Chapter 208 - Pretentious

"Come home with me." Desmond slid a hand around her waist as soon as they were alone. It was a cross between a request and an order. He didn't sound like he was giving her any choice.

She tilted her head to look at his face and laughed when she caught the lustful look in his eyes. "Is this why you invited me to the banquet, Mr. Fort? So you can get into my pants?"

His eyes darkened and she felt his hand tighten against her waist. "I don't need to invite you to a banquet to get into your pants, Miss Williams. And by that, I don't mean that I don't want to."

She caressed his hand that was on her waist teasingly. "I hate to torment your balls but…"

"Then don't." He groaned, knowing where this was heading.

"I left Ximena in my room." She laughed.

"She's a big girl. I'm sure she can take care of herself until mommy's home." He joked but didn't want her to leave for Ximena.

"She needs me right now. I'm sorry." Her expression turned serious so he would know that she couldn't go to his place without having to explain it in detail.

"But I need you too." He pouted. He was so cute that she laughed out aloud.

"Be a good boy and I might just reward you." She grabbed his crotch but let go faster than he could process it. When he grabbed her hand to pull it back to his body, she withdrew it like it had been scalded. "We are in public."

"We were in public a moment ago when you grabbed my dick." He muttered in her ear and hated it when Lucy arrived. She winked, blew him a kiss and hopped into Lucy's car without looking back. He felt worse when Lucy gave him an awkward smile and muttered a 'sorry' before disappearing into the car after her daughter.

He groaned. He wanted to grind Liam's balls just as badly as Zaria wanted to. After hearing about her threat and the fact that Ximena needed some sort of comfort, paired with the fiasco at the company a few weeks ago that stemmed from the arrival of a first generation Toyota corolla with Liam's name on it, he had pinned the pieces together and guessed that his friend was the asshole who made Ximena sad. He doubted anyone had the ability to make that devil sad but that was the only plausible explanation.

His ridiculous thoughts of kicking his friend's ass for causing his blue balls were interrupted by an uncomfortable feeling. He felt eyes on him and was yet to investigate his surroundings when an overly enthusiastic voice came from behind him.

"Desmond! Honey, I missed you."

He dodged Alyssa's hug when he felt her near him. This woman was his mother but he didn't know how to proudly say that anymore. His father might have been an asshole in every way that counted but she wasn't any better off. She was a selfish woman who could make a deal with the devil if it meant getting what she wanted. And often what she wanted wasn't in any way worth the price. The only good thing about her was probably the fact that he had met Zaria because the latter wrote an article about her.

Alyssa looked hurt by his distance. "Are you still avoiding me because of that woman? Is she advising you to stay away from your family?"

He furrowed his brows in annoyance. "What do you want?"

"You never spoke that way to me until you met her. You were my lovely boy." She looked like she was on the verge of crying. "Do you know that she is keeping you from her family so you can be even? Her own mother dumped her and just so you know, the mother I'm talking about is Lucy Roatta. That woman is a nightmare."

He knew that. To be fair, he didn't know why everyone was going crazy at the mention of Lucy's name. Sure, she was the wealthiest business woman in Olphire and probably the whole of Europe, as well as the boss of The Dark Night, but she was also a loving mother who would lower her position to a COO of a company way below her level just to bond with her daughter. It was unfair that everyone seemed to only see the villainess in her.

And the woman who had the audacity to term another woman as evil was not any better off. He looked at the hypocrite he had trusted for most of his life, and would probably still be trusting if Zaria didn't throw the facts in his face. "What do you want?" He repeated.

"Do you think I only sought you because I want something?" She looked annoyed. "I missed you, that's all."

Sarcasm filled his visage. "I see. I'll get going then."

"Wait." She called after him and he turned.

"Son, I'm in a fix." She looked down as she spoke.

Of course he expected that. He glanced at her downcast face. "What kind of fix? One that Mark created for you, or one you created for Mark? Or is it one that stemmed from your ridiculous plans together?"

She looked up, not entirely surprised that he knew about Mark. Since he already knew, she skipped the specifics and jumped to begging mode. "Lucy is after us."

"You planned to make a move on her only daughter. I wouldn't be surprised." He raised an eyebrow. If she had not convinced him to leave Alyssa and Mark to her, Alyssa would not be standing here, shedding crocodile tears. Of course, he would have dealt with Alyssa in a way that didn't involve a bullet through her head but Mark would not have escaped that.

"We will stay away from Zaria if she lets us off." Her plea pulled him out of his thoughts.

"You should stay away from Zaria whether or not Lucy intends to let you off." He scoffed.

She clasped her hands together. "You have to help us, please."

A smirk formed on his lips before it bloomed into a smile. "You should be grateful that I'm not doing anything to you for targeting my woman." He looked behind her just in time to catch a head disappearing behind the wall. Someone had been listening in on their conversation and he had seen a glimpse of the man before he disappeared.

He would recognize that gray head anywhere. It was none other than the patriarch of the Su family, who they now knew was Zaria's grandfather. Nathaniel Su.