Chapter 12
+15 BONUS
Chapter 12
“So, she was out there flirting with other guys the whole time?” Justin thought.
As Emily listened to Mr. Gibson, a hint of confusion crossed her face. She sensed something was off. Was Mr. Gibson trying to set her up with Justin?
The mere thought sent a chill down her spine, and she quickly found an excuse to leave. She still had to find Helen and give her a piece of her mind.
“Mr. Gibson, I have something I need to take care of, so I’ll have to excuse myself for now,” Justin said politely, as he watched Emily leave.
Mr. Gibson chuckled and waved him off, as if encouraging him to follow. “Go on, you young folks should enjoy yourselves. Me, I’m too old for all that excitement,” he said with a grin.
Justin nodded respectfully before stepping away from the beach. He quickly caught up to Emily in a hallway corner, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. Justin then pinned her in the shadowy corner of the hallway.
They were alone.
“Move!” Emily snapped. The sudden shove against her back had startled her, and she barked out the command, her voice harsh.
She had left the beach to find Helen.
Justin remained rooted in place, his tall frame blocking both her path forward and her escape, trapping her in the narrow space. Shadows obscured the corner where he stood, his eyes flickering in the dim light.
“What’s this? Going to find that Smith kid?” Justin demanded, his voice low and accusing.
Emily’s brows furrowed in irritation, her carefully done makeup accentuating the look of exasperation on her face. Every fiber of her being recoiled from his proximity.
He had crossed into her personal space, making her feel uncomfortable, a sensation she was eager to shake off.
“Who I see is none of your business,” she replied calmly, standing her ground against his dark presence.
Justin’s face, already expressionless, turned even colder. He clearly didn’t like her answer.
“Emily, Sean isn’t right for you,” Justin declared, leaning toward her, exuding an air of superiority as if he were trying to control her like one of his subordinates.
The Smith family was far more complicated than the Yates
Justin spoke again. “Sean is Mr. Smith Sr.’s youngest son, his pride and joy. He has two older brothers who already hold shares in the Smith Corporation and run things there. Sean, spoiled since birth, has no chance of inheriting anything. He’s just a playboy. He’ll use you and throw you away when he’s done. He won’t marry you, and even if he wanted to, his family would never accept you.”
Emily blinked. So, the boy’s name was Sean?
But what did his family dynamics, or whether he could inherit anything, have to do with her?
She wasn’t part of the Smith family!
What nonsense was Justin spouting?
Did he think she was involved with Sean?
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Chapter 12
She wasn’t about to clarify anything for him. Right now, Justin didn’t deserve an explanation.
She shoved him back, hard, trying to push him out of her space.
Emily had once loved the way Justin smelled, a blend of cologne and faint tobacco, mixed with something uniquely his. It used to comfort her.
Now, whether it was the fading love, the alcohol, or the trace of another woman’s perfume, the scent made her feel queasy.
Instinctively, she fanned the air near her face, trying to catch a breath of fresh air.
“Justin, it’s over between us. Who I spend my time with and what I do is none of your business!” Emily stated, her words clear and deliberate, making sure there was no mistaking the boundaries between them.
With those four words, “none of your business,” Emily drew a clear line, severing any past connection between her and Justin.
Justin felt–a tightness in his chest.
Seeing how Emily rejected him, recoiling even from his scent, only stirred up his frustration. Justin blamed his frustration on how he saw Emily’s behavior as reckless and beneath her. That irritation made his tone come out sharp and cutting.
“Oh, what’s this? I thought you prided yourself on not being someone’s sidepiece, but here you are, cozying up to that Sean kid. Think that scrawny guy can satisfy you? Think he’s got enough cash to cover your spending?”
Justin’s words dripped with sarcasm.
“Or are you just playing the big spender around him? Don’t blow all the money I gave you on that kid’s schemes!” he sneered, crossing his arms. “Or maybe you’ve got your sights set on Mr. Gibson now?”
He remembered Mr. Gibson mentioning that Emily always claimed to be single at the art school.
“Sure, Mr. Gibson’s wife passed away, but his son is well into middle age, and his granddaughter isn’t much younger than you. Besides, the Gibson Corporation goes to his son. There’s not much left for you.”
Justin’s voice was bitter. “Or is it that you’ve got your eye on Mr. Gibson’s son? Or someone else back at school? “Is my money not enough for you? Maybe you should consider coming back to me. After all, we’re the same age, I’m in better shape, and I can pay more than any of them!”
The more he spoke, the more he crossed the line.
“Justin, shut up!” Emily yelled, her voice sharp, cutting him off. He had gone too far, dragging Mr. Gibson’s name through the mud with baseless accusations.
The more he talked, the angrier she became, her body moving before her mind could stop it.
A loud slap echoed in the hallway.
Emily’s hand landed squarely on Justin’s left cheek, snapping his head to the side. His once neat hair fell into disarray, a few strands slipping over his eyes. His gaze was now burning with jealousy and anger.
He pressed his tongue against the cheek she had slapped. It didn’t hurt, but it was humiliating.
“Emily! You’re getting bolder, huh? Hitting me? Go ahead, hit me again if you dare!” he shouted, his voice
bristling with rage.
Emily thought, “Is he really asking for it? Fine, I’ll give him what he wants.”
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Chapter 12
+15 BONUS
Meeting Justin’s furious glare, she raised her right hand again, ready to deliver another slap.
But this time, Justin caught her hand mid–air, gripping it tightly.
At that moment, a voice cut through the tension.
“Justin, you’re a grown man. What do you think you’re doing, picking on a woman?”
Sean’s voice came from down the hallway. He had apparently tracked them down, and now stood watching Justin holding Emily’s wrist, assuming she was being bullied.
Emily did not know how Sean had found them, but he had arrived just in time to see Justin getting physical with
her.
