Chapter 5: | Where It All Began
𝐋𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐒
I became more convinced Jude's eye had caught the weapon when he started babbling, "I don't have a damn idea where he is," he rephrased. "How would I know, man? I'm only a messenger," he added, instinctively taking a step back.
I paused at his words, then after a second, I retreated, relaxing back on the wall. I took a sip of my Champagne before asking, "Were you able to bring the package without tripping all over yourself?"
"Of course, do you think I'll be stupid enough to walk in here without it?"
"Where is it?" I groaned, disregarding his words.
"It seems you are not big on trust," he muttered with an unreadable expression on his face. "I wonder how you got in bed with these guys," he added lowly. If I didn't have sharp hearing I wouldn't have caught it.
Anger filled me. If he was talking about Damien, then I'll just have to kill him. There was only one thing I didn't joke with above all else.
Family.
Placing my piercing orbs on him, I growled, "I get into crowds I fucking want to get into. Now hand over the package."
He had this look on his face like he pitied me or something. Whatever the reason was for his strange behavior tonight, I didn't give two fucks. All I cared about was getting that package, even if I had to slit his throat for it, right here in public. I was sure I could get away with it just fine.
"Here," he said, handing me the package. I took it from him and tugged it beneath my tux. Maybe I should still slit his throat for wasting my time. It would definitely give me immense pleasure
And draw attention to me.
Well, the last bit was what I didn't want right now. I watched him watch me for a minute before turning away and disappearing into the crowd.
After I was sure he was gone, I looked around for her and spotted her right in the middle of the floor, nestled between the arms of her father. I clenched my fingers together. It was such a shame that she would never see me. She and the world needed to keep believing Antonio was dead.
I leaned back on the wall and pulled open the package. And as I did, I couldn't help but wonder why the hell Damien had set up the meeting if he wasn't going to show, conveniently excluding the fact that Evelyn was going to be there. But as I began to read through my next assignment, the answer to that question almost knocked me off my feet. Right there on the back of the page was a picture of my next assignment.
Evelyn Russell.
My heart broke into a million pieces.
* * *
𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑰𝒏 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒕
𝐄𝐕𝐄
I left my purse on the wooden table when I heard the coffee girl call my name. My cup was ready, and I couldn't be more grateful because being sentenced... no, subjected to this crappy table while waiting for my cup to be made was no joke, even though it was self-inflicted.
I could have just stayed on the line, but nope, here I was. Why? Well for one, I couldn't stand the length of the waiting line and secondly, I just didn't have the strength to suffer. I wasn't weak or anything, just reluctant.
No, pampered.
I dismissed the thought and stepped in front of the line. And as I began squeezing myself between weary customers who had to wait longer for their orders, and the cold counter - which was annoyingly pressing into my abdomen, I began to doubt my common sense. There were so many other places I could've gone to. Places my mother had on countless occasions, begged I visited. But here I was, smacked in-between a sea of bodies like a sandwich. A position my mother would certainly disapprove of.
Maybe I did this because somehow, I needed to do something different, something defying. Like you are doing now. Or maybe this was actually the best coffee in the state and my mother had no idea what she was missing. Either way, I was here. And I didn't regret it.
Almost didn't.
I was snapped out of the transient deliberation I had fallen into when I felt the hot sting of my coffee on my fingers. I gasped, my head tilting up to stare at the coffee girl. She gave me an apologetic smile and I smiled back. She didn't need to apologize but they all did. My name and status were like a respect magnet. A magnet I didn't want. I grabbed my coffee, placed a couple of pounds on the counter to thank her as all good citizens should, and began to turn when the sexiest voice I have ever heard whispered into my ears.
"This isn't the way to treat a gentleman." I froze. His voice was so close; I could feel his hot breath across the slope of my neck. I jerked back in surprise and turned, hitting his muscled chest in the process.
"What the..." My words died in my mouth, or more appropriately, got stuck as I looked up at him. There was no way in hell anyone could look this handsome. This yummy. My eyes strolled from his diamond-shaped jaw to his bright sea-grey eyes, then settled on his plump pink lips.
Lord, help me. Those lips looked…
I blushed at the thought. This wasn't me. I didn't get awestruck by hot guys. They got stuck by the sight of me. Usually, I was the rich one, the young one, the one with a famous background. And deep down, I couldn't help but feel relieved at the thought of not being recognized at first sight.
"Lady, aren't you going to say sorry or something?" I heard him mutter, which got me snapping my eyes to his.
"What... wa - what?" I stammered, trying to understand what the hell he was talking about. Because if it was about me hitting his chest…
Weekly Power Status
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