-Tobias-

I stared at my phone, feeling restless and annoyed while lying in bed. I had completely forgotten the movie I was supposed to be watching. When I finally remembered it, I became more annoyed, but this time with myself. I was clearly not getting a reply from Gary anytime soon, so why was I being such a clingy bitch?

I tossed the phone away and tried to focus on the movie, but I had no idea what was going on anymore. Besides, I was getting too annoyed to stay still, so I turned off the TV and got out of bed.

Stupid Gary and his inability to reply to my messages...

Dad was on his way to pick up the android. I needed to get out of the house to get my mind off things, so now was a good time to sneak out again. I picked up the phone from the corner it had landed in and started sending messages to my friends, asking if anyone wanted to meet me in the city.

Nicolai, a naga and the son of one of my dad’s business partners, replied a few moments later. He suggested we met up at this new underwater restaurant, where pretty mermaids with their boobs covered only by seashells waited on us. That suggestion immediately made another naga, Xander, agree to come as well.

I rolled my eyes but agreed to meet them. I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to know why they chose that particular restaurant. And quite frankly, I already knew neither of them could afford to eat there, so I was better off packing my wallet with me.

I grabbed my bag, made sure I had everything with me, and exited my room. I tried to avoid the guards on my way to the garage. Thankfully, the mansion was pretty quiet, so it was easy to avoid being detected.

After exiting my wing, I made sure no one saw me in the entrance hall, where I stepped through the garage door. The guards must’ve noticed me in their cameras by now, so I had to hurry the rest of the way to my car, walking past a row of my father’s shiny collectibles. My Volvo was hidden behind the luxurious Jaguars and Mercedes, and I checked around for guards before sitting down behind the wheel.

No one tried to stop me when I drove out of the garage and through the gates. I relaxed a little when I headed towards the city, still battling against myself so I wouldn’t check my phone again.

I lost that battle.

Still no reply...

The restaurant was obviously packed when I arrived. There was a line at the door, but as soon as I reached it, a small man in an expensive tuxedo rushed out to greet me with a big, slimy smile on his face.

“Dear Mr. Locke! How wonderful to see you! Please! Right this way!”

The people around us gave me disgusted looks, and I cursed the man inside my head for speaking my name out loud. I followed the man – the owner himself? – through the crowded entrance hall to an elevator. The man kept smiling as he pressed the button that said “Restaurant”. After a short ride down, I stepped out with the man right on my heels. I had to stop to glance at the massive dome above us. There were mermaids swimming right outside the thick glass, looking pretty and waving at the patrons.

“This way, dear sir,” the man said and hurried toward the VIP area on our right. “Are we here alone or expecting company?”

“Two of my friends will be joining me,” I informed, and I was quickly seated at a round table for five right next to the edge of the dome.

“Anything to drink, dear sir?”

“Water is fine...”

The man finally left me alone after bringing me my water and menus. I glanced at my phone – no messages from anyone – and turned to look at the people around me. I was being stared at, and the looks on their faces were not the friendliest, so I turned to look out the glass dome at the sea, and waited.

I had to wait for almost half an hour before my company arrived.

Xander and Nicolai arrived together, both already staring at the mermaids in the dome rather than paying me any attention.

“Hey,” Xander said, just barely bringing up the courtesy to greet me as he was clearly more interested in ogling the pretty mermaids.

Nicolai nodded at me. “Damn, those mermaids are hot. Was your mom that hot too, Toby?”

“Yes, she was, and she didn’t even have to buy her looks, unlike your mom,” I retorted.

Xander tore his wide eyes off the mermaids. He started laughing loudly at my remark, whereas Nicolai’s smirk was now gone.

He looked like he wanted to snap something back, but made a huge effort to bite his tongue.

“Let’s order,” he said instead, with a paper-thin veil of politeness.

“Let’s,” I agreed, enjoying his frustration for not being able to say anything back.

Not as long as I was paying for his meal.