Page 7 of Viral Affair

Chapter Four

Rupert

“Hi, Spence. Rupert suggested you go out and let your hair down a bit,” Mum said as we all gathered at my famous brother, Spencer Banks’, home. “You’ve been cooped up in this house for months!” Mum began chirping.

Our mum was right, though. Spencer hadn’t socialised with anyone for a long while, discounting any recent diplomatic trips or formal functions he’d attended. Mum said Spencer had finally managed to get a new nanny for Maja, so hopefully this time around he could find some time to go out and enjoy himself.

“Yeah, bro, I am taking you out. Mum has agreed to babysit since your nanny took off for the weekend,” I quickly told him, slapping him on the back. Last week I had finally met with the girls who worked for Emperor and it had gone pretty well. I had to admit I was very impressed with all the women Matthews had hired. One of them couldn’t make it, having to go to the emergency room for an injury to her foot, a burn or something. I was sure I would see her at some point soon, though. Each one of them were stunning, elegant, well-spoken, and confident. He’d selected the most beautiful and smart women to attend to our clients, so there was no doubt why the business was doing so well. I didn’t manage to chat to all of them, but I was planning to be in the club more so I could help Matthews continue to run this place smoothly whilst growing the business.

“Are you nuts? You know I can’t just go clubbing. My security detail will flip out and the press would have a field day!” Spencer stared at me like I’d grown two heads.

Spencer held the title of being the eldest, a fact that remained well-known among us. Furthermore, it was widely acknowledged that he possessed a certain … allure that surpassed our own. If he wasn’t a politician, he would have been an actor or a model.The bastard looked good even in casual clothes. I couldn’t say the same about his character, though. He might be the Prime Minister of this country but he was so damn rude and so hard on everyone around him, especially the women. I hadn’t had the chance to meet his new nanny yet, but I figured she wouldn’t last long. Spencer was a nightmare to work with.

“Nonsense. I normally don’t approve of this, but Rupert is right. Stick to private VIP areas, use private entrances. You know, go somewhere exclusive. And of course, you have your detail accompanying you— so you’ll be fine. You need to relax for once. The summer holidays are coming and you will be away for most of August. Maja is going to take up all your time and attention.” Mum made herself comfortable in Spencer’s kitchen as she put the kettle on.She has always had a way of saying what needed to be said.

My brother dragged his hand through his hair, probably trying to figure out how to get out of this. I knew him too well. I had been so busy lately that I thought tonight would be good for us to go out. I’d also called James and Andrew so we could all meet up at the club. They weren’t going to expect Spencer for sure— the four of us hadn’t enjoyed a night out together like this in years.

“Fine, but we won’t be staying long. Maja wants us to do something tomorrow,” he finally conceded.

“Whatever, bro, just get ready. The Range Rover is waiting outside. Your muscle is already in there,” I said as I plonked myself down on the chair next to my mother, who was waiting on the kettle.

Spencer’s security was tight. And yeah, maybe he was right, this wasn’t one of the brightest ideas. But Spencer fucking deserved to go out. He was only thirty nine, for Christ’s sake. It wasn’t like he went clubbing every night.Everyone needs to blow steam off at some point.

He went upstairs to get changed, and around twenty minutes later, we were finally in the Range Rover. Mum was settled in the living room and Maja was already fast asleep. I suspected Mum would just spend the night at Downing Street to save her travelling home too late.

Matthews had been talking about this club opening up for weeks. Apparently one of his friends, Jason, was the owner, and he had been nagging me to stop by and check it out. It was a great opportunity to celebrate our new partnership, so I’d agreed to bring some friends along with me.

Twenty minutes later, Spencer’s car dropped us outside Jason’s exclusive new club in one of the best parts of London. Spencer’s detail insisted on dropping us at the back to avoid any public stunts and even more attention. I had made sure Matthews had arranged for us to be allowed into a secluded, separate, and lockable VIP section for complete privacy. Spencer had four bodyguards with him who would not leave his side, so we were a sizeable group. However, since this was my idea, I wasn’t going to complain.At least Spencer is getting out.

The back door opened and a bouncer let us through. If he recognised Spencer, he said nothing. They would be used to celebrities coming in this way and I was well aware of several MPs and other prime ministers before Spencer going to clubs like this— so he most definitely wasn’t the first and wouldn’t be the last, either.

The private area oozed glitz and glam. It was decked out in black and gold. The biggest flatscreen TV I’d ever seen was mounted on a wall, taking up almost the whole space. I had no clue such a size even existed. On it, we could observe the main club area from several angles on a split screen.

The place was already packed, everyone clearly having fun, dancing, and drinking cocktails and other drinks at the bar.

Spencer sat on the black, velvet sofa, and I joined him. I hadn’t been out in ages, so I was a little nervous about how the night would go for us.

“Only the most lucrative and affluent pussy will be here tonight. So, pay attention and maybe you’ll get lucky, big brother,” I teased him as I smack his chest playfully.

“I get laid regularly, thank you. I thought James told you. It’s not like I am celibate,” he muttered, clearly offended by my comment. He sounded bored, not excited. “Also, you know I can’t hang out in the main area. You can do whatever you please, of course.”

I studied him for a long moment, my lips curving in a lazy smile.

“Yes, Matthews told me you like using Emperor, and I’m not surprised. That place is great. I officially met the ladies earlier tonight, and every one of them is beautiful and smart. Matthews has truly selected the best women willing to put themselves out there,” I told him.

I’d already shared my plans with him two weeks ago. He’d been slightly apprehensive about it at first, but, since he used the club often, he knew it was a good idea for me to keep an eye on things there.

A few of my friends had texted me to say that I had to download TikTok. Everyone who knew me was well aware I didn’t do social media, but they’d all insisted that I had to create an account, because apparently, one of the videos on the platform was going viral and I was in it. I had no fucking idea what they were all talking about, so I’d decided to check it out. When I finally saw what my friends were talking about, I’d nearly flipped.

Valerie, my Valerie, the woman who I’d met in Greece, the best lay that I’d ever had, posted a video of herself dancing as I was passing by, staring at her yesterday. It turned out that she must have given me the false name because her name on TikTok was Veronica. It was a video of us from two years ago. It looked like someone else was filming it standing by the bar, because it captured the moment as I was just going past Veronica while she was dancing, lost in her own world. I remembered that moment. It was the first time I’d seen her and I’d instantly known that she was going to be mine that night. I was so fucking devastated when she left me the next morning without leaving any kind of contact information.Two years later and I am still pining over her.

The video already had five million views since yesterday. I had scrolled through the comments last night and saw that people were hoping she could track me down. They were obviously caught up in the romantic notion of it all and were doing their utmost to reunite us.

I’d re-watched that video at least a hundred times trying to figure out how to best get in touch with her. There were hundreds and hundreds of comments from people saying that apparently they knew me, so I had to act fast. Veronica must live in London, too, and I wanted to meet her, finally, after two long years. I just had no intention of doing it publicly through any social media channels.

“What the fuck?” I muttered to myself, still shocked she was on the video.

“What? What’s going on?” Spencer instantly asked.

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