Forgotten Pleasure | Venable vs Winters [Book 2]

Chapter 8 | Die Young

You knock on the door while you're looking over your shoulder, checking if someone's following you. A minute later, the door sways open and you barge in while rubbing your palms together because it's freezing outside. "Hey, what the? (y/n)?" Your cousin almost cursed but he got surprised to see you at his house.

"Where the hell have you been? It's been two weeks and you didn't even text anyone? Did Wilhemina see you already? We're concerned about your whereabouts." Questions keep on coming as he closes the door as you walk in, seems like you're in a hurry to get to his kitchen. "Are you hungry? I'm almost done preparing lunch." Vince proceed to the stove to stir his cooking.

Your mouth is sealed shut and you sit down on the tall stool on his island counter. You're sitting right there as you watch him cook. "Why did you go AWOL for the last two weeks? Wilhemina got so mad that there was no single day that she didn't scream at me." Then a blow of disbelief exits his mouth. "Aren't you even gonna talk?"

You're staring at him like a clueless child that is missing. His laptop is over the surface therefore you eye what's on the screen. It looks like he's still working on Sundays. The laptop chimes and you look at your cousin but he's busy finding something on the fridge. So you pull the laptop in front of you to check on his email.

"Bulletin Publishing?"

There are lots of emails from that company. The mouse cursor moves to open one of the emails, as you're reading the salutation the laptop is pushed down close by your cousin. "What are you trying to read? Hmm? You'll disappear, show up, then read something from my emails?" He wipes his hands on his apron to dry them as he flips the patty he's frying.

Your eyebrows are pulled down, showing that you're serious. "What's with Bulletin Publishing? I swear I heard that somewhere." Eyes are dragged down on the countertop while you wonder why it's too familiar.

Vince let out a slight chortle while he toasts the buns on the frying pan. "It's a publishing company, uh, that's all." His eyes avoid eye contact whilst he focuses on cooking. "I think it helps to publish the magazine last month."

Nodding your head while your eyes are narrowed down. "Hmm, yeah, you know lying doesn't help." You know that your cousin is bluffing, you're not buying his lies. "I know who helped with the publishing. So tell me the truth."

He did not respond, hence he finish making the cheeseburger. Vince serves a plate for you and one for him before he settles down beside you on another stool. "Alright, fine. I need you to calm down first. How can I share what I know when you're in this cray-cray state?" He picks up a fries and pops it in his mouth.

You inhale and exhale cautiously to show him that you're getting yourself calm. "Bulletin Publishing is having a problem at the moment and they needed their company owner during these times." As he's elaborating his story you're taking your time for the information to sink into your mind.

"Wait, wait, wait," you realize where he's going with this. "So, you mean Wilhemina's the owner of the Bulletin Publishing?" Then you gaze into nothingness as you're putting all the jigsaw pieces together.

When you go back to your cousin's eyes, he nods and agrees. "I thought you knew. I'm sorry, (y/n). I shouldn't have told you that." Vince picks up his burger and then takes a large bite.

You're not even touching your food. Besides that you're not hungry, you lost your appetite with all of this confusion and wanting to know more. As you're drifting to your thoughts, you remember what Lana had told you; Wilhemina's hiding something from you. This might be true but you need more proof to testify your theory.

You jump off the wooden stool and then pick up your bag from the floor. "Gotta go, Vince. Thank you for the burger." Your hand grabs the burger before you exit his house.