Chapter 31 Give him what he wants
CHAPTER 31: Give him what he wants
Vera
The name dropped into the air like a lethal toxin.
Lily froze, as if a switch had been flipped, the playful sparkle in her eyes dying instantly. Her skin lost its rosy glow as all the blood drained from her face, leaving her a ghostly pale colour.
She gasped. “What did you say?”
“He was at the gala tonight.” I shut my eyes, folding my trembling hands in my lap. “He was also at the hospital.”
For a long, suffocating moment, neither of us spoke.
Lily couldn't even breathe, her hands trembled, long fallen from the diamond necklace at her throat.
She walked to the bed on unsteady legs, and slumped on the edge.
“How?” she finally choked out, her voice barely a whisper. “How did he find us, Vera? We were careful. We changed everything.” She turned to me. “You took care of everything, didn't you?”
“I think it was the wedding," I replied, my own voice hollowed out by exhaustion and dread. “From what he said, I think it must have been the pictures in the papers.”
Lily’s eyes darted toward the door, her panic rising like a physical tide.
“Did they see each other? Did Silas see him? Does he know about your ex-boyfriend already?”
“No,” I said quickly. “He didn't see him. Damien wanted to. But I made sure that he didn't.”
Lily let out a ragged breath of relief, but it quickly sharpened into a jagged edge of something else.
She turned on me, her eyes flashing with a strange glint of anger.
“You should have been more careful, Vera. You should have insisted on something more private. Maybe, that bastard wouldn't have found us. This wouldn't have happened!”
This was one of those times where Lily's impulsive words and blames got to me.
I never wanted a big ceremony. The truth was that I had no say on how the wedding was planned.
Nevertheless, I understood that she was just scared and overwhelmed.
She got up and paced the room in short agitated steps.
“What does he want?” She turned on me. “His money? Whatever you took from him back then…just give it back,” she tearfully said. “Pay him back. Just return it so he can go back to hell and leave us the fuck alone.” She paused to catch her breath. “We have the means now.”
“I tried, Lily. I offered to settle it, but he refused,” the memory of his dark, sinister smile and his touch, making my skin crawl.
Lily stopped pacing, eyes narrowed.
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn't want the two thousand dollars anymore. He wants—he wants more.”
“What is…more?” She breathed, almost scared to ask.
She eased down onto the edge of the bed again, and I proceeded to tell her everything. About Damien’s five million million demand, and his threat to expose my secret to Silas if I failed to give him the money.
When I was done, my sister was terrified to the bone.
She began to cry, hot tears tracking through her makeup.
“You can't allow him to tell Silas everything. He might end the contract, and we'll be left with nothing…again!”
I reached out a hand, trying to soothe her. “Calm down—”
She shrugged it off, eyes flashing with panic.
“No. This is not okay. I don't want to go back, Vera," she sobbed, clutching her stomach as if she could feel the cold reach of our past.
“Calm down, sweetie—”
“No. My life is good now. I can’t go back to that hell. The fear…the uncertainty. Damien’s monstrosity, the fear of being another merchandise that he can do away with at any time... I won't do it. I'd rather die!”
I looked into her teary eyes…and I saw it.
She meant it.
I'd never allow that to happen if I could help it. But the money he was requesting was all we had.
What if Silas noticed that the money was gone?
He would surely become suspicious.
Without thinking twice, I pulled out my phone.
“I have to call Cherry. She’ll know what to do. Maybe she can help us find a way out—"
Before the first ring had ended, Lily lunged forward and snatched the phone from my hand, ending the call before it could ring again.
“What are you doing? I was trying to call Cherry—”
"No! Have you lost your mind?” she snapped. “You absolutely cannot involve Cherry.”
“Why not?”
“She knows nothing about that night, Vera. Nobody can know,” she pressed, almost hysterical. “If you tell her about this...If she finds out, then it’s only a matter of time before Silas does. Besides, why would you want to drag her into all this? The less she knows, the better for her.”
The phone rang in her hand. I looked at the screen,
Cherry was calling back.
But Lily didn't hesitate. She cut the call gingerly and held down the power button until the screen went black.
Inasmuch I wanted my best friend's support, I didn’t want to drag her down with my murky secret.
Figuring out a way out of the situation was something I was going to have to do on my own.
“You have to do what he wants,” Lily said, calmly, like someone that had resigned to fate.
“What?” I sniffed. “What about us?”
“Give him the money, Vera. Please. I am begging you.” She came closer and held my hands. “If he exposes your secret, our lives are over. Think about me! Think about the baby!” She was hysterical now, her voice rising to a frantic pitch.
I shook my head. “But—”
“No buts. What If Silas learns the truth, he won't just leave you. He may destroy you…us. You remember what he told you about loyalty and reputation. You know how he is. He'll throw us into the street, or worse. He may throw you in jail.”
The logic of her fear settled into my bones like lead.
She was right. If anything goes wrong, what happens to her…to the baby?
And Silas.
He was a man of absolute control, and had made no secret about his abhorrence for lies and deceit. This would ruin his reputation if it got out. And there's no telling what he might do to me.
With a numb heart, I reached out and took the phone back from her.
She let me pry the phone from her fingers, hesitantly.
“Vera—”
“I’m calling Damien.”
She exhaled quietly, squeezing my hand.
My fingers were cold as I powered the phone on and dialed the number I had hoped to never call again.
He answered on the first ring, his silence on the other end, expectant and cruel.
“I’ll do it,” I announced, my voice sounding like it belonged to a stranger. “I’ll give you whatever you want.”.