Trust Him
1331 Words
Georgia stood by the window long after Lucian’s car disappeared down the street. The house was quiet, only the soft hum of the air conditioner and the ticking of the clock filled the silence. The bouquet of lilies and roses lay on the table beside her.
She stared at it for a while before picking it up, the soft scent brushing her face. “His sister,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head slightly. She still couldn’t believe it. All that pain, all those sleepless night, because she had misunderstood.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. “God, I’m such an i***t,” she murmured.
She dropped the flowers carefully into a vase of water and went upstairs. Her steps were slow, thoughtful. Once in her room, she shut the door behind her and leaned on it, staring at the faint reflection of herself in the mirror. Her face looked tired, but a small part of her, deep down, felt lighter than it had in days.
She sat on her bed, hugging her knees. “Orviate Systems,” she muttered under her breath. The name Lucian had mentioned kept echoing in her head.
After a few seconds, she reached for her laptop on the bedside table. She flipped it open, the screen lighting up her face in the dim room. She logged in quickly, fingers moving on the keyboard with a kind of nervous excitement.
She typed into the search bar, Orviate Systems stock.
The company name popped up instantly. A new tech company. Just launched a few months ago. Not much about it online, but Lucian’s words came back to her, “You know I know things.”
She smiled softly. “Yeah, you definitely know things,” she said under her breath.
Georgia opened her investment account and stared at her balance. A little over one million dollars. She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip. It was a big risk, she’d never gone all in on a single stock before. But this was Lucian. He never said things he didn’t mean.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Let’s do this.”
She began typing, filling in the required information. When she reached the section asking for her name, she paused. Her fingers hovered over the keys.
If she used her real name, the media would pick up on it immediately. Georgia Brooks Invests in Orviate Systems, she could already imagine the headline. Her phone would start buzzing nonstop by morning.
She didn’t want that.
A small smile tugged at her lips. “Let’s keep this quiet.”
She backspaced her name and typed instead, Claire Thompson.
Simple. Ordinary. Untraceable.
She reviewed everything again, double-checking the details before clicking confirm.
The loading bar spun for a few seconds before turning green. Transaction successful.
Georgia leaned back against her pillow, letting out a slow breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Done,” she whispered. “Now let’s see if you’re right, Lucian.”
Her phone buzzed beside her. She picked it up and saw May’s name flash across the screen. Georgia smiled a little and decided to call her instead.
The line rang twice before May picked up, her cheerful voice coming through. “Georgia! I was just about to text you. How are you holding up?”
Georgia let out a soft chuckle. “Better, I think.”
“Oh? That sounds promising. Did something happen?”
Georgia hesitated, then laughed lightly. “You’re going to laugh at me.”
“I already am,” May teased. “What did you do?”
“I might’ve misunderstood something,” Georgia said quietly.
May gasped in mock shock. “You? Miss always-right?”
“Ha ha,” Georgia said dryly, rolling her eyes. “Remember the girl I told you about? The one I saw in Lucian’s house?”
“Yeah,” May said quickly, sitting up on her end. “Don’t tell me...”
“Yeah,” Georgia cut in. “That was his sister.”
There was a long pause before May burst out laughing. “Oh my God, Georgia!”
“I know, I know,” Georgia said, covering her face with one hand. “Don’t rub it in.”
“I can’t help it,” May said between giggles. “You were so sure, I almost started to believe it myself.”
Georgia groaned. “I feel so stupid.”
“You’re not stupid,” May said, her voice softening. “You were hurt and confused. It happens.”
“Still,” Georgia muttered, lowering her hand. “He came today to explain. And he brought flowers.”
“Ooh,” May teased, dragging out the word. “Now that’s romantic. What did he say?”
“He said he’s sorry,” Georgia replied quietly. “That he should’ve figured it out sooner. That he didn’t want me to feel like that again.”
“Aww,” May cooed. “Lucian Virelle, the cold businessman, apologizing? I should’ve recorded that.”
Georgia laughed softly. “He even told me to invest in some stock, Orviate Systems. Said it was his way of making it up to me.”
“Wait, what? He’s giving you stock advice now?”
“Apparently.”
May hummed. “Hmm. You know what? If Lucian said it, it’s probably gold.”
Georgia smiled. “I already did it.”
“What?!” May exclaimed. “You actually invested?”
“Yeah,” Georgia said, grinning. “All of it.”
May gasped again. “You went all in?”
“Pretty much.”
“Georgia, you’re insane,” May said, though she was laughing. “You trust him that much?”
“I don’t know,” Georgia admitted softly. “But something about the way he said it… it felt right.”
May chuckled. “Love makes people do crazy things.”
“Maybe,” Georgia said, smiling faintly. “But I didn’t use my real name.”
“Oh really?”
“Yep. Went undercover. I’m now Claire Thompson.”
May laughed so hard Georgia had to pull the phone slightly away from her ear. “You’re unbelievable!”
“Well, I didn’t want to wake up tomorrow and see my name on every headline,” Georgia said with a small smile. “You know how fast things spread.”
“True,” May agreed. “You made the right move.”
Georgia shifted on her bed, lying on her side now, staring at the flowers on her nightstand. “You think I did the right thing, May?”
“Yeah,” May said softly. “You followed your heart, and you trusted him. That’s brave, Georgia.”
Georgia’s lips curved into a small smile. “Maybe. Or maybe it’s just foolish.”
“Same difference,” May said playfully.
They both laughed again, the sound light and easy.
When the laughter faded, May said quietly, “You still care about him, don’t you?”
Georgia hesitated. “I never stopped.”
“Then maybe it’s time to stop fighting it,” May said gently. “Sometimes people make mistakes. What matters is if they try to fix them.”
Georgia’s voice softened. “He’s trying.”
“Then meet him halfway,” May replied.
Georgia nodded slowly, though May couldn’t see her. “Yeah. I think I will.”
“Good,” May said. “Now, go get some rest, Miss Claire Thompson.”
Georgia laughed. “Goodbye, May.”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
The call ended, leaving Georgia alone in the quiet room again. She set the phone down beside her as her mind drifted back to Lucian, the way he had looked at her, the sincerity in his voice, the small nervous smile he’d given her before leaving.
“His sister,” she whispered again with a small laugh. “Unbelievable.”
Her smile lingered as she leaned back against the pillows, closing her eyes.
- Writer
