"What the hell was that about?" I asked.
His fingers drummed on the wheel as he drove past the city lights.
"Sir?" I added.
He was still my boss. I couldn't afford to get fired---not with all my debt.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"You're sorry?" I scoffed.
He spared me a glance. "You looked like you were in a tight spot. I just wanted to help."
"I didn't need help," I snapped.
I couldn't believe he'd called me his girlfriend in front of my ex and his mother.
I paused. "How did you know I was there in the first place?"
He blinked and turned back to the road.
"Did you follow me?" I asked.
Surely that wasn't the case. He was not a stalker…right?
He scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself."
"What?"
"I was just getting a cup of coffee and saw Melanie pouring a drink on you."
Sure, that was a possibility, but why didn't I believe him? It was too much of a convenience for it to be a coincidence.
Still, I chose to believe him---because everything else was too complicated to face right now.
"What did you mean when you said Drake's your step brother?" I asked.
His lips tightened. "Why don't you ask your fiancé?"
"Ex fiancé," I corrected.
He sighed. "Whatever."
He looked totally different from the man I'd spent the night with. He seemed on edge at the mere mention of Drake. Then again, what did I know about him?
"I doubt Drake and I have anything to talk about now, so you have to tell me," I said.
He squeezed the wheel tighter. "My father had an affair which led to Drake."
He scowled, glaring at me. "Happy?"
I blinked, surprise by the bite in his tone. It looked like I'd hit a sore spot so I backed off. He was right, it was none of my business anyway. I was glad to finally be done with Drake and his family. Except for work, I had no business seeing them again.
"Fine."
I stared out the window, holding his jacket closer as he drove down a hill. My stuff was still at Lindsay's but I couldn't face her at the moment. I had to crash at Oliver's.
Thankfully, the weekend was only a day away. I'd have ample time to take care of my shit.
"I'm sorry."
I turned to look at him. His chin moved as he clicked his jaw, and when his eyes met mine, he looked like he'd aged a year since the last hour. I didn't know much about family dynamics---since Mom was my only family. But whatever his were---they seemed to bring him so much pain.
"You're right. It's none of my business," I said.
The car came to a stop and I looked out the window, at the bricked apartment on the right. Oliver's was on the fifth floor.
"Thanks for the ride."
I paused when his hand draped over mine.
"Sorry I called you my girlfriend," he said.
I stared at him. "You were just trying to help, right?"
He nodded slowly.
"Then as long as it isn't brought up again, it should be okay," I said.
I removed his hand from mine and opened the door. "Goodnight, Mr. Brown."
I waited until the car was no longer in my sight before trudging up the stairs all the way to the fifth floor. I needed to get a place of my own as soon as possible.
"Hey," Oliver said.
"Do you have food? I'm starving," I whined.
"Good to see you too." He smiled and grabbed my bag.
"I ordered Chinese and pizza," he announced.
I sighed happily. "You know me."
Oliver and I were hired together and hit it off right away. He was the male version of me. We both loved staying up to watch movies, going to art galleries and even liked the same food.
I met his eyes but he looked away quickly and I sighed. I could see how much he was holding back.
"I'm only going to say it this once," I said, wanting to put him out of his misery.
"Yes, the wedding's canceled. I caught him in bed with Lindsay."
Anger flashed in his eyes as he walked towards the door. "I'm going to kill him."
I grabbed his arm. "No, you're not. He's your boss."
"Then, I'd hit him once and turn in my resignation," Oliver said.
I smiled, letting go of his arm. "No, you're not."
I plopped on the couch and paused when I realized I was still wearing Damien's jacket. I touched the fabric gently.
"What do you know about Mr. Brown?" I asked.
Melody had a crush on Oliver, which meant he was always the first person to hear the latest gossip from her.
"I heard he's the son of the owner," he said.
I leaned forward. "You mean the founder of Brown Industries?"
His eyebrows hitched. "Why else do you think his last name's Brown?"
Why didn't I connect the dots sooner?
"Hey, Brown's a pretty common last name," I said defensively.
He shook his head. "You need to pay more attention to office gossip, Aria."
All I knew was a VIP was attending the meeting for my presentation. I'd figured he would be an executive at the highest, not the damn CEO.
Wait.
If Damien was the CEO and Drake was his half-brother, that meant Drake was also the son of the owner. But why was his surname Wallace and not Brown?
And why was he a mere executive all these years when he could have been the CEO?
"What else do you know about him?" I asked.
"According to Mel, he lived abroad his entire life," he paused. "He had an older brother."
My fingers paused on the soft fabric. "Had?"
He sighed. "He died."
Huh.
"There were rumors he was allegedly murdered by his step mom," he said.
"His step mom?"
Did he mean Melanie?
"Apparently, Mr. Brown came back to find out who killed his brother and to take revenge on them," he said.
I paused. He looked serious as he relayed the rumors and I couldn't hold it in any longer. I busted out laughing.
Melanie might be a bitch, but she was no murderer. Even I knew that much. The woman squirmed at the sight of a roach, how could she kill a human being? I knew Melody liked to exaggerate the rumors but this was bordering on a crime.
"What's this, a crime TV show?" I asked.
He chuckled. "I know it sounds ridiculous but you know there's a hint of truth in every rumor so be careful."
I was way past being careful. I'd slept with him---although in my defense, I didn't know he was my boss.
Plus, he'd called me his girlfriend in front of the alleged murderer. It couldn't be worse than this.
The doorbell chimed.
"Food's here."