Five

After watching the shocking news on the television, Lena immediately went to take her drugs from the pharmacy and decided to stop by at the restaurant Grayson worked at. She tried calling his number when she was still at the hospital, but it went to voicemail.

At the restaurant, she asked some of his colleagues, but they said they hadn't seen him in two days now. Lena was worried, as she tried to think of where he might have gone to. Was he okay?  How has he been doing?

When she couldn't think of anything, she decided to go to work and take her mind off some things.

As she walked Into her company, her workers greeted and she replied with a slight nod of her head. When she reached her office, her secretary, Arianna quickly approached her.

"Welcome, Ma'am." She greeted.

"Thank you. What's on my schedule for today?" Lena asked her.

"You'll be reviewing the new products today with the production team and a meeting with the finance team."

"Also, you'll join the board meeting in the evening."

"Is that all?"

"No, Uhm... I heard that the Blackwood's empire would be fully coming back to New York very soon."

Lena was stunned for a moment, she has heard a lot about the Blackwood's empire and how great and untouchable they are.

"Do more research and find out when and where." Lena instructed carefully.

"Yes Ma'am." Arianna replied.

NIGHT: LENA'S MANSION 

Lena closed the door behind her as she walked into her living room. The house felt empty and raw. When Grayson was still around, she would have perceived the enticing aroma of the meal he prepared for her as soon as she stepped into the house.

But now, she was back to being lonely in her fucked up world. But that would only be for a while because she would find him. Reaching her room, she dropped the bag that was in her hands, it contained the sweater her Mom had knitted for him.

It looked so good that she was tempted to wear it, but she would leave it for the owner. She decided to order take--out because she felt lazy to cook for herself.

***

It's been a day already and Lena had still been looking for Grayson but it seemed like he had just disappeared into thin air. Her heart always clenched in hurt knowing that she was the cause of this.

She walked into their walk-in closet and the smell of his scent quickly engulfed her nose. Some of his shirts were hanging beside her own clothes and just staring at it, her eyes watered.

"Would raising our child all alone be the consequences of my actions?" Lena asked herself.

She knew how it felt to grow up without a father and she had promised herself that she wouldn't let her child pass through that. The emotional and physical trauma was not something she would want for her own child.

And she would find Grayson even though it meant giving up all her money.

TWO WEEKS LATER: 4:00 PM

Lena stepped down from her car, and she stared at the Magnificent building in front of her. She was dressed in a simple yet elegant black dress.

She was here for the Blackwood Empire Succession Ceremony which her secretary informed her about a week ago.

She was already working on a proposal to present to the new CEO. If she could secure a contract with them, it would be a big turning point for her company.

Lena looked around at the dry ground and thought she must be late. Probably the guests had already arrived and were inside.

Just as she was about to walk inside through the front door, she saw someone beside where flowers were planted making a phone call. If her eyes weren't deceiving her, she was sure that she was staring at Grayson. There was only one way to find out.

She quickly approached him carefully, trying not to make much noise with her heels. As she stood behind him, she realized that he was indeed Grayson. Happiness spread through her chest and she couldn't wait for him to be done with his phone call and turn around.

He was dressed in a black suit and Lena concluded that he must have gotten a job to work here. Just as he turned around, Lena pushed herself into his arms and Grayson was taken about by the sudden stranger hugging him. But when he stared at the figure, he realized that it was no stranger, but a little ruthless woman.

"I've missed you." Lena said calmly. For a moment, Grayson froze, but he quickly pushed her off him with a harsh glare.

"I'm sorry for hugging you like that." Lena quickly apologized as soon as she saw the look of irritation on his face.

She took in a deep breath. "I've been searching for you, but it seemed like you disappeared into thin air."

"What are you talking about?" Grayson asked, staring at her with a look of unfamiliarity which Lena didn't fail to notice.

She scratched her head nervously, as she adjusted her purse in her hands.

"Can we talk?" She asked.

"I'm busy." He said, his voice cold and detached as he walked past her. For a moment Lena was stunned, but she blinked her eyes and immediately went after him.

"We can talk later, just tell me where we can meet." She pleaded.

"I'm too busy for that Ms Lena." He said, walking towards the front door.

"Ms Lena?" Lena asked in surprise.

Her pace faltered when she realized that Grayson was still hurt and not willing to talk to her now.

She ran after him again. 

"Please, when you're ready to talk, you know where to meet me." She said.

Grayson just spared her a cold glance before walking away, leaving Lena to stare at his retreating figure.

She was later directed to the main hall by one of the workers there, and she decided to focus on seeing the new heir of the empire and leaving the venue before night falls.

TWENTY MINUTES LATER

As Lena chatted with familiar faces, the room fell silent. All eyes turned to the front. The Master of Ceremonies stepped up to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he began, his voice loud and clear. "Please welcome the new leader of the Blackwood Empire, Mr. Grayson Blackwood!"

The room erupted into applause as Grayson walked towards the microphone. Lena's eyes widened in shock.

Grayson was the new heir? It couldn't be! Yet, there he was, smiling and waving to the crowd.

Lena's eyes stayed fixed on Grayson. Her mind was filled with questions. Why didn't he tell her? What did this mean for their... Whatever it was they had? What would happen to him now that he was the new heir?