Page 123 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“How does it feel, being the favorite employee?” Kate asked.

I rolled my eyes and went to the change room to grab my bag. I waved them good-bye as I walked to the back door. I wanted to jump up and scream. I froze when I saw Tristan standing in front of my car, looking dashing in a tailored suit.

“What are you doing here?” I asked as I approached him.

He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss.

“Is it a coincidence that you’re here immediately after my manager gave me a day off?” I cocked my eyebrows at him while he smirked.

“Let’s go. We have a flight to catch.” He took the key from my hand.

I stood there, dumbfounded. He opened the door for me and had to guide me to the seat and shut the door.

“A what?” I asked after he entered the car and turned on the engine.

He smiled and said nothing. I put on my seat belt and sat back, trying to understand what was happening. Twelve minutes through the drive, the airport came into view. I sat up and gave Tristan a questioning look, but he said nothing.

We drove through a private check-in to a jet waiting. I refused to come out of the car, so Tristan came over and opened the door for me.

“What’s going on?” I asked, not agreeing to step a foot outside.

“It’s a surprise,” he said, extending his hand for me to take.

I exhaled and placed my hand in his. A hostess greeted us as we climbed up the steps to enter the private jet. I took slow steps as I walked to the seat.

“We’re taking off in a few minutes. You can take a shower once we are in the air. Your best friend helped pack your bag. You’ll find it in the bedroom,” Tristan said behind me while I was still trying to soak everything in.

“Where are we going?”

“I told you, it’s a surprise,” he said with a wink while I rolled my eyes.

I took a seat and buckled up. Tristan took the seat in front of me, a smile still curling around the edges of his plump lips.

“Is it safe to use the shower?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t ask you to do something that would cause you any harm. Yes, it’s safe.” His lips tilted up in amusement.

I leaned closer to the window to watch the plane take off. Tristan was busy on his laptop as I stood to search for the bedroom. The last time I had been in here, I hadn’t had any interest in exploring the interior. The bedroom was far from what I’d expected. A king-size bed stood in the middle of the room. The room was furnished like a typical luxury bedroom. I found a small traveling bag on the bed. Four gift boxes lay next to it. I was curious and wasted no time in unboxing each box. The smallest gift box was jewelry. The Dior gift box contained a purse. The Versace gift box held a black dress. The Saint Laurent gift box had strappy black heels inside. The gold brand logo at the heel was illuminated with the lights in the room.

I unzipped my bag. Vina had packed me two dresses, silk pajamas, a pair of jeans, three tops, a small makeup kit, a few toiletries, two of her handbags, a pair of boots, sneakers, and white T-strap heels. I gasped when I saw red lace lingerie with garter belts.

“Vina,” I groaned and buried my face in my palms.

I put everything back in the bag and walked to the bathroom. I was in awe at the glass shower walls and wide mirror. I turned on the shower and undressed. I took a quick shower. There was still an unsettling feeling about showering in the plane.

I didn’t know when we were going to land. Tristan had said it was a long flight. I needed something cozy, and Vina hadn’t packed me a hoodie or sweatpants. I saw Tristan’s suitcase at the corner of the room. I unzipped it and was relieved to find his sweatpants. I grabbed it with his black T-shirt and zipped the bag. I put on the sweatpants and had to roll it at the waist a couple of times to get it to fit. I put on his T-shirt and pulled my hair up in a ponytail.

I found Tristan asleep when I came out. I sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. He woke up at the contact and asked me if everything went okay. I gave him a half-smile and told him to go back to sleep. He put one arm around me and closed his eyes. I took a glance at the aisle with the air hostesses conversing in a low tone. I pulled my legs up to the seat and adjusted to find a comfortable spot. I closed my eyes and drifted slowly to sleep.

***

I was exhausted by the time we arrived. I’d slept for hours and watched three movies while Tristan worked on his laptop. I tried figuring out what country we were in as we stepped out of the jet. Tristan smiled smugly at me, as if he knew what I was trying to do. We went through customs, and I wasn’t surprised Vina had known where to find my passport. We were escorted to a black Porsche outside. I could tell I looked like a homeless person from the loose sweatpants, large T-shirt, and messy ponytail. My guess so far was that we were in France. Tristan was being very secretive, but from the number of people I’d heard conversing in French, I figured it was France.

I closed my eyes immediately when we entered the car. I opened my eyes when Tristan spoke to the chauffeur in French.

“Since when do you speak French?”

“Since I planned to bring you here,” he said, and I felt a blush creep up my neck.

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