I told him to stay away.

SUMMER’S POINT OF VIEW.

“You’re engaged to Maximilian Brampton?!”,

Carly screeched over the phone, sounding surprised as I’d expected. She was out of the country, so she had no idea what had happened until she saw it online.

I shrugged my shoulders, not giving insight into the situation’s details.

“Life happened, I guess.”

“But you hate him,” she snapped, refusing to believe it wasn’t a ruse. “He’s been your rival since when? eighth grade?”

Of course, she knew everything. We’d all grown up together and gone to the same school.

“That doesn’t matter now,” I applied concealer to my face, staring into the mirror to see the effects. “We’ve put aside our differences and—’

“—Someone is here to see you, Ma’am.”

The housekeeper announced, and my door opened before I could turn around to see who it was.

With Carly still on the phone, I stood up from my chair, turning around to see who the visitor was.

My entire body language shifted into an indescribable feeling, but anger was obvious, along with my pounding heart and twitching eyes.

“What are you doing here, Alessandro?”

My voice exuded anger, and it grew even worse after I saw him holding a flower bouquet.

What did he think this was? A joke?

“Babe—’

“—Hold it right there,” I cut him off rudely, grabbing my phone to whisper to Carly. “I’ll call you later, Carl.”

Without waiting for her response, I hung up and threw my phone back on the table.

He looked at me with pitiful eyes and pouted, which somehow always made me lose control and forgive him.

It worked. Every. Single. Time.

But now? It felt different.

His voice was quiet. “Summer, I’m sorry.”

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at that. Sorry? That was always his response after doing something wrong.

But his actions never changed and, if anything, worsened.

“Sorry?” I huffed, folding my arms as I stared at his fake expression. “Get out of my room.”

“Your Father accepted my apology,” I said, not surprised. Father always did things without asking me. “He has no idea why you called off the engagement, and… I’m glad you didn’t tell anyone.”

I was going to tell, but not now.

He humiliated me, and so did Clarissa. But I was going to get back at them when they least expected—in a way that would crush their spirits.

I scoffed and refused to listen to any of his words. Strolling to the door, I spoke sharply.

“Leave.”

He pulled me back by my arm, forcing my feet to stop abruptly.

“Summer, I said I’m sorry.”

“And I told you to leave. What more do I have to say to make you go?”

“You’re angry now,” I flinched my hands off him while he stretched the bouquet in my face. “And you have every right to be. But please, take this. I got them for you.”

Peonies? Seriously?

“You still don’t understand anything about me,” I snapped, snatching the flowers from his hands in disgust. “Peonies? I hate them and I’ve told you that.”

Those were Clarissa’s favorites.

So it was clear—he’d mixed us up.

“I… It must have slipped my mind,” he said nervously, scratching his head as I returned my gaze to him. “I thought you loved them.”

“Of course,” I said sarcastically. “Your mistress loves them. They’re her favorites.”

I caught his scent, and it was unfamiliar to the one I knew him with—amber and lilies.

I took the bait, and stepped forward to inhale his sleeves, the smell suddenly turned familiar.

“Clarissa?” I raised my gaze at him in surprise. “Why do you smell like her? Wait, don’t tell me you spent the night with her again.”

Who was I kidding? That was it.

Guilt immediately covered his countenance, alerting me that I’d caught him red-handed.

“Summer, I can explain.”

At that point, I was seething. Alessandro was mocking me, and it wasn’t even funny.

“If you want to be a jerk, do that elsewhere.” I threw the bouquet at him after slapping his hands. “I’m done putting up with your nonsense, Alessandro.”

I walked towards the door, stomping my feet like I was about to crash the building.

What was he thinking? Buying me flowers meant for my cousin after sleeping with her? Did he really take me to be that foolish?

Naive?

Desperate?

Fortunately, the door was already open because he’d left it like that after walking in. I stood at the corner, my eyes blazing and screaming at him.

“Maximilian isn’t the right choice.” He said with both hands buried in his pockets.

I tutted, rolling my eyes.

“That is not for you to say.”

“I know you’re lying,” he strolled and stood in front of me, his head a few inches from mine. “You’re pretending to be with him just to spite me.”

Well, maybe he wasn’t as clueless as I thought. But I wasn’t trying to spite him. I just wanted to get away.

“Get out, Alessandro.” I stood on business, staring at him with a sharp gaze. “If you don’t get out of here right now, I’m—’

—He kissed me.

That wasn’t supposed to happen, but…

While I was lashing out in his face, it turned out that he was calculating my every move, ignoring my words, and just plotting on how he was going to do… that.

And it seemed to calm me a bit, but with the burning thoughts of his betrayal replaying in my head, I pushed him away.

“Get off me.”

“Stop, fighting it, Summer,” he held me down, refusing to let go. “We can work things out if you just give me another chance.”

Another chance? I scoffed. I’d tried to make that relationship work for nothing less than ten times.

He brought his face closer. “Babe, please.”

“Babe?”

I wasn’t the one who’d asked that. It was someone else, the person who’d walked in on us— Maximilian.

For some reason, I felt shock and guilt after seeing him there, also holding a flower bouquet in his hands and a gift bag in the other.

And the look of betrayal that was in his eyes.

I pushed Alessandro off me roughly, swallowing hard before mustering the courage to whisper.

“Maximilian?”