Bedmates Soulmates
CHAPTER 279

Gideon." What are you doing here?'

'I came for the party,' he said, 'but now I'm staying for you."

Kira tilted her head, puzzled.

Austyn told her only the upper echelons of Stamford's business and politics circles were invited.

Gideon was from out of town.

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And he was a homeless teenager four years ago.

Who was he now?

Kira took in his neat dinner jacket, monogrammed cufflinks, and expensive-looking watch.

He was taller now, and apparently, wealthier.

Kira lowered her eyes.

Whatever he'd become, it had nothing to do with her.

'Enjoy the party,' she said in an even voice. 'I have somewhere else to be. So if you'll excuse

me.'

'No, I will not excuse you.' Gideon blocked her exit. 'My turn to ask the questions now-What are you doing here? Who was the man?"

Martin said the party required a plus-one.

When Gideon came into the banquet hall, his eyes immediately locked on Kira.

But now come to think of it, he might have seen a man's arm around her shoulders.

And she was wrapped in this beautiful, breathtaking dress, a dress that she couldn't possibly

afford.

Who bought the dress for her?

Who was her date?

Kira looked at him impassively. "That's none of your business. We are no longer dating. You have no right to pry into my affairs. I made myself perfectly clear in the hospital." Gideon scowled at the mention of their last encounter.

She'd run away from him again.

'As for the man... Kira gave a coquettish grin. 'Did you forget that I have a sugar daddy? He's super rich, and he's super possessive. If he sees me with you, he's going to be royally pissed. You don't want to get me in trouble, do you?' 'I don't care.' Gideon refused to move out of the way.

Kira frowned.

He must be lying.

She remembered how possessive Gideon had been back when they were dating.

He would throw a fit if Kira talked to another boy for longer than five minutes. How could he not care about her having a sugar daddy?

She'd said those things deliberately to make him back off.

His self-esteem wouldn't allow him to pursue a woman who already belonged to someone else.

She'd rather that he look down on her and stay away than try to get back together with her.

'Do you think I'm lying to you?' Gideon could read her like a book.

That frown told him what she must be thinking.

He closed the distance between them with one step. Kira was forced to retreat until her back hit the wall.

'Kira. Gideon locked both arms around her waist.

He savoured the velvety softness of her skin.

'I said I don't care, and I meant it. I don't care if you have a sugar daddy, or if you're married, or if you already have kids. I don't give a damn about those things." Kira's eyes widened.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The man must be crazy!

Gideon grabbed her hand. 'Come with me.'

Austyn leaned back in his chair and smoked.

Almost everyone else in the cardroom was lighting up.

They sat around the long table, dealt cards, smoked, chitchatted, and talked business.

Dinner jackets were shrugged off.

Ties were loosened.

The topic of conversation drifted from the stock market to the latest cryptocurrency scam.

After each round of Texas hold 'em, tens of thousands of dollars changed hands without anyone batting an eye.

Austyn played absent-mindedly.

His thoughts were miles away.

From the open window of the cardroom, he could see part of the balcony of the lounge.

But he couldn't see Kira,

Como with Me, Kira

Knowing her, Austyn-guessed she must be curled up on a sofa somewhere, either playing with her phone or taking a post-buffet nap.

He wondered if she was feeling bored.

Austyn tossed his cards onto the table. 'Straight flush.'

The other players groaned.

Austyn glanced towards the window again.

He decided to wrap up the game in another five minutes.

'Mr McCarthy, you're awfully quiet tonight.' The man seated across from him shuffled the deck and kept one eye on Austyn. 'Something on your mind?'

Another man on his left chimed in. 'Our president here must be thinking about the lovely young lady he came with. I saw Mr McCarthy's plus-one downstairs. She's quite a stunner." And a bit of a troublemaker, he added in his mind. He had not missed the commotion downstairs.

Austyn ignored their teasing. Just deal the cards.

The players moved on to another topic. Someone mentioned the name of Gideon Garner.

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A man lounging on a sofa spoke. 'I think I saw Mr Garner just now. I invited him to join us, but he appeared to be in a hurry. He was going from room to room, looking for something or someone.'

Austyn cocked an eyebrow. 'Gideon Garner of the Garner family in Ourhlana?'

'Yes,' the man replied. 'You know him?"

'Sort of."

Everyone else started speculating.

The Garners' home base:

Ourhlana.

Mr McCarthy's was Stamford.

If the two of them were talking, could it signal a change in business plans for either?

Was Mr McCarthy expanding into Ourhlana?

The players exchanged quiet looks with each other.

'Austyn.' A woman's soft voice raised heads in the cardroom.

Austyn turned around.

Kayleigh stood in the open doorway, looking abashed.

She wore a floor-length off-shoulder white dress with a cut-out at the side.

Austyn stood up, pushed back his chair and walked over to her. 'What are you doing here?"

'I'm sorry. Am I interrupting?"

'Yes.'

His curt reply flustered her.

She blushed. 'I...I called you but you didn't answer. I went to your office but couldn't get in. The receptionist said I needed an appointment. ...I thought you might show up here for the party, so I decided to..."

It was the only way she could meet him.

She lowered her head and gripped the fabric of her dress.

The poker game had stopped.

Everyone else in the room was gawking openly.

Kayleigh Woods was a celebrity..

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Some had heard rumours about Mr McCarthy dating her.

Maybe it wasn't just a rumour.

One man nudged another and winked.

Mr McCarthy came with a plus-one.

Now he was talking to another gorgeous woman who seemed to have eyes only for him.

He was one lucky man.

Austyn scowled.

He glanced around and glimpsed the adjoining inner room. 'Come here."

Kayleigh followed him.

The room was small and held only an armchair, a coffee table and a long sofa. It was mostly used for guests to take a quick nap during all-night poker games,

The men in the room exchanged knowing glances and suggestive smiles.

They all knew what was going to happen inside that room.

Austyn closed the door to shut out the noise.

'Why are you looking for me?' He went straight to the point.

He'd instructed Kai not to bother him if Kayleigh called, which he knew she was bound to once she realised her career had been suspended.

Austyn's aloofness cut Kayleigh to the quick.

He didn't even offer her a seat or a drink, or ask how she was doing.

Kayleigh forced out a smile. 'Austyn, please don't be like this. I know you still care about me.'

'Cut to the chase.' Austyn tapped his watch.

Kayleigh stood in front of him. 'I know you care about me. You do, Just now in the room, those men were undressing me with their eyes. You couldn't stand it. That's why you pulled me in here, isn't it?"

She traced a finger along his arm. 'Admit it."

'Yes, I care about you."

'I knew it!' Her eyes lit up. 'Austyn, I-'

'I care about you because you're Finley's sister He was my buddy. His sister is my sister. Of course I won't let those men ogle you.'

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Sister?

Kayleigh blanched at his cruel words. 'I'm not your sister.'

'Not biologically, but I treat you as one."

Kayleigh felt as if someone had slapped her face and run a dagger through her heart at the same time.

She trembled. 'If you see me as a sister, why did you have sex with me two years ago?"

A mirthless smile flitted across his face. 'I was going to let it go, but since you brought it up..."

Kayleigh took an involuntary step backwards.

She had a sinking feeling in her heart.

"Two years ago, you landed your first lead role in a drama. The show's rating was good. Viewership shot through the roof. I went out with you to celebrate, along with the rest of the cast. I had one glass of wine. Then I passed out." Kayleigh's face had gone pale.

She dared not look up.

Austyn trained his eyes on her. 'I woke up the next morning in a hotel room, with you next to me in bed. I thought I had lost control and done something to you."

Kayleigh's lips quivered.

"That suite is reserved permanently by me. Plenty of people know about this. After the room got broken into, I asked the hotel management to install cameras inside. There's one above the door, another behind the oil painting, and a third hidden in the ceiling. I have access to all the camera feeds.'

He crossed his arms. 'Need I go on?'

Kayleigh's face was sheet white. 'I..."

'I checked the footage the next day. You stayed behind after my assistant left, then you crawled into bed next to me. You took off all your clothes, even removed mine. But I never touched you. I was unconscious.

Austyn pinned her to the spot with his eyes.

'I take care of my own. When they make mistakes, I'm inclined to cut them some slack. But the one thing I can never ever tolerate'-Austyn pinched her chin and forced her to look up-'is betrayal. You handed me that glass of wine. You were the one who spiked it, weren't you?" Kayleigh shook her head vehemently. 'No, it's n. it's not me! I didn't do it!"

"Tell that to someone who believes you.' He released his grip and turned around.

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'Austyn!' Kayleigh screamed and lunged for the door.

She blocked his path and clamped both arms around his waist.

'Please, please don't go!'

She planted hurried kisses on his face.

'Please don't leave me! I was wrong. I know that now! But I can change!'

Austyn turned his face away and shoved her back

'I promise I'll change!' She was sobbing now. 'I will! My parents left me. My brother left me. You are all I have left! Please, you can't do this to me!'

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'You brought this on yourself.' Austyn's face was granite.

'But I love you! Why can't you just forgive me, just this once!!

Austyn grabbed her wrist when she tried to throw herself at him again and pushed her back." Kayleigh, don't make me look down on you.

Kayleigh staggered and hit her back against the door.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her mascara was smudged.

She wept.

Austyn just stood and watched.

Kayleigh looked up at him with pleading eyes. 'Are you really going to abandon me like this?"

'I'm not abandoning you,' Austyn said impassively. 'I made a promise to Finley to take care of you. And I will. You will still have the apartment. You will still have money. Eventually, you will have your career back. Come to me if you need help. But I will never be with you.' He shifted her body away from the door. 'That's the way it's going to be. You'll just have to deal with it."

He opened the door and left.

Austyn ignored the teasing whistles from the men, left the cardroom and headed straight for the lounge.

Kira wasn't there.

He checked the entire lounge, including the ladies' room.

'Have you seen the woman who was here just now?' He came out and found a waiter passing by.

"Sorry, sir. I just came upstairs."

Scowling, Austyn came out of the lounge and dialled Kira's number.

Kayleigh collapsed to the ground the moment Austyn left.

He must have heard it, but he never turned back.

Kayleigh took off her stilettos and flung them at the closed door.

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She swept the china off the low glass table.

They clattered to the carpeted floor but didn't break.

Kayleigh wanted to scream, but the men outside could hear her.

She dragged her long nails through the carpet, hard enough to tear the fibre.

When she finally stopped, her manicure was ruined and her fingertips were bloodied.

She took no notice of the pain.

Rage was all she could feel at the moment.

She away the tears from her face, took out her phone from the clutch bag, found the

man's number and dialled.

'Mr Santoro, are you here yet?"

The venom in her voice startled even Sean Santoro. 'On my way. What's wrong?"

'Just get over here as quickly as you can. I'll bring Kira Hewitt to you.' Kayleigh removed a compact mirror and checked her face.

She stretched her lips into a sinister smile. 'You can do whatever you like with her. Get ten men to gang-rape her. Cut her up into pieces. Feed her body to the sharks. I don't care. Just get it done!!

'Wow. Sean laughed.

His voice boomed in the narrow confines of the car. 'Remind me to never cross you in the future, Miss Woods. I don't want to be on the receiving end of that wrath.'

'Cut the crap! Just get over here!'

'Aye aye, madam. I'm ten minutes out. Make sure our lovely Miss Hewitt is ready by then.'

Kayleigh stuffed her phone back into the clutch.

She fixed her makeup and smoothed out her dress.

When she came out of the room, she was once more the beautiful, dignified actress.

She even had a smile on her face.

Austyn checked every room on the second floor.

No sign of Kira.

She wasn't answering her phone.

'What mischief did you get into this time?" Austyn said through gritted teeth.

Kira was so sensible at some times and so naughty at others.

Austyn considered getting her one of those GPS tracker bracelets for kids.

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Or a leash.

He plucked a flute of champagne from a tray and downed it in one gulp.

Time to check downstairs.

Kira tried and failed to wrest her arm from Gideon's hold.

He didn't let go of her the entire way.

He took another set of stairs, not the one Kira had come up from.

They were on the ground floor now, far away from the crowd.

She struggled harder when she saw he was dragging her towards an open door.

'Let go of me!' Kira raised her voice.

A waiter nearby paused, throwing curious glances their way.

Gideon released her arm.

Kira glared at him. 'What are you doing? I told you, it's over between us! Get over it!'

Gideon shook his head. 'I can't do that."

'Do whatever you want. I'm leaving!'

"There's only one way you can leave.'

'What?' Kira eyed the door.

It was too f

Maybe she should go back to the main hall.

Gideon wouldn't dare make a scene in front of so many people.

"The only way you can leave me'-Gideon leaned in and whispered in her ear-'is over my dead body.'

Her eyes widened.

'Kill me, or come with me,' Gideon said calmly. Those are your only choices, Kira.'

'You are insane!"

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'Perhaps.' Gideon smiled. 'So, what's your choice going to be? Kill me? Or love me?'

Kira shoved him back.

'I know you don't want me to die.' He held her hand in his. 'Come with me, Kira. I can give you everything.'

Kira prised his fingers off her hand. 'No!'

She was enraged, but he was euphoric.

He had never felt as happy as he did right now, except the day he became Kira's boyfriend four

years ago.

She was right in front of him, large as life.

He got to kiss her, hear her voice, see her lovely face.

Her anger, her frown and even her tantrum only endeared her to him more.

How could he let go of such a vivacious Kira?

And he'd meant it-she had to step over his dead body to leave him.

""Young Master.'

Martin materialised out of nowhere.

He whispered something in Gideon's ear.

Gideon scowled. 'Meet them yourself. I don't have the time right now."

'But you're the head of the Garner family, Young Master. One of them sits on the city council and the other is a personal friend of the mayor. If they see just an assistant, they're going to feel slighted.'

Kira stole towards the main hall.

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Gideon saw Kira's attempt to escape and grabbed her hand.

'Young Master, it's hard to get an opportunity like this again.' Martin was persistent.