Chapter 46 THE GIFT
“If they're doing this to you, imagine us.” Diego furrowed his brow. “What do you intend to do?”
“What I do best, Mr. Diego, is brought down my enemies!” He smiled, finishing his wine and rising. “Excuse me, I have another commitment, but first, let me remind you of something: I only enter partnerships where there is mutual trust. If you doubted my integrity because of a stranger, I'm afraid SoundStory Press may no longer be interested in your projects. Enjoy the dinner; it's on us.”
“Mr. Morgan, please wait... There's no need to end a partnership of years,” Eduardo stood up, but Greg stood in his way.
“You heard my Lord's decision; enjoy the dinner. Good night!” He said this, turning to accompany me with brisk steps. “Are you sure about this? Losing their production will have a big impact on us.”
“Did you see how Diego led this dinner? All his moves were to gather information. He's probably become one of Heloise's many lovers.” I clenched my fists, irritated, pressing my temples. “The small producer of tomorrow has great potential to replace D&D, Eduardo, and Diego.”
“And what if they don't?” Greg asked anxiously, appraising me. “You look tired.”
“I'm fine.” I smiled. “If they don't, we'll make sure they do. I won't accept anyone in our company who isn't trustworthy.”
“And what about the lawyer? What do you intend to do with him?” He asked, evaluating.
“Find out his real motives. He's tied to the Forbs, so Heloise's fingers are in this.” I paused, looking at the starry sky, admiring. “We'll destroy them all, one by one, until there's nothing left. Then, we'll take over and erase the Forbs name for good!”
“Is Elajah okay with this?” My friend asked, opening the car door for me.
“It was his idea. Destroy the spoiled and ungrateful brothers and lead their empire with more value in a merger with SoundStory.” I got in, stretching my legs out, feeling the weight of fatigue, which was becoming more frequent and intense.
“I'll investigate if Heloise is still here in Cuba. We'll settle this soon, my friend. Now, rest. We'll be at the hotel shortly.” Greg spoke through the rearview mirror, speeding up. In no time, we arrived and went to our quarters.
I entered and noticed Elisabeth was still locked in her room, and there was no smell of food, which I found strange. I called reception to confirm if she had requested any meals, but they denied it. Furthermore, I placed some orders and, irritated, went to her door and knocked vigorously.
“Mrs. Elisabeth!” I knocked forcefully. “I know you're awake; open the door!”
“What do you want at this hour?” She responded coldly from the other side.
“Why did you lie about ordering room service?” I knocked on the door again.
A silence fell, and I could swear she nervously bit her lip, thinking of a good excuse.
“I was going to order, but I ended up falling asleep and wasn't hungry.” Lis finally replied.
“Open the door, now!” I impatiently ordered.
“I'm not going to open it; it's past my working hours, and I'm busy.” She said it with a heavy voice.
“Elisabeth Lis, if you don't open this door, I swear I'll break it down!” I thundered. “And what are you doing in there that you can't do with the door open, unless... Miss, are you touching yourself?”
She flung the door open, nervous, her face all red, looking even more beautiful when angry.
“Do you only think dirty thoughts? How can you insinuate something like that? Do you think I would do that knowing that you're literally right next door?” She exploded, regretting her words immediately. “That's not what I meant to imply.”
I took a few steps forward, pulling her into a hug around her waist and stroking her hair. Then, I placed a subtle kiss on her cheek, moving toward her ear.
“I'm always available for you.” I whispered suggestively, caressing her neck. “Come on, I ordered our dinner.”
“I thought you had gone to dinner with Greg.” Elisabeth frowned, arms crossed, suspicious.
“We did, but the food wasn't good!” I winked at her, taking her hands and leading her to the table. When the orders arrived at the door, I organized the table and looked at her. “I know you really like fish, so I ordered dishes that I believe will please your palate.”
“I appreciate it, Mr. Morgan. But I'm not hungry.” She sighed, starting to get up, but I pulled her hands so she would sit down and stare at her firmly.
“The past can't interfere with your present, much less fear and pain. I know what it's like to have no appetite or desire to move forward, but Elisabeth, it's not fair to those who love us to push ourselves aside and allow the monsters of the past to keep us their prisoners.” I lightly pinched her chin and looked at her red lips, tracing them with my finger. Then I tilted my head, reconsidering, and returned to a normal posture. “So eat, one bite at a time.”
She nodded, and I put some food in her mouth, smiling.
“Good apprentice!”
We finished dinner in silence, and I took the wine, pouring it for both of us.
“What were you doing in your room?” I looked at her teasingly, and she stared at me seriously. “You can't judge me; I'm a man, genetically predisposed to think dirty thoughts.”
“You really are incorrigible.” Lis rolled her eyes and chuckled softly. “I was writing; it's a way to escape reality.”
She lowered her head in embarrassment, blushing immediately. I widened my smile, intrigued by how her writing allowed her to escape the moment.
“Then tonight, I'll have the pleasure of reading your stories; what a wonderful evening.” I winked at her, sitting in front of her. “Unless you'd prefer me to read them to us.”
“You spoke of the past with so much sorrow...” Elisabeth changed the subject, tapping her fingernail nervously against the glass and pondering her words. “Have they hurt you so much that you'd prefer to die than to keep living like this?”
“Every day!” I kept my gaze on hers, which lifted in surprise at the frankness of my words. “Every day, before I go to sleep, I wish it was my last day. The pain they caused me is unbearable and insurmountable.”
“And how do you manage to go on? How do you still smile like this and be so kind to me?” Lis bit her lip, her eyes welling up. I took the glass from her hands, guiding her to the couch.
“It's not fair to those who love us to give up; it's not fair to ourselves.” I drew closer to her, pulling her to my chest and stroking her silky black hair. “And there's more to life than pain...”
“Is that why you hit on me so much?” She looked up, a few tears escaping but a playful smile playing on her lips.
“I'm not hitting on you.” I pretended to be offended. “Just showing you the path to pleasures!”
Laughing, Lis lifted her head and sat up, moving away from my chest.
“Thank you for dinner, Mr. Morgan, and for the conversation.” Rising, she headed toward her room, pausing just before the door. “Tell me you don't plan, out of nowhere, in the middle of the night, to come to my bed because of your insomnia.”
“Damn, my perfect plan has been discovered!” I threw my hands up in mock surrender. “Good night, Miss. Tomorrow, I'll demand the story before bedtime.”
“Good night, Mr. Morgan.” Smiling and looking more relieved, Elisabeth entered her room and locked the door.