Chapter 182 Anonymous
Chapter 182: Anonymous
“What kind of person does that?” Alex muttered under her breath.
Golden shook her head even though Alex couldn’t see her. “I don’t know. I just… I can’t believe it.”
By now, Varney’s voice came faintly in the background. “Who is it?”
“Golden,” Alex replied quickly. “Something’s wrong.”
“Put him on,” Golden said weakly.
A few seconds later, Varney’s voice came through, calm but concerned. “Hey, Gigi. Talk to me.”
Golden repeated everything, slower this time, the words heavy on her tongue.
When she finished, there was a brief silence.
“That’s a lot,” Varney said finally. “Mrs. Florence? And her kids?”
Golden wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. “He didn’t even acknowledge me. He pretended like he didn’t know me.”
“He’s probably protecting himself,” Varney said. “Or maybe he doesn’t want to face the past.”
Alex sighed. “Gigi, listen to me. None of this is your fault. You’re not responsible for people’s mis fortune.”
Golden shook her head. “She was like a mother to me.”
“You moved on,” Alex said gently. “And he had his life. You couldn’t have predicted this.”
Golden let out a shaky breath.
“You need to focus on why you’re there,” Varney added. “Your research. Don’t let this derail you.”
Golden nodded slowly, even though they couldn’t see her. “Okay.”
They stayed on the call a little longer, talking softly until her breathing steadied.
“Try to get some rest,” Alex said finally.
“I will,” Golden replied.
She ended the call and sat in silence again.
The room felt colder now.
After a few minutes, she picked up her phone once more.
Her thumb hovered over his name for a second before she pressed call.
He answered quickly.
“Hey, princess. Everything okay?”
Golden took a breath. “I need to tell you something.”
There was a shift in his tone. “What is it?”
She told him everything.
The accident. The drinking. The gambling. Lindsay. London.
She didn’t leave anything out.
When she finished, the silence on the other end was different.
“So all this while,” Xander said slowly, “you saw your ex in London, and you didn’t think to mention any of this?”
Golden froze. “I was going to tell you, I just—”
“And you hired a private investigator?” he cut in.
Golden’s grip on the phone tightened. “I just wanted to understand what was going on first—”
“No wonder you’ve been acting off,” Xander said, his voice harder now. “You were at a stripper’s club…had your ex strip for you…”
“It wasn’t a stripper’s club, he didn’t strip for me—” she started, but the words didn’t come out right.
“You should have told me, Golden,” he said. “From the beginning.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“I need some time,” Xander added shortly.
The line went dead.
Golden stared at the phone, her chest tightening again.
Everything felt like it was slipping out of her control.
The next day, the restaurant was quiet in the late afternoon.
Soft piano music played in the background, blending with the muted clinking of cutlery and low conversations. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting a soft glow across the polished floors.
Golden sat alone at a table near the window, her plate half-finished in front of her.
She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until the food arrived, but now she barely tasted it.
Her mind was elsewhere.
A shadow fell across her table.
“Golden.”
She looked up.
Eleanor stood there, elegant as always, her expression slightly apologetic.
“I’ve been meaning to find you,” Eleanor said, taking a seat without waiting to be invited. “About the other night… I may have overdone things.”
Golden shook her head. “It’s fine. Really.”
Eleanor studied her for a moment. “You don’t look fine.”
Golden forced a small smile. “I’m okay.”
There was a brief pause.
Then Golden leaned forward slightly.
“Actually,” she said, her voice lower now, “there’s something I want to ask you.”
Eleanor’s eyes lit up with interest. “Go on.”
“I want you to arrange a night for me,” Golden said carefully. “With Martin.”
Eleanor blinked. Then a slow smile spread across her face.
“Oh?”
“But he must not know who requested him,” Golden added quickly. “I want it to be… anonymous.”
Eleanor leaned back, clearly intrigued now.
“And?” she prompted.
Golden held her gaze. “I want us in the private lounge. Alone. The whole night.”
For a second, Eleanor said nothing.
Then she laughed softly, a delighted sound.
“Now you’re talking,” she said, clearly pleased. “Life is meant to be enjoyed, my dear.”
Eleanor tapped her fingers lightly on the table, already thinking ahead. “Consider it done. I’ll make the arrangements.”