Page 34 of The Secret Heir Next Door

“Good. I’m certain that he has a thing for you, but he’s playing it cool. Don’t ask him out or even bring up the sex thing again. Treat him like a client and nothing else. Don’t be doing anything special for him.”

“I don’t…”

“You do. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing. You pour so much into people because that’s who you are. You cannot do that with this man.”

“I’m already doing so by planning his niece’s birthday party.”

“That’s a business deal. Keep it there.”

“Okay,” I sigh. The last thing I am is a game player, and I hate to start now. I always just say what I think and go for what I want.

She laughs again. “Let’s focus on having some fun tonight. We deserve it.”

“You’re right. Let’s make the most of it.”

As we chat, the bar starts to fill up, and the atmosphere becomes livelier. We order another round of drinks, and Lila starts scanning the room, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Look at us,” she says, grinning. “Two single women ready to take on the night.”

“Wait, what about the guy you met that was texting you?”

“Turns out he has a wife.”

“What the fuck?”

“Yeah, it’s great. I’m great. Whatever,” she waves dismissively.

“How did you find out?”

“I looked his name up on social media. He told me he was divorced, but just yesterday he had this big post about how she was the best wife in the world.”

“What a dog.”

“I may have sent our text screenshots in a DM.”

“You didn’t.”

“And then I blocked him,” she shrugs. “Play with fire, get burned. His wife deserves to know he’s a piece of shit.”

“You’re not wrong.”

A couple of guys approach our table, their intentions clear. One of them, a tall guy with dark hair and a charming smile, looks directly at me.

“Hey there,” he says, leaning on the table. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all,” Lila says, flashing him a flirtatious smile. “We were just talking about how much fun we’re going to have tonight.”

The guy grins, clearly pleased with the response. “I’m James, by the way.”

“I’m Lila, and this is Serena,” Lila interjects, her eyes locked on a black-haired guy behind James.

“Nice to meet you both,” James says. “This is Doug and Adrian. So, what’s the plan for tonight? Anything exciting?”

“Well, we were just planning on enjoying ourselves and seeing where the night takes us. What do you have in mind?”

He leans in, clearly eager to impress. “How about a round of shots to start things off? My treat.”

“Shots sound great,” Lila says enthusiastically. “Let’s do it.”