Chapter 4

"Apollo, this is a massive problem. Your father is going to find out sooner or later," Tommy said while slowly shaking his head. 

The VIP lounge of the high end bar was dimly lit. Apollo Savage leaned back into the leather sofa and downed a glass of neat whiskey in one go. He drew a long and contemplative breath from his cigarette. The orange cherry glowed brightly in the shadows.

"They won't find out," Apollo replied while his voice was a low growl. "I’ll make sure of it."

Tommy sighed while taking a long swig of beer directly from the bottle. "You’ve been engaged to Georgia for years. Five years of social events and business mergers. Why is it only now that you’ve decided you can’t go through with it?"

Apollo stared at the swirling amber liquid in his glass. He wondered why he was doing this now. Perhaps he had finally reached his breaking point. He had grown up in the cold shadow of his parents' arranged marriage. It was a union built on contracts rather than affection. He had spent his childhood watching his mother wither away in a gilded cage. He wanted something else.

In his rare and quiet moments, Apollo imagined a different life. He wanted to come home after a grueling day to a wife who actually knew him. He wanted laughter over dinner and genuine conversation. It was the polar opposite of the polished and plastic life Georgia offered.

"And why Stacy?" Tommy pressed while leaning forward. "Apollo, let’s be real. With that scandal hanging over her head, your parents will never accept her. It’ll be a bloodbath. Don't tell me you actually like your secretary?"

"I don't like her," Apollo said flatly while his eyes were fixed on the bottom of his glass. "She’s just convenient. The situation presented itself and I took it. It’s a tactical move and nothing more."

Tommy scoffed while leaning back with a skeptical look. "So what? You marry her and then divorce her in a few years? You say you don't like her now, but what happens when you start spending every waking hour together? Have you thought about what happens if you actually fall for her?"

"Apollo!" 

A hysterical cry cut through the room before Apollo could answer. Both men turned toward the entrance of the VIP suite. Georgia stood there with her makeup smudged and her hair uncharacteristically disheveled. She smelled strongly of wine and her eyes were wild with a mixture of grief and fury.

"Apollo!" she cried out again.

Apollo instinctively crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and stood up. Georgia lunged forward while throwing her arms around him and sobbing into his chest. Her body was trembling with desperate force.

"Apollo, please... let's talk! I can't lose you!" she wailed while her voice was cracking. "I’ll do anything! Just tell me what you want! We’ll get married, Apollo! Please do not do this to me!"

Apollo felt a pang of guilt but it was quickly eclipsed by a sense of suffocation. He sighed heavily while gently but firmly prying her arms from his waist. 

"You’re drunk, Georgia," he said while his voice was devoid of warmth. "I’ll call your driver to take you home."

"No! I'm not drunk!" she screamed while striking him on the chest. "I’m not leaving until you tell me the wedding is back on!"

"Georgia, there is no us to fix. We were never in a real relationship," Apollo said while his jaw was tightening. "I told you that I love someone else. She’s the one I want to marry."

"Who?! That secretary?!" Georgia spat the word like it was poison. "Apollo, wake up! She’s a nobody! She isn't on your level!"

Apollo felt a sudden and sharp surge of protectiveness. In the year Stacy had worked for him, she had endured his temper and his impossible demands with a resilience no one else possessed. She was the only one who stayed. 

"You have no right to speak about her that way," he said while his eyes flashed with a dangerous warning.

"What does she have that I don't?" Georgia pleaded while tears streamed down her face. "Tell me!"

"Everything," Apollo countered. He knew he was acting but the words felt surprisingly easy to say. "She’s sensible. She’s patient. She knows how to handle me."

Georgia looked as though she had been struck. Her heart was visibly breaking and for a moment the room was silent. Apollo knew this was cruel but it was a necessary cruelty. It was better to sever the tie completely than to let her bleed out slowly.

"C-Can you... really do it?" Georgia whispered while her voice was trembling. "Can you actually oppose your parents for her?"

Apollo didn’t hesitate. The thought of his father’s fury usually gave him pause, but tonight he didn't care. "I can. And I will fight for Stacy."

"I won't accept this!" Georgia shrieked while her grief turned into a dark resolve. "I won't let her have you!"

Tommy quickly stepped in while catching Georgia by the shoulders to steady her. "That’s enough, Georgia. You need to rest. Come on, I’ll take you home," he said softly while guiding the sobbing woman toward the door.

Georgia let herself be lead away but she kept her tear filled eyes locked on Apollo until the door finally swung shut. 

Apollo collapsed back onto the sofa while closing his eyes. A long and weary breath escaped his lungs. He poured another shot and stayed there for another hour while drinking until the edges of his vision blurred. 

In his haze, he found himself pulling out his phone. He scrolled past his business contacts until he found her name. He hit dial before he could talk himself out of it.

"Mr. Savage?" a soft and hesitant voice answered. Stacy sounded surprised and a little sleepy.

Apollo leaned his head back against the sofa. Why did her voice suddenly sound so interesting? Was it the alcohol or was it the fact that she was the only real thing in his life right now?

"Are you sleeping already?" he asked while his voice was low and gravelly. "Did I disturb you?"

"Not yet. I just finished some laundry," she paused. "Wait, why is it so loud there? Are you at a bar?"

A small and genuine smile tugged at the corners of Apollo’s mouth. He looked around at the flashing lights outside the VIP glass. "Do you want me to go outside so you don't have to hear the music?" he asked while his tone was uncharacteristically gentle.

"Oh, no... it's okay. I can hear you. Why did you call?"

He didn't really have an answer. She had just forced her way into his thoughts and he couldn't push her out. "I just wanted to ask if you’re coming back to work tomorrow," he said while feeling a strange and fluttery nervousness in his chest.

Stacy went silent. He could practically feel her hesitation through the line. He knew she was thinking about the whispers and the judgment waiting for her at the office.

"They won't talk about you," he assured her firmly. "You’re with me now."

"I trust you," Stacy replied while her voice was tinged with doubt but carrying a hint of burgeoning faith. "I’ll be there tomorrow. See you then?"

"Can I come over?" Apollo blurted out. He didn't know where the question came from. His voice dropped to a vulnerable whisper.

"W-What?" Stacy sounded breathless. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now. I want to go there, Stacy," Apollo repeated while his resolve was hardening. "Can I?"

"I... I guess? It's up to you."

Apollo didn't wait for another word. He stood up and tossed a stack of bills on the table before marching out of the bar. He ignored the spinning in his head as he reached the parking lot. He climbed into his car and sped off toward the small apartment of the woman who was supposed to be nothing more than a convenient pawn.