Chapter 2: Did She Think I Was a gigolo?
1239 Words
“It’s okay, it’ll all be alright,” Ida said, patting Annie’s shoulder reassuringly. “Do you even know who that guy was?”
Annie buried her face in her hands, trying to recall the man. He was fair-skinned, almost pampered-looking, like someone who was kept on a leash. “No idea,” she mumbled. “Probably a gigolo.”
Ida couldn’t help but laugh. “You gave your first time to a gigolo? Haha, he’s one lucky guy.”
Annie took it as a lighthearted joke, but Ida’s words were laced with mockery.
Stop laughing,” Annie said, her voice tight. “You were the one who said first times were wonderful. After experiencing it, I just want to die. I never want to do that again, especially with a gigolo.”
Her favorite blouse was ruined, she had wasted money, and now she had to pay for a doctor’s visit. Annie cursed the nameless gigolo in her heart, and she was terrified of facing Michael.
Annie looked at Ida, her eyes filled with tears. “Ida, please keep this a secret. If Michael finds out, he’ll definitely break up with me.”
They had been friends for years, and Annie trusted her implicitly. Ida had witnessed all the ups and downs of her relationship with Michael since college. Every time they argued, Ida would act as a mediator.
That evening, by the swimming pool at the Anderson Estate, Daniel Williams was slicing through the water, twisting and turning before plunging deep below the surface. Then he emerged on the other side. His assistant, Dylan, approached with a towel.
He draped the towel over his broad shoulders, then sank into a lounge chair. Daniel Williams was the heir apparent of the Williams Group, the eldest grandson of the Williams family, a thirty-year-old who had made it to the city’s young billionaires list.
“Mr. Williams, I’ve found some information about the girl from last night,” Dylan said, handing him a file.
Dylan continued, “Her name is Annie Smith, 23 years old, a design graduate from the City Art Institute.
She’s currently working as a junior assistant at TBWC Advertising, having only started two months ago. We checked the security footage. Michael was celebrating his birthday in the upstairs private room. She’s his girlfriend, and she must have been drunk and gotten into the wrong room.”
“Michael?” No wonder she’d called out his name. His nephew’s girlfriend? He ran his finger across his lips as if he could still taste her.
“How long have they been together?” he asked.
Dylan’s eyes gleamed with a hint of gossip. “From what we gathered, about two years. But… Michael doesn't seem like a loyal boyfriend. Another girl went into his room, number 66, last night, and they left together this morning.”
Daniel scoffed, “How interesting.” Two years, and he hadn't got her, and now she ended up with his uncle.
Daniel looked at the file. “Who drugged my drink?”
Dylan continued cautiously, “That would be… Theodore Johnson. But apparently, the spiked drink was meant for him, and you ended up drinking it by mistake.”
He frowned. He recalled being slightly tipsy, and then mistakenly picking up the wrong drink. That reckless Theodore would have to pay. And now, he was being treated like a gigolo, wasting his thirty years of abstinence.
Dylan hesitated, “One more thing…”
Daniel fixed him with a sharp glare. “Spit it out!”
Dylan swallowed, then spoke rapidly, “Miss Smith went to a pharmacy after leaving the hotel, then went to City General Hospital… for an STD check.”
So she’d taken the morning-after pill herself, good, that was one less thing for him to deal with. But an STD check? Did she think he was diseased? His face flushed red. 200 dollars was insulting enough, but now she was acting like he was dirty.
He threw the towel at his assistant. “Dylan, you’ve got too much time on your hands. Did I ask you to investigate that?”
Dylan followed him, trying not to laugh. Women were lining up to get into his bed, and the first one that succeeded had the nerve to treat him like dirt.
He turned to look at Dylan, “Pick out a gift for Michael, to make up for his birthday.”
Daniel couldn't figure out if he was trying to compensate Michael or ease his guilt about sleeping with his girlfriend.
Annie got home and crashed in her room. She woke up feeling slightly better. She picked up her phone and built up the courage to ask Michael to meet so she could confess everything.
At the coffee shop, Michael accused her coldly, “What happened last night? I waited for you in my room. Were you playing games with me?”
Annie’s hands trembled as she held her coffee cup. She couldn’t look at him. “I’m sorry, I… I wasn’t feeling well last night, so I went home.”
It was too difficult to confess to her boyfriend. She wasn’t brave enough.
Michael’s voice softened. “What happened? Where are you hurting? Did you see a doctor?”
She kept her eyes lowered. “I went this morning. It’s nothing serious.”
He reached for her hand, his voice seductive. “How about you give me my birthday gift tonight? I’ll make a reservation.”
Annie pulled her hand away. “I have work tomorrow, and I still don’t feel well. Let’s do it another time.”
She had intended to give herself to him, but after what happened last night, her body ached, and she didn’t want him to discover she was no longer a virgin.
His phone rang. Michael answered it.
While he was on the phone, Annie took a large gulp of coffee, hoping to soothe her nerves.
He hung up and said, “I won’t be able to see you tonight, my uncle is coming to our house for dinner.”
Annie had heard Michael and his sister talk about his uncle: a ruthless businessman, the heir to the Williams Group. Even Michael’s father had to be careful around him. The rumors were terrifying enough!
Annie was relieved to have escaped it this time. She would find a good time to confess everything.
That evening, at the Anderson Estate, Daniel, accompanied by Dylan, gave Michael his gift. “Here, a belated birthday gift!”
Michael bowed slightly as he took the gift. “Thank you, Uncle!”
Michael looked at the Lego toy in his hands, annoyed but trying not to show it. He was twenty-five, why would Daniel get him a child’s toy? This was the first time he had ever received a gift from his uncle.
Michael's parents, Jacob and Aurora, came forward to greet him. “Daniel, welcome! Come have some tea.”
Only during family dinners would they dare address him by his first name. At work, Jacob, as his brother-in-law, had to call him Mr. Williams.
Daniel nodded slightly. “Good evening, sister and brother-in-law!”
A young girl approached him, dimples showing. “Uncle, did you come just to give my brother a gift?” This was Michael’s younger sister, Iris. Because she had lived with their grandfather for a few years, she was closer to this uncle.
- Writer
