The warm light from the restaurant light above us heated up my pale skin. I stared at my girlfriend, Rinea Baroque, with loving eyes, and she gave me the same look.

"Say it again, Lancelot." she purred, calling me by the nickname she gave me.

"I love and adore you, Rinea. You are the jewel in my crown..." I said.

She let out a deep, pleasurable sigh and rested her head in her hands.

"I love you too, Lancelot." Rinea said.

I leaned over the table and caressed her pale cheek. Bringing her face closer to mine, I planted a deep, passionate kiss on her ruby red lips. I couldn't help but smile when I felt the corner of her lips curve upward. We parted and smiled at one another.

"Oh, Lance. Sometimes I forget how good of a kisser you are. You always make my mind draw a blank, but I love every second of it..." Rinea said.

"You flatter me, really. I'm not that good of a kisser, but I'm good enough for you, Rini." I said, the corners of my lips curving upward into a seductive grin.

Rinea hummed and smiled. The waiter soon came with the bill and bowed before taking his leave. I let out a deep sigh before looking out the window. It was a very rainy evening, but the Weather Forecast said that it would clear up before dawn.

"Everything alright, sweetie?" Rinea asked, her voice bringing me back to reality.

I turned to her and smiled.

"Yes, I'm fine. I just have a lot on my mind, that's all." I confessed, staring deeply into Rinea's emerald eyes.

"Are any of those thoughts about me?" she asked.

I couldn't help but scoff at her words.

"Always..." I said.

She nodded with a gentle smile.

"As long as you're okay." she said.

I let out a silent sigh and nodded. I paid the bill and left a tip for our waiter. Standing up, I held a hand out to my queen. Smiling like the Cheshire Cat, she took my hand and stood up on her 4-inch, black heels.

"Even with heels, I'll never be as tall as you." Rinea said jokingly.

I let out a chuckle and linked our arms together, soon making our way towards the exit. Seeing us outside, the chauffeur got out the limo and opened the door for us. Helping Rinea in, I climbed in after her.

"To the Baroque residence." I told the chauffeur.

With a firm nod, I felt the limo begin to move. I leaned against the door, staring out the window, watching the scenery fly by. The only light in the limo was from Rinea's phone. A sigh escaped my lips and I pressed my head against the glass.

"Okay, what is up with you, Lance?" I heard Rinea ask.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?" I asked, not facing her.

"You've been really, well, not quite yourself this evening. Are you sick?"

Not wanting to worry my girlfriend anymore, I sat up and faced her.

"I'm fine, Rini, really. Like I said before, I just have a lot of things on my mind." I said.

"Is it about your dad?" Rinea asked.

I sighed when she mentioned my father, the Mayor of Los Angeles, California.

"No. There are other things I can't really explain to you right now." I admitted.

I flinched when I felt Rinea's hand on my arm.

"Remember, I'm always here if you want to talk." she said with a comforting smile.

Her smile made me smile.

"Thank you, my queen." I said.

I lifted her chin and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. When I felt the limo stop, the chauffeur got out of the limo and opened the door. I stepped out on the sidewalk and soon helped Rinea out.

"Babe, if you don't mind, can I have some money? I'm going shopping tomorrow with some of my friends." she immediately asked.

I sighed with a content smile.

"Anything for you, my queen." I said.

I reached into my pocket and gave her what dollar bills I had in there. She took it gladly and placed a quick kiss on my lips.

"Thanks, Lancelot. Bye babe! Love you!" she said, walking up to her house.

"Love you, too!" I called out, waving goodbye.

I waited until she got into the house and closed the door. When that happened, I got back in the limo and brought out my phone. I opened my notes and jotted down a certain time, the date, and a money amount.

Tuesday May 14, 20XX ~ 10:35pm, $345

I looked back at the other dates I jotted down from weeks, even months before today. I let out a heavy sigh and leaned back into the black leather seat. When I felt the limo move, I closed my eyes and sighed once more.

I know what she's doing, but I don't want to believe what she's doing is true...

When the limo stopped in front of my house, I stepped out of the lengthy car and walked up to the porch. I opened the door and was welcomed with nothing but silence. I plopped down on the sofa and groaned. I took out my phone and scrolled through all the dates I left on my notes.

"They can't all be winners, son." said a recognizable, stern voice behind me.

I sighed deeply and nodded. I then felt my father place a hand on my shoulder.

"I know, Dad. It just hurts to find out for yourself." I admitted.

"They don't call it a crush for nothing, my boy." Dad said.

A look of disappointment and sadness crossed over my face.

"Do you plan on confronting her?" Dad asked.

"Believe me, I will. But on Thursday," I said with a small grin.

"Oh, and why Thursday?"

"Because Thursday is our one-year anniversary..."

~~~~~

It was Wednesday morning, and I was with my assistant and best friend, Gareth Evans. He's been with me through thick and thin when we were in our youth. He's almost like my brother. We were taking a stroll through Echo Park, a place where I went all the time when my mother was with us. The sun was shining brightly, making the lake sparkle like diamonds.

Watching the little children always brought a smile to my face.

"So, Rinea's cheating on you and using you for your money?" Gareth asked, half-heartedly.

"Yup... I didn't want to believe it myself, but everything that she does adds up to those two conclusions." I said.

A deep sigh escaped Gareth's lips.

"You plan on confronting her soon, man?" Gareth asked.

"Sure am. Tomorrow." I said.

Gareth then stopped in his tracks and stared at me with a very surprised look.

"Ain't tomorrow your one-year anniversary?" he asked.

I nodded with a bold smirk. Gareth's lips soon morphed into the same smirk.

"I never knew you could sink that low." Gareth said.

"I don't mean to, but she forced my hand." I said.

When we reached a bench, we sat down and looked out at the beautiful lake and fountain.

"Do you know the guy she's with?" Gareth asked.

"I had some help tracking him." I admitted.

Gareth scoffed with a wide grin on his face.

"That person has no idea what they've got coming, especially Rinea. I mean, cheating on the mayor's son? To me, that's a federal offence." Gareth joked.

His joke made me bark out a laugh.

"But really though, how do you plan on breaking it to her?" Gareth asked.

"I've got eyes everywhere following her around and catching her in the act. So far, I got at least 12 pictures of her and that guy last week." I said, showing Gareth one of the pictures.

Gareth peered into my phone and scoffed.

"HAH! He's not even that good looking!" Gareth said.

"Maybe so, but doing a background check on him, he is the grandson of the Mayor of San Diego." I said.

"Cameron Plight? She cheated on you for him?"

I looked at my friend with an annoyed look on my face. He smiled and put his hands up in surrender.

"I'm just saying she should've just stayed with you. I heard the guy is bad news. Rumors say he's part of a mafia or some crap." Gareth said.

"I heard that as well from one of my father's associates. Wonder why someone like him is caught up with a mafia..." I said.

Gareth shrugged his shoulders half-heartedly.

"Well, good luck man. Tomorrow night, drinks on me. Knowing you, you're going to need them." Gareth said with a smile.

"Thanks man." I said, holding out my fist.

My friend smiled and bumped his fist with mine. Leaning back into the bench, I exhaled deeply.

"You plan on taking her anywhere special to break the news?" Gareth suddenly asked.

"Yup, and I rented the space as well." I said.

"Well, don't leave me hanging. Where?"

I turned to him with a small smile.

"Where I asked her to be my girlfriend..." I coldly said.

~~~~~

Thursday came like lightning, and it wasn't too long before I arrived at my destination. I leaned over the edge of Ballona Creek Bridge and waited for Rinea. Looking out at the orange ocean made me think back to when I asked Rinea to be my girlfriend.

"Sorry I'm late!" a familiar voice cried.

I turned to my side and saw Rinea decked out in a black slit dress with matching black heels. Her blonde hair was loose and flowed in the evening breeze.

"It's okay, I just got here myself." I said.

She walked up to me and placed a kiss on my lips.

"Happy Anniversary, Lancelot." she said.

"Happy Anniversary, Rini." I said.

Rinea then reached into her purse and pulled out a small box.

"I got you a little something." she said.

I took the small gift and opened it. Inside was a pair of gold cufflinks with the letter L engraved in them.

"They're wonderful, thank you." I said.

She smiled and began rocking back and forth.

"So... what did you get me?" she asked.

"Oh, that's the thing. Nothing." I said plainly.

An awkward silence fell between us. Rinea's brows furrowed and began balling her hands into fists.

"What do you mean nothing!? I spent all of my money to buy you a nice gift!" Rinea shouted.

"No, you spent my money to buy me a gift." I corrected.

Rinea let out an annoyed scream.

"Cameron wouldn't treat me like this!" she cried.

"Who's Cameron?" I asked.

Rinea's eyes became saucers and covered her red mouth with her hands.

"No one... He's just my... cousin..." she stuttered.

I promptly looked at her and scoffed. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Selecting a picture, I turned my phone's screen to Rinea. The picture showed her kissing the grandson of the Mayor of San Diego. Rinea averted my gaze and tears began welling up in her eyes.

"You must really love your cousin to kiss him on the lips. I never knew you were related to Cameron Plight, the grandson of the Mayor of San Diego." I coldly said.

Rinea remained quiet. I sighed and lifted her head. I stared deep into her tear-filled, emerald eyes.

"We're over." I said, my voice darker and colder than usual.

I let go of her chin and began taking my leave.

"Wait! Lance, please! Give me another chance!" Rinea cried.

"Why?!" I shouted.

That made Rinea flinch.

"So, you can use me for my money again? So, you can cheat on me behind my back again? I've been keeping track of how much money you've taken from me every week for the past year. 52 complete weeks in a year, and every week, you take over 300 dollars from me. Multiply 300 with 52, that's... 15,600 dollars in one year! 15,600 dollars, Rinea! And what, you spend it on useless crap you don't need?" I asked.

Rinea then broke down. I watched her grovel with eyes sharper than ice. Looking at the cufflinks she gave me, I clenched them in my fist and then tossed them over the bridge.

Good riddance...

I sighed deeply and made my way to the nightclub where I am to meet with Gareth, Black Hollywood.

Believe it or not, it's where my father met my mother.

Walking inside the nightclub, the music from the DJ was loud as ever. Seeing Gareth at the bar, I walked over and sat down next to him.

"So... how'd it go?" he asked immediately.

"I hit the nail on the head. Hard." I said plainly.

"How'd she take it?"

I picked up my wine glass and took a sip before continuing.

"Believe it or not, caught up in all her rage, she confessed right in front of me by saying Cameron's name," I said.

"So, she had it coming from the start?" Gareth asked, swirling his drink.

"Yup. I told her how much money she took from me in the past year."

"Oh yeah? How much?"

"15,600 dollars."

Gareth choked on his drink before coughing it back up.

"15,600 DOLLARS!? She's a gold-digger!" he said.

What he said made both of us laugh. Our laughter soon subsided, and we let out content sighs.

"So, are you going to find another girl?" Gareth asked.

"Maybe, I don't know. I'm going to sleep on it. But I don't want to find someone else right away." I said, taking a sip of my drink.

"Take your time, man. You do you. I get it, breakups aren't easy to get over, especially if you're the one who did the breaking up."

I turned away from my friend and nodded silently.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what do you look for in a girl?" Gareth asked.

"Well, I don't care if she's beautiful or not. I want someone to love me for me, and not because of my money. Believe it or not, I'd love a girl who's humble, smart, and works hard." I admitted.

"Ah, so an independent woman."

I smiled sheepishly and nodded my head.

"That's not what I'd go for, but I respect your decision." Gareth said, patting my shoulder.

"Thanks Gareth." I said.

We smiled at each other and clinked our glasses together. Staring off into space, I thought about what I said.

And every bit of it was true...