Chapter 51
Alex stepped into his aunt’s office, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his jacket.
The familiar scent of lavender filled the space, a smell he remembered from childhood. It was oddly comforting, though he would never admit it.
Behind the desk, a woman with sharp eyes and a knowing smile stood up, her face almost identical to his mother’s.
Aunt Dalia.
If they were side by side, his mother and Dalia could pass for twins, the only difference being the happiness in Dalia’s His mother had lost that years ago.
Dalia opened her arms wide. “There’s my favorite nephew.”
gaze.
Alex barely had time to react before she pulled him into a hug. Her grip was strong, like she thought she could squeeze all the tension out of him.
Alex didn’t hug back.
He wasn’t a hugging person. Never had been.
Dalia pulled away and shook her head, amused. “I miss and love you too, Alexander.”
He rolled his
eyes. “Sure
“Sure you
do.”
She smirked and picked up the thick notebook on her desk, using it to smack the side of his head, just like she used to when he was a kid.
Alex lifted a hand, rubbing the spot. “Seriously? I thought this was a professional meeting.”
Dalia narrowed her eyes. “And I thought I was your favorite aunt.”
“You’re my only aunt.”
“Exactly.” She motioned for him to sit.
Alex did, sinking into the leather chair across from her.
“So,” she said, crossing one leg over the other. “How’s my sister’s son?”
He didn’t answer.
His mind was already running, circling the same thoughts that had dragged him here in the first place.
Mia.
Her name alone sent his heartbeat into overdrive, and it pissed him off.
He had actually considered going to a doctor to get checked out, to see if something was wrong with him. Why the hell did his chest feel tight every time she was near? Why did he burn whenever she looked at him?
But after a quick Google search, he had slammed his laptop shut.
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None of the answers made sense.
They were all… feelings and love and all the kind of shit he had no interest in.
So he was here.
Because if something was wrong with him, at least Dalia wouldn’t spill it to anyone.
Especially not his father.
His father.
Alex exhaled, staring at his hands.
If he ever found out Alex was sitting in a therapist’s office, talking about his problems, there would be hell to pay.
His father didn’t believe in therapy.
Said it was weakness.
To him, a real man handled his own problems. He didn’t sit in a room, spilling his secrets while someone took notes like he was a case study.
According to his father, emotions were nothing but a liability.
That was why his brother was still a mess.
Why rehab was never an option for him.
Alex had never, not once, even considered talking to someone about what is bothering him
Until now.
Until Mia Turner.
And the fucking way she was ruining him.
Dalia studied him, her expression unreadable. “Why are you really here, Alex?”
He looked up at her, lips pressing into a tight line.
He had no idea how to answer that.
Dalia picked up her notebook, flipping it open, but before she could even lift her pen, Alex shook his head.
“No writing any of the shit I’m about to say, Aunt Dalia.”
She sighed, shutting the book with a soft thud before setting it aside. Her sharp, knowing eyes settled on him. “What’s wrong, Alex?”
Alex slouched back on the couch, stretching out his legs. His head tilted back slightly, staring at the ceiling, as if the words would be easier to say if he didn’t have to look at her.
“Everything started when I started talking to this girl.” He exhaled through his nose, rubbing his hands together. “She’s a
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Chapter 51
Turner. Mia Turner.”
Dalia’s brows lifted. “A Turner? Mary Turner’s daughter?”
Alex nodded.
Dalia leaned forward, her face twisting with something close to disdain. “Isn’t that the family with the brother that got Julian hooked on that shit?”
Alex’s jaw clenched. He knew she didn’t mean it in a bad way-not really. But hearing it out loud made his stomach twist.
Everyone in their family knew.
It wasn’t a secret.
It was why his father despised the Turners so much, why he had nearly wiped their entire family off the map. If it hadn’t been for the Blackwell image-the need to keep their reputation spotless-his father would have destroyed them completely.
Still, Alex hated them.
Hated her.
Or at least, he thought he did.
He let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. “You know how Zoe and I are… she kinda bet me to fuck her.”
Dalia’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
That was her way of telling him to keep going.
Alex shifted in his seat. “We do this thing sometimes-our own way of keeping things interesting, I guess. Shit we hate, just to make things more… fun. She knows I hate the Turners. There’s one that works at Casa. So yeah.”
Dalia’s expression didn’t change. She just listened.
“I approached her. Told her I wanted three dates. I even offered to pay her to go out with me to get the shit done faster” He let out a humorless chuckle. “Well, she’s a Turner. She accepted.”
He sucked in a breath through his teeth, just wanting to get it over with.
“Long story short, I fucked her.”
Dalia didn’t react.
He wasn’t sure why he was even telling her this. Maybe because saying it out loud would make it all make sense.
“Turned out she was a virgin,” he muttered.
That made Dalia blink. “Wait… a virgin? A Turner?”
Alex gave her a slow nod. Everyone kinda knows what the Turners do for money. They service the rich boys and men in this
town.
Dalia pursed her lips.
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“That’s-
“Hard to believe, I know,” he cut in, already knowing what she was going to say.
He rubbed his temple. The memory of that night-the way she looked at him-was still fresh.
“Well, the thing is….” His voice trailed off for a second. “After having sex with her. I just wanted it to be over with. So I told her the truth. Told her why I even started talking to her. Paid her. Told her to fuck off.”
He felt his throat tighten, but he swallowed it down.
“She…”
His chest ached, and he wasn’t sure why.
“She looked at me like I broke her. Like I did the worst thing on earth to her. She cried, then she ran out without even taking the money.”
His fingers curled into a fist.
“And that’s where the problem started.”
