Chapter Four

~Maria Pov~

His home felt empty, almost like no one actually lived here. There was barely anything I could place my attention on — all I could see were a few sofas and a TV.

Lewis took off his coat and went into what seemed to be the kitchen. What am I doing here, I thought.

"You can sit anywhere," he said, coming into the living room with a glass and a bottle of wine, placing them at the center of the counter.

"Okay," I said, sitting across from him as he also took a seat, but his attention went quickly to his tablet — he seemed to be working.

I sat there for a while, watching him. He poured himself a glass, didn't offer me one, and went straight back to whatever was on his tablet — his brows tightened slightly as he seemed completely focused.

"So this is your place," I said. Isn't he into decorating?

"Mm," he said, not looking up.

"Did you move in recently?" I said. It wasn't my business, but I was curious.

He didn't respond. His thumb moved across the screen. I adjusted myself a bit, but the silence was getting to me.

"Is there a reason why you brought me to your place?" I asked.

He paused a bit. "The news circulating isn't helping. If people see I've brought you to my place, it should clear things up," he said.

"You don't want to get married, or—" I said, hoping he'd complete my question, but he ignored me. I sighed, looking over the apartment again.

"Hmm... do you have a family? There are no pictures on the wall," I said, and that got his attention — he glanced up at me. He wasn't an easy one to read, but his gaze was piercing.

"When I searched you up, it was mostly related to Halcyon Industries, so I'm thinking you might be doing this to get out of marrying her."

"You could say that," he responded, and I only nodded.

"Haven't you two been dating?" I asked. He rolled his eyes slightly.

"We aren't dating. Her father wants us to get married — it's just business. I'm not interested."

"But aren't you CEO because of that?" I said. I didn't think it through, and I regretted saying it almost immediately.

"Seems you did a lot of research and came to conclusions of your own," he said.

"I don't mean it that way," I said, and he nodded.

"Your family must be influential people. The rich always love to surround themselves with each other," I said, knowing how much my own family had been obsessed with that.

"Is that so," he said, going back to what he was doing earlier.

"Can I ask a question?" I asked, my fingers finding their way to the chair, tapping absently.

"Sure," he said.

"You definitely know about my family's past — don't you think it's a bad reputation for you?" I asked. The sound of my fingers tapping wasn't loud, but it filled the space.

"Are you really okay with that?" I continued, but he still didn't respond. I sighed, relaxing in the chair.

"Do you want something from me?" I asked.

"Depends. I've told you what you need to do," he said, and for a second it looked like he might add something else — but he didn't.

Why can't I shake this feeling that it could be more? Even if I'm a Moore, there's nothing left to our name anymore.

"I was raised around people who saw everything as a business opportunity. And sorry to break it to you, Lewis — there's nothing I could offer you," I said, and he raised his gaze to mine. There was an uneasy smirk on his face, almost like he was excited.

"You've already seen it yourself. My family has nothing left," I said, and got up to leave. It was barely a step toward the door when his voice stopped me.

"Sit down." His voice wasn't loud, but my body seemed to listen to that simple command, and I stood still, my eyes following his movements as he rose and walked toward me, unable to look away.

"Let's go to the bedroom, then," he said, gesturing up the stairs, "or would you rather have sex here?"

"You want to have sex?" I couldn't understand what was happening.

"Well, you seem to have a twisted idea of things, and I'm outright telling you what I want, as well as what I make others do," he said. He sounded angry, though I couldn't place why.

My hands were forming fists. I wished I could punch him.

"So," he said, and I studied him for a moment, watching him close the distance between us. My body didn't tense up — and then his lips crashed onto mine.

His hands found their way to my waist, and I could barely breathe. I'd kissed on set before, but this felt more intense.

I broke away, my breathing uneven, and I could see a smirk forming on his lips. What exactly was his problem?

"Do you like that?" he asked. I could still hear my own breathing. "This time, breathe through your nose," he said, not giving me enough time to respond, and his lips found mine again, his tongue doing what felt like an adventure of its own.

My body began to shiver, and I found myself leaning in, hoping he would take charge — but he seemed to enjoy teasing me. He tasted good, maybe it was the wine he'd sipped earlier.

He pulled back again, slower this time, his thumb brushing along my jaw. "You're a fast learner," he said.

"Is this some kind of test?" I asked, trying to catch my breath.

"Maybe," he said. His hand was still at my waist, and he didn't seem in any hurry to move it.

"You can move your hand now," I said, and he took it away. "I can give you sex, but if this has to do with my family, I have nothing to offer you," I said.

Not like I have any experience with the former, I thought.

"You can go home," he said, moving back. I don't know what made me hold onto him, but my wrist found its way to his arm.

"Um... do you think you could drop me off?" I said. Honestly, I didn't want to go home — Dad and I had been distant lately.

"It's pretty late, don't you think," I said, a smile forming on my face, his gaze dropping to my hand on his.

"How about you stay over, then," he said, almost like he knew what I wanted, and I let go of his hand as my phone suddenly began to ring.

"Sorry," I said, opening my phone to see an unknown number calling.

"One minute," I said, and he walked back over to his seat as I picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I said, stepping a little farther into the hallway, away from him.

There was silence on the other end at first — just breathing, or maybe static.

"Maria." A woman's voice, quiet, almost hesitant. I knew that voice. The only one who called if there was an emergency.

"Mom?" I said, my own voice coming out smaller than I meant it to.

"I don't have much time," she said quickly, like she was afraid of being overheard. "Don't tell anyone I called. Not your father. Not anyone."

"Where are you? Why haven't you—"

"Maria, listen to me." Her voice cracked on my name, and something about that scared me. "Whatever you're doing right now — whoever you're with — be careful."

"What are you talking about? Mom, what's going on?"

There was a pause long enough that I thought the line had dropped. When she spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Halcyon Industries," she said. "Stay away from them, if you can. Stay away from him."

The line went dead before I could ask who him was — though some sick, sinking part of me already knew.

I stood there in the hallway, the phone still pressed to my ear, the dial tone humming against the silence. Lewis was watching me from across the room. I walked toward him, trying as much as I could to keep calm, putting my phone back into my pocket.

"Stay here tonight, you can leave tomorrow," he said.

I looked at him for a moment, my mother's warning still ringing in my ears.

"Thank you," I said, forcing a smile.