Chapter 3

LORETTA 

I barely made it to the car before my legs gave out

Father's grip on the steering wheel was tight. “That went...well”

I didn't know if it was a question or not. Bile revolted in my stomach and rose to my throat “Drive” 

I wanted to be out of here, put as much distance between Elion and me as possible. If I had only twenty-four hours till my nightmare began, I wouldn't waste a second of it in his parking lot

“Please drive”

He said nothing else, started the ignition and pulled out of the driveway of Elion's twenty-three-story company. The crushing grip around my windpipe loosened a smidge. I lay my head back on the seat rest, looking out the window, but I didn't see the streets of Seattle 

All I saw was him

His eyes, those coal black eyes that have haunted my sleeping and walking hours for years, the sound of his voice, and how I could feel it deep inside my belly, his broad, immovable body that made him look larger than the bulding, larger than life itself 

And his face.....

I hated that the most.

If Elion were an ugly, repulsive man, maybe this situation would have been somewhat manageable; instead, he was anything but ugly. 

My stomach twisted at that strange thought.

‘Breathe in, out. In. hold. Out’

“You've done your duty towards this family.” Father spoke evenly, his eyes fixed on the road before us “Your mother would be proud” 

My head snapped towards his “Would she?” Sarcasm laced my words. Mother would never have subjected me to this, marrying a man who loathes me.

Father nodded grimly. “You are doing this for Abel, of course she'll be proud”

I closed my eyes, the noose around my neck drawing tighter as memories from years ago assaulted my mind. Abel and I, singing and laughing in the back seat of an SUV.

“As soon as Elion makes Sterling's Enterprise a member of the Elite Group,” Father's words cut through my thoughts “I will contact Dr. Yuen for Abel's surgery”

Some of the agony in my heart melted away. All the US specialists have refused Abel spinal cord and brain surgery, they stated that he was too young and the risks were high, that it was best we wait for a few years 

But every year we waited caused him more nerve damage. 

Dr. Yuen was a specialist in Europe who had successfully carried out many child surgeries before, but the wait-list was almost a year long. With Abel's deteriorating condition, he might not survive another year without his surgery.

He glanced at me, for the first time in a long time, I saw my father's face soften with appreciation “As members of the Elite Group, we get first-hand access to the kind of Health care that money alone cannot afford. Dr. Yuen included” 

≈

The drive back home was quite, once I got out of the car, I didn't start packing, I didn't start panicking either; instead, I went into Abel's room.

He was asleep, the monitors beside his bed blinked their usual green lights, I watched him for a moment, the slow, laboured breaths, the IV lines, and multiple wires connected to his body.

Abel didn't stir when I approached the edge of his bed and sat down, my heart twisted bitterly behind my ribcage. It's been so long since I heard his hearty laughter, so long since I saw my brother smile.

"I have to go somewhere" I said quietly, too broken to speak aloud. "Somewhere I don't want to go, but if it means that you'll get a chance to be a normal kid again...” my lips wobbled, “I'll gladly do it"

The monitors blinked but he remained asleep 

A salty drop of tear touched my lips "You're going to have a surgery date soon, no more waiting any longer.” My voice cracked as I spoke “I can't wait to hear you yapping again”

I sat there a few more minutes, then I pressed my lips to his forehead, stood, and walked out.

It was time to start packing 

≈

I was on my third box, folding an old sweater when my doors opened. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was

“Packing already?” 

I threw the sweater into the full travel bag and zipped it tightly, then I moved to my closet and started taking out my shoes 

I didn't want to think about what was to come, if I did, I would break down completely. It was better to pretend I didn't care at all

“Do I have a choice?” I quipped, shaking my head to get rid of the pain lodged in my chest. “Twenty-four hours isn't quite enough”

Just yesterday, my only problems were the company's stock decline and my messy room, now I'm moving in with the man who has been the cause of my nightmares for six years 

I swear life couldn't get any worse than this

I felt my father's presence by my side as I threw my winter boots into a bag. “Here” he stretched a small, toy-like phone to me 

I looked at it with confusion, and then at him. “What do I need this for?”

His tone remained clinical “To contact me. Fitzpatrick will have your devices bugged and tracked, I'm sure of it”

My blood flushed cold. 

“This however–” he waved the small phone “Is immune”

Carefully, I took the burner phone from his hand.

Father's lips twisted when I inspected the thing. “There's something else you must do Loretta, something very important. In fact, if you do it right, we can annul the contract and you'll be free of Elion...” his eyes shone “..permanently”

A spark of hope ignited inside of me, but it was quickly doused by uncertainty “How?”

He crossed his arms and drew in a breath “Fitzpatrick is planning something very significant. There is information from people I trust, that for the Elite Group's anniversary happening in nine months from now, He's preparing to make a move that would put the entire financial sector under his control”

His fingers balled into a tight fist. “We're talking about Elion controlling every single finance company in the entire US. Do you understand the scope of that? He'd be unstoppable”

I watched my father's face, the greed in his eyes as he continued talking about the kind of power Elion would have if he successfully carried out this ‘grand move’

“So what am I to do?” I cut him  

"To find out what Elion's plans are and report back to me," Father said after a beat

I took a step back, my guts twisting. “You want me to spy on him?”

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation. “I want you to listen. You will be living in his home, Loretta. You will be closer to him than anyone else.”

He gave a deliberate pause “If you can find out what he's planning before the anniversary, I will use it to our advantage. 

“I'll overthrow Elion, Abel will be well by that time, and you can keep being manager of the company”

A serious headache exploded at the back of my eyes. “We've already wronged him once, and now he's making me pay. What do you think will happen if he finds out I'm spying on him?”

“That's why he mustn't” he finished with finality, leaving no room for arguments. 

Father turned, walking out of my room with no farewell whatsoever, but just as he reached the doorway, paused 

“And Lorreta” his voice lowered, more measured than I've ever heard it. “Despite his ice-cold personality, Elion has a reputation for...” his hesitation made me anxious “enticing women”

His nose scrunched. “Do not, under any circumstance, lose your guard around him.”

Did father genuinely think I could fall for a man who had made it his life's work to watch me suffer?

"I won't," I said firmly but he didn't look so convinced 

“Let's hope so” And then he was gone 

I threw a shoe into the bag forcefully, almost breaking the heel.

I thought about coal-black eyes and his face that I hated so much it made my stomach tighten. A short, bitter laugh slipped past my lips.

It was more possible for the every single star to fall from the sky, than for me to ever fall for Elion.