Stella & The Playboy

Stella & The Meltdown

Chapter 17

It had been about two weeks, or maybe more since I returned from the Bahamas. Julius and I weren't talking, which wasn't a very good look since most of the world thought I was a cheater.

The press followed me around constantly and I had been staying away from social media to avoid reading anything. I didn't know what they were saying about me or Julius as we continued to live our own separate lives.

Although my dad told me to fix it, I didn't want to. I didn't care anymore. I was tired of Julius and his shit and I just didn't want to deal with it. I was living my carefree life, going to work and ignoring the press.

I was currently at work going through files when someone knocked on my office door. I looked up to see my father standing behind the glass doors to my office. He comes in with his hands in his arms crossed in front of him. To say I was shocked was an understatement, I had never seen my father in my office. He hardly ever walked these floors.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Get your stuff we're going somewhere." He says gruffly before heading toward the door again. "Wait! I'm in the middle of working?" I tell him as I stand up.

"That's why you have an assistant, call her in here. You'll be back."

I sigh before calling for Sheila and having her take my place. She looks at me with a confused expression and I just shrug before assuring her I'll be back. Father or not, he was still the CEO of the company.

Which is why I was extremely confused as to why he was pulling me out of work on a Tuesday afternoon. I follow him to his car and we got in before speeding off toward the freeway. "Where are we going?" I ask.

"To see something." Is all he says.

We pull off of the freeway soon after and enter a neighborhood of condos in front of a slightly busy street. My dad parks in front of a building and pulls his keys out of the ignition. "What is this?" I ask.

"Come out and see." He gets out of the door, shutting the door behind him. I sigh, having a bad feeling but still follow him out of the car and into the building. We take an elevator and my dad pulls out some keys as we enter the top floor.

He unlocks the front door of the condo, letting me inside. The interior was very urban with white ceilings and a single decorative brick wall as the backsplash. It was lightly furnished with cream furniture and light wooden floors. I wander away from my father to check out the rest of the condo. It didn't seem to have stairs so I assumed it was a single-story space. It had long hallways with brick accents around every corner.

"This place is nice, you just bought it?" I ask my father as I reenter the living room. "We both did." A voice says from behind me.

I turn around to see Mr. Ashford enter the room. "Dad, why are we here?" A familiar voice asks from behind him in the hallway. Julius appears behind his father suddenly and our eyes widen as they meet.

"What's going on?" Julius asks.

Mr. Ashford chuckles, "There's been some obvious hostility between the two of you since the incident. This is your chance to work it out." He waves some keys in his hands before turning to his son, "Happy birthday Julius." He says as he drops the keys in his son's hands.

"And this will give you a taste of married life. Enjoy it." My father says to me as he tosses me the keys. Julius and I stare at each other in shock, but both silent.

"You could say thank you." Mr. Ashford chuckles.

"What if we don't work it out?" I ask suddenly.