Chapter 25

***Alicent***

I glance around the room Az and I would be staying in that Vi had just shown me.
“Are you sure you don’t want Az to stay in another room?” Vi asks again. “I can—”
“No! You don’t have to. He can sleep here with me. Look at the size of this place! It’s so big he could get lost in the room!” I chuckle.
She gives me a happy smile, “Okay. I’ll let you get settled then!”
“Thanks, Vi!” I express my gratitude to her more, still not believing where I am.
“Get some rest. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”
“Okay,” I say quietly, and she leaves the room shortly after Az comes in.
“Wow! This place is huge!” He says looking around in awe while yawning at the same time.
“Go take a shower before you go to sleep,” I say, pushing him towards the attached bathroom door.
Az is not exaggerating. This is the most luxurious place I have ever stayed in. The room is enormous! There is an open fireplace with two armchairs set in front of it. I have no idea whether the fireplace is just decorative or not, but I can see myself curled up in one of the armchairs, reading a book.
What am I thinking? We’re going to stay here for just three days.
I turn to stare at the bed one more time. It’s huge and has a deep green velvet coverlet on it. The headboard is a white wrought iron. Elegant. Beautiful. Above them is a gold chandelier. It is almost too much and so far removed from the cheap hole I live in. I don’t belong here, which is why I shouldn’t get comfortable.
I’m exhausted, but even though I just want to jump on the bed, I don’t want to ruin it before I take a shower.
Shower it is, then!
After Az leaves the bathroom, I go in next. It takes me at least three minutes to figure out how the shower works. There are four different showerheads and lots of buttons because, evidently, rich people don’t clean themselves like the rest of us, mere poor mortals. There’s stuff like steam and bubbles, and one button even blows hot air to dry you off like those bathroom hand dryers.
I let out a sigh as the water gently touches my skin, staring at the luxurious marble tiles and the jasmine-scented soap. I suddenly feel so undeserving of all of this.
I’m going to have to leave in three days, and now I have this opulent place to compare it to my shitty apartment. Once I’m clean, I turn off the shower and wrap a luxurious towel around myself.
Wow. The towel bar has warmed the towel to perfection. It feels like I'm wrapping myself in a giant, cozy hug from a very thoughtful appliance. God, I’m a dork.
I put on my old pajamas, which are completely out of place compared to this place, and leave the bathroom.
Az has already curled himself onto the pristine white bed sheets. His sleeping smile seems to approve of the extravagant room.
I smile at the sight, and then I lay down on the bed next to my son because, frankly, I’m exhausted.
The last time I was in a bed this soft... I bite my bottom lip, holding in a grin as I recall it too well.
I face the other side and my eyes drift to an exquisite vase that appears to be quite expensive on top of the nightstand made of stunning black onyx marble, which reminds me of Ethan’s eyes...
No! Don’t think about him! That’s the last thing I force myself to do before I fall asleep.

🐺 🐺 🐺

Bright light filters into the room when I pry my eyes open. I can’t tell what time it is and there’s a part of me that doesn’t care. It’s so comfortable and warm here that I never want to get up again. I wish it was still dark, so I could stay a little bit more.
Reluctantly, I reach for my phone on the nightstand beside me, trying not to disturb Az by moving too much. My poor son fell asleep as soon as he got here. I had no idea how tired he was.
When I got here yesterday, the first thing I did was plug in my crappy phone.
I snuggle into my pillow, feeling the softness behind my head as my phone turns on. I thought that since it’s so isolated here, there wouldn’t be any phone reception, but it seems to work fine because, unfortunately, as soon as my phone comes to life, I receive five messages from Logan.

**[00:35 Logan:** Allie, I want more money. You owe me this! I left the whole apartment for you! Send me more money right now! It’s urgent!**]**
**[02:50 Logan:** Fuck you, Allie! I don’t need you! Chels already gave it to me. Unlike you, she’s got something to offer!**]**
**[06:31 Logan:** *Logan sent you a photo. Unable to open due to low disc space.***]**
**[06:36 Logan:** aielle, my wifeyy **]**
**[06:38 Logan:** i gotta be honet with u, im dating chels and i wanna be faithflu this time, u know? but know that i missss u a lot too!!!S2!! wif eye **]**

I take a deep breath after reading my ex-husband’s messages. It seems highly likely that he decided to go drinking with the money he got from Chelsea. Knowing him, he’s probably still drinking right now. If that’s not enough of an indication, his last misspelled messages are—not that he’s a role model when it comes to proper English grammar.
The problem is that Logan never settles for just one or two bottles; he always goes far beyond that. Once he starts drinking, he usually stays that way until the next day.

**[07:09 Me:** No one who truly loves someone would do what you did to me, Logan!**]**

Just as I’m about to set my phone down after replying to him, it suddenly vibrates in my hand, and another message from him pops up.

**[07:09 Logan:** i nverr lovd u **]**

I grip the phone in my hand so tightly that my knuckles turn white before placing it on the nightstand. I don’t know why I even bothered to answer him. I should be happy that at least he didn’t demand more money from me instead.
Even though I carefully put my phone away so as not to make any noise, Az wakes up. “Morning, Mom,” he says in a sleepy voice.
“Morning, buddy. Did you sleep well?” I kiss the top of his head before getting up and heading to the bathroom.
Not long after, I hear a knocking sound coming from the bedroom door, so I walk towards it to open.
“Morning, Allie! I hope you slept well. Let’s go get some breakfast. I have to show you around the house,” Vi says amiably, entwining her arm with mine. “Good morning, Az! Are you hungry?”
“Yes,” my son replies without an ounce of hesitation, and Vi and I chuckle at his indiscretion. Az isn’t like that with everyone; he’s usually more introverted, though.
Vi gives us a brief tour and explains a bit about the mansion as we head towards the kitchen. On my way, I can hear the distant sounds of people, but at the same time, I am impressed by how quiet inside the house is.
Vi points to the expansive living rooms and the wing of the mansion where her bedroom is located and mentions other rooms, like the game room and gym in another wing. The cleanliness here is absolutely impeccable. The mansion’s air even matches the scent of the fresh trees like the surrounding forest. I know that I don’t belong here, and after my stay, I’d never bother Vi like this again, but I can’t deny that I would love to live in a place like this.
I’m still in awe when we finally reach the kitchen. The well-lit kitchen is styled in a modern design with blueish gray cabinets and a long stone countertop. There are two large islands with four stools each, as well as pendant lights above them. The kitchen is huge, to put it mildly.
The mouthwatering aroma of freshly cooked food wafts from the counter, teasing my senses and making my stomach rumble. Every dish looks like it was just made. They’re still warm, steam gently rising. Yet the kitchen is completely spotless.
“Wow,” Az says, looking at the food in front of him and then looking at me with puppy eyes, silently asking for permission to attack.
I hold back my laugh, and Vi says, “Grab a seat, Az. You can start devouring! You too, Allie!”
After we sit down, I realize she hasn’t sat down. “Aren’t you going to eat, too?”
“Actually, I already ate. I had to get up crazy early today to deal with some stuff,” Vi answers. My face flushes with embarrassment. I should have woken up earlier, too. “Make yourself at home! I’m just going to sort out a few things at the office, and I’ll be right back.”
Vi quickly leaves the kitchen, and my son instantly loses his shyness and starts eating. After a while, I feel really full in a way I haven’t felt in ages. Actually, I think I ended up eating more than I should. Maybe it was because I’m not used to having such a wide range of food available.
Eventually, I start to tidy up the mess Az and I’ve created while I wait for Vi’s return. Once I finish washing the dishes in the sink, Az asks for his book, so we return to the room where we are sleeping. After several failed attempts, we get there. Az immediately grabs his comic book and starts reading it in one of the chairs near the fireplace.
I feel anxious. I feel like I should do something to help Vi. I can’t sit idly by. Maybe she has some tasks that I can be useful to her.
I leave the room and head straight to where Vi said the offices are. However, before I can enter one, I run into Ethan.
My breath abruptly stops. He’s dressed in a sleek black lounge outfit that could be right out of a fashion magazine. The man is handsome.
Judging by the look on his face when he sees me, it doesn’t seem like he’s very happy to cross my path. Yet, he stops so close to me that when he looks down at me, I can see the green of my eyes reflected in his black ones.
When he doesn’t say anything, I start babbling to fill the silence. “Vi showed me your house. It’s really beautiful! You have great taste!” Oh God, why can’t I just shut up? I’m not the biggest conversationalist. Lord knows how I start to fumble with my words when I get nervous under pressure. And since he still doesn’t say anything, I go on, “I didn’t know you were Vi’s brother. I didn’t even know she had a brother! HA! Or sister... Uhm, she didn’t specify whether she had siblings or not. Do you have any other siblings?” Ethan’s mouth twitches just slightly like he wants to grin but won’t let himself before he shakes his head slightly, clearly impatient with me.
This one-way conversation is ridiculous. I should have stayed in the room because right now, I’m getting on my nerves as I look at the prick’s perfect jawline. It’d probably be easier if at least his good looks were thanks to the alcohol I drank that night. But that’s not the case.
“You didn’t tell Vi we’ve already met,” I finally say something I want to.
“Careful, little dove,” he says with a warning tone, using the nickname I hate.
I glare at him. “Don’t worry. I don’t want anyone to know we slept together either.”
“But we didn’t sleep together,” Ethan points out seriously. “We fucked. It’s different.”
I open my mouth at his blunt response. And before I can really think about what I’m saying, I hear myself say, “You called me *yours*. I thought at least you—”
“Believe me, I will not make that mistake again,” he rasps, and I barely hold back my flinch.
I can’t deny it. His words sting. He makes me feel cheap the way he says it when, in fact, being intimate like that with him has meant so much to me. Too much, I see. I should have stopped engaging in this senseless feeling about him, especially after yesterday. He made it crystal clear that for him, I am not welcome here.
My inexperience with men has never been more evident than it is right at this moment. Unlike me, Ethan’d flipped quickly. It’s obvious he regrets ever getting close to me in that bar.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
Before he storms past me in the opposite direction, he snarls, “Do not ever think of that again!”
As Ethan walks by, his delicious, rich masculine scent, which I’m pretty sure is of some expensive fragrance, fills my senses when I finally breathe normally again.
Whatever his luxurious perfume is, it’s a heady combination. It’s one that has me taking a stupid deep breath before I go back on my way. Creepy as it makes me. Ugh! It makes me squirm. It’s so good. Still, I’d rather be buried alive than confess this, but my old panties know the truth.
My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pick it up to read new messages from my ex-husband.

**[09:41 Logan:** Hi, sorry, I was very drunk **]**
**[09:42 Me:** I don’t care **]**
**[09:42 Logan:** Ignore what I said, Allie **]**
**[09:42 Logan:** Yes, I love Chelsea, but I like you. Can’t you realize how much that’s worth?**]**

I groan. Is he for real?

**[09:43 Me:** If you love her, then stay with her **]**
**[09:43 Logan:** You don’t get it, I want you both. I was happier that way **]**