- A D A M - T H O R N E -
They say to love is to endure. Is this what they meant?
"I can't believe you did that Adam, and to her, of all people. You're such an asshole." Aveline's voice came through the phone while I stared at the television screen in front of me with my mouth agape.
She had called me exactly five minutes ago, telling me to put the news on and on doing as she asked, I was shocked, to say the least.
"And we are reporting to you live from Thorne Industries where Charlie Williams and his son, George Williams have been arrested on accounts of illegal money laundering, blackmail, attempt at murder and assault." The news reporter went on.
"A murder attempt was made on Adam Thorne, the CEO of Thorne Industries and owner of several other multinational over the world and one of the richest men if the time."
"The accident he was in a few months ago turns out, was no accident but an attempt by the father and son duo."
"The victim of the assault was none other than his girlfriend and heiress, Isabelle Edward, who is rumored to have broken up with him after the incident and has moved back to England."
England? Is that where she is?
Wait, assault?
"Ave, did they just say assault?" I repeated the words.
"They did, Adam, please tell me you knew." She pleaded when I closed my eyes.
Shit.
"I didn't." I answered in a clipped tone when she sighed on the other end.
"What on earth happened that day, Adam? Did she not say anything?" She asked and I shook my head, trying hard not to remember that horrid day, but I was once again reminded of her tear-stained face.
"She was crying when she came home." I whispered, closing my eyes in utter frustration.
"The day she was assaulted." Aveline stated and I hummed.
"God, Adam, you're such a-... ugh!." She huffed.
"I need to go." I said and hung up before she could get an other word in, dialing my personal investigator's phone.
"Mr. Thorne." Mark's voice came through the phone.
"Mark, I need all the information on what happened. Everything." I said, giving him the date and day that Isabelle left.
"I need it as soon as possible." I said sternly.
"Of course, sir." He said and I hung up immediately, turning up the volume of the news.
"-... reports say that she was being blackmailed by the Williams and was kept under close watch, and the police department states that they recently received proof anonymously from somewhere in England, that is enough to put the Williams behind bars for a long time."
"Other than that-..." I muted the television, my thoughts running wild as I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, regret seeping through my bones.
What the fuck have I done?
Why the hell didn't I just listen?
And that is how I found myself utterly drunk and intoxicated, back at home after throwing the bottle of whiskey in my hand at the nearest wall because I wasn't getting any answers.
I needed answers.
I needed her.
It had been a good three months, and these have been the worst months of my life, and that's saying something.
At first, I hated her. Hated her for lying to me, for everything she had done and ruined our relationship.
Why couldn't she just tell me that she didn't want me any more? That she probably liked someone else?
And as I watch the video of her dancing on tabletops utterly drunk, I find myself chuckling at her.
"You're probably with your friends, dancing on tabletops!" She screams with the crowd, downing another shot and laughs, throwing her head back as she sings into the mic with the crowd.
"You know what? Fuck him! I'm better off now, I have Aaron anyway!" She says and I find myself frowning.
Who the fuck is Aaron?
"Fuck you, Adam! I can't believe I fell for you! God, I can't belie I actually expected to see the love I had for you in my eyes because I couldn't say those three stupid words to you!" She said, and it was like my heart stopped beating.
She what?
"I love you, Adam, there, I said it! Too bad you won't hear it, asshole!" She said and everyone cheered for her while my soul dropped out of my body.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
"Aaron!" She yelled for someone.
Immediately a guy who seemed to be a bit younger than me with light brown hair held out a hand for her and helped her down the table while she pecked his cheek.
The mere action made my blood boil.
Who the fuck was this guy?
The video stopped there, and I doubted she thought I would see it. Hear it. Hear her.
And she said she loved me. She fucking loved me.
If that wasn't messing with my mind as of now, I don't know what was.
I watched the part where she told me she loved me again and again and again until I had all of her words and everything about her memorized.
From her pastel pink hair to the short silver dress she wore that clung to her body like second skin, and the way her hair had been cut a bit shorter, curtain bangs framing her beautiful face and those gorgeous blue eyes that I had missed so much.
That I had fallen in love with.
Except she hated me now, and she thought I hated her.
But I didn't hater her, no.
I hated myself for wanting to be with her even after I thought she lied to me that day and I had thought she had cheated on me.
I had hated myself that day to forget everything and forgive her and still be with her.
Which was why I had pushed her away, but then she was the one who had ended things between us. She was the one who spoke those two forbidden words.
'We're done.'
And what she said after she had slapped me now played on my mind like a fucking broken record player, torturing me over and over and over again.
'Open your fucking eyes for a moment and use your non existent brain to see where you went wrong. And when you do realise your mistake, I won't be here to listen to your fucking apologies.'
She was right. And she's not here anymore.
* * *
"Mr. Thorne, I have emailed everything you asked for." Mark, my personal investigator, said through the phone and I hung up immediately, opening my laptop.
Taking a deep breath, I downloaded the files, clicking on them and a few videos in there too.
I clicked on the first video, and instantly it played the recording of the camera from George Williams office.
Thankfully, it recorded their voices as well.
I felt dread creep inside me as each second passed, every thing they talked about until she ran out of the office.
The scene changed and was now showing me talking on the phone when she crashed into me but I caught her.
She looked around concerned and when I looked closer, I saw someone pointing something at me before they were gone and realisation dawned on me when I remembered that day.
She came to protect me.
I clicked on the next video, which showed her walking into a house, probably, where Charlie appeared and said some things to her before leaving while she waited for someone.
I narrowed my eyes at the screen when George entered the frame and she gave him a file. When she was about to leave, he caught her arm and tried to force himself on her but she managed to punch him and knee him before running off.
Anger coursed through my veins because all I wanted at this moment was to kill George for laying a hand on her.
I looked at the date of the recording and sighed heavily, noting it was the same day she left as I looked through the numerous files and texts messages.
And that's what brought me to Taylor's house as I knocked frantically on her door.
"I'm coming, I'm coming, jeez!" I heard her say inside before the door swung open. One look at me and she scowled, slamming the door right in my face.
Yeah, I deserve that.
"Taylor, please, it's important and I really nod to talk to your brother, Dylan. I think I know what happened to Isabelle. Please, I'm desperate." I pleaded, waiting for a few minutes and sighed when I thought she wouldn't open the door.
Just as I turned to leave in defeat, the door opened and I turned to thank her, but faced the man himself.
"Dylan." I said, looking behind him but saw no Taylor.
"Mr. Thorne, I believe we have business to discuss." He said coldly and I nodded, following him in and when I looked up, I saw Tristan.
"What the hell is he doing here?" He spat, looking at me with hatred.
"Business." Dylan said throwing me a glance when Tristan scowled.
"I'm leaving, tell Taylor for me." He said and walked over to me, stopping right in front.
"Thanks for nothing. You just broke my sister, all over again and if you think we'll ever let you even within a mile of her, you're dead wrong. You don't deserve her, you asshole." He said lowly before bumping his shoulder against mine and leaving.
I really don't.
"This way." Dylan said, leading me to what I assumed was the drawing room as he gestured for me to sit.
He left the room, coming back in later after a few minutes and threw a few files in front of me.
"This is all I can give you. It's what we worked on before she... left." He said, his eyes growing a shade darker at the reminder when I picked up the first file and opened it.
"This is... confidential. How did you get it?" I asked flipping through the pages of the project Lance and I had worked on for so many months but couldn't present it because the party had been postponed till a later date.
"Like I said, she wanted to give you a surprise or something, so she brought this as reference and said that we had to make something a bit like this, but not too good." He pointed to another file and I opened it, studying the designs and the proposal.
"This is..." I started, but couldn't get the words out of my mouth.
"Impressive, isn't it? We worked on it for quite a while." He said proudly and I nodded before I realized something.
"Wait. The Williams had the exact same project you both worked on." I said, flipping through all the pages when I remembered the text messages.
"She gave them something else, a completely different project and said it was the one you had worked on." Taylor spoke, walking into the room and eyeing me cautiously.
"So that they wouldn't get their hands on the real one." I stated and they both nodded as I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"How does it feel now, Adam?" Taylor asked me and I raised my eyes to hers in confusion.
"What?"
"To know the truth and be able to do nothing about it." She sneered before leaving the room, leaving me to wallow in my thoughts.
"I need to go." I said after a few moments and Dylan nodded, leading me out.
"I hate you for what you did to her, and I can't see her in pain. But I think you know what she feels right now, so I won't be too hard on you. But we both know this very fucking well that's she's too good for you. Always was and always will be." He said and closed the door while I walked to my car absent minded.
What have I done?