Chapter 105 Wired Emotions

Chapter 105 Wired Emotions
Elsie

Caleb grabbed my wrist and dragged me into an office with no warning, his grip so tight that pain shot straight up my arm.

“Let go,” I yelled, my voice cracking as my wrist burned in his hold. “You’re hurting me.”

He didn’t slow down. He shoved me forward so roughly that I stumbled, barely catching myself before I slammed into the edge of the table. The impact rattled my bones, and my bag slipped from my shoulder, hitting the floor with a dull thud. Before I could straighten fully, he turned and slammed the door shut behind him, the sound echoing loudly in the enclosed space.

I looked up at him then, really looked at him, and the sight made my chest tighten. His eyes were dark, almost red with restrained fury, his jaw clenched so hard it looked like it might crack.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he demanded.

I slowly straightened my spine and lifted my chin, forcing myself to meet his gaze even though every instinct in me wanted to step back. I refused to let him see fear in me, not now, not ever again.

“I’m a Lancaster now,” I said evenly, though my heart was pounding. “And I want to know every detail of the family business. This place included.”

He laughed, but there was no humor in it. It sounded sharp, brittle, like something breaking.

“You’ve lost your damn mind,” he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “Did Sarah put you up to this?” His eyes narrowed as he studied me. “She clearly wants you dead. Can’t you see what she’s doing to you? She’s using you.”

I felt something snap inside me at his words.

“Like you used me?” I shot back, walking around the table until I reached the chair behind it. I sat down slowly, deliberately, leaning back against the headrest like I belonged there. “Like you fucked me over and handed me to die?”

His face hardened instantly.

“You’re crazy,” he said flatly. “You need to leave. Right now. You will walk out of this place and never come back, Elsie.”

“MedLyn,” I corrected calmly. “MedLyn Lancaster. Elsie is dead.” I leaned forward slightly, resting my elbows on the armrests. “MedLyn is a woman you don’t know, and she’s far more dangerous than you think. I’m not leaving. I’m involved in whatever is happening here and everywhere else, as long as it’s connected to the Lancaster name, dear brother.”

“Stop calling me that,” he snapped. “I’m not your brother, and you are no Lancaster. When Sarah is done using you, you’ll be thrown out like garbage. You trusted the wrong person.”

I laughed softly, the sound bitter.

“That’s rich, coming from a traitor.”

His shoulders sagged just a little, and for the first time since we walked in, something flickered across his face. Regret. Or guilt.

“I made a mistake,” he said quietly.

“I don’t want to hear it,” I cut in sharply. “You don’t get to explain yourself to me. And you don’t get to make me leave.”

He pushed away from the wall and stepped closer, closing the distance between us until the air felt thick and charged. He leaned one hip against the table and bent forward, invading my space completely. His breath brushed my face, warm and familiar, and it hit me harder than I expected. He smelled exactly the same, clean and masculine, a scent that dragged memories out of places I had buried deep.

His lips were still beautiful, still shaped for kissing and being kissed back, and the realization made my stomach twist with anger at myself.

His eyes searched mine carefully.

“Clarita,” he said.

The sound of my sister’s name froze me completely.

My breath caught painfully in my throat, and before I could stop myself, my body betrayed me. My hands trembled, and he noticed immediately.

A slow, knowing smile touched his lips.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “You’re shaking.” His gaze didn’t leave my face. “You didn’t think I knew who you were, did you?”

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

“I knew,” he continued calmly. “I knew exactly who you were. And I still protected you.”

My head spun.

He knew?

For how long had he known?

“I’m not your enemy,” he said, his voice dropping lower. “But if you’re here looking for who killed your sister and planning revenge, you’re going to get yourself killed if anyone finds out who you really are.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry, the room feeling unbearably hot.

How long had he known?

How long had he kept that secret?

He straightened and stepped away from me, shoving his hands into his pockets like he needed the distance as much as I did.

“Your little friends work for me now,” he added casually. “Mariana. Remember her?”

My heart skipped violently.

“She’s alive.”

The words didn’t make sense at first.

“But… but she was shot,” I stammered. “I saw her fall. I saw the blood.”

“The wound wasn’t severe,” he said. “I made sure she got treated.”

I stared at him, my vision blurring.

“The human trafficking ring was shut down,” he continued. “Before that, I ordered the girls to leave. Some of them did. Others chose to stay and work at the club.”

My knees felt weak.

Alive.

They were alive.

All these years, I had carried the weight of their suffering on my shoulders, blaming myself for running, for surviving, for not being strong enough to save them. The guilt had eaten me alive, haunted my sleep, shaped every decision I made.

And now he was telling me they were safe.

I searched his face, trying desperately to reconcile the man standing before me with the monster I had built in my mind.

“You saved them,” I whispered.

“I did what I could,” he replied. “But you…” His voice hardened again. “You should leave, Elsie. This place is not for women like you.”

Women like me.

I didn’t answer him. My mind was already elsewhere.

Mariana.

I needed to see her.

I needed to see them with my own eyes.

The relief surged through me so violently that it almost brought me to my knees. They were alive. They were safe. I had spent seven years punishing myself for a tragedy that hadn’t fully happened, and the realization made me want to scream, cry, laugh, and break something all at once.

I stood abruptly, grabbed my bag from the floor, and moved toward the door without another word. My hands were shaking now, but I didn’t care.

As I reached for the handle, his voice stopped me.

“Elsie.”

I paused but didn’t turn.

“This place will destroy you if you stay,” he said quietly.

I finally looked back at him, my eyes burning.

“I was already destroyed,” I replied. “I survived. Don’t confuse the two.”

Then I pulled the door open and walked out, my heart pounding as one thought echoed in my mind over and over again.

They were alive.

And nothing would stop me from seeing them.