Chapter 142 Pure Unrefined Hatred

Chapter 142 Pure Unrefined Hatred
Christian’s Point of View

The first time I saw her again, she was standing in my doorway beside the estate manager. Her amber eyes were wide, filled with surprise as they settled on me.

I had my doubts then. I mean, she was standing right in front of me. How the hell could I not recognize her? Even though five years pass, even though twenty years pass.

I would always recognize her, and my fingers went into my hair again; it had to be the hundredth time I'd done it. I had been pacing relentlessly around the living room, unable to settle down, while Xavier remained sprawled across the couch.

He wasn't doing anything.

His head rested against the back cushion, his eyes closed, his breathing steady.

He looked completely at ease.

“I want to go see her,” I confessed, stopping in front of him. “How the hell can you just sit there and do nothing?”

“All we can do right now is wait,” Xavier answered almost immediately. “Going to the hospital won't change anything.”

His eyes remained closed.

“The brothers aren't going to budge, and I don't want us provoking them any further.”

“I don't care about them, Xavier.” I stepped closer, but he didn't move, and he didn't even open his eyes.

He was being so damn laid-back about this that it felt like I was the only one who was worried.

“I don't give a fuck who we offend,” I said. “I just want to see Lana. I want to know how she's doing.”

My voice softened. “It's been a week, Xavier. A whole fucking week we've been sitting here without knowing whether she's okay.”

“We need to make sure we don't offend her.” That finally made him open his eyes.

“So she doesn't run away again,” he continued. “If we screw this up and she disappears again, we might never find her.”

“That's exactly why we should be there with her,” I countered. “Who knows if she's already planning her next escape?”

“No, she isn't.” Xavier groaned, sounding almost irritatingly calm. “I've hired people to keep an eye on her.”

My eyebrows rose, that was smart—I had to give him that.

“But why hire people when we can watch her ourselves?”

“Because she doesn't want to see us.” His voice sharpened. “Don't you get it, Christian? If we keep pushing, she's going to feel overwhelmed.”

He sat up, finally giving me his full attention.

“And if she feels trapped, she'll run.”

His gaze held mine. “We've already lost her once. I'm not going to be the reason we lose her again.”

I kicked hard at the ground, practically at nothing, but I was too frustrated to care.

“Calm down.” Xavier finally pushed himself away from the back of the couch and leaned forward, burying his head in his palms. “Let’s just trust Lana to come back to us. She works here, right?”

“Fine. I’ll give her three more days.” I crossed my arms. “If she doesn’t come to work by then, I’m going to find her.”

I added. “It doesn't matter what you say,”

“I can't stop this headache,” he muttered to himself, and I limped away from him.

“Shouldn’t you be meeting with your physiotherapist?” Xavier called after me.

He was right.

I hadn't seen my doctor in a week, and I needed to recover from this injury before the end of the three-month period I'd be staying here. Running to the hospital with Lana had put an incredible amount of strain on my leg. It had been cramping constantly throughout the week.

And the pain was even worse than when I'd first sustained the injury.

But none of that mattered, though. The realization that Lana was within my reach again was enough to make me feel whole.

I didn't need some stupid physiotherapist.

I just needed to see her.

I wanted to hold her. Pull her against me and breathe her familiar scent into my lungs. I wanted to bury my face against her shoulder and pretend that the past five years had never happened.

She was older now.

More beautiful.

Her hair was red, completely different from the girl I remembered.

But beneath all those changes, she was still the same awkward boy with the oversized uniform, and bad haircut that I'd fallen in love with. It didn't matter what shape she came in, what she looked like, or how much she'd changed.

She was mine.

All mine.

Five years without her had been fucking madness, just as I was trying to figure out how I could slip away without Xavier noticing, the doorbell rang.

I frowned.

“I don't want anything. Is this how you normally bother people in this estate?” I grumbled as I limped toward the door, and I swear if it was that estate manager again.

I would wrangle him.

A pair of brown eyes stared back at me, I stumbled backward, landing awkwardly on my injured foot. Pain shot through my leg, but I barely felt it.

I blinked so hard just to make sure I wasn't imagining her.

“Lana?” My fingers reached toward her, almost hesitantly, as though touching her would somehow prove she was real.

Her beautiful red hair.

She was real, and she was standing right in front of me.

After five years.

I didn't think. I simply reached for her and pulled her into my arms, holding her so tightly that I was afraid she might disappear if I loosened my grip.

Her familiar citrus scent filled my lungs.

God.

I'd missed that.

I tried to hold her closer, to bury myself in that familiar warmth—

She shoved me away.

“Please, Mr. Blackwood.” Her voice was quiet but firm. “I don't appreciate physical contact from my employers.”

My arms fell to my sides.

Her brows were drawn together, her expression filled with disgust and disdain.

It hurt, more than I wanted to admit. But somehow, being looked at with hatred was still better than not being looked at at all.

Before I could say anything, hurried footsteps approached from behind me.

A second later, Xavier shoved me away from the doorway, he pulled her inside and slammed the door behind her.

Right.

Why the hell hadn't I thought of that?

“Lana—”

“It's Elizabeth.” She corrected me immediately.

Her voice was firm, and there wasn't a trace of warmth in her brown eyes. I think I finally understood what Xavier had been trying to tell me.

She truly hated us.

“My brothers told me how you helped us,” she said, clearing her throat. “And honestly, it's rather shameful for me to receive anything from you.”

I opened my mouth, but no words came. Five years of searching, and now she was standing in front of me, speaking to me like I was a stranger.

“I want you to know that I will pay you back every single penny you spent on me.”

“We didn't help you so you could pay us back,” Xavier interrupted. “Lana, we need to talk.”

“Like I said, my name is Elizabeth.” Her gaze hardened. “It would be rather difficult to work with a boss who can't even get my name right.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I'll continue working at the estate for the next three months, exactly as my agency agreed. And while I'm here, I'd like to keep things strictly professional.”

She wasn't asking, she was warning us.

And suddenly, I realized something.                                

Getting Lana back had never been the hard part, getting her to let us back into her life would be.

She hated us, but she has hated me before, and if I'd managed to make her fall in love with me once, I could do it again.