My Ex Regrets Dumping Me For His Ex

"What?" Audrey called, already changing.

"My father says the city's opening up a parcel of land up north for development. They want a major hospital on it. Interested?" Omar hadn't planned on pulling her into this.

He knew Ramos Enterprises had its eye on the project. But now that she and Diego were finished, she had a right to hear about it.

Audrey had always wanted to be a doctor. Even if she never wore the coat herself, she wanted to build a hospital that mattered—real equipment, real specialists, the whole thing.

She'd never told him why it meant so much. Omar had decided a long time ago that he'd help her build it anyway. She wasn't his sister by blood, but the distinction had stopped mattering years ago.

"Really?" Audrey came out of the dressing room, and her voice was bright.

Both men forgot how to breathe for a second.

The black top sat clean across her collarbones and showed off a waist that didn't look real. The little star-and-moon pendant at her throat caught the light. The skirt did the rest.

Omar covered his eyes, theatrically. "Don't. I'm weak."

Reid laughed. "She always does this."

In private, he liked being able to just call her Audrey.

"You're sure about going up against Ramos Enterprises on this?" Omar asked, the humor draining out of his voice. He'd half expected her to hesitate.

They'd been partners once, and she'd given up more for that man than anyone should have to.

"I don't care who's on the other side of the table. I'm winning it." She said it calmly, like a fact she'd already checked.

Omar came from the Bells. Old money, a dozen companies under the Bell Group, and a name that opened doors in Crestview the way the Ramos name did. The two families had circled each other for thirty years without ever quite competing.

The land up north was perfect for a hospital. Prime location, room to expand, the potential to become the largest medical center in the state. With the Bells behind her, Audrey could go head to head with the Ramos family and not blink.

"Celebration first. Just send me the bid date." She smoothed the skirt, picked up her bag, and walked out with both of them trailing her.

---

The Grand Chateau was a members-only club—restaurant, bar, spa, the works. Very few people knew Reid Medina owned it.

"Should I get us a private room?" Reid asked, already deferring to his boss.

Omar gave him a look. "Why are you never this nice to me?"

"Come on. House rules. Anything goes, unless Audrey's involved."

They took a low-key table in the main room instead of a private one. Audrey didn't want to make Reid break his own rules, and the main room gave her a much better view of the available men.

She'd spent three years so fixed on Diego that she'd forgotten other men existed. Tonight she intended to correct that.

---

Across the room, Diego was mid-conversation with Marcus Vance when a familiar figure came through the door.

She drew the whole room, and she didn't appear to notice. Behind her walked two men, neither of them easy to overlook.

"Isn't that your wife? What's she doing with Omar Bell?" Marcus asked. He knew who Audrey was after the mess at Ramos Enterprises. Reid didn't surprise him. Omar Bell was a different league.

Diego's face went dark. "Ex-wife."

"Fine. Ex-wife. Weren't you trying to get five minutes with Omar Bell? Have her introduce you. They look—close."

It was a casual suggestion, but Marcus knew exactly how badly Diego wanted that hospital project. The Bell Group preached open bidding. Everyone also knew a quiet word with a Bell could tilt a room.

Diego followed his gaze and found Audrey laughing with her arm slung over Omar's shoulder. His expression darkened another degree. They weren't even divorced yet and she was already out with other men.

And not just any man. The Bell heir. Like she'd had the next one lined up the whole time.

His grip tightened on the glass. He was halfway across the room before he'd decided to move.

Audrey and her friends were mid-game when he appeared. The three of them went still for half a second. The air sharpened—then flattened out again.

"Audrey." Low, with an edge. "You have some nerve. Working on my mother this morning and turning up in a club by dinner."

She scoffed. "What exactly do you think I'm damaging, Mr. Ramos? My standing as your soon-to-be ex-wife? Whether I'm here for business or for fun is not your concern."

His heart stuttered. That landed harder than he'd expected. "You're bidding on the Bell project."

Why else would she be with Omar?

But a security firm—even a famous one—was not Ramos Enterprises. What made her think she could play at this level?

Behind him, Marcus swallowed a laugh, watching Audrey like she was the punchline. "Look at that. Your ex-wife's really come into her own."

Reid was almost speechless. Did this clown have any idea who her family was?

"None of it is your business. Try focusing on your own life instead of inserting yourself into other people's." Audrey's reply was ice.

"You—"

Marcus rushed to smooth it over, lifting his glass toward Omar. "Mr. Bell. I've heard a lot about you. Could we borrow five minutes? We're very interested in the north site."

Omar gave him a thin smile and touched glasses without warmth. "No need. I'm here with Audrey, and I don't have much to say to people who came over to bait her."

While Marcus fumbled for another angle, Audrey stood and gave Diego a smile that never reached her eyes. "We're done here. Let's go."

Reid and Omar fell in behind her without a beat, leaving Diego furious and Marcus lost.

Omar and Audrey were obviously close. How on earth did she know a man like that?