The Rival Hearts

Chapter 6

My patience was wearing thin as I checked my watch for what felt like the hundredth time. The wind played with the loose strands of my hair, but it did little to cool my growing irritation. William had insisted on making me wait, and yet here I was, waiting, for fifteen minutes. I was starting to think he ditched me.

I knew I shouldn't have entertained the idea. I had a plane to catch to Hong Kong for Keith and Taylor's wedding. I had no time for playing games.

I scanned the road again, and just as I was about to give up and head back inside, a grey Aston Martin roared around the corner, its engine purring with the kind of power that turned heads. I rolled my eyes as the car slowed to a stop right in front of me, its dark windows concealing the driver.

The passenger side window lowered, revealing William in the driver's seat. He flashed a smug smile, one that made me want to both slap him and roll my eyes again.

"Your face told me you thought I'd leave you stranded," he said, his voice tinged with amusement. "Not sure where the lack of faith came from."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, my earlier irritation still bubbling on the surface. "You're late."

He leaned across the seat to open the door for me. "Was I late, or were you early?" he countered, still wearing that infuriating smile. "Get in. We've got somewhere important to be."

With a sigh, I slid into the passenger seat, closing the door. "Do you know how much my time cost? How many people would die for it? Stop abusing your privilege, Montgomery. For a businessman, you don't respect time."

"Why are you so strict, Iz? Someone would assume you got a stick up your ass, but I'd know cause I've been inside it and every other hole, and there's nothing like a stick up there."

"You're so disgusting."

He laughed. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood."

As he pulled away from the resort, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, wondering just what he had planned this time.

"Where are you taking me?"

"Where sinners live."

"Yeah, I know your address," I shot back without missing a beat.

He chuckled. "Touché, but today, I'm taking you somewhere a little more...exclusive."

I arched an eyebrow. "Exclusive? It sounds like another one of your playgrounds that I'm going to hate."

"You could say that," he admitted, his eyes flicking to mine for a brief moment before returning to the road. "But this time, it's not about me. It's about you."

I frowned, not sure if I liked where this was going. "About me?"

He nodded. "You'll see when we get there. Just trust me."

I crossed my arms, leaning back in my seat. "I haven't trusted you since middle school, but fine. If this turns out to be one of your tricks, you're going to regret it."

"I'd expect nothing less from you, Armstrong," he said, his focus on the road ahead, though the corner of his mouth twitched in a smirk.

"I'm serious, Montgomery. One trick, and I'll make you pay for it."

"Noted. But trust me, this one's going to make you happy." He paused, his eyes flicking toward me before returning to the road. "I know we don't do things the easy way, you and I. Everything between us feels like a battlefield—swords and knives, blood and tears. But there's one thing we both don't tolerate: a knife in the back. I'm giving you a chance to settle yours. No tricks, no games. Just a fair shot."