Damage Control

Chapter 31

"Stazi, he's not here," Stella assured me for the tenth as we walked towards the grand front doors. My eyes had unconsciously been darting around the driveway, searching the area for any sign of him, and of course, she noticed.

"I'm not looking for him," I mumbled in embarrassment.

"Sure," she nodded her head. "And my name's Stella."

I frowned. "Your name is Stella."

"Or is it?" She winked.

To this day, I'm still trying to figure out how the man I work for and my best friend are related.

"Wow, you actually came," Carter voiced in surprise as soon as we walked through the doors.

"Not willingly," I rolled my eyes as I slipped out of my shoes and placed them on the black marble floor near the coat rack.

"You must be Anastazi," an unfamiliar voice spoke up from behind Carter.

I looked up to see a tall guy standing around 6'0, looking down at me through thick black frames and bright emerald green eyes with a small smile stretched across his face. His hair was dark with streaks of light brown running through it, complimenting his smooth tan skin. The stranger wore a white t-shirt that clung loosely to his lanky body with a pair of black basketball shorts.

"Please, call me Stazi; and you must be Theo," I guessed from his nerdy look.

"Correct," he flashed me a thumbs-up before stretching his hand out to shake mine.

I liked him already.

"Stazi, I would like you to meet Gabrielle," Carter announced, bringing my attention towards the beautiful woman standing behind him. She was as short as Stella, with luscious dark blonde hair cascading down her slender shoulders. Her eyes that were trained on the ground were the same color as mine, dark brown, and she had freckles littered across her pale face. She also wore a beautiful yellow summer dress that complimented her petite figure.

"Hello, nice to meet you." she squeaked, finally looking up at me as blush crept to her cheeks.

Fuck.

I was secretly hoping his girlfriend would be some bitchy asshole, giving me a valid reason to hate her other than the fact that she's with the guy I secretly like. But the woman standing in front of me was the complete opposite. She was sweet and shy and looked as if she would cry if she hurt a fly.

"I've heard some amazing things about you," I assured her with a friendly smile on my face.

"Really?" She beamed, looking up at Carter for confirmation.

He smiled down at her through loving eyes and placed a small kiss on her cheek before nodding his head slowly. And at that moment, all the feelings I had for Carter vanished. Seeing him with Gabrielle in person made me realize how much I needed to move on. He was with her now, someone who seems to be deeply in love with him as much as he's in love with her, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I took that away from them.

"Great," Stella clapped. "Now that we all know each other, can we get on with movie night?"

Carter and I simultaneously rolled our eyes but allowed our small friend to lead the way towards the movie room. The mansion was just how I remembered it, dark walls, high ceilings with white chandeliers hanging from it.

I made a detour and took a quick shower in one of the guest room before changing into the clothes Stella left me. I slipped on the fresh set of lace panties and bralette she bought from the store before picking me up from work and put on the navy blue t-shirt that smelled oddly familiar and black sweatpants over it.