“Maybe you go through assistants like you do because you’re an asshole,” I hear Finn say, making me pause.

“Speaking of which, I need another,” Mason says.

I know I shouldn’t be listening, that I should walk away and go back to my room, but I’m rooted to the spot. I close my eyes, my heart wracked with pain. Yes, go back to my room like a good little plaything, because that’s what I am. The worst part is, he’s replacing me.

“Another? So you’ll have two?” Finn asks the same thing I was wondering.

“She can’t handle all the things I need, so yes. I think I’ll reach out to Jessie.”

“Jessie is a little wet behind the ears, don’t you think?” Finn says, then laughs. “But then again, Kennedy looks like she’s still in high school. I didn’t think you’d really fuck this one.”

I can’t take anymore. At Finn’s crude words, I run back towards the bedroom, drop the sheet, and go to the closet. It’s then I see everything is put away. All the boxes and clothes that were all over the place are all put away neatly next to Mason’s clothes.

The sight of all our things together only makes my heart break a little more. God, I’m stupid. A tear slips free as I grab a dress and slide it over my head. I pull on a pair of flats before grabbing my backpack.

I don’t know what I’m doing or even where I’m going. I just know I have to get out of here for a minute. Get myself together. I can’t look at him right now, because if I do, I’ll break. Who am I kidding? I’m already breaking. The day that had been pure perfection is now crumbling all around me. I let myself believe in something that wasn’t even real.

I can’t even be mad at Mason. I can only be mad at myself. I knew what this was. What it was from the first day he hired me. I was his whore. Nothing more. Just because he treated me sweetly it didn’t change what it was. I only have myself to blame for falling for him.

I know I can’t stay. It will destroy me to see him with another woman. Would she live here, too? The thought makes me want to vomit. I can’t do this. I feel myself start to shake. The thought of losing something else in my life almost brings me to my knees. The weight of everything falls on my shoulders once again. All my responsibilities land heavily, and I let out a sob.

I’ve lost everything. I feel more tears start to pour down my face as I make my way down the hallway, wanting to get out of here before Mason sees me. I stop in the living room when I see some of my belongings scattered around the room, and put into places. It reminds me that everything I own is here. Not only that, but it’s put away like it belongs here. As if this is my home, too. This isn’t your home, I remind myself. This is your place of work.

I pull the phone out of my backpack, along with the keys that Mason had given me, dropping them on the table next to the front door. When I open the door, I see the man from this morning standing there again, only this time he’s in a tuxedo as well.

I freeze, not sure what to do. I look over at the elevators and back to him.

“You can’t stop me,” I tell him.

He pulls out a handkerchief from his pocket and hands it to me. I take it from him, mumbling a thank you as I move towards the elevators.

“No, Kennedy, I can’t. I’m under strict order to not touch you,” he tells me, coming to stand next to me as I wait for the elevator. I will it to come faster as I watch him pull out his phone. I know what he’s doing, and I have to stop him.

Without thinking, I smack it out of his hand and it hits the floor. I turn, running for the stairs but only run straight into the man I was trying to get away from.

Mason looks livid.

Chapter Twelve

Mason

I scoop Kennedy up in my arms, and for a moment I think she’s going to try and fight me. I can see she is fighting tears. Some have already left tracks on her soft porcelain skin. But like always, she melts into me and I carry her back inside, holding her as tight as I can.

I can’t fucking believe what Finn told me. I’d felt like my world dropped out from beneath my feet. I didn't even wait to hear more from him. I flew from my office, and when I saw the front door ajar, more panic shot through me. I knew I’d been a dick snapping at her to leave my office.

I watch as Finn walks out of our home and shakes his head, still not believing that I had believed him when he’d told me the assistant he’d gotten took care of all your needs. I kick the door closed behind us, leaving him and Brock standing in the hallway. I don’t care anything about them, though. The only thing I care about is my woman and trying to figure out why she’s all fired up. It can’t be over what Finn told me. Fuck, she probably already thought I was an asshole because I mauled her that day thinking I had every right to.

I do, I correct myself. I clench my jaw. She is fucking mine. Paid for or not, I can't let her go. Fuck, how have I messed this all up? I walk over to the sofa and sit down with her in my lap. She wiggles around like she is trying to get away from me, but she doesn’t make much of an effort.

“Sweetie.” I say the word softly. She looks at me, and a tear falls from her eye. It feels like someone is squeezing my heart with a fist.

“Don’t call me that. I’m not your sweetie,” she snaps at me. I have to fight a smile. I always knew that fire was there. She’s a fighter. She might melt when I get her in my hands, but in everything else in her life, she fights. With me, however, I don't want her to have to fight. I want to give her everything she’d ever need. She doesn't have to fight with me. “You’re getting another assistant. Will she be your sweetie, too?”