A Debt Owed (The Debt Duet 1)

“Go on then,” he urges, so I take a sip.

Heavenly. Totally unlike what I expected. “Mmm …”

An arrogant smirk spreads across his face. “I know, right? It’s one of my favorites.”

I lick my lips and clutch my glass tight. “But … why are you …?”

“Here? Good question. I wasn’t planning to visit any of my venues tonight, but then I got bored and decided to have a drink.”

I narrow my eyes. “Wait … your venues?”

He nods. “We haven’t spoken in quite a while, have we?” he muses, then taps my glass with his, and says, “Cheers and enjoy.”

And then he walks off into the crowd.

I don’t want to be a stalker, but when the only guy who ever captured my interest walks away as though it means nothing, I need to know where he’s going. I wanna talk to him. What has he been up to all these years? The last time I saw him was at that restaurant where his father used to work … before my father hired him. My father forced me to ignore him back then, and if I didn’t do what he wanted, I’d face punishment. I was too afraid to speak up. But I regret it, and now that I have the chance to apologize, I want to take the opportunity to.

I chase after him through the busy crowd and up a flight of stairs to a giant balcony overlooking the city. He’s leaning down on the railing with his arms, staring out into the abyss below while sipping his drink.

When I walk toward the edge, I mutter, “Wow.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” he says as he takes another sip. “It’s exactly why I wanted it built here.”

“I have to say I am impressed,” I say. I never imagined him building a company, let alone something this huge and gorgeous.

He stares into the distance. “Whenever I need to take a breather, I come up here.”

“It’s a great place to spend time alone,” I say, and I lean my back against the balcony while looking at him.

He glances at me over his shoulder, and that one look has me feeling weak to the bone. I don’t know what it is about him that makes me feel this way. “I never thought I’d bump into you here.”

“Yet here I am,” I reply, taking a sip of my drink.

“Strange … but nice too.” He sets my soul on fire with that killer smile. Stepping away from the edge again, he takes another sip of his drink. “So tell me what brought you here.”

“Ahh …” I gaze down at my feet. “My father. You know how he is …”

“Unfortunately, yes,” he says.

“I’m sorry for how he treated you back then,” I say, licking my lips. “And I was a bitch for ignoring you.”

A lopsided grin spreads on his lips, and he holds up his hand. “Your father was harsh on you.”

“Still is,” I say, sighing as I put down my drink. “Sorry, TMI, I know.”

“You feel choked around him.”

“Exactly!” I say. It feels as if he can read my thoughts. “And the worst part is that he wants me to help him, but I don’t think I can.”

“How?” he asks.

“He wants me to marry some rich stranger so he can save his company …”

“Hmm …” He rubs his chin, and mutters, “Interesting.”

“Not really. I just shouted at him and ran off. He’s probably still fuming.” I cross my arms over my chest. “But I don’t care.”

“Sounds like you do,” he jests, making me side-eye him.

“You’re still as obnoxious as you were at my father’s wedding.”

“Have you looked in the mirror recently?” he retorts, making me laugh. He takes the last sip from his glass. “So tell me why you followed me.”

“No reason. To apologize for my father and my behavior, I suppose. But that was it.”

“Really?” He raises a brow. “Weren’t you just a little bit captivated with the idea of me owning all these businesses?” He steps closer. “You think now that you’ve apologized, I’ll forgive you?” I swallow away the lump in my throat. He’s so close I can feel his breath on my skin. “It’ll take a lot more groveling for me to forget how you treated me.”

I’m mortified. “But I just … my father …” I’m frozen to my spot because of his closeness, and I can’t even think straight, let alone speak properly.

“Now that I’ve built up all these businesses and accumulated some wealth, you think I’m suddenly good enough to talk to?” he sneers.

Where does this sudden hostility come from? “I never said you weren’t—”

“You ignored me and let your father have his way,” he growls. “If you’d stopped him, maybe my father would’ve …”

His father? What does his father have to do with it? All I know is that his father worked for my father as a chef at one of his restaurants, and then he suddenly didn’t anymore, but my father never lets me in on his business.