| |
Following Hayden to his location at Machu Picchu was a lot more than some trickery in the office and calling in some favors. It was far from easy. The trip was over fourteen hours and I had two layovers. Needless to say, I had a headache in full swing and an exhausted body by the time I walked through customs.
This was not the trip I had envisioned in my head. I imagined it would be some dramatic scene where I would track him down immediately and confront him on some busy street. Instead, I was absolutely exhausted. I needed to freshen up and get some rest. When does life ever turn out how you envision it in your head?
I quickly learned there were avid fans of Mind Lash worldwide as I made my way to the main area of the airport. That was something I didn’t anticipate. If I had known, I would have donned my usual disguise to make my way through the throngs of travelers and their families. Unfortunately, it was too late now, and even in Peru people started taking pictures of me. There were excited gasps around and as soon as I drew attention, more and more people gravitated toward me.
“Via Mace!” I heard someone yelp, much louder than I would have wanted. That drew an even larger crowd. I tried to push through flashing cameras in my face.
“Please,” I begged, but it was pointless. Nobody could hear me over the crowd as they all scrambled to get near me for a glimpse and a photo. I heard voices distinctly enough to know I was being addressed and asked questions, but it was all too much. I couldn’t figure out what anybody was saying. Everything eventually morphed into a drowning buzz with the occasional clicking sound of cell phone cameras.
It wasn’t until I stumbled upon a women’s restroom that I quickly escaped into it, slamming the stall door shut and leaning against it. Even through the fabric of my shirt the cool steel felt good against my back. I shut my eyes and drew in a deep breath. This was the most privacy I was going to get for a while. Even if I put on my disguise everyone would know who I was as soon as I stepped out of the bathroom. I clutched my chest and took another deep breath, trying to think of the most efficient way to get out of the chaotic situation I found myself in.
Meanwhile, in the comfort of his room, Hayden’s phone dinged with a message from none other than Gina. She told him to take a look at his main social media account, but gave no reason why. That wasn’t a usual request from her, so he opened up his account on his phone and checked his notices tab. He had received a ton of alerts from various people proclaiming their excitement about Via Mace joining him for the trip and wondering if they were planning some sort of publicity stunt while he was there. Hayden stared at his phone. He had absolutely no idea what these people were talking about. His heart skipped a little when he thought about me being in Peru. He wasn’t sure if it was fear or excitement of his own.
He scrolled down a bit more until he saw a photo of me being mobbed at the airport.
“What the hell,” he muttered, leaning forward and staring hard at the picture as if he was trying to see if it was a fake. He didn’t think it was possible for me to really be in Cusco. There was no way for me to have known his whereabouts unless I was tracking him and doing a damn good job of it, something he highly doubted. It just seemed so unlike me to pull something like this. He paused as his mind started to race. He remembered our first meeting outside the building where I had been waiting for him. Back then, I had managed to track him down and had gone so far as to wait around for him. That wasn’t that much different was it?
He knew I was probably after him. There was no other explanation for me being in Cusco. Just then, there was a knock at his hotel room door. He stood up and opened it without bothering to check who it was. He already knew it had to be Gina. As soon as the door swung open he turned to walk back to his seat without even greeting her.
Gina was disgruntled, “I assume you’ve seen who is here?”
“It’s true, then?” Hayden finally looked up from his phone to acknowledge her. Gina scoffed but nodded nonetheless, crossing her arms and pursing her lips. She looked like a pouting schoolgirl.
Without a second thought, Hayden pulled up his text messages to send one of his bodyguards an impromptu assignment. He quickly tapped away a message telling the guard to follow me without being seen and report back to him via text.
Gina was growing increasingly impatient. “What are you doing, Hayden? I came over here to talk,” she huffed. Hayden looked up from his phone and looked at her directly in to her eyes, his gaze unwavering. She shifted uncomfortably knowing she crossed a line and he wasn’t having it.
“First of all, don’t you worry about what I’m doing on my phone. Second of all, I didn’t call you over here. You came out of your own free will and there isn’t an emergency at hand. So you need to calm down, Gina.”
She gawked at him. She hated being dismissed, but nothing irked her as much as Hayden doing it. From the moment they had met it had been appallingly clear she wanted all his attention, professionally and personally. Hayden’s phone buzzed in his hand. The bodyguard was already headed to the airport to track me down. Hayden knew I was still stuck their because no other news of me leaving had been mentioned on social media.
He was right. I stayed stuck in the restroom for quite some time before finally bracing myself to step back out into the chaotic fans who were likely still waiting for me outside. I would have to get past them and plan on using my disguise for the remainder of the trip. I was going to use this in my argument against Hayden, citing my inability not to have a normal life because of Via Mace.
Whether or not Via Mace was an intentional recreation of me, the damages caused by his game were too real to be ignored. I would have to figure out a way to build a case against him in a court of law if it came to that, but I was hoping this trip would help me avoid that headache. The entire debacle had already been far too much stress and drama to deal with. The last thing I needed was to add to that stress with lawyers and a court. Besides, with how big the game was, I was sure the case could easily become a media circus.
As my mind raced a million miles an hour, my thoughts stopped on him. My stomach did a little somersault as I thought about his touch and the way he looked at me. I hated that he made me feel good. He was the cause of all my pain and trouble. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. That was almost more frustrating than all this Via Mace nonsense.
As I pushed my way past the fans and tried to ignore the cameras in my face, I saw airport security near me. I bravely reached out and grabbed the man’s wrist, eyes pleading. I didn’t have to say a word before he pulled me forward and escorted me out to a taxicab, even helping me with my luggage and shooing away the onlookers so they stood back.
I was finally making my way through Cusco to find a suitable hotel as the taxicab pulled out of the pickup lane. But I failed to notice the sedan following behind me with Hayden’s bodyguards. We drove around for a while until the cab finally pulled up at the hotel. I stepped out of the car, still in disguise, and pulled my luggage into the lobby to register.
I was too busy trying to ignore the look on the receptionist’s face to see the bodyguard standing near the entrance watching me. Even though she had recognized me, she didn’t make a fuss of it and handed me the electronic keys after calling the bell service. I turned to take a seat in the lobby and the bodyguard immediately turned on his heel, walking back to his car to call Hayden.
“She is all checked-in, sir,” the man said in hushed tones even though he couldn’t be overheard.
“Excellent,” Hayden said. “Stay there and let me know if she goes out. I doubt she will for now, but I’d rather play it safe.” Ending the call, he stood up and straightened out his shirt before telling Gina he was stepping out.
“Are you really going out to meet her?” Gina wasn’t even trying to mask her indignation.
She was acting almost entitled. That didn’t sit well with Hayden. “Are you really questioning what I do, when I do it, and who I do it with? I didn’t realize I hired you to be the manager of my personal life, Gina.” The two stared at each other. Gina’s gaze turned into a glare. He made sure he had everything he needed before motioning for her to exit first.
After Hayden stepped out of his hotel room and made sure the door was securely locked, he turned to look at Gina and waved goodbye. He quickly turned and walked off in the direction of the stairwell. He knew she was pissed and she would find a way to take it out on him later, but he didn’t care. He had to see me now and there was no way he was taking Gina with him. Besides, he didn’t owe that woman any explanations. It was times like this that he wondered why he kept her around, even though he already knew the answer. She was good at her job and she’d been working for him for years. That didn’t change the fact that she could really grate his nerves sometimes.
Hayden greeted his bodyguard with a simple nod when he arrived at my hotel, which was conveniently close to his own. He stepped inside and pleasantly greeted the receptionist at the front desk before walking straight to the stairwell. Luckily, his bodyguard had been clever enough to eavesdrop on my conversation with the receptionist so he knew my room number.
Without any hesitation, Hayden knocked on my door. He made sure to place his hand over the peephole because he didn’t want to risk me keeping the door shut if I saw him on the other side.
“Who is it?” I called out.
He cleared his throat and simply said, “Welcome, Miss,” in a high-pitched voice. He could sense my pause on the other side of the door, but I pulled it open anyway. I stared at him, open-mouthed. It wasn’t long before my expression turned into anger.
“How did you find me? What are you doing here?” My breath caught inside my throat the moment I saw him. He stared at me for a moment with a half-cocked smile on his face. He was just as handsome as I remembered him being.
“We need to talk.”
“I’ll say,” I said, stepping back and motioning for him to step inside my room. I poked my head into the hall and looked around before closing the door behind us. I leaned back against it, hands behind my back, and stared him down. I had traveled so far to see him, to confront him, and still he had managed to beat me to the punch. “I tried coming to you about everything that has happened to me because of Via, but not once have you actually even tried listening to me.”
Hayden stretched his arms out to the sides and said, “Then talk. I’ll listen.”
“Your character has affected everything in my life, right down to my job. Hayden, I am not exaggerating. Because of Via Mace, I was forced to take time off and now my chances at a big promotion have been jeopardized. A promotion I’ve been working like a slave to get. Have you any idea what that feels like?”
Hayden curled his fists and resisted every urge to let me have it. He did know how that felt and he knew it better than I did. And that was all thanks to me. He wanted to tell me that this was the ultimate karma; he had exacted revenge on me without even trying. He had wanted that sweet taste of revenge for years now, but he knew if he let the truth slip it could jeopardize Mind Lash.
“Do I?”
I began to pace up and down before smacking my palm flat against the wall out of sheer frustration. Hayden jumped back, caught off guard and alarmed. “Every damn time I tell you how badly Mind Lash has impacted my life, you don’t take it seriously. You don’t even talk with me. Dammit, Hayden, this isn’t a joke!”
“What? Is your life falling apart, princess?” His tone was icy. I had never seen this side of him, but it only served to get a rise out of me. Gone were the days of trying to keep my cool.
“Princess? You dare call me a princess when it was your little whore of a character that put me in this predicament to begin with? This isn’t a fucking tantrum, Hayden!” I didn’t care that I had raised my voice and maybe people in the hallway could hear.
He was way out of line and I knew it was only going to get worse as the conversation went on. “Yes, it is falling apart. I can’t walk outside without being mobbed. I have people calling and messaging me about it. I’ve been harassed. And my job is at risk. I’ve worked so hard to build up a life. I’ve worked even harder at making it in my career and moving toward my goal all so that you could ruin it in one morning. Even still you have the audacity to call me a princess and never take me seriously? You may be set, Hayden, but we aren’t all so lucky.”
He took a step forward and a part of me hurt inside to see him look at me with such anger. “I’m set? Do you have any fucking idea what it took for me to get here? No, you don’t. It’s all about you, Ali. Think of someone else for a change. I do know what it is like to be passed over for a promotion I’ve worked hard for. What I don’t know is the fear of possibly losing my job. Know why? Because just as fast as your life started crumbling down, mine actually collapsed. And that was all thanks to you.” He pointed right at me with his index finger. The sound of his heavy breaths filled the space between us.
“What the hell are you talking about?” I said, face scrunching up in confusion.
That was when Hayden went off. He went on to tell me how it was that we first met and what memory he had of me from that period of time in his life. He told me how I had ruined everything for him in his first career. He didn’t hold back in telling me how hard his long bout of unemployment was and how it hurt him even after he had managed to get back on his feet.
“So, you see,” he said with a strange smile of satisfaction on his face, “now that your career is starting to fall apart because of Via, I can’t help but be a little amused. Maybe you never meant to hurt me but, guess what? Neither did I. It’s just the way it worked out.”
The room was dead silent.
It was minutes after his rant, though it felt like hours, when Hayden finally walked out of my room. Neither of us had spoken a single word to each other. I sat down and tried to process everything that had just happened but it seemed to be an impossible task.
My headache had gotten worse so I took a sleeping pill and crawled into bed. There was nothing left for me to do.
