Scorned Love: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Scorned Fate)
Scorned Love: Chapter 1

“He looks good.”

My cousin, Xander, had my phone and was scrolling through my prospects on the dating site RightSpark.

We were at a SoHo bar, drowning a frustrating day of meetings and model no-shows. Since I was a lightweight in drinking, Xander insisted I needed another outlet—sex with a stranger. He was horrified to find out I’d been having a year-long dry spell since my last boyfriend and I broke up.

I created my profile years ago out of curiosity. Like all creators on social media, I experimented. I used it once for a series idea about finding love in cyberspace. That series met a quick death because I felt like a fraud.

I leaned in and glanced at the screen. “You’re onto something.” Or someone.

The profile showed a man tinkering over the engine of a pickup truck and appeared to look up just in time for the photographer. He was wearing a worn-out T-shirt with a university logo I couldn’t decipher and a backward cap on his head. Inked muscular biceps led to a forearm in full flex. Fake posing? Or…he had the sense to twist the wrench to make his hotness look natural.

“Thirty years old. Six three,” I mumbled.

“Went to NYU for business. Family owns a chain of garages across the state of New York.” Xander shot me a sly grin. “Looks like your type.”

“Faded denims and works with his hands? Yum.” I preferred them over Wall Street types who wore suits and worked with numbers. It hadn’t always been that way, but it was a long story I’d rather remained buried and never exhumed.

The next line in his profile gave me pause. “Single dad of an adorable five-year-old.”

“Hmm…deal breaker?”

I mindfully sipped my martini because I could already feel my cheeks flush. “Not really. Tap right. Let’s see what else this guy has.”

We scrolled through the carefully curated pictures, but the one where he was obviously holding his daughter was cut off.

This time I was the one who hummed. “Hmm…”

“Red flag?”

“Maybe he didn’t want his daughter’s picture out there. It’s hard to tell.” I made a sound of frustration. “Now you understand why I hate using this app.” I grabbed my phone back.

“Oh my, now I’m not sure which direction I’m swinging,” Xander said unexpectedly.

When I followed the direction that pulled my cousin’s attention, my head sank between my shoulders and I wanted the whole floor to swallow me up. Approaching our table was Bianca De Lucci, but it was the couple beside her who had Xander gawking.

Bianca’s brother Nico was imposing in a bespoke tuxedo. He was escorting a gorgeous woman who strutted with a bearing that commanded the interest of a good share of male and female eyes, giving me the impression that she was someone famous. The exquisite bone structure of her face drew my attention, but I was mostly fascinated with her gown’s engineering that somehow managed to keep her generous breasts from falling out.

“Obviously, I know Bianca and Nico.” I struggled to keep my voice unimpressed. The De Luccis did business with my brother, but more than business associates, my best friend, Sera, married into the family. “But who’s with them? She looks vaguely familiar. An actress?”

“I keep forgetting you’re not as cultured as I am,” Xander teased. “That’s renowned Russian soprano, Olga Fedorova. Her recent performance in Tosca is all the opera community can talk about. They have off-season special performances at the Metropolitan Opera House this week.”

“They’re a long way from the Upper West Side.” I made the mistake of tossing back the rest of my drink. I was going to pay for that in ten minutes.

“Ivy!” Bianca walked ahead of her brother and his date. I assumed the curvy woman was his date. She was very much his type as far as I knew. And every time I thought about how I knew that about Nico De Lucci, my hackles rose.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she gushed.

“Have you been stalking my socials again?” I teased and rose to greet her.

She winked at me. “You know I’m a groupie. By the way…” She turned to Nico’s date. “Olga wanted to meet the designer of the outfit I’m wearing. She was the soprano at the Fedora opera tonight.”

“Xander informed me,” I replied. Her brow arched as if she couldn’t believe anyone wouldn’t know her on sight. I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “It’s a pleasure meeting you…Olga…” The singer’s last name had already escaped me.

“Fedorova,” Nico supplied before briefly acknowledging me. “Ivy.”

“My cousin, Xander Wu,” I introduced Xander. “He arrived three days ago to spearhead our fashion week collection. He’s our lead designer at Donateka and our famous bustier is his baby.”

“I know!” Bianca looked around and found a recently vacated two-top that was being cleared and immediately snagged it. Oh, shit. The last thing I wanted was to spend time talking to the obviously uppity prima donna and Nico. I loved Bianca’s enthusiasm for our boutique, but not in the company of her brother who always seemed especially obnoxious to me.

“Nico, why don’t you go to the bar and get us drinks?” Bianca told him.

“Oh, but we might have to leave soon,” I protested weakly, but Bianca had mastered the pleading puppy eyes. That was how she got away with many things from her older brothers and parents.

“Please, there’s something I wanted to tell you,” she said.

“What’s the matter, Poison Ivy?” Nico picked up my phone, which still had the screen on RightSpark. “Have a hookup?”

I snatched the phone out of his hand. “And what if I do? Not everyone thinks I have no sex appeal.”

Nico smirked. “That still stings, doesn’t it?”

“I told you not to mention a word,” Bianca lectured her brother.

A glint appeared in his eyes that belied all the mock innocence in his reply. “Ivy brought it up.”

“Ooh, what’s the story there?” Xander asked as though he was on the verge of a Page Six breaking story.

“Why don’t you get us our drinks?” I repeated Bianca’s request to Nico. “Then I can tell them exactly what you think of me.”

“If the shoe fits.” The mockery in his voice intensified. “But I think you’re done for the night.” He nodded to my empty glass.

“Why, Mr. De Lucci, I didn’t think you cared,” I said sweetly.

“Care? Nah…it’s more like not wasting good alcohol if you have to puke up your guts later.”

“That’s still caring,” I said, unperturbed.

Nico dismissed my retort and turned to Olga, pressing his mouth to her brow. “The usual?”

“Yes.” She tilted up her chin and puckered her lips. Nico obliged her with a light kiss.

When he left us to get our drinks, Olga excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Meanwhile, Xander helped Bianca merge our tables. Guess we were going to be a party of five.

“Are they always like this?” Xander asked Bianca.

She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”

“There was more sexual tension in the exchange between Nico and Ivy than the kiss Nico gave Olga.”

Bianca and I made gagging noises, but it was Nico’s sister who answered first. “I prefer not to put ‘sexual tension’ and my brother’s name in the same sentence.” She plopped onto a seat.

“But what’s that no-sex-appeal remark?” Xander pressed.

Again, it was Bianca who answered, “That was my fault. I wanted to take part in fashion week and Nico said if you want to have the sex appeal of a fence post like Ivy, then go ahead.”

Xander’s jaw clenched, and his mouth twitched in his apparent conflict. He wasn’t sure whether to be offended for me or to burst out laughing. “And how did you find out he said that?”

My cheeks were on fire, but that was from the alcohol. “Because he said it right in front of me.”

“I’m really sorry,” Bianca wailed. “I should have gauged how my brothers would react when I told them I wanted to model for you at fashion week after you mentioned you wanted regular folks on the runway.”

Xander switched to being all protective. He was eyeing the man in question who was standing at the bar with his back to us. “Should I punch him?”

“Nico isn’t worth the trouble. I handled him, didn’t I?” And he only caused me irritation, but I didn’t admit that because Xander would think it was sexual tension again and it wasn’t. Nico De Lucci and his designer suits left my vagina as dry as the Sahara. “Why would he say that?”

Bianca rolled her eyes. “Because he thinks women are sexy only if they have the body of Monica Bellucci.”

“She does give fifties-screen-siren vibes,” Xander agreed. “But you have sex appeal, too.” I stiffened when my cousin studied me with a critical eye because I could feel an oncoming makeover. I enjoyed them, but fashion week was a priority and I didn’t want him distracted.

“Don’t look at me that way,” I ordered. “I’m not your project.”

“Oh, but I should make you my project.”

“Fashion week,” I said. “We have to think of fashion week.”

“Our theme is diversity in fashion,” Xander said. “Besides…” He nodded to where Nico was carrying a tray of drinks and heading back to our table. “Didn’t we agree on saving strategy talk for tomorrow and just drown our sorrows?”

“What happened?” Bianca asked.

Olga was on her way back from the restroom, but some admiring fans waylaid her. Nico cast a look her way, expression unreadable.

“We reached out to a few models who have a big following, but they’d already signed up with other fashion houses,” I said.

“That happened even though they’d already agreed to model for us,” Xander griped.

“That was via DM,” I said. “I don’t consider that a done deal unless they sign a contract.”

“And the editor of Glamourique hasn’t responded to our runway show,” my cousin further lamented. “So now Ivy and I are wallowing in alcohol except she’s a lightweight, so the other option is she needs to get laid.”

I kicked Xander under the table because he timed that last statement when Nico was right beside him.

“Shouldn’t you rescue Olga?” I asked, while he slid a fruity martini my way.

He glanced over at the singer again, then shrugged. “She’s okay. She enjoys the attention. No creeps in her way.”

I tasted the martini and frowned. “This has no alcohol. This is juice. What the hell, Nico?”

“You’re done,” he said, then as if to stress just how done I was, he pushed the lone glass of water on the table toward me. “Drink this.”

I didn’t realize how thirsty I was…still, I didn’t do well with his bossiness and having the last word. “Let it be noted that I’m drinking this glass of water because I really need it.”

Nico threw himself on the chair in front of me. “And I don’t even get a thanks.”

I hadn’t had a fish bone lodged in my throat for years, but saying the word certainly felt like it. “Thanks.”

“No need to choke on it.” He glanced briefly to his side as Olga finally made it back to our table.

“Thank you, darling.” The singer gracefully took the seat that put her between Nico and Xander. She even made sipping whatever amber liquid was in her highball glass elegant. “So, Mr. Wu.” She turned to Xander while pointing to the fabric of Bianca’s top. “Do you have other fabrics and colors you can use for it?”

“It comes in standard colors,” I said. “And it only works with certain material.”

“But with fashion week coming up, surely you have special editions?” she asked, still looking at Xander. My cousin was just staring at her in profile, so it was hard to tell what he was thinking. What Xander hated the most was being told what to do with his designs, and that included the choice of fabric.

“We’re a ready-to-wear brand,” again I interjected. “You should visit our shop. It’s on—”

“But don’t you want someone like me modeling your new designs?”

“Miss Fedorova.” Xander picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “We would be honored if you wear our new collection, but not until after its revelation in September. Extremely flattered, in fact, if you were a part of our press coverage. We could reserve a seat for you and a guest in the front row.” He glanced at me. “Maybe consider a collaboration?”

I shrugged. We have zero A-listers that weren’t close friends or fashion influencers, so we couldn’t be choosy. And I was sure we had a budget for collaboration.

She huffed. “I don’t know.”

“I can tell you we will have a deep purple silk one.”

The soprano’s eyes flared.

“The color is perfect for your creamy skin and the contrast with your dark hair. Romance and royalty befitting one of opera’s greatest talents.”

Oh, Xander, you’re good. Maybe he should handle our social media.

A shoe bumped the tip of mine.

It was Nico. He tilted his chin toward my water. He annoyed the hell out of me when he was right. I was parched and paying the price for that martini. I picked up the glass and paused significantly before taking a healthy gulp out of it. My heart rate had sped up. I resisted the urge to scrub my skin raw.

Nico’s eyes studied me. “You’re erupting.”

“What? Like my skin touched poison ivy?” I snarled.

He shrugged and dropped his gaze to his phone and started scrolling, again dismissing me mid argument. Grr…

Olga picked up his free hand and started stroking the inside of his palm, not missing a beat from her conversation with Xander.

“I have Benadryl,” Bianca interjected.

“I don’t like how it makes me feel the next day.” Xander and I should have eaten before we came to the bar. My reaction to alcohol was unpredictable. Sometimes, it depended on the quality of the liquor. Other times, it depended on the contents of my stomach. Right now, I itched all over. My heart pounded like it was about to catapult out of my chest.

I had a flashback to high school, to the first time I tried wine coolers and had the worst hives and heart palpitations ever. I thought I was going to die on my friend’s living room carpet. So I knew these ugly feelings would pass. But I knew I had to lie down. I knew I had to get out of here before I face planted on the floor.

“You’re really flushed.” Bianca sounded worried.

Xander glanced over at me with sympathy. “Wanna go?”

“Yes, please.” I looked apologetically at Olga. “I’m really sorry. I hope you stop by our boutique, and I’ll have our office send you reserved seating to our show.”

She pouted. “I’m not promising…”

“Think about it.” My mind was hazy and I wasn’t in the mood to schmooze. “Just RSVP before the deadline.”

Xander side-eyed me. I’d hear about it later. Maybe I was just too stressed, and the alcohol did nothing to loosen me up because it caused me more embarrassment in front of people I didn’t want judging me, especially Nico.

I breathed heavily through my nose and got up, scooted sideways, and made sure I was clear of the table before I took one step forward. Xander threw a couple of bills on the table and mumbled his own goodbyes.

The place was packed, and the AC was not keeping up. I was sweating, and I hoped to hell I didn’t throw up in the middle of a popular bar.

“You okay?” Xander was used to my terrible alcohol metabolism.

“I will be as long as I get more water in me.” I wished I’d finished the glass of water Nico brought me, but given it was a Friday night and peak party time in Manhattan, I doubted we’d catch a cab or an Uber. My new loft was at Lafayette, just a couple of blocks from here. Still, I made a stop at the ladies’ room before my cousin and I headed off for a short trek.

When we exited the SoHo bar, the line for taxis curved around the block. The atmosphere was lively and noisy, and I wanted to slink into a corner and close my eyes.

“Ivy!”

I turned to see Bianca exiting the bar. Behind her was Olga, looking miffed.

“We’ll give you a ride.”

“We’re fine. It’s just a couple of blocks.”

“Nico already went to get the car.”

“Look, you’re all making me feel bad—”

“See, there he is.”

I glanced over my shoulder to see a midnight-blue Maserati Levante. The sporty SUV screamed sleek luxury and was hard to miss. I didn’t know where he had parked it, but I was impressed by how he managed to catch us leaving given how crazy the traffic was.

When the vehicle pulled up at the curb, more than a few people gawked at it. Olga stepped ahead of us and got in beside Nico. She wasn’t even subtle about claiming her man. I didn’t know why she had to be so obvious about it. She would be relieved to know that the only thing I admired about Nico was his thick head of hair, which he kept at grazing-the-collar length.

Bianca went in first and we piled in after her.

“You really didn’t have to give us a lift,” I started.

“But we really appreciate it.” Xander pinched my thigh.

“Ow.” I didn’t bother disguising my irritated yelp.

“Not a problem,” Nico said. “Olga needs her rest for tomorrow’s show.”

“My manager is freaking out and has been blowing up my phone,” the soprano said, making sure we knew the idea to leave was hers. “I’m so sorry again, Nicolas. You don’t mind a quiet evening, do you?”

I was sitting in the middle of the back seat, so I saw Nico’s eyes flick to the rearview mirror, and instead of answering Olga, he asked, “How are you liking your new loft?”

Hmm…this was interesting. Maybe he had no plans of spending the night with Olga. I was tempted to ignore his question, but that would be petty.

“It’s coming along. I haven’t had time to unpack yet.”

“I’m surprised Daniel let you move out,” Bianca said.

“Is Daniel your boyfriend?” Olga asked.

“Brother,” I answered. “Nico never mentioned him? They’re business partners.”

“Nico and I don’t talk much when we’re together.” She ran her fingers down his arm. “Certainly not about boring business.”

“But…” Xander squeezed my thigh in warning. Oh, yeah, he was right, potential free marketing.

“You can turn—” I started.

“I know where you live,” Nico cut in.

He sounded irritated, but he flicked his gaze to me again before returning it to the traffic ahead. He skillfully weaved through vehicles and pedestrians until finally we were at my building.

“You live here?” Olga asked.

“Top floor,” Bianca answered for me. “When will you throw a housewarming party? I heard the view from the terrace is fantastic.” I was beginning to see Nico’s concern regarding my influence on Bianca. She seemed envious of my lifestyle, and I knew she’d dropped hints about getting a place of her own in Manhattan once she graduated from Harvard. With three overprotective brothers, that could be a problem.

“Probably after fashion week. There’s hardly any furniture and Xander is sleeping on an inflatable mattress.”

“I think I’m moving into the SoHo Grand next week if you can’t decide on beds,” my cousin quipped.

“These things can’t be rushed,” I mumbled. “Thanks again, Nico.”

I said goodbye to Bianca and Olga and almost caused Xander to fall out of the SUV in my rush to get away from Olga. I’d had enough of her to last me until fashion week.

Xander put an arm around me as he dragged me close, probably worried I’d tip over while I keyed in my code to let us into the building.

“She’s territorial, that one.”

We entered the vestibule and waved at the building concierge.

“I wasn’t just imagining it, right?”

The elevator to the loft was around the corner, and as I dragged my feet toward it, Xander said, “Nope. Not with the way you and Nico sniped at each other.”

“She has no reason to feel that way. Nico is all hers. He’s just treating me like Bianca. I mean, he cares for his sister, but he can be a pain in the ass.” That was my rationale about why he made sure I drank water. I grudgingly admitted it was kind of sweet in a weird way because sweet was the last thing to describe my interactions with Nico.

“I didn’t look at it that way.”

“He is friends with Daniel. I bet Daniel asked him to look out for me while he’s in Hong Kong.” I missed my overprotective brother. He’d been less bossy ever since I graduated from Stanford, but that was because I had a heart-to-heart conversation with him to let me lead my life. Let me make my own mistakes and let me figure things out on my own.

“You have a point.”

We got into the elevator. It zoomed quickly to the top floor. The building used to be a light-manufacturing business. It was my dream to live in a converted SoHo property with turn-of-the-century architecture. When the doors slid open, the loft seemed emptier than I left it. The only furniture I brought over from Daniel’s penthouse was a console table in the foyer and the barstools in the kitchen. I headed over there now to drink my weight in water or as much as I could guzzle.

“Listen, maybe I can rent furniture.” As soon as the words left my mouth, my whole body shuddered.

Xander, who had followed me into the kitchen, said, “No, you don’t.” He put his hands on my shoulders, so I had nowhere to go but look at him.

“You’re going to do some self-care tomorrow morning. Look at furniture online. And although I love the view from here.” He winked. “I need another view.”

Xander just broke up with his boyfriend and was on the rebound.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Just be careful.”

He kissed my forehead. “Always.”