Lucien picks up his cell phone and walks to the other side of the room and picks up the call.
“Hey,Dad.”He began as he picked up.
“Where were you last night,Lucien?”Came a deeper voice at the end of the call.
“Home.”Lucien drawled.
“I sent someone to your house yesterday since you wouldn’t pick up your damn phone but you weren’t home.”
“Oh…I was at the company,I was working late on something.That deal with…”
“Stop lying.You weren’t at the company either.And don’t tell me you forgot about your blind date yesterday?”
Lucien winced.
Another one?
“I just…something came up.”
“This is the third time.The third time,Lucien.You keep standing up these ladies and making a fool of me”
“Then stop arranging these blind dates.”
“Are you going to stay single forever simply because Mia left you?!”His father thundered.”There are so many women in the world!”
He just had to bring up Mia.
Such a questioning left Lucien at a loss for an answer; he certainly knew what his father wanted.
"I can stop arranging it, then you'll bring a decent woman back yourself!" After saying that he still felt it wasn't enough and immediately added, "Otherwise you'll just wait for your cousin to inherit the company!" After saying that he directly hung up the phone, not giving Lucien time to retort.
Lucian swallowed hard.
His father had never sounded this furious.
Ever since Mia left him,his father had always understood that this was his way of dealing with the break up.
And being committed to another woman scares him shitless.But it seems he had pushed his father to his limits.
Give everything to his cousin?
Bullshit.
Lucien might be a playboy but he was passionate about work and he had done a lot for the company.
He couldn’t lose everything.
At the same time,he didn’t want his father to find him a woman.
He felt they would all be pretentious.
Acting all cute and lovely and just when he falls deeply in love with them, just when he falls head over heels in love with them,they would use him and they would leave…leave him struggling and trying to live without them.
He would not fall prey to any woman again.He would never let them make him that vulnerable again.
He turned around,swiftly to find Audrey sitting on the couch.
Realizing he had finish taking his call,she stood up and bit out.
“Can I have the cheque now?I really should get going.”
He cocked an eyebrow as he assessed her.
She was slightly pretty in his eyes.Plain and exactly not his type at all.
And again,he was paying 100,000 dollars from simply sleeping with her.
Perhaps,he could make her work for that money.
He just needed his father off his back for a while so the old man wouldn’t think of removing him from the family’s register.
He could make an agreement with this girl.He could set down some rules and that way,he wouldn’t have to worry about falling in love with a woman.
Audrey was feeling so uncomfortable with the way he kept staring at her.
She just wanted to get the cheque and head out of here.
His predatory look made her feel so uneasy.
“I still think 100,000 is too much for a night.”He finally let out.
Audrey tensed.
She thought he had already agreed to this.
Was he not as wealthy as he appears?
Oh God.
What do sex workers do when a customer suddenly backs out of their agreement?
Audrey’s heart was racing as she wondered what she was going to do now.
“But I…but you…”
“You’ve gotten so pale.Calm down.I’ll pay you but I just need a tiny favor from you.”
Audrey frowned.”A tiny favor?”
What was his definition of tiny?
“Yes.And then you’ll get the money in full.”
Audrey felt like punching him.
He was about signing the cheque just minute ago.
He didn’t say any about this suspicious “tiny favor”
But she really couldn’t force the money out of him and she couldn’t back out of this either.
She had already slept with him.
She had to make this worth it.
“What is this tiny favor?”Audrey probed.
“Go get dressed.”He ordered.
**********
And that was how Audrey found herself in Lucien’s car as he drove off to God-knows-where.
She kept looking out the window,wondering where he was driving to, wondering if she was getting kidnapped?
What if he was a psychopath?
Should she scream?
“I can see you fidgeting in your seat.Calm down,girl.I’m not a bad person.”
She stared at him as if trying to see through his soul and find out if he really wasn’t a bad person.
And then,she took her time to study his facial features.She knew he was good looking but now seeing him in broad daylight,he was practically glowing.
He was handsome.Rakishly handsome.He had the kind of look that would make you feel like a duck.And when she thought back to how he had been on top of her,a slight shiver went down her spine.
“I know I’m good looking but can you please stop staring?”He teased, playfully.
“I wasn’t staring at you.”Audrey snapped.“Yeah,sure.”He drawled.“Just where are you taking me?”“You’ll know when we get there.”Audrey sighed,getting fed up with this unclear tiny favor.“And we’re here.”She looked out the window to see him pulling up at the front of a mall.He was taking her to a mall?!He could have just said so.Was there any need to act so mysterious?They got down from the car and Lucien handed his car mobilizer to a valet.Audrey gawked as they walked into the big mall.She wondered why he had brought her here.She saw about five attendants hurry up to them.They stood in front of Lucien and bowed,slightly.“Good morning,Mr Reynolds.”They greeted.“I need you to get her all dolled up.”He gestured at Audrey.”Make her look presentable to meet my father.”They nodded,curtly at Lucien and turned towards Audrey.“This way,ma’am.”“I’m meeting your father?”Audrey probed, surprised.“Go with them,we’ll talk about the details later.”Lucien replied,dismissively.Aweful
“He will fall for it.And if you want your money in full,better be a good actress.”Lucien warned, coldly.Audrey eyed him and shook her head.She just wanted this over with so she wouldn’t have to see his face again.They pulled up at a huge gate,where about four armed guards stood watch.One of the guards came up to Lucien’s car window and bowed at him.Then the gate was opened and they drove up a long driveway lined with perfectly maintained trees and flowers,The compound was out of this world and Audrey couldn’t help sticking her head through the window in awe.A castle.That was all she could think about as she took in this place.As the car got closer to the main house,she wondered how anyone could live here and not get lost.She was still in a daze as she got down from the car and Lucien led her in.The foyer had large marble columns that went all the way to the ceiling.A grand staircase,lined with a luxurious rich red carpet dominated the wall furthest from them.And the walls
Audrey walked and walked until her legs started to ache.How could that jerk leave her in the middle of nowhere?Cars hardly passed by and the few cars that passed didn’t stop for her.The last 24 hours had to be the most bizarre hours of her life.She slept with a man for money.She sold her virginity for 100,000 dollars.She wanted to cry as she recalled her mother’s lifestyle.After making so many promises not to turn out like her mom.She couldn’t believe she did something like this.She blinked back her tears.She wasn’t a slut.She wasn’t cheap.She had not turn out like her mother.Audrey desperately tried to console herself.She only did this to prevent her future from getting ruined,completely.She would be alright.She will move on and forget that ever happened.She would completely forget that she ever met a man like that asshole.After walking for quite some time,she finally got to a spot where seemed like a small marketplace.Her reflection from a store window caught her
Josh saunter off to Megan’s side and she pulled him down for a kiss.Audrey swallowed the thick lump in her throat.She had expected him to be remorseful,even if it was just a little bit.But instead,they were making out,fervently in a club as if they had been caged before.Technically,they had been trying to hide their relationship from Audrey and now that it’s been discovered,they were free as a bird to do whatever they wanted.Audrey blinked back her tears.It was still very hard to believe that this was the same man who had promised her the world.“Let’s get out of here.”She turned to leave but Becca stopped her.“They should be the one leaving.And besides,Tracy reserved this booth that they’re currently been stupid in!”With that,they moved up to Josh and Megan.“You two,go find somewhere else to be disgusting.”Tracy ordered.Megan stood up,furiously.“What right do you have to ask us to leave?”“I reserved this booth.”And then the girls began to argue except Audrey.She wanted
“What…what happened to him?!”Audrey panicked.“He had an accident.I just texted you the address of where we are.You need to hurry over now.”Dread filled Audrey.She did not want to believe what she had just been told by Matilda.Her father was dead?Dead?!No.The man might have stopped caring about her but he was still her father.And she could never forget the time in her life when he did care.She was a whirlwind of anxiety and panic as she headed out of the house,barely explaining anything to Becca and Tracy.She hailed down a taxi and headed for the hospital.No.She still wanted this to be a dream.Maybe by the time she gets to the hospital,he would have woken up.She really didn’t want to see his lifeless body.After what seemed like an eternity,she made it to the hospital and rushed in.She found Talia and Matilda at the hospital.“Where?How…where is he?”Audrey asked,shakily.“He was severely injured and he’s in surgery right now.”Audrey blinked.”You mean he’s not dead?”“No.
“Your father?Interesting.”Lucien drawled,darkly.With the look in his eyes,Audrey knew instantly that he wouldn’t let this go,easily.But she still had to try.“I…I don’t even know where to start apologizing.I know the accident must have been traumatic for you and I’m deeply sorry.”“Will your apology fix my car?”She swallowed recalling how expensive his car had looked.She wondered how much it would cost to fix it.Shakily,she asked.”How much…how much damage was made to your car?”“Quite a number.And it would cost nothing less than 400,000 dollars to fix it.”Audrey’s jaw dropped.”Just for fixing?Are you getting a new one?”He laughed.”Do I look like someone who would ride a car of 400,000 dollars?!”She gulped unable to comprehend how much rich people spend on stuff.She was feeling dizzy…she had sold her body to get 100,000.She literally had nothing more to sell.Will anyone buy her soul for 400,000 dollars?She felt so frustrated.“I…Can you give me some time?”She pleaded.”I’ll
Audrey slowly slumped on a chair in the waiting room.Should she just run away and leave her father to his fate?Afterall,he hadn’t been a good father figure to her for years now.Why must she go through all these for him?Deep down,she knew she couldn’t abandon her father.She didn’t have the heart to do that.Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she was pulled out of her jumbled thoughts.She took out her phone and saw Tracy’s name as the caller’s ID.“Hello.”She began,sadly.“Hey…Becca said she saw you running out of the house this morning before I woke up.What happened?”Tears dropped from Audrey’s eyes.“Oh,Tracy…things are bad for me…so bad.”She cried.**************Within an hour,Tracy and Becca were at the hospital to comfort Audrey.Her father just got out of the second surgery and they were staring at his motionless body through the glass opening at the door.They weren’t allowed to go in yet.“He’s going to be fine.”Tracy cooed,pulling Audrey into her arms.Audrey then told
A small gasp escaped Audrey when the figure moved.Fear gripped her and she stepped back towards the door.The figure matched her every step.Menacing slowly towards her.“Help!”She screamed and bolted to escape.She turned around and launched herself at the door.Large arms snatched her by the waist and she crashed into a body.“No!Let go of me!”She struggled.“Will you calm the fuck down!”“Lucien?”Audrey stopped fighting and turned to look at her captor.“Were you expecting someone else?”He teased.Audrey wrenched herself out from his grasp and shoved him in anger.He didn’t move.“I thought someone broke in or something!You…you turned off the light and was standing there looking dangerous.”He laughed.”I like the dark.”“Yeah,you do.”She eyed him.”Just like how dark your heart is.”He stared at her,intensely.”You’re right and I like it dark.That way,no one would come in.”Her eyes were transfixed on his.She tried to understand why he was this complicated.This mean.She couldn’t t