Stockholm Syndrome // h.s

|| Chapter 18 ||

Edited

I wake up maybe fifteen minutes before the hour is up. When I actually wake up I notice a young girl standing in the corner by the vanity.

Confused, I slowly get up and make my way towards her.

"Hi sweetie. What's your name?"

"Stella." She whispers nervously.

"Hi Stella, I'm Ashley. It's nice to meet you, love. How old are you?"

"I five, miss." She responds.

I smile warmly at her, kneeling down to her size. I take her little hands into mine and look at her.

"Sweetie? What are you doing here?" I ask her kindly.

"Mr. Zach told me to come here, missy." She says, a small smile planted on her face.

"And why is that, love?"

Stella rocks back and forth on her feet as she speaks, "Mister said to bring you when missy ready."

I nod slowly and stand up, letting go of her tiny hands.

"Okay, sweetie. Let me get ready and then we can go see Zach."

She nods and goes to sit by the door on the floor.

"Honey, you can sit on the bed. It's okay." I tell her softly.

"Mister says I not aloud missy. Mister says I only aloud on floor." She answers, looking up at me.

I groan and shake my head, cursing Zach out under my breath.

"It's okay, babe. You can when you're with me. Zach doesn't have to know. It'll be our little secret, okay?"

She looks at me with wide eyes and shakes her head. "No missy. Mister says that not aloud."

"Don't worry, Stella. I'll deal with Zach. You can sit on the bed." I say moving over to her.

Gently, I pick her up and set her on my hip. I carry her over to the bed and set her down on it.

"Now stay here while I get ready."

She looks scared before calming down a little, obviously worried about what Zach would do if he found out.

I open the doors to the closet and see some clothes that look like they're about my size. There was a really pretty strapless floral dress that looked appropriate enough so I picked that out and changed into it.

The dress fit really well, hugging all of my curves. I smiled, content with how I looked, and slipped on some flats. I messed with my hair to make it look presentable since I was just sleeping and then turn back around to face Stella.

"Missy look pretty." She says, giving me a toothy smile.

"Aw! Thank you, sweetie." I smile, and hold out my hand for her to take. She takes my hand and I open the door to the room, stepping out.

"I show missy the way." Stella says.

I nod and follow her towards the dining room, still holding her small hand in my big one.

When we enter the dining room I spot Zach already seated, waiting for me to get there. I send him a small smile before diverting my eyes to Stella.

"Thank you sweetie," I say keeling down. "How about you go wherever you're supposed to be now, yeah? Then I can talk to Zach. Okay?"

She nods and I give her a small hug before standing up again. Stella walks out of the room and I turn to face Zach.

"I see you've met Stella." He mutters.

"Yes, I have. I would like to know who she is and what she's doing here though."

"We can talk later. I'd rather eat first," Zach says. "You look lovely by the way."

I nod, accepting his compliment and move towards the only other chair. I pull it out and sit down, scooting in.

"So who is she, Zach?"

Zach groans and then frowns as he responds to what I just said, "I told you, Ashley. I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Yeah, well, I do. So talk."

"You're in no position to tell me what to do, Ms. Stone." Zach says, raising an eyebrow at me.

I glare at him and lean back in the seat, crossing my arms over my chest. "I'm not eating until you tell me."

"Okay. You can starve then because I'm not telling you."

I continue to glare at him, even when the food is brought out. It smells and looks so good but I can't eat. I have to stand my ground. I have to show Zach that I'm not scared of him and that I won't put up with his shit.

Zach groans and sets down his fork. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I'm surprised you don't remember."

"Remember what?" I ask.

"Stella." He says, like it's obvious.

Confused I ask, "Why would I remember Stella? I just met her."

Zach breaths in deeply. "No, Ashley. You haven't just met her. You've known her since she was a baby."

"I have?"

"Yeah, you have. Does Astella Kyle ring a bell?" Zach asks.

"Kyle.. Isn't that your last name? Wait. No, oh my god. That- That's your little sister. That's Astella."

Zach nods before he pushes his plate back and stands up. "Congratulations Ashley, you figured it out all on your own."

"B-But I thought she was dead? W-Wasn't she stillborn?"

"Yeah. She was. I'll see you tomorrow, Ashley. Have a nice night." He mumbles before walking out.

. . .

Harry's POV

I can't believe Zayn cut off the phone call. But at least Louis found out where they were. Once he told me the location I texted Niall and Liam, telling them to hurry up and get over here. I'm giving them an hour to get here. If they aren't here by then I'm going in with Louis, without them.

I needed to get her back. I just needed to, and not just for Nick. For me.

"I-I think I love her Lou."

"I know, Harry. I've known for a while now. It's kind of obvious."