Chapter 218: Chapter 218
Mason’s POV
I stood frozen in the hospital cafeteria doorway, watching what was happening in front of me. Emily had just grabbed Matt by his lab coat and kissed him in front of everyone.
My chest felt tight as nurses gasped and whispered around them.
"I know you’re all dying to get close to this man," Emily said to the shocked nurses. "But I won’t let you because this man is mine. He’s my boyfriend and I don’t share! You got it?"
The way she claimed him made something inside me hurt.
I came here to pick up Matt after his night shift, knowing he’d be tired. Instead, I found myself watching the woman who couldn’t remember my brother still fighting for him like her heart knew what her mind had forgotten.
"Jealousy doesn’t look good on you," Larson growled inside my head.
"Shut up," I shot back silently.
Jealousy? Was that suffocating feeling in my chest really coming from jealousy?
I backed away before either of them could see me. My hands clenched into fists.
Larson’s words hit me hard. What causes jealousy? Love? Attraction?
I didn’t hate Emily. I respected her. I was attracted to her. And I had no right to feel this way about my twin brother’s girlfriend.
When had this happened? When had my feelings for Emily changed from hate to something else?
My jaw tightened as I walked through the hospital hallways.
Emily wasn’t the kind of beautiful that stopped traffic. She wasn’t a model or anything like that. She wasn’t even the type I usually went for.
But there was something about her. Her intelligence, her strength, her fierce spirit. She reminded me of the sunflowers growing at the Monroe estate I now managed. Always turning toward light, bright and stubborn no matter what tried to kill them.
When had it started?
Maybe it was when I first saw her cry. Or when she fought back against my cruelty. Or that night in the bar’s private room when I had her pinned down, saying terrible things while my body showed how I really felt.
Goddess, I’d been such an asshole.
I got into my car in the parking lot, started the engine, and drove off fast. The tires made noise against the pavement as my frustration grew.
I needed something to distract me. Anything to get her out of my head.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself at a day bar downtown. The place was already busy even though it was early, filled with people trying to escape something in their lives. Just like me.
"This won’t solve anything," Larson warned, but I ignored him as I looked around.
I needed someone completely different from Emily.
My feelings were still new. I could still change them before I went completely crazy wanting what belonged to my brother.
"Hi, handsome!" A blonde in a tight dress smiled at me from across the room.
I barely looked at her before turning away and heading to the bar. Maybe alcohol would kill these wrong feelings.
I sat down and ordered whiskey, straight.
"One margarita, please!"
A woman sat down next to me. She wore a tiny skirt that barely covered anything and a top that was almost nothing. Her heavily curled hair framed a face with way too much makeup. Even without Larson’s senses, I could tell what kind of work she did.
"Millie! What the hell did you do?" A man in an expensive but cheap looking suit grabbed her arm roughly, his face twisted with anger.
The woman, Millie, pulled her arm away. "I told you I’ll have sex but I don’t do drugs. That old man is sick!"
I took a sharp breath, and she looked my way for a second before turning back to her fight.
"He paid you, Millie! We’ll lose a million! God, you’re so damn difficult!" The man’s fingers dug into her arm, leaving white marks on her skin.
"I don’t care!" She stood her ground even though I could sense her fear.
"Then pay me a million if you don’t want this client." His voice became threatening.
"What?" Her confidence wavered.
Something in me snapped. I’d been a monster to Emily once, treating her like she was nothing. I wouldn’t stand by and watch another woman get hurt.
I stood up, my drink untouched. "I’ll give you five million," I said coldly, staring down the pimp. "Leave her alone."
The man turned to me. Surprise replaced his anger for a moment before his eyes got calculating. "This isn’t your business, pretty boy."
"I’m making it my business." My voice stayed calm.
"Five million. Take it or leave it."
I wasn’t looking for sex. I just couldn’t stand seeing someone bullied and threatened. Maybe it was guilt over how I’d treated Emily, or maybe it was just basic decency finally getting through my selfishness.
