Chapter 93 Conflict
Jacob
Zaza was straddling my lap in the private lounge, her fingers warm against my jaw as she leaned in, her lips brushing mine in slow, teasing kisses that made it impossible to think straight. She smelled like something floral and expensive, her hair falling over her shoulders as she smiled against my mouth.
“You’re distracted,” she said softly, kissing the corner of my lips again. “That’s rude, you know.”
I chuckled and slid my hand around her waist. “You talk too much.”
She laughed, the sound light, then rested her forehead against mine. “I’m serious. You’ve been like this all evening.” Her fingers traced down my chest. “Is it family?”
“No,” I said, though I didn’t sound convinced even to myself.
Her eyes studied me for a second longer, then she tilted her head. “Is it the girl?” she asked casually. Too casually.
I raised an eyebrow. “What girl?”
“Elsie,” she said, finally pulling back enough to look at me properly. “The one who has everyone acting strange lately. She has been found. You told me she’s fine. Why do you still look worried?”
I sighed. There was no point pretending I didn’t know who she meant. “She’s fine,” I said. “Caleb is bringing her home. I’m not worried about her or anything.”
Zaza relaxed instantly, the tension leaving her shoulders. “Good,” she said, kissing me again, softer this time. “I’m glad to hear that.”
I hummed in response, my hand sliding down her back. “I missed you.”
Before she could reply, the door to the lounge opened and Caleb walked in.
Zaza turned slightly, her body stiffening as she glanced over her shoulder. The mood shifted immediately, like someone had turned off music I hadn’t realized was playing. She slipped off my lap smoothly, straightening her dress as she stood.
“I should go,” she said, already stepping back. She offered Caleb a polite smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Hey.”
He nodded once. “Hey.”
She didn’t look at me again as she left, heels clicking softly until the door closed behind her.
The silence that followed felt heavier than it should have.
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “whats up?”
Caleb didn’t sit. He stayed standing, hands in his pockets, gaze unfocused like he was somewhere else entirely.
“Elsie left,” he said.
I blinked. Once. Then laughed, short and disbelieving. “That’s not funny.”
He didn’t react.
I straightened. “Caleb.”
“She left,” he repeated, this time quieter. “She decided not to come back.”
My smile faded. “Where did she go?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
I stood up. “You don’t know,” I echoed. “Or you’re not telling me?”
“She said she didn’t want to return,” he said, finally looking at me. “I let her go.”
For a moment, I just stared at him. I searched his face for something—anything—that told me this was some poorly delivered joke.
“You let her go,” I said slowly. “You expect me to believe that?”
Before he could answer, the door opened again.
Aiden walked in, his voice already filling the room. “Let who go?”
His eyes flicked between us, reading the tension instantly. “What’s going on?”
Caleb didn’t say anything.
I turned to Aiden. “Your brother says Elsie left. Says she didn’t want to come back.”
Aiden’s expression hardened. “What have you done with her?”
Caleb’s jaw tightened. “Watch your mouth.”
“I’m asking a question,” Aiden shot back. “Because this makes no sense.”
I stepped closer to Caleb. “You sent us away,” I said, my voice rising despite myself. “You told us to leave first. Now you’re saying she disappeared? You did something to her.”
He scoffed. “You’re full of shit.”
I shoved him.
It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t calculated. My hand hit his chest hard enough to make him stumble back a step.
“You don’t get to talk to me like that,” I said. “Not when a girl vanishes under your watch.”
Caleb recovered quickly, his eyes darkening. “Don’t do that again.”
I laughed, sharp and humorless. “Or what?”
He moved faster than I expected. His fist connected with my jaw, snapping my head to the side. Pain exploded across my face, hot and immediate.
I swung back without thinking.
The lounge erupted into chaos. Furniture scraped against the floor as we collided, fists flying, years of unspoken resentment pouring out through clenched teeth and blows that had nothing to do with this moment and everything to do with the past.
Aiden shouted, lunging between us. “Enough! Both of you!”
Caleb shoved him aside and came at me again, grabbing my collar and slamming me into the wall. My shoulder hit first, then my head, stars bursting across my vision.
“You think you know anything?” he snarled. “You think you understand what I did?”
I grabbed his wrist, twisting hard. “You hurt her,” I growled. “I know you did.”
He stopped.
Just for a second.
Aiden seized the moment, forcing himself between us, both arms outstretched. “Stop it!” he yelled. “This is insane.”
We stood there, breathing hard, staring at each other over Aiden’s shoulder.
Caleb pulled back first, smoothing his jacket like nothing had happened. “I didn’t hurt her,” he said flatly. “I let her make her choice.”
I wiped blood from my mouth, my jaw throbbing. “That’s what scares me,” I said. “Because you never let anyone choose.”
Aiden looked between us, confusion and anger mixing on his face. “Where is she now?”
Caleb shook his head again. “Gone.”
“Gone where?” Aiden pressed.
“I don’t know,” Caleb said, and for the first time, his voice cracked just enough to make me pause. “And that’s the truth.”
The room went quiet.
I studied him carefully then. Really looked at him. There was something off. Not guilt exactly. Something colder. Something resolved.
“You’re lying,” I said finally. “Maybe not about her leaving. But about why.”
He met my gaze, unflinching. “Believe whatever you want.”
Aiden exhaled sharply. “This isn’t over.”
“No,” Caleb agreed. “It’s not.”
He turned and walked out, leaving the door swinging slowly behind him.
I sank back onto the sofa, my hands shaking now that the adrenaline was wearing off.
Aiden looked at me. “He’s hiding something.”
“I know,” I said.
And somewhere deep in my gut, a sick certainty settled in.
Whatever Caleb had done, whatever he’d chosen, it wasn’t going to end with Elsie simply disappearing.
Not for her.
Not for us.
And definitely not for him.