Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty Five

Eros

A week later 

I had given my father two days to make a choice: me or Vivienne. His silence, however, spoke volumes, and it seemed he had made his decision. When I returned home from school the next day, the only thing Helena told me was that my father had left on a business trip.

I knew he had purposely left to avoid me, and I was fine with that. But I expected him to show the same courtesy I had extended to him by giving me an answer within the time frame I had set. Instead, he left me in the dark, though I already knew the truth—he would never choose me over Vivienne.

Vivienne wasn’t just someone I despised; she had something I didn’t. For one, she was a woman, and like any man, my father wanted her. She wasn’t just beautiful—she was breathtaking, with a body that other women envied and men couldn’t resist. Unfortunately, my father was no exception. Vivienne Briers was gorgeous, but her beauty masked a soul as rotten as they come.

I could have called my father to ask for his decision, but I refused to seem desperate for him to choose me. I didn’t need him—I had my grandparents, who adored me. What I wanted was for him to be with someone who genuinely loved him for who he was, not for his status as the richest man in the world.

That thought lingered in my mind as I woke up the next morning feeling irritable and disheartened. My mood soured further when I saw it was raining. I hated the rain—had hated it ever since my mom and Isabella passed away. The rain always reminded me of them, laughing and playing in the downpour, moments I could never get back, and memories that now left only an ache in my chest.

I hated the rain, but it didn’t stop me from going to school. Maybe Isabella had been right when she called me a nerd—I loved school, though I’d never admit it if anyone asked. Once inside the building, I closed my umbrella and handed it to my bodyguard, who took it with a slight bow before walking away without a word.

The hallway was unusually quiet, with only a handful of students scattered around, doing what they did best—gossiping. I shook my head in disgust as I made my way to my locker, but a snippet of conversation about Athena caught my attention. I stopped in front of two boys, both teammates of mine—a midfielder and a winger—folding my arms as I turned to face them.

“Seriously?” I asked, raising a brow. “Is this what you do with your free time? Gossip? Did either of you bother reviewing the footage from the last match? Maybe look at where you messed up?”

They shifted awkwardly, avoiding my gaze as they mumbled something incoherent before scurrying off like rats. I huffed under my breath, my mood souring even more as irritation bubbled to the surface. This nonsense was getting on my last nerve, and I knew the only way to deal with it was to confront Serena directly. I didn’t want to, but this was pushing me to my limit.

I didn’t share any classes with Serena, so I waited until the final bell rang, signaling the end of the school day, before tracking her down. I found her in the library, seated near the arched windows where the late afternoon sun streamed in, casting golden patterns on the marble floor.

Pushing open the glass doors, I walked in, nodding briefly to the librarian before heading straight for Serena. She was pretending to read but was clearly texting, her fingers tapping away on her phone.

I knocked on the table to get her attention. She jumped in her seat, her phone slipping from her hands and landing on the floor with a soft thud. Sometimes, it felt like a burden to always know what people were up to before they even said or did anything. But at this moment, catching Serena red-handed, I couldn’t help feeling smug.

“We need to talk,” I said, cutting straight to the point.

Serena froze, her wide eyes reminding me of a deer caught in headlights. Her cheeks flushed pink, though I couldn’t care less about what had her so flustered. She bent down to pick up her phone and slipped it into her bag without even checking if it was damaged.

“Eros? What—what is it?” she stammered, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

I crossed my arms and fixed her with a hard stare. “You know exactly what this is about. I’ve been hearing things—about Athena. I want answers. Now.” My tone was cold, leaving no room for argument.

“I… I don’t know what you mean,” she replied, her voice shaky and her eyes wide with fear.

I leaned in closer, my voice dropping to a low growl. “Don’t play dumb with me. A thousand euros? Missing money? Athena’s gone, and everyone’s whispering about it. You’ve been in the middle of it all week. Start talking.”

Serena hesitated, her gaze darting nervously around the empty library then she sighed in defeat. “I didn’t want to get involved, Eros. But… fine. I'll tell you if you want to know.” She paused, her voice dropping to a whisper. “It started when my mother found a thousand euros in Athena’s drawer.”

“What do you mean, in her drawer? Why was your mother going through Athena’s things?” I asked, arching a brow, my jaw tightening in irritation.

“She wasn’t snooping! One of the maids found the money hidden under a stack of notebooks in Athena’s drawer,” Serena admitted, her tone defensive. “The maid showed it to my mother.”

“And your mother just assumed it was stolen?” I pressed, my tone sharp.

Serena fidgeted, avoiding my gaze. “Not at first. But later that day, she realized a thousand euros was missing from her own bag.” Serena explained, her voice faltering.

“So, what? She jumped to the conclusion that Athena took it?” I demanded, my voice hardening.

“It didn’t help that Athena disappeared. Her passport, some clothes—everything was gone the same day,” Serena said, her voice trembling slightly.

I stared at her, my expression darkening. “And you believed it? You think Athena, of all people, would do something like that?”

The longer she spoke, the angrier I became. The entire situation was absurd, and their accusations only fueled my frustration. I knew exactly where Athena got that money—I had given it to her. But there was no way I was going to throw her under the bus by revealing that.

Instead, I bit back my frustration and waited for Serena to continue.

“I don’t know what to think, Eros,” Serena said, wincing slightly. “My mother was furious, and everyone started talking. It—it looks bad, doesn’t it?”

“It looks bad because people like you are so quick to believe the worst without even questioning it!” I shot back, my tone sharp. “Did it ever occur to you that someone could’ve planted the money? Framed her? Or maybe… someone actually gave her that money?” I added, my voice dropping as I emphasized the last part.

Serena arched a skeptical brow, clearly latching onto my words. “Who would possibly give her that much money?” she asked pointedly.

“How should I know?” I snapped, glowering at her. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

“I didn’t say I believed it!” she retorted, her voice rising. “But she’s gone, Eros! What am I supposed to think?”

“You’re supposed to think about who Athena really is,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “She wouldn’t steal. And she wouldn’t run away without a reason.”

Serena fidgeted with the edge of the book in front of her, her eyes darting away. “Then why would she leave like that? Without telling anyone? Without even saying goodbye?” she asked, her tone tinged with confusion and hesitation.

“That’s what you should be trying to figure out,” I said firmly. “She may not be your biological sister, but your parents adopted her. They made her part of your family. You should at least try to put yourself in her shoes. Would you want people spreading lies about you when you’re not around to defend yourself? Gossiping instead of asking questions doesn’t help anyone.”

“I wasn’t trying to spread gossip, Eros. I swear. I just—” Her voice trailed off as she lowered her gaze.

“Since you and your parents clearly don’t care about her, considering none of you seem worried… if you hear anything else, anything that might help me find her, you come to me—not the rumor mill. Got it?” I cut off her rambling with a firm tone.

Serena lifted her head, studying me in silence for a few moments. The curious expression on her face made my stomach churn.

“Can I ask you something?” she finally said. “Why are you so worried about Athena? Do you… like her, maybe?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” I replied curtly, standing abruptly. “But if you think spreading gossip about an innocent person makes you feel better about yourself, go ahead.” I moved around the desk, stopping beside her chair. Lowering myself slightly, I crouched to her level. “Just so you know, though, you’re not the only one with juicy gossip.”