Chapter 6
By the time I reached Mason’s car, I finally managed to pull my hand away,
Rolin came over and helped Nina up as well
1 quickly took her from him and, almost by instinct, slid into the back seat with her.
“So now you’re sneaking out at night to drink, getting involved with other men, and you won’t even sit in the front seat anymore?”
Mason’s icy tone cut through the silence like glass.
Rolin was still outside, setting Nina’s purse down by the door.
The awkward tension was unbearable.
Seriously, did this guy not know how to read a room?
Thankfully, Rolin played it off with a chuckle “Come on, Mason. We were just catching up–old friends, nothing more.”
Mason suddenly opened the car door, slamming it shut behind him.
He stalked over to Rolin
“We’re done here,” he said, sharp and deliberate “Sabrina and I are going home.”
He emphasized home like it meant something.
Then, without waiting, he yanked the back door open and pulled me out.
Guided me around the car. Opened the passenger door. Buckled me in himself.
H
The gesture might’ve felt intimate–if I wasn’t completely distracted by what I saw in the center console.
A lipstick. Definitely not mine.
So unmistakably Chloe’s.
He followed my gaze and fell silent.
He got in, started the engine, and finally spoke.
“Last business trip–Chloe’s bag tipped over in the car. Must’ve fallen out then.
Η
I stared ahead. The lights on the street flickered across the windshield. We were almost at Nina’s place.
“Chloe said it’s rude to sit in the back when she’s just an employee,” Mason continued, trying to sound casual ‘That’s why she took the front seat. But I won’t let her do that again-”
“Left turn. Pull over,” I cut in, voice flat.
“We’re almost at Nina’s. Her apartment’s hard to park near. I’ll walk her in”
He jerked the wheel and stopped the car abruptly.
“Sabrina, did you hear what I said?”
“I said I won’t let Chloe sit in the front anymore.
I got out, grabbed Nina’s bag, and turned to him with a calm, polite smile.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
I didn’t wait to see his reaction.
I walked Nina to her building
S
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When I came back, the lipstick was gone.
The seat had been wiped down. I could smell the faint sting of rubbing alcohol.
But what Mason didn’t know was–my sense of smell was sharp
Underneath the alcohol, the floral–sweet scent of Chloe’s perfume lingered even stronger.
Same things, once they happen, don’t just disappear with a wipe
By now, it was nearly 11 p.m., and traffic was still crawling
The silence in the car was heavier than ever.
Ding Ding
My phone buzzed with messages.
1 glanced down–it was Rolin. He’d sent the files.
I had no idea if Mason saw, but he suddenly slammed the born repeatedly, even though the car ahead wasn’t blocking him at all.
“Put your phone on silent,” he snapped.
I flipped the switch without a word.
Bored in the stillness, I opened the files.
There were business plans, sure–but what drew me in were the sketches
esign drafts.
And they were… beautiful. Bold. Raw. So me.
As if he could read my mind, Rolin messaged again.
Well? Not bad, right?”
“You in? I’ll give you a full line–one–month deadline. Send over whatever designs you’ve got.”
“If it gets approved, you’ll get equity as a technical partner. Bonus is solid.”
I felt a flutter in my heart.
And in that moment, I finally understood why I’d been so envious of Rolin and Nina–because they had something they genuinely
loved.
The things I used to love? They all revolved around Mason.
But now…
I realized there were things more important than him…
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