Chapter 134 HOW DID IT ALL HAPPEN?!
LUCIEN'S POINT OF VIEW,
DAYA BEFORE AT THE CABIN.
I pulled Sloane closer to me, relishing in the way her body shook as she trembled from the aftershocks of her orgasm. We’d just finish making love, or rather, she let me let out steam on her. Ever since I learned about what Eldric did to my mother, my mind has reverted to a dark place….Somewhere, I swore ever since meeting Sloane that I would never return to.
Eldric should have been my father, my protector, a man I should have been able to look up to as a young boy. But instead, he ruined my chance at a normal childhood. He killed off the piece of light I had and turned me into the man I was before Sloane walked into my life months ago. I wanted to kill him.
Oh, how I longed to stand there and watch as life would drain from his eyes. But I knew my mother would never have liked that. She always wanted me to become better than the man I’d seen my entire life… and I would never spit on her legacy by becoming someone she didn’t want me to be.
I took in a long drag of air, as my mind calculated the best possible scenario out of this. If Eldric didn’t die by my hands or my doing, he should at least pay in some other way. I kissed Sloane’s forehead softly, my hands caressing her soft, milky skin as I tried to push the darkness away. She grounded me, Sloane.
I always felt like she was the only good thing my life had, and I didn’t want to lose that….I won't lose her. If I became the man I feared I would be, the man my mother warned me not to be, I’m scared that Sloane would leave.
And then I may just go mad.
I had a plan in place already. A solid plan a few weeks ago, since I stumbled upon my mother’s diary back home. I was snooping around, or rather, seeking any clues as to what really happened to her after the confession at Valerian’s house, when I found it inside a small drawer behind a painting.
I could remember little me seeing my mother pull the painting aside, before placing something behind it.
Eldric thought the directors were on his side. Hell, he thought everyone he hired was on his side. But I was ten steps ahead; I was always ten steps ahead.
“Lucien,” Sloane called, pulling me from the chaos in my mind.
“Hmm.” I kissed her forehead again and pulled her closer to me. That was ridiculous, because there was no space between us. The only thing left was for me to enter her skin.
“What are you thinking about?” She whispered, her hands drawing circles on my arms.
“My father.” That was all I said, and honestly, it felt like it was enough because I felt her body stiffen instantly.
“Oh….mind sharing it with me?” I could hear the hesitation in her voice, so I turned my head so I could stare at her instead of the mirror ceiling.
“I have a plan, Sloane.” My hands almost tightened for a moment, but I remembered I wasn’t holding Eldric, but the love of my life. “It’s solid, or at least I hope it is, and when I’m done, he won't realise the ground under him has disappeared.”
“Lucien… don’t go into the dark.” She whispered, her body trembling as her eyes filled with fear…something I never wanted to see in those beautiful specs of hers. “Promise me you won’t, no matter what happens.”
I smiled sadly and kissed her forehead again. “I can promise you I’ll try, but if anyone harms you, I might have to become a monster,” I said, and it was true.
I failed my mother; I won't fail Sloane, either.
“Tell me what your plan is about.”
“I have an insider, or rather, a lot of insiders. She tells me what he’s up to at the company when I’m not present, as well as what can be done to reverse the effects of his schemes.”
“Who is it?”
“My aunt. My grandparents and I decided that bringing her in would be perfect, because Eldric never met her, so he won't suspect anything.” I said, my mind reverting to Aunt Erika. She had a striking resemblance to my mother, and the last time I’d seen her was as a child, when my mother snuck out of the house with me to see her.
I remember Aunt Erika speaking in a hushed tone, pleading with my mother to leave Eldric, to come with her so she could find a way to finally escape the horrors of her marriage. My mother refused, though, because she said she still loved him.
I almost chuckled bitterly at the thought of it. That kind of love that would make her stay with an absolute monster, and ultimately led to her death.
“Oh! I remember something.” She exclaimed, her eyes flashing with recognition as she pulled away from me. That action instantly rendered me cold, and I almost pulled her back to me. But instead, I rose with her and followed her as she rushed to the dining room.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, smiling despite the way I felt at the way her small frame waddled.
“There’s this book I found before you came earlier. I think it’s your mother’s book. It says there’s some evidence in a safe located in this house with evidence and a person we should give it to. There’s even the coordinates of the safe, as well as the number of the contact.”
“Really?” I said, questioning if I was hearing right. Did the gods smile down on us?
I rushed towards her while holding my breath. It felt as if I dared to breathe again; this would become a dream, and I would have lost the one evidence I had against Eldric, as well as my shot at vengeance.
We had gathered a couple of things, but it wasn’t enough. Apparently, we didn’t give Eldric as much credit as he deserved. He was a thorough motherfucker. It didn’t matter where I’d searched for some semblance of evidence or ground against him; he cleaned up too well.
There were no loose ends, none at all. So the only thing we had against him was his proposed plan to flip the company to his side from the inside.
I grabbed the book from her hands gently and flipped it open. My eyes perused the contents of the pages, a joyful smile tugging at my lips before I could even control it.
“Is it okay?” Sloane asked beside me, but all I could do was give her a nod as an answer. No words formed at my lips….I don’t even think I could. All I could feel was hope.
Eldric might go down after all.
I grabbed Sloane by the hand and pulled her, so we both ran to where the proposed safe was. On getting to it, I pulled my head back in a hysterical laugh. The picture that my mother always pushed aside in her room before hiding something in her drawer?
The replica was staring back at me right now.
Alicia, you genius!