Chapter Eight

“You stupid girl! How dare you break off your engagement? After all the money your father and I have spent?!” Her mother screamed in her face.

Dakota gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Did you care to ask why I broke it off? Why don’t you ask your precious daughter what she’s been doing with Ryan behind my back!” She shot back.

Diana shifted nervously. “She’s making things up, mom. I don’t know what she’s talking about.” 

Mother scoffed. “We took you out of the gutter and gave you everything you wanted and this is how you repay us? By embarrassing our family?”

She should have seen this coming. Did she expect this woman to take her side over Diana?

“And why were you with Elias? Is that where you’re coming from?” Her mother demanded to know.

“She spent the night with him. I saw them go up to his hotel room!” Her sister cried out.

“You cheap slut! You break things off with your fiancé only to jump into bed with the man your sister is seeing. What are you up to?" Her mother shot daggers at her.

Dakota looked on with a bored expression. She had nothing to say to them. It was only a matter of time before she moved out of this house.

“Carter!” Her mother called out her personal assistant.

He appeared almost immediately. “Yes, Mrs Stone?”

“Lock her in her bedroom until I decide to let her out.” Her mother ordered coldly. 

Dakota was enraged. Carter grabbed her hand tightly before she could even think of running.

“No! Let me go! You can’t do this to me!” She fought him wildly with all her strength as Diana smiled triumphantly.

He remained unflinching as he dragged her farther away from her freedom.

***

Elias looked at his phone again to check for any new notification.

His blank screen stared back at him as he frowned, wondering why her phone was switched off. 

He looked at his brother-in-law who was driving him. “What does it mean when a woman’s phone is unreachable, after seeing her the previous night?” He questioned.

His brother-in-law, Aaron, scratched his head. “You can’t know for sure. Anything might have happened for her phone to be switched off.”

“Anything like what?” He asked, interested.

“Her phone probably died or she switched it off on purpose because she’s just not interested.” He said with a shrug.

Elias didn’t know what to think. She had followed him to his hotel room, nervous and shaky, not knowing what he had planned. Could that have scared her off?

“Wait, are you seeing someone?” Aaron smirked. 

“Just drive.” He instructed, grumpily. Aaron laughed, but didn’t press further. His phone started to go off. It was his mother.

He sighed in exhaustion. She wouldn’t stop calling after Diana had paid him an unsolicited visit to his office. If he was going to talk to her, it would be in person. He loved her but she was a lot to handle, most times.  

She wouldn’t stop meddling in his love life. Maybe now that he was getting married, she would finally let him be. 

***

Dakota paced around her room. trapped and angry. She couldn’t stay here anymore. There was no way she could call Elias to get her out as her mother had ordered Carter to seize her phone.

A thought formed in her head. 

She raced to her wardrobe, packed up a bunch of clothes and threw them on the bed. She began to tie the ends of her clothes together to form a very long rope. She had to find a way to reach Elias before it was too late. Thankfully, she had quickly scribbled his number on her palm before her phone was taken away.

She opened her bedroom window hoping to find someone that would help her out. It was a slim chance but she would be damned if she didn’t try. She scanned the streets for someone, preferably school kids that were willing to do anything to make some money.

A young girl in a school uniform skipped by, holding a cone of ice cream. 

“Hey, kid!” She called out, gesturing wildly with both hands. The young girl stopped to look around her, wondering where the voice was coming from. 

“Up here!” Dakota called again. She finally looked up.

“Do you have a phone there? Let me have it for five minutes and I’ll give you $10.” She offered.

The young girl folded her hands together. “Make it $20.”

Sneaky little thing, Dakota thought. She was desperate so she didn’t have a choice.

“Fine.” She answered.

As she dropped her clothes that had now formed a long rope out the window, she added, “Put it in the pocket.”

The young girl placed her phone in the pocket of her jeans and sent a thumbs up. Slowly, she brought the phone up.

She quickly dialed his number. He answered on the second ring. “Elias. It’s me, Dakota.” She whispered.

“This isn’t your phone. What happened? Are you okay?” He sounded worried.

“No, my phone got seized by my mother. She locked me in my room. I need you to come get me out of here.”

“On my way.” He ended the call. 

She stuffed the phone and a $20 bill in the jeans pocket and sent it back down. 

“Thanks, kid!” She smiled. The young girl grabbed her phone and the money and ran off happily.

She grabbed a suitcase from her wardrobe and quickly began to stuff her clothes into it. It didn’t take long before her bedroom door burst open to reveal her mother. Elias stood behind her, a murderous look on his face. 

“You came.” She sighed in relief, genuinely happy to see him. 

“Pack your bags. Let’s go.” He extended his hand to her. 

“What’s the meaning of this, Elias? What is going on between the both of you?” Her mother demanded.

Without hesitation, she grabbed her suitcase and slipped her hand in his. They walked out of her room, hand in hand. Her father was seated in the living room, obviously waiting for someone to explain to him what was happening. 

“Dakota, what is this about you calling off your wedding with Ryan?” He thundered. He was usually a quiet and reserved man so it was shocking to see him so expressive.

“Dad…I—” She started to explain. Elias squeezed her hand to stop her.

Her father turned to Elias, clearly wanting an explanation. “Elias, I didn’t expect to see you here. Are you here to see my daughter?"

He stepped forward. “I apologize for the intrusion, Mr Stone.”

“This might seem sudden, but I would like to ask for your permission to marry your daughter.”