Chapter 63: Chapter 63

Chapter 63

HAZEL

FIVE YEARS AGO

One day before Christmas, I got a text from Kelvin. He asked me to meet him at the amusement park an hour before my scheduled date with Ravel. Ravel had planned a special dinner for us, expressing his desire to spend Christmas Eve with me before being with his family. Our plan was to hang out until after midnight.

Ravel seemed to be taking this date very seriously. The dress he sent over exuded excellence and sophistication. It was a black, long gown that fit my body perfectly, almost becoming one with my skin when I tried it on. Along with the dress, there was a card informing me that a makeup artist and hair stylist would be arriving by nine in the evening, right before my meeting with Kelvin at ten.

“Who exactly are you meeting this late?” Adam’s curious voice questioned from behind me.

Caught in a bind, I found myself unable to slip away or evade as I usually did. Ravel had, for some reason, upped the number of security personnel in the estate, creating an environment where leaving without attracting attention had become practically impossible. “I’m actually meeting up with a friend,” I managed to fib, though a lump of unease formed in my throat at the mere thought of referring to Kelvin as a friend. “I promise you, it’s not going to take/much time.”

A soft ping from my phone diverted my attention – a text had arrived from Kelvin. ‘WHY IS THAT DA MN SECURITY WITH YOU HAZEL? ARE YOU TRYING TO SET ME UP? YOU KNOW THE CONSEQUENCES OF WHAT HAPPEN IF I SHOULD GO MISSING FOR TWENTY-FOUR HOURS.’

I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at his unexpected concern. It was surprising to discover that Kelvin, who often exuded confidence, had his own fear. Battling a sniffle brought on by the cold Christmas air, I repositioned my jacket and settled down on a nearby bench. My fingers danced across the screen as I composed my response, ‘RAVEL HAS AMPED UP THE SECURITY MEASURES AT THE MANOR, LEAVING ME WITH NO CHANCE TO DISCREETLY SLIP AWAY. HE BELIEVES I’M HERE TO MEET A FRIEND, SO YOU CAN PUT YOUR WORRIES TO REST.

A few minutes later, he appeared in the park, donning a snugger hat and concealing his identity with a face mask over his nose. Adam’s eyes locked onto him, a mixture of curiosity and suspicion playing across his expression, yet he refrained from speaking out. I redirected my attention to Adam, requesting, “Could you possibly take a step back and grant us a bit of privacy?”

Adam’s eyebrows furrowed, displaying his discontent with my request. “I apologize, ma’am, but I can’t comply with that. My responsibility is to ensure your safety, and I won’t be able to fulfill that duty from a distance.”

Suppressing my anxiety, I rolled my eyes in an attempt to hide my apprehension. “He’s a friend of mine, Adam,” I fibbed once more, my voice steady. “He means no harm. Besides, I only asked you to move a bit away, not to leave the amusement park. His furrowed expression remained unchanged. “I’m aware of the gun concealed under your jacket/Adam,” I conveyed “I’m aware that detail with Kelvin in mind, just in case he attempted anything untoward. “If he makes any suspicious move, you can

take the shot from that distance.”

His jaw clenched tightly as he locked an intense gaze onto Kelvin. “Take off the mask. If I’m going to step back like you want, I need to see his face!

–

Turning to Kelvin, I raised an eyebrow, shifting the decision onto his shoulders. The choice was his now if he wanted this rendezvous to proceed, the mask had to come off. He hesitated, then reluctantly removed the mask, offering a strained smile to Adam, who maintained his stoic demeanor. At last, Adam stepped back a few paces, providing us the much-needed privacy.

Kelvin’s voice carried an underlying anger as he spoke, “The risk I just took comes with a price.” He struggled to mask his frustration, attempting to keep his emotions from surfacing on his face. “I never intended for anyone except you to see my

face.”

A scoff escaped me. “And I never wanted to lay eyes on you again, but I suppose life doesn’t grant all our desires.” My arms folded defensively, my gaze sharpening as it bore into him. I felt a sense of reassurance with Adam backing me up. “What do you want, Kelvin? I have pressing matters to attend to.”

Blowing warm breath into his hands, he swayed slightly on his feet. “I’m looking for money,” he stated matter-of-factly.

My eyes rolled in exasperation. “Isn’t that your consistent request?” I couldn’t help but hiss. “So, what’s the figure this time?” Each time it seemed to increase, and I was growing tired of it. “What’s your demand this time, Kelvin?”

A grin stretched across his face. “Getting straight to business, I like that,” he remarked, his infuriating tone earning another eye roll from me. “Today’s tab runs a little north of half a million dollars.” He winked provocatively. “I’m giving you the range to choose from: it could be six hundred, seven, eight, nine, or a cool million.”

Taken aback by his audacious demand, I blinked rapidly at him before a laugh involuntarily escaped my lips. “Do you have any idea what’s in my bank account, for you to casually ask for nearly a million dollars?” I couldn’t help but find the situation a bit absurd.

He shrugged, an air of nonchalance about him. “You’re with Ravel Southwark, after all. You can surely manage it without much trouble.” His grin stretched wide. “Just deliver some mind-blowing sex, and the money will be at your disposal.”

“oh really?” still in utter disbelief, I shook my head. I am so done with this. He is going to keep coming back for more and I can’t have that. I know exactly what to do to handle the situation. The news will only hurt Ravel if we are together. If the news of our breakup gets out there before the pictures of me doing drugs, the public will praise him for doing the right thing by leaving me, and that will have a less negative impact on his public image.

“Hazel?’ Kelvin called me out of my thought. “you clearly stated earlier that you have somewhere important to be, why are you wasting both our time by keeping mute?”

“That’s because you are not the only one who has something to say.” I spat. “do you know why I agreed to meet with you? Because I have news for you too, which should be all over the internet soon.”

His brows crinkled. “I broke up with Ravel this morning.”

Kelvin laughed mockingly. “and you expect me to believe that?”

I simply shrugged, feigning indifference. “it doesn’t matter what you chose to believe, that doesn’t change the fact that I have indeed broken up with him.” telling him that the news is about to be published will make him feel at a disadvantage. That way, he won’t frettingly consider uploading the pictures immediately because he believes he is already late.

I know for a fact that he will upload it, but it will give me time to break up with Ravel and talk to a journalist about the breakup before he releases the pictures.

“You claim to have broken up with him yet you move around with his security.” He pointed out with a snare. “I am not that gullible Hazel.”

I can see the panic in his eyes. He trying so hard not to believe me. “You mean Adam? He is still following me because he was ordered by Ravel to make sure I don’t leave the house with anything that doesn’t belong to me, and that important thing I told you I had to get back to is packing. I was actually packing my stuff before I received your text.”

He cursed under his breath. “You are going to get jailed for doing drugs.”

I arched a brow at him. “and you think I will be the only one?” I took a step towards him. “be rest assured that I will be taking you and your friends with me.” When his frown deepened, I knew I was winning. “Go ahead Kelvin, release the photos, I don’t give a f uck anymore.”

He took an angry step towards me and my glare sharpened. “I dare you Kelvin, take another step towards me. Adam has a licensed gun, and he won’t go to jail for trying to defend an innocent girl from a raging nutjob.”

“This isn’t over!” he spat.

I know it isn’t because I am about to break Ravel’s heart and equally mine.