Chapter 42

Seeing that Gabrielle was having a difficult time, I stepped forward and presented the gift I had prepared. “I’m here to apologize to your boss,” I said. “This box contains his favorite wine. Are you sure you don’t want to let us in?”

The woman let out a cold snort. An attendant leaned in and whispered, “Velvet, maybe you should tell Mr. Guzman? He loves collecting these kinds of things, and it looks like the wine she brought might be something special.”

Velvet scoffed and looked down at me. “If this were someone else’s gift, I might consider it. But coming from her? We don’t want anything from Gabrielle,” she stated, exchanging a look with Gabrielle.

As expected, our gut feeling was right; Velvet clearly knew me, and she definitely disliked me.

“You’re not Mr. Guzman, so you don’t make the decisions,” I said coolly. “Whether I’m allowed in or not is up to him, not you.”

Velvet clearly wasn’t expecting me to retort. Her face soured just as the door to the private room opened, and a tall man emerged. “Velvet, Mr. Guzman said to let her in.”

“Spade!” she muttered through gritted teeth, stomping her foot in frustration.

I couldn’t help but laugh—Velvet and Spade? What kind of names were those? Velvet shot me a glare before storming off.

Spade remained expressionless. “This way, Ms. Sawyer.”

I nodded and entered with Gabrielle. La Doghouse was as noisy and chaotic as its name suggested, but inside the private room, it was quiet.

As soon as I stepped in, a faint scent caught my attention. I smiled. Frederick might look flashy, but his taste was…interesting. What kind of man liked burning smoky scented candles?

Frederick’s hoarse voice interrupted my thoughts. “What do you want from me?”

I looked up to see Frederick lounging on the sofa, wearing a black shirt with the top buttons undone, giving him a roguish charm.

I stepped forward and handed him the gift box. “I heard you collect fine wine. This is for you.”

Frederick raised an eyebrow. “If you know I collect wine, then you should also know I don’t waste my time on cheap stuff.”

I smiled. “Just take a look. You’ll see.”

Seeing my confident expression, Frederick chuckled, set down his wine glass, and casually opened the box. The moment his eyes fell upon the bottle, his expression changed.

He raised an eyebrow. “First Love?”

“You know this one?” I asked, feeling a little surprised.

He sighed. “How could I not? I asked you to give me this bottle years ago. You called me delusional and cursed me out like I owed you money.”

“That happened?” I questioned.

Honestly, I didn’t remember. I felt a little embarrassed but didn't show it. “Well, you did save my life. I figured it’s only right I make it up to you.”

“First, you said it was a thank-you gift, and now it’s an apology? Are you trying to get two favors from one present?” he sneered. “No wonder you’ve been with Jonathan too long. You’ve picked up all his calculating tricks.”

His sarcasm was biting, but I didn’t take it personally. I smiled. “What do you think? Either way, I came bearing sincerity.”

I tapped the box lightly. “The question is, does this wine meet your standards?”

Frederick gave another dismissive sound, but he seemed less cold, though he still wore that devil-may-care look.

“Long live the apology,” he purred. “If you’d tried buttering me up earlier, maybe you wouldn’t be in such a mess now.”

He took the bottle and handed it to Spade, who nodded and carried it away.

“What do you really want?” he asked.

I smiled again. “Didn’t I already say? It’s a…”

Frederick saw right through me. “Don’t play the fool. You’re way too clever to just show up here for no reason. Just say what you want.”