One Redemption

Chapter 5

I wrapped a towel around my wet hair as I made my way into the bedroom and let my eyes fall on the change of clothes Chelsea had laid out on the bed. I quickly put on the jean shorts and pink tank top and brushed my hair out. My eyes were still a bit puffy from crying and the stress of the evening had my stomach in knots. Lucas' words kept playing through my head... Why hadn't Gary said anything yet? If roles were reversed and he was dealing with a group of fans that were doing the same things, I'd have already said something about it, no question. A part of me debated whether I should call him, ask him to go online and tell his army to leave me alone and fuck off, but I knew that the last thing I needed was to hear his voice. My skin felt cold where my wet hair laid, the chill in the house only made me feel colder. I strolled out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the living quarters where the others were. Lucas and Chelsea's house was ridiculously big. The bedroom I was staying in was larger than my flat. Chelsea had fallen in love with the stately seven-bedroom, five bathroom, six thousand square foot home on five acres in one of Oxford's most sought-after neighborhoods after driving by. As soon as she'd mentioned it to Lucas, he'd convinced the owners to sell it to him and purchased it, no questions asked. It was stunning, inside and out. Chelsea had really put her decorating magic to work on this place. It looked like one of those homes that should be featured in a better home and garden magazine. The neighborhood was filled with celebrities and high-profile people, all of the residences donning gates at their front. Being around Lucas made me feel poor, and I was far from it. I couldn't even imagine what it felt like to have the kind of money that he had. I wasn't sure of the exact figure, but London Now had did a piece on the UK's sexiest and wealthiest men and had his net-worth at somewhere around sixty-three million, which was higher than some actors and recording artists. Lucas was one of the most famous out of all of us that were on Love Island and with good reason. He was very attractive, incredibly charming, completely minted and the women adored him. He could get in anywhere without waiting and was constantly being asked to make appearances and what not, most of which he accepted unless they were at a club. Clubs and all that, they weren't his cup of tea. Lucas preferred the finer establishments like upscale lounges or piano bars, somewhere he could sit back and enjoy a glass of expensive bourbon and a cigar. Since leaving the show, Lucas and I had become quite close and had been able to put everything that happened in the villa behind us. After Henrik went home, he barely spoke a word to me and made it quite obvious that he blamed me for Henrik's departure. Slowly, over the last year, we'd been able to work through our differences. He was honest with me and told me that he felt like I treated Henrik like shit and that I'd walked all over him, taking advantage of his passive nature, which in a sense, I did. He'd told me flat out that I didn't deserve Henrik and that I was lucky that Henrik was the way he was because he would have dropped my ass so fast my head would've spun. Lucas didn't mince words. If he felt it, he was going to say it. He wouldn't be overly rude, but it was gonna be said.

"Hey girly!" Chelsea chimed as she saw me round the corner towards the living room.

I gave her a small smile. "Thanks for the clothes."

"Don't mention it, girly! You look super cute." She giggled as she skipped over towards the bar. "Want something to drink?"

"Sure." I said as I dropped down onto the plush white sofa, wrapping myself up in a throw. "It's freezing in here."

"Thank you. I tried to tell Chelsea that we could hang meat in here, but she thinks I'm crazy." Lucas chuckled as he cast his gaze on his fiancé.

"Oh hush. I like it cold. I'd rather be cold than hot." She chimed.

"You're always hot, kitten." He said as he sauntered over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, placing kisses along her shoulder, making her giggle.