Chapter 6

Kyra

I was back at the mansion, four hours earlier than expected, and I confess I had more time to organize certain things. While sorting through some documents, I remembered Julie and how fragile she was. And since I arrived here, that was the first time I saw Liam being gentle with his daughter.

After paying the apartment fee—already furnished, by a miracle—I looked at my account balance and still had more than three thousand dollars. Which meant I could pay little by little, buy new clothes, and save to get by until payday.

I took the opportunity to go out again. The feeling of being followed was bothering me more than I liked. I looked back and saw no one. The street wasn’t deserted, because I always avoid those types of places; empty, dark, and with no exit. He could be anywhere, hunting me as if I were a fugitive. I entered the first store I saw, pretended interest in a dress, and noticed a man passing by, scanning the surroundings. My body froze; I knew it wouldn’t take long for him to come after me.

"Good afternoon, miss. Did you like anything? We have some dresses, shoes, anything you want."

I observed the place calmly and realized I had entered the right store. A thrift shop, better than I expected. There were shoes, dresses, pants, and more… new, at a great price. With the clerk’s help, I chose some long dresses, jeans, sweaters, and coats—lots of coats. Some sneakers, a pair of heels, and two bags. Also a backpack and an umbrella. This cost me only $400. Before leaving, I noticed hidden behind the counter, they sold knives, daggers, pepper spray, stun guns, and the like…

It wasn’t hard to buy a stun gun, pepper spray, and a knife, totaling $75. I didn’t stop following my path. Finally, the man had disappeared from my sight. I entered another store just to buy lingerie, panties, and perfume. I love to smell good and dress well.

I arrived around 3:20 PM, but before I could react, I realized they were already back. Julie ran to hug me when she saw me, while her father remained rigid.

"I’ll put it upstairs until I leave. I hope you don’t mind, Mr. Blackthorne."

Liam

She was testing me. Every time she dared to call me Mr. Blackthorne, my blood boiled, and I wanted to react. But how? My daughter was always nearby.

"You know you can come back whenever you want, Miss Lystem." She wanted to play, and maybe I was up for some distraction. "By the way, I’d like to know if you could sleep here tonight. I have a last-minute commitment."

"Of course." She didn’t look at me, pretending I wasn’t even there.

"Make yourself comfortable, please." I whispered in her ear as I passed by, noticing her body shiver. "I don’t want you to feel like a stranger. Here, you are not."

"Stranger… because I clearly remember otherwise. But let’s not go back to that subject, Mr. Blackthorne. Please. I appreciate your hospitality, but I’ll decline. Unless it’s necessary."

"As you wish, miss!"

"Oh, and I didn’t accept that money as an apology. I’ll pay every cent to you."

Before I could respond, she turned her back and hurried up to "her" room.

"Dad, why didn’t Kyra come with us?"

"Because she had to take care of an urgent matter. But I promise that next time she will go with us." My Julie was radiant, although seeing her every day reminded me that I was looking at a mirror of her mother. I confess Kyra is doing much better than I imagined.

"Can she have dinner with me today?" Her bright eyes looked at me, the sudden silence waiting only for a positive answer.

"Of course, if she agrees."

A few minutes later, Kyra was preparing Julie for dinner. I heard them talking through the half-open door.

"Kyra, why do you never have dinner with us? Why don’t you sleep here anymore?" I smiled, realizing my daughter had the freedom I wished for.

"Because now I have a house, small. And I always have dinner with you, every day."

So that was it… she hadn’t had a place to sleep for how long? I wondered silently, watching her comb Julie’s hair.

"But I’m talking about you having dinner with us. Are you leaving, Kyra?" Kyra looked into her eyes, smiled, and replied with the purest sincerity I’ve ever seen.

"Not now. That means I’ll have plenty of time for you. And guess what? Tonight we’ll sleep together. I’ll tell you many stories I’ve learned just for you."

The persistent vibration of the phone snapped me out of my trance and brought me back to where my attention should be. It was Jovin, one of the shareholders already in the office.

"Where are you, man? The meeting will start in a few minutes. And we can’t start without you." The message came fast, along with his incessant calls. But I’m the owner, and they can’t start without me.

It was almost 7 PM, and I was more than late. I couldn’t find the car keys, until Kyra appeared suddenly.

"Julie just fell asleep." She said without looking directly at me.

"Help me find my keys, please."

And like magic, she found them in less than a minute. Handing them to me, she looked at me as if challenging herself.

"You are more essential than I’d like to admit, Miss Lystem."

"I’ll take that as a compliment."

With nothing else to say, I headed straight to the room where the magnates waited for me. But for me, I would have stayed home just observing their movements. Because this woman… she is driving me crazy without knowing it, or maybe she does, and she likes to play with danger.