39. Alexis
Alexis snuck out of the restaurant during Joe’s speech and caught an Uber back to the penthouse. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if she’d run into Levi in the lobby or elevator, but he was nowhere to be seen anyway.
She let herself in and curled up in a ball on her bed. She deserved all of this. Levi was right—she’d worked on a case that let a murderer go free. She shouldn’t be allowed to be happy when Sophie was dead, and her killer was roaming around as if nothing had ever happened.
And to find out her dad was violent toward her mum was horrifying too. Who knew if he’d ever done more than slap her across the face? It’s probably why he didn’t see anything wrong with defending Rick. If he was set free, it meant Jack could absolve himself of any guilt over his own wife.
And what if he’d followed Rick’s exact path? What if Jack had beaten his wife to death?
Alexis was too overwhelmed by the events of the day to focus on any one thing, and her brain shut down.
She closed her eyes and begged for sleep, even though it was still too early for bed.
There was a knock at the front door.
Could it be Levi? Did he have a change of heart already?
She jumped up and raced to the door, yanking it open.
Theo was standing there, a slightly bemused look on his face.
‘Were you so excited by my arrival that you had to run to let me in?’ he teased.
‘Uh…’
‘It’s okay. I know you were probably expecting my buddy, but I’m afraid you’ve got me instead.’
‘Why are you here?’
‘I tried calling, but you didn’t answer.’
‘Oh, right.’ Alexis had noticed Theo’s calls while she was in the Uber, but she had wanted to leave the line free in case Levi tried to get through.
‘I hope you weren’t screening my calls?’
‘It wasn’t anything personal.’
‘Well, let me in, and I’ll forgive you.’
‘I’m not so sure that’s a–’
‘It wasn’t a request.’
He gently pushed his way inside and made himself comfortable on the couch. ‘I have a message for you.’
‘Who from?’
‘Me. But it’s about my mother. She finally called me and told me where she was and what she was doing. She was going to stay in Korea for six months, but apparently she misses Tofu too much. She’s decided she no longer cares if her friends know she’s had work done, so she’ll be coming home in a couple of weeks.’
‘Was she going to tell me this?’
‘I suppose at some point, but I thought I should give you a heads-up in case you need to look for somewhere else to live. Maybe you could ask your boyfriend? That way, you’d still be in the same building.’
Alexis didn’t say anything.
Theo immediately noticed. ‘What happened?’
Alexis wasn’t sure she was comfortable discussing her love life with Theo, considering his relationship with Levi.
Theo persevered. ‘Come on, you can tell me.’
‘I worry I’ll make things worse if I do.’
‘Why?’
‘Because of your history with Levi.’
Theo laughed. ‘And what is this history he’s told you?’
‘Nothing specific. But I know there’s an underlying tension between the two of you.’
‘That’s just silly guy stuff. He teases me about modelling, and I tease him about his medical degree.’
‘Are you sure that’s all?’
‘If there is, I’ve never heard about it.’
‘You’ve never tried to steal his girlfriends?’
Theo laughed out loud. ‘No! At least, I don’t think so. But if you two have broken up, it won’t be stealing if we date.’
‘Theo!’
He held his hands up, eyes twinkling. ‘Sorry. Too soon?’
‘Yes. Besides, I thought there was something between you and Sarah?’
He covered his face with his hands. ‘Ah, that woman.’
‘What about her?’
‘She’s very different to my usual type, but I kind of like it.’
‘Then why did you just ask me out?’
‘I wasn’t being serious. Sorry, Lexi, but I know how much Levi likes you. Even if you’ve broken up, I wouldn’t try anything. At least not for a few weeks.’
Alexis slapped him playfully. ‘Stop! Actually, that reminds me. What was the deal with you and Valentina? She says you didn’t like that she had more money than you.’
‘That’s not true! I don’t care about things like that. We broke up because she never took me seriously. It was very frustrating.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes! Maybe I said something stupid as we were breaking up because I wanted to keep my pride, but I never meant it.’
‘Hmm.’
‘But enough about me. Let’s get back to you. What happened with Levi?’
Alexis wasn’t sure how much to tell him, but in the end, she decided to just lay it all out there. She told him everything, including her family history, the court case with her dad, how she’d started her own concierge business, and then the reason for Levi storming off at the restaurant.
‘Jesus. You’ve been through a lot. How are you even still standing right now?’
‘I’m not sure.’
‘You know you didn’t do anything wrong?’
‘That’s easy enough to say…’
‘But it’s the truth. It was your job to help that guy, even if he was accused of murder. Now, I don’t know if your dad did anything shady behind the scenes to skew the result, but that wasn’t you, and you left as soon as you suspected anything. What else were you supposed to do?’
‘I could have reported him.’
‘Saying what? That you saw your dad talking to some sketchy dude in an alley? You didn’t have any proof that what he was doing was illegal.’
‘He might be under investigation now,’ Alexis pointed out.
‘So, if the authorities come to you, then say what you know. Anyone would understand your reluctance considering he’s your dad.’
‘Levi doesn’t see it that way.’
‘Levi is being a child. But you know what? I’m aware he’s got a messed-up situation with his own family, so he’s probably just projecting his frustration onto you.’
‘I’m not so sure about that…’
‘All I can say is please don’t give up on him. He’s a good guy, and I’ve never seen him as happy as when he’s with you.’
‘I don’t think that’s true anymore.’
‘It will be. I know these things. Everything’s probably just a bit much for him to process, but he’ll get there. Give him time.’
Alexis didn’t know if she should. Was giving him time the right thing to do? Should she just cut her losses and move on? Or should she try and make amends?
And then there was the issue of finding somewhere else to live in the next two weeks. She wasn’t sure she’d ask to stay with Levi even if their relationship was in a good place. It was still too early. And she didn’t want to impose on Sarah again. Besides, her brother was still staying with her, so there wasn’t any room.
Maybe she could find someone else to house-sit for. Alternatively, she’d saved a bit of money while staying at Evelyn’s because she hadn’t needed to pay rent, so she probably almost had enough to pay bond on a small studio apartment.
‘Thanks for the pep talk, Theo. I’ll start making plans for when your mum returns, and I’ll have a think about what to do with Levi.’
‘Would it be weird to hug you now?’ he asked, winking.
‘Probably.’
He laughed. ‘I like your honesty. Okay, I know when I’m not wanted. But I’m always around if you need to chat again.’
‘I appreciate it.’
She saw him out and went back to the couch.
She had a lot of thinking to do.