บททั้งหมดของ The wrong woman to lose : บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Irina spent the entire drive back to her hotel trying not to think about Kyle. It was impossible. The man had somehow become a permanent resident in her thoughts. His smile. His voice. His patience. The way he had stayed with her after Jacob’s call. Most people would have offered sympathy. Kyle had offered presence. And somehow that had meant more. Much more. With a frustrated sigh, she stepped out of the elevator and entered her suite. The first thing she did was kick off her heels. The second was walk straight to the window. The third was think about Kyle again. “Wonderful.” She groaned. This was exactly what she had promised herself would never happen again. She wasn’t supposed to trust another man. Certainly not one as dangerous as Kyle George. Because Kyle wasn’t dangerous in the way Tyler had been. Tyler had broken her heart. Kyle threatened to heal it. And that terrified her. ⸻ The following morning. Irina arrived at George

The problem with Kyle George was that he looked entirely too pleased with himself. Especially after being right. Which unfortunately happened far too often. The elevator continued its slow descent. Irina stared straight ahead. Determined not to look at him. Determined not to acknowledge the ridiculous smile currently sitting on his face. Determined not to admit that she had, in fact, missed him. “You were thinking about me.” Irina nearly choked. She slowly turned her head. “No.” Kyle nodded. “As I suspected.” “What?” “You’re a terrible liar.” The nerve. The absolute nerve. She rolled her eyes. Immediately. Kyle laughed. “There’s my favorite thing.” “My eye roll?” “Exactly.” “You’re weird.” “I’ve accepted that.” Irina shook her head. Yet despite herself… She smiled. And judging by Kyle’s expression, he caught that too. Of course he did. The man noticed everything. ⸻ The following week became a nightmare. Not because of business. Business was fine. T

A Bad Idea Irina spent the entire weekend avoiding Kyle. Or at least attempting to. The first mistake was checking her phone. The second was realizing she was disappointed every time it wasn’t him. The third was admitting it. Even if only to herself. By Sunday evening she had convinced herself that a little distance was healthy. Necessary. Smart. After all, Kyle George represented everything she should avoid. Another powerful man. Another risk. Another opportunity to get hurt. The logic was sound. Unfortunately… Her heart seemed unwilling to cooperate. ⸻ Monday morning arrived far too quickly. Irina entered the executive floor carrying a fresh cup of coffee and a determination to behave normally. Professional. Calm. Collected. The elevator doors opened. And there he was. Of course. Talking to two investors near the conference room. The moment Kyle saw her, his attention shifted. Immediately. The investors were still speaking.

Irina hated Mondays.She hated them even more when Kyle George was involved.The realization annoyed her.Deeply.Because it meant she had spent the entire weekend thinking about him.Not constantly.Not obsessively.Just enough to be irritating.A memory here.A conversation there.The sound of his laugh.The way he always noticed when she wasn’t okay.The way he looked at her sometimes.As though he knew she was still carrying pieces of a broken heart.And was patiently waiting for her to put them down.Dangerous man.Very dangerous.By the time she arrived at George & Sons Enterprise that morning, she had made a decision.She was going to act normal.Professional.Unaffected.She was going to spend the entire day treating Kyle exactly as she treated every other business associate.Simple.Reasonable.A perfectly achievable goal.The universe immediately laughed.The elevator doors opened.And there he was.Standing near the reception desk.Coffee in one hand.Phone in the other.Lo

For several seconds, nobody spoke.Tyler continued staring.Irina remained calm.Collected.Untouchable.The silence became uncomfortable.Karen was the first to break it.“You look well, Irina.”The smile on her face was polite.Too polite.Irina knew the type.The kind of smile women wore when they were measuring each other.Comparing.Competing.“Thank you.”Karen’s smile tightened.The simple answer had given her nothing.No weakness.No bitterness.No pain.Nothing.And somehow that bothered her.Tyler finally found his voice.“You’ve changed.”Irina looked at him.“No.”Her expression remained calm.“I’ve healed.”The words landed harder than she intended.Tyler visibly stiffened.Karen looked away.Jacob shifted awkwardly in his chair.Good.Let them be uncomfortable.She had spent enough nights being uncomfortable because of them.Now it was their turn.“Why are you here?”Straight to the point.No games.No pretending.Tyler cleared his throat.“We were in the area.”Irina ne