Better Than My Ex novel · Chapter 12 of 24

Chapter 12: What He Owns

Levi woke when I sat up.

He saw my face first, and then the phone in my hand.

He was awake at once.

"Who is Pacific Meridian: Chairman's Line?" I said.

He sat up slowly and ran a hand over his face.

"I was going to tell you."

"That's not an answer."

"It's the true one."

He took the phone from me and turned the screen to the wall.

"Eight months ago the group I run bought control of the airline."

I stared at him.

"You told me you did turnarounds. Consulting."

"I buy companies that are failing and make them stop. The airline was one of them. I'm the chairman of the board."

"Bryson flies for you."

"Bryson flies for a company I chair. He doesn't know my name."

"The holding company is Ashgrove Partners. Mine was never on the filing."

"You've known for eight months that you were his boss's boss."

"I've known since the week the deal closed." His voice was low and level.

"I found out he worked there. I almost sold my share."

"But you didn't."

"No."

I got out of bed and found my robe on the back of the door.

My hands were not steady, and I put them in the sleeves.

"Last night you promised you'd tell me everything," I said. "Every time. Even if it hurt."

"I did."

"And this morning I found out from a caller ID."

"I'm telling you now."

"Because I looked!"

He didn't argue.

He sat on the edge of my bed in the gray light and let me be angry.

That was almost worse.

"I wanted you to say yes to me," he said at last. "Not to the man who owned Bryson's job."

"If you'd known on Thanksgiving night, you would have wondered what I was offering. A weapon. A way to hurt him."

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