Chapter 19 She's powerless

RILEY

I stopped in place, meeting Gareth's gaze with confusion.

“What do you mean Hannah isn’t here?” I asked.

Gareth tutted. “You haven’t heard? Poor Hannah… I really thought she would have told you.”

“Stop fucking around,” I snapped at him as annoyance and dread bloomed within me. “What are you talking about? I don’t have time for this, Gareth.”

“Sure, I could tell you,” he replied with a sly sort of smirk. “But this is more of a sit down conversation. Let’s find a table inside, yeah. We can talk over coffee. You’re still a sucker for a vanilla latte, right?”

My nose crinkled in automatic disgust. “Maybe like five years ago. Absolutely not. Just tell me what you’re talking about so I can go find Hannah. I don’t have time for whatever game you’re trying to play.”

Gareth shrugged. “You heard my terms. If you want me to tell you what I know, you’ll join me. Your choice.”

My eyes narrowed in annoyance, my jaw ticking as I struggled to rein in my agitation. Gareth was manipulative and controlling, and his tactics were the same as they were back then.

Still, I needed to know what was happening with my best friend. If Hannah was in some sort of trouble, it was my duty to do all in my power to help.

“Fine,” I sighed.

Gareth smiled smugly and then led the way to the building.

He stood to the side and held the door for me, but his chivalrous behavior was definitely an act. I didn’t utter a thank you or dignify his actions with a response.

The coffee shop beside the lobby was small but

“I missed you every night you were gone, you know,” he remarked as his eyes appraised me. “You made me feel things that no woman has ever even come close to achieving. I only ever loved you, Riley. And gods above… the things you used to do with that gorgeous mouth-“

“Knock it off,” I snapped. “I’m only here to hear about Hannah, so unless you’re going to share something relevant, I’m going to go-“

“Don’t be hasty, Riley, c’mon,” He murmured and then he leaned back in his chair. “Hannah was suspended, alright?”

My jaw nearly dropped in disbelief. “Suspended?”

Gareth nodded and tapped his finger against his coffee cup. “It’s pretty unfortunate, honestly. She made a huge mistake in her work. She leaked the information of a key client and caused a huge loss for the firm. They’re considering firing her.”

“What?” I blurted out, my eyebrows practically ascending to my hairline. “That’s not possible. Hannah has never made a mistake like that. I know her better than anyone, Gareth. She’d never do anything like that. You’re obviously lying.”

“Or maybe you just don’t know her as well as you think you do,” Gareth mused, taking a sip of his latte. “Nothing is impossible. Of course… Hannah might have been framed.”

When my eyes widened, he smirked wickedly.

“But who cares? She’s just a junior assistant. She can easily be replaced.”

I fought a snarl. I wasn’t sure if he was lying or not, but the accusations against my best friend were summoning my anger. “Hannah is better than you’ll ever be. She’s kind, intelligent. If she was framed –”

“I’m just the messenger,” Gareth interrupted in a bored tone, holding up his hands before he folded them on the table. “But… I could help her if you want.”

My stomach twisted into a knot.

“We both know that you don’t have a kind-hearted bone in your body,” I clipped. “Why would you help, and what’s your angle?”

Gareth’s smirk was unending, and his eyes glinted in an arrogant way.

“It breaks my heart to hear you say that, Riley. But you’re right. My offer isn’t without conditions. I miss you so much… and if you could spend some time with me…”

My mouth tensed as I realized what he wanted, and my heart ached hearing his words even now. I had no romantic sentiments toward him anymore, but it was hard to believe that I had once loved him.

“Are you implying you want me to be your mistress?” I asked bluntly.

He arched a brow. “Mistress? I wouldn’t quite say that. This would be a temporary arrangement.”

He took another sip of his latte casually and brushed his empty ring finger. “I’ll divorce my wife one day. The writing is on the wall. She’s dull and not the sharpest tool in the shed. I fell out of love a long time ago.”

My disdain was clear on my face, but he ignored it. As I searched for my words, he leaned forward and stroked my hair. I flinched in response, but he didn’t pull back.

“I’ve slept with so many women,” he mused, not quite bragging but not humble. “But you’re the only one who’s ever haunted my thoughts.”

I recoiled, my stomach starting to hurt. I knew Gareth’s wife. She was a kind, innocent woman, beautiful and from a rich family. She loved and trusted her husband, but he had only used her money and status to climb to where he was now.

I rose to my feet immediately. “I’d never be with you again, and you’re insane if you think I’d agree to that. I’ll find a way to help Hannah myself.”

The second I went to turn, intending to storm off and leave him behind, Gareth reached out and grabbed my wrist.

“You’ve always been naive and impulsive,” he said condescendingly, his thumb rubbing against my pulse point. “It’s one of the things I’ve always liked about you, but it’ll work against you. How are you going to help Hannah when you have no money and no resources? You need me, whether you want to admit it or not. I have power to help her.”

I tried to pull away, but his hand tightened around me further.

“Don’t repeat the same mistakes you made before,” he said, intensity in his gaze. “You’re too impulsive on your own. Dropping out of school after discovering we were having an affair was such a mistake-“

“Let me go,” I practically growled as I yanked my arm back. “I didn’t drop out because of you. I left because I was pregnant. Besides, I’m married now, and my husband would have your head on a spike if he saw you touching me.”

It was partially a lie, but I hoped that the threat of another man would change his mind.

Yet, as he tilted his head and studied me, I knew he wasn’t accepting it.

“Married?” he snorted, rolling his eyes before he took a sip of his latte. “You don’t have to lie to me. I don’t see a ring. Besides… no one could ever love you the way I do.”

When he squeezed my arm, bile rose up. I tried to break free again.

“Let. Me. Go,” I threatened. “Touch me again, and I’ll call the police.”

Gareth remained perfectly calm and unaffected. “Tell you what. Why don’t you take some time to think about it? Just keep in mind, if Hannah is fired, there’s no way she’d be able to find a decent job in the legal industry again, considering the severity of her mistake. You’d be her only hope, and the only one who could save her.”

He released my wrist and rose to his feet. “Think about it. You know how to contact me.”

As he walked away, dread flooded through me. I felt both indignant and humiliated. I could have smacked the smugness off his face, but I’d hesitated, knowing it could make things harder for Hannah.

Gareth may have been an arrogant ass, but he was right about one thing:

I was powerless and without resources.