“You said some pretty awful things to him,” she admonishes. “About me.”

“Nothing that wasn’t true,” I reassure her firmly. “He was using you to get ahead.”

Violet visibly flinches, her eyes narrowing as she stares at me. I shouldn’t have said that. “And what are you doing? Aren’t you using me?”

“At least you know I am,” I say coolly, my mind scrambling. I need to redirect. I just pissed her off royally. Again.

I seem to have a fucking knack for it.

“I see, then.” She sits up straighter and starts moving shit around her desk, trying to look busy. “Three o’clock at the conference room on this floor,” she says crisply. “Don’t be late.”

I know when I’ve been dismissed. Without another word, I leave her office and head toward the elevators, keeping my head bent, not wanting to look anyone in the eye. One smirk from someone and I might do something I’ll regret.

Like smash their face in with my fist.

No one says a word to me and I stop in front of the elevators, pushing the down button as I wait impatiently. I’m watching the numbers light up above the doors, tapping my foot yet again, hoping like hell I don’t run into Lawrence since he seems to always be lurking around, when I hear Pilar’s familiar voice sound from behind me.

“You are causing quite the ruckus around here,” she murmurs.

I barely spare her a glance. “You have zero room to talk.”

The doors slide open and she enters the elevator with me, standing so close our arms brush despite there being no one else in the car with us. “At least I make my mess discreetly. You, on the other hand, engage in a fight with your nemesis at a party, tossing insults at each other in front of people.”

“I hate that fucker,” I mutter as I again resume watching the floor numbers light up.

“He’s a rather good fuck. Quite willing to do whatever I ask of him,” she purrs, making me grimace. The last thing I want to know is how Lawrence fucks her. I’m afraid that if I open my mouth I’ll say something I regret. So I keep quiet.

Pilar hates it when I’m quiet.

She lets out an irritated sound and steps forward, shooting her arm out so she can push the emergency button, and the elevator comes to a jerking halt.

“What the fuck?” I ask, but she’s coming at me, shoving at my shoulders, making me falter backward.

“What in the world is wrong with you? You’re going to ruin everything.” She hisses out the last word. “Why did you create such a scene with Zachary last night? You don’t even know what I had to do to keep Forrest from hearing about it.”

I’m confused. What does Forrest Fowler have to do with any of this? “What are you talking about?”

She wraps her fingers tight around the lapels of my jacket and glares at me, her expression full of menace. “I’m doing everything to keep the old man happy and trying to make him realize how valuable of an asset I am to this company. All while you’re out fucking around with his daughter—in public, I might remind you—and getting in fights with the very man you want to replace. Did fooling around with Violet Fowler turn you stupid, or what?”

I push her off me, smoothing out the wrinkles her hands left in my jacket. “You have no idea what happened between us last night. The fucker says things to get a reaction out of me. So I’m human. I reacted.”

She rolls her eyes and throws her hands up into the air. “You need to learn some control. Haven’t I taught you anything these last few years?”

Pilar has taught me plenty about the business, but ultimately I’m the con. I’m the one who knows how to bring the hustle. Yet I spend a few stolen moments with Violet here and there and it’s like I forget everything I’ve worked toward. I see her shitty ex-boyfriend and all I want to do is break his fucking nose.

The last thing I need is Pilar irritated with me. Or worse, dead set on exposing what I’m doing. I need to placate her. Calm her down.

“Listen.” I grab hold of her shoulders and give her a gentle shake. “You know as well as I do that Zachary hates me. He hates me as much as I hate him. When he says something, I react. I can’t help it.”

“Well, learn to control it,” she says with a little huff, her eyes softening the slightest bit. “I know I don’t help matters, saying such things to you. Like how good in bed he is.”

She said that again just to piss me off. I refuse to let her get to me. “You’re a bit of a bitch to say things like that, yes,” I say, keeping my tone light. Like I’m teasing her. I’m still pissed, but I don’t want to deal with her when she’s angry. “Bit of a bitch” is an understatement.

Total and complete bitch is more like it.

A little smile curls her lips and relief settles within me. She fell for it. I’ve got her. I know I do. “You’re such a bastard.”

“I know. Together, we’ll be the ones ruling this company someday, not them,” I remind her, hoping like hell she doesn’t notice how hollow my words sound. Because … I don’t mean it. Not anymore. I don’t want to rule Fleur with Pilar by my side.

If I get the chance, I want to rule this company on my own.

Her eyes flicker and she looks away from me. “Of course, darling.” She looks at me once more, her smile as fake as my earlier words. “The two of us together. Sounds perfect.”