All Chapters of My Cousin's Fiancé, My Ruin: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

DARIOLunch had been unusually productive. Rico peeled off toward Production halfway down the corridor, still talking about camera angles for Ethan Kovács’ interview.“I’ll have Graphics mock up two versions,” he said. “Just in case Marketing changes their mind again.”“They will,” I replied.“They always do,” Caleb added with a grin.He threw both hands into the air. “Exactly! See? Someone understands my suffering.”Caleb laughed. “I’ll send the final interview questions over in five,” he said, stopping outside his office.“Good.”Rico gave us both a lazy salute before disappearing into his own office. I continued down the hallway and pushed open my door.The production files were already waiting in the centre of my desk. I stopped. She’d finished them already. A small nod escaped me. Efficient. I set my phone down and reached for the stack—then noticed the white envelope resting neatly on top.I stared at it for a second. “…Please don’t be what I think it is.”I picked it up. The fi

DARIOI hadn’t intended to stay. The apology had been the only reason I’d come—apologize, shake hands, leave, and have her resume work the next day. That had been the plan. Instead I was standing in the middle of Ms. Derrin’s apartment while she looked at me as though she couldn’t quite decide whether to thank me or throw me back outside. And then she asked me to stay for dinner, adding that it wasn’t exactly gourmet, which I found unexpectedly amusing.She hesitated. “There’s enough for two, if you’re not in a hurry.”A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth before I could stop it. “Sure.”Almost on cue the doorbell rang. She hurried toward the door, muttering something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like “Perfect timing.” I remained where I was, listening to the muffled exchange at the entrance. A minute later she returned carrying enough food to feed what looked like a small hockey team: one large pepperoni pizza, a bucket of spicy chicken, a loaf of coconut bread tuck

INDIGOI went to bed with Dario Cross on my mind, which was a terrible place for my mind to be. He was my cousin’s fiancé, my boss, and the man I had spent the better part of the last twenty-four hours trying very hard not to think about. And yet there he was. I kept replaying dinner in my head—the way he had sat across from me on the floor, the way we had argued over baseball as though we’d been doing it for years, the way he had looked at me when I told him he was my favorite player. I had no idea why that moment had affected him so much. Maybe I’d crossed some invisible line without realizing it. Maybe I’d said too much. Maybe I’d made him uncomfortable. I rolled onto my side and groaned into my pillow. I should have been thinking about my job. Instead I was wondering if Dario was okay, which was ridiculous. So ridiculous that I finally forced myself to sleep.By morning I had convinced myself that everything was fine. Mostly. I stepped into the FanHub building with my bag over m

DARIOBy the time I reached my car I still hadn’t figured out what Indigo had been trying to escape from. She was already in the passenger seat, strapped in, her tablet balanced on her lap as though she hadn’t just practically fled from Leah and Kelsey. I opened the driver’s door and got in. She didn’t look at me. Her fingers moved across the screen, scrolling through what appeared to be a list of event venues. I glanced at her, then at the tablet, then back at her. It wasn’t my business, but what exactly had she been excusing herself from? She’d said she needed to take a phone call. There had been no phone call. She’d said she remembered something about her phone. She’d been holding it the entire time. And then there was that little “ugh.” I still didn’t understand it.I started the car. “Are you okay?”She scoffed. It was so quick that I almost missed it. She seemed to realize she’d done it too, because she turned toward me, gave me a brief look, then returned her attention to th

DARIOLeah looked beautiful.There was no other way to put it.The gold strapless gown fell perfectly around her, catching the light every time she moved. Her hair was swept away from her face, leaving her neck and shoulders bare, and the gold earrings she’d chosen shimmered whenever she turned her head.I adjusted the cuff of my black shirt beneath my suit jacket and glanced down at my shoes—black Christian Louboutin dress shoes, because apparently even my feet had to participate in the black-and-gold theme.Across the ballroom, Rico was speaking to one of the event coordinators. He looked annoyingly put together in a black suit, white shirt and tie, his blue hair styled into a wet look that somehow suited him. Caleb looked just as good beside him.My parents had actually decided to grace me with their presence tonight. That alone should have been enough to make the evening stressful. My mother had already tried twice to bring up the engagement party.Twice.The first time, I pretend