Chapter 3: The Shot that Makes the Headline
Macy wakes up before it's fully bright.
Yusef is still asleep. His face seems to be more approachable. Watching his face lets Macy be in a trance.
Looking back, she was too emotional last night. It may be because of all the incidences have happened recently, which pushes her to the edge of her rationality.
Looking at the mess of the room, she can't help feeling nervous.
She withdraws her gaze and puts her clothes on quietly.
She looks at the man on the bed obsessively for several seconds and leaves unwaveringly.
At the moment when the door is shut, Yusef opens his eyes. His face gets more serious when seeing the blood on the bed.
Macy hurries away from the villa and gets on a cab.
Macy's mother is sitting in the living room. Her unwell face indicates the fact that she has been awake for the whole night.
"Macy, how did everything go? You weren't home last night."
The sentence is the one that Macy has been fearful to hear these days, yet which is quite understandable because her mum has never suffered for living before she got married. The situation the Downeys are in is really unbearable for her.
Macy collects her mind and puts her smile on her face. "Take it easy mum. It's all under my control."
"Is it for real?" Stuns Macy's mum. The livelihood seems to come back in her eyes "Did Eliot agree to help?"
Macy shakes her head. "No. It has nothing to do with him."
"Nothing to do with him? Then what is your solution? Macey, haven't you been with him last night? There are all these... on your neck."
Macy is suddenly shy of her mum's discovery and consciously covers her hickeys. She quickly changes the subject. "Mum, have you been awake for the whole night? I will figure these out myself. Please have a rest. I will go back to the office after breakfast. I'll talk to you then, ok?"
"..."
Her mum wants to dig out all the facts from her. Yet she can't do it because of her empathy for her daughter's pale looking. "Alright. Macy, you need a hot bath."
"Alright."
Macy climbs a few stairs and looks back to see her mum standing still. Realizing her mum still has more to say, she adds, "Mum, stop worrying about me. We will still have assets to survive even if our company is bankrupted."
"I know, you go and have a quick rest. I am going to make your breakfast."
Macy nods and takes a shower carefully. Then she lies on her bed and stares at the ceiling blankly.
Yusef's strong desire for her on the bed last night gives Macey a chill.
It's uncertain for her to have connections with Yusef Penn. However, there are no other ways at present. She feels tired from the intensive sex and falls asleep very shortly.
She doesn't wake up until two calls from her assistant brings her back to the reality in the afternoon.
"What happened?"
"Macy, a big issue happened."
Macy's nerve tightens. "I need to know right now. Is it about my father?"
"No..."
The assistant mutters and mumbles for a while and says, "It is about you Macy. You were taken pictures and now they have been exposed on the internet."
Macy's expression changes at once and she puts out her pad. Not surprisingly, the picture of her not being graceful in front of Eliot's department was taken.
She resists her anger very hard. Needless to say about her embarrassment for her experience at Eliot's apartment, this picture reveals the last companion of the Downey's, the Penn's has also abandoned them.
The Downey's is now a company about to be bankrupted. Without a mighty savor, the previous loan will be likely to be withdrawn from the Downey's by the bank.
She doesn't believe that Eliot doesn't know about it since it also got him involved.
This news also has harmed the reputation of the Penn's. It will not be on the trending for such a long time without the permission from the Penn's.
If her analysis is correct, the key to solve the crises may be in Yusef's hands.