Colton

"You know, it's crazy how we used to hate each other and now we're friends."

"Hmm..." my lips pursed. "Are we really?"

"Aren't we?" She made a pouty face, and this weird feeling in my stomach was back again. I just wanted to hold her and kiss her until she'd smile.

"Of course we are." My lips widened in a smile.

"Good." She looked satisfied and continued sipping her coffee.

"Be honest, how many times did you think about murdering me in the past?"

She looked at the ceiling, counting, then said.

"Several times. If murder wasn't illegal, I would've chopped you to bits for accusing me of making you fall in love with me just because I sprayed that essential oil in our room."

My eyebrows went up, not surprised by how her mind works. Can't blame her. I was a real ass to her in the past.

Just to mess with her, I said. "But that's exactly what you did."

As I expected, her eyes shot up.

I'll be honest. I missed our crazy bickering. I enjoyed teasing her and see her reaction. I guess it's always our thing, arguing and joking around.

"Heck no! If I did, it would've worked." She defended herself.

I smirked. "What made you think it didn't work?"

Instantly, I saw her frown deepen.

I wanted to crack up. She looked so cute, all puzzled and staring at me. Now, she'd think I had a thing for her in college. Which is actually true.

She recovered and probably thought I was only teasing her.

"Ha-ha. That's a good one, Colton." She said, then diverted the topic. "You're so hungry, it's messing with your head. Need a hand setting up the table?"

I gave her a look, letting her know I caught her trying to change the subject.

"Sure. The plates and utensils are in the top drawer."

Later, we were sitting across from each other at a wooden dining table eating breakfast.

"By the way, I called Sebastian last night to tell him you're here with me in Dansville to relax. He's happy you took a break. He also said you can skip the family Sunday lunch today."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about the family lunch. Thanks for letting him know."

"You're welcome. So, how are you feeling now?"

"More of myself. I'm not as torn up as I was last night."

"Yeah, I can totally see that." I agreed.

"I don't know what got into me. Out of the blue, I acted so paranoid."

"You were acting normally. Anyone would be so mad if they were lied to. Are you going to confront Cox about it?"

"Definitely, I'll tell him straight up tomorrow that I caught him lying and I saw Aiden. Let's see what excuse he'll come up with."

"It would totally throw him off." I smirked.

"I'm sure you know Barry in NYU. You were in the same department. Is there something about him that I should know?"

That question caught me off guard. I didn't want to spill the beans now that she was in a fragile state.

"Let's say, Cox was an ultimate charmer. He charmed many girls in college to get what he wanted."

"And what did he want?" She asked.

"I won't tell you more, Luna. You're feeling upset already. Let's discuss it another day."

"Okay, I'll leave it like that for now." She pressed her lips together tightly, then told me about Harvey Springsteen's accusation of Cox, and Sebastian's suggestion to have it investigated.

"I can't believe you're not even surprised. Do you know anything about it?" She asked.

"Nope. But after that fake investment he did for your engagement ring, I'm not surprised anymore."

She sat still, waiting for me to continue.

"I collected some data and did some initial auditing for your company. There were some expenses in the miscellaneous account that shouldn't be there. Cox made these expenses with the company's credit card. He spent most on personal stuff during his business trips, like fancy dinners, movies, food and wine at exclusive bars, and shopping."

"Shopping? For heaven's sake, he has a 30,000 dollars monthly clothing allowance aside from his payroll."

"Yeah, it showed up on the expenses. You should check if these shopping sprees are for you. They're mostly girly stuff, like fancy bags, watches, accessories, clothes, makeup, and other things."

She sat there for a moment, completely stunned, and then, with a slight hint of disbelief, finally said.

"I don't join him for work trips. I got to stay in the office to handle things. Besides, I shop for my own clothes as well."

"So, who was he getting all that stuff for?"

My heart went out to her. She went pale and had a blank look on her face. Her shoulders drooped like she had a ton of stuff weighing her down.

She had enough evidence that her fiancé is a major red flag - the fake million-dollar investment, Harvey's accusation, the lie about Aiden Harding, and his shady personal expenses. All she needed to do was ditch the guy and cancel the wedding.

But I couldn't tell her what to do. She had to decide for herself.

"Colton," she said, her voice filled with desperation, "can you help me? I need to confirm Harvey's accusation. Even though he has an excellent reputation, I still have this nagging feeling that I need to double-check everything for my peace of mind. I also want to know who the woman is that he's spending money on."

I took a pause before I nodded.

"Alright. I'll help you. But we need to do the investigation together, working side by side."

"Sure, I'll do that." She agreed right away.

***

After breakfast, Luna strolled at the beach, barefoot. From a distance, I watched and observed her every move.

It was important for her to have some alone time in order to process her thoughts. The amount of information she uncovered about Cox was so overwhelming. She must be experiencing a wide range of emotions. I only hope that she will eventually see that pursuing a marriage with Cox is a big mistake.

Right after I spilled the beans about Cox's personal spending, her smile was gone. I felt a tad guilty for telling her. I just made her sadder.

Suddenly, the sky looked really gloomy. I could sense the rain was coming. But Luna was totally unaware of the sun slowly hiding behind the clouds. She was sitting on a rock, staring at the ocean, like there was something in there that she needed to study.

A raindrop landed on my face. I quickly grabbed an enormous umbrella and took it with me as I walked towards her. I just sat next to her in silence, holding the umbrella that covered us from the drizzle. I wanted her to know I was with her and she was not alone.

But it was like she didn't even notice me. We just sat there, not saying anything. All we heard were waves, wind, birds scrambling to find a tree to cover, and rustling leaves.

But I hung around, waiting for her to talk.

"Do you struggle with being independent?" She asked.

"Yeah, I still am." I continued when she didn't answer. "I believe most people struggle. Independence is a battle that proves how strong, self-aware, and empowered a person is. No matter what gets in the way, it's all about going after what you believe in and wanting to be free and in control."

"That's what I'm doing, but it's difficult to achieve because of my privileged upbringing. Some people assumed my success depended on my parents' money. I want to prove them wrong, you know." She sighed heavily before she continued. "But how can I when I'm losing everything I worked hard for? My company is failing and I'm uncertain about marrying Barry. They'd be happy to see me fail in love and career."

They?

She obviously went through some emotional and psychological damage. Some people must have made her feel like crap.

"Who are these people, Luna?"

"Some moms from grade school. They'd show up at school to pick up their kids and then gossip about everyone they spotted. And there I was, getting targeted repeatedly."

I couldn't believe it. She had some tough stuff happen to her when she was young.

"What did they say about you?"

"They were really mean and called me names. One of them was the mom of the smartest girl in our class. Whenever I'd get a good grade, they'd be like, 'her parents must have bribed the teacher or something. They also said I couldn't make it in life without my parents' money."

"What the hell? Those women were total jerks for saying mean things about you. They messed up a kid's head and emotions. Did you let your parents and teachers know?"

"Nope. Once my family and teachers find out, it'll be all over social media. Then everyone would gossip about me. That would just make me feel even worse. Also, I hate getting in trouble, you know? Being in high school was a huge relief. I never laid eyes on those women again."

"Sorry to hear about your rough childhood, Luna. I get it now, your fight for independence in college. You wanted to show that you can live in the dorm just like any other college student." I let out an exasperated sigh. "I wish I had known. I would have given up our room for you."

Finally, she smiled. "Would you? Even your basketball idol Tim Roberts' bed?"

"Yeah, I probably would." I smiled back at her. "But seriously, Luna. I understand you feel so down right now, but please don't feel so bad. I promise, I'm going to help you in every way possible to recover your business and look at Cox. Please try not to feel discouraged, okay? There is always a way forward. Soon, you're going to prove to everyone that you can achieve success on your own."