Page 54 of The Betrayal
This place is stunning, it’s as if we’ve been transported somewhere entirely different as we look over the canal giving us Venice ambience.
“Lucian will be over shortly to take your drink order.” He nods curtly then spins and walks away back to his station.
“Wow, this is…”
“Stunning isn’t it. That’s the thing with Vegas, you can be anywhere in the world without ever having to leave,” Sage smiles, resting her hand over Dex’s.
Lucian appears within minutes and Dex orders a bottle of champagne and after checking with us all, orders the tasting menu for all of us, supplementing for the wagyu for our mains.
I only managed one glass of champagne before I politely refused and moved onto a mocktail. With how I was feeling, I was worried alcohol would make me so much worse.
My brows furrow when I notice that Sage hasn’t once touched a drop of alcohol. She is drinking soda water and lime. I’m pulled from my thoughts when Sage turns to face me.
“Have you thought anymore about my offer?” Sage asks, reaching for her glass and taking a mouthful as Keaton tops my glass up.
“What offer is that?” Keaton asks, curiosity lacing his tone.
“About Arizona being manager of Prestige,” she beams at me before her eyes bounce between Dex and Keaton.
“Is that what you want?” he asks me, and I can hear the edge his voice suddenly has.
“I don’t know… I mean, it wasn’t the dream I had once envisaged for myself.” I admit, my fingers curling round the delicate stem of the champagne flute.
“What was it?” Dex asks, elbows on the table as he leans closer to me.
I scoff. “I always wanted to be a doctor…” I pause for a moment, my eyes moving across to Keaton for a beat.
“Then why aren’t you?” He continues.
“Failed my first lot of exams. Didn’t have it in me to beg for another chance…” I sniff, “not that they would have given it to me anyway, I mean, life doesn’t work like that.”
“Surely you could re-do your first-year internship?” Sage asks the questions now.
“And work below my peers that I started with?” I shake my head from side to side, “I’m too proud,” I half laugh, half choke on the breath that caught at the back of my throat.
“If it’s your dream…” Dex says softly, his piercing eyes on mine and my heart drums a little faster in my chest. Dex, God of dream making.
“I don’t know… maybe I have a new dream,” I shrug one shoulder up and am silently grateful that our main course arrives.
Lucian places the tray down on a stand and serves our dinners up, Sage is the only one who has well done steak, the rest of us are medium.
I stare down at my plate, my stomach tightening as the smell of the meat wafts up and my mouth waters.
Not now.
I reach for my water and take a large mouthful, willing for the feeling to go away.
“Are you feeling sick again?” Keaton leans across to me, his voice low as his eyes settle on mine.
I nod but wave him away with a ‘I’m fine’. The less I just focus on me, the better it’ll be.
Moments pass and so does the nausea.
“Are you okay?” Sage asks me, her hand on mine.
“Yeah, think I have a little stomach flu, been like it since the plane,” I sigh, forcing myself to eat the dinner that Dex ordered.
“I have some stomach settlers in my room,” she smiles, and I give her a gracious nod. Keaton catches Lucian’s attention and orders me another glass of water.