A Day of Ruin

Chapter 25

Harlow

Iwokeupthe next morning feeling more confused than I had ever been before in my entire life.

All I had ever wanted was to be loved, and find that soulmate who I could share my life with. When I was 15, I thought that was Finn. Then as an adult, I thought that was Bryson. Then Dex came in like a wrecking ball and fucked up my mind, and my body.

Now I’m crazy about all three of them.

I was panicking, truly panicking. I had just gotten them back and on my side. And now I was playing with fire.

I had no idea where I stood with any one of them. Finn and I had confessed our love for each other, but I couldn’t help the ache that still plagued me when I thought of Dex. He drove me wild. We were like two infernos constantly clashing and when he controlled my body, it was like nothing else existed.

When he got home late last night, I pretended to already be asleep. I was too ashamed and embarrassed to face him. I was scared he would know that I had made love to Finn.

Oh God.

On thebloody couch. THAT couch.

Dex had crawled into bed after his post-work shower, smelling like wood and spice as usual, and had immediately held me in bed. I should have felt guilty but I didn’t. I wanted them both.

Their business deal was back on and I couldn’t help but panic that I would come between that. The thought of losing either of them made me sick.

And then there was Bryson.

I had been so in love with him since I had met him. It was why it hurt so much when I saw Skylar kiss him.

When I questioned him in the hospital, he looked shocked, then ashamed that I had seen him. He was devastated, telling me over and over he was sorry and blaming himself. When he told me it was all Skylar, I thought back, and realized that in my distraught state, it had looked bad. But he was right, I had watched her do it.

I couldn’t blame her really. He was so fucking special. I wanted to do it too.

He was just magnetic, drawing me in since the moment we ran into each other at Tronic’s. He was the one that pushed me to go harder, achieve more.

He was the one who brought out the best in me.

He was also the one sitting across from me right now as I sat awkwardly on the living room floor.

“Harlow,” he said, glancing around. “Why are we sitting on the floor and not the couch?”

I shook my head as I stretched out my legs. “My legs are a bit tense. I need to stretch them out,” I lied.

Bryson nodded slowly. “Right... “

I pretended to stretch my arms too for good measure. “How’s your family doing anyways?”

“They’re good,” Bryson answered, leaning back on his hands. “Mom has just started a book club in her neighborhood. She was pretty excited about it. Blaise keeps complaining that she’s leaving her smut books all over the house.”

I snorted. “Poor Blaise. Are you going back for a visit soon? Your birthdays are coming up.”

Bryson nodded, his soft curls bouncing. I couldn’t help but admire his attire. I was so used to seeing him in a suit that seeing him in my apartment, dressed in a white shirt and black jeans was pretty fucking amazing. His glasses framed his face, contrasting against his shirt which made his eyes appear even lighter than usual.

“Blaise wants us to do some vineyard tour in the valley. I think it’s because his favorite restaurant is up there and mom threatened to cook.”

“Threatened?” I questioned in amusement.

“Threatened,” he confirmed. “They love each other, I promise. And her cooking hasn’t killed us yet.”

I laughed as I looked towards the kitchen. “You should invite Blaise over one day. Maybe Dex could cook for all of us. His stuff is amazing.”

Bryson grinned. “I’m sure he’d love that.”

We fell into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other’s company. I was just about to ask a question when Bryson’s phone beeped with a message.

He picked up the phone, observing the screen as his eyebrows creased. “Interesting,” he muttered.

“What’s that?” I asked, curiously.

Bryson looked up at me, his face serious as he locked his phone and put it back on the ground next to him.

“I’ve been looking into some things for you. It’s slow but because I have access to certain government financial databases, I’ve been trying to find a trail. Of anything really. I’ve been looking into your name and your parents’ details to see if anything unusual pops up. Of course, your mom’s credit file was flagged shortly after your dad’s death, which would match up with her gambling. I then put in a request with a friend to check the financial authority board for registered guarantors.”

My ears perked up and I straightened. “And? Did they find anything?”

He nodded. “They found the registered guarantors so it does look official but here’s the kicker. Without being able to access a copy of it yet, they were able to find out the date you allegedly signed one of the guarantors.”

“Okay, great. That’s a start. When was it?” I asked.

“January 14th.”

Why was that date familiar? I leaned back, chewing my lip as I tried to think back.

Bryson leaned forward, resting his elbows on his crossed legs. “Harlow, do you remember the date?”

“It’s familiar. It was a few weeks before the city dinner.”

“Yeah,” Bryson answered. “We were in the Maldives. At the business conference. You and I were together that day.”

My mouth dropped. He was right. We weren’t even in the city.

“Oh my God,” I muttered. “Bryson! This could help me.”

He nodded. “There’s no way you signed it. And the trip was so last minute that whoever signed it, probably didn’t know you were out of town.”

I stood up, shoving my hair out of my face. “This is amazing. You might have just saved me.”

Bryson laughed, standing up as well. “Let’s not count our chickens yet. We are trying to figure out how to explain us pulling your records up. The financial board flags all searches. I can’t put it through work. Jack will have my ass for it. But my friend is trying to see if he can sweep our search history under the review system.”

I bit my bottom lip in thought. “Do you think that if we proved it was fraudulent, that I might be able to get my money back? Or dad’s company?”

“I can’t see why not,” Bryson murmured. “If a transaction isn’t done in good faith, then surely you would be entitled to some type of compensation or repayment.”

A smile broke out on my face as I considered the news. I hated that damn feeling of hope but for the first time in a long time, it was looking like I might be able to fix things. It called for a celebration.

“We should go get coffee,” I grinned.

Bryson looked at me, his own smile infectious. “Will you spill it on me again? Because I am wearing white.”

I rolled my eyes, stepping closer to him as I poked my finger into his chest playfully. “You ran into me if I remember correctly. Something about being on your phone?”

He pretended to think before shrugging. “Not ringing a bell to be honest. I still think the onus was on you. As the carrier of said hot coffee, you should be careful.”

”As the owner of two legs who lives and works in the city, you should know better than to be distracted walking around those sidewalks. That’s just asking for trouble.”