IN LOVE BY MISTAKE

ChapterFive

Mandy’s POV

“They are alive.”

Everything in me stops.

“What did you say?”

“Your parents are alive, Miss Hill. And they live in Washington, D.C.”

Cars honk around me, but my blood roars louder in my ears. I have been waiting for one whole year to hear something about my parents, and now that it is here, I don't know how to feel about it.

It hurts that they have been there, right there all along, and have not made one move to try to get in touch with me. "Names?" I mutter, even though what I want to do is forget they exist. Maybe Miguel is right. Maybe I need to focus more on the people who care about me.

“I’m confirming that,” Porter responds. Something shakes at the other end of the phone. “But everything is falling into place for once.”

“Are you sure?”

"Ninety percent. I wouldn't have called if I wasn't. I know how much you have been looking." His tone softens, "You did well retaining my services, kid. And you don't have to pay for this year. Consider it a gift from me, after not finding anything last year."

I swallow and feel my throat closing in on me. “Email me the details.”

“Already in your inbox. And Mandy, be careful who you tell.”

The line clicks dead before I can ask what he means by that. The cold whips harshly at me, and I take a shaky breath in. Turning around, I head back into the warmth of the studio. But the dancing is over. The large space is now filled with couches and a karaoke screen.

Miguel has two beers in his hands and a concerned look on his face. “Work call?”

"Something like that." I take one glass from him and down half the glass. Miguel is the one person I should trust with my whole being, but Porter's words keep ringing in my head.

He squeezes my thigh as I drop into the seat next to him. “It’s my turn,” he drawls when the host’s voice rings through the space, calling a name. “Watch and learn how to do a proper karaoke.”

I roll my eyes and watch as he grabs the mic, but my attention wavers when my phone vibrates. Porter Quinn’s email stretches out on the screen. I look around like I am doing something wrong, before scrolling down.

It is a last name I don’t recognize. It doesn’t even ring a bell.

Winterhall.

Miguel keeps singing with so much passion, his voice reaching me. I shut the screen of my phone, needing air, needing a plan. Now that I have their name, what do I do? I definitely cannot approach them, because what on earth am I expected to say? Hi, I am the child you abandoned years ago?

“Up next, Mandy!”

What? I don’t remember putting my name down for anything. Miguel winks at me as he walks past. “Crush it, babe.”

Pulling myself to my feet, I walk towards the stage. But my legs freeze halfway, because just then, the doors open and a gasp finds its way out of my lips.

I see his dark coats first, before his flawless features appear.

Orion.

He is taller than most people in the room, or maybe I’m just smaller. Gabriel strolls in behind him, laughing at something Amaya says. There is a blonde next to them in a lethal red dress.

My head jerks to the stage at once, feeling my whole world rocking at its seams. How on earth did London follow me to Paris?

Just like that night, I feel his gaze scanning the room. I know when his eyes stop on me. I move towards the stage, needing to reach there before he makes a move. But Orion is faster. He grabs my shoulder, causing me to halt.

I turn around, without any expectation. I am so conscious of Miguel in the corner, watching the scene unfold.

“We need to talk,” he says, keeping his voice low. And menacing.

“About what?” I try to keep my face neutral, to stop my body from leaning into him.

“About deceiving me into having s*x with you. About not mentioning who you are.”

His words feel like a slap, and his eyes look like they are tearing into me. “It was a one-time thing, Orion. We didn’t need to exchange names like a cute couple intending to go for a second date.”

The girl in red strolls to join us. “There you are,” she drawls, placing her perfectly manicured nails on his shoulders. And then, she turns to look at me like I am a stain.

“Cute dress,” she mutters, just as the rest of his friends walk up to us.

“Small world,” Amaya drawls, glaring daggers at me. “Samaya, who would have thought our little scavenger hunt winner lives in Paris?”

Gabriel looks like he has just been tossed into the most unfathomable situation. “Erm…Maybe not here?” he suggests to no one and everyone.

"Mandy!" Miguel calls from the table. "Babe, it is your turn, remember? They called your name."

Perfect. Slipping free from the group, I climb the steps to the platform and sing a song I didn’t pick. It is fast and stupid, and Miguel is the only one who claps.

When I step down, I meet Orion waiting. “We are not done.”

“Then make a reservation.”

“You knew who I was.”

"After," I shoot back. "And it does not even matter, okay?"

Miguel appears at my elbow, his eyes taking in the scene. “Everything good here?”

“Fine,” I blurt with too much force.

Samaya is back again, this time, shaking her head slowly. "You don't have to lie to your boyfriend, Mandy. It is Mandy, right?"

“Samaya…”

“Maybe I should break the news to him,” she drawls, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “He looks like a good person. You don’t deserve him, Mandy.”

“What are they talking about?” Miguel tries to appear calm, but I know that deep down, he is spiralling.

My eyes plead with Samaya, but she doesn’t budge.

And just like that, everything I hold dear stands at the edge, threatening to fall off.

Miguel's eyes find mine, searching for the version of me that doesn't exist. "Mandy?"