The Worst Best Man(104)
He had Frankie, and that was all that mattered. There would be no more trading one girlfriend for another, one heiress for another. He had what he wanted. Finally.
Aiden briefly entertained the idea of sending Goffman a thank you card for being an asshole.
He was feeling confident in the future. Franchesca was finishing up her MBA in the next two months, and they’d been discussing what she’d do professionally afterwards. He’d hoped she’d consider a position with his company. She’d laughed in his face when he suggested it. But he was persuasive. He could wear her down. And he could use her. Even if she didn’t want to work with him directly, he had a number of new smaller acquisitions that could use her energy. She liked the small business arena. Maybe he could build something for her to manage?
He’d bring it up again in a week or so and test the waters.
“Here we are,” Morris announced from behind the wheel. Whatever business Margeaux had was in a pricey art deco hotel. Morris hustled around and opened the rear door. Aiden stepped out and offered Margeaux his hand.
“Best of luck to you, Margeaux,” he said.
“I don’t need luck,” she said with a smirk and then raised on her tip toes to press a kiss to the side of his mouth. “See you around.”
She strolled into the hotel. Aiden shook his head.
Morris gave a shiver. “That one there’s an evil one,” he announced.
“You’re not wrong,” Aiden agreed.
Once a bachelor always a bachelor
Aiden Kilbourn caught sneaking into hotel with socialite
Aiden Kilbourn’s girlfriend devastated by affair
Chapter Fifty-Five
Frankie locked the front door of the development center behind her and shouldered her bag. It was cold and dark. A typically depressing March evening. But she had Aiden and takeout to look forward to in a few hours. She’d let that thought keep her warm on the walk home.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but before she could dig it out, a shadowy figure pushed away from the wall one storefront down.
“Well, if it isn’t my old friend Franchesca,” Elliot Kilbourn said slyly, falling into step with her.
“How’s the schnoz, Elliot?” she asked breezily. There was only one reason Elliot would be waiting for her. Trouble.
“I snore now, thanks to you.”
“Consider it a souvenir that reminds you not to abduct people.”
“Did you know that I’m not the only Kilbourn with dirty secrets?” he asked. His gleeful tone put her on edge.
Frankie stopped mid-stride. “Look. Let’s just get this over with, okay? I’ve had a long day. Just drop the subterfuge and spill it.”
“I came to offer my condolences,” he said, grinning devilishly as if he relished every word. “The news is breaking right now.”
He handed her his phone and Frankie gave the screen a careless glance.
Once a bachelor, always a bachelor. Aiden Kilbourn throws over girlfriend for hotel fling with socialite.
The pictures. God. The pictures. Aiden with Margeaux Fucking Assface in his arms on a city sidewalk. Their heads were tilted toward each other, faces serious. It looked… intimate. Aiden in his limo with Margeaux cuddled up against his side. She was pouting for the selfie while he looked at his phone. Then Aiden and Margeaux getting out of the car in front of a hotel and Margeaux leaning into him, pressing a kiss to his mouth.
Frankie was going to murder someone. She just wasn’t sure who to start with.
Wordlessly, she handed the phone back to Elliot.
“He’s not the guy you thought he was,” Elliot said. “He’s selfish and cruel and only cares about himself.”
Frankie started to walk away. Her gut was roiling with anger and pain and confusion.
“There’s a SnapChat video too. But you probably don’t need to see that,” he said, picking up the pace to keep up with her. “And there’s one more thing.”
Frankie pinched her lips shut. She was going to throw up. Or scream. Or both.
“Aiden’s the reason Chip dumped your friend all those years ago.”
“What did you just say?” Frankie came to a screeching halt.
“He and Chip were talking at my parents’ house. They didn’t know I was around. They never did.”
Frankie saw the bitterness in Elliot’s eyes.
“Chip mentioned he was thinking about proposing soon. But Aiden didn’t like that. He told Chip that he didn’t think Pruitt was a good match. That she wouldn’t be the kind of partner he’d need. Chip didn’t see what he was doing, but I did.”
“What was he doing?” Her phone vibrated again, and she knew without looking it was Aiden.
“He was pulling strings like a puppet master. Kilbourns learn it from birth. How to make people do what you want them to do. He ‘guided’ Chip to the same conclusion, telling him Pruitt was too immature, too needy. She wouldn’t be the right partner for him.”
“Why would he do that?” Frankie asked, her voice barely a whisper. Why would Aiden ruin Chip’s happiness? Why would he set into motion years of misery and pain for Pruitt?
“Who knows?” Elliot shrugged. “Maybe he wanted her for himself? Maybe he couldn’t stand seeing his friend happy? The point is, he’s not the man you thought he was.”