Chapter 24

Cassie doesn't know that I decided not to take the money Gabriel is offering and I don't tell her because all she'll do is try to convince me to take it. So I just put on a fake smile and go on with the conversation until she has to leave. Then I head back to the kitchen and try to figure out what to do. But I did already pay the months rent, so at least I don't have to worry about not having a place to stay for the next four weeks. 

Well it's official, I am now out of a job. And I had to use the remnant of my salary to pay the bills. Which leaves me with exactly seventy five dollars to my name. Barely enough to buy groceries. 

I walk up the stairs leading up to my apartment since we don't have an elevator. Something I'm actually greatful for since it means I won't have to be confined in the same space with strangers. 

On getting to my apartment, I walk in only to come across an envelope that someone must have slipped under my door. So I pick it up and open it up as I head for my couch. Then I sit and start reading the letter inside. And my mouth falls wide open in utter disbelief. 

I couldn't help but think that it was all a huge mistake. Or that maybe someone was playing game with me because I just couldn't be that unlucky. But no, it was true. The entire building was being evacuated as per orders from a new owner. And whoever the heartless new owner was had the nerve to mention in the letter that he wanted us to make room for his casino. 

I immediately started panicking. Not only was I put of a job but now I also didn't have a place to stay. And according to the eviction notice, I had two days to find a new place to move into. 

Which was impossible since hey, I didn't have the money to afford a new place. Unless they were going go return the rent I paid. And willingly that too since I lacked the confidence to go and demand it back personally. 

But why was all this suddenly happening? It was like the world was ganging up against me. Just one bad thing after another, a whole cycle of endless torment. I was a good person, or at least I hope I was. So why did I have to be the one to go through so much. And where would I go when the evacuation was put in progress. The only friend I had was Cassie and she had mentioned having just recently moved in with her boyfriend Mason. So that was a clear no. 

And I had no family at all to turn to since my grandma died last year and I had to sell her house to pay for the hospital bill. I read the paper over and over to ascertain that it was real. That I really was being kicked out of my place. And it was true.

I started to brainstorm on my possible options. And at a point I even considered taking the money that Gabriel was offering. Not a lot, but maybe I could ask for like two thousand or something. But then that would mean me having to talk to him and I couldn't have that. And I didn't want to trouble Arden either, he'd already done so much for me and I was afraid to impose. 

My next option was to find something of value to sell. Something other than the necklace I got from Arden. It wouldn't be nice to sell that and I wouldn't. So I just started walking around the place looking for things that I could pawn. And then I could use the money to rent another place. A cheaper and much more smaller space that was not likely to be turned into a gambling center in the near future. 

Even if it meant having to sell things that I valued and treasured. Like the China set I got from my grandma. It would hurt but it had to be done. Otherwise I would be out in the streets. But what kind of people would be so heartless as to buy places that people's livelihoods depended on just so that they could satisfy their absurd and very illogical dreams. 

First the nightclub and now this!

I hated the people behind all this. 

                                     ❇️✳️❇️✳️❇️

Gabriel's POV

Okay, I admit that I might have gone a bit too far with the convenience store. But it felt like such a good idea at the time. And I had always wanted to own a nightclub in Seattle. So I woke up in the middle of the night and rang my agent with instructions of what to do. And now it's all done. 

But this is all part of my plan. I want to push Layla to her limit so then she'll have no choice but to accept my proposal. And she'll be the one coming to me asking to move in. 

I can just picture it all panning out in my head. God! I'm so bloody brilliant. And now she's most likely planning to come and ask me for her pay, which I'll delay handing over until after she's been evacuated from her place. 

I know it seems like an evil thing to do. But that's only because you possess a moral compass. 

I most definitely do not. 

And all I want is her. So now I'm just going to count down the hours until she walks into my office. And I do know that her closest friend is a certain Cassie Adams. So there's also a possibility of Layla going over to her place and seeking refuge. 

But that's okay, if that happens then I'll simply buy that building as well. I've always had a thing for action movies so perhaps I could turn it into a movie theatre. Yes, I can already picture it. " Germaine movie theater " ,the words in neon lights flashing for everyone to see. 

It doesn't matter what Layla does, the outcome is inevitable since she WILL come to me. And I will be waiting. 

That kiss we shared has been imprinted in my memory since the second it occurred. I can barely get anything done since all I see is her. But I'm choosing to keep my distance. I mean, I did hire someone to track her every move but that's beside the point. 

I just need her close to me, I want to make her experience things she didn't think possible. And I want her to feel every single guilty pleasure that she can feel. Because that's the only way I'll be able to get this... hunger out of my system. This irrational and uncontrollable need to have her. 

I had a little taste, and now I want the whole bloody meal all to myself! 

                                 💮🌼💮🌼💮🌼

The last few days have been the busiest I've ever had. And I'm not just saying that because I actually had to do things. It was just one thing after another. Seminars and meetings. Then lunches with investors and a trip to Phoenix for some Scholarship Program that I allegedly put in progress in more than four states. Something to do with empowering young talents to fulfill their dreams and all that crap. 

I have never faked a smile for so long in my entire life. My cheeks still hurt. 

But now I'm in my car and on my way back home. Three days later. And I'll finally be able to see Layla again. She was the main reason I didn't want to go, but my affairs could not be postponed so I just had to persevere through them as I waited anxiously for the time I'd be able to go back and see her. 

The first thing I'll do is drop by her apartment and -.....oh, bloody hell! 

Taking out my phone, I check the date. It's the seventeenth, and I asked my right hand to make sure the building had been evacuated by yesterday. I had completely forgotten about that! 

And Arden and I have been in constant communication throughout the entire time I was gone, so he would have mentioned it if she was staying with him. This is bad. Curse my self absorbed nature! 

I immediately dial the number of the individual I hired to keep an eye on her. And he picks up on the first ring.

" Where is she? " I ask as I ask my driver to turn off the goddamn radio, this is not the type to listen to country music. 

" Ember Motel, room 23. She moved in last night, " he says and I end the call. Then I give the driver the new directions and lean back against the seat. I've never felt this guilty before. That's not an emotion that I'm familiar with but at the moment it's all I feel. And I hate myself... well, not exactly. But I do feel like an imbecile.