The Death Letter (Reverse Harem)

Chapter Seven: Lunch

Lily Mayfield
July 17, 2024

I walked in the cafe, there were around 10 guys sitting in the restaurant, loud and hyper. My set of keys were at the penthouse so I've been using the front door to get in.

There was somehow three million dollars on my gold card, which I've been using to pay for a nice hotel room downtown and buy the necessities like food, clothes and skincare. Three million dollars I certainly did not put there.

I tried calling Mother, Father and Magnolia all week but they had me blocked. Using their money didn't feel good but it was all I had for now. Baking wasn't exactly a high paying job and I needed a place to stay.

These past two weeks have been kind of blur, like I've been living the same day on repeat. Wake up, go to work, take my lunch break in Rocky's office per his request, go home and cry, sleep, and do it all again.

"Lunch, people!" Chef Renard called out. Everyone took off their aprons and headed for break room. One of my colleagues started sending me some nasty looks after she found out I was spending my breaks with Rocky. I know it probably seemed like I was getting special treatment from him—and maybe I was—but it's not like I had asked for it.

I walked toward the front of the cafe and down the hall to Rocky's office. I knocked softly on the door, unsure if he was in a meeting or taking a call or something important like that. He told me to come in.

His smile was warm as he watched me enter the room and sit on the chair across from his desk. His hair was messy but he was dressed much more professional than usual. The three piece suit looked almost comical on him, like he was born to wear jeans and a t-shirt. And still, he managed to look better than any other man I'd seen. His ridiculously tall stature and the muscles that bulged through his clothes almost completely knocked the wind out of me.

He gave me a lazy grin as he relaxed back into his chair. "Hey, Little Lily. What are you thinking about?"

"Uhh, nothing," I said guiltily. I've started feeling more comfortable around him, but also, the more time I spend with him the more my silly little schoolgirl crush seems to intensify. It was embarrassing really.

"Mhm." He didn't seem convinced. "Food should be here any minute. Any guesses?" He's been surprising me with a new kind of food every day.

"Hmm..." I tapped my chin in contemplation. "I'm gonna guess tacos."

His eyes glowed like he knew something I didn't. A few minutes passed before he went to go grab our food from the delivery driver.

He set a bunch of styrofoam boxes down on the desk and a styrofoam cup for each of us. "Help yourself."

I opened one of the boxes to see some of the most mouth watering pancakes of my life. I gave him grateful smile. I told him breakfast was my favorite meal of the day earlier this week. "Thank you," I said sincerely.

He sent me a quick wink and dug into his hash browns. My lower half started to feel all tingly all of the sudden.

We made small talk and he asked all sorts of questions about my personal life but before I could ask him anything he jumped onto the next question.

"You and your sister, Magnolia, I think is her name. You don't look much alike - were one of you adopted?"

Oh. I wasn't expecting that.

I immediately into tears like a dumb little crybaby at the mention of my family.

I heard Rocky get out his chair. I didn't dare open my eyes.

"Hey, sweet girl. Let me see you." He sounded really close to me.

I shook my head. "S-sorry."

Everything was so wrong. Mother and Father hated me. Magnolia acted like I didn't exist, even when I desperately pounded on her door in the middle of the night. It was so lonely I couldn't take it anymore.