Chapter 19
Liz pressed her lips together. Zac had never allowed her to go to bars or lounges.
Back in college, right after graduation, she once snuck out with Jane to a bar just to see what it was like. They had barely sat down when Zac showed up out of nowhere, pulled her out, and caused a huge scene.
He had been furious that night. What was it he said?
He said bars were dangerous, that she was so beautiful she could easily attract the wrong kind of attention, and he was worried something might happen to her.
Liz had never believed bars were that dangerous, but she didn’t want to make him worry, so she stayed away.
Looking back now, she realized how foolish she had been, compromising over such a small thing.
She took a deep breath, looked over at Jane, and said, “Let’s go.”
Jane grinned. “Now that’s what I’m talking about. Tonight, I’m taking you out into the real world. You’re going to have so much fun, you’ll forget you ever knew a guy named Zac.”
They got in the car, and Jane hit the gas, heading straight for a bar called Starlight Lounge.
Upstairs at Starlight, in a private booth, a group of men in suits sat drinking and chatting.
Rick Cooper took a sip of his whiskey and raised an eyebrow. “Zac, didn’t you just say you agreed to marry Liz? Are you planning to do anything about your secretary?”
The rumors about Zac and Xena had been swirling everywhere lately, but no one in the group had taken them seriously.
After all, she was just a secretary. Probably just a fling.
If Zac actually broke things off with Liz and brought Xena home, they would all think he had completely lost it.
Zac rested his fingers lightly on his glass. His voice was calm and emotionless. “What’s there to deal with? It’s been three years. She should be used to it by now. If it wasn’t Xena, it would have been someone else.”
He had agreed to marry Liz but that didn’t mean he had agreed to be faithful.
Rick frowned slightly. “Still, if you’re serious about marrying Liz, you should at least show her some respect. Do whatever you want behind closed doors, but letting it spill into the public eye crosses a line.”
Lately, Xena had been posting constant updates about her time with Zac. To people who didn’t know any better, it looked like she was his girlfriend. If this kept up, it was only a matter of time before Liz snapped.
Zac raised an eyebrow and said coolly, “That’s exactly the point. I want her to see it. She said she’d break up with me if I didn’t end things with Xena. If I give in now, she’ll think she can pull that card every time.”
Just thinking about how she had blocked him everywhere and shipped his things back to the office made his irritation boil back
This time, he was going to teach her a lesson. She needed to understand just how childish and ridiculous her little tantrum really
was.
Rick opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, Jeff suddenly pointed across the room and let out a loud
gasp.
“Wait-am I seeing things, or is that Liz? With Jane?”
Everyone turned. They all knew Zac never let Liz near bars. Back then, they used to joke that he acted like he came straight out of
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real possessiveness looked like.
Now, following the direction of Jeff’s finger, all eyes shifted.
It really was Liz. And Jane was right beside her.
Ever since she sent that breakup text and flew off to the Maldives, Zac hadn’t seen her in over a week.
His expression darkened.
He hadn’t reached out because he figured she just needed a little time to cool off.
But this? She cooled off enough to show up at a bar?
Noticing the shift in Zac’s mood, Jeff smirked a little. “Damn. You think she found out you’ve been partying here and showed up with Jane to catch you red-handed?”
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