Chapter 25 Solana #3
I really loved that man.
The car slowed in front of The Ivy and I released a quiet breath.
Paparazzi were already stationed outside, cameras ready.
My security came around to open the door and led me through the flashing lights and into the restaurant.
The hostess recognized me immediately and let me know my party was already seated.
Desirae was not known for being on time, so seeing her sitting there already, composed and waiting, caught me off guard. I took the seat across from her and my guards settled at a nearby table within eyeline.
She smiled the moment she saw me.
"Girl, it has been so long," she said first.
"It really has. How have you been? I've barely touched social media since I've been gone."
Desirae caught me up on everything she had been building while I was away.
Runway shows, award shows, a growing list of celebrity clients.
I was genuinely glad to hear she was doing well.
We ordered drinks and then our food, since we had been to this restaurant more times than either of us could count.
We were well into our entrees when she asked, "So have you seen Henderson?"
I lifted a brow but kept my expression neutral, curious about where she was going with it.
"Yeah, he found me. He also put together the interview I did with Simone."
Desirae swallowed her bite, nodded slowly, then looked up at me with a more serious expression than I expected.
"He was almost unhinged when you left. The man completely fell apart. You would have thought the two of you had something going on. He was calling me almost every day asking if I had heard from you, like my answer was going to change from the last dozen times he asked."
I held onto every word. I had found his fixation strange myself, the way his entire sense of identity seemed tied to me.
It had always been odd that I was his only client, but he always framed it as dedication, as his way of making sure I had his full attention and every available opportunity. I had taken it at face value.
"I know we aren't as close as we used to be," she continued, lowering her voice. "But I care enough to tell you to be careful. He isn't the man you remember anymore. And I'm sure hearing that you're done with acting isn't going to help things. I hope you're planning to leave soon."
I studied her face for a moment. She knew more than she was saying. Desirae glanced around the restaurant once, then brought her eyes back to mine.
"I know this feels strange. But trust me, leave all of this behind for good this time."
I nodded and tucked her words away carefully. I was going to tell Duke about this the moment I got back.
"Thank you for saying something. I have a couple more things to tie up here, but I have no plans to come back. I have too much waiting for me at home," I told her.
I picked up my glass and took a sip, then looked up toward the entrance and felt my stomach drop.
Henderson was at the hostess stand pointing directly in our direction.
I set my glass down and caught Desirae's eye.
"Did you tell him I was going to be here? Is that why you were giving me all of those warnings?" I asked, the paranoia creeping in before I could stop it.
Desirae's eyes went wide as she turned around to confirm what I was seeing. She spun back quickly.
"No. I would never do that. What would I gain from warning you about him in one breath and then calling him in the next?"
Before I could respond, Henderson was already crossing the room toward our table. My security moved fast and had him stopped before he could reach us, both guards holding him firmly while the entire restaurant turned to look. He started shouting at them and they looked back at me, waiting.
The last thing I needed right now was a scene. I waved for them to let him go.
Henderson yanked his arm free like he had somewhere to be, snatched a chair from the neighboring table, and dropped himself into it. The smell hit me before he even settled. Alcohol, heavy and stale, like it had soaked into his skin.
"I guess you left your bodyguard behind and upgraded. Is all of that really necessary? You should have told them I have access to you." He sneered and looked around the table. "You move out to some small town and suddenly you're too good for the people who actually built you."
I placed my hand subtly over my nose and kept my voice even.
"Watch your tone when you're speaking to me. Whatever disdain you have for a place you don't even have to live in says more about you than it does about me. I made it clear earlier today that I am no longer your concern."
He laughed, and it came out unhinged, the kind of laugh that crawled under your skin. My stomach turned as his breath pushed across the table.
He slammed his hand down and leaned in.
"It's not that simple. You think I don't have contracts in place to keep you in line? I have been more than patient with you. Now that's over. You go back to wherever you've been hiding, send that man on his way, and we get back to work."
I looked at him clearly for the first time. Not the manager who had taken a chance on me, not the professional who had opened doors. I was looking at a leach who had mistaken my compliance for submission.
I laughed.
The confusion on his face was immediate. He wasn't used to that response from me.
"You think I'm stupid, don't you?" I said.
He opened his mouth and I held up one hand to stop him.
"That was rhetorical. You don't run a single thing where I'm concerned.
I reviewed every addendum you tried to slip through.
I had a lawyer look over everything you ever handed me before I signed.
We adjusted accordingly. You don't own anything.
Not a single thing." I leaned forward slightly.
"I am not property. Stay away from me, or this is going to become a very real problem. "
I stood, reached into my purse, and laid a few hundreds on the table. I smiled at Desirae and thanked her for dinner. Then I stepped around the table, my security already on their feet and moving ahead of me toward the exit.
The entire ride back to the bungalow, I turned the evening over in my mind.
I had handled it. I had kept my composure and said everything that needed to be said.
But something about the way Henderson had looked at me, the wildness in his eyes, the smell of him, the certainty in his voice, settled in my chest in a way that wouldn't let go.
Before I had even finished the thought, the car slowed in front of the bungalow and Duke was already outside.
The moment the door opened, I stepped out and walked straight into his arms. He lifted me off the ground without a word, reading everything I hadn't said yet just from the way I held on.
He thanked the driver, pressed a tip into his hand, then carried me inside and locked the door behind us. He walked us to the couch and sat down with me still in his lap.
"What happened, love?" he asked.
He placed his hand beneath my chin and turned my face toward his.
"Everything. Dinner was going well until Henderson showed up. Right before he got there, Desirae had been warning me to stay away from him, telling me he had been acting strangely about me the whole time I was gone. Then he walked in and showed me exactly who he really is."
Duke leaned forward and reached for his phone.
I covered his hand with mine.
"My security handled it when he first approached. I told them to stand down because he never touched me. It was just words. But I saw him tonight, the real him. I'm ready to go home. I'm done here."
Duke's jaw tightened. He pulled me into his chest and held me without saying anything for a long moment, his arms tight around me.
I had never wanted to be back in Rose Haven as badly as I did right then. This place was no longer my home, and I had finally made peace with that.
The next morning, Duke and I met with a realtor to move forward on listing the house. After that, I made a trip to the bank to transfer my accounts to a local branch in Straton Bay. By evening, we were boarding the private jet.
Home. I was finally going home.