I Told You To Run But You Didn't (Georgia) novel Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Georgia’s POV

Two Days Later…

Finished

If it weren’t for the thirty-day agreement I made with Fatima, I wouldn’t stay another second in the villa.

But I wanted that divorce, and I wanted it finalized before Lucas even knew what was happening.

Suddenly, my phone rang. It was Patricia.

“Tricia…” I answered.

“Are you free today?” she asked, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Want to come with me to the Paradise Club? It’s been two days, you need to get out of that house and stop stewing!”

“Paradise Club?” I scoffed.

“I heard Estevan Salvatore is going to be there tonight,” she explained. “I want to seize the opportunity to get in front of him, maybe build a connection.”

An image of Estevan’s infuriatingly handsome face surfaced in my mind. That arrogant bastard. Still, it wasn’t like I had other plans. I might as well waste my day helping my best friend.

“Okay, I’ll go,” I agreed. “But why the sudden interest? Have you taken a liking to him?”

Patricia coughed. “Oh, god, Gia! I’m not tired of living yet. How could I possibly be interested in a man like Estevan? This is for Smith Armories. We need a wealthy investor, and he’s a potential whale. I just don’t have the courage to go alone.”

“Okay, fine. What time?”

“Nine p.m. tonight,” she said. “I’ll come and fetch you.”

“No, I’ll head to your place. We can get ready and go together.”

“Wow, my unemployed best friend finally has time for me. I love it!” she teased before hanging up.

When I finally arrived at Patricia’s house, I found her surrounded by a mountain of dresses.

“What about this one?” she asked, holding up a slinky, fire-engine red dress that was more cutouts than fabric. “This will definitely get his attention.”

It was revealing, daring, and completely over the top. I shook my head and pushed it back toward her. “You wear it. You’re the one who wants his interest, not me.”

“Technically, I want his investment,” she corrected, tossing the red dress aside. “But to get that, I need his interest first. C’mon, you have to wear something stunning. We’re a team tonight. Operation: Seduce the Billionaire.”

“You are Operation: Seduce the Billionaire,” I retorted, picking up a more elegant, black cocktail dress. “I am Operation: Moral Support Who Just Wants a Free Drink

She laughed, finally agreeing on an emerald green gown for herself. “Fine, but you have to look the part. Think of it as a business expense.”

15.03

Thu, Mar

AM

Chapter 11

*68%

Finished

We spent the next few hours doing our makeup, gossiping, and giving each other pep talks. By the time we were ready, Patricia looked like a goddess, and I felt more like myself than I had in years.

At exactly 9 p.m., we arrived at the Paradise Club. The bass from the music vibrated through the floor as we walked in. The place was packed, a sea of dancing bodies under pulsing neon lights. Patricia was scanning the VIP section for any sign of Estevan when my eyes landed on the center of the dance floor.

My blood ran cold.

I was completely frozen, my breath caught in my throat Patricia followed my gaze, and her cheerful expression vanished.

There, in the middle of the crowd, dancing intimately without a care in the world, were Lucas and Kiara.

“What rotten luck! Why did we have to run into these two again?!” Patricia complained under her breath.

“Just pretend they don’t exist,” I muttered back, turning to find a different path to the bar.

But it was too late. Kiara and Lucas had already spotted us.

Lucas immediately strode toward me, his eyebrows furrowed in a deep frown. “What are you doing here?”

I scoffed. “What are you doing here? Is this another just friends’ activity?”

Patricia chimed in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “O, so this is where you meet your special friend, Lucas? Dancing so closely in a club? I wonder where your next ‘friendly’ dance will be. A bedroom, perhaps?”

Lucas’s expression darkened as he pointed a finger at her. “If you continue to speak so recklessly, I won’t spare you, even if you are Gia’s friend!”

“Go ahead and try,” Patricia shot back, lifting her chin defiantly. “Sue me if you have the guts!”

I stepped between them, putting myself directly in Lucas’s path. “Lucas, if you so much as lay a finger on my friend, I will publicly reveal your affair with Kiara. Don’t test me.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he seethed.

“Why wouldn’t I?” I retorted, meeting his angry gaze without flinching.

I knew the rumors of his affair with Kiara had vanished only because he’d spent a fortune suppressing them. Two days of silence proved his money had worked. Naturally, he’d be terrified of all that dirty laundry resurfacing now.

Kiara, however, looked completely unbothered. She stepped forward, raising a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “Is this the only tactic you have, Georgia? Causing a scene and clinging to a man who doesn’t want you? Do you honestly believe that will make him come back?”

Patricia bristled beside me. “You’ve got some nerve-”

I put a hand on her arm, stopping her. I wanted to handle this myself. “You knowingly pursued a married man, yet you have the audacity to call me despicable?” I asked Kiara, my voice dangerously calm. “Don’t you find that utterly ridiculous?”

“What’s wrong with true love?” Kiara retorted with a smug smile, linking her arm through Lucas’s. “You had three years and you couldn’t make him fall in love with you. Maybe you should ask yourself why

03

Thu, Mar

Chapter 11

368%

9 Finished

Lucas then looked at me, his expression a mask of feigned pity and exhaustion. “Gia, please. I hope you can stop following us. It’s getting pathetic.” He started to lead Kiara away, as if he were the victim.

I scoffed in disbelief, whispering to myself, “Following them?!”

“They’re unbelievable,” Patricia seethed. “The nerve of that man, pretending you’re the crazy one.”

Fueled by a fresh wave of rage, I took a step to go after them, to clarify exactly who was following whom. But in my haste, I collided with a figure moving through the crowd-a figure as solid as a stone wall.

The impact sent me stumbling backward, my ankle twisting. I was about to fall, but a powerful hand shot out and clamped around my waist, yanking me forward with breathtaking force.

I crashed against a hard chest, the scent of expensive cologne and something uniquely masculine filling my

senses.

A collective gasp rippled through the immediate crowd. The music suddenly seemed distant. Even Lucas and Kiara, who had been walking away, stopped and turned to see what the commotion was about.

Two strong hands now rested on my arms, steadying me with an unnerving gentleness. I looked up and my breath caught.

Estevan Salvatore stared down at me, his dark eyes intense, almost black in the club’s pulsing lights. He wasn’t just looking at me; he was looking through me, his gaze so sharp it felt like it was piercing my very

soul.

He slowly helped me regain my footing, but his hands didn’t leave my arms. A slow, dangerous smirk played on his lips.

“Well, look at this,” Estevan said, his voice a low, possessive rumble meant only for me, yet somehow carrying over the noise. “We just keep running into each other, don’t we?”

60

68%