Page 111 of Bid For Me
“This…” I tilt my head, trying to make sense of it. “This is insane.”
“It’s karma,” Candy declares with a smug grin. “You mess with my bestie, the universe messes with you.”
I put the phone down on the counter, my hands shaking. “Does Seb know?”
Candy sobers a little at that. “I don’t know. Probably? It’s all over the news, so unless he’s living under a rock…”
I press my fingers to my temples, my thoughts racing. This changes everything. The power Alexander held over Seb, over me – it’s gone. Just like that.
A wave of relief washes over me, but it’s quickly followed by something else, something more complicated.
Guilt.
Because as much as Alexander deserves this, he’s still Seb’s father.
“I need to call him,” I say, reaching for my phone.
Candy stops me with a hand on my arm. “Elle, maybe give it a minute. Let him come to you.”
I hesitate, biting my lip. She’s right. Seb’s relationship with his father is a tangled mess, and this is bound to hit him hard, no matter how strained things have been.
“What do I do?” I ask softly, more to myself than to Candy.
“You let him prove himself,” she says, her tone gentler now. “He said he’d take care of his father. Looks like the universe decided to handle it for him.”
I laugh, a small, disbelieving sound as Seb’s words from before come back to me. He said to keep an eye on the news, didn’t he? Was this what he meant?
I look at Candy. “You think the universe did this for me?”
Candy grins. “Damn right it did. You’re Elle fucking Rialdi…err…Sterling-Knight, babe. Even the cosmos knows not to mess with you.”
I shake my head, a reluctant smile tugging at my lips. “You’re ridiculous.”
“And you love me for it,” she says, smirking.
The phone buzzes on the counter, and both of us freeze. I glance down at the screen.Seb.
Candy raises an eyebrow. “Speak of the devil…”
My heart pounds as I pick up the phone. I take a deep breath before answering, Candy giving me a thumbs-up as she slips out of the room to give me some privacy.
“Hello?”
“Elle,” Seb says, his voice rough, like he hasn’t slept. “I need to see you. Please.”
My stomach twists. “Seb, I saw the news?—”
“I’ll explain everything,” he cuts in, his tone urgent. “But I need to see you. Are you at the boutique?”
“No,” I say, my voice softening. “I’m at my apartment.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” he says. “Please don’t shut me out.”
The line goes dead before I can respond. I stare at the phone, my emotions a chaotic swirl of anger, pity, and something dangerously close to hope.
This is it. Whatever happens next, it’s going to change everything.
Candy bursts back through the bathroom door before I can even process Seb’s call. “We don’t have long to make you look fabulous!” she announces, hands on her hips like a drill sergeant.