Chapter 3

Everyone in the cabin went silent, their eyes fixed on Lucas. He gave a mocking sneer, putting down the newspaper he’d been holding.

His icy gaze turned to Ella, and he took slow, deliberate steps toward her.

"Miss Kane," he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "you really live up to your name as the ‘Rose of the Battlefield.’”

Suddenly, his hand shot out, grabbing her by the neck, his grip cold and unyielding. He lifted her toward the window with a dark glint in his eyes.

“Do you honestly believe I couldn’t open this window right now and toss you out as fertilizer for the flowers?”

The threat hung in the air, his voice low and venomous.

Just then, Ella stumbled forward, her balance lost as the plane gave a sudden jolt. She fell against him, her heart pounding as his arms closed around her for a brief second, enveloped in his scent.

Lucas froze, momentarily taken aback by her closeness, a flicker of something like surprise crossing his face before he hardened again.

"If Miss Kane understood anything about me,” he said, pushing her back with a sneer, “she’d know seduction tactics don’t work on me."

Ella's patience snapped. She slapped him across the face, hard. Lucas' face turned dark instantly, rage flashing in his eyes.

He was just about to retaliate, likely by tying her up for the remainder of the flight, when the flight attendant’s panicked voice blared from the cockpit.

"Mr. Montgomery! We have an emergency! The captain… he’s had a heart attack, and we’re out of control!"

The plane shuddered again, tipping sharply, and the world around them seemed to tilt as panic swept through the passengers. Luca's usual cool confidence vanished. "What about the co-pilot?" he barked.

“He took the day off today,” the attendant replied, her voice trembling.

Lucas was frozen, his brain racing, but Ella didn’t waste a second. She pulled free from his grasp and dashed toward the cockpit.

"Where are you going?" he shouted after her, his tone incredulous.

“If you don’t want to crash, just stay out of my way!” Ella didn’t even look back.

She forced herself forward, gripping anything she could find to keep her balance as the plane continued to plummet.

Once in the cockpit, she saw the pilot slumped over, clutching his chest, gasping in pain.

Without hesitation, she dragged him out of the seat, then gripped the control lever with all her strength.

Her hands were slick with sweat as she wrestled to stabilize the plane.

Gritting her teeth, she slowly brought the nose back up, steadying their descent, the altimeter creeping back to safe levels.

Gradually, the plane’s shudders smoothed out, leveling out to a stable cruising altitude. She released a shaky breath, the weight of relief sinking in.

It had been years since she’d touched an aircraft. Aviation had been her first love—she’d majored in flight technology in college, her eyes set on a career as a pilot.

But an accident her sophomore year had damaged her cornea and ended that dream. She had shifted to a foreign languages major, putting distance between herself and the skies she once loved.

Now, sitting here, her hands trembling slightly, she realized just how much she missed it.

Just as she was about to relax, she sensed someone approaching. She expected the flight attendant, perhaps to thank her or check on the pilot.

But when she turned, it was Lucas. The cold, unreadable look on his face made her pulse jump, but she steeled herself, her jaw set.

“Oh? You still want to throw me out of the plane?” she challenged, her eyes sparking with defiance. “Well, I’d suggest you pray this plane doesn’t crash before you get the chance.”

Lucas leaned in close, too close for her comfort. She could feel his breath, warm against her cheek in the cramped cockpit, his intense gaze locked onto her face as if searching for answers to questions he hadn’t voiced.

“So, Miss Kane,” Lucas'svoice dripped with sarcasm as he leaned in far too close. “Was flying part of journalism school’s curriculum, or do I need to add ‘flight school dropout’ to your resume?”

Ella forced herself to meet his gaze, though her pulse was racing. “Mr. Lucas, if you would kindly take a step back. You’re a little too close. I need to monitor the controls.”

He smirked. “Strange. I thought in autopilot mode, the plane would handle itself. Surely, you don’t need to ‘monitor’ quite so closely?”

Ella raised an eyebrow. “Even in autopilot, you need to be ready for any emergency,” she said, refusing to back down. “Your voice is just… distracting.”

A vein visibly throbbed at his temple, his jaw tight, and Ella had to fight the smirk threatening to break through.

He’d have loved to retaliate, but she was the only one on board who could keep them airborne. He took a step back, his eyes never leaving her.

Lucas's jaw clenched, but he held his tongue, a small victory Ella relished for all of two seconds before he regained his smugness.

"Just so we’re clear, Miss Kane, I won’t forget this little… incident. I hope you enjoy your time in Fairfield, because when we land, you’ll wish you’d never set foot on this plane."

Ella's expression didn’t flinch. “Then you might want to make sure we land in one piece.”

Lucas turned with a clenched jaw, stalking off. Ella allowed herself a small, triumphant smile as she watched him leave.

Six hours later, they touched down at the airport, and Ella's shoulders slumped in relief as the tension finally left her body. Before she even had a chance to gather herself, though, she overheard Lucas on his phone as he prepared to disembark.

“Yeah, I just arrived.” His voice was low and softened in a way she’d never heard before. “Anya’s refusing to eat again? Alright, I’ll be there soon.”

Anya? The name struck Ella like a physical blow. The last piece of her shattered heart crumbled.

So, he was rushing home for his daughter—Anya, the child he shared with that woman, Amy. Ella bit her lip, the pain twisting in her stomach. Life could be cruelly ironic. While her own child would never know their father, his child was adored, cherished.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, snapping her out of her thoughts. It was her boss, Matt Chang.

"Ella! You landed safely, I take it? Any friction with Mr. Lucas?” Matt asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Ella forced a neutral tone. “None at all.”

“Great! We’re having a little welcome dinner for you tonight. I’ll send you the details. Rest up and see you there.”

“Got it,” she replied, hanging up. Hailing a cab, she headed straight to her family’s home. She needed some comfort, some semblance of normalcy after the chaotic day she’d just had.

As the taxi sped toward her family’s place, Ella tried calling her twins. They usually picked up right away, but this time, there was no answer. Her brows knitted together as she tried again, only to be met with silence. She quickly dialed her parents’ number, but they didn’t pick up either. Anxiety began to churn in her gut.

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi pulled up to her parents’ house, and Ella practically bolted up the steps, her anxiety spiking. As she reached the door, muffled voices drifted through from inside. Her mother sounded furious.

“They wandered off on their own, James! They’re kids, and smart ones at that. They’ll find their way back.”

Her father’s voice was sharp with frustration. “They’re five, Laura! They’re just kids, not some little detectives. What were you thinking, letting them go off like that?”

Ella didn’t wait another second. She shoved her key into the lock and burst into the room, her voice trembling as she demanded, “Where are they? Where are the kids?”

“Ella! You’re home early,” he said, hurrying over to hug her. “We didn’t expect you until tomorrow. If I’d known, I’d have come to pick you up myself!”

"I caught an earlier flight,” Ella explained quickly, pulling away. “But what’s this about the kids? Where did they go?”

"Mom" Ella then turned to Lila's mother eagerly and asked, "Mom, I just heard at the door that Kaia and Kai got lost? Where did they get lost?"

Unexpectedly, Lila's mother, who had always doted on Ella, didn't even look at her and asked coldly, "Who İs your mother?"

Note: Lila's parent didn't know that their child, Lila was already dead, since Ella kept the whole news to her self and acted like Lila)