Chapter 5

Thea’s POV

I splashed water again on my face, refusing to accept the consequences of the recent happenings in which I was somewhat involved in. Tyler fucking Blackwood had ruined my family, and my life along with it.

While I was busy enjoying his hands over me, he had his own evil scheme planned out in his head, and unluckily for me, he got away with both things. I felt worse than I did when I dressed up to meet him at the hotel. It was my fault either ways, I should have read the handwriting on the wall.

My reflection stared back at me, if she were a different person, she must have been disappointed and heavens knows, I was disappointed. How did I let this happen? Why didn't I see this coming? If I had, maybe I could have prevented it. But, perhaps, somehow, shamelessly, I wanted to warm Tyler's bed, I had seen him on several occasions and he charmed my imagination, but pride made me ignore him.

Damn me! Even in the midst of all this shit, all I could think of was sleeping with Tyler. "Damn you, Thea, have you no sense of decency!"

I looked away from my reflection and sighed. It has been two days and my father was nowhere to be found. The news of Tyler buying the company spread round like wildfire, and the mockery that came with it was not assuring.

He had some guts that man, giving me money to run off to somewhere else. I wouldn't be able to stay here anyways. What board meetings would I go to? There was nothing left to save, he had taken everything away from me. I retched at the thought of his hands on mine, and the stupid feeling of wanting him again the morning after. Had I known the outcome, I would have killed him while he slept.

It won't be long before the press swarmed my house to ask my father why he gave up and asking questions to cause us more embarrassment. Worse scenario, he wasn't present to answer any of that. Perhaps that was why Tyler asked me to go, he knows I'd tell his scheme to the world, I could do it now, but where is the funds to do all that, I've got nothing left and Tyler was the city's favourite man.

Since I left the hotel room, I had phoned my father trying to explain things to him, but everything went to voicemail. I didn't know the exact message to leave for him, I thought of one, "Hey Dad, I slept with Tyler Blackwood, and he's planning something fishy, or Hey dad, Tyler deceived me and left me in his hotel room with a half million." Both were terrible! I grunted. The words weren't coming. I told my dad to call me back. 48 hours and he hadn't replied to even one voicemail. It left me with disturbing thoughts. Had Tyler informed him of our business deal?

He must have been hiding in shame. He was the last man standing up to Tyler, the business tycoon and now he had given up and run away like a coward. I didn't know who to blame, but the rest of the responsibilities now fell on me. My thoughts shifted to my little sister, Cora, and I braced myself. I couldn't lay here, crying and heartbroken. I picked up the check from the table, and looked at the money in my hand. I turned to look at the passports on my bed. He wanted us to leave? Then leave we shall.

"Cora! Cora, where are you?" I ran down the stairs, with anxiety building up in my chest, that my sister had also gone missing. I found her outside, sitting with her phone in her hands.

"What are you doing sitting here all alone?" I switched my tone to a calm one, like I wasn't just arguing with myself in the room upstairs. She didn't respond and she turned her face to the other side. I sat beside her and placed my arm on her shoulder, bringing her closer to myself. "What's wrong? You don't seem like yourself."

"What's this on the internet? What did father do? And where is he even? What does all of this have to do with us?"

"Can I see?" I put out my palm for her to drop her phone in it. She was a bit reluctant, but then she did. I opened it and saw the site she was reading from. It was one of the popular blogs known for spreading rumours about influential people. The headlines read, "Exxon oil has finally surrendered themselves to the one true business man, after not being able to recover from their last season's losses." I let my breath out after reading the headlines, and the throbbing pain in my chest wouldn't let me continue to read it. Cora being a young teen, could be really affected by this. In that moment, my rage for Tyler Blackwood knew no bounds.

"What does it mean?" Cora tugged at my shirt waiting for an explanation. I had no idea what to tell her. I couldn't explain how I'd sold myself off to Tyler to help us, and how I'd gotten played by him instead. I decided to play by the truth. Not the whole truth though.

"Father is gone. He's never coming back." I said, my face laced with concern for her. I pulled her even closer and gave her the warmest hug. "We have to leave. I don't know if we would be back, but we have to leave right now."

"Could we afford to leave? Leave to where exactly?" Cora raised her head from my chest, knowing the state the family was in before. Father often came back sober, promising us both that he'll fix things. I thanked Tyler silently for leaving us the money.

"Yes we can. Now go to your room, pack your bags and wear something nice. We're leaving tonight. Don't tell any of your close friends okay? We should keep it between us for now."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone." She stood up and walked to her room to get dressed. I frowned as soon as she left, pissed at the world, my dad, Tyler and most especially myself. Now I had to go into hiding, and bear someone else's name. Nothing irritated me more than pretending to be someone else, at worst someone who Tyler the monster himself had created. I sighed and stood up from the floor and walked towards my own room. This place wasn't much of anything anyways. I walked to my closet to get dressed for the travel.

I hadn't left the country in a while, since our business wasn't moving smoothly. I didn't want our departure to get to the press, so I didn't book a first class flight. Cora was already asleep next to me on the plane. Nature was calling me bit by bit, but some part of me wanted to stay awake for some reason. It wasn't long before I dozed off, giving in to my drowsiness. The plane was soothing, perhaps it could wash away my pain.

I looked up as I descended the airstairs. A middle aged woman held out a card with my newly given name written on it. "Are you Miss Booker Greyson?" She asked me tilting her head to the side.

Booker Greyson. That name was mine now, I will go about with that new identity gotten from a one night stand with a treacherous man. Goddamn Tyler. I felt like a captive for some seconds, but then I thought, what's the point of it? He already took all we had. I nodded my head and pointed at Cora, introducing her as my sister. We walked with her to the other side of the airport and got in a black jeep. "So much for influential..." I muttered quietly under my breath.

We drove into a white gate and there it stood. A magnificent tall building—an obvious mansion, with more windows than I could count. The door of the house was controlled with a button, from a tab held by the woman. I scrunched my nose. Don't blame me, I tried to be impressed, I wanted to be, but Tyler Blackwood was at the top of my blacklist. Whatever he'd done that seemed nice to him, was just simply bland to me. Who was this Booker Greyson anyways? Why did I have to be her?

Well, now I'm her, and she is me too. If I could work with her, things could go back to normal. I was grateful to Tyler for this part, but the rest, it cut through me, hurting me desperately. I must hurt him, in every way possible. I will watch him crumble and sit back while I watch his ruins. He didn't just take over my father's company, he took my family, my father and my life.

As long as I live, I will make sure Tyler pays, and he would pay dearly.