CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER 5

ELLIS POV

The VIP room feels smaller somehow. The air is heavy and filled with the smell of alcohol mixed with a stinging regret that makes me realise how badly I just messed up.

I keep holding my phone even though the screen is off. I don't need to look at it anymore.

That photo is stuck in my mind now.

Someone has it..someone knows about us.

"What was that message?"Alex's voice cuts and it snaps me out of my head.

He's still standing by the table, in the same spot where, not long ago I was about to throw out all of my senses through the window.

I should have known better than to call him out here. I should have known that playing games with Alex Hawthorne was never going to end well for me.

But the look on his face when that stripper touched me. That flash of jealousy on his face just for a second.I'm not proud of it, but it felt like power…like I was the one in control for once.

Now the power's gone, and I'm left holding evidence of the biggest mistake I ever made.

"Nothing important." I replied, slipping the phone into my pocket,my trembling hands almost betraying me. I kept my eyes off him and hoped he missed it.

"Ellis…"

"I said it's nothing, Alex!” I grab my shirt from the couch and start buttoning it with hands that won't stay still.

“Probably a spam message" I shrugged

One eyebrow went up. “Spam? You’re shaking like you just saw someone die, Ellis.”

"Can we not have this conversation, Alex." I tugged the collar straight, my fingers fumbling with the fabric as I refused to look up.

He looked at me for a long moment.“Who sent you that picture?" He asked looking more serious

He already knew something was up and he was waiting for me to slip so he could catch up.

When he noticed I already made up my mind to give nothing away . He didn’t move,he just stood there rooted to the spot, watching me with a quietness that made the whole room feel like it was running out of air.

He kept his eyes on me the whole time,still waiting like he could do it all day

I looked away first.

His jaw tightened. "Don't lie to me Ellis”

I laughed..I couldn't help it.The sound coming out bitterly "Lie to you? Really Alex? That's rich Coming from you of all people”

We're done here. Go home, Alex. Forget this happened.

"What if I insist on knowing the content of that message?”

"I told you, it was nothing."

"Then show me." He insisted

"Excuse me?"

"Show me your phone if it is really nothing, show it to me."

I gripped the doorknob so hard my knuckles almost turned white. "You don't get to make demands of me Alex."

His face hardens "Let me guess..Boyfriend drama?"

“What?" I froze "That's not.."

"What else would it be?" He cuts me off. "You're shaking over a text message. "Why does it matter unless you make it matter?"

"Made it matter?" I repeated slowly.

He adjusts his jacket, clearly done with this conversation. "Whatever personal issues you're dealing with, keep them separate. Don't call me out to bars at night to play games."

My voice breaks.“You think tonight was a game?"

"What else would it be?" He gestures toward the couch. "You wanted me to watch. You wanted a reaction out of me and you got one. But I'm not getting dragged into your relationship problems."

Something flashes across his face. "So there is indeed someone."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't deny it either." His voice drops. "How long?" He asked

"Alex.."

"How long have you been seeing him?"

"That's not.." My phone rings again, cutting me off.

Alex's eyes dropped to my pocket where I kept the phone. "Everything about this collaboration is my business," he says quietly. "If someone is trying to sabotage..”

“Which makes my personal life none of your goddamn business”

"Good. Then there's no problem." He heads for the other entrance then pauses at the door.

"And Ellis? Next time you want to make someone jealous, don't involve me. I'm not a prop and..this isn't over."

The door clicked shut, leaving me in the heavy silence of the room while my phone kept beeping.

I pull it out with shaking hands.

Five messages all from the same unknown number.I went through them one by one. By the time I read the fifth,I wished I had not.

‘I Enjoyed the show tonight..but does Alex know what I have?Or are you keeping secrets? Anyway I left you a present at home.’

********************************************************

The drive back home takes twenty minutes that feels like twenty hours.

I keep checking my mirrors, looking for cars that might be following. Every set of headlights makes my heart jump. By the time I pull into my penthouse garage,the steering wheel feels slippery beneath my sweating hands.

The elevator ride up to the top floor is torture. The numbers climb so slowly from one...Three…Four…Five…and finally the doors open.

My hallway looks normal. The flower pot Mrs Chen never forgets to clean thoroughly sits at one side on the marble floor.

But when I reach my door, there's nothing out of place.I stand there staring at my doormat like an idiot, heart pounding, waiting for something to happen.

They lied or maybe they're just messing with me.

I unlock the door with shaking hands, hurry inside, and lock it behind me.

“I step into my apartment. It is dark and quiet, just like I left it this morning.

I turned on every light,checked the bathroom,bedroom and even the closet.

Everything was exactly how I left it this morning. Nothing is out of place,no sign that anyone has been here.

My phone vibrates from the kitchen counter where I left it earlier.

The notification made my blood run cold. I walked over slowly, half expecting the phone to explode.

I stare at the phone for a long moment before opening it. The email is empty except for two attachments, both images. I tap the first one, and it takes a second to load before filling my screen.

A picture of Alex and me kissing in the hallway of the Delury Hotel. His mouth was on my neck, and I was pressed against him.

I remember that moment, and no one else comes to mind. The room was booked for VIPs, mostly private.

I swallow, then open the second image. It loads just as slowly, and my chest tightens.The picture is fuzzy, yet I can pick out our bodies pressed together in the dim hallway behind us.

My hands go numb, trembling over the phone. Who the hell took these? I search my memory, trying to recall if anyone else had been there that night.

But I was sure it was just us, Alex and me. We were alone that night.

Or not?

I keep staring at the pictures, trying to make sense of them.Are they going to blackmail me? Why now? Why after three years?

This time, my phone rings, cutting through my racing thoughts and the silence of the house.

Alex’s name lights up the screen. I hesitate, then press the answer button.

“Did you see the news?” he asked tensely.

“What news?” I say, frowning.

“Shit,” he snapped.

My stomach drops, a cold knot forming within “Alex, what is going..’’

The line goes dead before I could finish.