POV: ELISABETH
Heading towards the publishing house, Patrick, despite maintaining an erect posture, showed evident signs of tension in his body. His sighs were noticeable, as were the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, even in the cold Seattle weather.
“It’s going to be okay,” I whispered to reassure him. “You’re Patrick Morgan; no one can bring you down.”
He nodded, turning back to stare out the window in silence. What didn’t Patrick want me to see?
As we arrived at the entrance of the publishing house, protesters were camped out front. I jumped in my seat, startled, when an egg was thrown at the car window. The CEO held my hands, gently squeezing them to calm me. Amid the shouts and insults accusing him, I heard some people saying:
“Coward, pervert, woman abuser!” shouted the protesters. “Justice for Miss Heloise Forbs.”<
“We went down to the area set up for the press. The number of journalists present was more than double the last time, with some representatives from international channels. I began to feel nervous, worried about what Morgan would reveal. This was all on a very large scale, and his statement would define the fate of the publisher.When Patrick Morgan took the stage, the noise ceased, and everyone patiently awaited his statement:“Good morning, everyone,” he said, standing tall, his voice firm, and his eyes piercing like an eagle's. “I will start my statement. Questions will only be answered at the end of the announcement. If any journalist interrupts, they will be removed, and their questions will go unanswered.”Everyone whispered before falling silent again as the CEO cleared his throat.“I was abroad, in remote lands. As is widely known, I do volunteer work in lo
POV: PATRICKI captured Elisabeth's lips with desire. I didn't need to look at the big screens for the scenes to unfold in my mind; everything played like a movie in my head—the worst nightmare for a father. Panting, I broke the kiss and pressed our foreheads together. Catching my breath, I straightened up and faced Lis, who had slightly smudged lipstick and subtly swollen lips.“Thank you,” I smiled elegantly, despite the pain lingering in my chest.“For what?” she asked, confused, adjusting her hair and wiping the corners of her mouth.“For all your support, Miss,” I said, leaning in to kiss her again when we heard footsteps. I stepped back, maintaining my composure. “We need the contracts to evaluate who is worth keeping by our side.”“Yeah, of course, sir, I'll get them,” Elisabeth said, taking a step forward and stopping be
POV: ELISABETHMy legs seemed stuck in place, growing weak as if they had lost all strength. My heart was beating so hard it felt like it was about to explode in my chest, while a constant chill down my spine sent unpleasant shivers throughout my body, bringing with it all the negative emotions. I was sweating and trembling, turning to the CEO as tears threatened to spill from my eyes.“It's him... it's... it's him!” I swallowed hard, wanting to retreat. But Morgan looked at me confidently, with a slight smile, supporting my hips with his arms and positioning himself slightly in front of me, like a protective wall. “What are you doing?”I whispered, ignored by him. I looked around, seeing the security guards forming a circle around us and Greg, armed and ready to shoot if necessary.“My, Mr. Morgan, are you always this hostile to your visitors?” He smiled sarcastically, unconcer
POV: PATRICKMy eyes scanned every corner of the room, searching for signs that that bastard had come with company. It was clear he was too confident and arrogant to realize I wasn’t just any enemy.Upon entering the room, I found him sitting casually, playing with a small device in his hand that initially looked like a car alarm.“It’s hard to stay away from Elisabeth, isn’t it, Mr. Morgan?” Pavel clenched his fists on the table. “She’s always been like that, ever since college, you know? All the men wanted her, not just because of her obvious beauty, but also because of her intelligence, which intrigued everyone.”“If you think so highly of Mrs. Lis, why did you treat her so badly that she had to run away from you?” I provoked, leaning on the edge of the table. “By the way, Mr. Andreev, I’m curious about your visit to my publishing house tod
POV: ELISABETHI ran with Greg to the car, my heart pounding erratically and adrenaline coursing through my veins. I stopped, looking around, fear spreading in my chest like a cold shadow. Furthermore, I sighed, trying to calm my tumultuous thoughts.“What is it?” Greg asked as he approached, his serious face reflecting the urgency of the situation. “We need to go, we can't stay exposed here.”“But maybe I should stay...” I murmured, feeling the weight of inevitability on my shoulders. “He came after me, you even said it's inevitable that I'll be kidnapped. I think the time has come.”Greg placed his hands on my shoulders, looking into my eyes with determination.“No, the time hasn't come yet. And it doesn't have to happen this way. Let us protect you as much as possible. Don't be an easy target for him, Mrs. Elisabeth. Show that now you ca
POV: PATRICKI helped some employees exit the shaking building, with parts of it collapsing. Looking outside, I noticed the presence of ambulances and police cars as stretchers were being taken out of the parking lot.“Elisabeth!” I called out, alarmed, running towards one of the stretchers leaving the building, finding my injured friend. “Greg?”“Sir, please don't come any closer. We're taking him to the nearest hospital,” a professional, accompanied by the police, warned me.“I own this building, and this is my friend. Get out of my way!” I clenched my fists, nervous, and approached and held his hand. “Greg? What happened? Where is Elisabeth?”Removing the oxygen mask from his face and groaning, he looked at me confused, pulling on my shirt. “They took her, Patrick, you need to save her. The chip.” He began to say, then passed out.“Cardiac arrest! Bring the defibrillator, hurry! Sir, move out of the way!” the paramedic shouted, pushing me aside and rushing towards the ambulance.“C
“After you do that and revoke our separation and the clauses of that absurd contract where I can't access the publishing house or talk about, well, you know,” Heloise pondered over the phone. “Then I'll send you the location where I'm keeping her.”“It's not enough. I want proof that you won’t hurt her!” I said it firmly, putting her on speaker, so the police could hear.“Oh, my love, you hurt my feelings. You’ll need to have a little faith in me.” Laughing, she seemed to hit something, and I heard Lis moaning on the other end.“That's not enough, Heloise!” I squeezed my free hands tightly, turning them white.“Okay, I’ll send you real-time videos every hour showing her condition. I just can't guarantee that a few bruises won’t show up, you know, she has very fair skin.” Heloise was enjoying herself on the other end of the line. “By the way, what did you see in her? Elisabeth is so boring.”“You better not touch her!” I threatened mercilessly. “Or I guarantee you, Heloise Forbs, I’ll
POV: ELISABETHVoices in the background caught my attention. I woke up disoriented with a severe headache and something warm running down my forehead. When I tried to raise my hands to the spot, I realized they were tied, just like my feet.“What?” I groaned, still dizzy, squirming to try to understand the situation. In the background, the silhouette of a blonde woman approached, the sound of her heels echoing in the room.“Look who's awake!” Squatting into my field of vision, Heloise stared at me with an amused smile. “You’re such a sleeper, Mrs. Lover.”“I've already said I'm not anyone's lover.” I murmured, still in pain. “Where am I? Why am I tied up?”“Oh, dear, you don’t remember? You had a tragic accident rushing out of the publisher.” She replied with a broad smile.“The Accident” images clashed in my mind, bringing me to full consciousness. “My God, where's Greg? Is he okay?”“Greg? Well, I'm afraid to say he's kind of” Heloise made a gesture of a knife slicing her neck and s