Page 14 of Lilies from Hell

“And I suppose that’s a good thing?” I ask.

In the eyes of the world, they are just a wealthy family who make their fortune through their businesses in various industries. Perfumes, electronics, shoes, clothing. There is almost nothing they have not attempted and achieved. Despite all that, they always stay on the sidelines and attract little attention, keeping their appearances almost hidden in the shadows. Very few people know their true faces, and strangely enough Romina is one of them, but I doubt she knows what they really do.

“You could talk to him, couldn’t you? That way we could at least get some clues about Matt. And I could also move on more quickly if it’s true that nothing happened to him and he just left me.”

“No, I do not think that’s a good idea. They’re very… reluctant,” I say, remembering how he spoke to me in the bathroom.

If I ask him or one of his people for help on this matter, they’ll probably kick me in the arse and raise the suspicions that I’ve been trying to keep at bay all these days. If he really saw me, he’ll eventually come looking for answers.

“Please, Lena. Or we can talk to your father. You don’t have to talk to them personally.”

My father will want to look into the matter further. I really do not want to imagine his face when I tell him, and that will be much worse. He has his own terrible reputation for a reason.

“I don’t think they’ll refuse to help him. Please, I need answers.” I don’t like either of his ideas, but guilt makes me accept with a faint smile as I see his eyes light up with a glimmer of hope. “Thank you. Thank you so much!” She says, hugging me and kissing me on the cheek. “I’ll wait for you at the pool. You just go in and talk to him.”

Him!? Shit, shit, and more shit! When she asked me to talk to them, I never imagined she meant that one of them would be here right now. It’s probably him. And what is he doing in my house? Again.

These days, we have both returned to our old routine. He visited my home, talking with my father about who knows what things. I observed him discreetly, wishing he’d smile or speak to me again like in the locker room bench when we were kids. It never happened, and as the weeks went by, the wound caused by his sudden apathy only got worse until I could clean it and it began to heal.

I thought it would never open again, that it was just a crush because, after all, he had been my first kiss. Until I saw him again on that hotel terrace, and the wound reopened. He clearly doesn’t care about me at all. I, however, can’t stop looking for him wherever I go, hoping it will ease the heaviness I’ve felt since that night. Perhaps I’m just being paranoid. I need an afternoon at the mall with Grace.

Romina’s footsteps as she disappears through the door leading to the kitchen make me blink back to harsh reality. Before closing the door, she gives me a thumbs up with a huge smile, to which I smile back, this time with tense lips. When I turn around, I find him heading for the exit.

The thought of approaching him to start a conversation makes me tremble with nerves, but risking spending a torturous summer being punished by my parents is not a better option. My legs move faster than normal until I block his path. We stand face to face. I try to hide my nerves by putting my hands in the back pockets of my denim skirt and wipe away some sweat while I’m at it. It’s futile, and his unfriendly gaze is giving me unpleasant butterflies in my stomach.

“Can you let me pass? You’re standing in my way,” he asks in a tone that is somewhere between brusque and dismissive, tilting his head. “Again.” My lips curl into a pout as I hear his rude tone. I still cannot comprehend what I’ve done or said to make him dislike me so much.

“I want to talk to you,” I reply, taking a confident stance.

“I don’t have time,” he says, then resumes walking.

I barely hold him back by grabbing his arm on impulse. He quickly pulls his arm away as if an electric shock had jolted him. His eyes now gaze at me, his frown emphasizing his dislike for me.

Biting the tip of my tongue, I push aside his rejection and focus on Romina. What matters now is that I can help her, and what he thinks of me should not matter. It doesn’t matter.

“It is important.”

“So is my time,” he says.

“Please,” I plead in a low tone, which seems to be enough to convince him to listen to me.

“Fine. Speak.” I frown at his demanding tone. I’ll need a great deal of patience to avoid losing my temper and swearing at him.

“It’s about Matt. You must know him. He used to hang out at The Viper Room a lot. I have no idea where he is and…” I cannot finish my sentence because he cuts me and fixes his gaze on me. The blue of his eyes now seems to want to drill into my forehead when he speaks in an irritated tone.

“Is that the important thing you had to talk to me about?”

“Yes. He’s very special to me.” He presses his lips into a thin line. When he takes two steps forward, I recoil almost unconsciously. By the way the corners of his lips turn up seems it amused him.

“I have no idea who you’re talking about, Lena.” The fact that he still remembers my name takes me by surprise, but that doesn’t dispel my nerves. My heart is pounding so hard that I can’t breathe properly or concentrate. But we both know he’s lying. That’s a fact.

“Well, if you ever see him, it would be nice if you let me know,” I say awkwardly. His face of having a stick up his arse isn’t helping me to stay calm. I bite the inside of my cheek again, begging all the saints, virgins, gods, and even the devil to keep my cheeks from blushing now.

“And why the hell would I do that?”

“It’s called helping. You should try it sometime.” The room fills with his coarse laughter, and I clench my fists to keep myself from going over and slapping him.

“Of all the things I have to do, helping you find that scumbag is not and will not be part of my plans.” The threat in his voice makes the hairs on my arms stand on end. What’s his problem?