Marrying my high school bully

Dexter

I fiddled with the wristband Lorraine had gifted me before she went MIA, and gradually, I realized that I missed her. That would explain why I couldn’t take the wristband off no matter how tempted I was.

The sex on the beach drink I ordered, stayed still on top of the counter with no urge to take a sip from it. My life was a mess, made by the people I’d undermined.

How could it be possible that I was just getting to know about the relationship between Leonardo and Emilia?

It felt surreal, but it was just the truth.

“Hey man,” Wyatt said and took the empty chair beside me. “You look so down. You didn’t get a proper suck before coming here?” He chuckled and made his order as I rolled my eyes to his annoying joke.

“If that was my problem, I wouldn’t have called you.” I hissed and finally downed the shot. “And I’d have you know that when I finally get sucked again, it will be from the only woman who I know can take me to heaven and back.”

“Oh, so you have realized that you weren’t so right after all?” He teased me and when I glanced at him, I saw how he enjoyed making fun of me.

I had to drop the act and be real. “Yes, I wasn’t right. It has been confirmed that I’m a foolish billionaire, who thinks with his anus and not his brain. It’s even worse that I didn’t listen to the people that offered sound advice to me.” I admitted, waiting for a taunting remark but I got none.

He sighed and leaned on the counter.

“Hearing you sound emotional feels so weird, but I’m glad that you know the truth.” He acknowledged and raised his glass for an imaginary toast. “What shook you up, though? I thought you were head over heels for Melissa. Where did all those feelings go?” He smirked knowingly.

“Can you stop being annoying, Wyatt?” My fist itched to meet his face, but I suppressed the urge and looked away.

“I was having a good time with my girlfriend, and I even thought you had forgotten about the meeting, so if you don’t spill now, I’d return to her. It’s not like I’m getting anything from you anyway.” He scoffed as I held back a chuckle.

There was no easy way to admit it, so I decided to be quick about it. “Lorraine was kidnapped, and I’m having a hunch that the perpetrators are no one else but Leonardo and Emilia who I found out to have a father and daughter relationship.”

He sighed and tapped on the countertop, his expression casual and knowing. “That’s no news, Dexter. You just decided to turn a blind eye to everything.”

A horrified gasp flew past my lips as my heart hammered in my chest. Again, I asked myself how long I’d been in the dark.

“You had such information within your grasp and you bothered not to tell me anything? Do you know how important this is to me?” I yelled.

“No, don’t turn this on me, Dexter.” He chided strongly. “You were the one who acted like the facts didn’t exist, just because of one fake video you watched. You were literally in your world and I decided to let you stay there until you came back to your senses.” He retorted as his tone became higher than usual.

Guilt washed over me immediately as I discovered how much of a selfish bastard I was. I’d truly been living in my imaginary castle without caring about others.

At this point, there was no need for the back and forth, so I went ahead and said the only word that would restore our friendship.

“I’m sorry, man.”

He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes and then sighed. “I wasn’t angry at you, Dexter. I was just pissed at what your situation had made you become, but it’s fine. You are my good friend and tolerating your excesses is a part of the journey.” He patted my back.

If I had the melancholic temperament, I’d be crying by now, because it was almost impossible to find someone who could take my shit, and correct me without getting intimidated by my wealth.

“Thanks, man. Now to the reason why I called you. I feel like we’ve been walking on eggshells without making much effort to find her.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“It feels weird, but my instinct tells me that Lorraine could be around us and we aren’t aware. If she’s insecure about her safety, she’d never show up and that would make it harder for us to find her.”

He folded his arms, his gaze trained on me. “So what you are trying to say is that we should find her abductors and send them to jail so that she will reveal herself?”

I clapped, excited that he got my point.

“The issue is gathering substantial evidence against whoever took her.”

He massaged his chin as if in thought then an idea dropped into my mind. “Dante!”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He was Lorraine’s driver and after she was kidnapped, I didn’t see him again.”

“What if he was killed?” Wyatt asked.

“And what if he wasn’t?” I countered. “I’ll need you to find him as well. If he’s alive, he’ll be hiding somewhere as well, don’t you think?”

“I think I know how we can find him.” He stated and a ray of hope flickered within me.

“How?”

“Who was he close to when you still had the men around?”

That was a difficult question he threw at me, since I wasn’t usually around them, and Dante was the quiet type, less chatty than Drake, but I’d seen the both of them have conversations with each other.

“Drake, I guess,” I answered reluctantly, wondering what the question-and-answer session was all about.

“Viola! Are you still in touch with Drake because we are going to use him as bait?”

Without saying another word, the sketchy plan he had laid out became solid and I understood what he was on about. “Are you sure it will work?” I asked doubtfully.

He shot me an annoyed look and sipped his brandy. “I don’t like your pessimistic attitude, but if it doesn’t work, I’ll use other means to find him.” He assured me.

His phone rang and he waved it at me with a smirk. “Home’s calling. I have to be with my woman. Pray to find yours so that you can exert your revenge.” He jumped down from the stool, patted my back and left.

The relief that came with talking to him disappeared as he left, and loneliness overwhelmed me once again. I felt like talking to Melissa, but she would be resting by now, and I was too ashamed to call her after leaving abruptly.

Wyatt had ordered a bottle of brandy, so I ditched my cocktail and poured myself a cup. I’d barely lifted the glass to my lips when a call came through.

It was a strange number and I hissed, lacking the energy to speak with someone I couldn’t identify. I ignored the calls until they became persistent and offensive.

“Hello, don’t you have any etiquette?” I snapped. “If someone ignores your calls, doesn’t it mean that you are causing a nuisance?” I lashed out, allowing my crankiness to come into play.

Silence ensued and just when I was about to drop the call, after concluding that the caller might have some mental issues, she spoke up.

“I just wanted to hear from you again.” She stated blankly.

I squinted my eyes, my brows creased in confusion. “I’m sorry. Who are you?”

The sound of her inhalation was heavy as if she found it hard to give a brief description of herself. ” Lorraine.” She confessed with a shaky voice, then ended the call.