Chapter 64 Ice cream and secrets
Melissa’s POV
I woke to sunlight streaming through my curtains and Aria’s soft breathing beside me.
For a moment, I just lay there, watching her sleep. Her purple hair was a mess. Her makeup was smudged. But she looked peaceful for the first time in hours.
Carefully, I slipped out of bed without waking her.My body ached everywhere. My neck. My hip and the worst of all my lips.
I stretched slowly, wincing at the soreness, then padded to the bathroom.
The mirror showed exactly what I expected…and worse.
My lip was swollen, the split visible and angry. But it was my neck that made me freeze.
Dark purple bruises. Fingerprints. They were clear and unmistakable where he’d gripped my throat.
I touched them gently, and pain flared.
Hmmm, I signed before I grabbed my toothbrush and brushed my teeth like a robot, still staring at the bruises in the mirror.
Who had that been last night? It looked like Gavin. Sounded like Gavin. But something had been off. Or is that who he just is?
I rinsed my mouth and walked back to my closet, pulling out a black turtleneck. I tugged it on carefully, adjusting it until every bruise was covered.
Aria was still sleeping, curled on her side, one hand tucked under her cheek.
I left her there and walked to the living room.The penthouse was quiet. Mom was probably still asleep. Jason was… wherever Jason went.
I grabbed my iPad from the coffee table and curled up on the couch, pulling a blanket over my legs.
My finger hovered over my novel app.The notifications were insane.
732 new comments
I opened them, scrolling through.
Reader_BookLover: AUTHOR WHERE ARE YOU??? It’s been WEEKS
NightOwl_Reader: Come on, I miss my ice cream fix.
RomanceAddict47: Author, we are DYING. For the love of God, please update
HotForFiction: I check this app every single day and CRY when there’s nothing new
MidnightReader: The Midnight Society is in MOURNING. Please come back to us
I smiled a little despite everything.
My readers. My community. The people who had no idea they were reading my actual life.
But I couldn’t write. Not now. Not when I didn’t even understand what was happening anymore.
I closed the app and opened Google instead.I typed in “Gavin Cross” and hit search.
The results loaded immediately.
The first link was to the Titans’ official website. I clicked it.
And there he was.
The photo I’d taken during the photoshoot. Gavin in that charcoal suit, his dark eyes intense, his expression commanding.
He looked devastating. Powerful. Every inch the CEO everyone feared and respected.
Below the photo, the headline read: GAVIN CROSS ANNOUNCES ENGAGEMENT AT CHARITY GALA
My stomach dropped.
I clicked the article.Titans CEO Gavin Cross celebrated his engagement to longtime partner Diana Hart Spenser at last night’s annual charity gala. The couple, who have been together for several months, announced their plans to wed next spring…
I stopped reading.
What was I supposed to do?
A hand touched my shoulder.I jumped, nearly dropping my iPad, and spun around.
Jason stood behind the couch, gazing down at me with those beautiful eyes. And once again, shirtless, wearing only grey sweatpants.
“Don’t startle me like that,” I said grumpily, biting my lip without thinking.
“Why do you like doing that?” he asked.
“What?”
He pointed to my mouth. “That. Biting your lip. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, I’m not.”
But my mind was already spinning. Should I ask him about last night? About what happened? About the symbols and the chanting and Zeus?
“Aren’t you curious, Warrior Girl?” Jason’s voice was softer now. “About what happened last night?”
I looked up at him. “Will you tell me?”
“Yes.” He walked around the couch and sat beside me. “Of course I will.”
Relief flooded through me. Finally, someone who would give me answers.
“But not here.” He glanced toward the hallway where Aria was sleeping, where my mother’s room was. “Let’s go to my room. We can talk privately there.”
I hesitated.
Going to Jason’s room felt dangerous somehow. But I needed answers. I needed to understand what the hell was happening.
“Okay,” I said finally.
I took my iPad and stood, following him down the hallway.
His room was at the opposite end from mine…it was larger and messier, with racing posters on the walls and trophies scattered across surfaces.
He closed the door behind us and gestured to his bed. “Sit.”
I sat on the edge, with my hands in my lap. I felt weird about sitting comfortably when I remember him having a threesome on this same bed not that long ago.
Jason pulled out his desk chair and sat backward on it, his arms crossed over the back.
“So,” he said. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.” My voice was steadier than I felt. “The symbols. The crowned lion. Who is Lord Zeus? And what does any of this have to do with Gavin?”
Jason studied me for a long moment. Then he smiled…not his usual cocky grin. Something sadder.
“You really don’t know anything, do you?” he said quietly. “My father really kept you completely in the dark.”
“Your father has kept me and my mother in the dark about a lot of things apparently.” I touched my neck unconsciously, feeling the bruises hidden beneath the turtleneck.
Jason’s eyes tracked the movement. His expression darkened.He leaned forward, his expression was more serious than I’ve ever seen it.
“Alright,” he said. “But once I tell you this, Melissa, you can’t unhear it. You can’t go back to not knowing. Are you sure you want the truth?”
I thought about my novel readers. About the girl in my story who kept diving deeper into darkness.
About the crowned lion tattooed over Gavin’s heart.About the man who’d kissed me with violence last night.
“Yes,” I said. “I want the truth.”
Jason nodded slowly.Then suddenly he leaned back in his chair, a familiar, infuriating smirk touched his lips.
“You know,” he said, his tone shifting back to its usual teasing tone. “Truth is a valuable commodity. And I’m a businessman.”
I stared at him, the whiplash of his mood change making me dizzy. “What?”
“I’ll tell you everything.” He leaned forward, with his elbows on his knees, his gaze locking onto mine with playful intensity. “But not for free. If you want the truth, you have to earn it.”
“Earn it?” I repeated, my voice flat.
“Yes darling,” he said smoothly. “The price is simple. You have dinner with me tonight.”
For a moment, I was too stunned to speak. Then, hot anger flooded my veins. I snatched my iPad from where I’d left it beside me on the bed, gripping it like a weapon. “Are you serious right now? I will hit you with this. I swear I will.”
He didn’t flinch. The smirk just deepened, transforming into a genuine smile. His eyes sparkled with amusement at my threat. “Violence, Warrior Girl? He shrugged casually. “It’s your choice.
“Where?” I finally bit out, puffing my cheek in anger.
His smile widened. “I’ll pick you up at eight.
I stood, my legs unsteady, and walked past him without another word. As I crossed the threshold back into the hallway, his voice followed me, soft but clear.
“See you tonight, Melissa.”
I didn't look back. I marched to my room, closed the door, and leaned against it, sliding down to the floor. I hugged the iPad to my chest.
What the hell was I doing?