In the last two days in Mexico City, Carly balancing her life as Loren seemed to be working perfectly in the human eye. During the first few hours of the day, Carly would be attending the seminar, and she would mingle with Robin, her other classmates, and other students from foreign South American countries. Soon afterwards, she would leave the seminar whenever Andre called or texted her, telling her that he would be coming over to the hotel. Even after spending a day together the day before, Carly still refused to move into Andre’s apartment. He respected her decision, but sooner than later, Carly knew he might force her to move in with him. Red Lion was very much aware of that and still told Carly to hold up her end. She also came up with an excuse that some of her uncle’s relatives were in Mexico, so it was also a way of getting away from Andre to head back to the seminar. Whenever the seminar was over for the day, she would join her friends like she had been there the whole time. She always made sure to sit far away from them to make escaping the conference room a lot easier without them asking questions.
It was Thursday in the evening, and Carly was in her hotel room. She already met with Andre during the day. She had come up with a lie that she had to meet with a family member and have supper. Andre didn’t object to her on that one, and in the afternoon, Carly found herself back in the conference room of the hotel holding the seminar. After it ended, Robin met up with her. Since they didn’t sit close to each other, he didn’t ask where she had been. If it came to catching up with the topic discussed during the seminar, Carly was already covered. Red Lion went to the extent of hiring someone to listen in on the seminar for her and jot down the key points. Therefore, she wasn’t entirely left out on anything.
Now she could have the whole night to herself. Which pleased her a little. She also felt she had a lot of catching up to do with the people back home. The day after she landed in Mexico, she had turned off her phone as she spent the whole morning with Andre. After he left, she switched it on and found messages from Leo. She made up for it by texting back, but she and Leo have not had a proper conversation in the last two days. This felt like the perfect time to do so.
Carly had just taken a cold shower. She wore a black shirt and red pajama bottoms and sat at the edge of the bed to video call Leo. He should be back home from work by now, Carly thought to herself. A few minutes later, he picked up her call.
“Hey, you,” said Carly as she smiled at him.
“Hey,” said Leo. Carly noticed his hair was wet, and he stood there shirtless.
“Ah, were you just having a shower?” Carly couldn’t help but blush at the sight she was seeing.
“Yeah, I was. Immediately as I came out, you called. How are you?”
“I’m good. I miss you.”
Leo smiled, causing Carly to blush even more. “I miss you too. You and I haven’t had to really talk much these days.”
“Yeah, this seminar sometimes takes too long. I’m glad that today it ended earlier than usual.”
With one hand, Leo was drying his wet hair with another towel. Carly couldn’t help but admire how handsome he looked, and she wished she were there drying his hair.
“So, with only two days to go till your birthday, have you planned on what to do?” Carly asked.
“Uh, not really,” said Leo. “I’m guessing as a family we have a nice dinner somewhere nice. I think I’ll also try to treat myself to something nice.”
“I wish I could be there. We would’ve done a ton of things together.”
Leo smiled. “No doubt about it. But like we said before, we will plan on something when you get back.”
“Yeah, but two weeks is pretty long, don’t you think?”
“It is.” Leo sat down on his bed and fell with his back on it. “It feels like forever.”
“May I suggest something you should do on your birthday?” Carly asked, widening her eyes.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Go out for a movie with Eric and Angel. Make sure to carry Oliver with you. Or better, go to some arcade and have fun.”
“Doesn’t sound so bad. But should I really hang out with Angel, though?”
Carly gave him a disgruntled look. “We’ve been through this, Leo. I thought you and Angel had finally bonded.”
“I can’t call it bonding, though. I still get the feeling that she hates me.”
“You’re an idiot. Angel has never hated you. As far as I can tell. Moreover, I can tell that you two are starting to warm up to each other. Isn’t it the other day when she had that terrible dream? The two of you talked.”
“Yeah, but that was it. We just talked like normal people would.”
“Then what’s so terrible about her tagging along? I swear, Leo, you’re being really mean.”
“I’m not being mean. Okay, seriously, what are we going to be talking about with her on my birthday?” Leo asked as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Something will eventually come up,” said Carly. “I have a feeling that topics come up naturally between you two.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t think that at all.”
Carly chuckled. “Don’t be such a sourpuss. I’ll tell you what; I’ll suggest to Eric my idea and tag Angel along. Trust me, you’re going to have fun.”
“I doubt it. Your sister can be such a buzzkill sometimes. Remember when you and I wanted to spend some time together when we first met Marco and his father? She ruined everything.”
“And it was a good thing too.” Carly raised her eyebrow at him. “Don’t forget, Kim was there and had been watching us the entire time.”
Leo scoffed. “I guess you’re right. She practically saved us. But that doesn’t mean I’m adorning her like a hero.”
“Sounds like it to me.”
Carly could hear a knock coming from Leo’s end. Leo sat up in his bed and asked who was there. Carly could hear Oliver’s voice loud and clear, telling Leo that supper was ready. Leo told him he would be right there. After a while, he turned to look back at Carly. The look on his face showed that he wasn’t happy that their conversation was coming to an end.
“I have to go,” said Leo. “We’ll talk tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” said Carly as she smiled. “I’m glad we talked.”
“Yeah, I’m glad too. Goodnight.”
Carly blew Leo a kiss and waved at him with a smile on her face. Leo smiled back at her and blew a kiss right back at her. Carly cut the call, and she blew a sigh of frustration. She really wished she could’ve talked to Leo a little more. Now she sat in an empty room, wondering what to do next now that she had a lot of time to spare.
She dropped her phone on the bed and stood, heading over to the balcony. When she opened the door, the cool night breeze hit her squarely in the face. She stepped out onto the balcony, and she had a magnificent view of Mexico City in the nighttime.
Leo was going to have enjoyed this, she thought to herself as she imagined Leo standing next to her and looking over the city. If only he were here, she thought to herself. Then a dark feeling settled within her as she remembered the whole reason she was here. Andre.
Carly’s stomach churned at the thought of what she had done in the last two days. She had been sleeping with Andre. Clearly, she was cheating on Leo all for the sake of fulfilling someone’s greed. After all this was over, she would get her normal life back, wouldn’t she? Red Lion would get what he wanted, and she could be with Leo like nothing had ever happened, right?
Trying to comfort herself with that idea didn’t sit well with her still. The last two days she had been making love to Andre; there was no hiding that there was something about him that she enjoyed. Was it the fact he was dangerous, hence giving her the thrills, or was it something else? She couldn’t have fallen for Andre, could she? There was no telling what she felt, and that left her even more confused. She loved Leo. There was no denying it. Then why did she have a feeling that she might be feeling the same for Andre?
She shook her head. As much as Leo and Andre were two different people, she couldn’t simply fall in love with both of them. When she thought of the two of them standing before her, and if asked who to choose, she came to realize that this was going to be tough.
Leo, when she came to think of it, is her first love. She had never been in a serious relationship. While she worked at the club, she never fell for any man, even though they would fall for her. For Leo, it was different when they first met at his bachelor party. She couldn’t deny that she felt something for him, but she could only treat him like a customer. Afterwards, she knew she was never going to see him again. However, lo and behold, on the day of his wedding, he came searching for her. What luck, she thought to herself back then. Who would have known that he also felt the same way? That was it then, she told herself when she realized that she couldn’t keep her feelings for Leo. A lot happened after that, but the fact was, being with Leo was the best thing that had happened to her.
With Andre, it was another situation. Under the pretense of being someone she was not, Carly thought playing the part as Loren would be easy. Right now, she couldn’t tell if she really did like Andre as Loren or as her plain old self. If anything, she shouldn’t be falling for him, but simply making him fall for her. It’s gone on well so far, but now Carly is faced with an inner conflict about whether she really does like Andre. Because even if she were to claim that she liked Andre as Loren, there’s no denying that he excited her in a way Leo never has before. Even if she were to be her normal self, was Andre still going to have the same love for her as he did for Loren?
Her phone ringing behind her brought Carly back from her thoughts. She was glad for the distraction as she turned around to head back into the room. Thinking of whom to choose between the two men was driving her nuts. Her other phone was ringing. When she checked, she couldn’t believe who it was; she answered the call.
“Hello?” Carly answered.
“I’m at your door. Open up.”
The line went dead, and Carly looked at her phone in disbelief. He was here.
She went to the door and opened it. Standing there was Alex.
“What are you doing here?” Carly asked, shocked to see him.
“The same as you,” he answered coolly. “Helping Red Lion in this mission of his. Will you let me in? Someone will get suspicious if they find me standing outside your door.”
“Yeah, sure, come in,” said Carly as she stood aside, allowing Alex to enter. After he entered and Carly closed the door, she couldn’t help but feel relieved that he was here.
“I thought you weren’t going to be in Mexico until tomorrow,” said Carly as she followed Alex into the room.
“Red Lion decided to come in early,” said Alex, as he turned to face her. “Everyone else knows that he’s here in Mexico City.”
“And as usual, I’m the last to know.” Carly felt herself back in familiar territory.
“No one wanted to bore you with the details. Red Lion wants to see you, though.”
“See me? Like right now?”
“Yes, he’s inviting you to dinner. He wants to talk.”
“Okay. Well, you should’ve given me a heads-up. I don’t know what to wear.”
“Just a simple, nice dress will do. You don’t need to look fancy. And…” Alex looked down at his wristwatch. “You’ve thirty minutes to get ready. So you better hurry.”
“You know, I was so happy to see you. But as always, you’re a bearer of bad news.”
Alex shrugged his shoulders. “And you know that I’m only following orders. We don’t have enough time. I would be looking through my closet for a dress if I were you.”
Carly pouted her lips, showing how unhappy she was with Alex. She turned around and went on to look for something to wear in the wardrobe. Alex went over to sit at a table near a table close to the balcony before drawing his phone out of his pocket. He went through his phone, and it didn’t take Carly long to pick a dress and head into the bathroom to change.
***
Leo walked down the stairs, heading for the dining room for supper. There, he found Eric, Oliver, his Aunt Diana, and Mrs. McDonell already seated. Mr. McDonell and Angel were yet to arrive. Leo went over to sit next to Eric. He greeted his mother, who sat at one end of the table. He hadn’t seen her since he got back home from work.
“I’m good, dear. How are you?” Mrs. McDonell asked.
“I’m good,” Leo replied.
“So, Leo, any plans for your birthday?” Diana asked. She sat across from him at the table.
“Umm, I haven’t planned anything yet. Maybe I’ll just go out and do something for myself.”
“Or, you can hang out with Oliver and me,” said Eric.
“Then we can have a nice dinner somewhere just as you like it,” said Mrs. McDonell.
“Yeah, that sounds fine.” Leo thought of what Carly had suggested to him over the phone. It surprised him that Eric suggested he hang out with him and Oliver. Angel wasn’t mentioned. Having a boy’s day out wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Mr. McDonell soon appeared in the dining room, and after greeting everyone else, he took his place at the head of the table. He asked Oliver to pray for the food, and he did. As they served themselves with food, Leo couldn’t help but wonder where Angel was.
“Is Angel not coming to have supper with us?” Leo asked as he passed the bowl of chicken to Eric.
“She is,” Eric answered. “She’s just in her room packing.”
“Packing?” Leo looked confused, and so did Mr. McDonell. “Is she going out somewhere?”
“Yeah,” said Diana, serving herself a bowl of salad. “I thought she told you.”
“No, she didn’t.” Leo couldn’t help but wonder what was going on.
“This is news to me too,” said Mr. McDonell. “Where is she spending the night?”
“At a friend of hers, I think,” Diana said. “She said they used to work together at the editing company.”
“Oh, I see.” Mr. McDonell’s eyes flew to the entrance of the dining room. “Here she comes now.”
Angel stepped into the dining room. “Sorry, I’m late,” she announced. She went over to the empty seat in between Mr. McDonell and Leo. Leo did his very best not to look at her.
“I hear you’re going to a friend’s house for the night,” said Mr. McDonell, looking at Angel.
“Yes, I am,” said Angel. “I’m just keeping her company. Plus, she needed my help with something, so I couldn’t refuse.”
Leo couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. What would a friend of Angel want help with? In the end, he couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of help does she need?”
Angel turned to look at him. “She just moved into a new apartment, and sadly, her husband left on short notice for work out of town. She called me to come help her out. And she’s a good friend of mine, so I couldn’t say no.”
“I think it’s a nice thing to help out a friend,” said Amanda. “And I bet it will be a good time for the two of you to catch up.”
“Yeah, it is,” said Angel. “May you please pass me the salad, Diana?”
“Oh, sure,” said Diana, passing the bowl across the table to Angel.
Leo didn’t want to seem bothered at the news, so he looked down at his food and ate. He did his very best not to look at Angel next to him, but there was something alluring about her presence. The thought of her sleeping at her friend’s house tonight felt a little awkward. There wasn’t anything wrong with it, but the news made Leo feel something was off.
After supper, everyone left the dining room to go to attend to his or her own matters elsewhere in the house. Amanda, Diana, and Mrs. McDonell sat in the living room to watch a telenovela series on Netflix. Angel was just making her way to her room when she asked Mr. McDonell if she could talk to him in private in his study. Leo, who watched his father and Angel head to the study, couldn’t help but feel suspicious.
Eric and Oliver joined Leo at the entrance of the living room. Eric turned to look at Leo, who continued to look across the hall at his father and Angel heading to the study. Eric had to nudge him with his elbow to bring him back from his thoughts.
“Hey. Where is your head at?” Eric asked.
“Nowhere,” said Leo, as he turned to look at Eric. “Can you come with me to the kitchen real quick?”
“Sure.” Eric turned to look at Oliver. “Don’t you have homework to do? Come on, you better go.”
Oliver didn’t like to be nudged by his older brother over homework, and he grudgingly went up the stairs to his room, muttering. Leo led the way to the kitchen, making sure not to catch any attention from the women seated in the living room watching their show. Eric followed swiftly behind him. When the two men found themselves in the kitchen, Eric stood by the door, while Leo looked around to see if the chef or anyone else was in. The kitchen was empty. Leo turned to look at Eric.
“Eric, what’s really going on?” Leo asked.
Eric looked confused, and he shrugged his shoulders. “What do you mean?” he asked.
“Is Angel really going to spend a night at a friend’s house?”
“Um…yes, she is. She told me when we were still at work in the afternoon. Why? Is something wrong?”
“I don’t know. I get the feeling that Angel may be up to something.”
Eric chuckled. “Something like what?”
“I don’t know. It seems strange in the first place that she would be spending time at her friend’s house.” Eric gave Leo a look. “Don’t get me wrong, I know she has friends. But who moves to a new apartment on a workday?”
“Anybody who doesn’t have the time to do so on the weekend. Why do I feel you’re just being paranoid?”
“I’m not. I just have a funny feeling that all of this feels strange.”
Eric had a cocky smile on his face as he folded his arms and started to make his way towards Leo. “Is it that or are you just worried about Angel’s safety?”
Leo’s cheeks flushed in an instant. “What? No!” he quickly denied. “Why should I be worried about her?”
“Well, you’re finding Angel going to spend the night out somewhere unsettling, so it feels that way.” Eric stopped in his tracks and looked around as if he was trying to gather his thoughts. “Why is it that you’re so concerned, Leo?”
“Nothing. Is it wrong for me to ask?”
“If you weren’t dating Carly, I would think the only reason you’re so concerned is because you’re starting to fall for Angel.”
Leo’s heart skipped a beat when Eric said that, and he felt he had just received a sucker punch in the gut. How could Eric think that? Leo was a little lost for words, and he felt his head spin a little. He did his best not to look affected at what Eric told him, but now, his heartbeat started to quicken, and he felt he was falling out of breath. Don’t show any sign that you’re affected, he told himself. Leo cleared his throat, as if trying to figure out the best response to that statement, but in all honesty, he had nothing.
Eric raised an eyebrow at Leo. “Am I wrong?”
Leo looked away. “That is such a ridiculous statement,” he managed to say. “You can be so delusional.”
Eric laughed. “Man, you should see your face right now. You can be so uptight, Leo. I was only joking. Loosen up a little. You don’t have to be so serious.”
“You of all people know that I don’t like those types of jokes.” Leo turned to look at Eric with furrowed eyebrows. He hoped the expression hid from Eric that he was still blushing.
“Yeah, I know. But you can’t deny that it was funny.”
“Not in the slightest.”
The door to the kitchen flew open, and Angel walked in. This time she was wearing her black leather jacket over the blue denim jean dress. She seemed prepared to go. She stopped short when she saw Leo and Eric in the kitchen.
“Hey, Eric,” she said. “I was looking for you.”
“Oh, are you ready to go?” Eric asked.
“Yeah.”
“You’re taking her to her friend’s place?” Leo asked.
“Yeah.” Eric turned to look at Leo. “Do you want to tag along?”
“No. I’m good.” Leo made his way to the cupboard to get a glass. He felt thirsty all of a sudden.
“Okay, let’s go, then.” Eric turned to Angel and made his way towards her.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Leo,” said Angel.
“Yeah, take care,” said Leo as he briefly looked at her, then went over to the sink to fill his glass with water.
Angel and Eric left the kitchen, leaving Leo alone. He still felt the aftereffects of what happened earlier when Eric said those words. Leo raised the glass of water to his lips after filling it with water and gulped it down quicker than expected. He thought the water would cool him down a bit, but he still felt his head spin and his heart beat a little faster. What Eric had said shouldn’t have affected him like it did. But why was he feeling like this? There’s no way he could have such feelings for Angel, could he?
I’m just overthinking this, he said to himself. He ran a hand down his face. He really needed to chill.
Then memories of him and Angel came to his mind. The time they were in his apartment on his bed, and the most recent one when they were in the break room together. He shook his head as he tried to shake them out of his mind. Why was he thinking about them now? Could what Eric said have triggered them?
Now I’m going crazy, Leo thought to himself. I simply can’t be falling for Angel, can I?
Leo didn’t want to answer that question as he put the glass down in the sink. He told himself not to think about this any further, but an image of Angel flashed before him.
“Now I’m really going crazy,” said Leo aloud, as he looked up at the ceiling, doing his best to focus his mind on something else.
***
Carly looked out the window of Alex’s black Cadillac as they drove through Mexico City. The two of them had been silent for a while, and Carly felt the need to talk to him about a lot of things. She just didn’t know where to begin.
Alex could feel Carly’s tension as she continued to look out the window. She squeezed her fingers together. He sighed as he focused his eyes forward.
“Anything on your mind, Carly?” he asked.
“Huh?” Carly turned to look at him absent-mindedly. “No, not really.”
“Okay.” Alex was silent for a moment. “How’s Mexico City so far?”
“So far, so good. The other day I went around the city with Andre.”
“And did you have a lovely time?”
“I did. I just wished I could enjoy touring a place without so much pressure on me, you know.”
“You’ll do that once this mission is over. And the good part, you might get to enjoy it with Leo.”
“True.” Carly looked out the window as she thought of Leo. “I just wish life couldn’t have been this complicated.”
“It’s the way life is.”
“Once this mission is over, do you think Red Lion would want to get rid of Andre? Like kill him, perhaps?”
Alex slowly looked at Carly as the car slowly came to a stop. There were traffic lights ahead of them. Carly looked at him, terrified.
“Would you want Red Lion to spare his life?” Alex asked.
“I was just asking,” said Carly.
“You’ve fallen for Andre, haven’t you?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
Carly felt her cheeks blush, and she quickly looked out of the window. She realized she shouldn’t have asked that question in the first place.
“I’m not judging you for falling for him, Carly,” said Alex, as the traffic in front of them slowly started to move. “Girls fall for bad men like him all the time, so I’m clearly not surprised.”
Carly bit her lower lip. “I don’t know if I really am falling for him,” she said. “And if I am falling for him, is it Carly or Loren?”
Alex remained silent for a while. “Something tells me it’s you, Carly. Loren is nothing but a fictitious character playing a certain role. Loren doesn’t have a heart or pretends to have one. But you do.”
Carly dropped her head a little lower. “I feel like an idiot,” she said.
“Maybe. But like I said, it’s normal. Just don’t show any kind of affection for Andre in front of Red Lion while you have dinner tonight. He will tell something’s off. Hopefully, as time goes by, you’ll realize that all you’ve ever had for Andre was nothing but infatuation.”
“But what if the feeling doesn’t go away?” Carly turned to look at Alex. “What if it turns into something else?”
The car came to a halt, and Alex turned off the engine. He turned to look at Carly. “Then you will have a huge problem,” he answered.
Carly looked out of Andre’s side of the window. He stopped at a restaurant. She guessed this was her destination. She swallowed as she looked at Alex. There was a sense of nervousness on her face, and Alex wished he could do something about it. But time wasn’t his ally at the moment.
“You better go,” said Alex. “Red Lion is waiting inside.”
“Is he alone?” Carly asked.
“Yeah. However, you know he always has his men around just in case anything funny happens. Go. You and I will have this conversation later.”
Carly hesitated. There’s still so much she wanted to say, but Alex was right. She had to go. She got out of the car, walked round it, and got onto the pavement. She looked back at Alex in the driver’s seat, and he smiled at her, encouraging her to go on. Carly shyly smiled back and looked away. Alex rarely smiled, and that was something she would have to talk to him about the next time they met.
She made her way to the entrance of the restaurant, and she could hear the car’s engine turn on. As soon as she opened the door to the restaurant, the car drove away, and Carly looked behind her briefly, seeing the black Cadillac drive down the road, away from the restaurant. Carly stepped inside and was received kindly by the restaurant’s hostess. After asking for Carly’s reservation, the hostess escorted Carly into the main eating area of the restaurant. It wasn’t a fancy restaurant, but the place did have its style of eloquence with lovely glass chandeliers and a small jazz band playing lovely blues on one side of the restaurant. She found Red Lion seated at the table in the middle of the restaurant, reserved for two. For once, she missed the company of Hugo and Carlos. Having dinner with Red Lion alone felt weird.
Red Lion was dressed in a black suit without a tie, making him look laid back this evening. How ironic that the two of them happened to be wearing black for the evening. Carly wore a black dress that she was lucky to have packed in her suitcase. She knew if she were going to dress up as Loren, Jane would handle it. As for herself, she just happened to be fortunate. Even Angel, who was helping her choose her clothes, thought she might go out for dinner with friends and said it would be better for Carly to carry it.
As she approached the table, Red Lion stood up from his seat and pulled out a chair for her. Carly thanked him and sat. The hostess soon went on her way, and soon enough, a waiter came by their table as soon as Red Lion sat down. Red Lion suggested that Carly should try out a Mexican main meal, and she didn’t argue with him there, saying she would like to try it. She didn’t have much to go on anyway, so it would be nice to try something new. They ordered glasses of water while they wait for their meal. As soon as the waiter left, Red Lion and Carly looked at each other in silence. It wasn’t until Red Lion smiled.
“So, how do you find Mexico City?” he asked.
“It’s good, so far,” said Carly. “I still need to polish up my Spanish, but either way, it’s been great.”
“Good. I know it’s strange for the two of us to be seated here together having a nice dinner, but don’t take it the wrong way. I’m not into you.”
“That didn’t cross my mind at all,” said Carly, as she blushed for a second. “I’m guessing that you wanted to talk about the mission.”
“Not only that, but to have some quality time. You and I started off on the wrong foot. So, I want to make up for that.”
Carly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She almost laughed aloud, but instead, she shook her head in disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me, right?” she asked.
Red Lion looked at her, his eyes growing wider by the minute. “No, I’m not joking,” he answered.
“You do know how many people in your crew are scared of you, right?”
“I’m aware. One thing you need to know about maintaining power is that as a leader, you’re better off being feared than loved.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard that one before. Any more tips, oh wise sage?”
Red Lion laughed. “Ha, very funny. But I don’t think you need it. That’s if you think you can become as powerful as I am.”
“You’re probably right. Running a company like yours takes a lot out of a person.”
Red Lion raised his eyebrows, knowing exactly what she meant. He didn’t push on the topic any further. The waiter came by with their glasses of water and left soon after.
“May I ask something?” Carly asked. “I know this dinner is, may I say, more like a bonding thing for you and me. Why would you want to go through all that trouble?”
“Because I want to. You’re important to me in a way, so I want to get to know you better.”
Carly scoffed. “You had all the time back in New York to do that. Why now, and so far away from home?”
“Because back home there was so much at stake. Here we don’t have to worry about anyone you know finding out about you and me.”
“You make it seem like back home is more dangerous than here.”
“It is. If Andre were to see you here, he wouldn’t think twice about it since he knows Loren and I are more like family.”
Carly smiled while shaking her head. “You always think you can get away with everyone, do you?”
“I feel it’s good to be quick on your feet. In case whatever you plan goes sideways, you should always be smart to come up with a contingency plan.”
“I have no doubt you have a thousand of them. Carlos does speak so brazenly about how you are a master thinker.”
“Well, I enjoy the praise. But sooner rather than later, I might not have that ability.”
Carly raised an eyebrow. “Why do you say that?”
“Well, I’m growing old. Carlos likes to sweet-talk me, saying I still look young, but I can feel my years catching up to me. And I might not be as agile physically and mentally as I am now.”
“True. We all have to grow old someday.” Carly raised the glass of water to her lips and took a sip. “The way I see it, you might just be smart to maneuver your enemies even if you’re old.”
Red Lion couldn’t help but smile. “Are you complimenting me?”
Carly shrugged her shoulders. “I should think so. I haven’t seen you work your magic, but as I said earlier, Carlos is a blabbermouth.”
“I’ll talk to him about it. Something tells me if he keeps this up, he might get himself into trouble.”
“Do you have family?” Carly asked, looking curious.
“Yes, I do,” Red Lion answered curtly. “Why do you ask?”
“Just asking. I’ve never seen you with a wedding ring.”
“I have a girlfriend, actually. We’ve been together for a long time. Moreover, we have a son together. You should meet her sometime. She’s a little feisty, but you two will get along just fine.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because she hates my guts.” Red Lion chuckled. “But she loves me all the same.”
“Does it have something to do with your whole business?”
“No. From the day we met, she already knew who I was, and she didn’t try anything to change that. There are some things she doesn’t approve of, but it’s for the sake of expanding the business.”
“It’s good that she knows what you’re into. If I had a man who lied to me about his life, I would chuck him out of the house.”
“Really? Even if it means his business is sort of like mine? Let’s not try to hide the fact you’re working for a man like me and sort of dating one like Loren. Would you tolerate that?”
Carly was silent for a second. She had to choose her answer carefully. There was also no denying that Red Lion raised a good point.
“Maybe,” she answered. “I would rather know who he is than have him lie to my face the whole time.”
Red Lion gave a nod of his head. “Noted. Your mother, may her soul rest in peace, wouldn’t have liked such an answer.”
“I know. But I get to see the reason why she kicked my good-for-nothing father out of the house. He never told her whatever he was up to, and she always put her and Angel in jeopardy. I wouldn’t love to have a man like that in my life. He never cared about us at all.” Carly looked at her glass absentmindedly.
“Speaking of fathers, my own father was a good, hardworking man.”
“Nice. If he was like that, how come you’re the type of man that you are today?”
Red Lion paused, looking for the right words to begin his story. “My father died when I was pretty young. I lived with him because my mother wasn’t what I would call a Mum, so the court granted him custody over me. Unfortunately, he passed away, and seeing the opportunity, my mother took me in. I never lived in a good neighborhood, and she would bring her gangster boyfriends around, so you can imagine how that life was like.”
“And so begun the life of Red Lion,” said Carly dramatically as though she was the one narrating the story. “Why the name Red Lion, though?”
“That’s a story for another time,” said Red Lion. “Ah, our starter has arrived. I can’t wait for you to try the main dish. You’ll love it.”
“That’s one of the key reasons why traveling is so important. You get to try out new things.”
“You got that right.” Red Lion smiled genuinely.
The waiter came by and served their starters. Carly and Red Lion continued to talk as they had their meal. Who would have thought that just for one night, they would get along as if they had known each other forever?
***
Angel turned to look at Eric beside her as he drove. He was humming to Britney’s pop song, “Womanizer,” playing on the car radio. When Eric noticed that Angel was looking at him, he briefly gave her a sideways glance. Angel couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What is it?” he asked. He also found himself chuckling.
“You know this song describes you, right?” Angel asked. “And you’re happily humming to the tune.”
“It’s a great song. What do you want me to do?” Eric shrugged his shoulders. “And no, this song doesn’t describe me at all.”
Angel raised an eyebrow at him, probing him to admit the truth. Eric noticed the stare and rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. But that was the old me. The new me is barely the womanizer he was.”
“I’ll be more convinced when you stop flirting with some of the women in the office.”
“Hey, it was just one time when I had that talk with Sabrina. And you were there!”
Angel laughed. “I know you were only joking around. But you still have that flirty element in you.”
“I can use it on you if you want.” Eric wiggled his eyebrows.
“No, thanks.” Angel turned back to look in front of her. “I wanted to ask you something. What were you and Leo talking about in the kitchen? That’s if it was nothing but bro talk.”
“I actually wanted to touch on that subject,” said Eric. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up.” Angel waited for Eric to continue. “He isn’t entirely convinced that you’re spending the night out at a friend’s place.”
Angel scoffed. “I had a feeling.”
“You did?” Eric sounded surprised.
“I don’t know; when I sat next to him, I felt him giving out a weird vibe.”
“Wow, you’re slowly starting to know how Leo gets when he’s suspicious of something. I had to brush him off, saying he was being paranoid. I even joked with him, saying that he’s being that way because he’s falling for you.”
“Huh?” Angel looked at Eric, her eyes looking like they would fall out of their sockets. “Did you really say that?”
“I was only joking. You should’ve seen his face, though.” Eric laughed.
“You really are something else, Eric.” Angel shook her head.
“If he wasn’t already in love with your sister, I would think he really is falling for you.”
Angel suddenly blushed at the thought, and she turned her face to look forward, hoping that Eric wouldn’t notice. She felt her heart start to flutter a little with a question in mind: Could Leo really be falling for me? Angel quickly shook her head, telling herself that she was being silly. Leo only had feelings for her sister. He was only concerned because he was just suspicious, that’s all.
“We’re here,” Eric announced as he turned to face Angel.
Angel had been so lost in thought that she didn’t realize that they had arrived at her destination. The black metal gate slid open, and the car drove in, heading to the white mansion up ahead. The car drove up to the front door, and immediately it stopped; the front door of the house flew open. Zac stepped out in a white shirt and white cargo shorts.
Eric and Angel both got out of the car. Angel slung a small backpack over her shoulder. Since she was only staying for the night, she only needed to pack something light.
“Hey, guys,” said Zac as Angel and Eric came by the front door. “Mum was starting to think that you weren’t coming, Angel.”
Angel shook her head with a laugh. “Well, if I wasn’t going to make it, I would’ve called. Plus, Leo was starting to get a little suspicious with the lie that I came up with.”
“Oh, that’s not good. Well, as long as he doesn’t think there’s a cake being baked, we’re good.”
“Yeah, I agree,” said Eric. “So, Angel,” he turned to face her, “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. Knock us dead with that cake.”
“Be careful for what you wish for,” said Angel as she smiled at him. “You just might.”
After Eric said his goodbyes, he entered the car. Angel and Zac watched him go, and as soon as the car was out of sight, they entered the house.
“Mum is so excited to get this cake baked,” said Zac as they walked through the foyer. “That’s why when you asked to use our kitchen, she was willing to buy you all the necessary ingredients.”
“I couldn’t be more grateful to her,” said Angel.
“Well, you should thank her yourself. First, let me take you to your room. Then we can go find her in the study.”
Zac led the way up the magnificent white stairs, and Angel followed behind him.
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