Her Invisible Knight (Book 4)

Eighteen

Mackenzie

I just had to. There was no way I could’ve stopped myself even if I tried, because the moment I heard him say that he loved me, all my inhibitions came tumbling out the damn window. I didn’t know if it was just me being a sucker for romance when three little words—three freaking little words—broke down the walls I slowly built brick by brick when it came to him. In the end, it just didn’t matter. All I knew was that I had to see him before the night ended, even though I didn’t exactly know why.

It wasn’t like it was the first time anyone had said those words to me, but it just hit differently. It hit deep down in my core because he had never said those words to me before. I like you were the only words he spoke to me back when we were young. Everything was perplexing but in a good way. For the first time in my life, dancing wasn’t my number one priority. Not that I didn’t give my all during my performance, but I felt more detached. It was the craziest thing. It was as if I’d stopped being critical and was just winging it from start to finish, and when we were finally done and took our last bow on stage, I wanted to leave right away. I didn’t want to stay for the celebration or any other stuff that I used to find important. I just had to go and see Maverick. Surely, I was becoming more and more addicted to him, even more than I ever was back then.

“Where are you going, Mackenzie?” Lila asked the moment she saw me packing my things up and already in my own clothes, and I quickly turned to face her. “I was, umm...” I began, unsure how to explain myself. I mean, I wasn’t even sure if anyone in the dance company knew about the history I shared with Maverick or if anyone knew we were actually dating now. For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I was going to see Maverick, or at least try to see him, and so she just looked at me expectantly, making me nervously swallow a few times.

“I have an emergency I need to take care of. I hope that’s okay,” I finally said. “Well, that’s too bad. There are a lot of important people who’d like to meet you.” I slowly turned my back on her to gather the remaining stuff I had lying around before facing her once more. “I know, it’s just that I really have to go. It’s important,” I answered with an apologetic grin plastered on my face. “Not even a minute? What could be more important than this? I mean, it would be such a shame to waste this opportunity. After all, Maverick worked so hard for years to get you here.” Wait, what? I stared at her dumbfounded for at least five seconds. To me, it felt like she was implying something, and it didn’t sit well with me. “What do you mean, and what about Maverick?” I quietly asked as thousands of thoughts ran through my head. She mentioned years and Maverick together, not to mention the phrase “to get you here.”

“Oh, honey. I'm not saying that you’re without talent. It’s just that Maverick did a lot of work over the years to get a lot of important people here for you,” Lila stated matter-of-factly, and I couldn’t help but shake the word years off my mind. “I’m sorry, years?” I questioned like a dumb b***h because this was new to me. I assumed that Maverick only came into the picture recently, so I couldn't grasp what she was trying to say at all. “Yes, years. He bought the company a couple of years ago right when the company was beginning to hit a decline, so we half-decided to close the company. I found it odd at first, but then he offered something we all couldn’t resist. All we had to do was to send a few audition invitations based on his recommendations and then he took care of the rest, so here we both are.” I blinked slowly, wondering if I was just overreacting or if how I was feeling was actually valid.

“So, which one is it? Was I accepted because you guys really wanted me, or was it because of Maverick?” I finally asked. “Does it matter? What matters is that this is a golden opportunity that you shouldn’t take for granted,” she sighed impatiently. Lila could become a serious b***h if she wanted to be, but this sudden hostility she had toward me was certainly catching me off guard. As far as I was concerned, I hadn’t done anything to piss her off before this. Normally, she wouldn’t have a problem with people leaving right after the performance, but what changed? What has gotten her acting this way?

“I...” I started but clamped my mouth shut as I had no words or thoughts to share. My mind went completely blank at the thought that my entire career may have been planned out or groomed by Maverick and Lila, and something about it just made me feel like I was a complete joke, that maybe I wasn’t really a great dancer, but rather a mediocre one. At least that was the impression I was getting from her. “Listen, is anyone dying as of the moment, or did an accident happen?” Lila questioned, and it took everything I had not to punch her in the face, so I simply shook my head.

"Well, then stay for a while and meet everyone," Lila stated before finally walking out of the dressing room. I stayed rooted in place for God knows how long as I tried to make sense of what the hell just happened. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to feel. It was indeed such a revelation, and I couldn't for the life of me get myself to think that both Lila and Maverick had good intentions, especially where I was concerned. I had three options. One was to go out there as Lila wanted. The other was to confront Maverick. The last was to simply walk out on both.

Three breaths in and three breaths out, I reminded myself before finally stepping out of the dressing room and straight out of the building. I made my decision, and whether it was the right one or not, I decided not to give a f**k and just deal with the aftermath tomorrow.