Chapter 35

**LUKE**
I had let Scarlet slip deeper into my life. I was coming back little by little to my former self, the one who was always thoughtful with other people. It was frightening.
In a short amount of time, I’d grown fond of her. It was another problem I couldn’t stop. She was always on my mind. I tried preventing myself from thinking about her too much, but it just wouldn’t work. I wanted to believe her, but somehow, I couldn’t. Women were natural-born liars.
I began realizing she’d got me when she was wrapped in a friend’s arms. I sensed from the very start that he had a thing for Scarlet by the way he looked at her. Scarlet didn’t seem to know her friend was lusting after her. I was sure of that. I couldn’t be wrong.
Again, I wanted to believe that she was telling the truth about her friend. That it was nothing like I saw because she already had me. I wanted to believe she was just like me—someone with a past she couldn’t share with anyone.
But I would ensure that what I felt for her wouldn’t extend too much. I wanted her. I wanted to fuck her more. That’s all. End of the story.
For my own sake, I had to have a stone heart, but it didn’t mean I didn’t want to know more about her. She was like a puzzle, and I was eager to know her better.
“Simple. He didn’t want me to come here with you,” I said.
“Why not?”
“You won’t imagine how much pain I went through in the past. Mom doesn’t know a thing. Only Nate and Katherine were there to help me—to save me in between life-and-death situations. So you can’t blame me if I still want to save our friendship.”
“But he likes you more than a friend, and he’s your best friend’s boyfriend.” I shook my head in disbelief. That fucking bastard had luck on his side.
“Not anymore—I mean, he did tell me he had feelings for me before Katherine, but that’s all in the past.”
“And knowing this, you let him hold you?”
“It’s not like that.” She faced me and looked into my eyes. “We’re friends. Nate won’t betray Katherine.”
Of course, deep inside, I wanted to believe her. Those beautiful eyes had no hint of lies. But there was something more to it. Something she wouldn’t tell me.


**SCARLET**
Luke dropped a pile of folders in front of me and placed a fountain pen on top. It was the same folders he held the night his lawyer visited us in New York. We sat across from each other at a desk.
“These are the original documents.” He pointed out the folders he was holding. “You’re holding a photocopy. Shall we begin?”
I cleared my throat. “Are you sure we’re going to do this? I mean, are you willing to give your assets to me?”
“If you are asking me if I’m sure about transferring my assets, I’m going to give you an honest answer,” he paused, then looked down at the papers. “No. I don’t want to. I worked for it. I spent long hours of my life just to earn it.”
I blew out a deep breath. Alright. That answer was straightforward, no? “I understand. I’m a stranger to the family.”
“Exactly. But since you’re still my dad’s stepdaughter. He wanted to give you something just because he’s generous, even if you really don’t deserve to get any. Based on my opinion.”
He looked into my eyes. His words were sharp. What exactly did he mean by that? I felt a slight pinch in my heart.
“Your… opinion?”
He opened the first folder in front of him. I frowned at the paper. It was a police record. I gasped his name when I saw what it was and then bit my lower lip hard.
“I think you already understand why. Let’s proceed. You have a case—”
“Wait, wait. Are you really going to read it to me out loud? I can read it silently,” I hissed cautiously.
“Are you embarrassed?”
I suddenly felt my cheeks burn. I looked down at my lap.
“Oh, you are?” He raised an eyebrow. “Pretend that I’m Rebecca. You’re lucky you don’t need to hear this from her. I asked her to hand me the files so I could discuss them with you.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“You have a case of trespassing, stalking, disturbing the peace, and assaulting an officer. In short, Miss Carter, you are a violent person.”
My jaw dropped. How did his lawyer find out about this? Their civil investigation was frightening. I didn’t know what else they’d found out.
“You’re not going to answer that?” he asked.
I knew it. He just wanted to know everything. It was his way of digging deeper into my life.
God. I was incredulous. “Do I really need to explain? Wasn’t it in the records?”
He smirked. “Of course, it’s in the records. Every single bit of it. I just want to hear it from your mouth so I’ll know how to get rid of it before these documents land in Dad’s hands. I do need to read it to you. It says you trespassed an ex-boyfriend’s house?”
“Stop. Stop!” I blew out a breath. “Alright. I did that.”
“Not like that.” He shook his head. “Elaborate.”
“It’s not like you’re an inspector, you know?”
He chuckled. “Go on, just treat me like one. None of this would ever affect me. This information won’t change the taste of your pussy,” he said with a wink.
Damn, his words. I felt my insides clench. “It all happened in the past, and I’m sure you’re not going to do this again,” he added.
I wouldn’t, but it didn’t mean I couldn’t. I even thought of stalking him when I found out about Stacy. “You’re going to sign those anyway. Why bother to ask me those things?”
“Yes, I can sign these, but Dad’s just right outside the door, and he’ll find out everything about you.”
“Are you blackmailing me?”
“It’s not blackmailing. I’m helping you,” he corrected. “Dad won’t hesitate to spend his millions just to take away every right you have.”
“He can’t be that cruel, right?”
“Trust me. He could be. The Alejandro name shouldn’t have flaws.”
I clenched my fist under the table. He asked me to tell him about a part of my life that no one knew about except my best friends. And what could he do to get rid of that information about me? There was no way he could do that. Nate tried, and he failed. Should I tell him I had issues?
I guess I had to.
“Alright! I did those things, but I had reasons. It sort of… became a habit. I’m not that crazy.” Damn it, this was too unfair, but since he already knew, there was no point in lying. He hated liars. I didn’t know how I did it. I stalked people before. I had a lot of issues in my life. I don’t know where to begin.
This was like torture. I didn’t want to talk anymore.
He was silent for a moment. He was reviewing the papers in front of him. His expression turned serious. “Have you tried to see a therapist?”
“I’m not sick, Luke!” My voice raised an octave. “How could you say that?”
“Hey, I don’t mean anything,” he said softly. “I’m not saying that you are sick. But you know… this isn’t something normal people would do.”
“Are you saying that I’m not normal?”
“No, God. Listen to me. You said it was like a habit. It means you didn’t do it for the first time.”
“I don’t want to hear your judgment here, Luke.”
He sighed sharply. “As I said, I’m trying to help you. This behavior is going to get you hurt.”
“I’m not doing it anymore.” Well, I wasn’t sure of that. I’d stalked Luke on social media all my adult life.
“Did you go to your ex’s house around June last year?” he asked again.
He was getting into my head. Was that information also written in his documents?
“I don’t know the dates.”
“Is this ex named Lawrence?”
My mouth dropped. “How could you possibly get all this information?” It was starting to creep me out. At this moment, I felt so vulnerable.
“I hire people to work for me, Scarlet. Just answer my questions.”
I sighed. “Yes, yes. You’re correct.”
He closed the folders, and then he looked at me. “Then answer this one personal question. What did you feel when you did these things?”
What did I really feel?
I shut my eyes and remembered everything, in my mind, in my heart. After my abusive relationship with Raoul, I lost self-confidence. I lost myself. I became someone who wasn’t me. I became insecure and overly jealous about simple things. I just couldn’t help it. I couldn’t prevent it from happening. If it weren’t for Katherine and Nate, I might be spending my whole life in jail.
So, I’d stopped seeing anyone for a while because being in a relationship with someone wasn’t healthy. I focused on my studies until I met Jax. I could say he was the safest man I could rely on earth. I didn’t have to meet him. I didn’t need to know about him.
But then, Jax turned out to be Luke, which made a huge turn of events. I was afraid of becoming who I was in the past.
“It fulfills me. It gives me satisfaction.”
“You always have something to shock me, don’t you know that?” he remarked.
I sighed. Bravo, Scarlet. You officially turned him off.
“I didn’t want you to know.”
He stared at me for several seconds, and I itched to know what he was thinking. He stood in front of his chair and leaned on his desk.
“I’m going to help you, Scarlet,” his tone was low and even.
“I don’t think you can. I can’t even help myself.”
“Shh…” He pressed a thumb against my lips. “I’ll make sure these things won’t happen again. I promise.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead.