Holden Sterling: The Sterling Brothers Billionaire Saga BWWM Book 1

Episode 18: Jonathan (I broke her heart!)

Eriola entered the conference room where we were all discussing the hotel plans, but she didn't have her usual bubbly energy. Something must have happened to put her in this state. Instead of joining us at the table, she sat down and began sketching on a nearby drawing board. This was her go-to coping mechanism when she had something weighing on her mind. Everyone else was leaving for the construction center, but Eriola had an additional task to work on for the hotel, at my request.

As the last person left the conference room, I approached Eriola to see what was wrong. "Is everything okay, baby?" I asked as I pulled up a chair next to her. She didn't look up or answer, tears silently streaming down her face.

Finally, she looked at me with hurt and anger in her eyes. "You cheated on me last weekend during your business trip to Chicago, didn't you?" she asked. My heart dropped as I tried to process how she could possibly know about that incident. Did she hire a private investigator like Rachael did? My initial anger dissipated into worry and guilt.

"Is that what you think?" I ask, my voice cutting through the heavy silence. All the while, I'm calculating how she could've possibly found out about Chicago.

Our gazes lock, her beautiful eyes burning holes into me. She's always been too perceptive for her own good. Deep down, I know she doesn't deserve to be dragged into my world of deceit and sin. But fuck me if I don't want her here with me.

"Who told you?" I demand, my temper flaring. Has someone been spouting their mouth off? If so, they'll pay for it. No one interferes with my business...or my woman.

She stays silent, her eyes never leaving mine, daring me to confirm or deny it myself.

I pull my chair closer to hers, the scrape of metal against tile echoing through the room. My hand reaches out to brush a tear from her cheek but she recoils before I can make contact.

"You have no fucking right," she hisses at me, her purple eyes blazing with fury and...heartbreak. My heart clenches at that sight.

Ignoring her comment, my hand moves towards her again with a singular goal–to touch her, to reassure her despite the shitstorm unfolding but she rejects me once more. "Answer me," she demands in a tone that commands attention. The anger in her stare nearly has me admitting everything but I hold back.

"I didn't cheat on you," My tone's flat but before she can argue further, I add another truth just as important as the first. "I fucked up in Chicago."

The room falls silent with nothing but our heavy breathing filling up the space. My admission seems to stun her. "But that doesn't mean I cheated on you," I say firmly.

She looks at me, confusion clouding those hazel eyes of hers. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, yes," I confess, clenching my jaw as I release the truth that had been eating at me. "I was with someone in Chicago. But it was a mistake, Eriola. One I regret. I didn't... I wasn't in my right mind."

Truth is, I can't stand the thought of any other woman but her. Every other female pales in comparison to my fiery Eriola. "And you think that fucking makes it okay?" she shoots back, rage lacing her every word.

"No, it doesn't," I admit, my voice a low growl. Eriola is visibly shaking now, her tears streaming down like an endless waterfall. I ache to reach out and wipe them away, but I know I'm the cause of them.

"Then what the fuck does it mean?" she asks, her voice trembling as much as she is. The anger's still there but it's laced with hurt - a hurt that rips through me like a bullet.

"It means," I start, pushing my chair back as I rise, "that I fucked up. Big time." My gaze never leaves hers as I circle the table to stand in front of her. "I did something stupid, Eriola," I confess, my voice dropping an octave lower. "And I regret every fucking second of it."