Chapter 165: Why are you doing this?

Chapter 165: Why are you doing this?
Third person

It was almost as if Valerie disappeared just when Elliot blinked. After dismissing the woman who'd come to talk to him, he looked up but he didn't find his boss.

Damnit! He'd clenched his jaw and quickened his pace, his hand instinctively resting on the gun holstered at his hip as he rushed outside. Eyes scanned everywhere around but there was no trace of her. 

"Miss Thorne?" he called out, his mind racing. “Ashley?” He called louder.

“Valerie?”

There was no response. Immediately, he dialed her number… once, twice, thrice… until it was unreachable.

He'd rushed over to some passersby to ask if they'd seen her… There was nothing. 

Shit! 

Just then, his phone started ringing. Elliot pulled the device out and stared at the screen, his throat suddenly feeling dry as he registered the caller ID—Mr. Stone.

He took a deep breath and then pressed the answer button.



Valerie's eyes fluttered open, her gaze was blurry and unfocused. She tried to sit up, and that's when she  realized that s-she couldn't?! 

Panic coursed through her veins making her blink rapidly to clear the haze off her vision.

Val looked around, assessing her situation—She was tied to a chair, her wrists and ankles bound by thick ropes. 

Oh, my goodness. Another wave of panic washed over her, but she forced herself to remain calm.

The room was small, with cold, grey concrete walls that seemed to press in on her, and the only sound was the soft hum of a generator in the corner. 

She breathed in musty, damp air, filled with the scent of mold and decay. A single, flickering light bulb hung from the ceiling, casting eerie shadows on the walls.

Slowly, her eyes moved around, and she made out the figure of Matthew, standing calmly in front of her. Her hazy mind tried to recollect her memories before she passed out… She had come to the warehouse to meet Matthew… Then her eyes studied the room again, this wasn't the warehouse.

Her instincts kicked in at once, her eyes welling up with tears as she struggled against the restraints. 

“Easy there, honey,” Matthew chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement as he turned to look at her. "There's no point in trying to free yourself. You'll only end up hurting that fine skin.”

Her jaw clenched instinctively, her eyes dripping with malice. "What's this about? Where's my son??" she spat, trying to keep her voice steady.

"I'm glad you're awake," he muttered gently, ignoring her question. "It's been boring watching you sleep."

He started walking towards her, a tray in hand—with two plates sitting in it. Matt reached for a chair beside her and then dragged it to her front. The sound that the legs of the metal made as it scraped the floor had Val squeezing her eyes shut.

“Answer me!” She screamed. “Where's my son?”

“We won't be needing him anymore. We'll make ours.” His voice was calm, so calm that it grated on Valerie's nerves and sent a shiver down her spine.

Valerie bared her teeth at him, her frown deepening and a flicker of confusion crossed her face. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Matt dropped down on the chair and shifted it closed, until their knees were touching. He placed the plates on the ground and then raised his hand to her face, his thumb brushing her lips gently. His eyes were shut and then he inhaled deeply, drinking in her scent. “Oh, I've missed you,” he breathed. 

Valerie cringed at the act. Since her hands were bound, she shook her head vigorously to get Matt's hand off her skin. “Don't touch me!” She barked.

He smiled in response and then lifted one of the plates. “I brought you breakfast.” Without waiting for her to speak, he took a piece of sliced apple and brought it to her lips. “Open up.”

A stray tear made its way down Valerie's cheek. “Why?” She murmured. “Why are you doing this?”

Matt's smile vanished in an instant and it was replaced by a frown. “Stop,” he snapped. “Stop making it look like I want to hurt you.” His palm reached for a tear on her cheek and he wiped it. “I love you, I wouldn't do that.”

“You love me? Then I wouldn't be in…” She trailed off, her eyes darting around the room once more. “God-knows-where, with my hands and feet tied,” she snarled.

“Now that's just precaution, princess. I can't have you running away.”

“Why did you save me?” She sniffed. Her cheeks were getting stained with more tears. “Why did you take my baby away?”

“Second question…? Easy. I just couldn't watch you raise another man's child after I fell in love with you,” he stated plainly, his voice monotonous and his expression unreadable.

“You'll die a horrible death,” she muttered bitterly, disgust boldly written on her face.

Matt seemed unfazed by her words. He stood up from the chair, a thoughtful expression on his face as he circled Val. “Why did I save you? Now that's a tricky one. “

Finally, he returned to his seat, his eyes staring at her in the dissecting way one would look at a science lab experiment.   “I was curious,” he murmured. “Well, the Harrisons took you in and not me. There must have been something special about you.”

He reached for a strand of her hair that fell across her face and then he tucked it away. Valerie shook her head again, his touch burning her.

Matt just smirked and leaned back in his chair. “Later I realized that they just wanted the legitimate child, but I'd already found a spark in you…” The smirk on his lips broadened. “A spark that kept me longing, kept me wanting to make you mine.”

Valerie clenched her fists harder, her nails digging into her palm. "You're sick, Matthew," she spat, her voice trembling with rage. 

But his wide smile graduated into a heart laugh.

“I really don't care about all your twisted emotions,” she panted. “Just hand me my son, and let me go.”

“Easy, right?” He rose from his chair again and moved over to hers. He caressed her cheek and then lifted her chin. “Then why would I kidnap you in the first place if I’m just going to let you go?” 

“If it's children you want, I'll give you as many as you please,” he continued,  his eyes seeming to gleam with excitement. "We'll be a family, Valerie. Our own family."

“I'm sure you must have forgotten…” She trailed off and a muscle ticked in her jaw. “And as much as I hate to admit it, you're my brother.” 

She murmured the last part, the word sounding so foreign in her mouth. Then turned to the ground beside her and spat on it. "I'm trying so hard to forget the fact that you kissed me, even though you knew that we're siblings."

Matt smiled first, that smile that had Valerie's skin crawling and then it disappeared as quickly as it appeared. His expression was serious as he addressed her. "We're not siblings, Valerie. No one treated me like your brother, so why should I act like one?"