Mexico, Mexico City.
Carly sat in a bathrobe with a towel over her hair as she looked down at her phone. She was scrolling through her phone looking at pictures and videos on social media. Leo’s birthday party seemed to be such a blast, and she wished she could’ve been there. There were several photos of her sister in a beautiful peach dress from those who attended the party. She wanted to call Angel and compliment her on how beautiful she looked. Since Leo easily drew attention on social media, the event was trending on all platforms. No one could help but comment on Leo and how handsome he looked. Soon enough there were pictures of Angel as well, and the comment section was buzzing with people asking who she was and how gorgeous she looked.
“I wish I was there,” said Carly as she continued to look through the pictures. She soon came across a video, and she couldn’t help but watch.
Leo, her sister, along with others, had played musical chairs. The video had skipped out most of the game until the end, where Angel and Leo were the remaining two, and Leo ended up winning the game. Carly couldn’t help but smile at the incident. They all seemed to be having fun, she thought.
She came across another video, and this one was a ballroom dance between Leo and Angel. The two of them danced so well together that it left Carly with her mouth agape as she watched. She never knew Leo was good at ballroom dancing. Carly knew her sister used to attend dance lessons when she was a teenager. There used to be a dance class near their home, and Angel would go there every weekend after helping their mother at the bakery. It surprised Carly to see Leo dancing like he did and with her sister, for that matter. Their dance was captivating. Probably the main highlight of the evening. Carly couldn’t help but wish that if she had really been there, she was probably going to have danced with him instead.
Going through the comment section, everyone couldn’t help but compliment how spectacular the dance was. Some never thought Leo had it in him to dance like that. A few thought they might have rehearsed it, but a lot more could tell that wasn’t the case. The two of them were perfectly in sync. Carly knew better. The two of them could never have rehearsed such a dance even if they were just starting to get along. She agreed with the comments that said that the two of them were in perfect harmony with each other. That left her feeling a little dreadful. She started to wonder whether, if she had been there, she would’ve danced with him the way Angel had.
Another comment left her feeling more dreadful, which said that the two of them actually suited each other. Other replies came along, agreeing with the comment and saying Leo looked happier dancing with the woman in the peach dress than he had ever been with Kim. Carly couldn’t help but go back to the video to watch Leo’s facial expression as he danced with her sister. She hadn’t noticed it before, but she felt there was a certain look in his eyes as he danced and twirled Angel around. Her chest couldn’t help but swell a little.
Carly suddenly threw her phone on the bed. She had had enough of social media for one day. She took a deep breath and stood from her bed, removing the towel that had been soaking up the water from her wet hair. After coming back from the beach, Carly had gone to take a nice warm bath and later decided to see some photos and watch some videos. Now she wished she hadn’t seen the video of Leo and Angel dancing together.
“Now I truly wish I was there,” she said.
Carly went over to the balcony and opened the doors to look over the city. The noise on the street proved to be a good distraction, but only for a little while. She couldn’t help but wonder what could be going on at the party right now. Is Leo with Angel as we speak? She wondered. She shook her head at the thought. I’m simply thinking nonsense, she told herself. Leo could never betray me. Then the thought of him being close with her sister played in her mind, and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
Carly couldn’t help but believe she was getting jealous over her sister dancing with her boyfriend. She couldn’t help but bite her lower lip as she realized that her sister looked beautiful tonight in that dress, and now everyone thought she and Leo were perfect for each other.
If I had been there, it would’ve been a different story, Carly thought to herself. Then her eyes grew wide with realization. No one was supposed to know that she and Leo were dating to begin with. Does that mean even if she was there, she wasn’t going to get enough attention like her sister had done?
Carly turned around and leaned her back against the metal railing, deep in thought. There is no way Leo could develop feelings for her sister in such a short time. No, she thought to herself. She would’ve known. Leo cared about her and did all he could to spend time with her. Carly chuckled. I’m just thinking nonsense now, she thought. Then she thought of the tiny sparkle in Leo’s eyes as he danced with Angel. As Carly remembered the way they danced, Angel did her best not to look at Leo, but there was no denying that the two of them were locked in as they danced. Carly couldn’t help but feel there was something going on. Now here she is in Mexico, and the worst might happen between the two of them.
Easy for me to say, she thought to herself. Here she is in Mexico after lying that she had come for a seminar when she was working for a criminal and sleeping with one of the biggest drug lords in Mexico. If anything, she shouldn’t be feeling this way when she not only cheated on Leo with someone else by being someone else, but she also cheated Angel and the whole McDonell family with this double life.
Still, her feelings for Leo were real, and there was no denying it. When she was herself—as Carly—Leo was the only one for her, and no one else. But what if he suddenly stopped loving me anymore? she thought. No, she quickly shook her head. Leo loves me, and I love him. There’s simply no way Leo could fall for Angel, and Angel would do nothing to hurt me. The two sisters have been through a lot together, and there’s no way Angel would want to hurt Carly by stealing Leo away from her. Besides, all this was getting too far. Carly thought she needed to stop with these assumptions and move on.
Speaking of moving on, she realized that she had to get ready for supper downstairs. Any minute now, Robin will be by her door to pick her up. There has been no news of Andre throughout the whole day, so she was guessing that he might be busy somewhere, doing God knows what.
Carly went back inside her room and put on her clothes for the evening. A black long-sleeved shirt and faded blue jeans. Soon enough, a knock came at the door. It was Robin. Carly took her small purse and put two of her phones in it and joined Robin outside her room. As two of them walked over to the elevator, Robin couldn’t help but check his phone.
“I’ve been seeing photos and videos of Leo’s birthday online,” said Robin as he turned to look at Carly.
“Oh, yeah,” said Carly, wishing for something better to talk about. “It’s a shame that I’m missing out on the party.”
“Well, it couldn’t be helped.” They had reached the elevator, and Robin pressed the button to summon it. “Angel looks gorgeous, though.” Robin showed Carly the picture of Angel walking on the dance floor. The lower hem of her dress flew behind her, and her eyes looked elsewhere, oblivious that someone had taken a photo of her. Carly almost furrowed her eyebrows.
“Yeah, she does,” said Carly, trying her best not to sound jealous.
“I bet she was the most beautiful woman there. Everyone’s been asking who she is.”
“Well, if Angel knew she was getting this much attention, she would freak.” Carly folded her arms.
“Why?” The elevator stopped at their floor, and the doors flew open.
“She’s never one who likes to have attention all on her.” Carly entered the elevator.
“Then she better not be looking this good if she’s going to attract attention.” Robin followed. “The whole party looks like a blast.” He turned to look at Carly. “What’s up with you?”
“Huh?” Carly looked at Robin, confused.
“Oh, I mean, you look like the last thing you want to hear is about the party.”
Carly sighed and pressed the button to the ground floor. The doors closed, and Carly turned to look at Robin.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I just feel bad that I’m not there to enjoy it. You know about my relationship with Leo. And news flash, not everyone knows about us.”
“I figured. If it will make you feel better, I’ll stop looking at the photos and videos. You wouldn’t want to listen to what I just read in the comment section.”
“If it’s about Angel and Leo looking good as a couple, I already saw that.”
Robin put his phone in his pocket. “Now I understand that gloomy mood of yours,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Carly put on a thin smile. “These things happen.”
They had reached the ground floor and stepped out of the elevator. They were making their way to the cafeteria room, walking across the lobby.
“Why don’t you just tell the whole world that the two of you are dating?” Robin asked.
That would get me killed, Carly wanted to answer. Then she thought of a better answer. “We decided to take things a little slow and be secretive. And judging by my past, I feel no one would approve.”
Robin didn’t say anything for a while, until he said, “I don’t think you can keep your relationship hidden for much longer. Yeah, no one would approve of your past, but you changed and left that place for the better. Let’s not forget that you’re not the only woman out there with such a past. Yeah, people will talk about it for a while, and then they will forget about it.”
Easy for you to say, Carly wanted to say. If Robin had the slightest clue that Carly was involved with someone as dangerous as Walters, he would be highly disappointed in her.
The two of them had entered their cafeteria. A few students who had gone to the beach today had occupied a few tables in the room. Robin and Carly went over to an empty table, and the two of them had their supper. They talked about their fun time at the beach. For Carly, it was a good distraction to take her mind off the party, Leo, and Angel.
Just as they were concluding their meal, Carly’s phone beeped in her purse, and she wondered whether Andre was making his way over to the hotel he thought Loren was in. She checked her old phone that had received a message. She wondered where it could have come from because it came from an unknown number. Robin had finished his meal and wanted to go and get a glass of water. He asked what drink Carly would want to drink. She said she would also have a glass of water as well. Robin left the table, and Carly went back to looking at her phone and unlocked it.
Whoever had sent her a message had sent a photo. Carly quickly downloaded it as her phone was connected to the hotel’s Wi-Fi. When she downloaded the photo, she couldn’t believe what she was looking at. It was a picture of Angel and Leo, standing beside someone who happened to be taking a selfie of the three of them. The person taking the photo was Mr. Chang, and he smiled up at the photo. Carly couldn’t help but feel she was looking at the devil smiling at her. What is all this? she wondered.
She quickly went on to call the number, and immediately the phone started to ring. On the third ring, the person answered.
“Carly, you called,” came Mr. Chang’s voice. “I’m guessing that you saw the photo? Such a shame that you weren’t here. It would have been nice to have had you around. In fact, it was going to be fun.”
“What are you doing over there?” Carly asked through gritted teeth.
“Oh, just having a delicious piece of Angel’s cake. I happened to stop by, and to my luck, there was a party.” Mr. Chang paused for a bit as Carly heard him chewing over the phone. “Oh, this cake is divine. Your sister is really a good baker.”
“I hope you don’t think of doing anything stupid.”
“Oh, I can never do that. Unless otherwise.” Mr. Chang paused again as he chewed. “Just to give you a heads-up, things are going to go a lot quicker than expected.”
“What do you mean?” Carly asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I mean to say Red Lion needs to move up the plan pretty quickly. You need to be by Andre’s house by tomorrow.”
Carly was careful not to raise her voice as Robin was making his way back with their cups of water. This was bad. As much as she wanted to talk back, she didn’t know how to. Mr. Chang chuckled at her silence.
“It seems you have company,” he said. “Knowing you, you would’ve answered back and said all that isn’t possible.”
“It really isn’t. One day, you’re making me take things slow; now you want me to move forward with the plan? How do you expect me to do that?”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Why is all this happening right now?”
“Red Lion will give you more details once the two of you get to talk.”
“Is that why you’re at the party?” Carly asked quietly. Robin was getting closer now. “To threaten me?”
“Maybe. You’ll understand why all of this is happening as it should. I had better get back to the party. Boy, is it fun. Goodnight, Carly.”
Before Carly could say anything, Mr. Chang cut the line. She was furious now, but she had to be careful not to show it as Robin soon came to the table and gave her a glass of water. Her throat now felt parched, and she was grateful for the water. She took the cup and drank.
“I saw you talking on the phone just now,” said Robin.
“Yeah, someone from the party called to inform me how I’m missing out,” Carly answered.
“Want to do something interesting before heading to bed? My friends and I were thinking of going to a famous bar nearby.”
Carly shook her head. “Nah. I think I’ve had enough fun for one day. I need to rest.”
“Tomorrow is a Sunday. You’ll have plenty of time to rest before Monday.”
“You’re right, but there are some things I need to do tomorrow that require my mind to be sober.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
The two of them stood up from their table, left the cafeteria, and headed for the lobby. Carly left Robin there as he said he would wait for his friends. She bid him goodnight and went for the elevator. As soon as she got in, she found herself alone. As the doors closed, she pressed the button to her floor and took her phone out of her purse to make a call.
“Evening, Carly,” said Red Lion upon answering the call on the first ring.
“What is going on?” Carly asked as the elevator continued to move upwards. “And you better have a reasonable explanation for this.”
“I’m guessing you received Chang’s message.” Red Lion sounded bored.
“I did. That’s why I demand an explanation. Why do you want to move things so fast? We were supposed to do this when Andre willingly invites me to his place sometime on a Monday or so. Now you want to move the plan forward. Mind you, he hasn’t communicated with me today, so I have no idea how I’m going to get there.”
“That’s precisely the point, Carly. Andre hasn’t contacted you, which is worrying to us. We’re afraid he might be busy with his business elsewhere.”
The doors to the elevator slid open, and Carly walked out. “And this concerns you, why?” she asked.
“Once Andre gets busy with something, he tends to get busy until it’s done. Currently, as we speak, he isn’t in Mexico City.”
“And you want me to bring him back here?”
Red Lion chuckled. “You catch on quickly. Before he flies off or goes to wherever he has to go, he has to come back. And you’re the only person he can come back for.”
Carly reached the door to her room and unlocked it. She entered the room, closing the door behind her. “This is a big deal, and you know it. I simply can’t tell him to stop whatever it is that he’s doing just to come and see me.”
“You don’t have a choice, Carly. Once Andre leaves, there’s no idea when he would be back, and us coming to Mexico would’ve been for nothing. This is the opportune time to lay out the foundations of our plan, or we might never have it again.”
Carly groaned as she looked up at the ceiling. “What if he doesn’t listen to me?”
“Then make him listen. You know how to work your charms, Carly. And you better think of something fast. My sources tell me Andre will be leaving tonight. So, time is of the essence.”
“Is that why Mr. Chang was at the party? If I don’t do what you want, you’ll hurt them?”
“I don’t have to explain how this works, Carly. The sooner you get things done, the better.”
Carly bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes. “Fine. Send someone to come and pick me up quickly. I’ll need to be in Loren’s apartment for this.”
Carly could already imagine Red Lion smiling. “Good. I would want to know what you plan to do, but I’ll ask later and let you do your work.”
Carly rolled her eyes as she cut the line. She sighed. Things were getting a lot more complicated now, and she was in no position to make any silly mistakes. She started to pace up and down, thinking of what to do. How was she going to drag Andre from where he was and bring him back to Mexico City? And later convince him to take her to his estate? This will be hard, Carly thought. If Andre was a tough man to convince of anything, it would make the situation a lot worse.
Carly still had her phone in her hand and decided to call Andre. As she put the phone to her ear, his phone continued to ring, and Carly started to doubt whether Andre would pick up. The phone continued to ring. Just when Carly was about to give up, Andre picked up the call.
“Loren?” Andre answered.
“Andre, how are you?” Carly asked as she felt relieved. “I haven’t heard from you the whole day. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good. It’s been a busy day for me.”
“Well, I was distressed when you didn’t call.” Carly went over to her bed and sat. “I thought the worst had happened to you.”
“There’s nothing to worry your pretty little head over, senorita. I had a busy day with a few clients, and I must have lost track of time.”
“Okay… but are you busy now?” Carly asked enticingly.
“Umm…,” Andre hesitated. “Well, there’s something I need to attend to really quick. I’ll get back to you shortly.”
Carly scoffed. “Oh, well, that’s disappointing. You don’t communicate with me the whole day, and you want to lay me aside like I mean nothing. I thought we were supposed to spend time together here in Mexico, and it’s the reason why I came. If you knew you were going to be busy, then maybe you shouldn’t have invited me over.”
“Why are you saying things like that, Loren? You know it’s not true.”
“Well, that’s what it feels like. I mean, it’s a Saturday, and I thought the two of us could get to hang out. But no message from you, and no calls. I would understand if you told me from the very beginning that you’re busy.” Carly sighed. “Maybe this wasn’t the best time to come to Mexico after all.”
“Loren—” Andre was soon cut short.
“You go on ahead to do whatever it is you were doing. We will talk later.”
Carly cut the call. What the hell did I just do? She asked herself after giving herself a little time to think over what she had done. Did she just drive Andre away, or will he change his mind and come to see her? This is bad, she thought. Red Lion obviously heard their entire conversation and might think she has gone bonkers. Could she have made a costly mistake?
Her phone rang, and when Carly checked, it was Veronica. Her ride was here. Carly took her purse and answered Veronica, saying that she would be coming downstairs. As soon as Carly left her room and locked the door, Red Lion called her.
“I heard everything,” said Red Lion as soon as she picked up the call. “Sounds like a smart move. But on someone like Andre, the outcome is pretty unpredictable.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Carly asked, irritated at the thought. She found herself by the elevator, and the doors slid open for her to enter.
“Well, let’s hope he changes his mind.”
Red Lion cut the line, and Carly growled. All this was starting to annoy her. Now all she had to worry about was Andre finding his way to her hotel room. If things turn out the opposite, then she could kiss her life goodbye.
When she found herself on the ground floor, she quickly rushed out of the elevator, making a beeline for the doors. She was too preoccupied with what was going on that she didn’t realize that Robin was still in the lobby. He sat in the waiting area, looking through a magazine as Carly bypassed him. For a second, he thought he had seen someone he knew walk by. When he lifted his head to see who it was, the person was nowhere to be seen. He went back to reading his magazine, thinking he had only been imagining things.
Carly walked out of the building and found the blue sports car waiting for her. At the wheel was Mateo, and Veronica was in the passenger’s seat. Carly got in through the back, and as soon as she closed the door, Mateo sped off onto the main road.
For a moment, there was silence in the car, until Veronica turned in her seat to look at Carly.
“Do you think Andre is going to show?” she asked.
Carly, who had been looking out of the window with her thoughts buzzing around at the moment. She turned to look at Veronica. “I don’t know,” she said. “I would be lying to you and myself if I said he would.”
“Well, this is bad,” said Veronica. “We never thought Andre would leave like he did.”
“He has a lot to do with his organization so it’s no surprise that he would want to pounce on every opportunity to expand it,” said Mateo. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t show. We need to think of something if whatever we had planned goes to waste.”
“Knowing Red Lion, he would’ve thought of something just in case,” said Veronica.
“You talk like he always has things figured out,” said Carly. “For him to move up the plan means either he does have another plan or he doesn’t.”
Veronica and Mateo shared a look with each other. They obviously wondered whether Carly could be right on this one. Could Red Lion have no Plan B?
“I hope he does have a plan,” said Veronica. “If not, then this trip was a waste.”
“Has Andre contacted you again since you called him?” Mateo asked Carly.
Carly looked down at her phone. “No, he hasn’t. I intend to stay in Loren’s room for the time being in case he changes his mind.”
“Well, you should’ve waited until any of our eyes spotted him in the city,” said Veronica.
“Not to say that your eyes aren’t doing their job, but this is different. For all we know, he might not come in any of the cars you’ve already set your eyes on. It’s nighttime after all, and he will be difficult to spot if he enters the city. So in case he does return, I want to be there and not to be woken up in the middle of the night to drive across town to swap rooms.”
“Yeah, that’s a pretty smart way to do things,” said Mateo.
They soon found themselves approaching the hotel, and Mateo parked the car underground away from prying eyes above ground. They got out of the car and approached the elevator, got on, and Mateo pressed the button to the desired floor. When they got to Loren’s room, Mateo went on ahead to the room he and the rest of the team had been occupying a few doors down. Veronica and Carly stood at the door of Loren’s room.
“Well, we’ll be keeping a lookout just in case things get ugly,” said Veronica.
“Yeah,” said Carly. “It would be a shame if Andre doesn’t show, though.”
“We better keep our fingers crossed. I’ll see you later.”
Carly smiled at Veronica as she left to follow Mateo. Carly turned around to face the door, unlocked it with her key card, and got in. She switched on the lights and looked around the luxurious room meant for Loren. She looked around, and for some reason, a sinking feeling came upon her. Anyone who would’ve seen the room she was in would’ve been envious and thought Carly was lucky to be having the things she was getting. But this room only reminded Carly that she was nothing but a puppet caught up in a dangerous game.
She sighed as she slowly walked into the room, looking around. This might be her last night on this earth if Andre does show up.
***
New York, McDonell Household.
After everyone had had cake, the party went on for a while until an hour later. People were slowly starting to leave the party. It was starting to get a little late, and Mrs. McDonell and Diana thanked most of their guests for attending the party. The children were given gift bags full of sweets by Angel outside the tent. The children adored her, and some couldn’t help but comment on how she looked like a fairy princess. Angel adored interacting with the children, and the adults who also passed her by couldn’t help but address how beautiful she looked and how they had enjoyed the party.
Leo and Eric were by the tapestry taking some photos with their family and friends until the guests in the tent started to thin out. They also took photos with their colleagues from work. Sabrina, who was completely drunk, almost lost her footing as she fell onto Leo when taking the photo. John had to carry her out of the tent, and Angel, who watched on, couldn’t help but shake her head.
The last people to remain behind in the tent were Mr. McDonell, Mr. Chang, and a few of Mr. McDonell’s friends, seated in a circle and having a good laugh, talking about sports, the economy, and politics. At this point, the DJ had already stopped playing his music and had packed up his gear to leave. The servers and the organizing crew were now folding up the tablecloths and stacking up chairs. With the last set of guests—apart from the men in the tent—saying their goodbyes to Angel as they walked away, Angel couldn’t help but feel her work for the night was done.
One gift bag remained on the table where she had many of them at first, all packed and given to the children. She remembered giving Oliver a gift bag, so he would be glad to know that Angel had thought of giving the last one to him. She took it and started to make her way to the house.
She went inside the house through the doors of the sitting room. The kitchen already looked busy with some of the servers packing up their serving dishes, so Angel didn’t want to find herself in there. When she entered the living room, she found Eric and Leo seated on the couch, each having a bottle of beer. They appeared to be chatting.
“You should ask Angel,” said Leo as he saw her walk in.
“Ask me what?” Angel asked, looking confused.
“About how Kim passed out in front of us,” Leo answered.
“So, she is in Carly’s room right now?” Eric asked.
“Yeah, she is,” Angel answered. “In case Mrs. McDonell is looking for her, I better inform her.”
“She already knows,” said Leo. “I told her when we went back to the party.”
“Can the two of you please tell me why you thought there might be someone up in our rooms?” Eric asked.
“Well, because Leo said he heard something and I wanted to help out just to be sure,” Angel answered.
“I bet it was just a small animal hitting the window or something,” said Leo as he took a swig of his beer.
“Thank goodness Kim didn’t get the wrong idea of the two of you being alone in that room,” said Eric. “That would’ve been devastating.”
“I know,” said Angel. She yawned. “I’m so beat.”
“You really need to rest,” said Eric. “You’ve worked too hard. Moreover, the party was a success. People couldn’t stop talking about how they enjoyed it. Oh, and just to give you a heads-up, Angel, you’re trending over social media.”
“Social media?” Angel asked with an eyebrow raised. “But I haven’t had my phone all night, and I haven’t posted anything.”
“And you think people all around you didn’t have their phones with them? You’ll be surprised. Since Leo has already been labelled as a handsome stud across all platforms, his birthday party was trending. And lo and behold, the moment someone posted a photo of you in that dress, you suddenly went viral.”
“Really?” Angel looked at Eric, shocked with the news.
“I better leave you with your phone to check it out yourself,” said Eric, smiling at Angel devilishly. “Since the party was a hit, I bet you and Leo will be the talk of the town for quite a while. I don’t even want to look at the comments. Apparently, after that video of the ballroom dance was released, people couldn’t help but wonder if the two of you are a couple.”
Both Angel and Leo’s eyes widened. “What?” they asked simultaneously.
“I heard that from Grace, our cousin,” said Eric as he looked at Leo. “You know how active she is on social media. I think I won’t look at my phone until this whole situation dies down.”
Leo raised an eyebrow. “Why would anyone think that?”
“The dance.” Angel answered. “I bet the way we danced must have made the people think otherwise. We all know how people like to make up assumptions.”
“Yeah, well, let them talk all they want,” said Eric as he stood up from his seat. “Hey, Leo, would you want to go and open up your presents in your room?”
Leo winced. “I forgot about that,” he said. “Would you want to open them with me?”
“Totally. If you aren’t that tired, Angel, you can come join us,” Eric offered.
“I think I’ll pass,” said Angel as she smiled. “I’m so tired, and it’s almost close to midnight. I need to sleep, and I don’t think I’ll be attending church tomorrow.”
“I don’t think the whole house will. I’m planning to stay in bed until ten.”
Angel chuckled. “The body has a funny way of saying otherwise. Goodnight, you two. Don’t stay up too late.” Angel started to make her way out of the room.
“Goodnight,” said Eric.
“Goodnight,” said Leo. “And thanks once again for a wonderful party.”
Angel stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Leo with a smile. “You’re welcome,” she said. “I had a fun time.” She turned back around again and left the sitting room.
Leo continued to look at Angel until she was out of sight. Eric also had his eyes on Angel at first until he noticed that Leo was also looking at her leave. He cleared his throat and came towards Leo, nudging him by the shoulder. Leo turned to look at him.
“It’s good to see that the two of you don’t fight like you used to,” said Eric. “But don’t get too comfortable around her.”
Leo smirked at him. “You know this is the second time you’re threatening me, right?” Leo asked. “Why can’t you just admit that you’re jealous?”
“Well, maybe I am. It’s not easy to know that people think you and Angel are a couple, and I’m left hanging on the sidelines.”
Leo chuckled while he shook his head. “You know my heart belongs to someone else, so you have nothing to worry about. Can we please go and open those presents? I’m starting to feel sleepy, and I have just realized that this beer is only making it worse.”
“Fine. Let’s go.” Eric smiled. The two started to make their way out of the sitting room. “This night has surely been wonderful.”
***
Mexico.
Carly woke up with a start, and she looked around the room. She thought she had heard something. When she looked around the room, it was dark aside from one side of the room with the curtains drawn and the moonlight spilling in through the windows. She sat up on her bed, and she looked around for her phone, ruffling the bed covers. When she found it, she checked the time. It was one in the morning. She checked her phone, and still no text or call from Andre. She dimmed her phone and sighed as the worst thought came to mind.
It’s all over.
Carly pushed aside her bed covers and made her way to the bathroom to use it. She had tried staying up all night, hoping for Andre to at least contact her. But there has been no sign of that happening. Veronica and the rest of the team had gone dark on her. Could she have been wrong about all this? Did Andre really leave? After using the bathroom, Carly looked at herself in the bathroom mirror, feeling as if she might have just messed things up.
She returned to the bedroom, and she realized she couldn’t fall back to sleep. She was slowly starting to get anxious as the reality of this started to kick in. She had failed to lure Andre back here, and she might have to suffer the consequences. She wondered if all that meant hurting the people she cared about. The thought of it made her heart beat even faster.
With all these thoughts in her head, there was no running away from it. Even if she thought of running away from here, there was nowhere to run, and Red Lion had his men at every corner. She would be caught in minutes. There was no escaping her fate now. She expected Red Lion to be at her door by morning, pointing a gun at her.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “I guess this is how it’s supposed to be,” she said aloud.
Now that she was thinking of death, maybe now would be a good time to call either Angel or Leo. She went over to her bed and picked up her phone. She soon remembered that they might be asleep at this time. She sighed as she sat on her bed and looked at her phone. Leaving them a text message wouldn’t be that bad, she thought to herself.
Just after she unlocked her phone, a sudden knock came at the door. For a moment, she was scared. Who could be at her door at this time when everyone is supposed to be asleep? She started to make her way to the door. Before she could ask who was there, a knock came again. This time around, the person behind the door spoke.
“Open up the door, Loren,” came Andre’s voice.
Carly’s heart skipped a beat. Did she just hear Andre’s voice? She couldn’t believe it.
She ran for the door, unlocked it, and opened it. Standing in front of her was Andre, dressed in a long, black jacket. Carly stood in shock as she looked at him. Andre looked back at her, and the two of them stood there in silence.
Andre soon entered the room and closed the door behind him with a bang. Carly had backed away a bit before Andre pulled her into a deep, long kiss. Carly responded in kind, not because she missed him, but because she was relieved that her plan had worked after all.
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