Chapter 27 Luke #2
"Since when are you so sensible?" Travis asked. He took a piece of paper from the stack on the coffee table, crumpled it, and threw it at Declan. "You’re rubbing off on him. Back off with the advice."
"I’m not claiming credit for anything. He decided on his own," Declan said.
"Right. I have an idea. Why don't you pop open the other bottle too and withhold opinions?” I muttered.
Travis clapped his hands. “We can do that.”
Tate cocked a brow. "Have you met us? There's no such thing as ‘no opinions’ in our family. But we'll do our best."
Megan
On the way to the restaurant, I kept calling Aunt Dana, but she didn’t pick up.
I’d messaged Nina earlier, but I wanted to talk to my aunt.
The committee had booked a table for us at a fancy Chinese restaurant in the Golden Gate neighborhood.
It was in a beautifully refurbished home from the Gilded Age.
Just as I entered the building, my phone buzzed. Aunt Dana was calling. I stepped into a corner near the coatroom, trying to stay out of the way as guests kept arriving.
“Aunt Dana, I won!”
“Congratulations, honey! You deserve it. You’ve worked so hard.”
“So did everyone else.”
“I’m very proud of you.”
“Thank you. It still feels surreal. The prize is one hundred thousand dollars and a two-year internship in Shanghai.”
“Oh my, that’s wonderful! But that’s so far away. When are you leaving?” I could hear the worry in her voice.
“Here’s the thing. I’m not sure I’ll take it. I got a job offer from my current company.”
“Your boyfriend’s company.”
“Yes, Aunt Dana,” I replied with a bit of bite in my tone.
“I see. And you think accepting it is smart? Look how working together with Carson turned out.”
I played with the pendant of my necklace—a tree of life that had belonged to my mother—and took in a deep breath to stay calm. I loved Aunt Dana to the moon and back, but it wasn’t always easy to communicate with her.
“It’s not the same. And Luke is nothing like Carson.”
“Maybe. But I still think you should pave your own way.”
“Thanks for the advice. I have to go now. I’m having dinner with the other winners.”
“Sure, sure. Have fun, darling. And congrats again.”
After hanging up, I asked the host next to the entrance where the celebration was. He pointed me toward the elevator, instructing me to go to the second floor. I was surprised the building even had an elevator, but it was clear it was a later addition.
Once I reached the second floor, I immediately found the group. They’d reserved a whole room. Jenkins, Black, and Redford had invited the whole top ten, and we were all at one huge table. Carson was three seats to my right. I was determined to avoid him.
The committee chatted with all of us while servers kept bringing food from a preselected menu.
"This is all delicious. Thank you so much," I said, "and for the invitation. It's our honor to be surrounded by so many brilliant minds."
"We have to say, Megan, that your project was a favorite from the start. The attention to detail, that extra effort you put in, it all counted," Valerie said in an elegant English accent.
"We've come to expect excellence from anyone coming to us from Mr. Maxwell's office. Then again, he also picks the top candidates," Jenkins added.
"And he is a great teacher," I said. "He's very involved, and he gave me plenty of opportunities to learn. I'm happy indeed that I was part of his program."
Someone cleared their throat nearby. I knew it was Carson.
I cocked my head in his direction, tilting forward to make eye contact, jutting my chin out before focusing again on Jenkins. Carson didn’t intimidate me.
For the rest of the dinner, I made small talk with my neighbors and tried hard not to think about what Luke said. It wasn’t easy.
The evening went by fast. When we left the room, there was quite a crowd in front of the elevator. We waited in line, chatting among ourselves while the group in front of us left.
When the elevator came back, Jenkins said, "Megan, send your paperwork in fast, because they need someone in Shanghai as soon as possible."
I carefully considered my words before speaking. "What happens if I can't go right away?"
"I'm sure Luke Maxwell can be convinced to release you sooner from your contract."
I laughed. "Have you met him? It's not easy to convince him."
"True, true. I've had some professional interactions with Luke over the years. The man definitely doesn't do something he isn't 100 percent on board with. And I can believe that he’s going to have a hard time letting go of a brilliant employee like you."
He stepped inside the elevator, along with Valerie and Elsa. Five contestants stepped in as well.
“Can we crowd in?” Jenkins asked.
“We’ll wait for it to come back up. Or we’ll take the stairs,” I managed to say as the doors closed.
It was just me, Carson, and three others now.
“You know what? I’ll take the stairs. It was great meeting you all,” one of them said. I hadn’t caught her name.
The other two took the stairs as well, leaving Carson and me alone.
He was smirking.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing. I'm just wondering what everyone would say if they knew you're sleeping with Maxwell."
I straightened up instantly as if a zip of current went through me. "That's no one's business."
"Maybe not, but still… you seemed too cozy with him. And he's taught you a lot, hasn't he?" He mimicked my earlier sentence. "What else did he teach you?"
I held my head high, walking up to him defiantly. "That is none of your business either."
"I wonder what the committee would say if they knew."
"I think they’re more mature than you are, but by all means, go ahead and test it."
“I can’t believe you slept your way to the top.”
I bristled, narrowing my eyes. “I didn’t, but I don’t care what you think about me. There was a time when I did. You didn’t appreciate me at all. After we broke up, I doubted myself a lot. But not anymore. I’m very good at my job. And I have the love of a great man.”
“Maxwell.”
“Yes. You’re not even half the man he is.”
The elevator dinged. It was empty. Holding myself with grace, I stepped inside and turned on my heels. "And don't try to come in. I want to ride down all alone. Feel free to wait or take the stairs."
I pressed the button to close the doors.
That fucking moron. Who does he think he is?
Just a couple months ago, having that conversation with Carson would have thrown me off my game. But now it didn't. I mean, it pissed me off, but that was it. How was that possible?
If I thought about it, I knew how—because of Luke. He’d asked me to consider everything as if I hadn't met him, but I couldn't because I did meet him. I'd changed since, and I was grateful for that. Of course, I wanted to have a great career. But I could do that working side by side with him.
For the first time since breaking up with Carson, I could vividly focus on the future.
My future with Luke. I wasn’t afraid anymore—because we were dreaming about that future together.
I wasn’t just letting my imagination run wild while I trudged alongside him like I did with Carson.
And it took seeing that moron to realize that.
I guessed fate knew what it was doing when both of us applied for the competition.
I loved Luke. I couldn’t believe he cared so deeply about me that he was willing to set me free—to let me make my own career decision, even if that meant the possibility of losing me.
Well, little did Luke know, I didn’t want to go to Shanghai and have a long-distance relationship with him. I wanted to be here, to shower him with love every single day. That was another thing I couldn’t have imagined a few months ago: giving my heart away without holding back.
I realized that at my age, settling down with a career and family wasn’t the norm, but I’d always been more mature than others—probably why Nina and I were such good friends. I wanted to stay right here and be with the man I loved.
Luke Maxwell.
I couldn't wait to tell him!
Stepping outside the building, I walked past the beautiful landscaping, pulling up the Uber app, hoping there was a car nearby.
It was only nine in the evening. I wasn’t sure where Luke would be.
Was he already home? Or was he at the office?
I decided to call him before ordering the Uber, and he answered right away. My stomach somersaulted at his voice.
"Meg, hey, I wasn't expecting you to call tonight." His words were a bit slurred.
I frowned. "Are you drunk?"
"No, my brothers stopped by my office. Now it’s only Travis and me. We finished a bottle of champagne.”
“Three,” I heard Travis yell from the background.
"Oh my God! You are drunk!"
"No, just relaxed."
"Aha. I was just about to order an Uber. I can join you at the office."
"I am out of here," Travis said loudly in the background. "Sure as hell don't want to be a cockblocker now."
Heat crept up my cheeks. "Get out. I want to talk to her alone," I heard Luke say under his breath.
"Meg, are you sure you want to come over tonight?" he said after a few seconds. His voice was different, soft and vulnerable. He’d never sounded this way.
"Yes, I do," I said in a strong voice. "I have an answer for you."
"That was awfully fast."
"I know, but I've decided. I really knew from the start."
"Then I'll wait for you here." He sounded reserved.
Silly man. Wait until he heard I chose him.
“Make sure Travis is gone,” I insisted.
"I'm on it."