CORA WAS sitting across from me. Her glasses rested on the bridge of her nose, brows narrowed as her fingers moved swiftly over the keyboard. The upper part was all I could see over the laptop, with her annoyed face.
She barged into my apartment, at nine in the morning. I was safely asleep, and was planning to sleep in at least till noon, given that I'd decided to take the two days off that Elijah had given me. I needed sleep and the dark circles underneath my eyes showed just how much.
''Are you almost done?'' I whined.
The original plan was to keep Cora company until she finished her assignment. However, it's been over three hours since we were simply existing in the same room, silence all around us. She gave me no indication of being done anytime soon and I was getting tired again.
I jolted slightly when she slammed the laptop shut. It was a miracle how she managed not to break the device. She glared at me and removed her glasses, neatly placing them on top of the laptop.
''No.'' She groaned out, ''I want to drop out and become a stripper.''
''Then do it, just stop whining.''
Cora didn't appreciate my humor and threw a random pillow she found. I ducked in time and it fell behind me onto the floor. She gave me the finger with a small chuckle then yawned herself. I got goosebumps when she began to crack her knuckles and her neck. Although it was not going to happen, each time she did it, I felt as if her head was going to fall off her shoulders.
''What should we do today?'' She asked.
''We could just stay in and sleep. I am honestly not in the mood for anything.''
Cora's smile widened, ear to ear, as her blue eyes stared at me with mischief making an appearance. ''You're not even in the mood to walk around the town with your new Saint Laurent bag?''
She was referring to the gift Elijah had prepared for me. I was never the one to be interested in a present's worth, since I appreciated all the gifts I received, however, everything about that gift screamed expensive. From the packaging and the size, to the bag itself. It cost around four thousand dollars, give or take. I was shocked. There was no way I was ever going to just walk that down the city, I didn't want to be robbed.
Elijah being Elijah, wasn't done there. Excluding the spa and beauty treatment I had at the hotel, aside from the bag, he got me a pair of Harry Winston diamond earrings with a matching pendant. That was something I didn't bother searching for, as I knew how expensive that jewelry was.
The only thing that ran through my mind once I saw his gifts was that I definitely needed a safe for my apartment. If he continued to shower me with these kinds of presents one of two things were going to happen.
Number one: Somehow, I would need to return the favor. It wasn't like I grew up in a household that was struggling and with the fund my father left for me to use while in university, I could easily buy him a present that he would like. However, what does one buy for a person who already has everything?
And number two, the scarier option: I would get used to all the attention that he was giving me, and that wasn't a good thing. I was no fool to confuse lust for love, or attention for commitment, but I was only a human. I knew the way my brain worked and the way my heart would start to feel, despite me fighting the urge to allow it.
And the truth of the situation was, I wasn't ready. Considering all of the terrible things I've experienced, that were disguised as love, I wasn't ready to give myself away or my heart. Ever since he came into my life, wrecked me, almost killed me and told me it was all because he loved me, I couldn't deal with another man, romantically.
I was too scared to open up and trust again. And once I got burned, I never wanted to play with fire again.
So, I needed someone to tell me, why the hell was I so attracted to Elijah? He was the burning flame I never saw coming. And like a switch, he managed to make the fire appealing in my eyes. Inviting, addicting. All of the emotions I swore off from.
I was going insane.
Cora broke me out of the daydream with a simple snap of her fingers. She never questioned me, though I saw in her eyes that she was worried. With a slight smile, I shook my head and she knew better than to question me further.
I seriously needed to call my therapist, allowing all of it to build up was the mistake I regretted the most. Now, even if I called her, I didn't know where we left off or how to start again. The last time I saw her was around nine months ago, and the moment I began to feel overwhelmed, I started to dodge her calls until she stopped calling.
Something told me that it wasn't over. The gut feeling appeared in the pit of my stomach, a while ago, when I asked Luka to check up on his prison status. The feeling hasn't gone away. It was there and it would twist and turn a few times. It took all of my strength not to throw up yesterday.
The nightmares returned, too. Though they weren't as vivid and as frequent as they used to be, they were enough to wake me up in the middle of the night and to leave the feeling of paranoia lingering around. As if he was going to appear, as if he was going to finish what he started.
That was the main reason I was losing sleep. I simply could not go back to sleep after that and I was in for a much needed vacation, at home, preferably, where I can sleep in mom's bed if anything were to happen.
The safest place I knew.
I turned to Cora, who was busy putting all of her things into a big duffle bag. It looked like she was preparing for a trip, not a mere presentation. And, she wasn't doing the presentation alone. Cora's part was likely the shortest, yet hardest one to do, and that was the reason for her frustration.
''Alright, how about you and I take a walk? And I can treat you lunch afterwards.'' I suggested, and her eyes snapped to my face. A small smile tugged on the corner of her lips as she nodded her head. She was as happy as a child.
''Yes, let me find something to wear.''
And by that, she meant to rummage through my wardrobe, make a mess out of my bedroom. A mess that previously took me four hours to clean, and then find something basic to wear. I didn't mind sharing my clothes with her, but sometimes, I was close to strangling her.
While we were walking down the street, going towards the nearby park, Cora was awfully quiet. I wanted to ask her about Luka, though I didn't know if it was any of my business to meddle. She was a responsible young woman, but it did piss me off that she didn't tell me herself.
''Is there any chance I could finish my internship at Elijah's company?'' Cora's sudden question threw me off guard. I raised a curious eyebrow and she simply continued to look ahead.
''I'm not sure, I'll ask,'' I promised, ''Why, though?''
Cora took a deep breath before she stopped, frozen in place. ''My boss is an asshole. He's giving me impossible tasks to finish, and once I manage to prove that they were either completely irrelevant or the problems never existed at all, he plays dumb. He's sexist, too. I have no idea how I'll put up with him for another two months.''
It didn't matter what Cora was ranting about – I shut it all out. Suddenly, my entire body wouldn't move and the feeling of dread made the blood in my veins chill.
I blinked, more times than I was willing to admit. It was still there – he was still there, looking at me from across the street, taunting me with the vicious smirk of his I hadn't seen in years, aside from the nightmares that he directed.
Tears slowly oozed out of the corners of my eyes and my knees gave in. It didn't hurt once my body fell on the concrete ground underneath me. Nothing could compare to the feeling of oxygen leaving my body quickly.
It was as if my lungs had collapsed, and I struggled to breathe. I never looked away from the face of terror, and with each passing second, I felt myself giving in to the pain and the lack of air in my lungs. The pain in my chest was unimaginable. I'd forgotten what it felt like to have a panic attack.
It felt as if someone was playing with my heart like a voodoo doll – piercing needles, multiple times within seconds. Excruciating pain.
Despite Cora placing her hands on the side of my face and forcing me to look at her, I couldn't actually feel her touch. It was there, I knew that, though my brain didn't allow her words to enter my mind.
''Look at me Freya,'' Her soft voice chilled me, ''Me. Focus on me, please.'' It was getting desperate and somehow, I found it in myself to want to listen to her.
''He isn't here, Freya. He can't hurt you. I'm here. Focus on me.''
It felt as if eternity had passed before I was able to take in a small breath of air. It hurt like a little bitch to feel it enter my lungs again, and I tried my best not to do too much at once.
Cora released a breath of relief, and helped me up, leading me to the nearest bench. All she needed to look at were my eyes to figure out what was happening, and I was beyond grateful that she was with me at this moment. Otherwise, lord knows what would've happened.
She told me she was going to the small shop around the corner to grab me a bottle of water. It took her around five minutes to go and get back, though I didn't truly notice she was gone. I was still shaking, feeling cold, despite it being one of the warmest days this summer.
Cora brought the lid of the bottle to my lips and I took a small sip. We remained to sit in silence for a while until I fully regained the control of my body and mind.
''Are you okay?'' She asked. I nodded my head, and we both knew that it was an obvious lie.
''I will be. I have to be.'' My voice was barely above a whisper. Her hand came on mine and she gave me a small squeeze of support. It made me smile slightly.
''I hate how much he has ruined your life and how much control he has over you.'' She mumbled, ''You need to see your therapist, as soon as possible, Freya. This is no longer funny. It never was, but you were never hallucinating Milo in the middle of the day.''
''I keep seeing him, Cora.'' I admitted, ''The nightmares returned, too. The paranoia is back. I never saw him as vividly as I did now.''
''He wasn't there, Freya.'' She whispered, ''I looked. And he is in jail.''
I realized how dumb it sounded, or perhaps, naive, but I couldn't shake off the feeling. Even if the motherfucker had died in front of my eyes, I'd still be wondering if or when he would be coming back for me. Just like he promised.
Cora noticed the lack of my response, ''How about this? I'll call your therapist and personally take you there, wait for you, and do it all over again until you're confident you can do it on your own?''
I nodded my head, ''Okay.''
•••
''Sir? May I come in?''
Despite knocking more than three times, Elijah hadn't given me the permission to enter his office. I knew that he was hidden behind his door, and behind the pile of files that all needed his seal and signature.
To add salt to his wound, I was bringing nothing but another stack of papers to add to his collection.
''Yes, Miss Preston.'' He said, and I let myself into his office fully, slowly closing the door behind me.
''I have more papers that need your signature. After that, you have a meeting with one of the shareholders, or would you like me to reschedule?''
Elijah Vaughn looked delicious. His hair was freshly trimmed, though the front pieces kept their length. Mainly, his hair was styled backwards with a little bit of gel, with two front strands falling over his forehead.
His suit was as black as they got – which meant only one thing, he had an important meeting today. If I gathered one thing about this man, it was that midnight black suits brought him luck, and whenever it was an important meeting with either clients or board directors, he wore them.
''That meeting was pushed back till tomorrow, Miss Preston. Am I doing your job for you, now?'' He taunted me, but no trace of playfulness laced his tongue. He looked the way he spoke – stressed the fuck out.
''Ah, no. It must've been Ellie who forgot to tell me about the sudden change. I apologize.''
His response was to nod his head slightly. He took a deep breath before he began to put his stamp on the bottom, right corners of the papers, which was followed by his signature. I was amazed at the speed he was doing it. It took him less than a minute to sign around fifteen papers – I counted.
''Miss Preston, I have a meeting tomorrow with Michael Preston and the chief of Westwood publishing house. Would you like to participate in the meeting?''
The obvious answer was no. I didn't want to be involved with anything that regarded that client, since we were up against my father. Michael Preston had only one weak spot – me. And I would never use it against him.
However, I still wanted to test the waters, ''What is the meeting about?''
''Offers. Both Mr. Preston and I came to an agreement to offer what we'd buy the publishing house, and the chief would decide. Though, it could've been done differently, but it takes too much time. I'm not that interested in that publishing house to waste more than another meeting on it.''
''Why not just give it up, then?''
He smirked, ''Do I look like someone who gives up easily? At all, for that matter?''
Of course not. He noticed the not-so-subtle eye roll from me and chuckled.
''Thank you, but no. I won't go against my father on this one.''
''You do realize that sometime in the future, once you own a business of your own, you'll have to do something similar, right? It might not be against your father, but it could be against your friend, Luka Quinn, or someone else you care about. It's inevitable, either way.''
''I know. But I'll pass it now.''
''As you wish.'' Elijah didn't press further and I was grateful.
There was another reason I barged into his office, and it wasn't to get laid. This morning, outside of my apartment door was another box of gifts from him. This time it was a Givenchy perfume, with a Versace dress.
And on my work desk was a new MacBook. I was the only one who got a new work laptop and the rest of the secretaries were just as confused as I was.
It was getting out of hand.
''I need to talk to you about something.''
He paused, the pen dropped and his eyes and all of his attention were on me, ''Speak.''
''I am grateful, I truly am. However, it's getting out of hand. You can't keep buying me all of these expensive gifts, Elijah. It's too much.''
Elijah was quiet for a moment before he smirked, ''It's only fair. I destroy your ability to walk, and you destroy my credit card.''
I tried not to laugh, but failed miserably, ''It's still too much, okay?''
''Fine. I'll try something less expensive.''
I sighed. It wasn't going in the direction I thought it was going. Though, I had to accept what he offered, since I was getting uncomfortable with him spending that much money on me, considering we were nothing but sex partners.
Of course, Elijah Vaughn was a fucking menace to society. The moment I arrived outside of my apartment building, a new car waited for me. A fucking car. With a red bow on top of it and a note on the windshield.
''Sorry, Freya. But there's no way I can't spend my money on someone as deserving as you. Enjoy it.''
I hated how good it made me feel. All of his attention was on me, and me only. It was bound to go south soon, and the fact that I'd gotten used to it terrified me.
But for now, I decided to listen to Elijah and my heart and simply enjoy it
•