Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
He called her right away, but he wasn’t surprised when she didn’t answer his calls. Of course she wouldn’t. She thought he was cheating on her.
Leandro tapped the Facebook icon on his phone. She was always online on the social media site since she was also the one personally managing the Facebook page of the foundation. She could ignore his call, but she would not be able to ignore his message.
Leandro clicked her name on the screen and waited for the app to redirect him to Bobby’s personal account.
The page loaded.
Leandro’s phone crashed on the floor.
Bobby had changed her status to Engaged, with Sabastian Gabris tagged on the post, and above it was a photo of Bobby sporting an engagement ring on her finger.
Chapter Twelve
“He did what?” Bobby shot out of her seat, unable to believe that Leandro would do something so underhanded just to get her to talk to him. Last night had been horrible. She had spent countless hours trying to convince herself she had done the right thing and she could survive the loss of Leandro again.
Nessa’s head bobbed. “It’s true, Bobby. I received the call straight from his P.A. They’re holding a press conference as we speak. It’s on television.”
“But that’s crazy.” She looked at F. “He can’t really pull out at this late notice?”
“It’s his company, darling.” F didn’t know what exactly took place between the two, but one look at Bobby’s face was enough to let him know that something did happen – and it was enough to drive the two crazy. First it was Bobby, suddenly becoming engaged to Sabastian Gabris. Sure, he was one of the most eligible catches, but so was Leandro Christopoulos.
As for Leandro, well, if suddenly cancelling a major fundraiser a few hours before it was slated to start wasn’t crazy, well what was?
Bobby started to pace. “But that would put him in breach of contract.”
“And you think he can’t afford to pay the penalty?”
She gritted her teeth. Maybe he was bluffing. But what if he wasn’t? The kids downstairs were beyond excited, all of them having been briefed about what awaited them at the lab. If she told them the event was canceled, what would happen then?
They would be crushed and heartbroken, and they might never believe that people cared about their place in society.
She looked at Nessa. “What does he want?”
Nessa’s eyes widened. “How did you know he wants something in return?”
“What did he want, Nessa?” she repeated flatly.
“A meeting with you before the race.”
THE BOX INSIDE HIS pocket felt heavier than it should, hotter, too, and any moment now Leandro half-believed that it would burn a hole out of its confinement. Every member of the club had not been able to look at him as he joined them earlier at the locker room, where Helios had chosen to hold his pre-race talk.
Everyone had known he wanted Bobby back, and everyone now thought he had lost her to Sabastian Gabris.
Too bad they thought wrong, he thought fiercely. No matter what happened in the past, he and Bobby were destined to be together. He had to make her believe that, had to make her get past her fears to see that pain wasn’t the only thing he could bring into her life. He could bring her joy, too – the kind that only someone who loved her more than life could give.
His head jerked up when he heard the door open. Bobby stepped inside, looking pale but pretty in a black knitted dress. He was about to speak when Bobby held the door open and Sabastian Gabris followed her inside.
Ah.
Pain threatened to consume Leandro, but he firmly pushed it away. This simply meant that Bobby wanted her pound of flesh. He had done her wrong so many times in the past. He would not begrudge her this.
“Gabris.” He nodded in acknowledgment towards the other Greek.
Gabris returned it with a similar nod, his face expressionless. He was dressed in a suit once more, and Leandro absently wondered what had caused the change. In the past, he had been like Leandro and the rest of the guys at the club, dressed mostly in shirts and jeans because anything else would have been ridiculous when working on bikes.
He looked at Bobby again, and unable to help it, his gaze fell on her hand. The ring was still there, and the box inside his pocket felt even heavier. “Bobby.” He had wanted his voice to sound neutral and even, but it came out hoarse. Suddenly, he felt...adrift, the sight of another man’s ring on her finger making Leandro feel like he was hanging on the edge of a cliff and he was waiting for Bobby to pull him back...or push him over.
Bobby did not miss the look of pain that crossed Leandro’s handsome face when he caught sight of Sabastian’s engagement ring. She had hurt him. She hadn’t been really sure she could, but now she saw she had. It should have pleased her, but it didn’t.