Chapter 54 The ice king
Chapter 54: The Ice King (Liam’s POV)
I stood by the window of my bedroom, watching the rain streak down the glass. Below, in the driveway, I saw the flashing lights of the cruiser finally pull away. My father had made a "generous" phone call. The watch was "found," the charges were dropped, and the help got to stay.
But as far as I was personally concerned, the basement was empty. Elena Marycynthia was dead to me.
Every time I closed my eyes, I heard that recording. Her voice—that soft, melodic voice that used to haunt my dreams—sounding so cold. So calculated. “He’s so easy to manipulate.” The words played on a loop in my head, a rhythmic stabbing to my chest. I had been ready to burn my entire world down for a girl who was just looking at me like a bank account with a hockey stick.
A knock at the door made me stiffen. Jax walked in without waiting for an answer, tossing a hockey puck up and down. He had a look on his face that was half-pity, half-triumph.
"Dad said the drama is over, man," Jax said, leaning against my dresser. "He told the cops it was a domestic mistake. Your little tutor’s mom is still in the kitchen. But honestly? You look like you’re the one who got arrested."
"I'm fine, Jax," I said, my voice sounding like gravel.
"You don't look fine. You look like a guy who just realized he was dating a parasite." Jax stopped tossing the puck and looked me dead in the eye. "I told you, Liam. From day one. Girls like that... they don't see us. They see the name on the gate. They see the lifestyle. You were just her ticket out of the basement."
"I get it, Jax. You were right. Are you happy now?" I snapped, turning away from the window.
"I’m not happy you got played," Jax said, his voice softening just a fraction. "But I’m glad you’re awake. Chloe’s downstairs. She’s worried about you. Real worry, Liam. Not that fake scholarship crap."
"Tell her I'll be down in a minute," I muttered.
I walked down the grand staircase, my footsteps echoing in the hollow silence of the mansion. As I reached the bottom, I saw Elena.
She was standing near the hall closet, clutching her cane, talking to one of the other house staff. She looked exhausted. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her hair was a mess. A week ago, I would have rushed to her. I would have asked her what was wrong and tried to fix the world for her.
Now, I felt nothing but a sharp, biting cold.
She saw me and froze. The staff member scurried away, leaving us alone in the massive foyer.
"Liam," she whispered. She took a tentative step toward me, her hand reaching out. "Please, can we just talk for one second? I need to explain—"
"There’s nothing to explain, Elena," I said. I didn't stop walking. I didn't even slow down. I walked right past her as if she were a piece of furniture I was tired of looking at.
"Liam, the recording! It's not what you think. Chloe and Jax, they—"
I stopped. I turned around slowly, my face a mask of pure indifference. I saw her flinch at the look in my eyes.
"Don't mention their names," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "They’re the only people who actually gave a damn about the truth. You? You’re just a project that went wrong. My father told me I needed a tutor to pass History. I passed. The transaction is complete. You got your mom’s job back and you got your scholarship. Consider us even."
"Even?" Her voice broke, and a tear tracked down her pale cheek. "You think I did all that for money? Liam, I knelt on the floor for you! I lied to your face to keep you safe from your father!"
"Keep me safe?" I let out a harsh, dry laugh. "You were keeping your meal ticket safe. Let’s be real, Elena. If I didn't have the Vance name, would you even have looked at me twice? Or would I just be another 'rich jerk' you make fun of with Maya?"
"That's not fair," she sobbed.
"What's not fair is that I actually loved you," I spat. The word felt like poison in my mouth. "I was going to give up the merger. I was going to tell my father to go to hell. But you saved me the trouble. Now, move. You’re blocking the door."
She didn't move. She stood there, shaking, looking at me like she didn't recognize me. And she didn't. The Liam who cared was gone.
"I have a tutoring session tomorrow," she whispered, wiping her face with her sleeve. "Mr. Henderson said we have to finish the curriculum for the final report."
"Fine," I said, stepping closer until I was towering over her. I could smell the vanilla scent on her, the smell I used to love. Now it just made me sick. "Show up. Do your job. But don't speak to me unless it's about a textbook. If you try to bring up anything personal, I’ll have my father find a 'misplaced' watch in your room this time, not your mother’s."
The look of horror on her face should have bothered me. It didn't. I felt a twisted sense of power seeing her this way. If I was going to hurt, she was going to hurt ten times worse.
I spent the evening in the den with Chloe and Jax. Chloe was sitting on the arm of my chair, her hand resting on my shoulder. She was talking about some party in the Hamptons, her voice a constant, soothing hum.
"You're doing the right thing, Liam," Chloe whispered in my ear. "You're a Vance. You belong with us. Not down there."
I didn't answer. I just stared at the fire.
The next afternoon, the tutoring session was the most brutal hour of my life. We sat in the library, the same table where we had shared that kiss. Maya was there, but she was silent, her eyes darting between us with a look of pure fury.
Elena opened her book, her fingers trembling so much the pages rattled.
"The Cold War began in 1947," she started, her voice a flat, hollow echo.
"Louder," I snapped. I wasn't even looking at the book. I was leaning back, my feet on the table, staring at her with total contempt. "I can't hear you over the sound of your lies, Elena. Speak up."
Maya slammed her hand on the table. "Liam, that's enough! You're being a pig."
"And you're an accessory," I said, turning my cold gaze to Maya. "Did you get a cut of the payout? Or do you just help her out of the goodness of your heart?"
"You're an idiot!" Maya shouted. "If you would just listen for five minutes—"
"I’ve heard enough," I said. I looked at Elena, who was staring at the table, her tears dripping onto the map of Europe. "Keep reading, Elena. We have thirty minutes left. I'm paying for your time, aren't I? Or did the scholarship cover your 'performance' fees too?"
Elena let out a small, strangled sob. She didn't look up. She just kept reading, her voice shaking, stumbling over the words.
Every time she faltered, I threw a sarcastic comment at her. I mocked her accent, I mocked her "dedication," I mocked the way she clutched her cane. I wanted to break her. I wanted to see her crumble the way I had crumbled when I heard that recording.
By the time the hour was over, she was a wreck. She packed her things in total silence, her head bowed.
"See you tomorrow, 'tutor,'" I said as she turned to leave.
I watched her limp out of the library, Maya’s arm around her. My chest felt tight, a dull ache that wouldn't go away. Jax walked up behind me, clapping a hand on my shoulder.
"Good job, man," Jax said, grinning. "She needs to know her place. You're the King of Northview again. Don't let a basement girl ever forget it."