My Ex Lost Me, But Another Billionaire Was Waiting for Me

Chapter 3

By the time the gala ended, the downpour had swallowed Fifth Avenue whole.

The subway had shut down. The line for taxis stretched well past two hours. So the club arranged suites upstairs for all the guests.

When I picked up my room key, I realized Grant and Selena had been assigned the room right next to mine.

Almost like it had been planned.

The walls weren't exactly soundproof.

I'd just finished my shower when I heard Selena's laughter through the wall.

"Remember Evelyn's 22nd birthday? She was waiting downstairs for you while we were up on the hotel's rooftop..."

"Enough." Grant's voice was rough, edged with unmistakable irritation.

"Why do you keep bringing her up tonight?"

"She's getting married. Aren't you mad?"

Silence lingered for several seconds. Then came the dull sound of a glass being set down a little too hard.

"What exactly would I be mad about?"

"Then why did you have the AC behind her turned off? Why did you arrange for a doctor to stay at the club before the party even started? Grant... you're still in love with her, aren't you?"

My breathing caught.

The room next door fell silent again.

A long moment passed before Grant finally spoke coldly, "She injured that leg because of me after one of my parties. I just don't want to owe her another one."

The words weren't sharp.

They were worse, like a dull blade, slowly slicing open an old wound.

I curled deeper beneath the blanket.

My phone lit up. It was Adrian.

Adrian: Room number?

I sent it.

Less than a minute later, another notification appeared.

Grant: Lock your door. A drunk guy harassed a female guest on the 13th floor. I've got security outside your room.

I opened the door.

Sure enough, two security guards stood at the far end of the hallway.

One of them walked over and handed me a sealed paper bag. "Mr. Whitmore asked us to bring you these. An ice pack and a knee brace."

I didn't take it. "Please return them to him."

The guard looked awkward.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open. Adrian stepped out.

Raindrops still clung to the shoulders of his black overcoat. His expression was calm and sharp. Behind him came the hotel manager and two private security officers.

The hotel above the club happened to belong to Voss Group.

"What happened?" he asked.

The guards straightened immediately.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Adrian's eyes swept over the paper bag before shifting toward the closed door next to mine.

"From Grant?"

"Yeah."

He took the bag and tossed it on the hallway console outside my door.

"The hotel's security system has already been checked. I'm staying tonight."

As if someone had heard us, the neighboring door suddenly opened.

Grant stood there. His shirt collar was partly undone. An unlit cigarette rested between his fingers.

His eyes found me first. Only after confirming I was unharmed did he look at Adrian.

"What are you doing outside her room?"

Adrian answered evenly, "Does a fiancé need your permission to spend the night with his fiancée?"

Grant's expression darkened instantly. "She's afraid of thunderstorms."

The words came out too fast, almost as if they weren't something anyone else was ever supposed to know.

I froze.

Back in college, I'd never admitted I was terrified of thunder.

Only once, during a blackout, I'd waited outside my dorm until nearly dawn.

Grant had driven back, asked me nothing, and simply sat with me in the car while music played through the night.

So he'd remembered all along.

Adrian looked at him for several quiet seconds. "I know."

Grant's face turned completely cold. "Evelyn, come here."

I didn't move.

"Grant, we broke up three years ago."

"That doesn't mean you can stay in the same room with some stranger."

"He's my fiancé."

"A man who won't even tell people his real name?"

The corner of Adrian's mouth lifted slightly. "At least she chose me, not you."

The air tightened like a wire pulled to its limit.

Grant stared at me. Rage burned in his eyes, so did something else. Something he refused to admit—it was fear.

Eventually, he snapped the cigarette clean in half. He turned and walked back into his room.

Just before the door closed, his low voice drifted out. "I left the medicine outside. Use it if your knee starts hurting."

For one dangerous moment, I almost gave in.

Then Selena sweetly called his name from inside. The door shut completely.

I suddenly felt ridiculous.

Adrian stepped into my room and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"When you lie, you never look people in the eye."

I lifted my head. My gaze met his.

Those gray eyes were calm and deep, like the sea on a stormy night.

"There's only one bed in here," I said, trying to change the subject.

"I can have the manager open another room."

A burst of exaggerated laughter drifted through the wall from next door.

Then came the muffled thud of a headboard hitting the wall.

My stomach twisted.

Adrian had already picked up his phone. "I'll have them move you to the penthouse suite."

I caught his sleeve. "No."

His eyes lowered to my hand.

I wasn't sure where the courage came from. "You can stay here tonight."

His gaze grew noticeably darker. "Evelyn, do you know what you're doing?"

"I just... I don't want to be alone."

"Fine," he answered without a second's hesitation.

At that exact moment, my phone began buzzing nonstop.

Grant: Three minutes. Come out.

I ignored it.

Another message arrived immediately.

Grant: Don't make me knock.

Adrian glanced at the screen. His expression barely changed.

He removed his watch. Then, with unhurried movements, he loosened the top button of his shirt.

"He seems keen on finding out what we're doing."

Heat rushed to my cheeks.

"Then let's show him."

Adrian took one slow step closer. The clean scent of cedar and rain surrounded me.

He gently lifted my chin. His voice dropped to almost a whisper.

"I don't like leaving people wondering. I prefer giving them a straight answer."

He leaned in. His lips stopped less than an inch from mine, close enough that I could feel his breath.

"May I?" he asked softly.

I nodded.

The next second, heavy knocks pounded against the door.

Grant's voice, tight with restrained anger, cut through the wood.

"Evelyn, open the door!"

Then came his call.

Adrian looked at me. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Then, right in front of me, he answered,

"Can't. She's busy."

Silence filled the other end of the line.

Then his voice sounded like it had been forced through clenched teeth.

"Lucien?"

Adrian slipped an arm around my waist and drew me gently against him.

"Yes."

"If you lay a finger on her, I'll make you disappear from Kingsley City."

Adrian lowered his head. His lips brushed lightly against the edge of my ear.

"Grant, you know she's afraid of thunderstorms, but somehow you still don't know she doesn't love you anymore. The thing you should really be afraid of was never whether I'd touch her. It's whether she'd let me."