Chapter 120

He carried me into a waiting room and carefully set me down on a soft sofa, his every movement gentle, too gentle. I didn’t understand why. Men like him didn’t do things without a reason. He sat across from me, elbows resting on his knees, eyes dragging over my face like he was memorizing every inch of it. I could feel the weight of his gaze, but I didn’t bother to hide my boredom. I was just about to speak when he beat me to it. “I know you’re confused about who I am, Bella,” he began, his tone flat, unreadable. “So I’ll tell you.” He paused, and then a slow, smug smirk crawled across his lips. “Your mate and I—we’ve been rivals in business for years. I found out he had you too.” His voice carried a strange amusement. “But what I didn’t expect was that he’d waste you. Treat you like trash when he should’ve worshipped the ground you walked on.” That made me lift my head, eyes narrowing. “And what the hell does being his rival have to do with me?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intende