Chapter 21: 21

Elliot’s POV

I walked out of Nessa’s house my mind all over the place. I couldn’t stop thinking about that picture in her living room. It was a photo of her and her daughter, Emily. They were smiling but that wasn't what stirred something in my chest.

It was her eyes; In that picture, Nessa had blue eyes but right now her eyes were green.

I wasn’t crazy and wondered how her eyes could change colour. Maybe it was the light or she wore colored contacts but the woman in that photo had Vanessa’s eyes.

The more I looked at Nessa, the more I felt like I was staring at the ghost of Vanessa. They didn’t look alike but they just seemed so similar and finding out Nessa’s eyes were blue made me feel some way. Could it be?

I shook my head and walked to my car, trying to push the thoughts away. I took out my phone out and saw over thirty missed calls from Bernice.

I groaned. “Damn it.”

I called her back, she picked up and screamed so loud, I had to pull the phone away from my ear.

“Elliot! Where the hell have you been?! Do you want my parents to be homeless?! I’ve been calling you for hours!”

“Where are you? What’s going on?”

She started ranting again, too fast and too loud. I only caught bits and pieces.

“I told you about…the house… lawyer… twenty million… they’ll go to jail…”

“I’ll be there,” I said, cutting her off.

I started the engine and drove to her parents’ house, feeling more annoyed with every passing second. I hated going to that house. I hated everything about it.

Most of all, I hated her parents. They had blackmailed us and threatened to leak things we couldn’t let the world know. My father had begged me to marry Vanessa to keep them quiet and I did.

Marrying Vanessa ruined my life and when I finally got to divorce her, thinking I was free, I met Bernice who I had no idea she was their daughter.

She got pregnant and I was stuck again, trapped in another loveless marriage with a woman I didn’t want, all to keep a dirty family secret buried.

I parked outside the building and stared at the house for a few seconds. I didn’t want to go in but I had to.

I walked into the house and saw them all sitting there like it was a damn board meeting. Bernice was pacing, her arms folded tight. Her parents sat on the couch, eyes darting around like scared rats. Two lawyers were in the room. One of them was mine, Bernice must have called him too.

“Thank God you’re here,” Bernice said and rushed to me looking relieved.

I didn’t respond and  just looked at the lawyer.

He handed me a document. “They want you to sign this.”

I read it quickly, and my eyes widened.

“You want me to pay twenty million dollars for this house?” I asked. “Are you people out of your minds?”

“Elliot, we don’t have a choice! The house is going to be taken, and my parents will be arrested if we don’t pay the new owner. He’s already threatening to call the police.” Bernice said.

I looked from Bernice to her parents, then to my lawyer, then to the other lawyer and they were all quiet.

“And why is that?” I asked coldly. My lawyer cleared his throat and came closer. “Can we talk in private?”

I nodded and followed him to the hallway. He leaned in and whispered, “This house wasn’t bought the legal way, Elliot.”

“What?”

“Her parents are adverse possessors. They got the house through illegal documents a long time ago and they have been living here without paying for it properly. They never bought the house legally.”

“You’re joking.”

“No,” he said. “Now the actual owner has come forward and sold the property. He’s furious and wants to report them to the authorities unless they pay him twenty million dollars in damages. He’s calling it compensation for illegal occupation.”

I almost laughed. “So they stole the house?”

He nodded slowly. “That’s better, they should be arrested immediately.”

He shook his head. “They said if they get arrested… they’ll expose your family.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, voice low.

“They didn’t say what they have but they said if anything happens to them anything they’ll take your family down with them.”

I felt cold and my chest tightened.

I stared at the wall, remembering all the things they knew. The kind of things that would destroy my family business and everything we had worked for.

I swallowed hard. “Do you think they’ll really talk?”

“I think they will,” he said. “If they’re desperate enough.”

I closed my eyes for a second. All I wanted was peace a normal life but  this was my curse. No matter how far I tried to run I couldn’t get past this shit they had over our head.

I walked back into the room and stared at them. Bernice looked at me pitifully, her mother sniffed and her father stared at the floor like a coward.

I stepped forward and dropped the document on the table.

"I’ll pay the money," I said finally, my voice cold.

The lawyer nodded quickly and took out another document. “Please sign here and here,” he said, pointing to the lines.

I signed the papers without saying another word. My hand was tight around the pen, and I could feel my jaw clenching and my heart was pounding in anger. Once I was done, I took out my phone and transferred the twenty million dollars.

Just like that my hard-earned money was gone to cover up the lies and dirt of Bernice’s family.

As soon as the alert came in on her dad’s phone, Bernice’s mother stood up and came to me with fake tears in her eyes. She grabbed my hand and smiled like she had just been saved.

“Thank you for helping us out this time, Elliot,” she said sweetly. “Let me get you something to eat.”

I pulled my hand out of her grip with force, my face full of disgust.

“I don’t want food from you,” I spat. “Don’t ever touch me again.”

Her smile dropped and her mouth stayed open, but no words came out. I turned around and walked toward the door.

“Elliot! Wait please! Don’t leave like this. We’re still family..”Bernice said chasing after me. I didn’t stop or look at her.

I walked straight to my car;  My hands shook as I opened the door and got in. Without a single word, I started the engine and drove off, leaving that cursed house behind me.

I drove across town to a private bar a secret place only the richest, most powerful people in the city knew about. It was quiet, private, expensive, and dark.

I walked in and nodded at the bartender, who knew me and poured me a glass of strong bourbon, no ice.

I sat in the farthest corner of the room, where the light barely reached and where no one would bother me and sipped the drink slowly, my mind still spinning.

I closed my eyes and leaned back in my seat, letting the alcohol burn its way down my throat wondering when I’d be free from all this nonsense.

I heard movement and opened my eyes to see my brother Asher staring at me. He walked in and walked over to me.

I don’t know why, but seeing him made my chest tighten because of Nessa, Nessa had seemed to really like him and I saw their interaction at my family dinner I also didn’t like how serious he seemed with Nessa.

I had seen him with her Opening her car door, laughing with her and acting like he cared.

I wondered if he did or he was he doing it just to get under my skin? Did he know I had feelings for her?

I clenched my glass tighter as I remembered the image that had burned itself into my brain. Asher pecking Nessa on the cheek and tge way she had smiled up at him. It messed with my head and I hated it.

Asher reached my table and pulled out the chair beside me.

“Evening,” he said casually and sat down.

I looked at him, then looked away. I couldn’t do this, not tonight.

“I’m leaving,” I said quietly and stood up.

“Elliot…” he started, but I didn’t let him finish.

“I can’t do this,” I swore under my breath and walked out.