Sexting My Ex’s Dad (Forbidden Silver Foxes)

50. Stella

50

STELLA

I wake up to the relentless buzzing of my phone, jolting me from a restless sleep. The bright screen displays yet another message from Owen, followed by a missed call. I’d hoped that this morning would be different – that it would have been messages and calls from my boyfriend.

That’s what I get for hoping. Can I even call him my boyfriend anymore?

I thought it was weird when he just up and left my apartment the other day – I thought he may have been mad because I didn’t tell him about Owen, but this is getting ridiculous. It’s been over a week of me blowing his phone up, and he hasn’t answered any of my calls or messages.

And while I’ve been blowing his phone up, Owen has been blowing mine up. And it’s starting to get annoying. He’d meant it when he said he wanted me back and clearly couldn’t take a hint that I wouldn’t take him back if he were the last person on this earth.

“Enough,” I mutter under my breath, frustration simmering inside me. My fingers tap furiously on the screen as I send a curt response to Owen.

Setting the phone aside, I force myself out of bed and into the shower, the warm water doing little to ease the tension in my muscles. As I lather my body with soap, my thoughts drift to Elio – those eyes I can’t get enough of, that mouth of his that’s made me feel pleasure like never before. Not to mention how tightly he’d held me as if he was scared I would float away. I can’t help but feel betrayed. I’m done with this avoiding game that he’s playing.

Honestly, I’m sick of all of these games. He’s so hot and cold with me, and it isn’t fair.

Wrapping a towel around my body, I stare at my reflection in the foggy mirror. My hazel eyes are resolute, my wavy brown hair damp against my neck. Today is my day off, and I refuse to waste it wallowing in uncertainty.

He’s going to give me some answers.

Once I’m dressed, I grab my purse and keys, making my way to my car. I drive, navigating the familiar roads toward TerraVolt, Elio’s renewable energy empire.

As the towering building comes into view, I steel myself for the confrontation ahead. Elio may be powerful and charismatic, but I won’t let him intimidate me. He’s my boyfriend, after all. He can’t treat me like this! I deserve more for him.

The chemistry between Elio and I may be better, but at least Owen never left me high and dry. Well, except for the time he broke up with me.

A gust of wind tousles my hair as I step into TerraVolt’s pristine lobby, my heels clicking against the polished marble floor. The receptionist barely looks up from her computer as she greets me with a forced smile.

“Good morning. How can I help you?”

“I need to see Elio Lombardi. It’s urgent,” I declare.

“Mr. Lombardi isn’t taking visitors right now, unfortunately. He’s preparing for a meeting, but if you’d like to leave me your name and the message, I can make sure that I get that over to him.”

Something within me refuses to accept this runaround. I’m not one of his work colleagues. “I don’t have time for this.” I stride past the receptionist towards the elevators. She calls after me, but I ignore her, pressing the button for Elio’s floor.

The elevator stops at Elio’s floor, and I step out, searching for his office. I finally locate Elio’s office, and I can hear him and another man talking inside, however I don’t let it stop me. The door is slightly ajar, and with bated breath, I push it open.

“Stella... What are you doing here?” Elio asks, his voice laced with surprise.

But before I can respond, my attention is drawn to a dark, cold-looking man seated on the other side of Elio’s desk. His eyes bore into mine, and he stands up. “Miss, you can’t be here without authorization.”

“I just need to speak with Elio,” I state.

The air in the room grows heavy. “Mr. Lombardi,” the guard says, his gaze flicking between Elio and myself. “Do you want her removed?”

“No, he doesn’t,” I interject before Elio can respond. “I’m his girlfriend.”

Elio’s eyes meet mine for a split second, filled with a conflicting mix of emotions. But it’s clear he doesn’t want to argue in front of the cold-looking man still seated across from him.

“Let her stay, Massimo,” Elio finally says, his voice steady but quiet.

“Very well, sir.” The guard hesitates for a moment before retreating, closing the door behind him.

“Stella,” Elio says, rubbing the back of his neck. “We need to talk.”

“Clearly,” I retort, crossing my arms defensively. “Because you’ve been avoiding me, Elio. I’ve been trying to reach you for days, Elio. What is going on?”

Elio rubs a hand over his face, clearly conflicted. “You need to leave,” he insists, his voice firm yet weary. “Please.”

Leave? He can’t be serious. After all of the effort that I’d spent trying to get in here, and he was going to dismiss me just like that?

I shake my head. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s happening between us right now? I don’t understand.”

“It’s not for you to understand.”

“Oh forgive me then.” My frustration bubbles over. “I thought we trusted each other. I thought we were in this together.”

“Things have... changed,” he admits, running a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. His jaw clenches.

“Changed?” An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. “What do you mean, ‘changed’?”

He takes a deep breath, and then his hand shoots forward, gripping my chin with both intensity and control. The sudden movement startles me, but I don’t take a step back.

“Listen to me, Stella,” he says, his voice laced with an urgency I’ve never heard before. “I can’t do this anymore. We’re through.”

“Wh-what?” My heart plummets, and I desperately try to understand what he’s saying. “Why?”

“Owen,” he explains, his eyes locked on mine.

I frown. “What does Owen have to do with any of this?”

“I’m not going to fight my son over you. It’s tearing us apart.”

“Are you an idiot?!” I exclaim. “You’re not fighting with your son over anything. I choose you.”

“I don’t let you.”

“You can’t–”

“Owen came to see me,” he admits. “And he talked about you. Despite what he’s done, that boy loves you, and he regrets what he did to you. We haven’t talked in years, Stella, and if he found out that I’ve screwed you nine ways to sunday, he’d never speak to me again. I can’t risk that.”

I bite my bottom lip, as my eyes brim with tears. “So, you’re saying I’m not worth it?”

His expression turns grim. “I’m saying I can’t lose my son over you.”

The tears flow down my cheeks. “Then why do all this? Why make me fall for you just for you to dump me anyway? You being his dad hasn’t changed from the first time we slept together, so why do you, all of a sudden, care now?”

“I’m sorry, Stella, really I…”

“No, you’re not!”

I turn on my heel and storm out of the office, slamming the door shut behind me.

It’s official. Elio and I are over.