Chapter Three freedom

Victoria’s voice sent chills through my veins.

My lips trembled. How did she know I was here? I scanned her face for a trace of disappointment, but her expression remained unreadable—stern and unsmiling as usual.

“How did you find me?” I asked defiantly.

She said nothing. Instead, she stepped closer.

Did she want to mock me? Fine. She had warned me about them, and it had all come to pass.

I wished I could turn back the hands of the clock.

“Untie her.”

The policemen exchanged glances before unlocking my wrists. I fell to my knees, gripping her tightly.

“Please… help me…” My coarse voice came out as a whimper.

It didn’t matter how pathetic I looked. All I wanted was to hold my daughter in my arms.

“There’s no time for that.”

She wriggled her leg out of my grip and stepped back.

“Listen, we only have a few minutes to leave. Sign the documents they gave you, and you’ll be free.”

Her words cut deep into my soul. I let her go,

“I can’t… There’s no way I’m leaving Arabella. She’s my whole life!” I cried as hot tears ran down my cheeks.

She tilted her head back and chuckle,

The last time I had heard her laughter was on her sixteenth birthday, a day after our parents died in a plane crash. She had taken over our parents’ company at the ripe age of eighteen.

“Well, dear… little naive sister.” Her voice pulled me back to reality. “You should have known the family you married into.”

She paused.

“It might be an odd time to remind you, but I warned you about them.”

“The Harringtons are ruthless and deadly. They have the police and judges on their payroll. You thought love could save you from their wrath…”

I bowed my head in shame.

Memories of my rebellious phase flashed through my mind. My sister had locked me inside my room when she found out I was sneaking out to see Vincent. She had done everything in her power to separate us, but love had won in the end—or so I thought.

“I need the documents,” she told the policemen.

The policemen handed her the papers.

She dropped them on the table in front of me and fixed her eyes on me.

“We don’t have much time left. Sign this paper and leave the rest to me.”

They weren’t only asking for my signature. They wanted to erase me from my daughter’s life.

I couldn’t.

She was the only person I had left. My life had no meaning without her.

I would rather die than abandon her.

Violent sobs racked my body.

“Please… Victoria… help me. I won’t back down without a fight.”

My teary eyes met hers. For a second, her face softened before she slipped the mask of indifference back into place.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Fight them with what?”

She shook her head.

“Well, suit yourself. But you have a better chance of seeing her again if you stay alive.”

Most importantly, my time here was limited. He couldn’t find me here.

She turned and headed toward the door.

“Stop!”

My voice made her pause mid-step. She slowly turned to face me.

“Have you changed your mind?”

I exhaled and nodded.

I wiped my wet face. She wasn’t entirely wrong. I still had a chance to fight them in the future, but one thing remained certain: I had to get my freedom first.

My hands shook as I took the paper. My heart thudded against my chest, but I continued flipping through the pages.

My eyes fell on the final paragraph. My throat tightened.

I hereby relinquish all parental rights to Scarlet Harrington…

“It’s Arabella,” I protested in my mind.

They had even erase the name I gave my daughter.

I shut my eyes and scribbled my signature across the page.

“I will fight for you. I will come back for you, Arabella,” I whispered to myself, pressing my palms against my chest.

It hurt so much. It felt as though someone had ripped a part of my flesh away.

Victoria spoke with the policemen, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. I saw her give them a brown envelope. Within a few minutes, they finished.

She walked over to me and bent down to my level.

“You did the right thing, Ava.”

She patted my back. This time, her face showed a flicker of concern. Her eyes held neither judgment nor pity.

“Come here.”

She pulled me into a tight hug, and torrents of tears streamed down my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them away. She caressed my back, letting me sit with my feelings.

Finally, I got the warm embrace I needed.

“It’s okay. Hurry up. We have to leave.”

She slowly pulled away from the hug and stood.

I moved slowly behind her. She turned and saw me limping. She told the two men who had come with her to help me.

They carried me side by side out of the dark room.

---

Three Years Later…

Morris Group of Companies was engraved on the sign outside the building. The huge edifice was my parents’ legacy.

I shook off my feelings as I stepped out of my car. Today was not the perfect day for wishful thinking.

My phone had been blowing up with calls and messages from my sister.

“Where are you? Our meeting will start in the next thirty minutes.”

“They’re our biggest investors. Why are you not here yet?”

My heart jumped into my stomach. One thing Victoria didn’t tolerate was tardiness. She frowned upon it.

My heels clicked against the marble floor as I hurried toward the lobby. I knew I didn’t look put together, but I didn’t care.

A few steps away from the elevator, something clicked in my brain.

I dug through my bag.

I had forgotten the tote bag containing my documents in my car.

“Shit…” I cursed under my breath.

I ran back to the garage. I sighed heavily after retrieving my bag.

On my way back, my shoulder brushed against a young woman, and my things scattered across the ground.

“I’m so sorry…”

We said it in unison.

I bent down and picked up my things. When I stood up, our eyes met.

Her face slowly formed in my mind.

Piper Jones.

She was wearing a peach flowing gown, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. Her perfect makeup concealed her dark mind.

Whatever she was looking for at Morris Group was dead on arrival.

“Ava? I almost didn’t recognize you.”

Her face slowly turned into a smirk.

“Life is unkind to you, isn’t it?”

Her gaze traveled over my clothes.

I shut my eyes in slight regret. Today of all days.

“Looking for a job? Well, I can speak to one of the top officials for you. Maybe there’s a space in the cleaning department.”

She spat the words out, watching my face to gauge my reaction.

My chest rose with anger, but I played it cool.

Not today, I muttered to myself.

I ignored her and walked past her.

“With the way you’re looking, you want to sleep your way through, just like you did when you snuck into the Harrington family…”

I halted, slowly I turned to face her,

After all these years, her words still hurt just as much.

She didn’t know my position here. I decided to play along.

“Everything turned sour, yes? But I was legally married. One of us was snuck through the back door, and it wasn’t me.”

Her face turned crimson red.

“Whatever I do with my life is none of your business. Whatever I want, I get,” I snapped back.

She almost lost her balance. My reply had clearly gotten under her skin.

“You’re so shameless!” she sneered, raising her hand.

“I dare you,” I said through my teeth.

“I promise you will not live to regret this moment.”

I closed the gap between us, staring deep into her eyes.

She stepped back, a flash of fear flickering across her face.

“What? You’ve got some nerves.”

She paused.

“I’ll let you be because I have everything to lose—my family, my reputation. You’re just a shrewd rat who has nothing other than sleeping with men…”

I stood still and managed to squeeze out a tight-lipped smile.

“Remember, I took everything from you. Your husband. Your daughter. How does it feel to have your daughter call another woman ‘Mom’ while you’re still alive?”

She said it while twirling the diamond ring on her third finger—the same ring Vincent had given me.

“Enough!”

My voice rose higher than I intended.

My composure cracked. She had touched a raw nerve by mentioning my daughter. I was about to lose my cool when someone interrupted us.

“Good morning, ma’am.”

A young intern greeted me with a smile.

She saw us staring at each other and stood there, confused.

“Am I interrupting something?” Her eyes flicked between Piper and me.

“No… I’m just catching up with an old friend. I’ll see you later.”

I walked away before my face could betray me.

I could no longer hold back my tears. I stepped into the elevator and let them out.

I wiped my face. After taking a few deep breaths, I forced myself to calm down. I couldn’t face my client with a flushed face and puffy eyes.

I dug through my bag and pulled out my lip gloss and matte powder. I touched up my face, determined to look presentable.

The elevator dinged.

I looked up from his legs to his broad shoulders, my shoulders tensing.

Vincent?

My heart sank.

I’d had enough for one day.