Page 9 of King of Deception

Allowing myself to indulge, I had a few more drinks. They were always followed by water, discreetly brought to me by the unnamed waiter. Although I didn’t enjoy being treated like someone who couldn’t hold her liquor, I appreciated the fact that he didn’t try to speak to me anymore. Instead, he acted like my guardian angel for the night, and I decided to take it in a good way like I was somehow special.

It was nearly two in the morning when I finally decided to say my goodbyes and call it a night. If I wanted to get home in one piece, it was best if I left before becoming completely wasted. After all, those people had chauffeurs to take care of the ride home for them while I drove myself here.

As I walked out into the massive parking lot, I had no idea where my car was parked.

“Miss?” a man’s voice prompted me to turn around. He was rushing toward me. Right—the valet.

“Oh, silly me,” I tittered, opening my clutch and looking for the little card. “Here,” I handed it to him.

“Okay. Your car will be right out.”

“Thank you.”

He walked away, and I took a few steps, taking in the many expensive and exotic cars lined up all around me. I couldn’t place half the logos on them while failing to estimate the prices of the ones I did recognize. Any one of those cars could be worth a year’s rent for me.

“I hope you had a good time.” Jude’s voice made my eyes widen as I turned.

“What are you still doing here?”

In the dark, he looked taller. Bigger. More intimidating. “With the way you were drinking in there, am I wrong to wanna make sure that you can drive?”

The blood rushed to my head, and I saw red. “Jude… you’re not responsible for me. We’re not together. We haven’t been for six months, and I really need you to—”

“Sir, I believe you’re trespassing at this point.” The waiter’s voice, as if out of thin air, somehow instilled a sense of comfort inside me.

“What the fuck, dude?” Jude gestured with his hand, and it was now apparent that he was staggering drunk. “Did you hire this asshole to be your bodyguard or something?”

“Sir, you’re drunk.” The waiter’s hand softly landed on Jude’s arm, and he quickly pushed it away.

“Don’t touch me!”

“You’re leaving me no choice but to call security again,” the waiter sternly stated before turning around. “Security? He’s back! Seriously?”

“Oh my God,” I mumbled as two large men quickly made their way down the exit stairs, coming toward us.

“I can’t believe this!” Jude shouted as one of them grabbed his arm. “This won’t be the end of it, I promise you!” He tried to wag a finger at me but soon was overpowered by the two guards. “You’re gonna regret this, Ella. I promise you’re gonna regret it!”

I watched in terror as they dragged him away. For a moment, I only watched before I turned to the waiter. “He’s wasted.”

“Well, he’s gone.”

I started to panic, “I—I don’t even know if he can drive!”

“Don’t worry, they know the protocol. In his state, they’ll probably put him in a cab.”

“A cab?”

“Yes. Weddings this big usually employ a line of private cabs for… y’know.”

Slowly shaking my head, I stared at his face illuminated by the moon. “Where did you even come from?”

“I—I was up there,” he pointed toward the exit gate of the mansion.

“At the door?” I dipped my head.

“Yeah.”

Had he been following me? “Doing what?”

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