Chapter 10: Selling the Apartment

Marshall Chambers thought about what was going to happen that night and glanced at that "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle," Micah, up ahead. Delight rippled through him from head to toe. Sneaking a guy's fiancée into a hotel right under his nose-who else gets how good that feels, guys? He almost wanted "the other man" tattooed on his forehead and tell Micah Baron, "Your future wife is about to sleep with me. The woman you spent your savings on-I'll have already had her before you take her home." With that thought, he pulled Liana Carver into his arms, tipped her chin, and stole a kiss. Caught off guard, Liana flinched. Her heart was racing. As she turned her head, she saw Micah about to step out. Micah didn't look their way, as if they were strangers. She couldn't be sure whether he'd seen it. She didn't want things with Micah to turn completely sour; things with Marshall weren't a sure thing yet. If marrying into the Chambers family didn't work out, Micah would be her backup plan. She told herself not to burn her bridges-to leave herself an out. Thinking that, she edged aside, putting some space between herself and Marshall. Marshall noticed right away and shot her a sidelong look. "Liana, you're not thinking of going back to him, are you?" Liana shook her head. "Marshall, he can't hold a candle to you. Between you two, how could I ever choose him?" Marshall thought, She might look sweet and innocent, but she's ruthless. If she ended up with someone richer, would she stab him in the back just the same? He felt a flicker of sympathy for Micah. Micah slid into his car and, out of nowhere, sneezed. He had no idea what was going on behind him. To him, since they were broken up, it didn't matter; who Liana dated was up to her. Denise called him. "Micah, I've got the money together. My husband wants to take another look at the place. Are you free?" "I am." "Then I'll wait for you at the gate." Micah drove to Moon Lake Residence. Archie Carrington stood at the entrance with Denise and her family. Micah led them back to the apartment. As soon as he opened the door, the stench hit him, and he wrinkled his nose. On the coffee table sat half-eaten snail rice noodles and stinky tofu-both notorious for their smell. The trash bin on the floor was overflowing. The pot on the stove still had half a batch of instant noodles; used bowls and chopsticks soaked in the sink. Dirty clothes were strewn across the sofa; a few mismatched high heels lay kicked aside on the floor. To a stranger, it looked like a vagrant had moved in. He'd thought Liana, seeing his message about the sale, would take the hint and move out. He hadn't expected her to still be there-and to trash the place like this. While he'd been gone, she hadn't cleaned once. Junk food every day, and whenever she went out, she couldn't be bothered to throw away the takeout bags. She couldn't even manage basic housekeeping-clearly, he'd spoiled her rotten these past few years. Denise took in the scene and just shook her head. The first time she'd come, the place had been spotless. Nothing like this mess. "Micah, you're not getting cold feet, are you? If you don't want to sell, that's fine. Just tell me straight. You and Archie are friends. I won't hold it against you." Micah rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, Denise. Let me clean up first. I'm definitely selling, but it's Saturday, so we can't process the paperwork. I promise, when I hand the place over, it'll be tidy and clean." He went in alone and cleaned for nearly half an hour, at least made the place presentable, lugged out two bulging bags of trash, and opened the windows to air the place out. Only then did he invite Denise's family in to see the apartment. Archie murmured behind him, "Dude, what kind of life have you been living with Liana?" Micah didn't dare to dwell on it. For three years, he'd put her on a pedestal. He did the housework, he earned the money, he gave her the best of everything. He'd basically been an unpaid maid. To him, loving a girl meant spoiling her to the hilt. In that moment, he finally woke up to the truth: he'd poured everything into someone who didn't deserve it. He felt sorry for himself. He sighed. "Let's not bring up the past." It was over now. Archie asked, "And your wedding? Have you found a bride?" Only Archie knew about the breakup. Micah hadn't even dared to tell his parents. Finding someone willing to marry him in a hurry had become urgent. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. "The wedding's still on-I just don't have a bride." Archie gave him a thumbs-up. "You're a badass. Otherwise, hire someone through a matchmaking app. You're getting married, not grabbing a head of lettuce at the grocery store. Only a few days left-where are you going to find someone?" Micah kept silent. If there was no other way, he'd take that step. But thoughts of his parents made his chest ache. They'd worried themselves sick over his marriage. He could lie to anyone, anyone but his own mother and father. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." Denise's family finished the tour; they were satisfied with everything. She took a few photos inside, and they left together. Micah didn't go back to the hotel that night. He stayed at the apartment. Liana didn't return; he figured she'd moved out. He hired a cleaner to do a deep clean, threw out some junk, and left Liana's belongings untouched. He sent Liana a message on Messenger: "Come pick up your things. The place will be sold next week. If you don't, I'll assume you don't want them and clear them out." No response for a long time. Meanwhile, Liana had followed Marshall to a resort. In truth, it was a small villa his dad had rented, though Marshall told Liana he'd bought it. While Liana showered, her phone screen lit up. The contact name read "simp." Marshall saw the word and couldn't help but chuckle. It fit the Hulk nickname perfectly. Too lazy to check the message, he tapped delete. Water hissed steadily in the bathroom. Marshall watched the blurred outline behind the frosted glass, and desire flared in his chest. He slipped off his watch and walked in. Soon, heavy breathing drifted out. He'd partied hard overseas for years, but most of those women had been bold and brazen-almost none had made him want to see them twice. The woman in front of him, shy and teasing, pushing him away only to pull him back, had him completely hooked. Suddenly, he thought of Micah. What would that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's face look like if he found out? The thought sent his blood racing. Liana suddenly grabbed hold of him. "Marshall, about my brother…?" Some sense snapped back into him. He was already in deep, and she grabbed the moment to get leverage. She was calculating.