Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Lucy’s POV
Two weeks had passed, and there was still no sign of Kaiden.
I was sure that if he knew what had happened to me–no matter how angry he might have means possible, wrapped me in a tight hug, and asked if I was okay.
been–he would have rushed here by the fastest
But he didn’t. Which meant he still had no idea what had happened after he left.
There was no way he turned on his phone and didn’t hear about what happened to me. I am sure Mom and Rubina had sent him tons of messages, telling him to come back for me.
So all of this led to only one conclusion: He hadn’t used his phone in these two weeks. He had completely isolated himself from the whole world.
And that was because I broke his trust, AGAIN..
A sudden knock at the door pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. I looked up from my damp pillow–the result of hours spent crying
because I missed Kaiden more than I could bear.
The one knocking was the new housekeeper, Kamala. “Ms. Lucy,”
“Yes, Kamala,” I said softly, wiping the wet trails down my cheeks with the back of my hand.
She hesitated, eyes flickering nervously. “Mr. Sterwalt wants to see you.”
My heart jumped in my chest. I shot upright, hope flooding inside me. “Mr. Sterwalt? You mean Kaiden?” I asked, my voice trembling just a little, desperate for confirmation.
Kamala blinked, biting her lip. “Ah–um, Mr. Kaiden? No, I mean, Mr. Dan. He is looking for you.”
“Oh.” My brain immediately began racing, running through a hundred wildly possible reasons why Dan was looking for me. “Um, okay. I will visit him.” I swallowed hard. “Ah… um, where is he right now?”
“He’s in the study,” she replied.
“Okay. Thank you, Kamala.” I whispered, pushing myself up from the bed, feeling both dread and anticipation tighten my chest.
Why would Dan call me? Is he angry because I’m the reason Kaiden hasn’t returned home yet? Is he going to tell me to pack my bags and
leave the house immediately?
The questions wouldn’t stop swirling in my mind like leaves caught in a storm.
After the incident with Clara, Dan had helped me a lot. A lot. He hired me a lawyer so the case would end smoothly. He got me an in–house therapist–probably because Mom, after everything that happened with Clara, had gone full–on overprotective mode. He never blamed me for being friends with Clara, never once threw it in my face or acted disappointed, even though it had almost cost him his mayoral campaign.
And that was what scared me more than anything. Because people who are too nice? They always have a catch. It had always been that way. My mom. My ex–stepfamilies. Brendan. Barbara. Clara. God knows how many more are waiting to betray me in the next chapter of this twisted life.
1/3
Chapter 160
Oof! If life keeps handing me plot twists like this, I swear I’m going to develop a full blown trust disorder. Or maybe, Lalically RATE.
When I reached the study room, I didn’t knock.
Reason No. 1: The door was already open.
Reason No.2: 1 was way too damn curious to wait.
“Did you call me?” I asked, my voice sharper than intended, laced with an anxiety I didn’t bother hiding.
Dan didn’t look up. “Yeah, I did,” he said, eyes scanning the file in front of him. His fingers flipped the page with slow precision, Be whatever was on it required his full brain power. “Come in.” Something about the way he said it made my stomach twist. Calm. Controlled Like he wasn’t surprised I was already overthinking things–like he was expecting me to.
I walked in and just stood there in front of his desk for like two whole minutes–no joke, those two minutes felt like forever Finally, He looked up from his file and stared at me.
“Oh, yeah.” He slid open the top drawer with a slow, deliberate motion and reached inside. After a moment, he pulled out a thick black envelope, its surface smooth and matte, with elegant gold carvings glinting under the light. He placed it carefully on the desk in front of me “Here. For you.”
Oh my god. Is this the moment he’s gonna say, “Here’s a blank check–take the money and get the hell out of my son’s life“?
Honestly, if he did say that, I wouldn’t blame him. I probably would’ve done the same if I were crazy rich like him and some dumb girl broke
my son’s heart so bad he shut himself away from everyone for more than two weeks.
Whatever. Since I’ve already ruined my image in front of everyone by being a senseless, selfish brat, why don’t I just maintain that and fight
for the love I probably don’t even deserve? “No. I’m not taking this money.”
“Wh–what?” Dan asked, totally confused–and that same confused expression of his made me question my assumption.
Oops! Looks like, again, I made a wrong assumption. There isn’t money in this envelope. There’s something else.
“Oh. I… I mean…” I hastily picked up the envelope, my cheeks almost boiling from embarrassment. “I’m definitely picking up this envelope.”
I don’t know why I thought that would be a good alternative to saying “I’m not taking this money.” But bullshit–what’s done is done. Can’t fix it. I’m already neck–deep in the pool of embarrassment, and the only way to survive is to stop panicking and just start obeying.
I opened the envelope, and inside it was… nothing but a phone number, carved in golden, ink. What the…?
“It’s the number for one of our private choppers,” Dan said, his voice calm but serious. “If you call it, a chopper will arrive within ten minutes and take you straight to where Kaiden is.”
“You know where Kaiden is?” The words slipped out before I even realized I was asking.
He knew all along—and didn’t do a thing? Just let Kaiden hide away in that lonely, secret place? How could he be so cold? If I were a parent, my patience would have run out ages ago. No wonder I’m my mom’s daughter, not Dan’s.
“When Kaiden’s mom died, he went missing for weeks,” Dan began, though I hadn’t even asked for an explanation. But yeah, I was definitely curious. “We looked everywhere but couldn’t find him. Eventually, he came back. I asked him where he’d been, but he didn’t say a word. was worried, so I kept searching. Later, I finally found out where he’d been.” He paused, his voice softening. “I never interfered with his alone time because I thought it might help him more than anything I could do. But in your case, I believe he–actually, both of you–need each other more than any alone time.”
Dan is always gonna be my best ex–stepfather for sure. He is the nicest and most sensible person I have seen, heard of, or known in my entire
life.
2/3
18:07 Fri, 8 Aug
Chapter 160
“Thank you, Dan,” I said, my eyes wet with emotion. “Thank you so much. I would have literally thanked you a million times, but fin too
but I couldn’t bring myself to say something so solle after cock a desperate to meet Raiden…” So, can I go? That’s what I wanted to say. generous gesture.
“Yeah, go. Get him,” he said, as if he had heard my mind. “And remember–do not let the chopper land on the helipad for more than ten seconds. Because the moment Selena finds out you’re leaving the mansion, especially to some exotic place, she’ll come fumring alter you lis
stop you.”
Thank God he gave me that caution. Because, since the day I returned from the police station, Mom had been way too overprotective of me
If it hadn’t been for her desire to make sure Clara got the harshest punishment possible, she wouldn’t even have let me attend the court hearings. That’s how strict she’s been these days.
To be continued…
