The Broke, Mute Boy I Saved Was a Bored Billionaire Chapter 03

The Broke, Mute Boy I Saved Was a Bored Billionaire Chapter 03

Bastien walked into Aster House, an exclusive members’ club downtown. The doorman greeted him by name and hurried to let him through.

He had clearly been there plenty of times before.

I followed him inside and stopped in the shadows of the hallway. Through the half-open door of a private lounge, I saw amber lighting, crowded couches, and bottles covering the low table.

The moment Bastien entered, someone called out, “Rothwell, no sugar mama tonight?”

Bastien gave a dismissive laugh, loosened his tie, and drained half his drink.

“I’ve been giving her too much attention. Now she thinks she can ask for things.”

Veda Norcross—the woman from the yacht photo—leaned into him, tracing a finger along his collarbone.

“Did you bring me something, Bas?”

Bastien pulled a jewelry box from his pocket and handed it over. “Wear it if you want.”

Veda opened the box, then frowned. “Wasn’t this design from last season?”

“Yeah.” He barely glanced at it. “I was going to give it to her.”

The others immediately crowded around.

“Wait. I thought she only got the ten-dollar knockoffs.”

“Don’t tell me Rothwell caught feelings after sleeping with her.”

Hidden beyond the doorway, I curled my trembling fingers into a fist.

Bastien was quiet for a moment. Then he exhaled a slow stream of smoke.

“Are you kidding? You think I’d fall for some cheap, dowdy older woman like her?”

“I’m already bored. I was planning to tell her the truth in a few days anyway.”

He looked toward the bracelet in Veda’s hand. “She treated me well, though. I figured I’d give her last season’s leftovers when I ended it.”

The room erupted in mocking whistles.

I was only a few feet away, but it felt as though the floor had dropped out beneath me.

One of the guys leaned forward. “She’s not ugly, though. Once you dump her, maybe I’ll catch her while she’s vulnerable. Think she’d go home with me?”

Veda smacked his arm. “Seriously? She always looks half-dead. What exactly are you into?”

He laughed. “Maybe I like the fragile type.”

Then he turned to Bastien. “Is she actually sick?”

Bastien swirled the liquor in his glass. “She’s anemic. That’s it. She just likes making a big deal out of everything.”

Veda covered her mouth as she laughed. “Exactly. Bas swapped out the pills on her nightstand weeks ago, and she still hasn’t noticed.”

Her laugh was light and sweet.

Every note cut straight through me.

So that was why I had been getting worse so quickly.

The medication I had scraped together every last dollar to buy had been replaced by Bastien.

Heat surged into my throat. I clamped a hand over my mouth and forced the blood back down.

Inside the lounge, Bastien checked his phone again and again, growing more irritated each time.

Veda draped herself across him. “Bas, why are you ignoring me?”

He caught her chin between his fingers, amusement curling at the corner of his mouth.

“I’m waiting to see how long it takes Tressa to cave. Are you jealous?”

“Relax. She’ll be history soon.”

Then he kissed her.

The room exploded with whistles and laughter.

I stood outside the door, my nails digging into my palm so hard they should have hurt.

I felt nothing.

I took out my phone and sent him a message.

Tressa: [I’ll take everyone skiing this weekend.]

A roar went up inside the lounge almost immediately.

“Holy shit! She answered!”

“Rothwell wins again!”

Bastien held up his phone, the glow from the screen catching his smug smile.

“Told you,” he said. “She can’t stay away from me.”

Veda fell against his chest with a laugh. “You promised that after skiing, you’d bring her to my birthday party at the Norcross Grand.”

“You’re going to tell her who you really are, then go public with me.”

Bastien paused before lowering his mouth to her ear.

“Of course.”

After kissing her again, he looked down and typed a reply.

My phone buzzed.

Bastien: [Sounds good. I’m buried in schoolwork this week, so I’ll stay on campus. See you at Blackpine Summit this weekend.]

I sent back one word: [Okay.]

Then I turned and walked away.

The hallway seemed endless, my shadow stretched thin across the floor behind me.

The night outside was still bitterly cold.

This time, I did not cry.