Page 26 of Bully's Second Chance
“Not when I’m talking to myself.”
Or saying shit out loud that you’re thinking.
I growled. “Shut up and let me sleep.”
And even though it felt like my entire world was careening out of control, the chirping little voice in my head put a sock in it.
As darkness teased me with thoughts of restful sleep, I dug my heels in and promised myself that before I left Shanghai, I’d have this deal secured. If I put a pin in it and nailed it down, it would be the largest overseas contract this company had taken on. It would blow both my record and my father’s record out of the water, combined. And then, no one would forget about us.
No one would forget about him.
And maybe, just maybe, that legacy would haunt my mother just enough for her to come out of the woodworks so we could talk.
So I could finally ask her why the hell I wasn’t worth sticking around for.
10
Lily
Ihad a hard time sleeping that night. Well, honestly, I had a hard time sleeping every night. I laid down in a bed that wasn’t mine and stared up at a ceiling that wasn’t mine and cleaned myself up and down in a bathroom that wasn’t mine while eating meals alone in a house that wasn’t mine.
So, needless to say, I was up early just about every morning.
After throwing the covers off my body and getting myself ready for the day, I headed downstairs. I passed by Mr. Levy’s room, where I heard his snores filtering through the door, and I figured that was a good thing. He needed his rest.
But, other than that, the house was eerily quiet.
As I came down the steps, my eyes locked on the double doors of his office. I knew he told me I could use it to do work, but I hadn’t mustered up the guts to punch in the code. But, as I stood there with nothing but staff hustling and bustling around me in the background, I suddenly got the urge to open the door.
So, I walked over to the keypad on the wall and punched in the code I had practically memorized. “Bingo,” I whispered. I heard the lock flip, and I grabbed both of the knobs, tossing the two doors open. And when I walked inside, I was absolutely gob smacked at what I saw. “Holy shit,” I whispered.
Every wall had floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, and they were all stuffed with books. A beautiful white wood desk sat in the middle of the darkened room, like a beacon of hope in the midst of darkness. Everything was immaculately dusted and meticulously set, almost like the room were about to be photographed for a magazine.
And as I explored the rest of the house, I found it to be the exact same way.
Even the art on the walls as I walked around the lower level seemed so… impersonal. There weren’t any smiling pictures of him as a child or hanging out with his grandparents. There weren’t any family portraits, or framed artwork still tacked up to the fridge after all these years. Everything in this place looked more like a stock photo than a house someone lived in.
I wondered what happened to that little boy who loved to kick around a soccer ball in the middle of the night and shoot off firecrackers for the entire month of July simply because he could.
As I passed through the kitchen, the chef offered me a biscuit and a mug of coffee, which I gratefully took. And after he ushered me outside, I found myself smack dab in the middle of an oasis. The back porch deck was stained this beautiful dark wood color, and the patio furniture looked more comfortable than the furniture scattered across the house.
And trust me, that furniture was still very comfortable.
“Wow,” I whispered.
As I sat down at the glass patio table, the memory foam wicker furniture molded to me as I sat back. I kicked my feet up onto an ottoman that I slid in front of me, my eyes gazing out over the beautiful expanse of his backyard. There were random patches of wildflowers that grew and fluttered in the wind. Groves of trees gave off the most beautiful smell that surrounded what looked like a gazebo with a porch swing in the middle of it. Off to the side was a lazy river that looked like an actual river, running along the outer expanse of his backyard, and as my eyes followed the pathway, I found that it dumped into this gorgeous sunken-in pool that looked more like a rainforest paradise than anything else.
And the bubbling hot tub next to some of the lounge chairs off in the distance called to me.
I wonder if the internet would reach all the way over there.
There was something for everyone. Weaving in and out of the patches of wildflowers and sunflowers and rose bushes were cobblestone pathways lined with lavender. Actual, naturally growing lavender. And I swear, back at the tree line just before the natural pines and palm trees took over, there looked to be some sort of a guesthouse. And that made me a bit curious.
I wonder how many times he’s really used that thing.
When my stomach started growling, I reached for my biscuit. But then, I thought of Mr. Levy. I thought about his waking up all alone, with no one but a nurse to tend to him. I thought about his eating breakfast alone, with no one but a nurse to help him eat. And the thought broke my heart.
So, I scooped up my things and made my way back inside.
