Chapter 2 - Family Issues

“Is Luisa hurt?”  Her sore regard made his insides shatter, her eyes now of a darker shade.

“She is still in one piece!”

Edmund watched as her face grew paper white pale, the color of her cheeks dripping instantly upon hearing his words. A myriad of emotions was crossing her beautiful features, as if she is picturing the worst possible scenarios. 

He muttered a string of curses at himself, silently reprimanding himself for not being gentler. He should not have broken the news to her like that.

‘Why the fuck am I thinking this? My plan was to shock her in every possible way, causing her suffering beyond repair.’

“What do you mean? Tell me what happened!” She demanded.

He opened the door to his car for her, the driver gave him a peculiar look. He never touched the doors, moreover hold them for somebody else. He fired a cold glare to the driver, forcing him to look the other side, his figure of self-reproach.

‘Yes, people fucking fear me. A lot. One word of mine is their command. I get instant recognition everywhere I go!’

People learned the name Stark even before learning the name of their country's president. STARK CORP was one of the biggest companies in the world, top notch of the real estate industry.

Yet Isabella showed nothing similar to respect on their first meeting, even though she clearly knew who he was. She was driving him crazy, and truth be told, part of him was intrigued.

“Why aren’t you saying a thing? Is my sister still alive?” She grabbed his wrist, squeezing it with panic.

“We’ll talk at the hotel.” He took her ice-cold hand into his with fondness for she did something to his protective instincts.

In his eyes, the woman was nothing he’d expected, she was dangerous.

The drive to the hotel was short, they went directly to the private elevator. He inserted the key and pressed the button to the presidential suit. She followed him lost in her thoughts, her anxiety deepening with every step they took, she was frightened about the information she’ll get from him soon.

Out of nowhere came Edmund’s impulse to enclose her in a hug, as soon as they entered the suit as she seemed on the brink of falling to pieces.

Rather troubled by his intimate gesture, she broke from the embrace and took a seat on the lounge, his lips forming into a devious grin, that was not the reaction that he was used to. The women he knew were usually dying to get his attention, and they even stepped on dead bodies to benefit from a simple touch of his.

“Do you have anything to drink?” She broke the silence.

“Sure. What would you prefer, should I mix you something?”

She quirked a brow at him in lack of confidence. “No, I’ll have a neat whiskey, no ice, if you’re a dear.”

The intimidating glare she fired at him made it difficult not to crack an amused smile. 

He served her the drink, again a brand new thing to him, normally it was the other way around.

She took a big mouthful, breaking into a cough. “Now tell me everything, don’t miss a single detail, I beg you!”

Panic was surging through her bones. It seemed like hours passed since they left the diner and until they arrived at the hotel.

The traffic was hell, more than usual. As this was the first sunny day in months, people made the best of their lunch break, smiley faces everywhere, in contradiction with her daunting heart.

The man she was with, she didn’t trust even a bit. She found the power of attraction he possessed hazardous, and she was convinced it should be punishable by law.

She would not have followed him under any circumstance to the hotel, but he had information vital for her, information about her sister. She believed that she hated Luisa, but the idea of her being hurt proved her wrong. 

She resented her, indeed, but she still loved her, even with their complicated situation. They haven’t seen each other in years, but she knew that her sister married into the Stark family.

“I suspect you at least know that my brother and your sister took a business trip to Italy.” Edmund narrowed his eyes at her.

“No, I didn’t. We are not exactly on speaking terms.” She replied, holding her breath in anticipation to absorb all the other details.

He casted her an incredulous look before speaking. “It was a trip that your sister insisted they take, even though she knows nothing about our family business.” He continued. “They’ve rented a car and after drinking and partying with the other associates, they had an accident, the one that was driving the vehicle was your sister.”

“Lies! My sister is not someone who would drink and drive!” She shouted at him in disbelief.

“They’ve found alcohol in her system.” He declared.

“That’s not possible, I know her, you’re lying!”

Even though they had no contact in years, she knew that Luisa was not capable of doing such a thing. Drinking and driving was something forbidden in their family, moreover after their mother died in a car accident caused by her heavy drinking problem.

“Are they okay? Both of them?” Her words came out filled with worry.

“Your sister is out of danger, even though she suffered injuries that will probably take months to heal.”

“And your brother?” She interrupted him, holding her breath again, impatience was killing her.

“With my brother is a different story.” His eyes were cold while forcing those words out of his throat.

“Ahhh!”

“He is in intensive care, his life hangs by a thread, the next hours will be critical.”

“So, why are you here and not by his side?” She asked before controlling herself, but her question was legit.

“He wanted to meet you, if something were to happen to him, he wanted to at least get to see your face.” Their eyes connected, she could feel his stare in the depth of her soul.

It’s not that she hated his brother, she despised the whole family situation. But yes, one could say that she was not very fond of him, the reasons were more than sufficient.

“Does my sister know about your brother?” She whispered, tears dripping on her cheeks, she was unable to hold them any longer.

“No, nobody talked to her. I was hoping that you will do that.”

For a few seconds, she thought she spotted something in his eyes similar to a sort of yearning directed to her, but he suddenly looked aside as if he was restraining himself to show it.

‘No, I must have imagined it!’ She dismissed the idea.

“A helicopter will be on the roof in less than an hour. It will take us to the airport, where my private plane is waiting.” He divulged.

“What?”

“I believe you carry your passport with you. If not, there is still time to go and grab it. My assistant arranged a few days off with your employer, so there would be no problem with your workplace.” 

“He talked to my employer on my behalf?” She yelled in bafflement.

“The one from that–” He stopped, glaring with disgust at her. ‘Diner.’

“What?” She could not believe her ears. “And that’s not my only job.”

“I believed he mentioned that you walk dogs as well, if that could be considered a job. Anyway, he called the agency and you will be replaced. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about? I have to make rent!”

“That was already taken care of.” He added. “Your rent has been paid for three months in advance.” He continued ignoring the irritation in her eyes. “New clothes are waiting for you at my mansion, I believe I got your size right. ” He smirked.

“You dared do all that without consulting with me first?”

He sighed. “I thought it was the best in the given situation. Booking plane tickets and finding a host is something that takes time and considering time is the thing that we don’t have, I did my best to organize everything.”

True, though she hated to admit it.

“Yes, I suppose you’re right. I have my passport, we can leave anytime.”