Chained To Me: A Billionaire Enemies To Lovers Romance

Chapter 17 -Aston

"What the hell did you say to her?" Lina confronts me when I come back down.

"What do you mean?" I brush an easy hand through my thick, blonde hair, conveying that I could care less about Everly Hunter.

But inside, I feel fucking bad that I made her cry. Seeing those tears form in her eyes made me feel like such a prick.

Yes, I wanted this. I pushed her away. I needed her out of my life so she'd never discover what Sienna did to me. But fuck, I felt something for her, a heated attraction that I can't ignore.

"I mean, she's going back to Seattle."

I raise my eyebrows in shock. Everly didn't have what it takes if she ran away so early. "Good riddance. We don't need her."

The words come out of my mouth, but I won't forget how she made me feel—white-hot heat, sinful magnetic attraction.

Lina turns to me, forcing me to stare into her eyes, which have become unfriendly and hostile. "Yes, we do need her. Do you realize that you just scared off the most proficient crisis manager in the country? What are we supposed to do now, huh?"

"I don't know. Release another statement. Apologize again. This whole mess will disappear once there's a better news story." I wave my hand in the air, indicating everything will be fine. But the truth is, as I look down at the paparazzi swarming my building for another day, I'm starting to doubt whether it will be.

I know that I'll get through this. I'm fucking strong. But maybe, just maybe, I need Everly's help, and I was too fucking quick to send her away.

Lina shakes her head. Then, she shows me her phone, which is pulled up to a Twitter feed that apparently I'm trending on.

"Aston Thomas is finally getting what he deserves. #cancelaston."

"This man has no heart. He's like the damn Tin Man. #cancelaston."

"He had sex with three strippers. It's all over the front page of every newspaper, and yet no one's doing anything to him. He deserves to rot. #cancelaston #astonthomasisgoingdown

I read her phone with skepticism. "People always want to be mad about something. This will fade out. Trust me."

Lina looks at me hard. "I don't think you understand where I'm coming from. There's no more plan. There's no fixing this without Everly. You need to go after her."

"Oh yeah, or what?" While I feel bad for pushing Everly away, I do not intend to chase her down.

"Or I'm out of here," Lina says boldly. "I can't do this with you, Aston. You refuse to help yourself."

I stare at her, stunned. "You wouldn't."

"Try me." She doesn't break away from my gaze, and I realize she might be serious. "If you don't bring Everly back here, I quit."

I can't imagine my life without Lina. She's been with me for so long. And she fixes things. If I fuck up, she's here to pick up the pieces. What the fuck would I do without her?

"Lina, we don't need her." I try again to convince her that this will all blow over. "I might be trending now, but people are fickle. They'll get over this."

Her glare is unwavering. "I'm serious, Aston. Get Everly back here, or I'm gone. I'm not going down with you on this sinking ship."

Fuck me now.

The idea of chasing Everly, asking or even begging her to return, doesn't sit well with me. I don't fucking beg. That's something I reserve for the woman in my life.

Now that I think of it, the idea of Everly begging for my cock is a nice thought.

But still, I won't fucking do it. I need to be in control of this situation, whether I lose Lina in the process or not.

"Fine," I say, teeth clenched. "Go. I can do this shit on my own."

She glares at me before picking up her Hermès purse. "I hope you know what you're doing, Aston. I hope your pride is worth blowing up everything in your life."She storms out of my office with those words, and I'm left alone.

I pace around the office, feeling like a caged animal.

Everly left. This is the way I wanted it from the beginning. I should feel happy. But instead of celebrating, I feel restless.

My life is torn apart.

I don't have Sienna, now I don't have Lina, and I'm still the subject of every nightly news program in the country, each of which is angling for my downfall.

What the fuck am I going to do?

I don't know.

But I have to figure out something.