Shattered

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

(Lucas' Pov)

"And I was thinking that maybe if we gathered them all up in one spot, like a huge set up with all of them present, make it sound really realistic and nothing sketchy, it'd be so easy to take them out..." Cody's voice sounded over the phone I had left on speaker, resting on my cherry colored wood desk.

However, his words were going right through one ear and right out the other. My mind was too distracted for me to think straight, especially focus on anything business related that needed my full attention.

Sighing, I rubbed a hand across my forehead in frustration and reached out to pick up my phone.

"Look, Cody, I'll call you back later and we can discuss this then." I murmured.

"Oh, alright." He knew not to pry for any answers and instead hung up like any wise person would. Another deep sigh left my lips as I put my phone back and leaned further back in my chair, so tempted to reach out and smash the damn device that had done absolutely nothing to me.

It had been an entire week since I had last seen or spoken to Nina. Purposefully, I hadn't gone to visit her at The Lobby, even though I was more than tempted to do so at times. I had refrained from texting or calling her, knowing if I was feeling all kinds of fucked up from the kiss we had shared, she would be feeling the exact same way - if not, ten times worse.

Exhaling sharply, I stood up from where I was seated and stretched out my body, getting rid of any kinks. My stomach lowly whined in hunger, reminding me that it had been two hours since I had last eaten - too long for me.

And there was nothing a small snack couldn't do.

Deciding on taking a small break from trying to work out how to take down my enemies without having them take me down, I headed towards my office door, closing it behind me. As I walked towards the kitchen, hearing the familiar tune to one of my maid's classical British songs, I could easily identify the fact my body was tense with frustration. 

God knows what came over me the moment I thought it would be acceptable to lean down and snatch a kiss from Nina's very missed lips. Although I felt like an ass for doing so, especially without any warning, what shocked me was the fact she had kissed back. Willingly. 

Her compliance with my actions just fed me a little hope that having all of my old feelings resurface wasn't just a one sided struggle. Maybe Nina was beginning to feel the same way about me...

My thoughts were interrupted when I stepped inside the kitchen and not so surprisingly found my maid, Victoria. But it was who was with her, that made my stomach tumble and my bad mood to somehow spike up.

A grin curled onto her full lips the instance she saw me. "Lucas, I was waiting for you to come down here!"

Her overexcited voice made me want to somehow close my ears. I flashed her a tight smile, not really caring if it was explicitly impolite of me to do so or not.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned, my eyes briefly flickering over to Victoria, who had a knowing smirk plastered on her face, before they darted back to Veronica, noting the fact she seemed to be making something, a red strawberry printed apron tied around her slim body.

"I'm practicing cooking, for you," She raised her perfectly plucked brows at me. "What are these called again, Victoria?"

"Crumpets," My maid answered, her eyes remaining on her task of flipping the crumpets on the pan.

"Ah, yes. Crumpets." Veronica giggled to herself. "Victoria tells me how much you love these and seeing as how much of a good wife I am, I decided on learning how to make it for you."