Chapter 4

Virgil blinked quickly as if in confusion. “Out of everything I said, you took that away?” he asked. The look on his face was almost offensive.

“Is there another way to understand it? I recognize that he is wary because of how aggressive I was. I just want to reassure him that I would never do something that would make him doubt his decision to help fund my education. He is rightfully protective of his assets and privacy. And I respect that.”

He chuckled again. "I am glad you got one part of it correct." He shook his head and then his eyes shifted to look around the house. “Are you packed to leave in the morning?”

"Can you estimate how long this trip will be? I planned on moving to Quentin with my friend in a few weeks' time."

"I know," Virgil said cryptically.

"Should I ask how you know?" I narrowed my eyes again. 

“There is little I don’t know about you. As I said, I am the best in the industry.” He shot me a cocky grin and I huffed.

"Okay, Mr. Know-it-all, can you answer my question?" I crossed my arms over my chest and stared him down. I had the scary thought that I would be surrounded by arrogant males from that moment onwards.

He shrugged. "I can’t give you information I don’t have. The duration of your stay will depend entirely on you, in my opinion.” 

‘Wasn’t that helpful!’ I frowned and looked down at my phone, wondering if I should call Mr. Rowe or not. I had no idea how much to pack or what to bring to this trip. Maybe I needed Lory to pull me out of my misery and re-assess everything.

“I might be able to pack by tonight,” I mumbled mostly to myself. 

“That would be great.” I looked at him again. “Mr. Rowe might now allow you to escape once he has you in his clutches.” He looked awkward when he accentuated the statement with a wink. I hadn’t expected it from him. 

“That is ridiculous.” I was in disbelief.

Virgil was teasing me, but the realization didn’t stop the flurry of excitement in my stomach to dissipate. I blushed as I wondered if I was in way over my head.

He finally broke the silence. "Can I be of assistance in packing?"

"No, no. I can do it myself. Besides, I won’t take much with me for this trip. The dorm room won’t allow students to move in this early and I don’t have another place to stay. It doesn’t make sense to travel with a lot of things."

He smiled like he knew something I didn’t. I couldn’t get any straight answers out of him.

"As you say." He extended his hand to shake mine. "It has been lovely speaking to you, Miss Taylor. I will be here at sharp eight in the morning. Please be ready by then.” He reached into his suit and pulled out a card to hand me. "If you require assistance before that, call me on this number."

He got up from his seat and walked to the door. I followed after him. Right before he left he turned to me with kind eyes. "Miss Taylor, you have no reason to feel intimidated by Mr. Rowe. You hold immense power and you just don’t know it yet.”

He turned and walked out immediately, leaving me speechless in the doorway. I offered him a small wave as he started the car. When the car was out of sight, I closed the door and plopped down on the couch to collect my thoughts.

‘What the hell is happening?’

.

"Oh. My. God. Willow!" Lory shook as she read the letter again. I had told her everything that happened after Virgil arrived and she had been screaming ever since.

"I know!" I had long shaken off the excitement and fear. I was simply taping boxes filled with books. Lory finished her pacing and put her hands on my old suitcase packed with clothes for my trip to Quentin. “What is your take on the situation?” I asked.

"I think Mr. Rowe has a crush on you."

I started to laugh. When she didn’t follow, I looked at her in surprise and found that she was serious! But the suggestion was ridiculous.

“Don’t be absurd, Lory. He is a highly successful man while I am a hopeless country bumpkin. As if that isn’t enough, he doesn’t know me. I have only spoken to him over the phone. Then you have to factor that he is older and… him.” Even the thought of him liking me was hilarious.

“What do you think Virgil meant when he said his boss was taken with you?” She waited for me to answer.

“I don’t know. But it is not anything romantic. This is not a fairytale.” I hated to burst her bubble but I knew better than to dwell on fantasies. “He thinks of me as a charity case. And if that is what it takes for him to fund my education, so be it. I will swallow my pride for a shot at a better life. I am a beggar, Lory.”

“Why are you so cynical, Willow? You act like an old cat lady. Just because your life hasn’t been a garden of roses until this point, it doesn’t mean nothing good can happen to you after.” She sighed. “You asked for honesty and that is what I am giving you. As an outsider, I am telling you that you are more than a charity case for Mr. Rowe.”

"You’re out of your mind. Did you know the rags crowned him the most eligible bachelor in Quentin? He could cherry-pick a harem of women if he wanted and no one would bat an eye. But you know what wouldn’t catch his eyes? A down-on-her-luck girl whom he has never seen before. It is an absurd idea even for you.”

“Maybe he has a fetish?” She dodged the book I threw at her, laughing as she tossed some clothes into a pile. "You can bet your fabulous ass that he has seen you, Willow." 

I was baffled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" She pursed her lips and shook her head as she picked up a top. "This Virgil guy has been following you for a few days. Do you believe that he didn’t snap a few pictures and sent them to his boss?"

Her words had merit. I would be naive if I thought that way. I thought about how I felt that Mr. Rowe had seen pictures of me. It confused me more since I couldn’t imagine I would be of interest to someone like him. He had been seen with several high-profile and gorgeous women on several occasions.

“You make Mr. Rowe sound like a serial killer using his wealth to lure unsuspecting women into his lair to kill them. But that is more possible than the fantasy you have painted,” I told her grimly.

I knew I was pretty. I had received compliments about my looks and thought the same. But I was also a realist.

Lory was my biggest cheerleader, so she would never pay me attention when I thought myself short of Miss Universe.

"The real hindrance to your Cinderella story is the contents of your wardrobe." She looked defeated by what she saw in my luggage. Lory was smart and she enjoyed dressing up. I, on the other hand, had never had the inclination to dress up to impress anyone. But I was going to Quentin to meet Mr. Rowe and I had to look my best.

"What should I wear when I meet him?" I asked finally.

I could call him and find out what the schedule for the next few days was.

Lory’s response was to throw a critical look at my clothes. “I brought whatever clothes you had at my place. The choices are limited.” She even whined about my lack of a basic skirt.

"I apologize for my crimes."

“Don’t joke right now. There is an extremely attractive man pining for you and you don’t even have a set of clothes to wear in front of him.” She followed up with a snicker and I threw another book at her.

“That sentence was so wrong that I don’t want to start commenting on it.” I pouted.

“I had a sizing issue with one of my clothes. I think they will fit you. That would be perfect.”

She pulled open a bag that I had hidden in the bottom drawer and shook her head. “You never wore this set, did you?” she asked.

I cringed, feeling guilty that I hadn’t worn the set of underwear she had gifted me on one of our trips to the mall. 

“I am sorry, you know I don’t like panties that go up my butt crack.”

Lory rolled her eyes. She pulled out the set. “A good pair of underwear can make you feel powerful. Even if you are the only one who ever sees you in them.”

I shrugged. "I do not have a reason to feel sexy."