But Felix owed the asshole nothing. Most importantly, while Felix had promised Ella he’d trust her, he didn’t trust Grayson for shit, especially not after this weekend.

As usual, Ella had managed to calm him even after dropping this bomb on him. He refused to be angry at her about this. His blood pressure had spiked for a few dangerous moments when he thought he might go off on her. But it was over now, and he was glad he hadn’t. Ella didn’t deserve for him to unleash on her what he still felt simmering inside him.

She’d be home tomorrow, and he planned on their reunion being as amazing as he’d been daydreaming it would be all week. Grayson wouldn’t ruin that for them, but Felix would be damned if he’d be letting this go just like that. There might be a bump or two before they got to their reunion, and he’d agreed to everything Ella asked him to about trusting her and accepting that Grayson would continue to be in her life.

This could get ugly before it was all over, but there’d be no compromising on one thing. Felix would make himself loud and clear to Grayson and sooner than Ella thought. This kind of shit would not be happening again.

~~~

In spite of the fact that by the end of their conversation last night Felix had calmed considerably, he’d still had a hard time falling asleep afterward. Even as late as it’d been when they’d hung up, he’d tossed and turned for a long time. If Grayson would go to these lengths to try and convince her Felix was no good for her and he was a better man for the job, what more would he have up his sleeve? But worse, the tiny doubt he’d heard in Ella’s voice plagued him. What if anything happened that might have Ella second-guessing this relationship? With the paparazzi, that could easily be done.

Talking to her would be the only thing that’d calm Felix until he got a chance to get things clear with Grayson. He’d already decided he wouldn’t be waiting either.

Felix had gotten up early. The moment he’d woken and remembered, he was pissed all over again. It’d been too early to call Ella, so he’d showered and gotten dressed then called his assistant to get Gio and Noah a car to pick them up and take them back home today. Felix wasn’t sticking around to wait for them. He had a couple of things he needed to do today, both equally important, but one far more satisfying than other. In fact, the first thing he needed to take care of he wasn’t looking forward to—at all. But it was absolutely necessary.

The more he’d thought about it last night, the more he could kick himself for not having done it sooner. He hated that Ella knew he’d slept with Adelina now. Anything that might confirm what Grayson was trying so hard to convince her of—that Felix was only going to hurt her—he needed to do away with. And this was one of them.

“You’re up early,” Noah said as he walked into the kitchen, eyeing Felix a bit suspiciously. “Going somewhere?”

“Yeah, I gotta cancel today’s training.”

The exasperation was immediately on Noah’s face. “Are you serious?”

“Yep,” Felix said, pouring himself some orange juice. “Something’s come up, and I got a couple of places I have to be today. Tell them they’ll still get paid for the whole weekend and I’ll fly them back out again if you want me to.”

“What could be more important than this?” Noah asked, the frustration heavy in his voice. “This is huge, Felix. You said you were going to focus on this training no matter—”

“And I am. I fully intend to, but I gotta take care of this stuff today. It can’t wait.”

Noah crossed his arms in front of him and peered at Felix again. “Is this about that meltdown you nearly had last night on the phone?”

“Meltdown?” Felix frowned.

Felix thought he’d handled it pretty well, considering everything.

“Yeah, I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but you got pretty loud for a moment there.”

He downed his juice, staring at Noah over the glass then set it down in the sink. “Her ex-boyfriend, that fucking cop who comes to the gym to see her . . . Well, he did—he won’t after today.” Felix ground his teeth as the reality of what this guy had pulled hit him again. “His ass made her think that cruise he got her tickets for would be for just her and her dad, and then he fuck—” Felix stopped and took a deep breath. He was getting worked up again, only this time Ella wasn’t anywhere around to help him deal with the rage. “He weaseled his way on the cruise, even brought a broad Ella’s dad’s age with him to keep her dad busy so he could spend time with Ella.”

The more he thought about it, the more it infuriated him. Last night, just hearing Ella’s voice had been enough to help steady the slow boil that’d begun the moment she’d told him Grayson was on the cruise with her. But now he was having a hard time dealing with it, and he knew better because he was determined to show Ella how far he’d come since his days of knocking guys on their ass when they pissed him off.

Noah straightened out a bit from where he’d been leaning against the counter. “So what do you plan on doing?”

“I’m gonna talk to the guy,” Felix said with a shrug, knowing full well that Noah wouldn’t buy for a second that that was all he was doing.

“You can’t be serious,” Noah said, his eyes going a little wider. “The guy’s a cop, Felix. You have any idea what’ll happen if you assault a cop?”

“Who said anything about assaulting?”