The Wicked

When I wake up, Penelope is gone.

I almost think I imagined her getting into my bed last night, so I check every room of my suite for her. When she’s nowhere to be found, I look for her purse and shoes, which I find are gone too.

Checking my phone, I’m hoping maybe she’s left me a message that she’s just gone out for breakfast or something, but there’s nothing. While I drink a glass of water, I try to push the thought of her to the back of my mind, instead shifting my thoughts to my father and the meetings I have booked on my schedule. I check in with Serena while I do some yoga on the patio again, and she confirms that the lawyers have made it here and that they’ll meet me in the hotel restaurant for breakfast by 11.

I find an email from the funeral home, requesting a location for my father’s ashes, and I punch in my uncle’s address in New York. I certainly don’t want them – I figure his brother knew him better than I did, and his resting place shouldn’t be with someone he only recently got to know. He deserves to be with the family he actually spent his life with. I have Serena send an email to my uncle, who I’m not on speaking terms with, and call it a day.

I head for the hotel restaurant around 10:30 and grab a table. I like to be the first one there and the last one to leave, as it gives me more control over a meeting.

When I’ve ordered a cup of coffee and a bagel, I see the two lawyers I’m meeting walk in the front door, and I raise a hand to greet them. I don’t stand up. I’m too tired from being up most of the night, and I don’t necessarily need to show them any respect, so it doesn’t bother me.

“Mr. Monroe,” my personal lawyer, Josh, greets me, pulling out a chair to sit across from me.

“Good morning,” my father’s lawyer, Mark, says, sitting down to his right. “We’ve gone over some of the documents you need to sign already, but we can look through them again.”

“I want to start with his will, you have it?” I say, nodding at the waiter who places my coffee down in front of me. “You want anything?”

They both order cups of coffee, and I drink a mouthful of mine before the waiter walks away and we can start talking again.

“Yes, I have the will. I read it on the plane if you’d like me to summarize it,” my father’s lawyer says, pulling his briefcase from the floor and flipping through some documents.

He hands me a copy, as well as my lawyer, and I nod at him as my eyes search the paper. “Go ahead.”

“Your father has made it simple, I’m glad to say. Everything was left to you.” He flips through some papers. “Properties include his penthouse in New York, the house in Luxington, a vacation home he recently purchased in Newport, California, as well as a home in Colorado and the condo in Mallorca.”

I take a sip of my coffee, and he slides a piece of paper to me, pointing to a line at the bottom. “I’ll just need your signature here to put the deeds into your name.”

I read over the document as the waiter returns and serves their coffee, then pick up the pen he’s set beside me and sign my name.

“I’ll need copies sent to my office by morning,” Josh adds.

“Other assets? What about the company?” I ask, tapping the pen on the table.

“Yes, I have started the process of getting Monroe Financials transferred to you, and all the assets that come with it. As far as personal assets, there’s quite a few vehicles and boats that I’ll need you to sign for, then the bank accounts and stocks.”

“Anything else?” I ask, taking the sheets of paper he’s handing me over the table.

“For right now, that is everything we need your signature on, and you will be kept up to date as everything is handled with the business. I’ve partnered with the corporate lawyers, both in L.A. and New York to get everything switched over, but since you’ve been the CEO for a few months now, it will be an easy and painless transition,” he says, watching as I sign the rest of the papers he’s handed me.

I clear my throat when I’m done, putting the cap back on the pen and straightening out the papers before I hand them back across the table.

Looking at my Josh, I thread my fingers together on top of the table. “When you get all the documents you need, sell it all.”

“All of it?” he asks, tapping a finger on the table.

“All the properties and vehicles,” I clarify, drinking some of my coffee. “They were never mine, and never will be. I don’t need any of it. I’ll contact you if anything changes.”

“Yes, sir.” He nods. “I’ll call you when everything is done.”

“Is there anything else?” I ask, looking at both of them.

Mark clears his throat. “That’s everything, Mr. Monroe. I’ll be in contact soon.”

I stand, and they both mirror my action, knowing they’re dismissed. I hold a hand toward my father’s personal lawyer, and he shakes it. “Thank you for flying out here. We’ll talk soon.”

He nods. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Mr. Monroe. Your father wasn’t just a client, he was a longtime friend.”

I give him my best smile in thanks and drop his hand. “Have a safe flight back to New York.” Looking at Josh, I nod. “We’ll talk soon.”

When they’re gone, I sit back down and order some breakfast, opening my email to aimlessly scroll through everything I’ve received in the last day. My mind is too busy to respond to anyone, though. All I can think about is Penelope.

It feels like things might actually fall into place – and this time, if she gives me a second chance, I’m not going to fuck it up.

I get bored around 3 and head for Penelope’s restaurant, hoping she’s working.

When I walk in, a small teenage girl greets me, and I request a table for one. After she’s led me across the restaurant and left me at a table with a menu, I pull my laptop from my briefcase and open it in front of me. I have tons of emails, and if I’m going to sit here and stalk my ex-girlfriend, I might as well get some work done myself.

By the time a waitress comes by my table, I’ve responded to three emails and planned a meeting for next week with Levi. It’s time he takes more responsibility at work, and having my mind elsewhere right now is a great time for him to start. It was never my intention to bring Levi to Monroe Financials with me, but he did really well in college – getting better grades than me and Carson – so when he showed interest in stepping into high-end business, I invited him to join me.

It’s been a learning lesson, having my best friend work for me, and it hasn’t been easy since we’ve been living together for the last four years as well. I never expected to settle down with anyone, though, so it wasn’t a burden. If things work out the way I’m hoping they do, it’ll be easier if Levi isn’t living with me.

My plan was to leave Levi in the L.A. office, depending on how he performed this year, and I would move to New York and run that office. Now that Penelope is back in the picture, everything seems up in the air. I don’t know where she’s going to want to settle down. Maybe I’ll end up following her somewhere that her dreams take her.

Even if she wants to move to fucking Timbuktu, I’ll follow her. I’d follow her to the ends of the earth.

“What are you doing here?”

Penelope’s voice pulls my attention from my computer screen, and I smile at her.

“I wanted to see you.”

“Hayden,” she says, putting a hand on the table. “I’m working.”

I point to my computer. “Me too.”

She laughs, and I love the sound of it. “Order some food. Don’t just sit here like a fucking weirdo.”

Snorting, I shake my head. “What time are you off? Can we get dinner?”

“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she starts, her eyes wild, “but you’re giving stalker vibes.”

“What’s new?” I grin.

She sighs. “Go back to California, Hayden. Stop interrupting my life for kicks.”

Shaking my head, I look at my computer screen to avoid showing her that her words hurt, and she walks away before I can think of anything to say. My waitress comes back to the table, and asks if I’m ready to order, and I’m so frazzled that I just point to something random on the menu to get her to leave me alone.

Pulling up the DoorDash app on my phone, I find a flower shop and order a dozen roses to be delivered to the restaurant and leave a note for Penelope. Packing up my stuff, I throw a few hundreds on the table and stand up, walking from the restaurant before anyone notices. I need some fucking space to figure this shit out.

After pacing my hotel room for an hour, doing a quick yoga session, and taking a boiling hot shower, I’ve decided to go back to California to distract myself with work. This isn’t the end; I just need to give myself some space from Luxington to figure out what to do. There isn’t one single part of me that can give up on Penelope. She’s embedded in my soul, under my skin, and right at the center of my heart. There isn’t a moment where I feel like walking away for good is an answer.

Before I head to the airport, I settle down on the balcony and call Logan for some insight.

“Hey,” she answers on the second ring.

“You have a minute?”

“Sure, just sitting in the hotel while Carson is at practice,” she says. “Everything okay? Where are you?”

“About to head for the airport.” I sigh. “I tried, Lo, I really fucking tried. But I don’t know how to get through to her. How am I supposed to win someone back whose life I ruined?”

Logan snorts. “Don’t act like that’s all you did for her, Hayden – give yourself a little credit. She loved you for a reason, so you just need to remind her of that reason.”

“I tried,” I growl. “I told her she was the center of my fucking universe, that I loved her, needed her. I spilled my fucking guts. I showed her every goddamn thing inside of me.”

“It’s not about words, dude. Your actions say a lot more. Did you show her that you’ve grown the fuck up, or did you just try to convince her in that raspy, ‘fuck me’ voice? Because that isn’t enough. You’re not going to get through to her with words that might possibly be lies. She doesn’t know if she can believe you. If you really want this, Hayden, and I mean really want it – not just because you want to get your dick wet – then you’re going to have to do stuff that proves you aren’t full of shit. But don’t put her through this if you don’t mean it.”

“I mean it,” I say, growing annoyed that she’s even questioning it. “I’m not some pill-addicted kid anymore, and I want her to be my fucking future.”

“So prove it to her,” Logan answers, and I feel a boulder settle in my gut.

“How?” I groan in the back of my throat. “I’m not fucking romantic. I’ve never had to do this shit before, Lo. Tell me what to do.”

She’s silent for a moment, and I start to think I’ve dropped the call, so I look at my screen to check. When I see the call is still active, I press the phone back to my ear to wait.

After a minute, she speaks.

“I don’t know anything about her – but you do. You need a gesture. Show her you’re serious. Unpack, get comfortable, and stay in North Carolina. Nothing is going to be solved if you’re across the country.”

“I have to work,” I say, chewing on the inside of my cheek.

“You can work from Luxington, and what you can’t do, Levi can do. This gives him the opportunity to step up as well – win-fucking-win.”

I nod mindlessly. “Then what?”

“Then remind her that she fucking loves you.”

I set up a makeshift office at the dining room table of my hotel room, then sit down and get some work done. Everything at the office has been organized so I can stay in Luxington for the next two weeks, and Levi insisted he would be okay. At least Serena is there to babysit him; she understands my day-to-day operations better than anyone. If anyone can run my company, it’s Serena Rowan. I put her through enough shit, she could probably take my seat if she needed to.

Pulling out my phone, I send a text to Penelope.

ME:

Dinner tomorrow?

She responds almost immediately.

PENELOPE:

No.

ME:

How about lunch?

PENELOPE:

No.

I growl in my throat and type out another message.

ME:

I’m not going anywhere, P.

PENELOPE:

What does that mean?

ME:

Get used to seeing me in Luxington.

I lock the screen for my phone and drop it onto the table, ignoring it when it buzzes again, wanting to leave her guessing a bit. There’s a mixture of excitement and nerves in my stomach, making me feel uneasy. Half of me wants to storm out, find her and force my way back into her life, but I know I need a slower burn right now. I’m not a teenager anymore, and she isn’t some carefree woman looking to get lost in someone. She’s the broken one this time, and she’s battling her own demons.

Opening my laptop, I start searching for gifts I can give her – only partly hating that’s where my mind goes first. I guess old habits die hard, because after ten minutes, I’m spending an exorbitant amount of money on a diamond bracelet and having it overnighted.