Juliet
My heart raced as I listened to the heated exchange between Eros and the imposing figure who had barged into the room. Lance. The name echoed in my mind like a thunderclap, sending a chill down my spine as the puzzle pieces fell into place. Suddenly, everything made sense—the tension, the animosity, the underlying sense of danger that seemed to permeate the air.
But it wasn’t just the realization of their relationship that struck me—it was the voice. Lance’s voice. A voice I knew all too well. A voice that belonged to someone I had once loved, someone I had once trusted with my heart. My fiancé. Stephan.
As the weight of the situation crashed down on me, I felt a surge of overwhelming emotion threaten to engulf me. How could I have been so blind? So oblivious to the manipulation at play? My head spun with the implications of what I had just witnessed, the turmoil of conflicting emotions threatening to overwhelm me. The realization that Eros may have been trying to manipulate me all along sent a chill down my spine, a sense of betrayal gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. To think I was starting to trust him.
I tried to focus on their conversation and make sense of the words being exchanged between them, but it was like grasping at smoke. The tension in the room was palpable and suffocating, and I found myself struggling to breathe as their voices filled the air with anger and resentment.
After what felt like an eternity, I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to get out of there, to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the room before it swallowed me whole. With a shaky breath, I pushed back my chair and rose to my feet, my legs trembling beneath me as I made my way towards the door.
As I stepped out into the hallway, a sense of relief washed over me, the cool air a welcome respite from the stifling tension of the room. But even as I tried to gather my thoughts, my mind kept drifting back to Eros and Lance, their voices still echoing in my ears.
I needed to talk to someone, to make sense of everything that had just happened. With trembling fingers, I dialed Autumn’s number, my heart pounding in my chest as I waited for her to pick up.
“Juliet, hey, what’s up?” Autumn’s voice was a welcome comfort, a lifeline in the midst of the chaos swirling around me. “Are you okay?”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to find the words to explain, the truth threatening to spill out in a rush of emotion. “Autumn, it’s Stephan,” I choked out, my voice barely above a whisper.
“He’s here, at the hotel. And he’s Eros’s brother.”
Autumn listened intently, her voice a soothing presence on the other end of the line. “Take your time, Juliet. I’m here for you,” she said reassuringly. “Just tell me what happened, and we’ll figure it out together.”
With Autumn’s support bolstering my resolve, I recounted the events of the past few minutes, from Eros’s cryptic offer to the sudden intrusion of his brother, Lance. As I spoke, I could feel the weight of the situation lifting off my shoulders, replaced by a sense of clarity and determination. I needed to get back to my room and grab a few clothes to take with me just encase.
When I finished recounting everything, there was a brief moment of silence on the line as Autumn processed everything I had just told her. Then, without missing a beat, she sprang into action, her voice brimming with determination. “Juliet, I’m coming to get you,” she declared. “We’ll figure out what to do next, but for now, just stay safe. I’m gonna check your location and I’ll text you my ETA. I also already called Fran and let her know that we are both taking a personal day.”
The line goes dead and my home screen stares at me when I bring my phone back in front of my face. Stephan. Well, I guess it’s actually Lance I guess. I loved this man, and I never even knew his actual fucking name. The realization that I had been living a lie, that the man I loved had kept such a significant secret from me, left me reeling. Lance… Stephan… the names echoed in my mind like a haunting refrain, each syllable laden with layers of betrayal and deceit.
But amidst the turmoil of emotions swirling within me, one thought stood out with crystalline clarity: I needed to protect myself. Whatever games Eros and his brother were playing, I couldn’t afford to be caught in the crossfire.
Just as I finished packing, my phone buzzed with a message from Autumn, her ETA flashing on the screen.
Holy Shit no kidding most expensive hotel. Be there in 5, Back door pick-up
Relief flooded through me at the sight of her words, a lifeline in the midst of chaos. I gathered up my stuff and left the hotel room, tucking the key card into my purse just in case I was crazy enough to return. Heading towards the stairwell I start making my way down to the main floor.
Reaching the lobby, I kept my head down, avoiding eye contact with the hotel staff as I approached the back exit. The weight of uncertainty pressed down on my shoulders, a heavy burden I couldn’t shake.
As I pushed open the door to the back alley, the cool breeze of freedom washed over me, offering a momentary respite from the suffocating atmosphere inside. I scanned the area, searching for any sign of Autumn’s approach, my heart racing with anticipation.
And then, like a beacon of hope, I spotted her familiar figure emerging from around the corner, a determined look in her eyes. Relief flooded through me at the sight of her, a sense of security settling over me like a warm blanket.
“Juliet!” Autumn called out, her voice cutting through the silence of the alleyway. “Over here!” With a grateful smile, I hurried towards her, the tension in my muscles melting away as I closed the distance between us.
“You have no fucking idea how absolutely overjoyed I am to see you right now.” I laugh out to her going in for a hug.
“Babe, you look HOT! Like Hot Hot. I don’t think Stephan has ever let you dress like that.” She pulls herself away from me, breaking the hug, and gives me a once over. The clothes that Eros dropped off this morning, were amazing. I have always wanted a wardrobe like what was given to me this morning, and I had the freedom there to wear it and feel good about it. The way Eros looked at me this morning in the dining room could only be compared to the way the worlds greatest jewel thief looks at the most priceless jewel under the highest amount of security. Hurt sinks it’s way down my throat and into my stomach when I think of him.
“Yeah, Eros dropped me off some clothes this morning.” I say, looking away from her trying to avoid any part of her face right now. “I don’t know if he picked it all out himself or if someone else did it for him, but they were all really nice, and the majority of them actually like fit me. They’re like sexy business, that’s the category I’d put them in.”
“Maybe he fantasizes about fucking his sexy secretary.” Autumn jokes raising her eyebrows at me. “I did a quick google on my walk over, because you’re like a block away from my apartment by the way, and that CEO that you had the pleasure of meeting is hella hot. I’d be star struck if he payed attention to me, and I’d happily be his sexy, slutty little secretary.”
“Oh Jesus, Autumn. You’re really that close to riding a stranger into the sunset?” I laughed, all the stress from the morning slowly dissolving at Autumn's carefree nature. Whether she was actually like this internally or not, it didn’t really, I appreciated the way she tried to make me laugh regardless of what others thought about it.
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