Chapter 3

The pain in my stomach had gotten so bad I could barely stand. My face was drained white, and I couldn't listen to another word.

To keep from passing out in front of everyone, I ducked my head and all but bolted out of the room.

Tears the size of beans spilled down, blurring everything in front of me, and I ran straight into the chest of someone walking in.

"Ken Harding, you're still such a bastard. Taking it out on a girl, what kind of skill is that?"

The collision knocked me off balance, and a big hand slid around me, catching me so I could stay upright.

Julian Henson stepped around to stand in front of me, wearing the look of a man who couldn't wait for the show to get bigger.

He and Ken were sworn enemies.

Of course he was happy to watch Ken make a fool of himself.

"Let go of her." Ken nearly exploded, glaring at the arm Julian had wrapped around my waist.

Because I had almost no strength left and could only stay on my feet by leaning on Julian, it looked all the more intimate.

Julian, provocative, tightened the arm around my waist a little more.

"I don't think I will."

The two of them locked eyes, cold, neither giving an inch.

"Come here." Ken commanded me, impatient and on edge, his eyes almost spitting fire.

In the past, the moment his tone shifted even slightly, I would obey him without a word.

But this time I didn't move. I bit down hard on my lip and even leaned back a little, closer behind Julian.

Julian raised an eyebrow, as if my move had caught him a little off guard.

And just as Ken was about to blow up, I spoke.

"Let's break up." My voice was neither loud nor soft. I let my gaze drift coolly over everyone in the room, then settled it on Ken.

Albert sucked in a sharp breath. This had to be the first time the great Ken Harding, undefeated in every love game he'd ever played, had been the one dumped.

No one dared make a sound.

A few people even quietly raised their phones, probably wanting to record this historic moment.

Gwyneth clapped a hand over her mouth in shock. In all their years, no matter how much she'd meddled, it had only ever been Ken doing the dumping.

"I'll say it one more time. Come here." Ken's face went cold. He ignored what I'd said and simply repeated it, holding his fury in check. "Lesley, I didn't agree to this."

In all his life, not one woman had ever dared go against what he wanted.

Julian's eyes moved between the two of us, thoroughly entertained.

I didn't answer. My nails dug hard into my palm.

"I don't have much patience, and I really don't like it when a woman throws a little tantrum at me." Ken frowned, out of patience, and ground out through his teeth, "I'll give you one last chance."

My throat tightened, my heart felt like it was being crushed in a fist. I knew that today, without Ken's say-so on this breakup, I wasn't getting out of here.

Thinking of how he'd once judged me, and how he could still stand there so easily and say he didn't agree.

Good little girl, my ass.

"I don't need your agreement."

Steeling myself, under everyone's stunned eyes, I rose on my toes and kissed Julian.

Every single person stared, dumbstruck.

Ken's breath caught, and he froze where he stood.

Julian went still for a second too, then his pupils brightened, his thin lips curved, laughter surfacing in his eyes, the corners of the kissing mouth lifting on their own.

He was smiling, and he played along, deepening the kiss until my legs went weak.

My face went red in an instant. Riding on pure spite, I lifted my head to meet Ken's eyes. "You know what? He kisses so much better than you."

The baby-faced rich kid choked on his drink and broke into a violent coughing fit.

The pressure around Ken dropped all at once, his lips pressed tight, not a word out of him. Those eyes just bored into me, as if they meant to burn a hole straight through me.