They hugged and then she headed to the sedan, where the driver held open the door.She thought she was going to be alone, but as she ducked to sit in the darkened interior, she saw Hades there.She smiled, the stretch of her skin aching a little from the bruise.
“Didn’t expect to see you,” she said.
“What the hell happened to you?”he demanded, placing a finger under her chin and turning her head.
“I fell,” she answered.
“You fell?”He sounded like he didn’t believe her.
“I fell by way of being pushed.”
“What the fuck?Who did this?I will tear their fucking lives apart!”Furious anger exploded across his face but she placed her hands on his cheeks so he’d look at her.
“It was Steven’s girlfriend, Ranelle, but it’s been handled in the best way possible.”
“Cora—”
“She’s been fired,” she stated.“Please, trust me.Remember?”
He studied her face, then brought his finger up to turn her face.Then he lightly kissed the bruise.
“I don’t like it, but very well.”
She smiled.“Thank you.”
He took a deep breath and nodded, then wrapped his arm around her and she snuggled into his side.She stared out the window, and it didn’t take her long to realize that they weren’t going to Beverly Hills.They were headed to Westwood, which meant he was taking her to the condo.
The place he took hook-ups.
“Why are we going to the condo?”she asked.
“I have a surprise.”
“What surprise?”
“If I tell you, that’ll ruin the surprise.”
“Hades, I’m not sure if you know this but when you say the word surprise, it’s terrifying.”
“Should I be insulted?”
She tilted her head, waiting.
“From now on the condo will be yours,” he declared, as if that was some sort of prize.
“What?”she asked, shocked.
“The condo in Westwood,” he repeated, tucking some hair behind her ear.“You’ll live there, and I can visit when I have the chance.”
Cora searched his face, trying to see if he realized what he was saying.All she saw was that he was very pleased with himself, as if he’d solved some kind of puzzle that had bugged him for a while.
“I’m not going to live in your condo,” she said firmly.
He frowned.“I’ve already decided it.I’ve had food delivered.There are dishes and utensils.Towels.Everything you need is now there, and you never have to go back to your room.”
“I can barely afford rent where I’m at.How am I supposed to pay rent in a place that’s worth millions?”
“I’m not charging you rent,” he said, as if that was silly.“You’ll want for nothing.In fact, you don’t have to work.”
