Filed To Story: The Trap Of Ace Book PDF Free
I must have misunderstood his eyes.
After all, assuming wrong probabilities had ruined my entire childhood once.
I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.
“You will know, soon.”
Again, incomplete answer.
I opened my mouth, but the pompous cheers and loud announcement cut me off.
The race was finished, and the winner’s name could be heard from the gallery outside.
I looked at him.
“Looks like the title ‘loser’ suits you more now.”
My lips curved up at the winner’s name while he remained silent.
“My condolences on your loss.
Poor Jordan and the jockey, they tried hard, you know?
Sometimes fate just doesn’t support you everywhere.”
“Em, you’re done?”
Warner asked, appearing at the exit.
Putting his phone in his pocket, when his eyes landed on Ace, confusion flashed over his face.
But then he smiled.
“Hello, Mr.Valencian.”
And Mr.Valencian stood still as a stone.
His gaze on Warner was unreadable.
Jerk!
“Yeah, let’s go!”
I linked my arm with Warner’s.
Stormy eyes followed my moves.
“Better luck next time.”
I turned to go, pulling Warner along.
I didn’t know why I did that, but when I glanced back at him, something flipped in my stomach.
An almost non-visible smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
It whispered a secret I couldn’t unfold.
“What was he doing there?”
Warner asked once we were outside.
I shrugged.
“Nothing.
You tell me, how do you know him?
Even at that party, it seemed like you knew him even before anyone introduced you two.”
He laughed as if it was the silliest question someone has ever asked him.
“Who doesn’t know Achilles Valencian?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Is there any problem between you guys?”
“Why do you ask?”
A shoulder of his lifted.
“I don’t know, but… whenever you’re with him or hear about him, you always get tense.”
I tried my best not to get tense right now.
“Nothing.
It’s just… we never got along,” I lied.
My tone told him not to query more.
And he didn’t.
When we passed the place where those drunk guys were, I didn’t spot them anymore.
But I did spot some drops of blood scattered on the ground.
Frowning when I looked up, I found some guards dragging those guys away down the stairs to the exit.
One of them was holding his bloody nose.
He was the one who asked me if I was interested in his money.
Then the bruise on Achilles’s knuckles flashed in my mind.
A silent gasp left my lips.
Did he… did he do that to them?
But why?
When we got back down to our folks, I was still lost in my thoughts.
But my sister’s gloomy face caught my attention.
Of course.
The horse she was cheering on lost.
Tobias, on the other side, was grinning ear to ear as he poked Tess.
“See, I told you Jordan will lose.
Now you owe me a thousand dollars!”
“But you weren’t supporting Cage either!
So how come I lost the bet?”
Tess glared.
“Doesn’t matter.
The bet was about Jordan’s winning or losing.
And he lost.
So, the money is mine!”
Huffing, Tess slumped beside Caleb, who shook his head in amusement.
“It’s all Ace’s fault!
Why didn’t he tell me that this time he was betting on Cage instead of Jordan?
It’s not fair!”
My eyes widened.
He betted on Cage?
Not Jordan?
But I thought…
My gaze met Caleb.
He flashed me a sheepish grin.
“Even I didn’t know.
But what I said turned out true, right?”
That he never loses.
Now I understood the meaning of his smirk back there.
And here I was thinking he lost, calling him a loser to his face.
God!
He must’ve laughed at me in his head for my lack of knowledge.
I glanced at the VIP section.
He was in his previous place, the dark sunglasses were back.
People were surrounding him, must be congratulating, but his form was angled to us, telling me his gaze’s direction.
My eyes were set on his as I pulled Warner closer, hugging his arm.
The tightness of his sharp shadowed jaw made my doubt clear.
He was indeed looking at me.
But my sudden act, and his reaction… I shut down my brain before some realization set in my mind I couldn’t handle.
“The race is over now.
So why don’t we go eat somewhere?
I’m hungry,” I said, not wanting to stay there anymore.
Nodding, Caleb stood and pulled a grumbling Tess along with him.
“Em is right, even I’m famished.
Let’s go, honey, let’s get you a cold drink so you can cool down a little.”
When we exited through the gate, this time I didn’t dare to look back.
Though I did feel the burning gaze lingering on me all the way until we were finally out of his sight.
After a whole day
of roaming around the city, the day was finally over.
Though I did enjoy with Tobias, Caleb, and Warner, the awkwardness of my sister’s presence always hindered my pleasantry.
Because whenever I see her face, I can’t help but remember that night…
I closed my eyes, shutting the door of those memories.
“You okay?”
Warner asked.
We just stopped outside my house after a long walk.
I decided to take a walk instead of Tobias’s lift, thinking it might help me clear my mind.
But it didn’t.
The heady scent of his still lingered at the back of my mind, that deep yet husky voice still murmured in my ear.
My free hand balled into a fist.
“I’m fine, just a little tired.”
Smiling, he cupped my face.
“I can understand, you had a long day today.”
Brown orbs shone with adoration and love as they flickered to my lips.
“You know, I’m happy I came here with you.
I’d miss this amazing day if I hadn’t.”
I stopped breathing when his lips met mine.
Closing my eyes, I waited for something, anything.
But I felt nothing.
Just a mingling of fleshes, that’s all.
A burn felt behind my closed eyelids.
Even a kiss from a guy who I called my boyfriend couldn’t spark even a little of the sensation I feel with just his
eyes on me.
Something built up in my chest.
Frustration, guilt, and an overwhelming emotion I didn’t want to give a name to.
As his tongue parted my lips, I pulled away.
Hurt flashed across his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Warner.
I’m really tired right now.
Can we go inside?”
Even if he was hurt, he covered it with a smile.
And I couldn’t feel more terrible.
“It’s all right, Em.
I understand.
Let’s go in and freshen up.”
With that, he turned around.
And I watched him walk away in silence.
Soft breeze touched
my skin as I watched the dark clouds cover the light of the full moon.
The stars weren’t awake tonight.
The bare night offered nothing but the sounds of crickets.
They used to soothe my mind other times, but not tonight.
They couldn’t tame the storm raging in my chest.
A stab of guilt hit me as I remembered Warner’s face this evening when I rejected him again.
This wasn’t the first time I turned him down on being intimate with him.
Not only him, in those past years, whoever I’d dated, I’d not gone anywhere past the kiss.
I just couldn’t.
And no guy would want to do anything with a girl who couldn’t even let them kiss her properly, let alone getting physical.
But Warner wasn’t one of them.
He respected my wishes and kept his distance.
The most he touched me intimately was kissing me.