“Came to see goodbye?” Waylen scoffs. “But you cleaned my back and applied medicine to it. You wouldn’t do that if you really thought I was going to die.”
“No, that didn’t happen,” she says. “You must have imagined it. You had a very high fever, you know.”
Violent lips press against hers, and he pushes her harder into the side of her car. She tries to push him away, but he’s too strong. His lips crash against hers, and he slips his tongue inside her mouth, demanding a response. She surrenders and throws her arms around his neck, kissing him back.
There’s a bright flash, and Leilani freezes and tries to pull away. Waylen slides his hand up the back of her neck and tangles his fingers in her hair. He bites her lower lip and tries to kiss her again. There’s another flash.
“Waylen, stop,” she whispers.
Waylen ignores her and presses his lips to hers. He pulls her body against his, sliding his hand down her back to squeeze her ass. She fumbles for a chain around her neck, pulling it out from underneath her blouse.
The miniature pistol Waylen gave her hangs on the end of the chain like a pendant. She c.o.c.ks the gun and presses the muzzle against Waylen’s neck. Waylen freezes with his lips against hers. She jabs the gun harder against his neck, and he slowly pulls his head away.
“Don’t touch me,” she says. “We’re divorced. From the moment I left the Bamford house, you’ve been nothing to me. You have no right to touch me anymore.”
“You still have me in your heart,” Waylen says. “You still love me, I know it.”
“Don’t push me,” she says, sliding the gun down to his chest.
Waylen stares down at the pistol with fear in his eyes. She smiles and pulls the pistol away, pointing it at her own chest instead. She holds the pistol over her heart, taking deep breaths to keep her hands from shaking. Waylen’s eyes widen, and he backs away.
“I won’t force you,” he says, raising his hands above his head. “Just put the gun down.”
“You need to stay away from me,” she says. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but it won’t end well. Stay away from Andrew and me. I’m not yours anymore, okay?”
Waylen nods, and she lowers the gun. She walks toward the elevator, careful to hide the necklace inside her shirt before getting on the elevator. As soon as the doors slide shut, she takes a shaky breath and wipes a single tear from her eye.
D.O. Its large auditorium is packed with employees, designers, and a few special clients. Everyone is eager to see Leilani and Crystal reveal their designs. The room buzzes with anticipation as Waylen walks in. Rebecca loops her arm through his, and they walk to their seats near the stage. As he walks, he hears people gossiping about the designers.
“What do you mean, you think Leilani will win?” a short man says to his coworker. “Crystal has over eight years of experience, and she knows how to work under pressure. Leilani is a nobody—I’m sure the pressure of this competition has destroyed her.”
“No way,” says his friend. “Crystal may have more experience, but her designs are a little stale. I bet Leilani’s design will be bolder and more innovative.”
Waylen walks slowly, trying to listen to as many conversations as possible. Most people seem to think Crystal will win, but there are a few who back Leilani. The younger employees seem more likely to support Leilani—if she wins, they might be able to convince their superiors to let them take on new responsibilities.
As they stroll down the red carpet, Rebecca tries to make small talk, but he ignores her. She places her palm on the back of his upper arm, and he freezes. He pulls his arm away from hers and puts his hands in his pockets.
“Did you hear what I said?” she asks. “I said thank you for attending this competition with me. I had no idea it would be such a big deal or that there would be so many people.”
Waylen nods and walks to the front row. The two center seats have his and Rebecca’s names taped onto them. He sits down and crosses his legs, looking up at the stage. There’s a wooden podium to the left side and the D.O. The logo is projected onto a huge screen.
“I guess we’ll see if Leilani pulled through or not,” Rebecca says. “I hope she’s not too nervous.”
The lights flicker on and off, and then they dim. The audience sits down and stops talking as they wait for the presentations to begin. Leilani watches everything from a small TV screen backstage. Several cameras throughout the auditorium show live footage of the stage and the audience.
Leilani watches as Crystal climbs the stairs onto the stage. She smiles through closed lips as she crosses the stage and takes her place behind the podium. She clicks a button on a small remote, and a sketch appears on the screen behind her. The cameras zoom in, and Leilani looks at her rival’s designs.
The cufflinks are round and traditional, with Rebecca’s rose quartz in the middle. Crystal clicks the button, and a more detailed sketch appears, showing that dozens of smaller diamonds surround the rose quartz. Each stone has been shaped to catch the light of the rose quartz and reflect it back at the larger stone.
“It’s no wonder she’s the top designer at D.O.,” a stagehand whispers behind Leilani. “Those cufflinks are stunning.”
“Look at the detail,” says another. “It’s truly incredible. No one else can make such precise and complicated designs.”
Crystal displays sketch after sketch, using a red laser pointer to highlight key features of the design. With each new image, she pauses and waits for the audience to clap and cheer. Leilani feels a knot form in her stomach—the cufflinks are beautiful. She can imagine Waylen wearing them.
“These may look like traditional cufflinks, but there’s a surprise,” Crystal says. “The cufflinks can open to reveal a hidden compartment inside. It’s the perfect place to store a miniature photo of your beloved or a lock of her hair.”
“Wow, that’s so beautiful,” the stagehand whispers. “I wish I could give something like that to my boyfriend.”
On the TV screen, Crystal raises one manicured hand to quiet the audience. A hush falls over the room, and Crystal presses another button on the remote. Dozens of small sketches appear on the screen behind her: each sketch shows the same pair of cufflinks, but the stones are all different colors.
“The cufflinks can change color using state of the art microchip technology,” Crystal announces. “The color of the stones reflect the wearer’s mood. Blue means the wearer is feeling romantic, pink means he’s happy, black means he’s stressed, and so on. With this design, your man will be wearing his heart on his sleeve.”
The applause is deafening. Crystal beams out at the audience, and multiple people jump to their feet to give her a standing ovation. The cameras cut back and forth between the thrilled audience and Crystal’s gloating smile. Leilani turns away from the TV screen and takes a deep, steadying breath.
“Leilani, there you are,” Sophie calls from the stage door. “Are you ready? Crystal is finishing up—it’s almost your turn.”
Leilani nods and says, “I’m ready.”
“Good,” Sophie says. She pauses and looks at Leilani’s face and adds, “Don’t be nervous. I’m not exactly an impartial judge, but your design is clearly the best. I’m sure Mr. Bamford will see it that way too.”
“I’m not so sure he will,” Leilani mutters. “Waylen isn’t exactly my biggest fan anymore.”
“Oh, Leilani, I had no idea he’d be involved,” Sophie says, her face full of maternal sympathy. “When Rebecca came to me, I had no idea she was dating Waylen. I would never have put you on the project if I’d known. It must be so hard for you to design something to celebrate their love.”
“It’s okay, Sophie,” Leilani says, forcing a smile. “Waylen and I are finished. It’s none of my business who he dates now. I’m a professional, and I did the job I was asked to do.”
As she talks, she thinks about the kiss in the parking lot. She can still remember the heat of his body and the feeling of his lips crashing against hers. She tugs at her watch and looks at the bruise on her wrist. A wave of guilt washes over her.
Sophie sighs and crosses the room, “Oh, you’re so like your mother—she suffered for love, too.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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