Chapter 18 ' Shut it . Rhys , " I snapped . You know damn well why I broke things off . So do us all a favour and back off He clocked the death grip I had on the wine bottle and caught the look in my eyes - the same look that said I wouldn't think twice about smashing it over his infuriating head again , just like last time . Rhys froze . The look on his face was absolutely priceless . Like I'd just walked up and slapped him with a frozen salmon . [ ] He simply couldn't compute the fact that I was no longer the starry - eyed doormat who used to treat his words like gospel . Probably still catching up from that time I'd literally slapped him during our breakup . ] Honestly , I don't think his ego had recovered . ] Before Rhys could open his mouth again , a manager in a suit so sharp it could've sliced air walked over . He looked at Rhys and Catherine like they were yesterday's expired prawns . " Sir , ma'am , I'm afraid you're now on our banned list . You're no longer welcome here . Ever . "[ ] Rhys spluttered like a clogged kettle . W what ? You can't be serious . [ ] Instead of explaining , the manager waved over security . Two very large men in very small earpieces started making their way towards our table . Rhys kept yelling something about how he'd file a complaint or whatever nonsense billionaires shout when things don't go their way . Catherine just hissed something under her breath and followed him out , her heels clicking like angry punctuation marks . Once the chaos walked itself out , the manager turned to me with a faint , polite smile . " Apologies for the disturbance , miss . Your dinner tonight is on the house . " I blinked at him . That's … very generous of you . ' ] ' My pleasure , " he said smoothly . " You're a highly valued patron here at La Vache Dorée . " Highly valued " . Right I'd been here maybe twice this past month , and both times I'd ordered the cheapest set menu and split a dessert with Yvaine . I eyed the manager , whom I'd vaguely recognised from those visits - always polite , always professional , but never this… chummy . He gave me big energy of someone who wouldn't notice me in a line - up unless I'd set the restaurant on fire . Before I could probe into his sudden generosity , he handed me a black card embossed with the restaurant's logo . ] The owner asked me to pass this along . You're welcome to dine here , anytime . No charge . He gave me a little bow and disappeared into the kitchen before I could so much as sputter a refusal . Yvaine gawked at the card . " Wait , what ? Mira , do you know the owner of this place ? I shook my head . " No " ] But I had a hunch who it might be Chapter H When I got back to my flat , still riding the high from watching Rhys and Catherine get chucked out of the restaurant like a couple of misbehaving toddlers , the universe decided I'd had enough fun for the night My landlord was waiting by my door , fiddling with his keys like they were rosary beads . Mr Donnelly , mid - fifties , who always smelled faintly of microwaveable shepherd's pie and wore socks with sandals , gave me a look like I'd just run over his cat ] " Miss Vance , I'm really sorry , ' he said , scratching his head in that way men do when they're about to say something completely shitty but want to look sympathetic while doing it . There's going to be some , ah , urgent renovations . Safety stuff . You'll need to , ah , vacate the apartment by the end of the week . Right . And I was the Queen of England I could practically hear my mother's voice behind his . Guess she'd made good on that charming threat . ] I nodded : " I'll be gone in two days . " No arguments . No begging No point . ] He gave an awkward nod and shuffled off , probably to microwave another shepherd's pie [ ] I'd expected this . Just didn't expect my mother to move this fast . ] Moving wasn't an issue . I could afford somewhere better . Bigger . With windows that didn't jam and a kitchen that didn't double as a sauna every time I boiled water . Hell , I could've offered Mr Donnelly double the rent and he'd probably have wept with joy and accepted But that would've been like duct - taping a crack in the Hoover Dam . 0 Even if I stayed , my mum knew where I lived . The calls , the visits , the threats dressed up as motherly concern - none of it would stop unless I gave in and married Leonard Shaw or whatever crusty aristocrat she dug up , or found a man powerful enough to scare her into silence . Speaking of which … I was halfway through mentally packing my jewellery tools and wondering if my next landlord would let me solder in the living room when it hit me - I'd agreed to fake an engagement with my very attractive neighbour , and I didn't even know his bloody name . 0 Brilliant . In my defence , I'd been a little preoccupied during that meeting , mostly with the way his shirt hugged his shoulders . And also with the very inconvenient , very vivid flashbacks to that night in the hotel room . The one with all the foggy bits and the completely uncalled for heat . So when he started going on about the details of our arrangement , I was too busy staring at his mouth and wondering if it still tasted the same to take in much of anything else . Soll Minor detail . ] ] I scribbled a note 1 Hey , just a heads up - I'm moving out in two days , Long story . Here's my number in case you still want to go ahead with the whole fake hance thing . Hamne's Mira , by the way . Cheers I tucked it under his door across the hall . The lights were off , no sound from inside . He was probably out doing hot mysterious things . Like brooding on a rooftop or teaching orphans how to box or whatever handsome men do when they're not accidentally getting roped into fake relationships . Then I went back to my flat , plonked myself on the sofa , opened my laptop , and typed apartments that won't ruin your life ' into the search bar . Rhys rang just as I was elbow - deep in a bag of cheesy crisps , trying to ignore my tragic life by watching an aggressively cheerful baking show . I answered because I was in a good mood and didn't bother to check caller ID . Stupid of me , really . He didn't bother with small talk Dinner . Tomorrow night . With my family . leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling like it owed me an explanation . ' Rhys , we're not together anymore . In case your memory's as selective as your morals . " He huffed . ' My mother wants to see you .