ANMELDENTheodore
The hall thundered with applause.
I stood at the podium, looking out over five hundred faces, investors, board members, clients and employees of the Blackwell industry, all of them on their feet. The product launch had gone flawlessly. Numbers projected on the screen behind me showed that this was the most profitable quarter in Blackwell Corporation's history.
I should have felt triumphant. Fuck it, I felt triumphant. Not
Theodore.My phone buzzed against the table.I ignored it."-which means the Seattle projections need to account for the time zone differences when we're scheduling the client calls, otherwise we're looking at a problem-"It buzzed again. It was the security men back at my penthouse. I had left Eliana back at the penthouse. My brow furrowed. Did something happen? I pushed back from the table mid-sentence, held up a hand toward the people in the conference room. "Excuse me,""What happened?" I demanded once I was in the corridor."Sir." He muttered. "There has been a breach at the penthouse. Someone accessed your uh... safe in the study. We've recovered the property and the individual involved is currently at the police station. They're requesting your presence."That made no sense. Who could have gotten past
Eliana"Who's after you?" I yanked my arm out of his grip. "Damon, who-""It doesn't matter." He was moving through my apartment, checking the windows, keeping his body below the sill when he looked out. "Just close the blinds. Close them right now.""I'm not doing anything until you tell me what's happening."He turned from the window and looked at me with something wild in his eyes, and then he crossed to my dining table and dropped the box he'd been carrying under his arm. It hit the wood with a heavy, solid sound.He flipped it open and my eyes narrowed at the small device inside it. It looked like nothing, like something you'd pass over completely if you didn't know what you were looking at.I knew what I was looking at."Damon." My voice came out very quiet and shaky. A nervous laugh fell from my lips and I glanced up at him. "Tell
ElianaI had no idea how long I stood in front of that safe, but it was quite a while.It had been long enough for Theo's voice in the hallway to wind down, for the call to end and his footsteps to move toward the kitchen. Bright sunlight filtered into the study and I repeated the passcode of the safe in my head.The numbers of Serena's birthday. I was standing at the edge of something I could never come back from, for both decisions and yet my hand never lifted.I thought about my mother hugging me tightly, Serena's voice saying 'final warning'. All the walls were closing in from every direction until the only door left was this one, this room, this safe, this betrayal.My hand wouldn't lift. I dropped the painting in its position, turned around and walked out, pulling the study door shut behind me without looking back.There was only one w
ElianaMy phone rang while my mother's hand was still moving through my hair.Theodore.I stared at his name on the screen and felt my chest tighten painfully. I answered before the second ring because not answering would have worried him and the last thing I needed right now was Theodore Blackwell arriving at this care home in full crisis mode."Where are you, flower? You aren't home," he murmured.I looked at my mother's hand resting on top of mine. "The care home.""I'll be there in twenty minutes.""Theo, you don't have to-""Nineteen minutes then," He said gruffly and hung up.Serena was gone by the time his car pulled up. I had watched from the window as her sleek black car slid away from the curb and disappeared around the corner. Only then had I gone to the bathroom and run col
Eliana"Oh, now we can add harassment to the list of your crimes I guess,," Serena chuckled, the phone still raised at me. "There's quite a list already. Slut, thief, gold digger and now, harassment too. This fits beautifully."I let go of Claire who gave a small whimper and quickly rushed back into the room, putting myself between her and my mother's bed. My arms spread out to shield mom from whatever video she was working with. "Put the phone down."Serena smiled and stepped left. I moved in with her. She stepped right and I matched it, keeping my body between that camera and the woman lying in the bed behind me."Is everything alright, Eliana?""Hi Mrs Ashcroft," Serena said cheerily and I hoped to God that mom wouldn't remember who she was."Everything's fine, Mom." I lied through my teeth."It really is." Sere
Eliana"What do you want?!" I spat at his face and he let go of my air, rising on his feet."Four hundred million dollars."The number dropped into the room and sat there between us, so heavy and outrageous, it had me pushing off the floor. My palms screamed where the hardwood had torn into them, my knees throbbing, but I pressed through it, got my feet under me, straightened my spine until I was eye level with him."You're not getting a dime from me."Damon laughed, arching his brows at me. "Are you sure about that?""Get out of my apartment.""Eliana." He moved to my kitchen counter and leaned against it, crossing his ankles. "Your name is on every site, every comment section, every group chat in this city right now. People have already decided who you are. Do you really want to hand them more ammunition to use against
ElianaMy body moved.Pure instinct threw me sideways as a thousand pounds of crystal and metal plummeted toward where I had been standing.I hit the marble floor hard. Pain exploded through my shoulder and my hip. The chandelier cras
ElianaNo one came to a place like this unless they didn't want to be found.Graffiti covered the rusted and dirty walls of the warehouse. There were broken windows scattered around the building. I gripped the small purse holding the eight tho
ElianaFrom: Serena BlackwellTo: Eliana AshcroftSubject: Urgent TasksBitch,I need the following completed by end of day:I stared at the screen, gripping the coffee cup in my hand
Eliana"Who do you think Mr. Blackwell's dating?"Jenny fell into step beside me as we walked through the lobby Monday morning. Her eyes sparkled with excitement while I blinked, still half-asleep despite two cups of coffee.Had I hea







