Invisible to My First Love (Harper and Maddox) novel Chapter 161

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Chapter 161

Harper

I walked into the furniture store while still thinking about Grayson when I had made eye contact with him right after Ella and Zoey had run away.

I placed a hand on my chest, wondering why I’d decided to walk into the store. I could’ve just left, but I didn’t want to. It’s not like I was hiding from him.

After taking a deep breath, I told myself to shut out everything that had to do with him.

I began to move around in the store and it was so spacious that the few people around were at quite a distance.

It didn’t take much to forget about Grayson as I thought about Ella and Zoey. They hadn’t spoken about the Barclay Twins in a long time and I thought they were completely done with them, but their reaction was quite the surprise when the twins suddenly showed up.

I smiled to myself as I constantly replayed how Ella had just grabbed Zoey and ran off without even saying a word to me.

I wondered if the twins had managed to catch up to them.

There had to be something more going on if my friends had run away like that. They could’ve easily ignored them and kept moving, but they didn’t.

Curious about where they were, I decided to send a text to our group chat. I was still in the middle of typing when Grayson’s voice came from behind me.

“The last time I spoke to Kate, she said she needed to see you. You have no idea how curious I was, but she told me it’s none of my business. Can you believe that?”

My jaw clenched before I even turned to look at him. The audacity for him to talk to me like we were just cool again made my thumb hover over the send button after I was done with my text.

After finally sending it, I turned around slowly with a sigh of annoyance.

“What are you trying to do?” I said softly, like I was exhausted.

“What did she want?” He took a few steps forward.

I took a few steps back. “You better stay back before I call security,” I warned him,

He chuckled with amusement. “I now own this mall, remember?”

I smacked my lips when I realized it. “Fine, then stay here. I’m leaving.”

I stepped to the side so I could leave when he held onto my wrist.

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Chapter 161

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“Please, don’t go, not before you tell me what that was about with Kate. Did you actually meet her?”

I thought about not telling him, but on second thought, it was going to be the right thing to do as I had something to get off my chest.

“She came to apologize and gave me Anna’s memory card from that phone. It turns out she had kept it.”

“She did that? That’s amazing.”

He smiled brightly, but that just angered me even more.

“I was so thrilled that I burst into tears after checking the content,” I continued. “It meant a lot to me that I finally got something real about my sister. Kate and I were never friends, yet she turned out to be the one to help me. But you…” my expression hardened. “You used my desire to see my sister again to your advantage.”

He shook his head. “Look, all I did was ask what Kate wanted and I’m happy for you, but that doesn’t mean you should keep bringing that up. Come on. Shouldn’t we be past that now?”

He was so dismissive that I was at a loss for words for a few seconds. I didn’t expect him to apologize forever. What I didn’t expect was for him to turn out to be suddenly so arrogant.

Finding my words again, I said, “I’ve heard of people who let wealth get to their heads. Now I finally have one in front of me.”

“I’m just tired of you pushing me away. Like… come on. Within all the bullshit going on in my life, something good has been happening. I’m now a shareholder in so many companies, but there’s no one to celebrate with.”

The phone in my hand buzzed before I could respond, so I looked down at it and smiled instantly. It was a text from Maddox.

“Good for you,” I finally said to Grayson as I replied to Maddox. “Why don’t you celebrate with the one who’s been transferring those shares to you?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Who told you that?” He scoffed as he had just figured it out. “Of course Maddox told you. Why wouldn’t he? He’s always in other people’s business.”

“You know what?” I looked up at him after putting my phone away. “I just asked myself why I’m still standing here listening to you. I better go and find my friends.”

I turned around to leave, but he grabbed onto my wrist and suddenly said, “I don’t love Tiffany anymore.”

The moment I looked back at him, I forced a chuckle as I pulled my wrist away. “Do you think that’s going to change anything? And why would you tell me that?”

“Because I need you to know that’s how I feel. I really don’t love her. Every time I see her, I’m disgusted. I always thought she was so perfect, but she was far from it. I’ll be reminded of it everyday, especially after that baby is born.”

My head tilted just slightly at the confirmation that Tiffany was keeping the baby. I was about to ask him how they intended to handle the family when I swallowed those words. That was only going to make him think I cared that much.

Chapter 161

“Enough about that bitch,” he suddenly said.

My eyes widened a little. I never thought I’d ever hear him address Tiffany that way.

“Not just about her,” I said. “You too.”

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I turned around to leave again when he said, “If you ever need help in finding Anna, I’ll be right here.”

“What?” I looked over my shoulder.

“With everything you now know about your sister, you might have a change of heart and decide to look for her instead of waiting for her to come to you. There are actually ways we can find her quickly. How about we discuss it over lunch tomorrow?”

I rolled my eyes as I fully turned to face him again. “Nice try, but that won’t be necessary. First of all, I never gave you the slightest sign that I was okay with having lunch with you. Secondly, I won’t be in San Francisco tomorrow. My boyfriend and I are flying out of the country.”

He groaned with irritation. “I see he’s still obsessed with showing you off while on those never ending trips.”

“No. This is different. I’m going to meet my brother.”

He blinked rapidly. “Your brother?”

“Yeah, I recently found out. Dean Landon.”

“There’s only one family with that last name. Whoa! I always thought it was just you and Anna. Sounds like I missed a lot. There’s a coffee shop right next to this store. I definitely want to hear all about this. Come on.”

He confidently walked past me, like he already expected me to just follow behind him, but I still felt the same way.

“No,” I said firmly.

He stopped in his tracks, turned around with a cocky smirk, then came back and towered over me. “We’ve been over this before, when you tried to humiliate me by demanding that I get on my knees to beg for your forgiveness. At this point, you’re just playing hard to get, but you know what? I like it. It’s kinda hot.”

He sounded so ridiculous that I rolled my eyes with a chuckle.

“See? You’re not that mad at me if I can make you laugh,” he said.

My expression hardened as I stared straight into his eyes. “Thats where you’re wrong. I’m not amused even in the slightest. I just find it pathetic that you’re trying so hard to win me over. It’s definitely not working.”

He clicked his tongue as he looked around. “That’s it.”

Suddenly, he grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me along.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I whispered even though there was no one in sight in that section.

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Chapter 161

“Enough about that bitch,” he suddenly said.

My eyes widened a little. I never thought I’d ever hear him address Tiffany that way.

“Not just about her,” I said. “You too.”

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I turned around to leave again when he said, “If you ever need help in finding Anna, I’ll be right here.”

“What?” I looked over my shoulder.

“With everything you now know about your sister, you might have a change of heart and decide to look for her instead of waiting for her to come to you. There are actually ways we can find her quickly. How about we discuss it over lunch tomorrow?”

I rolled my eyes as I fully turned to face him again. “Nice try, but that won’t be necessary. First of all, I never gave you the slightest sign that I was okay with having lunch with you. Secondly, I won’t be in San Francisco tomorrow. My boyfriend and I are flying out of the country.”

He groaned with irritation. “I see he’s still obsessed with showing you off while on those never ending trips.”

“No. This is different. I’m going to meet my brother.”

He blinked rapidly. “Your brother?”

“Yeah, I recently found out. Dean Landon.”

“There’s only one family with that last name. Whoa! I always thought it was just you and Anna. Sounds like I missed a lot. There’s a coffee shop right next to this store. I definitely want to hear all about this. Come on.”

He confidently walked past me, like he already expected me to just follow behind him, but I still felt the same

way.

“No,” I said firmly.

He stopped in his tracks, turned around with a cocky smirk, then came back and towered over me. “We’ve been over this before, when you tried to humiliate me by demanding that I get on my knees to beg for your forgiveness. At this point, you’re just playing hard to get, but you know what? I like it. It’s kinda hot.”

He sounded so ridiculous that I rolled my eyes with a chuckle.

“See? You’re not that mad at me if I can make you laugh,” he said.

My expression hardened as I stared straight into his eyes. “Thats where you’re wrong. I’m not amused even in the slightest. I just find it pathetic that you’re trying so hard to win me over. It’s definitely not working.”

He clicked his tongue as he looked around. “That’s it.”

Suddenly, he grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me along.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I whispered even though there was no one in sight in that section.

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Chapter 161

I tried so hard to pull my wrist away, but I was no match for the strong grip he had on it.

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He didn’t stop until he brought me to a narrow space right between two wardrobes. I looked back and there was no way out as the other end was just a wall. I was trapped.

Now that he had me where he wanted me, he let my wrist go. I immediately pushed against his broad chest so he could move backwards, but he just stood there like I wasn’t even trying.

“There’s nowhere to go,” he teased me. “What are you going to do now?”

I hated being in that small space with him while he was so close.

“Fine, since you wanna talk to me so badly, let’s go to that coffee shop.”

He possessively held onto my wrists, the palms of my hands now on his chest. “No, I’ve changed my mind. I like it here. It’s just you and me.”

He subtly bit his bottom lip while staring right at mine. I knew that he wanted me to see that. He had never looked at me like that before.

In less than thirty minutes, he’d gone from begging to talk to me, to making things happen his way by trapping me there in that small space. He wanted me to watch as he tried to be a flirt.

I didn’t want to see any of it, so I looked to the side and kept my eyes shut. That should’ve put me at ease, but it didn’t. Because now, his breath was suddenly heavier and caressed the side of my neck.

“You won’t even look at me,” he whispered like he was disappointed. “Do you really hate me that much?”

“Yes,” I replied instantly and without hesitation.

“And you’re telling me that if I was to hold you right now the way you always wanted…and kissed you just right, you wouldn’t feel anything?”

My eyes shot

open

and I stared at the wardrobe in front of me. Why was he asking me that at that moment?

“No,” I said without looking at him. “I wouldn’t feel a thing.”

“Bullshit.”

“I mean it.”

“Then look at me.”

I swallowed hard as my heart began racing. “No.”

“Scared?”

“No.”

“Look at me, Harp.” He gently placed his fingertips at the base of my chin to guide my gaze back to his.

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Chapter 161

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I didn’t want to look like a coward. I needed to prove him wrong, so I looked straight at him and couldn’t breathe for a moment. I had never seen such desire before in his eyes, like he actually wanted to taste my lips.

My breath hitched when he suddenly held my waist with his other hand, his grip so possessive like I’d always belonged to him.

There was barely any space between us and when he tilted his head to kiss me, my heart skipped a beat as I realized what that moment was about to mean.

For years, I’d imagined him telling me he loved me, then kissing me first and carrying me in his arms. I’d written about how he’d make love to me afterwards over and over again in so many ways. I’d told myself that if a moment came when he wanted to taste my lips, I’d give in without doubt.

But that was back when all I could see was the guy who was perfect in my eyes. Things were different. I wasn’t that girl anymore and most importantly, I had a hot and supportive boyfriend.

I let Grayson think he’d already made me anticipate that first kiss, but right before our lips touched, I grabbed his collar and gave him a knee to his crotch.

He groaned in pain as he stepped back while hunched over with his hands on his crotch. He scrunched up his face hard as he glared at me like he was about to shed a tear, but I didn’t bother to ask if he was okay or not. I just pushed him further back and he didn’t even fight it as he had so much pain to deal with.

When the path was clear, I walked past him with no apology. I didn’t even look back as I headed straight for the exit with my head high.Because whatever he wanted to reignite in me, he failed.