CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ELENA'S POV

I was panicking badly. My hands were clammy and shaky, my head was spinning wildly, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding ferociously. Everything was messed up and I didn't know how to get myself back on track.

“Mrs Elena, we need to find a solution before it's too late. If we don't do something, well, you'll lose everything you've invested in their company.” He said but I knew it was already too late. Everything was gone.

“How was Charlotte able to think of something like that? The Charlotte I know is dumb and would never fight back so quickly.” I said to Carl and he hesitated for a while before he took a step forward towards me.

“He's been released from prison. From what I can see, they're not working alone. They have someone that's backing them up and that someone is of high status. That's what I'm guessing right now.” He said and I realized that his words made sense.

Losing 80% of your company's shares was the biggest loss any company could go through and it could lead to bankruptcy. Yet, they were able to buy it back? Someone powerful must be working with them, and I had to find out who.

My mind was still reeling from what had happened when my phone rang loudly and my heart immediately sank when I saw it was a call from Damien.

“Damien?” I called out the moment I picked the call but the other end was silent. I could hear him breathing, almost like he was trying to calm himself down before he spoke.

“Wherever you are, come home this instant. You have ten minutes.” He said coldly before hanging up and dread suddenly filled my entire being. He had found out about the loss… I was fucked.

I knew that I couldn't go against his words this time so I grabbed my bag and immediately left the office with Carl following me from behind.

“Carl, keep an eye on the company, nothing must go wrong, do you understand? I'll handle this one on my own.” I said to him and he nodded in response as I headed to my car before driving home in a rush.

Damien was sitting on the couch, a glass of whiskey in his hand as he glanced at the TV with a calm expression, but I knew he was everything but calm. 

“Damien…” I called out softly as I stepped in and the moment his eyes met mine, I froze. Anger and fury were swirling along his icy gaze as he got up and approached me, causing me to take a step backward in fear.

“Tell me, why did you send money to the company that belonged to Charlotte and Adrian?” He asked and I glanced up at him in an instant.

“That is my company, not theirs. I built it up with my blood, sweat, and tears.” I replied softly as a lone tear ran down my face and he chuckled darkly, a sound that made my heart jump.

“Your company? Fine. Just tell me why you sent my money to the damn company!” He yelled and I flinched as he raised his voice. He seemed to notice and stepped backward as he placed the glass on the table.

“It was supposed to be the second part of my revenge. I tricked them into thinking I bought 8% of their shares and changed the contract to make it 80%. The money I transferred to them was for the 8% shares I bought. We were supposed to receive it back in ten folds by the time I claimed ownership of the company.” I explained and he laughed out loud as he started to pace around in front of me.

“Did you tell me about this?”

“No.”

“Did you ask for my consent or help?”

“No.”

“Did you think it through to know that it could backfire and slap you hard in the face?”

“Damien, I-”

“Answer the damn question.” He interrupted, his eyes narrowed at me in annoyance and I shook my head slightly before answering with a quiet “no.”

“Tell me, what happened next? You bought 80% of the company's shares which means you should have ownership over the company now. What is stopping you from getting your company back?” He asked, his voice dropping to a colder and darker tone, and I shivered; the words I wanted to say remained stuck in my throat.

“You better answer me this moment or I'll rip the answers out of you.” He growled as he stepped closer and I took multiple steps backwards in fear.

“They fought back. I heard Adrian escaped from prison, so he was able to reunite with Charlotte, and now… they've bought back the ownership of the company.” I replied, my voice trembling slightly as I tried to stop my hands from shaking.

“Do you realize what you've done? You've just set our company on a loss. Why didn't you think before you took that step? Are you dumb?” He asked in anger and tears ran down my cheeks at his hurtful words.

“Yes, I'm dumb! Are you happy? I just wanted to exact my revenge-”

“Are you even doing this for Lucas or yourself? You claimed you would help me get revenge for Lucas but all you've done is try to fight for yourself! You want revenge against your sister who took your fiance away from you and you want your company back. That's all you've ever been after! You've always been so selfish!” He spat and my heart crushed at every word that flew out of his mouth.

What if he was right? Have I been selfish all this while?

“Damien, please listen to me, I never meant for this to happen! I had planned it carefully and it was all supposed to work out. You have to believe me.” I tried to explain but he wasn't listening to me anymore.

“I don't care about your plan. You get the hell out of my house and don't ever return here until you find the evidence to prove that you're innocent of my brother's death.” He said and I froze in shock at his words.

“What?”

“You have only one week. If you don't find the evidence by then… I'll have you arrested and thrown back into prison. Get out this instant!” He yelled and tears ran down my cheeks in torrents.

How could he do this to me?