Chapter 20

I glanced at the digital clock on the taxi's dashboard several times. It was already 8 p.m. Fortunately, one of my friends didn't mind lending me money for the taxi. My heart started pounding faster, accompanied by nervousness in my stomach. For a moment, I considered canceling my plan.

No, I have to do this. Regardless, I can't let Gregory kidnap Lana.

The taxi stopped in front of an office building in downtown Manhattan. Even the towering structure looked intimidating. I took a deep breath before walking into the lobby.

I knew it was past working hours, but considering Nicholas Shaw's habit of working late, I figured I could find him here. Besides, I didn't know his home address.

There was only one security guard near the reception desk. He looked up from his newspaper, surprised. Perhaps he wasn't used to seeing a woman dressed like me at this hour. I approached him, smiling nervously, "Um."

He put down his newspaper and nodded slightly, "Can I help you, Miss?"

"I need— I have to meet with Mr. Shaw. Is he in his office?"

He looked at me with a hint of suspicion, "Mr. Gregory Shaw or—"

"Nicholas," I interrupted. He furrowed his brow with a slightly annoyed expression. This man might be in his 30s and didn't seem pleased with me disturbing him at this hour. "Sorry, Miss, you should come back tomorrow—"

"I need to meet him now," I reiterated, my patience wearing thin. I didn't have time for this!

"You need to make an appointment first," he said, his frown deepening.

This time, I looked at him with irritation, "If you don't want to contact him, I'll do it myself." I started walking toward the reception desk. But before I could reach for the phone on the table, he beat me to it.

"Okay, okay. I'll call him." He glared at me and pressed a button on his phone. My heart raced even faster.

"Mr. Shaw, Sir, you have a visitor. Should I let her in?" He paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Alright, Sir. I understand."

I knew what they were discussing—he refused me. He hadn't even asked for my name. "Wait!" I angrily grabbed the phone from his hand before he could hang up. I didn't wait. "Listen, I know you're busy, but your brother just kidnapped my friend. So I need your help to contact him. Now. If Gregory doesn't return Lana right away, I swear I'll... I'll hunt him down myself."

No response for what felt like an eternity. I almost thought he had hung up.

"Eleanor?" His voice sounded slightly choked when he said my name.

"I— I need your help." All my previous anger dissipated upon hearing his voice, replaced by the returning nervousness.

"Are you in the lobby?" His low voice made butterflies flutter in my stomach again. Just like before.

"Yes..."

"Stay where you are. Don't move." His response before hanging up. The security guard in front of me smirked a bit mockingly, probably thinking Nicholas had refused to meet me. I didn't care; I returned the phone to its place and stared at the row of elevators at the end of the room.

One of the elevators moved from floor 19 to the lobby. I didn't expect him to arrive this quickly. I took a deep breath as the numbers changed and eventually stopped in the lobby, opening its doors.

I held my breath as he stepped out of the elevator. When his blue eyes met mine, I almost forgot how to breathe. He still looked the same, but this time, we didn't pretend not to know each other. Nicholas wore a dark blue suit and a slightly brighter matching tie; his unblinking eyes focused on me as he walked towards me.

He stopped in front of me, and we stood there in silence, locking eyes.

"Eleanor." His voice made butterflies revolt in my stomach. He looked at me from head to toe slowly, "You look..."

He didn't finish his sentence. My face blushed a bit when he looked at me again. "You too," I mumbled. He smiled at me without averting his gaze. Then I remembered my purpose for coming here, enough with the small talk, Ella.

"I need your help."

He sighed as if reluctant to change the topic now, "He might be at home now. I'll take you there." He touched my back to guide me, and my heart almost jumped in my chest when his fingers touched my skin directly.

He muttered something to himself that I couldn't hear, but his hand stayed on my back until we reached the basement parking.

I told him everything except the conversation between us about Nicholas when we were in his car heading to his home. The rain had started, although not heavily. I shifted my focus to the wet streets after finishing the story.

Tony Bennett's voice softly echoed from his car stereo singing "I Left My Heart In San Francisco." Lana always smiled when she heard songs by Tony Bennett; she once told me someone had invited her to dance with this song. Now I could guess who invited her to dance back then.

Nicholas remained silent since then, but I didn't feel like chatting either. We were busy with our thoughts until we finally arrived at his home.

I followed Nicholas as we entered his house and headed to the second floor. Even though I had been here before, the bad experience couldn't diminish my awe. He must have spent an incredible amount of money building this house and furnishing it.

We passed by tall windows with stained glass motifs reminiscent of church windows. If sunlight passed through them during the day, this place would probably look beautiful. Suddenly, Nicholas turned at the end of the corridor, making me quicken my pace to keep up. This house was more extensive than I had imagined.

Just when I was about to turn, a loud rumble thundered outside, and the next second, total darkness enveloped the entire house. I screamed in surprise, then halted in the darkness. No light from outside entered this place. My hands tried to feel the nearest wall as I walked slowly, bumping into something several times.

"Mr. Shaw?" My voice trembled a bit as I called him, but there was no response from him.

"Mr. Shaw?" I repeated with panic. I walked aimlessly in the darkness; a few times, I hit something.

"Nicholas?"

Something touched my shoulder suddenly, making me scream while jumping backward. One of my heels hit something, almost making me fall. However, a pair of hands grabbed my waist and pulled me into an embrace that I knew too well.

"Sshhh... It's me." His calming voice sounded by my ear. My heart still pounded in my chest. Without realizing it, my hands reciprocated the tight hug.

"I'm sorry." I muttered as he released me. We stood in that position for a few minutes until he let me go. I was somewhat grateful for the darkness; at least, he couldn't see my flushed face.

"Is your foot okay?"

My right ankle, which almost tripped earlier, felt painful, but I could still walk. "I'm okay." I replied.

"I'll check the electricity in the basement."

"I— I'll come with you." I mumbled to him.

In the darkness, I couldn't see his response, but moments later, his hand reached for mine. I tried not to focus on the pain in my ankle, and all my attention shifted to the warmth of his hand against mine.

"Still remember me, Eleanor?" he whispered suddenly.

I remained silent for a long time before responding, "You didn't erase my memories; of course, I remember you."

He slowed his pace upon hearing my answer. "Eleanor, I wiped your mind."

I chuckled, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Well, your magic trick failed, then."

"Greg told me he also erased your memories after attacking you, but you still remember. He thought you had some kind of immunity." His grip tightened a bit. I didn't like the feelings that arose in my chest when he did that. I should be angry with him now, after what he did to me.

"You left me," I muttered with a strained voice. Suddenly, he stopped, almost making me collide with his back.

"I wouldn't have left you if I could, Eleanor." His voice sounded slightly emotional.

"But you still left me," I felt a bit odd talking to him without being able to see his face. "I understand." I added after a pause. "Besides, this might be the last time we meet, so whatever the reason is, it doesn't matter anymore."

Suddenly, his hands, which had been holding mine, moved to my jaw, both hands cupping my face. Nicholas pushed me until my back touched the corridor wall.

In the darkness, I couldn't see my surroundings clearly, but I could feel everything. His warm breath on my cheeks, and then his lips touched mine. Nicholas didn't kiss me gently; his lips forced mine to part slightly, exploring me. He didn't stop even though I was running out of breath. I had to push him a little to make him stop, but the kiss didn't end; it just shifted.

His lips traced my jaw and neck slowly until they reached the edge of my dress. Suddenly, his hands forcefully pulled down one side of my dress, revealing my shoulder. He kissed it slowly, exploring every inch of my skin with his warm lips.

I couldn't think clearly anymore; all I could do now was feel. My irregular breath was audible in my own ears. My hands gripped the front of his shirt to keep myself from falling.

I could feel everything—the warmth of his body, his irregular breath, his hands now on my waist, and his lips still exploring my skin. Everything felt more intense in the darkness. The kiss paused for a few seconds at the base of my neck, and suddenly, I felt something sharp brushing my skin faintly.

That's when my brain started working again. I opened my eyes, greeted only by darkness. With the little strength I had left, I pushed his chest away.

"W-What are you doing?" My voice sounded hoarse and a bit panicked.

"Eleanor..." He didn't try to touch me again.

"Are you going to bite me?"

"I just wanted to replace it. Greg's bite... Forgive me, my instincts worked without me realizing it." He sounded slightly regretful, just a bit. I regulated my breath, my dress still open at the shoulder, and I hurriedly fixed it.

What did we just do? Anger and embarrassment flooded me like a cold shower.

"We should check the electricity." I mumbled. He didn't answer, just offering his hand. We walked in silence back to the basement. He took something from the basement wall, and suddenly, light emerged from his hand. Nicholas directed the flashlight to a metal box on the wall, observed it for a while, and then closed it.

"The circuit's burnt. I think it can only be fixed tomorrow morning." He directed the flashlight toward me, but I squinted my eyes, "Don't you have a separate generator?" Usually, a house this big and rich would have a backup generator.

He stayed silent for a moment before answering, "No. But I think we have battery-powered lights upstairs, and some candles."

"Oh."

We walked back upstairs, this time he didn't hold my hand because there was a flashlight illuminating our path. A bit of disappointment crept in. "I'll take you back to the hotel."

"I can't go back to the hotel; Lana has our room keys. My phone and wallet too," I replied.

We stopped in his spacious kitchen. He gestured for me to sit and grabbed a few candles from one of the counters. "You can stay..." he murmured while handing the flashlight to me.

Stay with him?

"You can use the guest room."

Oh. "Okay..." I felt like I had no other choice. "I didn't mean to disturb you tonight." I added quickly.

"You're not disturbing me, Eleanor. I'm glad you asked for my help. You're not bothering me at all. If you need anything, I'm next door." He said before leaving the room. I listened to the sound of his footsteps, which vanished after a while.

After the kiss in the corridor, the atmosphere between us became more awkward. I could still feel his lips on my skin, his warm breath, his hands circling my waist. I could still vividly recall everything. For the first time in the past year, something inside me had changed.

Throughout the last year, I had tried hard to erase him from my thoughts, but after meeting him again tonight, I couldn't lie to myself anymore. I wanted him; I wanted Nicholas Shaw.