The Billionaire's Seductress ✔

11. Aren't We In Trouble

"Only when I ask her to. I didn't ask her to come today."

Scarlett visibly deflated. She downed the rest of her drink and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "I'm going to go see Grace and get some stuff. I'll be back in a few hours. You call me if you need anything."

She waggled her fingers at Ace in a farewell and walked out.

Scarlett slid into the backseat of the car that Ace had faithfully given her, and told her driver where to take her. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out what she thought was her phone.

It was Ace's personal phone.

Like her mind went into autopilot mode, she unlocked it and began randomly scroll through it, completely forgetting that she wanted her own phone instead.

Leaning back in her seat, idly, she went through it the way she normally did when she had a moment to herself.

Generally, people's phones were goldmines of information about who they were, but not Ace Hardwood. His phone was as generic as they came. The bookshelf was empty, the browser had no search history, there were no apps other than the ones that already came with the phone, there was no email address set up and the only pictures in the gallery were ones you could find on Google.

Without much thought, she tapped the "Contacts" app, not expecting to find anything special. There were only three contacts saved on the phone, and only one of which caught Scarlett's eyes.

Nestled beneath "Emerson" and "Emerson Home" was one name that Scarlett knew would pose some unique questions:

Eve

Ace, as private as he was, obviously never mentioned an Eve.

Scarlett put the phone down and brought out her own phone and typed "Ace Hardwood Eve" into her Google search bar, but instead of giving her results about a ravishing model-like young woman, she was met with dead-end results of Ace attending various New Year's Eve functions, Christmas Eve functions and other galas.

She stared at the number, wondering if Eve was the reason Ace refused to part with this phone and this number.

There wasn't anyone she could ask without arousing suspicion, so she decided to tuck the knowledge of Eve away for a later time.

As the driver pulled up outside her building, she told him to give her a few hours before coming back for her.

She walked into the building that had been her home for the past eight years, ever since Grace had found it and helped her with the money to rent it.

Scarlett entered her apartment with an odd melancholic feeling that it would be the last time she'd be in there for a while, at least until she finished Terrence's job. Pulling out a large suitcase, she packed in some work clothes, home clothes and some odd pieces of clothing that she might need for different occasions.

She cleared the counters and made sure that the least amount of dust would get on her things while she was away.

Leaving her packed bag, she walked across the hall and knocked on Danielle's door.

Loud rock music greeted Scarlett's ears as Danielle opened the door. She dressed to the nines and wrestling with her curly hair, trying to put in one of the biggest hoop earrings that Scarlett had ever seen. Even in her state of distress, Danielle was beautiful.

"Sky!" she exclaimed, like she usually did, "Come on in! But I don't have much time, baby, I'm going for a working lunch and then I'm supervising a photoshoot."

"You look gorgeous, Elle," Scarlett told her, closing the door behind her.

Danielle stopped moving and smiled, giving Scarlett a twirl. "You like it?" She gestured to the brightly patterned dress she was wearing. "These patterns are all the rage. I know, I know, you prefer simple things and solid colours and minimalistic clothes, but this just screams happy, doesn't it?"