All Chapters of His collateral : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

"Have some water." Sara said, handing Elena a glass."Thank you." Elena whispered, lifting it to her lips and draining it in one go. Her hands trembled as she handed it back and curled onto her side, eyes closing slowly.Sara pulled the sheets up to cover her properly. "You'll be fine." She said, patting Elena's head softly.Elena nodded weakly. A gentle knock came at the door and she heard Sara move to answer it."Lu." Sara said softly. The door clicked open.More footsteps entered the room. Elena opened her eyes partially. Her heart skipped at the sight of Lucien stepping in with James trailing close behind.She shut them quickly."The woman has been handed over to the authorities. She'll be charged for illegal possession of arms and attempted murder." James reported.The footsteps approached the bed. From the heaviness of them she knew it was Lucien. She pressed her lids tighter together. She couldn't face him. Not after what happened earlier. Not after she had broken down and cri

The last drop of water trickled down as Elena turned off the shower. She stepped out, reaching for the bathrobe hanging on the rack as she hummed a soft melody. She wrapped a towel around her hair, patting it dry as she walked to the door.In the room Sara sat before the vanity mirror applying mascara, her mouth open in that particular way people do when concentrating.Elena smiled, an idea forming in her head. "Can I use your phone?""Sure. It's on the bed." Sara said, barely audible.Elena walked to the bed, picked it up and drifted back toward the mirror. She lifted the phone. The camera shutter clicked several times."What are you doing?" Sara laughed.Elena shook her head, hiding the phone behind her back. "Nothing."Sara returned the mascara brush to its case. "Liar. I heard the shutter. Give me that." She reached for the phone.Elena lifted it above her head, laughing. "I didn't take any pictures." She took slow steps backward.The moment Sara stood she dashed to the bed, hidin

"This is delicious, Mrs. Anne." Sara praised between bites. "I'm going to miss your cooking when I go back to college." She lifted another spoonful of porridge. "There are fish chunks in it too. I love fish."Anne smiled, shaking her head. "You praise me too much, Miss Sara. I doubt it's half as good as the food at your school's cafeteria. I heard a Michelin chef prepares the meals there."Sara dropped her spoon and looked up at Anne with feigned annoyance. "You always do this. Your food is the best in the world, Mrs. Anne. Stop underestimating yourself. It hurts my feelings." She pouted."Sure, sure." Anne laughed. "I promise to accept every compliment from here on. Eat up now. Call me if you need anything." She gave Sara a light pat on the back, then turned to Elena seated opposite. "You too, ma'am." She left the dining room.Sara glanced at the golden analog clock on the wall, narrowing her eyes. She never understood how to read them and had no idea why Lucien still kept it hanging

Elena opened the door of her room and stepped outside. After returning from the cemetery she had eaten dinner, freshened up and gone straight to bed.She had spent an hour rolling around unable to sleep, probably because she had slept most of the day. She decided to go downstairs for a walk hoping it would help.Her eyes moved to the room across from hers. Lucien's.Was he back yet?Sara had told her that before they left the cemetery he had instructed them to return without him and that he would try to be home soon. It was almost past midnight and she found herself wondering if he had actually returned.She hung the wool sweater she had brought along over her arm in case it got cold outside and headed for the stairs. Her footsteps padded softly against them. She was barely halfway down when she noticed a figure below.She stopped.Her heart pounded loudly against her chest. Lucien was seated on a single sofa, a chessboard on the table before him, playing alone exactly as he had been

"Thank you," Elena whispered as Lucien held the door open for her. She stepped in, her eyes travelling around the room.It hadn't changed a bit since the last time she had been here. It still carried that dark and gloomy air — the curtains were closed and the lights dim.The door banged shut behind her. She flinched, turning to its direction.Lucien was holding the handle. "Did I startle you? Sorry, the door has been having issues for a few days now. I'll have James check on it tomorrow." He touched a button on the lock interface and the door made a clicking sound."What's that sound?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.It felt strange being in a closed space like this, alone with him. And she had no idea why it did."The security lock," he replied, walking past her. "Have a seat."Her eyes swept around the room once more, searching. There was none."Mr. Black," she called out, but her voice had been too low for him to hear.He was seated at the edge of the bed, a draw