Always Been You

~Dante’s POV~

“Do you think Lola was pregnant when she left New York?” I continued typing, without even sparing him a glance.

“Could you please quit bringing up Lola? She ran away from me and it’s been 2 years now.”

“Why did she suddenly flee a few months after you guys crossed the line? You’ve been dating Candice for a while now, and she’s never run away. Why did she flee after you two had slept together?”

“Stop it, Lev. I don’t want to talk about my relationship with Lola with you.” He pressed his phone against my palm.

“Then explain this to me.” I drew my gaze to the photo on Lev’s phone.

Holy shit!

“Exactly!”

“Who is this child?”

“Are you dump? This boy looks exactly like you. You should have seen the smirk on his face.”

“Stop it, Lev. That small boy might be anyone’s son. I don’t think he’s mine.”

“Dante think! Damn it! Why did she suddenly run away after all those years without saying anything?”

“I have to go to work, Lev. Please exit through the front entrance.”

“Okay. At the very least, I told you, and God knows I’m right about this. By the way, his name is Tyler Monroe.” He said as he closed the door. Tyler Monroe, well, his father could be a Monroe. I mean, Monroe is a popular last name. I kept working, but my thoughts wandered to that annoying woman. She said I looked like one of her friend’s children, but Lev only saw one. That boy is not my son; it could be one of June’s friends’ children. I kept doing what I was doing till my mind wandered back two years to when Lev inquired if there was a girl pregnant with me. That boy Lev showed me could also be around two years old. Naa, diffidently one of June’s friend’s children. He couldn’t possibly be mine. Then there was the grey picture that had fallen off Lola’s clothes. What was that picture? I have never seen anything like that before. I will ask Lev when we get home.

It’s been a long fucking day, and I am so tired now. My eyelids were weary when I gazed at my laptop. I tried not to be distracted by too many things. But I’m thirsty right now. I turned off my laptop and went to the bathroom to take a shower. After showering, I put on some sweatpants and poured myself a glass of scotch, and went to the balcony to think. I don’t know why, but Lev’s question is still hunting me. “Do you think Lola was pregnant when she left New York?” Lola isn’t like that, and if ever she was, she would make sure to tell me. I don’t want to think about it too much. Maybe I should wait for my last meeting tomorrow with that annoying woman and ask her more about her friend. I gulped down my drink and went straight to bed.

I got up the next morning and headed to my private gym. I went directly to the shower after the gym, then put on my suit and headed to the boardroom. Lev was already waiting for me near the entryway when I arrived. He took my laptop and led me inside. June was already sitting far away from me. Exactly like I’ve always wanted. Before I told her how annoying she was, she would always make sure she sat next to me. Just the fact that I was able to put her in her place makes me happy.

“Mr. Clark is running behind schedule. I’ll go make coffee while we wait.” June said. This old man is starting to irritate me now. I have an appointment in New York later today, and this dude is already squandering my time. Now I will have to fucking reschedule my appointment because of him. June got up and came back five minutes later with a tray filled with four cups of coffee. I honestly don’t know why she’s still here. I mean, she’s an agent. I bought the hotel. What is she still doing here? Does she also work for Mr. Clark? I followed Lev’s lead and grabbed one of the cups. I took a big gulp of the coffee, not caring that it was still steaming hot, and then immediately spit it back into the cup. It was a disaster! It tasted like shit! It tasted like animal shit, not that I know what animal shit tastes like.

“Mr. Monroe, is everything okay?” I laid the cup aside since I didn’t want to tell her she makes the worst coffee.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Mr. Clark is lucky. I’ve already bought this hotel in this God-forsaken town. If not, I could have left a long time ago. I hate people who don’t keep time. I don’t even know what I saw in this hotel because it’s way out of my taste.” I watched as Lev sipped his coffee and spat it out.

“I would advise you not to give anyone your coffee, Ms. Blackwoods. Some folks may take offense.” Lev remarked that he had never before spoken critically about someone else’s efforts; this was new of him.

“I’m very sorry. I’ll take these back.” She said as she collected the tray. My thoughts turned to Mrs. Monroe, her friend, as I watched her stroll. She came back and waited with us, but now I had to make sure Mrs. Monroe wasn’t my Lola. I stared at her, unsure where to begin, but I knew I had to ask her.

“Ms. Blackwood? What was your friend’s name again?” She looked at me, confused, and I went on to say, “Mrs. Monroe, what’s her name?”

“I believe Mr. Monroe and I agreed that we wouldn’t talk about anything other than work.” Fucking fantastic! I didn’t force it. I deserve it. But then I don’t regret putting her in her place, because I am not fucking anyone in this godforsaken town. The stupid man finally arrived. The meeting went well, and now all I have to do is wait for an opening, which will take approximately 2-3 months, and I won’t be meeting this horny woman. Once we were done with the meeting, we headed to the airport and to my private jet to go back to New York.

When I arrived at my villa, it was already after midnight. Candice was standing outside as I was about to go inside. It seemed like security hadn’t let her in. As Lev drives, I roll down my window.

“What is going on?” Candice began crawling on her knees right away.

“Please, Dante. I’m stranded. I don’t have a place to stay. I can’t pay for my rent anymore, as I no longer have a job.”

“And so?”

“Please let me stay with you. I swear I’m not going to do anything dumb.” I exhaled a sigh. I could tell she was stranded, but one thing I am certain of is that she will try one of her old tricks.

“Come on in. I will help you look for a place to stay. You can’t stay with me any longer.” She rose to her feet and went inside. I’m not sure what happened, but she no longer has a car. I noticed a few months ago when I was trying to check if she had no idea where Lola was. One night, Dante, you will send her to a hotel or anything. Her presence here may raise eyebrows. What if Lola returns and begins to suspect Candice and I are a couple? That is something I cannot afford. When the car arrived, I directed one of the maids to the west wing of my house. I’d like her to be as far away from here as possible.