“Hey, Lilipop! How's Friday afternoon going for my favorite mommy-to-be?”
“It's a bit tiring, to be honest. It's been a crazy busy week, and I'm looking forward to kicking back and relaxing this weekend.”
“I hear ya. It's been a busy day at the office here, too. Hey, how would you feel about dinner?”
“Really? You’re asking a pregnant woman if she wants to eat?” I joked. “That sounds like a great idea.”
“Cool. How do you feel about sushi?”
“Ugh! Yes! You know me so well. I swear this kid is going to love sushi. Meet you at our usual sushi spot at 7:00?”
“Perfect! See you then!”
“Sweet. Bye, Meg.”
***
I checked the time on my phone again. It was only ten past 7:00, but it was very unusual for Meg to be late for anything. I considered calling her, but decided to wait another five minutes, just in case. Traffic had, after all, been particularly bad on the way here.
I tapped the screen on my phone and reached for my water just as a familiar voice sounded behind me. A chill ran down my spine.
“Well, well, well . . . Lilah Maxwell. Fancy meeting you here.”
I turned around to find Brendan Savage leering down at me, a stunning woman hanging on his arm. Her eyes were glazed over; she looked as if she was high on something. She probably had to be to put up with this creep. He whispered something in her ear, and she sauntered away.
Without asking, he sat down in the empty seat across from me at my table.
“What do you want?” I snapped. “I didn't say you could sit there.”
“Aw, come on now, is that how you treat an old, dear friend?”
“You aren't my friend, and you never were.”
“An old lover, then?”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. I never let you touch me even once, and with good reason. Now, I'm waiting for an actual friend. Go away. I'll gladly call the manager if you don't.”
“Oh, is that a threat?” he smirked.
“Not at all,” I assured him. “I fully intend to follow through.”
“You think you're so much better than me, don't you? You and that prick boss of yours. Well, even though you two thought you got me, like the little Nancy Drew you thought you were, look at me. I'm walking around a free man with my reputation, intact despite your attempts to smear me in the press.”
“I’d say that reputation is a matter of opinion. But what you do have left is only because you bought off a journalist and got him to write a spin piece. Let’s not forget,that I know how much you had to pay Asher in that settlement. How does it feel to lose your billionaire status? What are driving now, anyway? I heard you had to sell your precious Bugatti to cover some of the expenses.”
He snarled, his facade of indifference broken.
“You're one stone-cold bitch, Lilah,” he hissed. “And you will get what’s coming to you. Don't think you're going to get away with what you did to me. You'd better sleep with one eye open.”
I stared at him with cold contempt in my eyes. “You're pathetic, Brendan. Get up now and leave.”
“I'll get up when—”
I grabbed the sleeve of a passing waiter who happened to be a tall, burly young man whose heavy arms were covered with biker-style tattoos.
“Excuse me, but this man has just sat down at my table uninvited, and he's harassing me and refusing to leave. Could you please call the manager?”
The burly waiter glared aggressively at Brendan.