
The door slammed in my face.
Red dotted my vision until it coated the walls and floor with crimson.
Thatfucker.