Chapter 26

©S A F I E

CHAPTER 26

GABE

I was beyond exhausted. I haven't slept for the past week, and four hours is not enough for me yet now, I’m here, waiting inside the mansion in the outskirts of the city for Elle to come back. I guess the picture hasn’t dropped from her shelf yet. I'm not even sure if she will pull out her canvass. Maybe, Ryan didn't calculate the probability that she might paint because of sadness.

But I know Elle.

Art is what she uses to escape reality. It helps her live through those dark times when I have chosen to ignore her presence after my father died and I became a monster to her.

Why wouldn't it help her now?

With pure annoyance, I brush my hair back and sat on the rocking chair. I'm currently inside Jacob's nursery; the one I've decorated from the last few months I've been away from them, hoping that Elle would let me see my son again but with no luck, the toys remain sprawled out aimlessly on the ground as the cot remain cold because of emptiness.

I am imagining the months to come where Jacob will be here, smiling up at me and Elle. He will love all the toys I will buy him and all the other things I can provide. I will aim to spoil him as much as I can, all the while teaching him how to give value to things he needed from the things he wants. I wonder if Elle will allow for us to have another child again in the future once she goes back. I would like a baby girl so that Jacob can be a big brother and protect her of all the bullies and all the misfortunes in life. But another Jacob won't bother me much, in fact, two of them is probably best. I can play with them all day during weekends and take them to parks and raise them to love cars...all of those boy stuffs.

I take a dinosaur from the toys on the floor and throw it up on the air. I can almost see Jacob smiling up at me as he watches me throw the dinosaur again and catch it, making him laugh, toppling on his back. I will dive down and make him shriek, screaming at me for stop tickling him. Will he call me Dad or Papa? I want to hear him say his first word. I want to be there when he takes his first step, his first win and his fail. I want to be next to my son and I hope his mother would allow it.

As for Victoria, I have a certain lead about where she might be now. Ryan was right with the cards and her great need for money to proceed with her plans. I have sent a few of my trusted agents together with Ryan to confirm her location and hopefully capture her. I am thinking about talking to her for the last time, just to make her see that I am happy with my life, now that I have a son. I want Victoria to understand that she has to move on, she has to look for her own happy ending because I won't go back. I regret that she has to suffer because of me but I am willing to hurt other people for the sake of my family.

Elle was quite right about my and Victoria's relationship in the past for Victoria has served as my anchor during those times that my father pressured me into doing things that I do not want. We were childhood sweethearts and Victoria was there to witness my mother's passing. She was the one who comforted me with my lost and encouraged me to be the best. She was partly responsible with the foolish pranks we performed during high school and one of the victims is Elle. She was the only daughter of our company rival and I couldn't help but hate her guts, especially her intelligent remarks. Elle always ends up in a catfight with Victoria at the end of the school year for having won the Muse award. Victoria wanted me for herself and we dated after high school and have been together during my college years.

Following in my dad's footsteps, I have no choice but to do what he wanted me to do and to make it worse, I have to marry Elle for the sake of both companies. Elle has graduated from an art school and since then her designs were used by their company on the development of their products. Their flagship products lead the market and to reduce the competition, our parents agreed in a merge which done both companies well because we are now the on the top with regards to shipping, hotel, real state and development of technologies.

I am quite thankful that Elle has a keen eye with art, through her, we can release unique products that made the people go crazy especially with the specifications of the gadgets and household equipment. Though when Elle had confessed to me a year ago, about how it did not give her the satisfaction of doing the designs for the company, I let her pursue her passion and manage the company alone while she delves into her medium.

I was brought back to the situation at hand when my phone rang. I fish it out of my pocket and answered, hearing Joe's gruff voice at the other end, 'You won't expect this, Gabriel but I think our plan had failed. She's packing up, now!' Joe pauses for a moment before adding the last bits of the information, making me swear under his breath as I throw the dinosaur down and stand from the chair. 'I think she's going to follow Luke, she has Jacob with her and they are about to leave now.'

Joe doesn't need to tell those words for me to make up my mind of going back to the city right away. I ended the call and went out of the nursery. My heart thudded as I made my way down the stairs, head inside the living room and to the kitchen leading to the back of the house and the garage.

My car let out a beep as I unlocked it. I open the door and slip down the driver side. I insert the key to the ignition and turn the engine on. The wheels screech as I step down on the gas, the gates opening as I swore again under my breath.

"I'll get you back, Elle. I promise I'll do everything I could to convince you to come back!"

*

ELLE

I walk down the streets of New York, not caring about all these busy people talking on their phones and the cabs chasing each other on the road. I have to walk a distance away from my flat because hiring a cab is more dangerous than it seems, especially when it is in broad daylight. I cannot risk the paparazzi's seeing me get inside normal transportation. They will make a huge deal out of it, calling Gabriel a 'shrivelled up git' who can't even cough up enough money for his wife to ride a nice Jaguar or Benz at least. I rolled my eyes and carefully adjust Jacob on my carrier, huffing because the slight distance had made me sweat like a pig. I shake my head and catch my reflection, smiling at how successful I am with my camouflage. I have managed to conceal myself in casual clothes; a baseball cap over my head, an eyeglasses, and large white shirt that belongs to Gabriel and some trousers. I cautiously slip inside a restaurant as I spotted a black Bentley that kept on following me for the last five minutes.

Shit...I've been spotted by paparazzi.

I can't understand how they managed to see through my outfit and why they still keep on following me. I made it clear that I and Gabriel are done, so why?

I tug at the strap of the duffel bag which hangs loosely on my shoulder as I adjust Jacob on my arms, a little bit delighted to lose the Bentley on my trail as I went out of the restaurant, my legs trembling of the effort to hurry down the street and head over to the direction of a boutique, being mindful of my surroundings. I bowed my head and hear Jacob whimper. I take his dummy out of his carrier pocket and offered it to him, smiling as he takes it in his hands. I can't afford for him to cry now, it will just catch people's attention if he started screaming his lungs out.

I peek through my eyeglasses and check for any signs of the black Bentley, was it really just some paparazzi trying to track the billionaire's wife? Or was it Gabriel's agents, trying to keep track of what I am doing and updating him about my whereabouts?

Jacob whimpered and I stopped walking, whispering to him, "Yes, baby? Are you hungry?" He whimpered again, louder this time, "Why baby?" I caress his cheeks and felt how hot he has become in just a few hours. I touch his forehead and sigh - Jacob has a fever. It seems that I made the wrong decision of trying to go to my parents' house.

Should I go back to Gabriel and tell him I was sorry?

I was surprised when the phone buzz in my back pocket. I took it out and answered, “Neola?"

'Elle!' I cringe as her undeniably high voice squeak through the speakers of my phone, 'Where are you? I went to your flat about ten minutes ago and they informed me that you are going away for the weekend and- Oh! Wait. It seems that I can hear the cab on the background…where are you exactly, Elle?' There's some pause before she said, 'Are you on the run again?'

Shit. She knew me too much to know what exactly I am doing right at this moment. I hissed, "Neola. I am trying to escape the paparazzi. They are tailing behind me and I manage to lose them just before you called. I just have to hail a cab somewhere that is much farther so I can go at my parents."

'Elle, why didn't you call for Ryan? He can happily drive you to Ulstur County. All you have to do is ask him to, I'm sure Gabriel won't bother.'

"But I don't want Gabriel to know Neola. I want to talk to my parents because something from my past is hunting me and I couldn't sleep at night thinking that the mystery I have chosen to ignore all these years is resurfacing."

'Elle, I know my brother's been stupid but he is looking out for you. He is worried. You just have to let him-' I take the phone off my ear and stared at the screen.

Gabe is looking out for me?

'Elle-' I didn't get the chance to hear what she was about to say as the phone turns off, the black screen mocking me as I stared at it, cursing myself for forgetting to charge the damn phone. I put it in the depths of my bag, running on the opposite side of the street across the park as I spotted the black Bentley passed, matching my phase.

I shall go to Gabriel now and ask him to give me just a few days with my parents so I can talk to them about my past.

"Elle!"

I swung on my left, tightening my grasp on Jacob as I turn, “Neo?”

"Elle, it's me." She takes me into her arms and I sigh, "I need to go to Gabriel. I need to apologize, Neola. I've been such a bitch."

I lean in closer as she tightens her arms around me, "Oh, Elle. We will do that. I will help you. I'll drive you back to the mansion. Just tell him what you feel, alright? Gabriel has been looking for you."

"Really?" I stared at her and she sighed. “If you are going back to my brother, what about Luke?” Neola wandered out loud, her thoughts getting ahead of her making her blush. The shock of this, she covered her mouth.

Oh yeah! Luke Stevens or should I say Lucas Hansel…my brother.

I look back at her and shake my head. “Nope. It was brotherly love. I didn't like him intimately, Neola. I have told you a couple of times before.” Neola smiles as she takes us to her car and drove to her flat that is just a few blocks away from where she found me. "Don't worry Elle. Everything will be alright. We'll just go later to meet with Gabriel. It is mid-afternoon, both of you should have a lie-in."

"You're right. We badly needed one, Jacob is actually running a slight fever. I need to cool him off with a towel," I muttered, caressing my son's cheek and blowing a sigh of relief now that his temperature has gone down for a bit.

"Alright then, come on inside," Neola smiles at me and for a moment I find relief on having someone close to me. "Oh. I almost forgot, let me give you this first... " she pulls a car seat out from the back seat, handing it to me, her face splitting into a wider grin. I can see the embroidered letters on it as she shifts it with her hand, making me shake my head.

WEST

I stared at the letters; it seems to come from an old version of blanket that is sewed on the carrier just to make it more classic. "It's my brother's sewn up blanket; I found it and decided that you would like it as Jacob's. It was something that my mother has made when she was still alive," Neola said as she opens the door to her flat and led me in. I followed her as she headed up the stairs.

I stand outside the room, brush my hands on my baby’s cheeks and answered as we stop, "About Luke, well, he will return to London tonight." I shrug as Neola stands there, her eyes wide.

"He left?" She asks, her eyes now downcast as she scratches the back of her neck and stared out the window as though she can see Luke through there. She puts the car seat down on the bed and sighs “Just like that?”

"Yeah."

"But, why did he leave? Did he tell you?” she inquires, as she sat next to me. I settle Jacob’s car seat on top of the bed and said, "No. He just told me that he had to fix something. He has invited me to dinner so he can properly say good--" I was rudely interrupted when the balcony doors open and out came a hooded guy.

"What the-"

I took my baby out of the car seat and pull at the lamp from the bedside table. I swing it in front of us. Neo stands awkwardly as I handed her my son. She looks at me and the cloaked man as she holds Jacob and I am quite thankful that my baby is asleep.

"Who the hell are you?!"

I swing the lamp angrily as the figure moves, the sun casting its bright light as the glass door reflected, momentarily blinding me. "Are you sent here by Gabriel? Just don’t…please, don't snatch my baby away from me." I was surprised when the figure move, turning to us with a smug smile plastered on his face.

Oh no...

He pulled the hood off his face and look at Neola, me and Jacob.

"Caught you..."

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