MAVERICK
What the hell is she doing here?
It was too late to hide as she saw me first. Aurelia smiled-a billion-dollar smile. She was an heiress to an e-commerce mogul. Not as rich as Lake, but yeah, her family was.
“Hi. What can I get you?”
She slid into the stool and tapped her well-manicured fingers on the counter. I bet her mani-pedi was worth my two weeks’ income in the bar. She asked as she looked around. “What do you have?”
The bar wasn’t crowded until the next day, but the tables were almost complete.
I prepared Vodka, lime, and soda for two. Dallas, can you cover me for a few minutes?”
He nodded. “Sure. Take your time. It’s not that busy.”
“Thanks.” I removed my apron and left the counter with the drinks I made. “Let’s go find a table.”
I did precisely what Lake told me not to. Homer would report to him anyway, and he was sitting at the corner.
We found an empty spot three tables away from Homer. Aurelia was a classic rich mean girl. I could see now why she always got what she wanted.
She sat across the table and sipped the drink. “How did you get into bartending?”
She could have fooled me without warning from Lake. She was seemingly so interested in my life. If what Lake told me was true, then she was a great actress.
“I grew up without parents. My grandmother raised me. When I turned eighteen, I trained myself to mix drinks even if I was still not allowed to taste it.”
“So you work here?”
“Yeah. I need money to go to school.” I smiled. “How about you?”
“Well, after Lake broke up with me, I changed school, went to college, and started working at my father’s company after graduating. A few months ago, I felt like I needed a change of scenery. Apparently, I still ended up here. My experience in management got me a new job.”
“Congratulations.” I paused before asking her, “You did not get lost and ended up at the Bazz. You’re here to see me. Why?”
“I just want to meet the woman that thawed Lake’s heart.”
My brows arched slightly. “Lake’s may look superficial from the outside, but he has a good heart. Maybe that’s the reason why I fell in love with him.”
Her gaze dropped to my ring. “Do you know why we broke up?”
“He told me his father asked him to break up with you to focus on his studies.”
She smiled bitterly. “That’s what he told you? Of course, that’s typical Lake.”
“Why? What exactly happened?”
“He changed. Maybe Mr. Winston wanted him to focus on his studies, but I caught him sleeping with our classmate. Ask him about Amylee.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know.” I watched her intently
“Of course, he didn’t tell you that.” If this was acting, she certainly made me believe. She was so convincing that I would never think she was lying. “I hope he won’t do to you what he did to me, especially now that you two are married and planning a family. Just unsolicited advice. I know he loves you. I can see it in his eyes but don’t give it all. Leave something, some love for yourself.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“From a woman to a woman, I hate watching women getting hurt, taken advantage of, and just tolerate abuse and stay blind and mute because he’s too powerful.” Oh, my God. I couldn’t believe I was hearing this.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” I forced myself to act surprised and concerned.
“Oh, you don’t know.” She clamped her mouth instantly as if she didn’t mean to say it out loud.
“What I don’t know? What is it all about, Aurelia? Please, tell me.”
“Nothing. Forget what I said.”
“Please?” I reached out for her hand. “I know I’m asking you a lot, but I want to know more about Lake. I’m sure you’ve heard how we got married. We eloped. We barely knew each other until we decided to get married. Please?” I hoped she bought it, considering I was a terrible liar.
“This stays between us, okay? But if I were you, you should be very careful even if he’s your husband. Two years ago, he took a woman in his hotel suite at the King Hotel. He has a suite there. Then they got drunk. One thing led to another. According to the hotel staff, he saw him running out of the suit, chasing after a woman. Then he forced himself on her. The woman did not file any complaints because his father made it disappear, but people in our circle still gossiped.” In their circle. Wow.
I stared at her in horror, speechless.
She sipped her drink, and I sipped mine. I didn’t know what to say next. I blinked as I scrambled to my feet. “Excuse me. I need to use the restroom.”
I didn’t give her a chance to reply. I ran away from her and went to my locker. I blew a deep breath and sagged as I sat on the bench as if all my energy drained.
I grabbed my phone and texted Homer.
MAVERICK: Is the woman I talked to still there?
I saw the message bubble.
HOMER: Yes.
MAVERICK: Agh. I want her gone.
HOMER: You want me to tell her to leave?
MAVERICK: No. Thanks.
I washed my hands at the staff restroom and stayed for a few minutes, gaining strength before I returned to her.
Smiling, I said politely, “Thanks for telling me, but I should return to work.”
“Why are you still working here? This is not right. You should be looking for a decent job. Or at least stay at home and ask for marital support from him. He’s a billionaire and should be giving you everything. Money, clothing, and luxury.” She looked at the shirt and shorts I was wearing. “You should demand, Maverick. You deserve it.”
“I’m shy to ask.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “He’s not treating you like a billionaire’s wife. He’s a narcissist.”
I looked down and smiled shyly. “I really should go back to work. Anyway, drinks on me.”
“No. I can’t let you pay for my drink.”
“Please?”
“Okay. If you insist.” She smiled. “We should go shopping sometime.”
“Yeah. Right now, I still have exams, but soon.”
“Of course. Don’t be a stranger.” She smiled again before she walked towards the door.
I huffed and turned around, rolling my eyes. Dallas saw my reaction, giving me a weird look.
After my shift, Homer drove me back to the penthouse without a word.
When I reached the living room, Lake was sitting alone on the sofa, drinking.
“I thought you stop drinking.”
“That’s not mine. What did I tell you? And you did exactly the opposite,” he said without even looking at me, and he was pissed off. His eyes were sharp, his jaw ticking.
“Says the guy who slept with another woman to pose a breakup.” I joined him on the couch and kissed him on the cheek. “Brooding is bad for the heart.”
I snatched the whisky and sipped it. I grimaced at the taste. “This tastes like Alaska’s pee.”
“That’s OB’s.” His head snapped at me and looked me in the eye, nose flaring.
“I take it the board meeting didn’t end well.” I put the glass down.
“With me and my dad, no. That’s not surprising. With the board, yes. They voted me to come back and take the CEO position from my father, but it could be my father’s strategy to persuade me.”
My eyes grew big. “Wow. That’s massive. We should be celebrating. What are you going to do now?”
“Fuck the CEO position, but I haven’t given them an answer. I’ll finalize my decision on Monday.”
“I’m so proud of you, babe.” I kissed his lips. “Now tell me, why are you upset and drinking alone?”
“I told you I’m not drinking. Homer told me what happened.”
I wrinkled my nose as I rested my head on his shoulder.
He wrapped his arm around me, pulled me close to him, and kissed the nook of my neck. “I missed you, baby.”
“Me too,” I told him everything, including how I pretended to be so interested and made her believe that I was horrified by her story.
“That towel incident was true. It was on the TMZ website. I was only in a towel when I walked out of the suite, but I did not hurt any women. I don’t want to tell you what happened because it’s not worth it. She cited that incident because there’s probably a footage online.”
“I have a pretty good idea. Was that the same hotel we slept in?”
“No. The other King Hotel.” He studied me briefly before asking, “For a moment, did you believe her?”
I shook my head. “I trusted you when you told me not to trust her. I’ve met bitches like her. Their tactics don’t work on me anymore.”
“Leah is gone.”
Horrified, I stared at him. “What do you mean Leah is gone?”
“They don’t know where she is right now. She left the country or not. She’s not on flight manifests or traffic cams. She hasn’t posted on her Instagram. She just packed a suitcase and was last seen on CCTV at the airport but didn’t get into the airplane.”
“Maybe she was taken.”
“Or she was also involved.” Could be. “Have you heard from your brother or Kelsey?”
I shook my head as I ignored the hollow in my chest. “No.”