Once a Love Fool Now a Leading Lady (Kylie rehbein and Axel Bowen) novel Chapter 13

Crispin jogged ahead to catch up with the two of them.

Kylie stayed where she was. A sharp pain twisted in her lower belly.

Who actually likes business dinners anyway?

For years, she'd forced herself to smile, charm, and impress anyone who might turn into a business partner for Vortex.

But to Axel, none of that mattered.

Every bit of effort she'd poured in just became more ammo for him to tear her down.

It took her a moment to steady her breathing.

She didn't go after them. Instead, she pressed both hands against her stomach and slowly crouched down.

The painkillers had worn off.

When Crispin came back with Axel and Rhea, Kylie was sitting in a chair, sipping the warm tea the cleaning lady had made her.

“Ms. Rehbein, are you okay?" Crispin asked, worry creasing his face. "You look really pale."

"I'm fine. Just not feeling great. It's nothing serious." Kylie brushed it off like she always did.

The cleaning lady wasn't buying it. "Cramps are no joke, young lady. You need to rest!" she scolded, wagging a finger.

Axel frowned and finally said something halfway decent for once. "If you're not well, go see a doctor. Why keep pushing yourself?"

"Hospital's not gonna help," Kylie said, getting to her feet. "Are we done with the tour?"

She just wanted it over with so she could crawl back to the hotel and rest.

Rhea piped up, all cheerful, "We haven't checked out the other side yet."

"That part's a brand-new workshop," Crispin explained. "Still under construction. Nothing much to see."

But of course, Rhea wasn't letting that go. "I still want to check it out. What we saw earlier was all prepped for show. Doesn't really tell us how things actually run."

Crispin looked uneasy. "It's messy in there."

"That's fine. I just want a quick look," Rhea insisted. "Since I'll be managing this project later, I should understand it properly."

Axel didn't say a word—he didn't need to. His silence basically said let her do what she wants.

Crispin sighed. "Alright, but you'll need hard hats once we're inside."

Rhea leaned close to Axel, laughing softly. "Ugh, would I look awful in one of those? Don't stare too hard, Axel, or it'll ruin your perfect image of me."

"How could it?" Axel smiled down at her. "You'll always be perfect to me."

That earned another laugh from Rhea, and she forgot all about how she'd look in the helmet.

Kylie didn't want to go. Her stomach hurt, her body ached, her patience was gone.

But before she could excuse herself, Rhea turned to her with that polite, sugary smile.

“Ms. Rehbein, come with us. You explain things so clearly. Mr. Field uses too many technical terms—I get lost."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify