Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
C ecilia
I shiver in the cold night air and hug my arms tighter around myself as I lean over the curb, scouring the streets for my brother's car. It was Saturday night, and my brother called me this morning, acting like an excited child, raving about some party he wanted to take me to.
I wasn’t much of a partier, and Tobias and the word party in the same sentence was a big red flag, but he assured me it was a more elegant work-related party. At first, I wanted to say no. Hell no, in fact. I didn’t want to chance running into James so soon after our altercation yesterday. But I knew I had more investigating to do. I wanted to lurk deeper into the secrets he keeps hidden inside his world. I want to overtake the king, so to speak. This party was simply just another chance to try and get some more information.
I was surprised that Tobias invited me in the first place. That notion in itself had me second-guessing everything once again. Was I being crazy? Could I actually be taking things too far, and he is just trying to prove that everything is okay? My gut told me no, even if my heart wanted to convince me otherwise.
Even worse, I had to pretend I wasn’t already in the city and act as if I rode the train this afternoon and booked this hotel for tonight when it’s been the one I’ve been staying in for over a week.
So here I was, standing on the curb at the last minute, dressed in the fanciest dress I could find in my price range. It was a dark blue velvet dress with short puffer sleeves that reached the middle of my shins. It had a lighter blue velvet floral design over the entirety of it, and I paired a light blue pair of heels with it to match. I had the top half of my hair pulled back to accentuate the pretty, sweetheart neckline of the dress.
Tobias pulls up to the curb in front of me, and I smile, opening the door and sitting inside. He looks over me, his eyes shooting up appreciatively.
“You clean up nice, sis.”
I take in his light beige suit, which makes his dark eyes pop. “You do, too.”
“Here,” he says, opening the center compartment and pulling out a large flat box. “Put these on.”
My brows draw together as I take the box from him and open it, a gasp catching in my throat. A diamond necklace and matching earrings sparkle back at me, and they’re so shiny and clearly expensive looking, so I slam the box shut, tossing it back into his lap.
“No thanks.”
“Lia,” he grumbles, aggressively setting it back in my lap. “This is a work event. I’m bringing you as my date, and I can’t have you show up without wearing a couple of pieces from Labyrinth.”
I clutch my teddy necklace at my neck. “What’s wrong with what I already have on?”
“It’s not Labyrinth.”
“That’s what makes it so nice,” I coo, patting the charm.
He sighs. “Please, Lia. I’m trying to let you in a little here.”
I frown, looking down at the box again. “I don’t even have my ears pierced.”
“They’re clip-ons. I figured you still never bothered to pierce your ears.”
I look at him, giving him a defeated smile. “Fine, but what about my necklace?”
He pulls a small key from the inside pocket of his suit jacket and leans over me, unlocking the glovebox. “Just put it in here. I’ll lock it up, and you can get it later.” I shoot him a skeptical look. “It will be fine. I will have the key on me all night. No one will be able to get in here, and even if they did, I doubt they’ll want your necklace.”
“Hey,” I gripe as I reach my hands behind my neck and unclip the necklace. “It’s a nice necklace. Anyone should feel so lucky to have it.”
“Right,” he mumbles after I place it inside. He shuts it, locking it and slipping the key back into his pocket. “Now put those on,” he demands, glancing at the jewelry box. It goes with your outfit, too, so it works out.”
I open the box back up, looking back down at the necklace. It is a small row of diamond flowers with teardrop leaves and matching teardrop earrings that look like a vine of leaves with a flower hanging at the bottom. It was a part of their last summer collection they launched a month ago that they were celebrating the success of tonight before they started work on the winter collection. It was pretty and dainty. It's not something I would expect to come from any of Labyrinth’s collections. I put it on and try to ignore the glamorous way I feel as I look in the car visor mirror, seeing the diamonds glisten back at me and making me look ten times more sophisticated.
When we arrived at the party hall, I was surprised by how intimate the gathering was. I expected a massive event full of bigwigs like Investors, local businesses, and city politicians. I anticipated that James wanted to show off his business and launch by showing off to everyone and reigning in money wherever he could. But it was small. It was a decent turnout, around two hundred people, but…small. Not the gala I was expecting.
I fist Tobias’s jacket in my hand, keeping ahold of him as he leads us through the crowds of people. There was nothing but activity swirling around us. Servers walking around everyone, serving trays of fancy finger foods and flutes of champagne. People dressed in fancy attire as they talked and laughed with each other. Fancy round tables adorned in beautiful linens and centerpieces with people enjoying meals. There was even a full bar in the back of the room with even more lively characters enjoying themselves and a small stage where soft live music played, keeping the atmosphere alive and flowing.
“This is so nice,” I rave, looking everywhere.
“Just one of the many perks of working for Labyrinth. You can always come to events like this with me,” Tobias boasts.
“I don’t think I could always handle this level of elegance.”
“If I can, then you definitely can. This is a new era, Lia.” He looks down at me with pride, and I feel it all the way into my bones. He was proud of himself, and I couldn’t help but be proud of him too. But the feeling quickly faded to guilt because I was here with ulterior motives, and he had no clue.
“Who’s all here?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Just everyone that works at the headquarters and friends and family. James prefers launch events to be more intimate.”
“Oh,” I replied vaguely, trying to remain as if James were still a perfect stranger to me. I didn’t want to fall into too deep of a conversation about him because I didn’t want to accidentally give anything away.
“There he is now,” Tobias says, nodding ahead of the crowd. I follow his line of sight, landing on James, who is conversing with another person I don’t know. He glances over to Tobias, nodding in acknowledgment, and turns back to his conversation, but a second later, his gaze whips back toward us and lands directly on me.
He was clearly surprised by my presence, and although my legs trembled in fear, I couldn’t help but eat up his wide eyes and his mouth turning down into a frown. I liked that I kept him on his toes. It was addicting, the feeling of being unexpected to someone.
I shoot him a sly smile, and his mouth presses together in a hard line as he watches us approach him. “How’s it going?” Tobias greets him and the other man.
“It’s…going,” James replies sternly.
“You remember my sister,” Tobias mentions, gesturing to me.
“How could I forget?” he says, his eyes falling onto me again. “How are you, Cecilia?”
“Quite well,” I answer proudly. I quickly look away from him, focusing on the stranger at his side. “Hi, Cecilia Bowen.”
He reaches for my hand, softly shaking it and holding it for a second longer than is considered appropriate. “Alan Forcer,” he says with a soft smile. He was quite handsome. He had light golden-brown hair that was floppy and swept back to the side, as well as a charming smile. He was broad, like a square, buffer than I’d typically consider attractive, but he pulled it off well, especially in a suit.
“Alan is head of our sales department,” Tobias tells me.
“Oh,” I chime. “So, you’re good with numbers. That’s always a nice skillset to have.”
Alan chuckles warmly. “One of the many skills I obtain, yes.”
“Ooo.” I grin. “Confident, too.” James’s right eyebrow jumps as I speak, his piercing stare boring into me, but I force myself to ignore his suffocating presence.
“Okay, okay. Settle down now,” Tobias interrupts.
“Sorry,” Alan says. “It’s not every day I meet a beautiful woman with such an outgoing personality.”
“That’s it. I’m getting a drink,” Tobias grumbles, making me giggle. I draw my eyes to James, who is still standing there, his eyes dark and focused on me.
My stomach curls in on itself under his attention, and I rip my gaze away, looking back to Alan. “Do you have a table we can chat at?” I smile at him.
He reaches for my hand, and I slip mine into his as he chimes, “Right this way.” I look over my shoulder, finding James tracking my every move.
An hour later, I gulped down a glass of champagne in one swallow, staring mindlessly at Alan as he went on and on about his beach house in Malibu. All he’d done for an hour was tell me about the sales goals he never fails to meet, the year he bought his first Aston Martin that he likes to take racing, and the outdoor playhouse he built for his nephew. The playhouse is actually cute, but his bragging about its large size, which he built all by himself, was not.
“That’s nice,” I cut him off. “I have to use the bathroom…so…excuse me.” I stand from the table and race in the opposite direction, scouring the room for my brother, but I don’t see him anywhere.
I go to the bathroom, stopping at the mirror, adjusting my hair, and putting on a fresh coat of lipstick since a considerable amount has rubbed off on the three glasses of champagne I drank just so I could endure Alan’s love life with himself.
I thought Alan would be a good resource for information, considering he was head of sales. Surely, if there were any money problems or suspicions, he would know about it, right? But he would redirect the conversation to something about himself whenever I asked anything remotely work-related. Either he knew nothing, or he was a very well-versed accomplice. I was voting for the former.
I walk out of the bathroom, and immediately, I’m pulled by the arm down the long hall leading in the opposite direction of the party.
“Hey,” I yell, fighting against the hold when I look up and realize it’s James. He pushes me through two swinging doors, and my back lands against a row of fabric. I look around the small, dark space, realizing we are in a coat closet.
My eyes shoot forward as he closes in on me, his hard gaze penetrating me as the doors swing shut behind him. His arm shoots out, gripping the bar, holding the hangers of coats as he leans into me, caging me inside.
“What do you think you’re doing?” His thick voice slices through the air.
“What do you mean?” I yelped, my voice shaking uncontrollably. “My brother asked me to come.”
“And you had the nerve to show?” It was dark in here, and I couldn’t see well, but a sliver of light cut a small slice over his face, lighting up his grey eye, showing the creases around it and the angry curl of his mouth.
“Of course,” I manage to say. “I have a vendetta.”
He chuckles darkly now, making me stand straighter in my discomfort. “And what have you found, little owl? Was Alan of any help? Maybe you can use the mirror he keeps in his back pocket to stare at himself and keep an eye on what’s happening behind your back.”
“It sounds like you’re worried I’ll find something worthwhile out by being here. Do you feel threatened by me, James?”
His gaze drops to my chest, roaming slowly up my neck and back to my face. Every inch he observes feels like he leaves burning welts behind on my skin. I could feel every spot he tracked. “Threatened by you?” he repeats, amused. “Look at you.” He lifts his hands, curling his fingers under the diamond necklace I wore. “You look faker than the excuses you tell your brother for being here. What did you tell him? You were proud of him? You wanted to celebrate with him when we both know you’re only here to ruin everything he’s worked for?”
“Stop it,” I rush out, my chest shaking with anger.
“No,” he growls. “You dare show up today after crossing a very fine line yesterday, and you expect me to lie down and take it?” He leans closer to me, the heat of his body consuming me and making my heart race, unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my chest. He lets go of my necklace and lifts his hand to my ear now, his thumb sliding over the diamonds. “I don’t take, babe. I give. Hard. Then I devour. You’re making it hard not to devour you, Cecilia.”
My heart catches, and I stare back at him, wide-eyed like a doe caught by a lion. “W—What?”
“If you keep working against me, I won’t be held responsible for eating you alive,” he reiterates.
I let out a hard breath, squaring my shoulders back and staring into his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
He tilts his head, watching me curiously now. “Are you going to stick around and find out?”
I fight to keep my shaking body under control as I nod my head. “Yes.”
He exhales, his gaze dropping to my mouth and settling there momentarily before meeting my eyes again. Then, somehow, he leans even closer, and it’s like I turn to stone. I shut my eyes as his mouth finds my ear, his warm breath skating over it as he whispers, “I hope you can take it, little owl.”
Goosebumps flair over my skin as cold air consumes me, and when I open my eyes, he’s gone.
I race out of the coat closet and stumble back into the main room. I don’t see James anywhere but spot my brother by the bar. I barrel toward him, gripping his arm and shaking him for attention.
“Tobias, I need to leave.”
He looks away from his friends, his smile fading as concern takes over. “What's wrong? You look white as a ghost.”
“I uh…I don’t feel well. I want to go home.” Guilt consumes me for lying to him again, and it makes me want to rip out of my skin. Not only do I have to deal with my own inner judgment about it, but James keeps reminding me of his judgment, too, and I hate to say it, but it works. It affects me every time he mentions it, making me feel worse.
One of his friends hollers his name in excitement from the other end of the bar, and I watch his face light up and diminish just as quickly as he remembers me standing here. “Uh yeah, sure, let’s get you home,” he says, fishing in his pocket for his car keys.
More guilt overtook me, and I put a hand on his arm, pausing him. “You can stay. I can take your car back to my hotel if you can get a ride home. I really don’t mind.”
“I can’t just let you leave alone, Lia.”
“Tobias, it’s fine. Really. Stay with your friends and enjoy your night. You deserve it.”
He smiles and kisses the top of my head as he pulls his keys out and drops them into my hand. “Text me as soon as you’re safe in your hotel.”
“I will.” I turn to leave before remembering something and face him again. “I need the key for the glovebox, for my necklace.”
“Oh right,” he remembers, opening his jacket and pulling the key out. I take it from him, holding it tight in my fist. “Be careful,” he reminds me, and I nod, smiling and waving goodbye to him as I make my way out through the crowd.
When I find the car, I lock myself inside and sit for a good five minutes, trying to calm down. I glance at myself in the rearview mirror, seeing the twinkle of my jewelry, and I growl in disgust. I rip the necklace off my neck and slide the earrings off my ears. I toss them into the seat next to me and take out the key, unlocking the glovebox. I reach for my necklace and hurry to put it back on, feeling slightly more at ease now that it’s back around my neck.
When I lean back to close the glovebox, I spot a plain little black book inside. I curiously pull it out and open the first page. I read it all, looking at the names, dates, and the section for payment amounts or any remaining balances. There were signatures next to every line, matching their printed names.
I flip through the book, the car silent except for the pages and my heavy breathing. “This is a ledger,” I whisper to myself, not believing my eyes. I look down at the bottom of the page, finding a signature in the bottom right corner of every page.
A signature reading, James Kingston.