Instead of taking him to the hospital immediately, Harvey's guard called an ambulance rather. Soon, they arrived. "Apply more pressure!" barked the medic, crouched beside the prone body of the stabbed guard. He's tan uniform was soaked crimson from the stomach down, and his face was a gray shade Cora didn’t like. Harvey stalked toward them, his boots splashing into the blood with unapologetic steps. “Will he live?” he demanded.The medic flinched but didn’t look up. “Maybe. Depends if the blade missed the artery. He's lucky it didn’t go deeper.”Cora's jaw tightened and left the scene and headed upstairs.Harvey turned sharply and ascended the staircase two at a time, every muscle wound tight as a drawn bowstring. His fingers itched to find something to break.He didn’t bother knocking. The door to her wing burst open beneath his hand.Cora was standing in front of the window, arms folded, bathed in the orange light of the setting sun. Her pale silver hair was tied in a loose knot,
Soon, they got home and immediately Cora opened the door, Harvey was sitting waiting. He was on his phone scrolling through. He heard the sound of Cora's walk and called out her name. He didn't even bother to look at her. “Why are you soo—” she asked, frustrated. “Why I'm I so what?” he said coldly. He didn't seem to want to be bothered but Cora will just not let him be. She turned to look at the driver but he was looking elsewhere. She then asked for a moment alone with Harvey. The driver knew what she meant so he left there without even being ordered by Harvey to do so. Alone, Cora stared at Harvey for a while, squinting her eyes. Then, the complains started. “Is that how you treat women in your life?” she asked, clearly wanting to get Harvey to speak. But he didn't, he ignored and didn't say anything. He just stared at her coldly. “Won't you answer me?” Again, he didn't seem to be bothered. “What is with this silence? Is that how your father treated your mom?”And those
Cora was very furious with herself for not being able to escape Harvey's web. She cursed in her head several times but the driver remained composed and didn't even flinch as if he was payed not to do so. “Can we go now?” he asked. “I mean, do I have a choice?” “Here we go again with your complains.”“Complains? Complains huh?”“I assure you I know what you are going through. And I promise you will be fine.” he paused before continuing. “Harvey doesn't easily bring people into his lives and so if you are here, there is a reason for that.”“Will you shut up? You know nothing about what I am going through. My life was better but then Harvey ruins it all. Now because of him, I can't spend time with Rox, I can't spend time with my brother... do you call this a favour?”The driver didn't seem to care initially but when he looked into Cora's eyes, he could feel the pain in her. He himself didn't understand why Harvey brought Cora into his life because Cora didn't seem to have any criminal
Cora stood by the vending machine just down the hall from Room 417, fingers still cold from holding her brother’s hand.The driver waited ten feet away, watching the hallway without ever really looking at her.“Water,” she muttered. “I’m just getting water.”He didn’t respond, just gave a small nod, permission without approval.She pressed the button on the machine, let the bottle thud into the tray, and leaned against the wall. Her legs felt like they’d been filled with something heavier than bone.She should’ve felt lighter after seeing her brother, instead, she felt caged.The driver turned toward her. “Time’s up in two.”She didn’t move. “I want to see someone else before we go,” she said.He was already shaking his head. “Not part of the agreement.”“Just five minutes.”“Not part of the agreement.”She stepped closer. “You don’t even know who it is.”“I don’t have to. That's not my problem.”“It’s my best friend, she think I am dead. If you’d just let me—”“No.”She blinked at ho
After a back and forth, Harvey finally agreed to allow Cora to go visit her brother, but she will be watched. “You are unbelievable Harvey.”“Make me be believable then.” Harvey said. She shrugged and had a look of disgust on her face. The car waiting for her wasn’t marked, but everything about it screamed control.Cora stood at the top of the estate’s steps, arms wrapped around herself despite the warmth.Harvey watched her like someone studying the last piece on a puzzle he didn’t like the shape of.“You trust me to come back?” she asked.“No,” he said simply. “But I trust that you know what happens if you don’t.”She gave a small, bitter smile. “Is that your version of faith?”He stepped closer, close enough to lower his voice. “It’s my version of leverage.”She met his eyes. “It’s pathetic.”“It’s necessary.”"My God Harvey, I hate you so much right now.«The driver, one who barely spoke and always seemed to have a weapon within reach, stood by the open rear door expectant.”“D
Cora sat back, arms crossed. “Sometimes you give something up to draw attention away from what actually matters.”He smiled faintly. “That’s not a move. That’s a philosophy.”“Same thing, in a jurisdiction like this.”“Short games are for people with nothing to lose.”“You have plenty to lose.”He nodded. “That’s why I’m still alive.”Their eyes met and neither looked away.“You never panic,” she said. “Not even when I open aggressively.”“Why would I? It’s not personal.”“You kidnapped me. That’s personal.”He didn’t answer immediately. Just studied her, the way she held tension in her jaw, the way her fingers hovered over her next move like they wanted to punch something instead.“You think I wanted this?” he said finally.Cora paused. “What, keeping me here?”“No. You.”She blinked.“You weren’t supposed to be on the board,” he said. “But you are here, whether you knew it or not. And now you're a factor I can't ignore.”“Right. Because you wanted a wife?”“Exactly.”Cora moved a pa