Chapter 56 A Crown and A Least
TERRENCE Blackwood is watching her. Lena could feel it while seated on her chair, trying to be comfortable. Her boss's eyes were watching her like a hawk, as if dissecting her and trying to fry her in his mind.
She knows why. The incident with Lucian and Angel at the park.
Every time she glanced up, every time she felt the heaviness of his stares. His sharp gaze pierced through the glass partition.
She shifted uncomfortably, pretending to busy herself with documents, answering calls a little too quickly, tapping on the keyboard with more force than necessary. Anything to distract herself and kept her mind busy with something else, but his stares were too intense to ignore.
Even Miss Winnie seemed to notice it. "Did you do something unforgivable while I was gone, Miss Mendoza?" She asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
Lena immediately shook her head. "Nothing, Miss Winnie."
She scoffed. "He wants you in his office."
Lena's lips parted. "H-Huh?""Now," Miss Winnie said sharply before she walked away, clicking her heels across the floor.
Lena froze. Her palms turned cold as she stood, smoothing her skirt once again, forcing her legs to move forward.
Terrence Blackwood's office was spacious, elegant, and intimidating, suffocating now that she feels the tension that wasn't there yesterday and the other day.
He was seated on his swivel chair, wearing his suit and tie, minus his specs. He looked even more intimidating now that she can clearly see his eyes.
"You...called me in, Mr. Blackwood?" Lena spoke, breaking the sharp and cold silence, trying to sound calm.
"Close the door, Miss Mendoza." His voice was calm, but it carried the weight of someone used to being obeyed. Like no one ever opposed him even once in his entire life.
Lena obeyed, her throat tightening as she approached his desk at slow and silent steps.
She lowered herself into the leather chair across from him, clutching her hands on her lap. The silence stretched between them, thick and terrifying.
Mr. Blackwood's eyes studied her, not with hostility, but with a kind of sharp curiosity that made her feel stripped bare. His fingers tapping gently on the smooth surface of his table, adding to the tension.
Finally, he leaned back in his chair. "Tell me, Miss Mendoza. What is your relationship with Lucian Moretti?"
The question sliced the air like a knife. Lena's heart skipped. She hadn't expected him to be so direct. She parted her lips, then closed them again, her mind searching for the right words.
"H-He is..." Lena paused, her breathing became ragged.
"Do you know who he is?" Mr. Blackwood asked, calm but dangerous.
"Lucian... is the son of Viktor Moretti," she answered carefully, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "The man I promised to marry."
There, she said it. But the words tasted bitter on her tongue. She hated admitting it aloud, hated being reminded of the chains she willingly locked around herself. Hated the fact that she's wearing a golden crown and leash of diamonds, holding her captive, promising a miserable and scripted life.
Mr. Blackwood's forehead creased, his jaw tightening. "Viktor Moretti..."
Lena looked down, biting her bottom lip and swallowing hard.
There was a heaviness in the way he said the name, as if he was measuring it against his own values. He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the desk. "I don't know what kind of relationship you have with Lucian, but I suppose you know how ruthless and heartless his father is."
She nodded. "Yes..."
"Then, why?" That was just a simple question, but it cut through her pride, heart, and soul.
"Lucian is important to me, Miss Mendoza," Mr. Blackwood said again. "I see him as a younger brother. He's bright, full of potential. But potential can be destroyed by the wrong circumstances, the wrong choices, or the wrong influences."
Her chest constricted at his implication. She wanted to protest, but her tongue felt heavy. Wrong influences. She's a wrong influence on him.
Lena felt tears welling in the corners of her eyes. She gripped her clothes tight as she bit her bottom lip so hard she could already taste her own blood.
Terrence continued, his voice firm but not unkind. "Don't get me wrong, Miss Mendoza. I am not being biased against you. I just want you to reconsider your decisions and think about what you have to save, and what to sacrifice."
His words echoed in silence, residing in her chest. Save. Sacrifice. She knew those two things too well.
Lena sniffed and quickly wiped the tears on her cheeks. She kept her head down as she nodded. "I-I understand, Mr. Blackwood."
"You understand?" Mr. Blackwood asked. There was no hint of mockery, but Lena felt like she was pushed farther down. "And I supposed you know that you're playing a dangerous fire, Miss Mendoza. Being trapped in a helpless situation is already so hard. What more if you're trapped between an ice and fire that would either burn you or freeze you to death?"
All her life she had been forced to choose. She sacrificed her freedom for her daughter's future. She sacrificed her happiness for stability. And now, she was being asked to consider sacrificing whatever fragile bond she had with Lucian. The only thing she sees as a constant in her life. The only thing that promised her both happiness and stability.
Her throat tightened as she looked down at her hands. "Do you think I'm the wrong choice for him, Mr. Blackwood?"
Slowly, she lifted her face and met his intense gaze.
"I think life is already cruel enough, Miss Mendoza. And sometimes," he answered, his gaze piercing hers again. "...the path to protecting someone is not walking beside them, but stepping away."
Lena's breath caught. She wanted to argue, to say that she had no choice, that she was bound to Viktor by a promise that was not entirely hers to give. But all she could do was lower her gaze again.
Her chest felt much heavier now. Step away? Step away again like she did months ago? Step away again and give way?
She can't! No, she doesn't want to.
When Lena finally stepped out of his office, she immediately dragged her feet to the restroom. Miss Winnie gave her a brief glance but said nothing. The other employees barely looked at her, too busy with their work.
But Lena's heart was heavy, her mind replaying Mr. Blackwood's words again and again.
She found herself inside the restroom cubicle, barely breathing from extreme, miserable sobs as her tears rolled down her face like a flowing river. Her hands and lips trembled. Her mind is in turmoil. And her heart is aching like crazy.
God, forgive her, but she doesn't really want to let him go.
Her vision was already so blurry when her phone started ringing. When she looked at the screen, she cried even harder.
A bitter smile curled on her lips.
Lucian is calling...