Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Verity:

I wanted Jaguar’s attention, or at least Theodore’s.

I wanted one of them to see me leaving with her so that if Gigi said something and my attitude changed afterward, they would know it had happened after our conversation.

Sadly, neither of them looked.

They were busy with work.

And Gigi seemed to be in a hurry. She knew she needed to get me away for whatever plan she had in mind.

A moment later, we were standing in the parking lot.

Gigi, in her designer bronze skirt, looked amazing.

She had probably lost even more weight because she looked noticeably leaner now.

Her cheekbones and jawline were sharp and perfectly defined.

Even her collarbones and shoulder bones were more prominent.

Once we stopped, I took a deep breath and smiled at her.

”Yes, Gigi?” I asked.

She stood in front of me, rubbing her hands together in an odd way while looking me up and down.

”Do you know a perfect place for, like, you know, a date? Or somewhere a person can go to relax with someone they’re starting to spark something with?”

She asked in a tone that was half excited and half nervous.

”Um, I’m not sure what you’re asking me,” I replied in confusion, not understanding why she was talking to me, of all people, about her dating life with Ragnar. ”Could you be more specific?”

She slapped a hand against her forehead as if she’d just realized how crazy she sounded.

”Right. So, don’t tell anyone. It’s a secret between you and me. Promise me.”

She spoke dramatically.

This was how she always acted whenever something new happened.

She loved making things sound far more suspenseful than they actually were.

”Yeah, so...” she began.

One of your bosses had kind of an intimate moment with someone, and I guess it caught her off guard.

So she kind of–” She started rambling, causing curiosity to burn in my chest.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want me to know.

It was the opposite.

She wanted me to know every detail.

And I was already wondering where this was going.

Was she sharing personal details about Ragnar with me because she’d chosen him over my brother?

Or was it something else entirely?

”Okay.” She took a deep breath, a dramatic one, and used her hands to calm herself. ”Jaguar and my friend had a moment yesterday. He was dropping her off, and, you know, she’s very sexy. Things got a little heated, and he kissed her.”

She lowered her voice.

”She was too stunned to push him away right away. By the time she did, things had already gone further than she was comfortable with. So she stopped him. Not rudely. She just wasn’t ready.”

Gigi shrugged.

”I guess he got upset. She got upset. He dropped her off and came back home. He’s been acting really strange ever since. So she asked me to find the perfect environment for them. Something cozy, but not too flashy.”

Her words shocked me.

I stared at her in silence for several seconds because something wasn’t adding up.

”I’m sorry, but why are you discussing this with me?” I asked. ”I think that’s something private that should only be spoken with family.”

It was my subtle way of reminding her that they considered her family.

So why was she sharing Jaguar’s personal business with me?

”Actually, I’m a little flashy, you know.” She waved a hand at herself. ”I like designer things. Expensive things.”

Then she pointed at me.

”But you...”

Her nose wrinkled.

”I mean, you’d probably come up with something more natural. You know, when money is tight, people find other ways to impress someone. So I thought you might have some advice.”

She stopped talking and batted her eyelashes at me as though that would somehow make her look innocent.

”Well, I’m not sure if you should be asking for a place to go on a date or advice for Jaguar. Because if she was so uncomfortable that she got upset and pushed him away, then I think that’s harassment.”

The moment I said that, I watched the color drain from Gigi’s face.

”It wasn’t,” she replied quickly. ”It wasn’t their first time. They’ve been fooling around for a while. A little touching here and there. It’s just that he got busy, missed the dinner—”

She paused.

”I had planned a dinner,” she corrected herself.

Then she noticed the frown on my forehead.

”So she was already upset with him. It wasn’t that he came onto her out of nowhere. Things had already started between them, but then she remembered something. It’s a whole thing. They’re messing around, and honestly, of course they are. He likes her. She likes him. But that’s beside the point.”

She waved a hand impatiently.

”You just tell me if you have any ideas or not.”

This time, she sounded annoyed, and I could tell I was going to get into trouble if I kept questioning her.

”Oh,” I murmured.

”What does she do?” I asked.

Gigi clasped her clutch with both hands and bounced lightly on her feet.

”She’s a teacher,” she replied with a shrug.

”Okay, then how about a picnic? They can talk things out there.”

The suggestion nearly made me choke.

Jaguar had always had a thing for beautiful women, and considering how scummy he and his brothers were, I didn’t have to wonder whether he was looking at other women while trying to pursue me.

That realization unsettled me even more.

”Well, if you’ll excuse me, and if everything’s settled, I’d be happy to help more. However, I need to report my arrival to Alpha King Ragnar.”

I smiled at her as I spoke.

Inside, though, I was beginning to wonder if I was already failing this mission.

Because if Gigi’s friend was actually getting serious with Jaguar, then Jaguar would obviously choose her.

She was Gigi’s friend.

Ragnar and his brothers would never allow one of their own to play games with someone close to Gigi. Especially not her friend.

In the end, I would be the one left looking like a fool.

And I wasn’t going to let that happen.