As Annabelle arrived on the VIP floor, the little confidence she'd mustered cracked under the weight of the room thick with arrogance, and laughter echoed from a crowd of young men who thrived in Martin's world of indulgence.
As always, she kept her expression composed, pretending not to care as her eyes fell on Martin with those seductive women draped around him.
Then their eyes met. Martin's smile disappeared, replaced by a scowl. "You were supposed to be serving my customers. Where have you been?" he snapped, his voice sharp with anger.
"My mother called because she needed help with some bills. I thought it was a good time to visit her since it had been a while," Annabelle said quietly, offering a half-truth. She had sent her mother money, but it wasn't the full story.
