Chapter 8

Harvey’s POV

My mind could find no rest even at the office, I was always in thought. My head sunk low even while typing into the desktop in my office. 

“What's going on?” Steve, a close friend of mine at work came around, looking into my system. I was supposed to make a comprehensive report of the recent cases we have been able to undertake but I'd barely done anything. 

I dipped my face into my palm, shaking my head. The pressure of being asked about a deep issue disturbing you which you would have gotten help with but then the consequences of speaking was deadly can't be comprehend. 

That's what I felt at the moment. I was burdened in my heart to say something but I couldn't. I just shook my head, refusing to look up so Steve won't see the dark lines under my eyes. 

Another idea came to mind, perhaps I could just say this. Everyone knew about this and it would look so real. 

“I've lost a considerable amount to my ex-wife, that's why I'm pretty much disturbed.” 

Steve tapped on my shoulders several times, narrowing his gaze. “Alisa should be here to comfort you, we haven't seen her in a while. What's going on? We heard she took maternity leave, who's the father of the child, because we were never notified of any wedding.” 

Steve's sideways gaze interpreted some mischievous expression, he was trying to get words from my mouth but I kept mute, shaking my head in a way of telling him that I didn't know what he meant. 

He insisted, refusing to leave. He even turned over to my front, bending across the desk. 

“I thought that she was your bestie and you both shared a life together, why didn't she tell you this?” 

A quick frown cascaded over his face rendering his eyes dull. “What's going on between you two, is she in trouble or something?” 

Anger pierced my heart, it was as though hot water was spilled over me. The massive betrayal from her came rolling down, Steve being the next closest to me at work here, I was forced to spill it out. 

“She betrayed me, so I literally don't have any business doing anything with her. She's a snake and a manipulator. I hate her!” I let out my voice sail out of control over my last statement pushing heads up from their desktops. 

Steve stood up right away in shock pretending as though nothing happened. I sat straight, regretting it. I covered my face back feigning seriousness over my desktop. They will all think I'm talking about my ex-wife though. 

I breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Whatever she did to you isn't great up to the point that you should lose your diligence.” He muttered after a while, then bent back. “Do you mind sharing?” 

I smirked, taking my mind back to what Matteo had warned. 

“I can't say the whole but just a part of it.” I gulped down saliva. Steve raised his brows. 

“Okay,” he twisted his lips accepting this. “I'm all ears and ready to help in any way possible.” 

I wish you knew! 

“Well, she made it seem as though she loved me, she made me believe my ex-wife was cheating on me and wasn't pregnant. I was pushed to divorce her and marry her instead but she turned out to be a fling, a bait. She already had someone else.” 

My throat burnt as I said this. 

Then footsteps, loud and commanding, were stepping towards our office. Steve glided off. I sat up, straining my neck, feigning all focus on the screen. I wanted to triple up my speed and achieve what I hadn't done in hours in a few minutes. 

“I hope you all have gone far in your records, we need to finish before the audit department demands for the investigation reports.” 

“Yes sir,” we all responded. 

After a quick assessment of his eyes roaming from one person to the other, he turned and walked away with the same aura he came in. I couldn't wait for 2 PM when my shift would be over so I'll leave here and return back home. 

I didn't have anything to do there, just that I couldn't cope with handling two things at once. I wanted to be able to focus on one. 

I got home thirty minutes after leaving the office. I didn't leave Alisa’s family house even though she was rarely seen at home. Nada had taken almost all of my money, I had nowhere to go. 

I went straight to my room, locking myself inside. I took a bath and prepared something light to eat after which I poured myself a glass of wine, sitting on the sofa at the balcony and gazing through the vast courtyard of Maren Quinn’s mansion. In as much as her father was doing well, her mom was richer and owned this mansion. 

I wonder if her parents know what she's doing. 

“Of course, why won't they?” A voice spoke to me at the back of my mind. 

Even with the alcohol, it didn't stop me from reasoning my fate. The days were getting closer and I would be whisked away by Matteo and his men. 

A case of a missing police officer. 

This was bound to be recorded soon and no one would know where I had disappeared except Nada and Rhys, still they wouldn't be able to help or report to the police. 

“Hmm,” I pulled in a deep breath, rising and walking over to the railings, deep in thought. 

After taking three glasses, I laid back down on the sofa and didn't know when sleep took me away. When I woke up, it was dark everywhere, beneath, the silvery street lights at strategic points in the courtyard were shining. 

This would have been a time for me to rise up here, rushing over to my bed to continue my sleep but I couldn't. 

Regrets began to pull up, why I had to betray Nada.

I shook off the thoughts. I have to man up to face what's currently facing me rather than be concerned about issues of the past. 

It had already happened and there's nothing which could be done about it for now. 

I reasoned what to do next, how to go about Matteo’s threat, and suddenly I got a knock on the door. It was my apartment door. My blood froze into ice. I tried to rise up but fell back to the sofa. 

Could the days they kept for me reach? 

“Who would that be?” I whispered to myself, forgetting how to be the man I'd just recently thought to be. 

The door was calling, I had no option other than to answer it.