Chapter 0005

My voice shook slightly as I recited the restaurant’s address into the phone. After a pause, the line clicked without another response and I pulled the phone away from my ear. I pocketed my phone once again and met Cate’s eyes from where she stood in front of me sizing me up. As much as she wanted to call my bluff, I could tell there was a part of her that was nervous. That was the part I was counting on.

“Nice try Eleanor, everyone knows that was fake. I’m guessing you just called one of your little reject friends, if you even have any. There’s no way that Lorenzo would ever show up for someone like you,” Cate

spat at me, clearly drawing on her status and the people around us for support. Others in the restaurant snickered but I did my best to ignore them and keep my eyes trained on Cate.

“Just wait and see Cate, I wouldn’t get too comfortable yet,” I replied trying to sound as menacing as I could with the utter lack of confidence I had in the situation. Cate just shook her head and went back to her seat and a gaggle of groupies followed her, whispering and glancing back at me with every step. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see Adeline behind me with a large towel in hand. She must have grabbed it from one of the dishwashers, but at this point I had no time for embarrassment and donned it like a protective cape.

I wasn’t sure how many minutes passed but it felt like an eternity; my phone grew increasingly heavier in my pocket like it was trying to pull me through the floor. By this point people were growing impatient. Most had resumed their conversations and only gave me sparing glances. A few had pity in their eyes, but most of them seemed to view me as equal to the dish rag I wore around my wine-stained shoulders. My initial reckless abandon was slowly being replaced by crippling doubt and embarrassment.

Even all these years later Lorenzo was still playing me — rejecting me without even showing his face. I couldn’t help but stare at my shoes to try and hide the tears of hopelessness that welled in my eyes. Not again, not again.

“Eleanor, maybe you should make another call, have one of your little reject friends come save you?” Cate barked out a laugh as she stood to walk back towards me, her crowd of fans parting like fish trying to stay away from a shark. Her comment snapped me out of my trance and brought back a twinge of my fighting spirit. My only hope now was to stall for time.

“You sure seem to be in a hurry Cate. Are you really that eager for a man I despise?” I said, knowing it would get a rise out of her. I was right — her eyes burned with hatred.

“Stop being so stubborn and admit that you lost. I order you to kneel, now!” With that, Cate lunged for me, arms outstretched to push me down to the ground by my shoulders. Her pounce caught me by surprise but her height gave her the disadvantage. As she struggled to shove me to the floor I attempted to wrestle her away as onlookers gasped around us, and I thought I noticed a camera flash or two. Little did I know, the crowd wasn’t gasping at us.

“Oh, Cate. What are you doing to sweet Eleanor?” A sultry voice cut through the noise and seemed to bring time to a screeching halt. My insides turned to ice and my heart dropped like a rock.

Lorenzo made his entrance, walking towards us unhurriedly. Any cameras that had been pointed in our direction immediately turned to the alpha, following his slow approach like a god had just stepped into the room. Five years had passed, and he had become taller and more handsome, wearing a playboy-like smile. But underneath the macho facade I still saw the shy teenager I knew five years ago. In my memory, he was still the 18-year-old Lorenzo: a quiet and reserved boy who couldn’t even utter sweet nothings, let alone command a room full of the city’s finest. He had changed more than I realized, now the epitome of a man belonging to high

society.

As Lorenzo took his final steps towards us, Cate dropped her arms from my shoulders. She looked relieved and moved to seek comfort in Lorenzo’s arms, but the alpha merely brushed past her; and to my surprise, his arm made his way around my waist, not Cate’s. I briefly felt a sense of calm until my wits came about me. This was Lorenzo, not some knight in shining armor.

“Get off me,” I hissed and ripped myself away from the alpha’s grip as he gave me an easy smile. “I need to go to the restroom,” I muttered, excusing myself without a second look towards Lorenzo or Cate. At that moment, it was like the room exploded and the onlookers regained consciousness, swarming towards the alpha. I thought I could hear Cate shrieking in outrage, something about ‘How dare you?’ and ‘Who do you think you are?’ which I’m sure didn’t go over very well with the city’s most up and coming billionaire. I didn’t care though, all I needed was to get as far away from the situation as possible so I ducked behind the curtain leading to the back of the house, then hurried to the staff bathroom.

I simply wanted to clean myself off and escape the prying eyes of my former classmates. More importantly, I didn’t want to talk to Lorenzo. I would happily receive Cate’s emotional damage payments via mail and never see any of these people again.

But clearly I should’ve checked behind me because as I moved to shut the door, I was stopped by a large figure pushing into the bathroom.

Lorenzo had followed me. He locked the door while keeping his eyes on mine. I stepped back in a vain attempt to create distance but my back hit the wall and he closed the distance between us.

“Are you crazy?”

Lorenzo's hands gripped my waist: "Am I really the man you despise, Eleanor?" "Behave yourself!" I warned him.

"Be a good girl if you don't want to be heard."