Chapter 3. Surprises

Avery’s POV

I turn to see a tall, brunette-haired man standing with a grim expression. I recognize him as the man who left the dean’s office in the hospital and gave me the contract to sign five years ago.

“Good evening, Miss Avery. I am Marcus, Mr. Ethan’s personal assistant.” He speaks, introducing himself.

I guess all the people that surround Ethan are intimidating. Well, birds of a feather move or flock—arghh, whatever.

I cut off my thoughts and face him. “Good evening.” I reply, giving him a tight-lipped smile, as I notice him give me a strange look. He must be wondering what was wrong with me.

“I will be taking you home now.” he says casually before turning to walk away and I can bet he almost rolled his eyes!

I shove my phone into my bag before following quickly behind Marcus to catch up with his fast walking pace. I glare fully at his back. What a brute, just like his boss.

We descend down the stairs into the huge expensively furnished living room when I hear a voice call behind me.

“Avery?”

I turn, shock filling me as I take in the sight of the older woman before me. “Lawrenta!” I gasp before I am enveloped in her motherly hug.

She was the housekeeper for the mansion where I was confined until I gave birth. She is a lively, beautiful woman with olive skin and long, curly hair that reached her waist. Her care and friendship were two of the things that distracted my constant thoughts and worries in that mansion.

“How have you been, my dear?” She asks, her eyes shining with happiness as she scans me from head to toe.

“I ha—”

“We have to go now.” Marcus interrupts, his expression bored.

“What an unhappy child!” Lawrenta whispers, glaring at him before turning to face me with a smile. “I will see you later when you are back.”

I nod wordlessly at her, even though I am confused, and I want to ask her what she means, but she is already walking away before I can even say a word.

Marcus clears his throat, and I turn to face him, an apologetic expression on my face. “Sorry…”

I trail off as the man turns on his heels, walking away without a word, and I am left gobsmacked at his arrogant display. I sigh before resuming my walk behind him. At the end, I hope it is all worth it.

***

I watch as the car drives away into the distance, and I sigh in relief. I turn to walk back into my apartment when I am engulfed in a hug. I am initially frightened, but I am calm as soon as that familiar scent reaches my nose. I smile, and I hug him back.

“Where exactly have you been?” He asks as soon as he breaks the hug.

“Awww, were you so worried about me?” I tease, my voice dripping with mischief.

“Of course I was. I mean—”

I interrupt him. “Alright, Jake. I am fine. I just visited some new clients who were interested in my designs. Sorry for how I had you worried.”

I feel bad about lying to Jake, who has been nothing but a good friend to me, but I have no choice. Without being told, I know I have to be confidential about the entire situation with Ethan and the contract.

If Jake feels I am hiding anything, he doesn’t show it and gives me a bright smile. “Alright, red. I will be going now. Take care of yourself.”

I smile as I hear his nickname for me; he calls me red because of my hair color. I wave goodbye as he climbs his motorcycle and speeds into the distance. I check the time on my phone, and my eyes widen. It’s already 7:00 p.m.—two hours before I resume work for today.

Sprinting back into my one-room apartment, I take a quick bath and change into a jean and white top before squeezing my work uniform and wig into my bag. My red hair always attracted attention in the club, so I started wearing a brunette wig while working to avoid the unnecessary attention. I check my appearance in the mirror, and it’s perfect. I guess I am ready for tonight.

The loud blast of music welcomes my ears as I step inside the club. I have been working at Palmers for three years now, but I still am not used to the deafening blast. I squeeze through the sea of dancing bodies, gyrating with so much gusto. I see my coworker, Brenda, wave at me. That’s a first. We barely talk except for work.

“Good evening! Let’s go inside the changing room.” She shouts over the loud music as soon as I reach her.

“Why didn’t you just use the back door?” She questions as soon as we enter the changing room, which is quiet—a contrast to the outside.

“Uhm, I actually prefer using the front entrance,” I reply, carefully choosing my words. The back entrance was always filled with all sorts of crazy stuff, like horny couples and drunk customers. I could do without the drama, honestly speaking.

I start to take off my clothes to change into my work uniform, and Brenda whistles, “Girl, you are hot. No wonder the boss had you transferred to the VIP section.”

I am in the middle of taking off my trousers when I process her words. “What?”

Why was my whole day filled with surprises?

Brenda looks at me as if I have grown two horns. “You didn’t know? Candy discovered she was pregnant yesterday for some billionaire who frequents the VIP section and ran from the city. It’s been chaotic, and the boss needs an immediate replacement for her—he actually called you this morning.” Brenda explains, and I am too stunned to react.

Candy was a hot redhead who worked in the VIP section, and rumors have it that she is popular among VIP customers because of her red hair and beauty. I am probably going to replace her because I have the same red hair as her.

A sigh escapes my lips. I didn’t want to work in the VIP section for fear of running into people from my past, but I guess my opinion wasn’t even needed in the first place and I still need this job to survive.

“You don’t have to be worried; your salary is twice as much, and you get nice tips too. You are lucky.” Brenda smiles, handing me a paper bag, which I am just noticing she has been holding since I saw her. I should get a grip on myself.

“It is your uniform for the VIP section; you should be fast.” She says, showing me her phone, which is vibrating and has Boss displayed on the screen.