Chapter 48 - Emily

**EMILY**

Emily stood by the side of the road where the limousine had dropped her off less than a minute ago. Her knees went weak as she heard the sound of the car door slamming behind her and the low hum of the engines as the limousine and security cars disappeared into the darkness. She stared down the empty street in disbelief. This hadn’t really happened, had it? „Why did I stupidly agree to get out?“ She scolded herself, still unable to comprehend what had just happened. Of course, she had wanted Alexander to cancel his contract with her and the agency. She had done things to annoy him. But she hadn’t wanted to be dropped off anywhere in Los Angeles! Especially not in the middle of the night.
A shiver ran through her as she felt the light breeze in her face. Her elegant but relentlessly tight heels cut into her feet with every step, and the chic dark blue pantsuit she had donned in the hopes of appearing serious and professional offered no real protection from the evening chill that was now setting in. Her clothes were not made for long walks, and she usually only wore the pumps in the office.
Suddenly she remembered the wild kisses - her makeup must be a mess! She urgently needed to remove the smeared lipstick and put on a fresh one. As she reached for her clutch, which usually hung from a gold chain over her right shoulder, she froze. Her clutch! She had left it in the limousine!
She panicked as she realized what that meant. She had no cell phone, no money, not even her ID. *How could this have happened?* Alexander had surprised her so much that she had completely lost her bearings. She turned around and looked at the street, which stretched out in the dim light of the street lamps. Nothing about this area looked familiar. No shops she knew, no café or restaurant that could have offered her a safe haven.
The sound of an approaching car made her jump nervously, and she nervously pushed her hair back behind her ears. What if someone recognized her? Or worse - what if someone from the press was here? This was Los Angeles, the city where even the most mundane moments were captured on camera and turned into sensational headlines. A photo of her, alone and abandoned, would be splashed across the gossip columns by tomorrow morning. She could already see the headline in her mind: ***"Fitzpatrick’s fake girlfriend: abandoned and lost on the streets of L.A.“***
Her hands shook as she wrapped her arms around her body to protect herself from the cold. *What am I going to do now?* No cell phone, no money, and no one she knew here. The glamorous appearance she had maintained just a few hours earlier suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces. Here she was, abandoned and alone in an unfamiliar area, and the glittering world she had entered with Alexander was nothing more than a distant dream.
She took a deep breath, trying to control the rising panic. *Pull yourself together, Emily.* There had to be a way out of this. She couldn’t let this situation get to her. She wasn’t the kind of woman to stumble around the world, dependent and subservient to a billionaire, and end up losing herself. She would find a way out.
But what could she do? Her cell phone, her money, her keys - everything was in that damn clutch, which was probably in the back of the limo by now, long gone. If she had been unlucky, it had even fallen under the seat when Alexander had pulled her onto his lap and slapped her. The memory of it made her blush with shame. Even more embarrassing was the fact that she had enjoyed his slaps. It had excited her how he had slapped her bare ass with his strong hand.
She had to get rid of those thoughts! She was not a masochist, she was a normal young woman who would soon be the chief accountant at Fitzpatrick Designs. And now she had to concentrate on getting home.
Home.
Even if she managed to ask someone for help, to call a cab, how would she pay the driver? And then there was the problem of not being able to get into her apartment. Her apartment key was also in the car. An icy wave of despair washed over her as reality hit her with a vengeance. She was locked out. She had no money, no way to get home, and no idea where she was.
Emily bit her lip nervously and felt tears well up in her eyes. It was all Alexander’s fault. The insolent bastard had simply thrown her out of the car, as if she were nothing more than an annoying foreign body in his perfectly ordered life. *Was this his revenge?* For her annoying role as the dumb blonde she had played so desperately to get rid of the contract? It had worked - but at what price?
She took a few uncertain steps, her feet aching with each step in the uncomfortable pumps. Her eyes scanned the area, looking for any sign of hope. Anything. A restaurant, a bar - something that was still open and might be able to help her. But all around her were closed shops and empty streets.
A small shiver ran through her. She couldn’t stay here forever. Determined, she gathered all her courage and decided not to look like a helpless victim. She wasn’t. She had been through worse than an arrogant billionaire trying to humiliate her.
Suddenly she remembered something: the concierge at the Hotel Excelsior. That was where she had met Alexander. Perhaps she could go back to the hotel. She was sure that with a little persuasion she could get the staff there to contact Alexander or at least find a way to get her things back. The hotel wasn’t that far away, was it? She hadn’t really paid attention while driving, but she was pretty sure she could make it if she just tried.
Emily took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She liked the plan. She would go back to the hotel and somehow get the situation under control. The thought of confronting Alexander made her stomach turn, but she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. He owed her an explanation - and more importantly, her clutch.
A shiver ran down her spine. And she had kissed him provocatively on the mouth to say goodbye, claiming that he might devour her body, but not her soul. But if she faced him helplessly, would she not also trust him with her soul? Would she be able to resist his kisses and his hard, unyielding hands? She couldn’t think about it anymore. Whatever kind of person he was, she wasn’t his lover - and maybe she wasn’t even his hostess anymore.
With one last glance at the deserted street, Emily began to walk toward the hotel, her heels clicking softly on the asphalt. It wasn’t the most comfortable route, but she had a solution. Now all she had to do was hang on - and then she would show Alexander Fitzpatrick that she wasn’t going to give in easily.