I needed to uncover the truth quickly
Luther’ POV
I leaned back in my office chair, staring at the files on my desk, though my thoughts were all about Charlotte. I wanted to believe her mother was only watching her for safety reasons. But deep down, I could not shake the feeling that something was off. Sophie seemed like someone hiding too much.
“Rough night?” Mateo entered the office, as usual, without knocking. I had hardly slept, turning from side to side, worrying about Charlotte and whether she was safe at Kate’s house. My security team told me she had driven home with her friends, stopped for a short while, then left again for Kate’s place.
“Something like that.” I shifted in my seat, tempted to call Charlotte even though I knew she was probably in class.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Mateo pulled out the chair across from me and sat down, raising his eyebrows as he waited.
“Charlotte thinks her mother is spying on her.” I got straight to the point and sat up straighter.
“I would not be surprised if she was. With everything going on, and a dangerous man out there, it makes sense that her mother would want someone watching over her,” Mateo said.
I wanted to accept his view, but my instincts told me there was more to the story.
“What kind of mother lets her only child sleep in a house that has already been broken into? A house where her husband was shot and killed?” I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.
“You are right,” Mateo said after a pause. Then he added, “Especially since the same man is believed to be behind other break-ins in that area.”
He narrowed his eyes while I tapped my fingers on the desk.
“I will look into her. Something about the way she acts does not sit right with me.” Mateo was skilled with anything tech-related. If there was anyone who could dig into what Sophie was really doing, it was him.
“Oh, and by the way, Gavin went on ATV and apologised. He took back what he said and claimed he made it all up because of a bad breakup.” As Mateo said that, I allowed a brief smile. Still, I knew Gavin and his father were not finished. They would try again.
“Well, at least they are off our backs for now. I will see you at the board meeting.” I ended the conversation and glanced at my watch. There was still about an hour to go, but I needed to focus.
“Wait, when was the last time you talked to Victoria?”
“When I kicked her out of the office. Why are you bringing her up now?” I snapped, my nostrils flaring at the sound of her name.
“She came here looking for you when you took a few days off with Charlotte.” Mateo shrugged while keeping his eyes on me.
“Can you get to the point, Mateo? What did that woman want?” My voice grew sharper. I hated when he took his time sharing important information, especially when it involved a part of my past that could hurt Charlotte.
“She did not say much. She only said she would come back,” Mateo replied with another shrug.
Without wasting another second, I grabbed the office phone and dialed the head of my building’s security team.
“Sir,” came the voice on the other end.
“Caleb,” I said calmly. “Do not let anyone named Victoria into this building. I will send you her picture shortly. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” he replied.
I hung up. I had no intention of seeing her again. I knew exactly why she was here, to ruin what Charlotte and I were building. Our relationship was still new, still growing. The last thing I needed was someone from my past dragging us backwards, especially someone like Victoria, who was more poison than person.
Mateo opened his mouth to speak again, but the phone rang in my hand before he could say a word.
“Sir, there is a woman here asking to see you,” Reyna, my secretary, said.
“I do not have any appointments this afternoon, Reyna,” I replied. My schedule was completely clear except for the board meeting later.
“She says she will not leave until she sees you.”
“Is it Victoria?”
Before she could answer, I heard both her and Reyna shouting faintly through the phone, and then the door burst open.
I tightened my grip on the phone and clenched my jaw, staring directly at the woman who had just stepped in. Reyna stood behind her, looking helpless.
“What the...” Mateo muttered as he turned and caught sight of her.
“I swear I tried to stop her. She would not listen,” Reyna said quickly.
I raised my hand to silence her and then motioned for her to leave. I kept my eyes locked on the woman standing in front of me.
“Brittany,” I said, spitting her name like it left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Oh, I missed your handsome face,” she said with her usual high-pitched, irritating voice. Her heavy makeup only made her look worse.
“Get out,” I said coldly, leaning back in my chair and treating her like she was nothing.
“Come on, is this how you greet an ex-girlfriend after all these years?” She took a few slow steps forward, pushing out her chest as if I had any interest in her fake, ugly appearance.
“Get out, woman,” Mateo snapped, his voice like a whip. He was fuming, and I could only imagine the memories that had resurfaced for him. He had stood by me through the worst of it, when Brittany left me shattered, nursing a heartbreak I would not even wish on my worst enemy.
“Alex, is it?” she asked, eyeing him up and down while chewing her gum like a child desperate for attention.
“I was not talking to you,” Mateo replied, standing up with his shoulders squared, ready to put her in her place. I stopped him with a shake of my head.
“Brittany,” I said, rising from my chair with a faint smile. She smiled back eagerly, tugging her already low-cut top even lower.
“Baby,” she cooed.
I nearly vomited.
“That word coming from you makes me sick,” I said as I walked towards her, circling her like a predator would its prey. “Seven years ago, I nearly killed myself because of the pain you caused.”
Her smile faltered.
“Yet here I am. Alive. Stronger. Free of your claws and fake affection. How does it feel to look at me now, successful, standing in everything you once tried to take from me?”
“I was young, confused. Mr. Hugh… he…”
“I do not want to hear your pathetic excuses,” I cut her off, my voice low but sharp as glass. “It is laughable that you really thought you could walk back in here and twist me around your finger again.”
“I just…”
“Shut your mouth,” I interrupted coldly, stepping right in front of her. “There is no space for you in my life anymore. Now get out.”
I sidestepped her and smiled, not at her, but for myself. There was nothing more satisfying than watching her realize she no longer had power over me. At that moment, all I wanted was to hold Charlotte and tell her over and over again that she was the only woman who made me feel anything real.
“Luther, please. Just listen to me, please,” Brittany pleaded, desperation creeping into her voice, which only made me feel lighter.
“Reyna, call security. Have them escort this woman out of my building,” I ordered, brushing off her hands as she tried to cling to me.
“Luther, please!” she screamed again and dropped to the floor, latching onto my right leg like a parasite.
“Get your filthy hands off me,” I growled. Her touch sent a wave of disgust crawling under my skin. When she refused to let go, I pried her arms off me and shoved her away, sending her tumbling back.
She had always been dramatic, but this was a new level of pathetic.
Mateo took a step forward, but before he could act, the security team arrived and surrounded her.
I said nothing as they dragged her away, even as she screamed every insult she could conjure at both me and Mateo. Her final words were a threat, a promise to “teach me a lesson” for humiliating her.
“Will you tell Charlotte?” Mateo asked as we walked away.
Of all the questions, he chose the one that tightened the knot in my chest.
“This stays between us. At least for now,” I replied, slipping my right hand into my pocket. “Not until we figure out why she came back. Because I know one thing for sure…”
I paused outside the boardroom door.
“She is not sorry. There is a reason, and I will find it.” Silence stretched between us.
“I have a feeling Gavin and his father are behind this,” Mateo said.
And if he was right, if they were pulling strings behind the scenes, then for Charlotte’s sake and mine, I needed to uncover the truth quickly.
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