Chapter 221.

Emilia arrived at the penthouse first thing in the morning. Adrian was beside her.

They were supposed to keep Kylie distracted, and pretend everything was normal. However, the moment the elevator doors opened, Emilia knew something had gone wrong.

The door to the penthouse opened before she could knock.

Kylie stood there.

Her hair was messy, falling around her face. She wore an oversized sweatshirt and shorts, with her bare feet planted against the floor.

It wasn’t the appearance that made Emilia stop. It was her eyes. They were cold. Too cold to belong to Kylie.

Kylie stared at her for a few seconds. Then she stepped aside. "You saw it too?"

Emilia’s heart sank. Her mouth went dry. "Kylie—"

"Come in."

Emilia walked inside.

The penthouse was unusually quiet.

Kylie closed the door behind them.

Emilia forced herself to breathe. "What are you talking about?" she asked carefully.

Kylie stared at her. For a moment, she said nothing, as she searched Emilia’s eyes. Then her eyes got colder, as she fixed a hard glare on Emilia. "Don’t lie to me. You’re about to."

"Kylie—"

"Please don’t."

Emilia swallowed. "I don’t know what you—"

"Cut the crap, Emilia."

Emilia froze.

Kylie folded her arms. "I saw it." Her voice cracked slightly on the last word, but she quickly swallowed it down.

"I saw everything."

Emilia took a step toward her.

Kylie didn’t move.

"I wasn’t even supposed to see it," she whispered. "I couldn’t get into my account last night, so I used an old one. One I haven’t touched in years. I just wanted to watch reels."

Her lips twisted. "That’s all."

Emilia’s eyes watered. "Kylie..."

"I typed my username for my old account, wondering what was going on." She laughed quietly. This time, there was no humor in it. "And there it was."

Emilia walked toward her.

Kylie remained still. "They called me everything."

Emilia reached her and immediately pulled her into a hug. "I’m sorry, Kylie."

Kylie’s arms stayed at her sides. She didn’t hug her back. For several seconds, she simply stood there.

"They’re right, though." She whispered.

Emilia pulled back. "What?"

Kylie looked straight into Emilia’s eyes. "They’re right."

"No."

"I’m the loud party girl after wealthy men."

"Don’t say that." Emilia reprimanded her.

"It’s true."

"No, it isn’t."

Kylie looked down at herself.

"I like expensive things. I like parties. I like dressing up. I have sleep around. I flirt. I go out. I make stupid decisions."

She swallowed.

"And now I’m sleeping in a penthouse bought by a billionaire while he’s engaged to another woman."

"Kylie." Emilia’s voice broke.

"I look exactly like the girl they described."

"You don’t." Emilia held Kykie’s shoulders. She searched her eyes. "You don’t."

"But I do. No big deal." Her voice became quieter. "Maybe that’s why my father was right. I truly knew nothing."

Emilia’s expression broke. "Your father was wrong about you."

Kylie shook her head. She wasn’t listening anymore. Everything inside her had folded inward.

The bubbly girl Emilia knew seemed to disappear before her eyes.

Kylie had crawled back into her shell, and Emilia knew that shell.

It was the one Kylie had built years ago because being seen had always felt dangerous.

Before Emilia could say anything else, footsteps sounded from the hallway.

Christian appeared. He walked quickly into the living room. He looked ready to speak, and then he saw Adrian.

His steps slowed.

A small breath left his chest.

Kylie turned toward him. Her expression didn’t change. "Did you tamper with my accounts or my phone?"

Christian blinked, taken aback. "Kylie..."

"I asked you a question."

"I was trying to protect you."

"Did you?" Kylie nodded slowly. "Right." She smiled sadly. "I knew it was just a matter of time before you would also assume I’m stupid."

Christian took a step forward. "Kylie, I—"

"I asked you to go back to her."

His eyes hardened with guilt.

Kylie crossed an arm across her chest, and shook her head. "I asked you to leave me alone."

"Kylie, I said I would explain."

"Go on." She crossed both arms, and lifted her chin. "Go on. Explain some crap-loaded shit to me."

Christian looked at Emilia. She looked at Adrian, and Adrian gave her the smallest nod.

Emilia looked back at Kylie. "I’m right outside."

Kylie didn’t respond.

Emilia walked toward the door.

Adrian followed, and Christian didn’t stop them.

The door closed, and silence filled the penthouse again.

Christian looked at Kylie.

She walked towards the staircase, and climbed up. "You hid this from me."

Christian followed behind her. "I didn’t want you to see it."

"But I did."

"I know."

"You blocked my accounts." She reminded him, as she opened the room door.

"Only temporarily."

"You changed my phone settings."

"Some of them." Christaun admitted, as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

Kylie nodded. "So you decided what I was allowed to know."

Christian said nothing.

She turned towards him, and her eyes finally met his. "Why?"

"I knew what it would do to you."

She smiled softly. Almost unbothered. "You knew?"

"Yes."

"And instead of letting me decide how I wanted to deal with it, you decided for me."

"I had twenty-four hours."

"You had twenty-four hours to do what?"

"To make it stop."

"How?"

Christian’s expression tightened. "I was going to handle it."

"Of course you were."

"Kylie."

"No, it’s fine." She nodded calmly, and turned away. "That’s what you do, isn’t it?"

He didn’t answer.

"You handle things." She walked toward the closet. "You handle your mother." She opened the closet. "You handle Isabel."

She pulled a suitcase from the shelf.

"You handle the internet." She dropped it onto the bed. "You handle my accounts."

Christian followed her. "Kylie, please."

She began pulling the few clothes she brought from the closet. "I told you I wanted you to go back to her."

"I couldn’t do that."

"You refused."

Christian stood behind her. "Give me time."

She stopped, and turned to face him. "How much?"

He stared at her. "Eighteen more hours." He pleaded.

Kylie blinked. "What?"

"That’s all I need." He stepped closer. "Eighteen more hours."

She stared at him.

"I can fix this."

"You can’t fix people."

"I can fix the situation."

"No."

"Kylie—"

"You can’t." Her breath trembled.

She turned back to the suitcase. Christian watched her fold a hoodie.

His chest tightened.

She was leaving.

He couldn’t stand there and watch it happen. He stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Kylie froze.

For one second, she didn’t move.

Christian rested his forehead against the back of her head. "Please."

She shut her eyes. "Christian..."

"Eighteen more hours." His voice was quiet. "That’s all I need to fix this."

She stood completely still.

"Please, Kylie." His arms tightened slightly around her. "Just eighteen hours."

For one brief moment, she almost leaned back into him.

She almost leaned in before she remembered the headlines, the comments, the photographs, and her name beside words she couldn’t bring herself to repeat.

She remembered his mother standing in front of her like a warning. Suddenly, his arms didn’t feel safe anymore.

They felt like something she didn’t deserve.

Kylie pushed his arms away.

Christian released her immediately.

She turned around.bHer eyes were shining, but she refused to let the tears fall. "Your mum was right."

Christian went still.

"I would never fit in with you."

"You do."

"No." Her voice trembled. "And now everyone agrees with her."

"They don’t know you."

"They don’t have to." She looked around the penthouse. The life that had seemed beautiful only yesterday.

"This isn’t my world."

"It can be."

"I don’t want to spend the rest of my life wondering when people will decide I’m not good enough for it."

"You don’t have to."

"Your mother already decided."

Christian stepped closer. "Kylie, look at me."

She did.

His expression broke something inside her. Yet, she couldn’t stay. Not today. Maybe not ever.

She closed the suitcase.

Christian watched her. "Kylie..."

She lifted the handle. "I’m going home."

"This is your home."

"Don’t say that." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "It’s yours."

She walked past him.

Christian didn’t grab her. He simply stood there as she passed. At the entrance, Kylie stopped.

Her hand rested on the doorknob.

For one second, she looked back.

Christian was still standing in the bedroom doorway. She wanted to believe him.

God, she wanted to.

But right now, all she could hear were the voices telling her she was exactly what she’d always feared she was.

Too loud, too much, too careless, and not enough.

Kylie opened the door.

Christian’s voice followed her. "Kylie."

She paused.

He didn’t say anything else.

Kylie sighed. Her heart dropped into her stomach as she stepped into the hallway, and closed the door behind her.

Christian remained still.

For the first time in his life, money, power, influence, and control meant absolutely nothing.

Because the one thing he wanted to keep, had just walked away from him.