Men Are Prada Shoes

CHAPTER 15

ALINA

“I don’t think your grandfather is very fond of me,” I said quietly, turning slightly in my seat to look at Vincent

The driver had just pulled up in front of my residence, the engine idling softly in the quiet night.

This was exactly why I had insisted earlier that Alex drive me to the event. I wanted Vincent to be the one to take me home.

Vincent leaned back slightly, his expression unreadable as usual.

“Williams has never been fond of anyone,” he replied flatly.

That didn’t sound entirely true. “He seemed fond of you and Vera though,” I pointed out, then let out a small, nervous chuckle when he raised a brow instead of answering. “I mean… you’re his grandchildren. He should be fond of both of you, right?”

“Using the word fond for what my grandfather feels for me is… strange.”

He paused for a moment, then added, “And as for Vera… I suppose you could say he is fond of her, only because I drive a hard bargain.”

I frowned slightly, trying to understand what he meant.

“You drive a hard bargain?”

When a person shares personal things with you, doesn’t that mean they’re fond of you?

Vincent didn’t answer, instead he reached for the door. The click of its opening broke whatever small moment we had been having.

“Goodnight, Ms. Voss.”

Oh... that’s it? He’s not going to explain anything further.

I sat there for a second, staring at him unblinkingly before getting out of the car.

Before he could close the door, I leaned down, poking my head into the car. “I owe you dinner,” I said quickly. “Tomorrow.”

“The day after tomorrow,” Vincent said after a brief pause. “I already have plans for tomorrow night.”

I tilted my head slightly, considering it.

Honestly, that still worked for me.

“Sure,” I replied, flashing him what I believed was my best smile. “Thank you for driving me home.”

He gave a small, restrained nod. “My pleasure.”

Already feeling satisfied with how the night had gone, I walked toward the entrance of my building, a grin forming on my face.

This job… might actually be easier than I thought.

The elevator ride up was quick, and when I unlocked my apartment door and stepped inside, Serena and David shot up from the sofa like they had been waiting behind the door for hours.

They rushed toward me immediately.

“How did it go?” they asked at the same time.

I rolled my eyes, already kicking off my heels at the entrance.

“Relax,” I muttered, walking toward the living room. I paused briefly, then turned to David. “Help me with my zip.”

Before he could even move, Serena stepped forward. “I’ve got it,” she said quickly.

I didn’t argue.

I dropped onto the sofa with a tired groan, stretching my legs out in front of me as I looked between the two of them.

“What are you both doing here?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “And more importantly, what if I had come back with him? How exactly would I explain you both sitting in my apartment?”

My gaze shifted to David.

“Especially you,” I added. “Finding a man in the apartment of a single lady isn’t exactly an encouraging sight.”

David scoffed. “You always introduce me as your assistant, so you can just introduce me the same way to him.”

He settled beside me and lifted my right leg onto his thigh, then he started massaging it.

A soft moan escaped me before I could stop it, my shoulders loosening, and my eyes slowly drifting shut.

“I found a way out for Alex,” David said suddenly.

My eyes snapped open immediately and I turned my head toward him sharply.

“Of course you did,” I said, half amused, half impressed.

I reached out and pinched his cheek lightly, a smile tugging at my lips.

“Let’s have it.”

He leaned forward and picked up an envelope from the table I didn’t even noticed it and placed it directly on my thighs.

Still smiling, I glanced toward Serena. “Don’t you think wine would be perfect for this?”

“It deserves wine,” she agreed, then hurried off toward the bar area to pick out a bottle.

I opened the envelope and slid my fingers inside, pulling out a stack of photographs of Alex doing drugs.

My eyes widened in shock. “He… is into drugs?” I asked, staring at the pictures again, as if looking a second time would somehow change what I had seen.

“He is,” David replied. “The only thing he really cares about is making his father proud. If you release those photos, it will keep him so busy he won’t have time to come after you.”

I leaned back slowly, still holding the pictures.

“Don’t you think this could backfire?” I asked quietly.

Before David could answer, Serena came back in with a bottle of wine. She uncorked it and began pouring into three glasses, then handed one to each of us.

“What happens if he traces it back to her?” Selena asked as she filled her own glass. “What do you think he’ll do if he finds out she released those pictures?”

“I’m the one releasing them,” David clarified. “So if anyone comes looking, it’ll be me.”

Selena blinked at him, clearly caught off guard.

“You want to get hurt for her?” she asked, disbelief written all over her face.

David gave a small shrug. “It’s not news that I’m willing to take a bullet for her.”

Selena scoffed and leaned back into the sofa, rolling her eyes.

“Wow,” she muttered. “So what about me? Are you willing to take a bullet for me too?”

I lifted a hand quickly before this turned into something even more dramatic.

“Okay, let’s all calm down, no one is taking bullets for anyone.”

Both of them looked at me.

I turned back to David, my expression softening just a little.

“Is there any way to stop you from releasing these pictures?”

He shook his head.

I exhaled slowly, leaning back into the sofa as I accepted the answer I didn’t like.

“Fine,” I said at last, then pointed a finger at him.

“But you’re going to be careful. Make sure nothing traces this back to us.”