All Chapters of It's Just Business : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Brandon's POV The office was silent, apart from the low hum of the city below bleeding through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I should’ve been satisfied, things were moving as planned. The photo leak, although catching me off guard, had turned a liability into an advantage. When I got the news earlier, I was livid until Melinda had suggested it was a good thing, and now the world believed in the engagement and story more than ever; they believed in us. That was the point of all of this. The plan was going better than ever. And work should be what consumed every second of my thoughts and the way forward since it was already out there. But all I could hear, replaying in my head, over and over again was her voice when she told me to leave. Her voice...sharp, clipped, trembling with rage, it lingered like a splinter under my skin."You used my pain for your game. Get out."She was angry. Really angry.Her hazel eyes had burned into me like I was the very enemy she’d sworn off letting cl

Lexi's POV “You...Fucker...”The word slipped out before I could stop myself, they were sharp and venomous, but the moment it left my lips, I knew I’d hit a nerve.Brandon’s head snapped toward me like a whip,his cold, steel-gray eyes narrowing, pinning me in place with the kind of intensity that made the hairs on my whole body stand up.“Watch your mouth,” he said, low and dangerous. Not a shout, not even close. But the weight behind it made my chest tighten.I didn’t flinch. I refused to. My anger burned too hot for that. “Or what? You going to sue me for slander now, Mr. Wilson, or no no, you’ll call security on me? Oh, I know, I know, the worst…you'll add a morality clause to your precious contract?” I said adding air quotes.The muscles in his jaw ticked. He looked like he was reining himself in, like one more wrong word from me would set him off completely. “Maybe we should finish this conversation in private.”I laughed, it was ugly but small. “Why? What’s the point? There’s n

Lexi's POV The hospital room was still, the kind of stillness that pressed against my ears until even the faintest sound became so magnified. Aria’s breathing was steady, deep, the rise and fall of her chest was at a slow and steady rhythm. The IV line was connected to her, and the steady beep of the monitor was the only thing occupying the silence. It had been a day since Brandon and I tore into each other in this very suffocating room, words flung like knives, anger coiling so tightly I could still feel it thrumming in my veins. The echo of our argument still clung to the air, sharp, like glass that was still shattering. My chest felt raw, every word we’d thrown at each other replaying like it had been carved into my head. I hated him. Dan had pulled an extra shift at the restaurant and wasn’t here tonight. He'd dropped off dinner on his way and even ate with me. I think it was his way of asking if I was okay after yesterday, but I didn't say anything because there was absolutel

Lexi's POV The apartment was quiet, finally. Aria had drifted off hours ago, her chest rising in the steady rhythm of deep sleep. She must have been so tired cause the doctor said her body is still weak and will take a while to go back to its normal routine. Ada was in the guest room, door shut, though I doubted she slept heavily, not with all the responsibility on her shoulders now. The new place was everything Aria needed and more. I should have been relieved. I should have been able to close my eyes and rest, even just a little. After all, everything was working out perfectly and according to plan. But instead, I sat on the edge of the unfamiliar bed in the unfamiliar bedroom, staring at the glow of my phone where his name had lit the screen earlier. One call. No message. Not that Brandon was ever the type to explain himself in person than to talk more with words on a screen. I hadn’t answered. I’d told myself it was because I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. But the

Lexi's POV I woke up with the weight of last night still pressing on my chest. The apartment was silent. I got up and went to check on Aria, her soft breathing was the only sound filling her room. Ada had probably slipped out early to grab breakfast or check in with the doctor, leaving me alone with my thoughts. That was the problem, silence left too much room for remembering.The fight. Again.The words we’d thrown at each other again.The way he’d looked at me...like I was both a challenge and a temptation he couldn’t afford.And then...God...the almost.I pressed the heel of my hand against my forehead, as if I could scrub the memory away. But it played in a relentless loop: the way his eyes dipped to my mouth, the space between us charged like... And my body tilting closer without permission. For one dizzying second, I thought he was going to close that gap. Hell, I thought I was.But he didn’t.He turned away, voice rough, sending me back downstairs like I was something fragil