Chapter 7

Dorry immediately yanked her hand away from the man and rushed over to me.

I smirked. Her strides were so wide—she reached me in no time. And from the way she moved, it seemed like she didn’t want the man to see my face—she even stood right in front of me, blocking his view.

“Nelson, what are you doing here? I told you to wait outside! You’re so stubborn,” Dorry snapped, narrowing her eyes at me. “You’re embarrassing!”

“Embarrassing?” I echoed.

“You’re embarrassing me in front of my boss! You just barged into the office without permission!” she added.

“I got bored. You were taking forever. And besides, it’s scorching hot outside, Dorry—I came in to cool off. Turns out, there’s an even hotter scene to witness in here!”

“Dorothy, who is he?” the man Dorry had been speaking with asked calmly.

His voice was soft and pleasant, but it was clear to me he was pretending. Too smooth. Too polished. The kind of fake kindness that reeked of manipulation. And poor Dorry had no idea she was just being played.

“I’m sorry, Hector,” she said, turning to him. “This is…” She paused and glanced at me.

Her look said it all… Don’t say anything stupid.

“This is my friend, Nelson,” she finally said, still standing in front of me like she was trying to hide me.

She even adjusted my tie and gave me a forced smile before facing Hector again.

“Your friend—” Hector began, but the moment his eyes met mine, he stopped mid-sentence. His expression shifted.

Of all the people I didn’t want to see, Hector was one of them. And by the way his face froze, the feeling was mutual. His eyes widened, and he practically forgot how to breathe.

I was momentarily taken aback, too, but I recovered quickly. Coming back here meant I had to be ready to face ghosts from the past. I had prepared myself for this.

I smiled. “Long time no see, Hector. You look surprised.”

I stepped forward, and Dorry instinctively moved to my side.

“I get it, Hector. You weren’t expecting to see me again. And yes, I’m Dorry’s friend,” I said with a smirk, wrapping an arm around her waist. She immediately slapped my hand away.

“You two know each other?” Dorry asked, her eyes darting between us in confusion.

I squinted at Hector, who just stared at me, pretending not to recognize me.

“Oh, I know him. But I doubt he remembers me,” I replied, watching him struggle to swallow.

His reaction didn’t surprise me. It’s what happens when the past punches you in the face.

And honestly, fate has one hell of a twisted sense of humor. A few hours back in this country, and I’d already run into two people from my past. First Dorry… now this pompous idiot.

“Dorothy, he looks familiar, but I don’t think I know him,” Hector said, shaking his head.

What a liar. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “As expected,” I muttered.

“Nelson…” Dorry hissed, pinching my back—clearly trying to maintain her image in front of Mr. Pretentious.

Seriously, did he think a suit and pants pulled up to his chest made him look hot?

“You said it—you don’t know me. So let’s not argue. Just make sure you stick to that story,” I said with a grin, winking at Dorry.

Hector clenched his jaw, careful not to let her see the irritation in his face. But the second she turned his way, he smiled again like nothing was wrong.

“Shall we, my friend?” I said to Dorry, smirking again as she glared at me.

Then she turned to Hector with a polite smile.

“Hector, thank you for allowing me to work with your company,” she said sweetly, offering her hand.

“It’s my pleasure, Dorothy—”

“Let’s go. Enough chit-chat,” I interrupted, slapping Hector’s hand away just before it touched hers. The looks on their faces were priceless.

“You two can talk more tomorrow, when no one’s out here melting in the heat or dying from boredom,” I said, grabbing Dorry by the waist and dragging her out with me.

I didn’t care if her heels made it hard for her to keep up. That’s what she gets for smiling that sweetly at another guy when all she ever gives me is a death stare.

“Are you insane?! What the hell was that, Nelson? That was incredibly rude!” she barked as soon as we got outside.

“Fine, I’m rude. But that guy? He’s worse!” I said, jabbing a thumb back at the building.

“I don’t care about your feud! And I really don’t care who’s ruder between the two of you. What you did was wrong. He’s my boss!”

“Boss? Are you seriously that blind? Can’t you see the way he looks at you? It’s like he’s undressing you with his eyes—like he’s already got you in bed,” I snapped.

Her eyes narrowed. She let out a bitter laugh, then sighed hard. “Why does it matter to you if he undresses me with his eyes? It’s just a look. But you...” She stopped, glaring at my hand still resting on her waist. “You’re getting too comfortable.”

She slapped it away.

“You should be grateful it was just my hand and not my entire body!” I shot back, chuckling as I jogged ahead.

She looked ready to hurl her bag at me, but she paused when she noticed Hector watching us through the glass.

I waved at him with a smug grin.

“Come on, Dorry. Your parents have been waiting,” I said, climbing into the car.

I watched her wave at Hector, who responded with a flying kiss. Ugh. Disgusting.

And Dorry… I wanted to pinch her. Smiling back like that!

“How do you two even know each other?” she asked as she got in.

I frowned. She glared.

“Didn’t you hear him earlier? He claimed he didn’t know me. So I guess I’m just someone who knows him,” I muttered as she started the engine.

“Yeah, I heard. But seriously, Nelson, don’t do that again. Stay out of my business. You ruined my plans—maybe even my job!”

I laughed bitterly. “At least it’s just your plans and job that got wrecked. Me? My whole damn life went down the drain.”

She looked at me briefly. “Why are you blaming me for everything? You’re an adult, Nelson. We both made choices back then. If your life got screwed up, that was on you. Not me.”

“You just don’t stop talking, do you?” I snapped. “Did I say it was your fault? Sure, you messed up my life for a while, but Dorry, there’s so much you don’t know. So don’t flatter yourself. My world doesn’t revolve around you. Just like you, I ended up on that island trying to forget…”

Then, the car came to a halt.