Chapter 43: Chapter Forty Two

Eros 

Most of the time, my instincts are spot on. I’m hardly ever wrong—maybe once in five times at most. But this? This completely blindsided me. I had been so off the mark about the people involved in Athena’s disappearance that it left me stunned. Never in my wildest imagination would I have thought Scarlett Granville had a hand in it—let alone masterminded the entire thing.

I went utterly still. The fingers I had been drumming against the table curled into a fist as my gaze fixed on Athena, blank but burning. "What?" My voice was low, dangerously quiet.

Athena swallowed hard, her throat bobbing. “She paid someone to take me away. It was the same day you helped me buy Beatrix's jewelry. I know you told me to take the rest of the day off, but I went back to school. That’s when Scarlett ambushed me. She had a picture of me getting into your car.”

Scarlett had been watching my every move? The sheer audacity of it. She had no idea what was coming for her.

“She wanted to know what I was doing with you,” Athena continued, her voice devoid of emotion. “I didn’t tell her. I was scared she’d run to Serena, and somehow it would get back to Beatrix.” She let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head. “Not that it mattered, huh? Even though I kept quiet, I was still labeled a thief.”

I stayed silent, waiting for her to finish. A part of me was ready to walk out that door and go straight to Scarlett’s house, but I couldn’t leave Athena alone. She was trying to hold it together, but I could see right through it.

Her hands, which had briefly stilled, were trembling once more. I wanted to reach out, to offer comfort, but my anger held me back. My gaze dropped to her fingers, noticing that the splint on her injured hand had been replaced. Was she still in pain? I wanted to ask—needed to—but I didn’t.

"I... I was locked in a tunnel for weeks. I don’t even know how long. No food, no water. I thought I was going to die down there without ever seeing the sun again.” She inhaled sharply. “When the officers came to rescue me, I thought I was hallucinating.”

I tightened my grip on the edge of the table, breathing hard. I had suspected so many people—each of them with a motive—but not once had I considered that Scarlett had been tracking my every move, waiting for the right moment to strike. And because of me, Athena had suffered. Because I tried to help her, I had unknowingly put her in danger.

And Scarlett? She had been ruthless before. I should have known. Years ago, she did the same to Heather—the one girl who had dared to think she could pull me out of my shell. Heather had to flee the country after Scarlett destroyed her family's life. I hadn’t stepped in then. I had let it happen.

But not this time. This time was different.

My jaw clenched, my entire body vibrating with barely restrained fury. Because of her jealousy, Scarlett had wanted Athena dead.

And I would make sure she paid for it.

"She's dead." My voice was final, unwavering.

Athena reached across the table, grabbing my hand before I could stand—even though I hadn’t even realized I was about to. "No," she whispered gently.

"No?" I stared at her in disbelief. "Athena, you could’ve died."

"Eros, please." Her eyes searched mine, filled with quiet desperation. "If you go after her, she’ll retaliate. I just got back—I can’t handle another situation like that." Her voice was soft, pleading

I looked down at her hand, small and warm against mine. The fire inside me roared, demanding vengeance, but her eyes—tired, desperate—made it impossible to ignore her plea.

"You expect me to just let this go?" My voice was tight with frustration. 

I understood why she was afraid. Scarlett wasn’t the type to back down, and Athena had barely escaped once. If I went after her now, there was no telling what she’d do next. And if that happened, Athena could end up in an even worse situation.

"I expect you to think before acting," she said softly. "Scarlett doesn’t care about the consequences because of who her father is, but you do. I know you can handle yourself, but if you make a move now, she’ll twist this into something worse. She might even come after me again—just to get back at you."

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. I hated how right she was. Scarlett was vindictive, and if I struck first, she wouldn’t hesitate to drag innocent people into the crossfire. It infuriated me that I had to wait, to think, to be patient, instead of acting immediately when all I wanted was to make her pay.

Reluctantly, I leaned back in my seat, a deep frown settling between my brows. "Fine," I muttered sourly. "I won’t go after her."

Athena sighed in relief. "Thank you," she said.

"But," I added, my tone dark and edged with menace, "this isn’t over. I won’t let her get away with this. She already destroyed one girl’s life years ago. I did nothing then. This time is different."

Athena nodded, probably realizing there was no stopping me completely. "Just… not now," she said.

"Also," I leaned forward, narrowing my eyes, "you mentioned something about her father. I know he’s the vice president, but you seem to be forgetting that my grandfather is the president of this country."

"I didn’t forget," she replied. "I just think you care more about your family’s reputation than Scarlett does." Her gaze was steady. "Your grandfather is more powerful than her father, but Scarlett actively uses her father’s position to get away with things. You’re not like that."

I studied her for a long moment before sighing. She was right—again. Scarlett had no problem wielding her father’s influence like a weapon, using it to cover up her misdeeds, while I had only ever used my grandfather’s status to put arrogant people in their place. The difference was stark.

It unsettled me how well Athena understood me—how easily she could predict my thoughts, knew what to say, almost as if she were inside my head. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I forced my mind back to the issue at hand.

"When the officers told me they couldn’t do anything because of what Beatrix told them, I was furious. I almost threatened to get their boss involved. Serena told me that Alfred claimed he saw you getting on a bus outside of school with some mystery guy. She spread the rumor all over school. Now everyone thinks you’re a wayward girl."

Athena’s eyes widened in shock. "Alfred lied about me too?"

"Yes," I nodded. I hesitated, debating whether to tell her the full truth. She deserved to know who she was really up against. Scarlett wasn’t the only one she had to worry about anymore.

"That’s not the worst part," I said.

Athena’s expression went blank, her eyes shuttering as if bracing for yet another blow, for more bad news. "There’s more?"

"After everything Serena told me about you, I knew something wasn’t right. I knew I needed to investigate. So, I went to the security office to check the footage from that day—but it was gone. The security team told me it had been erased." I paused, watching her reaction. "I couldn’t believe it, so I confronted the head of security. But he was evasive, and that made me suspicious."

Her brows drew together in shock. "You think Mr. Colton is involved?"

"Probably," I said with a shrug. "Now that I know Scarlett was behind your disappearance, it wouldn’t surprise me if she paid him to erase the footage."

Athena let out a bitter sigh, lowering her gaze to her hands resting on the table. "Of course. I’ve always known no one at that school actually cares about me." She muttered.

I didn’t respond to that—I couldn’t. Instead, I clenched my jaw and continued. "I decided to check the footage from the jewelry store, not just from that day, but from the week before. When I saw Beatrix buying jewelry, for a moment, I assumed she was behind the theft."

Athena let out a dry, almost derisive scoff. "Beatrix? She might be a lot of things, but one thing she’d never do is play around with jewelry. She loves those shiny things more than anything in the world." A smirk flickered across her lips, humorless and sharp. "She’d probably sell Serena for a pair of expensive diamond earrings."

I almost smiled at that, but I had bigger things to tell her. I huffed but pressed on. "Well, that was until I saw Alfred meeting with the man you described—the one with the tattoo on his hand." I paused, exhaling. "Brace yourself."

Her breath hitched. She tensed. "Why?" she asked, her voice barely steady.

I met her gaze, my tone grave. "I had my cousin look into Alfred, and it turns out he’s connected to the jewelry thief."

Her lips parted slightly, confusion clouding her eyes. "What do you mean?" she whispered.

"The jewelry thief—Taron—is Alfred’s half-brother." I hesitated for only a second before adding, "Their father was murdered by yours."