SCARLETThe four of us sat across from each other awkwardly. Nate narrowed his eyes at me, and Katherine’s eyes were staring intently at the emotionless man next to me. Luke’s arms folded over his chest. It was such a bad idea to ask him to stay with us. And what’s more surprising, he agreed.“I asked him to stay here.” I cleared my throat. “He’ll sleep on the couch.”When I shifted my head to his side, Luke looked at me. “I’d rather sleep with you.”Nate scowled.“Luke.” I shook my head.“What? You said they know about us,” he stated.“No problem here, Mister,” Katherine assured me with a grin. “You can stay here anyway or anywhere you want.”I could see now that Luke had an effect like this on women, and Katherine wasn’t an exception. It’s a sure thing.“Don’t you think letting a man sleep in the house with two girls is inappropriate?” Nate commented. I knew he would not approve.“You are a man too!” Katherine pressed. “Alright, I’ll decide. Since I share this room with Scar and you
LUKERebecca called me as soon as I received her email in the morning. I was busy with the expansion of Hotel B in Seoul, but she insisted that she had to speak to me. What she sent me was a film about the fucker, Raoul Velazquez.“What are these?” I asked, scrolling through the email.“That are the details about the club he owned. It’s called The Hightower Club. It’s an elite club. Most guests were VIPs, celebrities, and even politicians. It has a good reputation, surprisingly.”“He’s not an ordinary man to run a club like this. I know this club. What else?”“He’s a wealthy man, Luke. Hightower Club has a branch in London. It’s bigger than the one in Boston.”I gritted through my teeth. This man was something. I scrolled to the next page. It was the list of his VIP guests in London. I found tons of celebrities on the list.“Do you think he may be in London?” I queried.“He’s currently in London.”I clenched my fist. “Wait. Do we have a lead now? Did you confirm?”“Yes. The informatio
LUKE I remained seated on the couch and watched them come out of the door until Stacy came into my office in a wheelchair. “Your assistant isn’t very polite in treating a guest.” A smirk played on her lip. “She didn’t ask me if I wanted coffee. You know how I love coffee.” She was still the same woman a few years ago. Despite her situation, she always seemed arrogant. “It’s because I told her you are not a guest, Stacy. What do you want?” “You don’t want to see me, so I came all the way here despite my situation just to see you.” “Don’t be so proud. I didn’t want to see you.” She chuckled. “You wouldn’t be able to resist after I say this to you. Whether you like it or not.” “Just tell me what you want, and don’t come here again. I don’t want the people to see you in this building.” “Then, do you prefer your daughter?” “Stop fucking with me, Stacy. You know you can’t bring her here.” “I know, but I brought Bella with me. She’s waiting for you in the car with her nanny.” She di
SCARLETThat woman was Stacy? No, no. She could be another Stacy, but why was my heart throbbing, sending me a feeling that she was the Stacy that Luke didn’t want me to know?Everything fits the harder I think about it. She was the exact definition of Luke’s type, except for the wheelchair part.I didn’t have the right to ask her who she was, so I didn’t say anything further. But I don’t have a good feeling about her. Should I just leave?“Excuse me, how can I help you?” The woman in the lobby appeared in front of us.“I’m looking for Luke,” Stacy answered first.“I’m Mr. Alejandro’s assistant. He’s currently in a meeting.”“Are you new here? Don’t you know who I am?” She eyed the assistant coldly.“Do you know what time the meeting will end?” I asked the receptionist nicely instead.“No, Ma’am. I’m very sorry. Do you have a message I can relay to him?” she asked.“Miss, I did not come all the way here just to get kicked out by a mere employee,” the woman ranted. “Are you blind, or y
SCARLETIt’d been a week since Mom and Thomas returned to Manhattan, and it’d been eight days since I last saw Luke. Every day, my stomach felt tight, and my chest felt heavy. I tested myself; how long could I endure, and to what extent could I hold back?The food didn’t taste right. My classes felt like a burden. I couldn’t sleep well for the past few days. In the last two days, I checked my phone to see if I had a message, hoping to hurt myself more if I saw his name. But I realized that it hurt even more when I found nothing.I was sleepless. I had no appetite, and I felt that I had lost weight. I already lost it. Still, I was so proud of myself. I didn’t beg for him, make a scene, or stalk him, not like I did before.My ninth day made no difference. Same routine. I was getting up in the morning bored, going to school only to gawk, and going to the cafeteria only to stare at the food. It’s the same pasta I loved, but it’s just food in red for me. Nothing more. Not even appetizing.
SCARLETLast night, I slept very well. Thanks to Katherine and the sweet live acoustic music. For the time being, I forgot how lonely I was—until the moment I opened my eyes in the morning. Luke’s face flashed back into my mind. I expected my day to be the same for the past nine days.Katherine and Nate told me why Luke and I should not be together. I did not disagree because they were right about everything.First, he was my stepbrother, and that was the biggest deal. Second, we may have had a relationship, but it was only temporary. With Luke, there will be no happy endings. Third, he had issues, and they were as serious as mine. He had a secret woman; he was keeping this whole secret life. Lastly, they had a child together. They were a family. Who was I to get in the way?Every fact was right in front of me. I had the evidence. He didn’t deny it or even explain himself. Staying away was the right thing to do. But why couldn’t I stop loving him?I kept forcing my mind not to think a
SCARLETI stared at myself in the mirror before I went out on stage. I had never experienced standing in front of a crowd. I didn’t exactly understand why I wanted to sing live in an acoustic bar. I also had no experience. All I knew was I had to move on. I had to divert my attention and do something new.“Hey, newbie! We’re about to start.” An Asian man in a baseball cap appeared behind me.“Yes, of course. Thank you.” I smiled at him.“I’m Scott. I play percussion. You are Scarlet, right?” he asked.“Oh, yes. Hi, Scott.” I reached out my hand to him.“Pleasure.” He shook my hand.Scott smiled. He was pretty charming, and he looked younger than me. He had black hair under his cap, covering his forehead.“If you don’t mind me asking, are you… Japanese?” I guessed, trying to be friendly and making small talk.“I’m actually Korean,” he corrected, then grinned.“Oh, sorry!” I covered my mouth, embarrassed.He chuckled. “You ready? I heard you have a good voice.”“I’m not a professional,
SCARLETWhat the hell was he doing here? My heartbeat quickened in damned fright. Damn it, why here? When did he come? Did he see me on the stage earlier?But it’s not what caught my attention. He was with another woman again. A woman of his type. It had been almost two weeks, and he had already found someone else? My blood began to boil in anger and disgust.I put out my phone and typed a message for him. My hands were shaking.Going out again as Jax, are we? Just like old times. I hit send. She was probably someone he met on the app to fuck tonight. I wiped my tears with my fingers right away. I hid in the back of the restroom.I didn’t expect that he would reply right away.Where are you?I wanted to turn away, but I couldn’t help it. His date was now leaning over the table, whispering words to his ear. She playfully stroked his chin with her fingertips. I almost wanted to puke. I couldn’t take it anymore.I replied to his message but did not tell him where I was.Seriously? For s