50

CH 50.
As Lucas was heading out the door, Steve walked in and greeted him with a curt nod. “Good morning, Sir,” he said, his voice strained.
Lucas returned the nod. “Good morning, Steve. Is there anything you need to update me on?”
“No, Sir,” Steve replied quickly. “Everything is under control.”
“Good to hear,” Lucas said before turning to leave.
As Lucas walked out, Steve’s eyes narrowed. He could barely contain his anger and resentment towards Lucas. After all, he was the reason Andrianne was stuck in this loveless marriage. But he couldn’t let his feelings get in the way of his job. He had a duty to protect Andrianne, no matter how much he despised the man she was married to.
As soon as Lucas left, Steve made his way to Andrianne’s door. He knocked gently, and Andrianne opened it with a scowl on her face. “Good morning, Andrianne,” Steve said, trying to sound friendly.
Andrianne gave him a curt nod, but didn’t say anything. She wasn’t happy about having a bodyguard, especially one who was her ex-boyfriend. It made her feel like her life was being invaded and she had no privacy.
“Is there something you need?” she asked, trying to keep her tone polite.
“I just wanted to touch base with you and make sure everything is okay,” Steve said.
“Everything is fine,” Andrianne replied coldly. “I’ll be heading out soon, so you can take a break.”
Andrianne noticed Steve becoming more and more preoccupied with his phone as they sat in the living room, occasionally glancing at it and answering hushed phone calls. She tried to focus on her book, but her curiosity got the best of her.
“Is everything alright, Steve?” she asked, putting her book down.
Steve looked up, startled. “Yes, everything is fine,” he said, putting his phone away.
Andrianne could tell he was lying, but she didn’t want to push him too much. “Okay,” she said, picking up her book again.
But the calls continued, and Steve became more and more agitated. Andrianne decided to confront him about it.
“Steve, I know something is wrong. You’ve been on the phone all day, and you’re acting strange,” she said.
Steve hesitated for a moment before responding. “I’m sorry, Andrianne. It’s just some personal matters I have to attend to,” he said.
Andrianne wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure it’s nothing serious? I can help if you need it,” she said.
Steve shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. I can handle it,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Andrianne didn’t press any further, but she knew something was amiss. As she went about her daily activities, she kept a close eye on Steve, watching his every move.
Andrianne was in her room, lost in thought when her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Jackie. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Hello?” she said.
“Hey, Andrianne! How are you?” Jackie’s cheerful voice sounded through the phone.
“I’m doing okay, thanks. What’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to come over and have lunch with me today. I’ve been dying to catch up with you.”
Andrianne hesitated for a moment. She wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to leave the house, especially with everything that had been happening lately. But she missed her friend and the thought of spending some time with her was tempting.
“Sure, that sounds great. What time should I come over?”
“How about noon? I’ll have lunch ready by then.”
Andrianne agreed and hung up the phone. She went to her closet to find something to wear, still feeling uneasy about leaving the house. She eventually settled on a simple blue dress and sandals, hoping she wouldn’t be out for too long.
As she got ready, Steve watched her from a distance, answering a secret call as he did. Andrianne noticed that he was acting a bit strange, but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions. She decided to keep an eye on him, just in case.
When she was finally dressed, she said goodbye to Steve and headed out the door. She tried not to think about what could happen while she was out, focusing instead on the prospect of seeing her friend.
As she arrived at Jackie’s house, she was greeted with a warm hug. They settled down in the living room and started catching up on old times. They laughed and reminisced about the past, Andrianne momentarily forgetting about her troubles.
However, Steve was up to no good. He had taken advantage of Andrianne’s absence to execute his plan. He went to her room and started rummaging through her things, searching for something that would help him carry out his mission.
As they finished their meal, Andrianne’s phone rang. It was Lucas. He wanted to know where she was and when she would be back. She told him that she was at Jackie’s and would be heading home soon.
Andrianne had a bad feeling about the whole situation, but she didn’t want to ruin her time with Jackie. They said their goodbyes and she headed home, hoping that everything was okay.
Andrianne entered the house and dropped her keys on the coffee table, taking a deep breath and relishing the familiar scent of home. She glanced around the room and saw that everything was in order. Steve wasn’t anywhere in sight, but she didn’t think much of it. Perhaps he had gone out for some fresh air.
Andrianne felt a sudden urge to cook something special for Lucas. It had been a while since they had a home-cooked meal together. She rummaged through the kitchen cabinets, looking for inspiration. She found some fresh vegetables and chicken in the fridge and decided to make a stir-fry.
As she chopped the vegetables and marinated the chicken, she couldn’t help but think about the strange behavior of Steve. She wondered where he could have gone without telling her. Maybe he had an emergency or something, but she couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off.
As the stir-fry sizzled on the pan, Andrianne poured herself a glass of wine and sat down to relax. She picked up the book she had been reading earlier and lost herself in its pages. The aroma of the cooking food wafted through the air, making her stomach growl in anticipation.
When the food was ready, she set the table for two and waited for Lucas to come home. She couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw what she had prepared for him.
As she waited, she tried to push the thoughts of Steve to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to spoil the evening with Lucas by dwelling on negative things. She took a sip of her wine and smiled to herself, feeling content and happy.