Fifty Shades Of Red | Charles Leclerc

26. The Enemy

Hailey's pov

'It's crazy that he hasn't told you anything about me. We've been together for almost a year.'

Seated on a chair inside my motorhome, her words still echo inside of my head. They've hunt me from the moment I heard them leave her mouth. I still can feel the way the hair on the back of my neck rose up, or how I couldn't find the words to respond. I was forced to fake a smile, forced to act like I wasn't just about to have a panic attack in the middle of the street.

How is this happening? How did I not see this coming?

I never thought that Max could be a person to do something like that, to her...to me. A part of me still can't believe it. I don't want to believe it.

Charles was right all along. Max is not who I thought he was....

"You just signed the same hat twice."

I stop zoning out and shift my attention towards where the voice came from, where Max just walked inside the room. I immediately look down and see my signature scribbled twice on top of the blue hat I'm holding.

"You look tired." Max says and approaches the table quietly "You wanna take a break?"

My head stands low. I'm unable to look at him. Even just hearing him talk is making me sick in the stomach. I try my best to block out the memories of him kissing me in front of my hotel room door.

When he kissed me then, I felt overwhelmed because of the way Max made me feel. Then, I thought I felt something towards him but looking back I realise that it was just the lack of affection from people in my life. I felt alone, and Max was there. He was the only one who made me feel even a glimpse of comfort and I mistook it for more.

Now I realise that I was wrong.

"Earth to Hailey." Max says and waves his hand in front of my face while I try with everything in me not to flinch away "Have you gotten any sleep lately?"

"I'm fine." I murmur coldly and take another hat from the pile to sign. My foot taps anxiously on the floor since I can feel Max watching my every move. He seems like he wants to struck a conversation with me but after I accidentally found out his little secret, I'm not particulary feeling very chatty.

"So..." he clears his throat "How's Charles?"

"Why don't you go and ask him that for yourself?" I reply and curse myself from not giving him the silent treatment instead.

"I meant...how are you and Charles?"

"And why do you ask?" I look at him now.

Max shrugs.

"I'm just asking because I haven't really seen you since you moved in with him."

"I didn't move in with him." I look down again to avoid rolling my eyes at his statement "I'm just staying with him for the weekend."

"Is that what you told Christian?"

I stop what I'm doing and lean back in my chair.

"What I do with my private life outside from work shouldn't concern Christian. He's in no position to question me about it." My tone raises a bit as I'm starting to feel very irritated.

If Christian knew that I've been staying with Charles the past few days, I don't think he would be too happy, considering none of this was part of the contract. There's nothing and no one that's making me stay with Charles and yet once the sun sets I drive back to his front door steeps.

"Well, maybe it should concern him if you're sleeping with the enemy." Max eyes are cold, nothing like the sweet looking from before. There a pung in my chest, where he hits me with his words.