Secrets (Lords of the City)

by Alice Ward

  “You’re selling the penthouse? But it’s your dream home, Stace.”

  Stacey shrugged. “The place we’re in now is paid for and there’s plenty of room for three of us. And quite frankly, living beneath Drake sounds more like a nightmare than a dream.”

  I sighed. “I have to admit I’m relieved you and Drake won’t be neighbors. But I hate that it’s my fault this little girl won’t have Central Park as her front yard.”

  Stacey shrugged. “So we’ll walk to the park. It’s a small price to pay to distance ourselves from that man.”

  I nodded and continued with my questions. “Has he reacted to what I’ve said to the press?” I twisted my napkin between my hands, nervous to hear the answer. Pissing Drake off had become the driving motivation in campaigning against The Albergo tear down, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear the full scope of his fury.

  “Obviously, he isn’t happy that you’ve called his professional ethics into question. But he’s mostly relieved you haven’t spilled any of his personal secrets. Why is that, by the way? You obviously want to take Drake down, and rightfully so. You’re not legally bound to keep your mouth shut. Why don’t you just call up the Times and tell them what you know?”

  “Believe me, I’ve been tempted,” I confessed with a sigh, just as Nancy appeared at the table.

  “Was everything all right with your food?” she asked, throwing a concerned glance at my rejected bowl.

  “Fine, thank you,” I said with a reassuring smile. “I wasn’t very hungry, that’s all. Can I get a to-go box?”

  “Of course,” she agreed, relief flashing across her face. “Would either of you like to look at the dessert menu?”

  “No, thank you,” Stacey quickly replied, eager to be alone again so we could finish our conversation. She pulled out her debit card and passed it to Nancy. “Can you take care of the check, please?”

  “Sure, I’ll be back in a few minutes with your box and receipt.” Nancy disappeared and Stacey turned back to me.

  “So you’ve been tempted to out him, but you’ve held yourself back. Why?” she pressed.

  “A couple of reasons.” I paused for a moment, searching for the right words. “I don’t want to become one of those women who airs her dirty laundry in public. And fighting dirty like that… it seems like something Rebecca would do. The last thing I want to do is sink to her level.” I took a deep breath and confessed my less noble reasons.

  “I also get a little enjoyment out of knowing Drake’s squirming, waiting for me to talk. I like the idea of keeping him nervous.”

  “That makes sense,” Stacey agreed. “I understand that you don’t want to act like Rebecca. But she tells lies, Chelsea. You’d be telling the truth.”

  “I know, but it still seems underhanded. That’s why I want to keep the focus on The Albergo. I feel zero guilt for attacking Drake professionally. And it’s more effective than spilling his personal secrets. If I told reporters about Alex and all the other women, he’d be embarrassed. If I can stop The Albergo demolition, he’ll be out millions of dollars and months of work. Speaking of which, I need to get back to the office,” I said, glancing down at the clock on my phone. Pete had been okay with me taking an extra long lunch, but we had a rally the next day and there were last minute preparations to make.

  “No problem, want to share a cab?” she asked as Nancy returned with my to-go box. She passed Stacey a leather folder with her debit card and receipts.

  “Thanks for dining with us today,” the waitress said as Stacey signed the credit card slip. “Come back and see us soon.”

  “We will,” Stacey assured her as I dumped my salad into the Styrofoam box.

  Nancy walked away and I helped Stacey to her feet. “Oliver and I plan on coming to the rally tomorrow,” she told me as we made our way outside.

  “You have no idea how much I appreciate that,” I replied. I had a sneaky suspicion that Drake would make an appearance and I was happy to have all the moral support I could get.

  CHAPTER 2

  e

  At seven o’clock the next evening, I took to a makeshift wooden stage in front of The Albergo and greeted a larger crowd than I’d ever expected. I knew that some of the people had to be spectators hoping to get a glimpse into mine and Drake’s breakup. But I recognized a few familiar faces as I scanned the crowd and cleared my throat.

  “Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to come out for such a worthy cause,” I began to a roar of cheers. “As you know, this beautiful building behind me has stood in Battery Park for over one hundred years. It’s witnessed generations of our amazing city’s evolution into the amazing, historic Mecca it is today. And now, it’s being threatened by the evils of corporate development. One of the greatest aspects of New York is its melding of historic and modern. But a line has to be drawn somewhere, or that delicate balance will be disrupted. If we sit back and stay silent, developers like Drake Waters will ruin what makes this city so special. So we must take a stand. We must unite our voices and let corporate developers know that while there are plenty of buildings the city could do without, the beautiful, historic one behind me isn’t one of them.”

  The crowd cheered again as Pete and several of his university friends joined me on stage. He stepped up to the microphone and launched into his speech describing all of the historic events that had happened near the hotel.

  We’d decided to play up the nostalgia of the area when we hadn’t been able to find anything significant that had actually happened historically within the building. I tuned out his voice, my eyes searching the faces in front of me. I spotted Stacey and Oliver close to the stage and shot them wide, grateful smiles.

  A split second later, panic gripped my chest as I watched uniformed police officers circle the crowd. A limousine pulled to a stop a few blocks down and I saw Drake’s unmistakable form slide out of the back seat. Oblivious to our problems, Pete wrapped up his speech and introduced one of his friends.

  “We have a problem,” I hissed through the corner of my mouth as Pete backed up to stand beside me. I tilted my head ever so slightly toward the circling officers. Pete furrowed his brow and frowned.

  “There’s no reason for the police to interrupt us,” he assured me quietly. “We have all of the necessary permits. And we’re on the sidewalk, not the actual hotel property. We aren’t trespassing.”

  My eyes were fixed on Drake, so I didn’t realize that Piper had stepped up on the stage until she was right beside me.

  “Drake’s here,” she whispered frantically.

  “I know,” I replied under my breath. “Please, go see what he wants and try to keep him from ruining everything.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she promised before darting back into the crowd.

  Dr. Highland, the head of the NYU history department, was holding everyone’s attention with his lecture on the academic dangers of urban redevelopment. No one gathered in front of us seemed to notice that the police had joined us. But several heads turned as Drake pushed his way towards the stage with Piper at his heels.

  She grabbed his arm and he finally turned to face her. Piper’s body language was angry. Her lips moved rapidly and her gestures were sharp and pointed. Drake stood and listened to her, his shoulders slumped and defeated. His lips moved ever so slightly and then he stood in place while Piper returned to the stage.

  “What the fuck does he want?” I hissed as she approached me.

  “He wants to talk to the crowd,” she answered.

  “That’s ludicrous,” Pete insisted. “He has no right to be here.”

  “He seems to think otherwise. He said you can either invite him up on the stage, or he’ll have the police shut down the rally,” Piper warned.

  “He can’t do that,” Pete argued. “We have all the necessary permits.”

  “Yes,” I sighed. “And Mayor Parks is one of his father’s oldest friends. The family basically bought him the office. If Drake asked, I’m sure h
e pulled the permits. What are we supposed to do?”

  “We have two options,” Pete pondered out loud. “We can either wrap things up ourselves after Highland’s lecture, or we can invite Drake onstage and let him do his worst. Honestly, I think we’d be better off going with option two. Drake doesn’t have any friends in this crowd. Let’s let him say what he has to say. He’ll probably be booed off stage.”

  Every instinct I had warned me to stop this; that letting Drake speak to this crowd was the worst possible thing we could do. But as my boss, Pete had the final say in how to handle his sudden appearance. I turned to Piper, my voice low and reluctant.

  “Go tell Drake that he can come up once Dr. Highland has finished. And then, let Oliver and Stacey know what’s going on, if they don’t all ready.”

  “Okay,” she agreed, her lips tight with anger. She left the stage and I held my breath, trying to will myself the strength I’d need to face Drake again.

  This was bound to happen eventually. I knew that fighting the demo would mean dealing with Drake again. I can do this. The man I was in love with never really existed. The stranger that’s going to come onstage doesn’t have any power over me. There is no reason to cower or back down. This is the real Drake, and he needs to learn that his actions have consequences.

  My skin crawled with the certainty that Drake’s eyes were on me, but I refused to look his way. I was determined that he know he was nothing to me; nothing but a mistake and a threat to my professional reputation. He was certainly no one that deserved my acknowledgement. My face flushed hot with rage when I thought of the nerve he had, showing up at the rally and making demands.

  Rebecca was right. He’s more like her than he’d ever admit. I dodged a hell of a bullet, not marrying into that egotistical, narcissistic family.

  I heard Dr. Highland thank the crowd for their attention and knew we’d reached the inevitable. While Pete stepped back up to the microphone, I watched Drake ascend the stage from the corner of my eye.

  Why does he have to be so damn hot? This would be so much easier if I didn’t get a head rush every time I look at him.

  As usual, Drake was dressed in a custom tailored suit that showed off his firm, muscular body. I diverted my eyes until he turned to face the crowd and then let myself stare at the body I knew like the back of my own hand.

  The crowd booed, reminding me that Drake was no one to long for. He held up his hands and approached the microphone. He waited for the crowd to quiet and then introduced himself with so much false modesty I was surprised he didn’t choke on it.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Drake Waters,” he began. “Most of you know me as the ‘evil developer’ who owns the building behind us. I wanted to come here and speak with you all tonight so you could get to know a different side of me.”

  I spotted Stacey and rolled my eyes. She nodded and pretended to vomit as Drake continued.

  “It’s true that I want to tear down The Albergo to make way for a new, state-of-the-art, completely green apartment complex. But to assume that my plans make me in anyway disrespectful of our city’s rich history would be an error. There are historic, iconic buildings all through our boroughs that inspired me to become the man I am today. It is with no disrespect that I tell you The Albergo isn’t one of them. If the hotel had any historic significance whatsoever, I’d see it as my duty to restore it to its former glory.”

  Here we go again. Pete and I have spent weeks downplaying the fact that nothing spectacular ever happened at the hotel. Now Drake’s here to rub the fact in everyone’s faces.

  “I know The Albergo has some nostalgic qualities, as it’s stood for over one hundred years,” Drake pressed on. “But the simple truth is that it’s stood this long because no one cared enough to do anything about it. If you take a closer look at the architecture, you’ll see that the building is a mismatch of several different styles of the time period. There are elements of Gothic and Victorian, Romanesque accents and Spanish tiles, and to the refined eye, it just doesn’t make sense. It’s also an ecological nightmare. For those of you who are interested, I’ve compiled data on the building’s carbon footprint, both as it stands and if it were renovated. If you’d like a look at the numbers, the officers moving among you all have copies.”

  Because the NYPD doesn’t have anything better to do than pass out Drake’s propaganda. There really are no limits to what the man’s money will buy.

  “I’ve also provided data for the building I intend to erect in The Albergo’s place, as well as artist renderings of the building’s exterior. I ask that you all take some time to consider the numbers and truth about The Albergo before acting from emotions.”

  Drake paused for a moment and let his arms fall casually to his sides. He shifted his palms towards the audience and gave them his best ‘I’m just a regular guy’ voice. “I’m as dedicated as the rest of you when it comes to preserving our city’s past. And in that past, change has been the only constant. It is our responsibility not just to preserve the old, but to know what to let go of to help the city move into the future. Thank you for your time and your consideration.”

  The crowd stood silent as Drake made his way off stage. Pete stepped up to the microphone and cleared his throat.

  “Well, I think that we all saw that for what it was: nothing more than an attempt to pacify us into silence. Ladies and gentleman I don’t know about you, but…”

  Pete’s voice disappeared as doubt filled my head. He could dismiss Drake’s speech all he wanted, but I knew his words had done damage. The older, more academic looking members of the audience didn’t seem swayed by Drake’s words… but they were the only ones. I watched as a majority of the crowd approached the officers, asking for the information.

  Drake’s ruined everything. Pete’s been organizing this for over a month. And Drake ruined it all with a few minutes on stage.

  As I watched the scene before me, I was overcome with the feeling I was being suffocated. I slipped off stage just as Pete introduced the next speaker.

  “Chels, are you okay?” Piper asked, taking my arm as I stepped onto the sidewalk.

  “I can’t breathe,” I said, shaking free of her grip. “I’ll be okay. I just need to get some air. I’m going to take a walk. I’ll be back in half an hour, tops.”

  “Are you sure you’re okay? I could walk with you,” Piper suggested, one eyebrow raised in concern.

  “I need some space, Pipes. I’ll be back soon.”

  I took off down the sidewalk before she had a chance to argue. I was furious at Drake for showing up and persuading the crowd to consider his side. But I was more furious at myself for letting his presence affect me so deeply.

  Rage, regret, and devastation waged a war for control of my brain and my whole body shook as I walked aimlessly down the block. If I’d been paying attention to my surroundings, I’d have noticed that Drake’s limo was still parked at the curb. He jumped out of the car and stepped in front of me.

  “Chelsea, please… can we talk?” he asked, his hands shoved nervously into his pockets.

  At that moment, rage conquered its opponents and my body stopped shaking. I widened my stance, put my hands on my hips, and glared back at him. “I don’t have anything to say to you. And I’m not interested in hearing about your so-called addiction. Get the fuck out of my way.”

  I tried to step past Drake and he slid sideways, blocking me with his body. “I see Stacey’s filled you in. I’m not proud of my past, Chelsea. That’s why I wanted to keep it hidden. You deserve so much better than the man I used to be.” His voice was so genuine, so desperate, and it tugged at my heartstrings. I held up my hands, begging for his silence.

  “Please, Drake, I can’t do this right now.” I felt my eyes burn and my heart quicken and knew I wouldn’t be able to hold myself together much longer. But Drake was determined to say his peace.

  “Chelsea, you’re upset,” he said softly. “Please, just get into the limo. Let me talk, and the
n I’ll never bother you again.”

  I can’t do this. It hurts too much… but he won’t give up until I listen. The sooner I get this over with, the sooner I can be done with him… as far as our relationship goes, anyway.

  Drake held open the back door and I slid wordlessly into the limo. I climbed into the rear-facing seat to make it clear I wanted to be as far from Drake as possible. He settled in across from me and folded his hands together.

  “I’m so sorry that you found that paperwork. I’m sorry for every lie I told you. If I could go back in time, I’d have been upfront with you that night on the roof of my beach house. I knew then that you were different than other women. I knew you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. I should have trusted you with my truths. But I was so damn scared I’d lose you. I love you so much, Chelsea. Please, give me one last chance to make things right.”

  I stared across the limo and met Drake’s eye. It struck me that I no longer felt longing or pain when I looked at him. All I felt was disgust.

  “I’m not a masochist, Drake. And you’ve hurt me time and time again. Don’t you understand? I didn’t leave you because I was pissed off. I left because you were right all along. I deserve better than you. Keeping your secrets hidden was the your only option to keep me around. If you’d been honest the first night we met, you’d have saved us both a lot of time. I’d never have dated you… not the real you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a rally to get back to.”

  Drake grabbed my arm as I tried to leave the limo. I shook free of him, but returned to my seat. He reached across the car and lifted my chin until our eyes met.

  “I don’t believe you,” he said, his eyes determined. “I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. I didn’t have to know anything about you to know that we were meant to be together. I know you felt it too. And I know you still love me. I’ll find a way to win you back if it’s the last thing I do.”

  I glared back at him, determined to make my point. “You couldn’t be more wrong. When we first met, I thought you were an arrogant, spoiled, childish excuse for a man. You managed to convince me otherwise and yes, I thought I loved you. But that was before I knew who you really are. Now that I know the truth, there’s nothing you can say or do to win me back. I will never love you.”