Chapter 85 Confrontation
Elsie
I stood beside the landline in the guest room, my hand hovering over it. The house was quiet, the kind of quiet that made my pulse too loud in my ears. I kept staring at the phone like it might bite me if I touched it. Part of me wanted to walk away and pretend I never planned on calling anyone. The other part reminded me that if I didn’t do this now, I might never get another chance.
What if someone hears me? What if the call is traced? What if the boys find out?
But I had come this far. I needed answers.
My fingers trembled as I dialed the number. It rang once. Twice.
Then a voice came on the line.
“Mrs. Lancaster.”
My breath caught. “Hello.”
A short pause.
“Elsie. Good to hear you’re okay. I heard you were kidnapped. How are you?”
Her tone wasn’t warm. It wasn’t even worried. It sounded like someone asking if the weather was fine outside.
“I’m… fine,” I said, even though the lie scraped my throat.
“And you are calling me from the beach house,” she said.
I froze. “Yes. How did you know that?”
“The landline,” she replied with a low hum. “I know all the numbers to my homes.”
I swallowed, gripping the cord tighter.
She continued, “Are you calling me because you have the file? The red file?”
My chest tightened. “I got kidnapped because I was caught trying to get the file,” I said. “That’s what you wanted me to do, right?”
She laughed—soft, amused, cruel.
“Oh dear. Kidnapping and making people disappear isn’t new in the Lancaster mansion. It’s almost normal. The only unusual thing here is that you survived. You must be very lucky.”
Lucky.
The word stung.
“Mr. Field told me everything,” she added.
“Did he also tell you that he arranged my kidnapping?” I shot back. “Or that he was the one who gave me away?”
A small sigh. “You don’t need to worry about Mr. Field. He is just doing his job.”
I shook my head, anger pushing heat into my face. “You are impossible. I can’t believe this is all you have to say after everything I’ve been through.”
“You haven’t even been through anything yet, my dear,” she replied calmly. “You’re in the beach house, right? And let me guess… Caleb is keeping you.”
My stomach flipped. “Yes,” I whispered before I could stop myself.
She let out a cold sound—half pity, half warning.
“Caleb is one person you should never trust. He is the most dangerous human being you will ever meet. He doesn’t know family. He doesn’t know friends. He doesn’t know loyalty. If something threatens him, he gets rid of it immediately. I don’t think you are safe there.”
Anger rushed to my mouth without thinking.
“The only person I’m not safe around is you,” I said quietly. “Your family is right. You’re mad. You should be locked away and the key thrown into the ocean.”
She didn’t even seem offended.
“You will need me soon,” she said. “That is, if you are still alive by the time you discover the demon you’re dealing with. And trust me, I will be here. But I won’t let you be the one to reveal what he really is. I feel sorry for my boys. They know nothing. And they are not even safe around the person they call brother. Caleb is selfish, Elsie.”
Her words dug under my skin. I hated how calm she sounded. Like she was stating facts carved into stone.
I swallowed hard. “Goodbye, Mrs. Lancaster.”
“Good luck,” she replied. “You will need it.”
I ended the call with shaking hands.
For a long moment, I stood there, staring at the phone. My chest rose and fell too fast. Her voice lingered in my head, mixing with everything I had already seen, everything I had tried to ignore.
Was she lying? Was she trying to scare me? Or was Caleb truly everything she said?
I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
I was still in my towel. My legs were shaking from more things than I wanted to admit. I forced myself toward the closet, pulling out one of the shirts someone—probably Aiden—had placed there. I dressed slowly, trying to keep my mind from spinning out of control.
The house sounded alive downstairs. Footsteps. Dishes. Low voices. The boys were probably already having breakfast. I stared at myself in the mirror. My eyes looked tired but clear. I pressed a hand against my stomach, trying to settle the storm inside me.
I needed to act normally. I couldn’t let them suspect I had made a call.
I moved down the hallway, my footsteps soft. The sunlight pouring through the windows felt too bright, too warm for the thoughts running through my head. When I reached the stairs, I caught a glimpse of the dining area below.
Mrs. Lancaster’s voice rang in my head again.
Caleb is the most dangerous person you will ever meet.
I inhaled slowly.
Dangerous or not… I was already in too deep.
I straightened my shoulders and started down the stairs, trying to keep my breathing steady, trying to keep my heart quiet.
Trying to pretend I hadn’t just heard something that could change everything.