Page 34 of Twisted Promise

Meryl and her husband had gotten into a volatile fight just before the message came in, which likely inspired the idea in the director’s head. Everyone watching the live feed saw how reprehensible the duo was when their voices bounced off the walls.

Their petty dispute triggered the trio’s discomfort, which led to the boiling point of whatever problems were festering in their triangular relationship.

Just like that, they all crumbled down, picked at insecurities, and brought up past mistakes.

The trio and the married couple were fine mere hours before, yet the tiniest stone caused a landslide of toxicity and tears.

Alessio could only imagine how monstrous the director’s smile was.

He had some idea of why they were fighting.

Meryl was unsatisfied with her husband being more emotionally available to his employees than he was to her. Hewas exhausted from the endless pressure of trying to keep up with her unrelenting spending spree.

Cosmo hated how his other male partner was too passive in their relationship. That was countered by the said man’s complaint about how he felt uncomfortable whenever Clara nagged him about recycling. Clara pointed her anger at Cosmo for always over-analyzing everything to the point she felt like he was dissecting her.

Alessio was not interested in the crux of their relationship, let alone knowing them as individuals. He was fine with not knowing anything about the people around him; he hardly knew his manager’s private life, and it took three years to learn he had a wife.

Marriage, he sat on the thought.

The idea had loomed over his head before, like a white cloud that drifted across the blue sky while he held her hand with a smile that shamed the sun above them.

It had turned gray as a defense mechanism, a stain somewhere in the back of his mind as a vein in his temple throbbed threateningly.

Marriage might not be a plan for the future, but without her, it wasn’t even a speck of a dusty concept.

“Anya, let’s go,” Meryl called out.

Anya’s shoulders jumped in surprise as she glanced at her friend. Meryl’s husband stood off to the side with a look of pitiful disgruntlement.

“You’d be amazed what talking can accomplish,” Anya said, her fingers slithering across his inner wrist as she began to drag him away.

Meryl looked like she wanted to throw that advice back at her, and Alessio was all for it because Anya sucked at communication.

The trio simultaneously looked at Anya as their voices talked over each other, offering to take his place or hers so they wouldn’t have to sit in the car with either of them.

Alessio pulled out his key fob, the crocheted animal dangling mockingly in their faces, and hovered his hand protectively over her head as she bent down to get into the car. He watched how she avoided their eyes with great effort not to get guilt-tripped into sitting in a car with them amid potential traffic to worsen the uncomfortable ride.

He closed the door, destroying their last efforts to plead with her, especially Meryl, who pulled out a bribe of Anya’s favorite snacks hidden in her jacket.

Alessio raised a brow at them before getting into the driver’s seat. He left them in the dust, mouth agape and affronted at his attitude.

“Was I too rude?” she asked from the passenger seat, fidgeting the hem of her jacket.

He took one hand off the wheel when a car passed in the other lane and pulled loose the burgundy scarf. With a flick of his wrist, it landed on her lap, and he told her to hold it for him.

“It needed more force,” he admitted.

He imagined himself in her position and likely would’ve added an insult or two. It was best to nip the problem in the bud and ensure they understood there was no room for persistence.

His propped-up phone showed the next left turn when the text came, firmly suggesting bringing up today’s mission somehow.

Ignoring the text, he eyed the time at the bottom of the map app, and there were at least twenty more minutes to their destination, where the director planned for everyone to gather for breakfast.

You better sleep with one eye.The next message came from an unknown number.

Anya's mortified chuckle betrayed her; the swipe she made on his phone had been far too self-assured.

“Meryl is just joking,” she defended her friend, “but maybe you should put a chair under your doorknob.”

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