Chapter 106

Chapter 106
VERA'S POV
Jack held my hand as he led me into the clubhouse. I’d heard about this place, people talked about it a lot around Downtown. It was popular with the locals, especially the rich and wild ones.
But as soon as we walked in, my stomach twisted.
A masked woman came right up to Jack and said his name like she knew him well. She even had the nerve to pull off her mask and show her pretty face. I hated how jealous I felt. It was like someone scraping sharp nails across my chest.
When I first got to this city, people warned me about the clubs, the sex workers, and the high-end hotels, but nobody said these women were this bold. Or maybe I was just reading too much into it. Maybe I was just mad because she dared to act like she belonged in Jack’s world, like I wasn't standing right beside him.
"Jackson Taylor," she said, smiling like she was proud to know him. "I didn’t expect to see you here again."
Jack didn’t smile back. "I’m here strictly for business. Excuse me."
He gently brushed past her and led me to a booth at the far end of the noisy room. I followed, still fuming.
“You didn’t have to be that rude to her,” I whispered. “She was just being nice. Maybe she thought you were still here for fun like before.”
Jack glanced at me. "She was being rude to you. And she’s not important. Don’t waste your energy."
I stayed quiet. Jack had a past before me, sickness, women, a whole marriage. But since we got together, he has been faithful. Still, the jealousy clung to me like sweat.
He pulled out a VIP card and flashed it twice in front of a man sitting alone, staring at a chess board. The man took the card without a word. He didn’t look impressed at first, but when he saw the name on it, he looked up at Jack like he was seeing a ghost. Then he stood up quickly and gave a small bow.
"This way."
We followed him down a quiet hallway to a door that led to a staircase. I expected it to lead upstairs, but instead, we went down, way down, until we couldn’t hear the noise from the bar anymore.
We reached a locked security door. The man swiped the card, and after a few seconds, it opened. Inside was a game room. Businessmen and women played board games like they were at a regular social club. But I wasn’t fooled. The way they were dressed, suits, ties, polished shoes, and how calm they looked didn’t mean they were innocent. I knew better.
Behind a counter stood two men in uniform. Expensive liquor filled the shelves behind them. This wasn’t a place you stumbled into by accident. Serious deals happened here.
In the corner was a rounded glass elevator. We stepped inside. The man pressed a floor number and then a black button. The elevator moved down again. Nobody looked our way. They were too busy pretending we didn’t exist.
I kept wondering how many people even knew about this part of the clubhouse? How deep did this place go?
When the elevator doors opened again, it felt like we’d stepped into a palace. Everything was gold. The floor, the ceiling, the walls. Even the light from the chandelier gave off a warm, golden glow. It was hard to tell if it was night or day. Only the huge clock on the wall gave any clue.
If the other rooms were secretive, this one was something else entirely.
The only other colors came from the furniture, a couple of couches, a tall bar stool, a counter, and a clear glass table. A large glass window stood at one side of the room.
A tall woman stood by the window, her back to us. Her hair was in a ponytail, and she had a butterfly tattoo on her neck.
I knew that body shape. It looked exactly like Monica’s.
But it wasn’t Monica.
It had to be Maureen.
I’d been up close with Monica before, helped her zip her dress once. I’d seen enough of her body to know she didn’t have that tattoo. Unless it was somewhere I’d never seen, it wasn’t Monica.
Maureen didn’t turn to greet us right away. She knew we were behind her, standing there, unsure of what to do next. Then, slowly, she turned around.
And the look she gave Jack? It nearly knocked the breath out of me.
“Jack…” she whispered like she’d waited years to say his name.
She stared at him like I wasn’t even there. Like the world didn’t exist, just the two of them locked in some secret memory.
Jealousy stabbed at my chest. I almost turned and ran, but Jack held my hand tighter. He knew I was on edge. That simple squeeze reminded me he was mine.
He glanced at me, silently asking me to stay calm.
She followed his eyes and finally looked at me. She smiled.
I gave her a quick, stiff smile back.
She was beautiful, more colorful than Monica, with higher cheekbones and strong features. A scar sat under her left eye, as if she’d gotten hurt as a child and almost lost her sight.
“Thanks for coming. Please, let’s sit,” she said, motioning to the couches.
We sat.
Jack stared straight at her. "Tell us your story, Maureen."
“I saw you this morning,” she began. “That’s why I texted. I know you spoke with my father. I assume he told you about me."
She stood and walked to the counter, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. Then she came back and sat down again, crossing her legs casually.
“My family is disappointed in me,” she said. “But I don’t regret leaving. At least I gave Monica more time. I hoped she’d find her way back and tell the truth. Maybe she didn’t because of her son.”
She exhaled smoke, and I coughed.
Jack immediately looked at me. “Are you okay?”
He wrapped his arm around me. I nodded.
Jack looked back at Maureen. “What truth are you talking about? That you two are twins?”
She shook her head slightly.
“That you met me first. That I found out about her illness. And that… we were in love with the same man.”
My mouth dropped open.
The air in the room froze. Everything made sense now, and nothing made sense at the same time.
I could only sit there and stare at the woman who had just pulled the ground out from under my feet.
What was Jack supposed to say now?
What was I supposed to feel?
And just like that, I knew our lives were never going to be the same again if she decided to stay.