Chapter 9

In his living room, Smith Vale couldn't get Esther out of his mind throughout the day and night. He was drinking heavily, sobbing, and hoping that one day she would come back to him — that he would hug her so tight and never let go, and finally pour out his feelings to her.

"Tell me, where are you, Esther?" He said to himself. "Come back. I promise to make it right this time and tell you how I've felt all this time, choosing to pretend I didn't care…I miss you, Esther." He said, crying.

A knock at the door. He rushed to open it. It was Esther. He hugged her so tightly, never wanting to let her go for even a second.

"Please don't leave me again, Esther," he said.

"Smith! I'm not Esther!" The voice sounded like Chloe's.

Immediately, he realised it was his imagination and pulled away from her.

"Chloe. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm here because I was told you haven't been to the office for days, so I decided to come see you."  

"Why are you killing yourself with drinks? Stop it, please," she said.

"Have you seen her? Please tell me," Smith asked Chloe.

"No," Chloe said quietly.

"Stop thinking about her, Smith. She's nothing compared to me. I love you — you know that, Smith," she said.

Smith looked her in the eye and said, "You're nothing compared to her in any way. I love her and that's it."

She became furious, grabbed her bag, and walked away in disbelief.

Smith's phone rang. It was John.

"Yes, go ahead," Smith said, sniffing.

"We have found her, Sir. She is in an old house across from the Bronx River Road," John said.

"Send me the location now," Smith said.

At the penthouse, Pears Wolf had sent his guards to find Esther, not knowing she had been kidnapped by Chloe.

"Alex," Pears called, lighting his cigarette.

"Yes, Boss." 

"Go find her and bring her to me."

Alex nodded and left with some of the men.

"Remember," Pears called out, turning to them. They all stopped.

"Do not hurt her," he instructed.

They nodded and left.

Smith arrived at the old house alone but had instructed the officers to hide somewhere along the street so no one would suspect they had found Esther.

"Hello!" he called out.

Esther heard his voice but Smith couldn't hear her — her mouth was gagged. She tried making sounds but failed. Smith, on the other side of the house, kept searching but found nothing. He was about to leave when something stopped him. It was the sound of a chair scraping — the chair Esther was sitting on. He paused, listening carefully, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. He followed it until he found her.

He stopped.

There she was — tied to the chair, her mouth gagged, her face bruised. His chest tightened and his eyes burned. He held back his tears, crossed the room in seconds, and wrapped his arms around her — holding her the way a man holds something he thought he had lost forever. He pulled back, wiped his face quickly, untied her hands, and kissed her.

Esther was shocked but at the same time happy. “He came to find me,” she said in her mind, looking at him in the eye.

"Let's go," he said.

As they rushed to escape, the leader of the gang stepped out and pointed a gun at them.

"Go back," he said deeply.

They both raised their hands and stepped backward. Smith put Esther behind him and stared straight at the pointed gun without fear.

A knock from behind — the gang leader dropped. It was the police.

Esther screamed, holding Smith tight.

"Are you okay, Sir?" the officer asked.

"Yes, I am," he said.

"The other men were caught trying to escape. One of them told us someone was still inside, so we came immediately to find him and make sure you were okay," the officer said.

"Thank you so much," Smith said, shaking his hand.

They left the building. Smith took Esther to his car and drove her to his estate. Esther rested her head against the back of the seat, her mind wandering to her mother and wondering how she was.

They arrived at Vale Mansion. Smith stepped out and opened the door for her. He looked at her and smiled softly.

"Welcome," he said.

She looked around, amazed by what she saw, then turned to him. "Thank you, Sir."

"Stop the Sir," he said.

"But you're still my boss?" 

"I know, but not outside," Smith said.

They both smiled. He gently took her by the hand and led her inside.

"Please sit," Smith said, then hurried to the kitchen to get her a glass of water.

"Have it." 

"Thank you, Sir," she said.

"Not again," Smith said, looking straight into her eyes.

"Never leave me, Esther." 

Esther looked at him, lost for words.

"I know it sounds funny, but I have loved you from the very day you were sent from the agency to come work as a janitor at ValeX Technologies," he said.

"I saw you in that red dress, looking around like you were lost and needed directions." They both smiled. "But when you turned to me — your eyes stopped everything. My whole world went quiet. Like nothing before you had ever made sense."

"I love you, Esther," Smith said.

Esther didn't wait. "I love you too, Smith Vale."

They kissed — slow, deep, and full of everything they had both been too afraid to say — making every single moment worth it.