Chapter 133: Turn Completely Evil
"Either you move in with me, or I make a phone call and have him forcibly relocated."
I shook my head firmly. "You can't abuse your position like that."
"But—"
"Today's humiliation should be enough to make him back off," I reasoned. "He was thoroughly embarrassed in front of all the neighbors. If he's smart, he'll move out on his own. And if he doesn't..." I shrugged. "Then I'll consider moving in with you."
Caelan frowned. "Are you sure? I don't trust him to give up that easily."
"I'm sure. Besides, if he does cause more trouble, you'll be there to protect me, right?"
"Always." The promise came without hesitation.
"Good. Now..." I traced a finger down his chest, enjoying how his eyes darkened. "How exactly do you plan to make up for that wounded heart of yours?"
"What do you think?" His voice had turned low and playful.
He leaned down until his lips brushed my ear. Whatever he whispered made my face flame red instantly.
"You pervert!" I smacked his chest, but I was laughing.
The kitchen filled with his rich laughter, and finally, everything felt right again.
Darrell's POV
I slammed the apartment door behind me with enough force to rattle the entire frame. The sound echoed through the hallway like a gunshot. My keys sailed across the room, clattering against the wall before hitting the floor with a metallic crash.
Fucking Caelan. Fucking Lycan King.
The memory burned through my skull like acid. His foot on my chest. That look of cold satisfaction in those ice-blue eyes. Sable standing there in his white shirt, those marks on her neck screaming what they'd been doing just minutes before.
She said she never loved me.
I grabbed the crystal flower vase from the coffee table.
Then I hurled it against the wall.
Crystal exploded everywhere. Fragments rained down like bitter tears, some pieces so small they turned to dust.
She thanked me for cheating. Thanked me for letting her find her 'true love.'
My fists connected with the coffee table's glass surface. Once. Twice. The third blow sent spiderweb cracks racing across the entire panel. Blood welled up from my knuckles, but the pain felt distant compared to the rage eating me alive.
I swept everything off the table. Remote controls, magazines and coasters. All of it went flying.
The side table was next. I kicked it hard enough to send the lamp crashing down. The bulb exploded on impact, adding more glass to the growing collection on my floor.
How dare she look at me like I was nothing. Like I was less than nothing.
I paced through the wreckage, stepping on glass that crunched under my feet.
My phone. Where was my fucking phone?
I found it under a pile of destroyed magazines and scrolled frantically through my contacts. That woman. The one who'd sent me Sable's address. The one who'd promised to help me destroy Caelan.
My thumb shook as I dialed.
One ring. Two rings. Three—
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Please try again later."
"What?" I stared at the screen. "No, no, no!"
I tried again. Same robotic voice. Same crushing disappointment.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"
I dialed a third time. Fourth. Fifth. Each attempt brought the same result.
She'd abandoned me. Just like everyone else.
"FUCK!" I screamed, turning to punch the wall.
My knuckles connected with drywall. Pain shot up my arm, but I didn't stop. I punched again. And again. Each blow left a deeper dent, streaks of blood marking my progress.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
Someone was hammering on my door like they wanted to break it down.
"HEY! You crazy son of a bitch! Cut that shit out right now!"
A man's voice. Angry.
"MY FAMILY IS TRYING TO SLEEP! If you don't shut up, I'm calling the cops!"
I stormed toward the door, my vision still red around the edges. "SHUT THE FUCK UP! This is MY apartment! I'll do whatever I want!"
"You're disturbing the entire building! I'm warning you—"
"WARN ME?" I slammed my palm against the door. "You want to come in here and warn me to my face?"
The hallway went quiet for a moment. Then: "Fucking psycho. That's it, I'm calling the police."
"DO IT! Call them! See if I give a shit!"
I listened to his footsteps retreating down the hallway, muttering about "crazy assholes" and "noise complaints."
I stumbled back to the couch and collapsed onto it, suddenly exhausted.
I buried my face in my hands, gripping my hair so tight it hurt. Maybe if I pulled hard enough, I could yank out all the memories. All the pain. All the desperate need that was eating me alive from the inside.
Minutes passed. Maybe hours. Time meant nothing when your entire world had just imploded.
The silence pressed down on me like a weight. Nothing but the ticking of the wall clock and my own ragged breathing.
Ring ring.
My phone buzzed against my leg. I jerked my head up, hope flaring in my chest as I fumbled for it.
I snatched it up immediately.
"Finally! I thought you weren't going to call me back!"
"Oh? Do you know me? Were you waiting for my call?"
The voice was definitely male. Light, casual, with obvious curiosity and amusement threading through it. Not the woman I'd been expecting at all.
"You... who are you? I don't recognize your voice."
A soft chuckle came through the speaker. "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lucian. Lucian Ross."
The name meant absolutely nothing to me. "You've got the wrong number. I don't know any Lucian."
I was already moving my thumb toward the disconnect button.
"You don't know me, but I know quite a lot about you." His tone remained completely calm and unhurried. "That investment transfer you received? I'm the one who gave Blair the money to pass along to you."
What?
"Blair? Wait... I don't understand. You're saying the woman who contacted me before was Blair? Caelan Blackwood's adopted sister Blair?"