Chapter 4

• Patrick leaned back in his chair after dropping Meghan off at her apartment. He returned to the Casino, but couldn't focus on work. All he could think about was the mess he had gotten himself into and what he would do if Meghan decided not to leave. Maybe, deep down, it was better for her to decide to leave and start a new life away from Paul. But what if she decided to stay with him?
• Patrick thought about Astrid; she wouldn't be too happy to find out that another woman was living in their love nest. Thinking about Astrid reminded him that he hadn't been in touch with her. He checked the time and dared to call her, risking that she wouldn't answer due to how late it was in Milan. However, the phone was picked up on the second ring; she was awake. Maybe waiting for his call?
• "Darling?" he asked, intrigued by the silence on the other end of the line.
• "Pat," Astrid's voice was hoarse, as if she had been crying, and that distressed him.
• "Are you okay, darling? Your voice sounds hoarse, like..."
• "Tell me it's not true," the urgency in Astrid's voice shook Patrick.
• "What are you talking about, Astrid?" he asked, not understanding his girlfriend's words.
• "Tell me you haven't brought another woman to our apartment."
• Silence settled on the line; Patrick gripped the phone so tightly he almost broke it.
• "Pat, tell me it's not true, please. Tell me you don't have another woman," she pleaded, Astrid's crying pierced Patrick's heart as anger ran through his veins like ice.
• "Astrid."
• "Ray sent me some photos, it was you with another woman," she sobbed.
• Patrick was about to jump out of his chair.
• "There's an explanation for everything, darling, please don't cry."
• "Then, is it true?" Astrid insisted. Patrick could imagine his girlfriend's thoughts, especially if there were photos that incriminated him.
• "Yes, her name is Meghan, but it's not what you think, Astrid. Ray just wants to cause trouble between us, and..."
• "I know Ray and I know what he's capable of, but it hurts to find out from him and not from you," she interrupted.
• Patrick stood up from his chair, walked around the office until he stopped near the window and looked out at the city while listening to Astrid.
• "I didn't know how to tell you, Astrid. I haven't even processed the situation. Ray caused all of this and his intention is clear."
• "I'm tired and my head is foggy, I don't want to continue this conversation; I don't want to say something I might regret, Pat."
• Patrick gritted his teeth, but aware of how late it was and how Astrid must be feeling, he wished her good night and before she could say anything else, she had hung up the call.
• Patrick looked through the glass without seeing; his thoughts were a tangle of annoyance and Ray was the main culprit. He had done everything with one purpose: to annoy Astrid, knowing how far apart they were to clarify the situation. Frustrated, Patrick walked to the minibar and poured himself a whiskey, drank it in one gulp, and poured himself another.
• "Getting drunk won't be the solution."
• Patrick turned to find Harrison.
• "I didn't hear you come in," he said, pouring a new glass of liquor to offer to his friend.
• "You're too distracted, Pat."
• "I know, I just talked to Astrid."
• "And?" Harrison asked, sitting in the long, comfortable, luxurious leather armchair.
• "Ray sent her photos."
• "Photos? What kind of photos?"
• "I guess the idiot photographed us in Paul's building, he didn't miss the opportunity; I should have told Astrid beforehand."
• Harrison took a sip of his glass and shook his head.
• "There's no way to explain something like this over the phone. Nothing beats doing it in person; maybe you should go to Milan," he suggested.
• Patrick shook his head.
• "It's pointless, Astrid is coming back on Monday, then I'll talk to her."
• "Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today," Harrison recited a well known saying.
• "There's nothing I can do, Harrison, Astrid has the most important fashion show tomorrow and my parents are also leaving. I can't be in two places at once and be at dinner with my parents and in Milan at the same time." he argued.
• Harrison sighed, took another sip of his drink, and left it on the coffee table.
• "What are you going to do with the girl?" he asked.
• Patrick looked at the bottom of his glass, walked to the couch, and sat down.
• "I don't know if she's going to stay."
• "Did you argue?"
• Patrick shook his head.
• "I just clarified things for her, I'm not a damn pervert with ulterior motives towards her; she's barely legal!" he exclaimed, taking another sip of his drink.
• Harrison placed a hand on Patrick's shoulder.
• "I can take her home if you want, I won't have any problem with them. Besides, we won't be alone, she can be company for my mother." he offered.
• Patrick shook his head.
• "I don't want that poor girl to feel like an object, brought and taken at the whim of others. What's happening to her now is already bad enough; I can imagine the pain she must feel being betrayed by the man who should have protected her."
• "Are you worried about her?" the surprise in Harrison's voice made Patrick sigh.
• "I don't know her, I have no ties to her beyond this damn bet; however..."
• Patrick couldn't continue; he drank the rest of his glass and left it on the coffee table, imitating Harrison.
• "What?" he asked, at Patrick's silence.
• "She's so young, I would like to help her; maybe you're right, being at home and in charge of Mia might be a solution."
• "Of course, as long as you don't tell your parents that you won her in a bet."
• Patrick frowned.
• "I would never tell them, mom hates bets; it's one of the main conditions she set when I decided to venture into the business, of course that doesn't mean she doesn't know how to play." he said.
• "I know, Patrick; still, you have to be aware that helping that girl can bring you a lot of problems and not just with Astrid, we don't know what Ray is really after and there's also Paul."
• Patrick clenched his jaw.
• "Ray won't mess up my life again and as for Paul, I highly doubt Meghan will forgive him."
• "And Astrid?"
• "I'm going to explain Meghan's situation to her; maybe they can be friends." he muttered.
• Harrison looked at Patrick for a few seconds.
• "Do you think they can be friends?"
• "I don't know." Patrick responded with frustration; he got up from the couch and walked to the minibar to refill his glass.
• Harrison shook his head.
• "Astrid is your girlfriend and she might feel jealous; Meghan is pretty." he said.
• "I don't want to talk about Meghan anymore, I have to think about Astrid, she's the one I need to take care of and protect. Astrid is the woman I love and if I have to choose between them, you can keep Meghan if she wants." Patrick finally said, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. He didn't want to treat Meghan as an object; but in the end, he was questioning his own words by offering her to Harrison. Was he really any different from Paul? The thought enraged him...
• Meghan got up from the floor; she had no idea how long she had been crying like a Magdalene, but it had been enough for her tears to dry up. Her heart still hurt; Paul's betrayal had marked her forever. She could hardly trust anyone else from now on. That's why she found it difficult to think of Patrick as a savior. But then, what should she do? Leaving was the best option, but... where would she go? She couldn't go back to Daisy's house; she couldn't risk Paul seeing her again and knowing she was alone once more.
• She loved Paul because he was her brother and that made his betrayal even more painful, even more than the death of her parents.
• "You still have time to go back to his side and become his damn bargaining chip!"
• Patrick's words echoed in her mind; Meghan shuddered, it was as if he were there with her, repeating it to her.
• "If you go back to Paul, he will expose you to danger again; if he doesn't bet on you in another game, you might end up being the payment for a loan and ending up in the hands of a criminal."
• A sob without tears came from Meghan's throat; could she blindly trust Patrick Ferreira? It was a risk; however, it was her only option.
• Meghan walked through the luxurious apartment, searching for a phone; she needed to contact Daisy to tell her what had happened. She tried several times, but couldn't reach her friend. She tried dialing her own number, but it was silent; there was no way for Daisy to notice. Frustrated, she left the phone and sat on the couch, staring into space. Her distraction was short-lived; the doorbell made her jump.
• Meghan didn't know what to do; she wasn't the owner of the apartment and suddenly she was afraid that Paul might follow her there and try to take advantage of her now that Patrick had left her alone.
• Another call startled her; the insistence made her get up and walk to the door. Her hands were trembling, her heart was racing with fear, but she couldn't just sit there and ignore the loud sound of the doorbell. With more courage than she felt, Meghan opened the door, facing a woman as blonde as the sun. Her deep and bright green eyes scrutinized her with curiosity and suspicion.
• "Who are you?" she asked; her tone of voice made Meghan take a step back involuntarily.
• Meghan didn't know what to answer; she didn't know if that woman was an acquaintance of Patrick's or even, she didn't know if she could be his girlfriend, although she looked too old for that. So, what should she say?
• "I'm Meghan, my name is Meghan," she said hesitantly.
• "And what are you doing in this apartment?" she asked. Kate was about to call the police; when she decided to visit her son, she didn't expect to find a woman who wasn't Astrid. She was surprised and needed an explanation.
• "I... I..." Meghan felt like she was about to suffocate in front of the impressive woman before her, her nerves were so high that she couldn't respond, leaving the tension hanging in the air.