LUKEIt was late when I returned home. I was exhausted, so I went straight to my bedroom and took a shower. I had set up a schedule at the ranch for a few rounds of horseback riding, but then I received a call from my lawyer that I needed to visit her office. I also returned to the hotel to pick up some legal files.After freshening up, I grabbed a can of beer from the fridge while holding a pile of folders I needed to work out with this evening. I then found Cely carrying a tray with empty plates and glasses from the bedroom floors. I’d known Cely almost my entire life. She had been my nanny, and the shades of her silver hair indicated that she had been with us forever.“Cely, are they home yet?” I was referring to Dad and Gene because they called me earlier, saying they went out together. They usually come back late when they have a date. I guessed they were just before.“Oh, good evening, but no, Luke. They’re not home yet,” the head housemaid answered.“Then whose plate is this?”
SCARLETShortly after, I came downstairs, straight to the dining room. I was a bit afraid to find Luke, but fortunately, he wasn’t there.“Good morning, Thomas.” I pulled out a chair and settled by his side. One of the housemaids instantly served me a plate and a glass of milk. I muttered thanks, but she didn’t seem to hear and left. I wasn’t used to having people serving me as if I were royalty.“Good morning, dear,” he greeted back. “I’m glad you decided to join us. Luke preferred eating alone, as usual.”“He probably just likes to eat with the outdoor view, honey,” Mom said. “He’s on the veranda,” she added with a wink, though I wasn’t asking.“That kid. No wonder he likes you more than me.” Thomas shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, I’ll make sure your daughter will like me.”I grinned. “Oh, I like you, Thomas.” I leaned over and whispered, “Mom nags me all the time.”He let out a rich laugh. “Does she?”Mom glared at us. “I heard that you know?”I giggled. “Love you, mommy.”“S
SCARLETThis wasn’t a vacation. It was a week of torture. It had only been three freaking days, and I’d gone crazy.Just like yesterday, I didn’t do anything at all. I had no energy to go out. Mom and Thomas didn’t seem to care that I was in the room all day, and it was already afternoon! To entertain myself, I checked my inbox to see if there were any new messages, but Jax seemed busy. There were only three people in the world I could talk to, my roommate Katherine, her boyfriend Nate, and Jax. But they would be busy with their own lives.Jax would be having a meeting today, and I hadn’t heard his voice lately. Katherine had gone home with Nate, so they were surely busy.Almost after dinner, I found Mom and Thomas in the living room, watching some TV.“Hi. Can we talk?”“Darling, of course.” Thomas tensed up. He picked up the remote control and shut the TV off.I sat on the seat across from them. “First, I want to apologize for being rude yesterday.”“It’s okay, sweetheart. We unders
SCARLETI thought we would just have dessert, but it wasn’t the case. They had prepared a full meal course with different dishes that would feed at least ten people. The Barbie doll must be so important that Thomas made a feast.I quietly listened as they exchanged talk about matters I couldn’t understand. I remained looking at the food on my plate.I rolled my eyes and then blew out a deep, silent breath. Luke wasn’t talking as usual. Thomas discussed something and followed some legality, but it wasn’t about my transfer papers. I wasn’t naïve enough to not understand what was going on.Mom was exchanging ideas and suggestions, too, since she was a lawyer herself. I wished I could give my input, but I knew nothing about their topic. I only knew how to create a program—if they asked me about JavaScript or Python, I would be glad to answer them.I secretly watched Luke sitting in front of me, slicing his steak. He still hadn’t taken a bite. Luke lifted her plate while Miss Universe was
LUKE I received a message from Ericka saying she would meet with Nate. Nate? Who the fuck was Nate? I clearly told her not to meet with any man before we met. I wanted her to taste me without interruption. It would be too much of a chore to fuck a woman who was committed. Then she replied, telling me it was a friend who proposed to her roommate. Katherine was one of the only names she mentioned in three months of our charade. If only she had told me her full name, I could track this Katherine, then I would know which apartment in Cambridge she was living in. She was good at hiding her tracks. I couldn’t find any potential female I could fuck for the last three weeks because I was always fucking dealing with something. The first week, I found a potential date to fuck from another dating app, but she lied about her profile picture. It was her friend’s. It means she was another fucking liar. The second week was supposed to be last Saturday. A witch showed up, and she was supposed to
SCARLETAfter dinner, everyone gathered back in the living room with Miss Universe. She sat like a queen next to Luke, who couldn’t stop glaring at me. Why couldn’t he just tell me he didn’t want to transfer his property and kill me?“Alright, shall we begin?” Miss Universe announced as she opened the folder with the ‘Transfer of Rights’ title.“Wait,” Luke suddenly interrupted. He held Miss Universe’s wrist, preventing her from opening the file.“Luke, what is it?” she asked with a frown.“Read the one with the Transfer of Stocks. I’m taking this folder.” His jaw ticked. He forcibly took the folder from Miss Universe, which made her jolt in surprise.“What’s going on, Lucas?” Thomas’s voice was tight.“I think I need more time,” he uttered, his voice glacial. “I don’t think this is right.”“Luke, you already signed these papers,” Miss Universe reminded, her voice still calm and light. “It’s already valid, and I registered this in the court.”“Which document is that?” Thomas asked her
SCARLETA few weeks agoI saved all the information Jax sent me and used all the programming codes as a reference. I’d had a problem solving the bug with the RPG I’d been developing for almost nine weeks, and I hadn’t figured it out, but with Jax’s help, I’d finally found a way to remove it.I called him to let him know.“Good evening, Ericka,” he answered.Ugh, his voice. I loved the sound of him. It was only a greeting, and I was already turned on.“Umm…”“You called me so I could hear you breathe? Tell me about the code.”“Oh.” I cleared my throat. “It worked. You’re a genius.” I closed my laptop and then lay down on my back.He laughed softly. “Are you sure you finished your major?”I chuckled nervously as I felt the guilt pinch my chest. “Of course, I wouldn’t be able to register in the app if I hadn’t, right? But thank you, Jax. You’ve been very helpful to me.”“Know your expertise. If this kind of program doesn’t suit you, then you should stick with building a website.”“It’s n
SCARLET“So, this is the home of the great Alejandro Technologies, huh? I still can’t believe my best friend is the owner’s daughter. Well, at least I won’t get lost tomorrow when I come here,” Nate stated, in clear admiration of Thomas’s massive house in front of him. It was already afternoon when he accompanied me to my parents’ house.“As if your house isn’t as big as this one.”Nate slipped his hands into his pocket. “But it was never like this. Your stepfather is a well-known businessman. I’m excited to see what’s inside tomorrow. Someday I’ll be successful like them.”I grinned at his positivity. Nate had always been a hard worker, a master game programmer, and never too selfish to share his knowledge. Katherine was a hacker—great with program manipulation. They’re the best tandem ever. I was glad to be part of their group. Only sometimes do I need to give them space since they were a couple.“Then, you will be. You’re good in this field.”“Not as good as your stepbrother,” he w