CHAPTER 6

ALINA

The moment the cab driver pulled up in front of my curb, the front door of the house flew open so suddenly that it startled me. David came rushing out. He wasn’t even wearing shoes. Barefooted, he sprinted across the driveway toward me without caring about how cold the pavement was beneath his feet.

Before I could even say a word, he grabbed my wrist and spun me around in a hurried circle, his anxious eyes scanning every inch of my body.

“Are you okay?” he asked quickly, his voice tight with worry. “I’ve been calling you nonstop!”

I immediately pulled my hand away from his grip and rolled my eyes, already irritated by his dramatic behavior. “Why exactly did you have to call me ten times?” I complained as I stepped away from the cab. “You knew I was out working.”

Without saying anything else, he reached for my purse, took it from my hand, and followed closely behind me as I walked toward the house.

“You were out with some random man I don’t even know,” he defended himself. “And unlike every other time, you didn’t send me a single reassuring text saying you were okay. You disappeared for hours. Of course I was worried, so I kept calling.”

I let out a tired sigh as we stepped into the elevator lobby. My head still felt slightly heavy from earlier, and even standing upright took more effort than normal.

“I couldn’t call or even send a message,” I muttered while watching him swipe the penthouse access card against the scanner. “Whatever drug that idiot slipped into my drink was insanely strong.”

The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding, and we stepped inside.

“Besides,” I added, leaning weakly against the wall of the elevator, “why did you run outside barefooted like a crazy person?”

David paused for a second before finally glancing down at his bare feet. He slowly wiggled his toes against the elevator floor like he was only just realizing he had forgotten his shoes in the first place.

Then he looked back at me.

“It showed you were close,” he admitted quietly, almost sheepishly.

The elevator gave a soft ping as the doors slid open and I stepped out slowly. The first thing I did was kick off my heels, letting out a relieved breath the moment my aching feet touched the cold marble floor.

“What showed I was_”

I froze mid-step, turned around and blinked rapidly at David.

“Wait,” I said slowly, narrowing my eyes at him. “Are you tracking me?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and avoided my gaze altogether before giving me a small nod. “I just needed to make sure you were okay.”

My expression hardened instantly.

“This isn’t my first time doing this kind of job, David,” I pointed out. “So have you been secretly tracking me during all the other jobs too?”

“No,” he answered quickly.

That only annoyed me more.

I walked straight toward the mini bar in the living room area, needing something strong after the stressful night I had just survived. Grabbing a wine glass, I reached for one of the older wine bottles sitting on the shelf and uncorked it with more force than necessary.

“You suddenly deciding to track me now is weird,” I muttered while pouring the wine into the glass. My eyes drifted toward my phone lying on the counter. “And honestly? Hacking into my phone is a complete violation of my privacy.”

Before I could even take a sip, David appeared beside me.

Without warning, he gently removed the wine glass from my hand and replaced it with a warm glass of milk instead.

I stared at him in disbelief.

“Seriously?”

“I didn’t hack your phone,” he clarified calmly. “The tracker is hidden in the necklace you’re wearing.”

My brows furrowed instantly.

“The necklace?”

He nodded. “And before you get angry again, I only did it because something about this Vincent Sterling guy has been bothering me from the beginning.”

I folded my arms across my chest while he continued.

“I can’t explain it properly,” he admitted. “But something about him just doesn’t feel right to me.”

I took a small sip from the glass of milk, though I barely tasted it. After another half-hearted sip, I abandoned the glass on the counter and turned fully toward David.

“I understand that you’re worried about me,” I said calmly, trying not to sound irritated again. “But I know exactly what I’m doing, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with Vincent. Whatever strange feeling you have about him is honestly just in your head.”

David’s brows immediately pulled together in disagreement.

“My gut instincts are never wrong,” he argued.

I crossed my arms. “Well, this time they are.”

He looked unconvinced, but I didn’t care enough to continue debating about it.

“And about the guy in the blue striped shirt,” I continued, changing the subject as I started walking back toward the living room, “you better make sure he stays hidden properly. I heard Vincent has practically turned the entire city upside down searching for him.”

David followed behind me at a slower pace.

“He’s already out of the country,” he assured me. “So you don’t need to worry about him getting caught.”

Good.

That was one less problem for me to think about.

I had already paid a ridiculous amount of money to make sure everything went smoothly. The last thing I needed was loose ends appearing out of nowhere.

“Good,” I murmured quietly. “I don’t want to start stressing over problems I already paid to erase.”

The exhaustion in my body finally caught up with me the moment I reached the living room. I dropped onto the sofa heavily, sinking deep into the cushions as my muscles screamed in relief.

“Try harder to create more opportunities for me to meet Vincent,” I mumbled tiredly while leaning my head against the backrest.

David stopped directly in front of the couch, towering over where I lay.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“You weren’t able to create another opportunity to see him again after last night?” he asked, tilting his head suspiciously. “That’s not like you.”

Stifling a tired yawn, I raised a hand and covered my eyes, my head still pounding faintly from whatever had been slipped into that drink earlier.

“Vincent didn’t even take me home after I fainted,” I said lazily from the couch. “His sister did. And right now, Vincent probably sees me as some annoying problem he was forced to deal with.” I sighed dramatically. “Which means I now have to fix that impression.”

“So you didn’t spend the night at his place?” he asked carefully, absentmindedly flicking his finger against the side of the couch.

I lowered my hand from my face and rolled my eyes so hard it almost hurt.

“Didn’t I literally just say that?” I deadpanned. “Or are you trying to mock me now?”

Almost instantly, the tension around his jaw loosened. It was subtle, but I noticed it.

He gave a small nod. “Why don’t you go shower while I make you breakfast?”

The offer sounded far too tempting to refuse.

I pushed myself up from the sofa and nodded lazily before blowing him a playful kiss over my shoulder.

David chuckled softly under his breath as I walked away.

By the time I finished showering and changed into something comfortable, I felt significantly more human. My damp hair clung lightly to my shoulders as I made my way downstairs toward the dining area.

The moment I entered the dining room, I paused.

Serena was already seated at the table with David.

She immediately waved the second she noticed me. “Morning,”

David stood the moment I approached and pulled out one of the dining chairs for me before I could do it myself.

Serena’s eyes instantly followed the movement.

Her brows slowly pulled together as she stared between the two of us.

I narrowed my eyes at her while sitting down.

“What?”

Ignoring Serena’s look completely, I flashed David a grateful smile just as he started placing bacon onto my plate.

Serena leaned back in her chair dramatically before finally answering.

“I got a call from Paris this morning,” she said.

The playful mood instantly disappeared.

She handed the iPad she’d been holding over to me.

“They’ve halted production,” she continued grimly. “Apparently, they need more money before they can continue.”

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, staring at the iPad screen. “This is really bad timing.”

I dragged a hand through my damp hair, already feeling my brain trying to calculate numbers faster than I wanted it to.

“How much?” I asked without looking up.

“Half a million,” Serena replied.

I let out a slow breath.

Perfect.

Right when everything was already a mess.

“I have two fifty left in my account,” I said flatly, more to myself than anyone else.

David pulled out the chair beside me and sat down, leaning in slightly.

“I can give you a hundred,” he offered.

“No,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “I’ll figure it out.”

David’s fingers tightened around the wine glass in front of him, his knuckles stiffening slightly.

“How?” he asked, watching me closely.

“Selling some of those Birkins.”

Serena looked up instantly.

“You need them for appearances,” she reminded me.

“Vincent will replace them.

David’s eyes narrowed at me almost immediately. “You sound very confident,” he said in a clipped tone.

I turned my head toward him, lips curving into a small smirk.

“When have I ever failed to get any man I set my eyes on?”

David’s jaw tightened. “So you’d rather sell your bags than take money from me?”

I nodded once.

His chair scraped back sharply against the floor as he stood up.

I watched him, then glanced at his barely touched plate.

“What?” I frowned. “You’re not eating anymore?”

Serena leaned slightly toward me, lowering her voice. “I think he’s leaving.”

“I can see that,” I said dryly. “Why?”

David didn’t sit back down. Instead, he adjusted his jacket and looked straight at me.

“I need to get you more chances to meet Vincent Sterling.”

I tilted my head. “And that couldn’t wait until after breakfast?”

“No. The faster you handle whatever this thing is with Vincent,” he added quietly, “the faster you’ll be done with him.”