CHAPTER 4: THE LION'S DEN

“She is at your gate now sir.” 

Blake smiled to himself when he heard these words from a caller on the phone.

“Alright. Wait until I get there,” Blake said and ended the call. Everything was falling into place. Ella had played into his trap exactly how he wanted it. He had hired someone to follow her all day. He had also made sure that he stayed one step ahead of her in everything she did. He was determined to have her move in with him no matter what the cost. A few minutes after he ended the call, Rose called to ask him if they should let Ella in. He authorised her entry and then he quickly left the office and began the drive home. His mind was racing as he wondered how he was going to pull this off. Ella seemed like a headstrong woman but he knew her independence was the only thing he could leverage against her. He had already put measures in place to make sure that she had no choice but to count on him. 

Ella was seated on the front porch when Blake got home. The seating area here was small and could only accommodate four people. It was designed like a gazebo except that it had large sliding windows that could keep out the rain and wind. Ella stood when Blake stepped out of his car. She looked worried and she was making nervous movements with her hands. But the look that captured Blake’s attention was the deep sadness in her eyes. She looked like the world had collapsed around her. Blake felt a tiny bit of guilt as he remembered that he was responsible for a part of this grief. He brushed his guilt away as he walked to her and decided to put his son first. After all, he was doing all this for him.   

“Good to see you Miss Richards,” Blake said as he flashed his best smile. 

“I wish I could say the same,” Ella thought to herself. 

She smiled politely at Blake but didn’t say anything. Blake opened the front door and walked into the large sitting area. Ella looked around before she followed Blake in. The house was tastefully decorated and furnished with the best finishes money could buy. Ella could feel tears fill her eyes as she stood in her living room as a visitor. This was more emotional than she had anticipated. 

“We can talk in my office,” Blake said as he led her through a corridor and into a room on the left. Ella was surprised to enter a small room that was designed as an office. It had wall to wall carpeting and one of its walls was filled with shelves from top to bottom. The shelves were filled with books and files.

“I hope you like what I’ve done with the place,” Blake said when he saw Ella look around. She smiled politely but stayed silent.  

“I will assume that you are ready to move in with me,” he said after the short silence. 

“Not exactly sir,” she said. Her voice was low and it was almost a whisper. If the room had not been so quiet, Blake may not have heard her.

“So why are you here?” he asked.

“Why do you want me to move in here?” she asked

“Are you in the habit of answering questions with other questions?” he asked. His brow was frowned as though he was angry or irritated.

“Sir, we just met a few days ago. You have a family. I don’t see where I come in,” she answered genuinely. Blake was staring at her with an intent look. He did not blink once as he gave her a short response.

“I don’t have a family. I have a son without a mother. You are the only woman he has shown the slightest affection since he lost his mother. I want you to take care of him until he doesn’t need you anymore,” he said.

“So you want me to be his nanny?” she asked. This seemed like a relatively simple task in exchange for the huge financial and legal burden Blake would bear.

“He already has a nanny. I want you to spend time with him like you did before. I’ll give you more information as time goes by,” he said.

“Why do I have to move in for that? I can come by every day,” she said with a hint of stubbornness in her voice.

“My son has to believe we are in a relationship. Plus I want to know where you are at any given time. I cannot have my son exposed to anything I disapprove of. It seems you are not interested so you can show yourself out,” he said as he shut a file he had just opened. 

“It’s not that sir. How do I make sure you keep your end of the bargain?” she asked.

“My lawyer prepared an agreement for us to sign. Once we both sign, I will set up a meeting for you with her. You will give her the details of your estate and she will begin the process of restoring your ownership. I will hold all the documentation until our deal can be dissolved,” he said. He opened the file he had been holding and gave it to Ella. Ella signed on the dotted line and Blake signed as well. 

“Welcome home,” he said with a smile.

“What did you mean when you said that your son had to believe that we were in a relationship?” she asked. The sexual implication was obvious but she was still hoping against hope that she had misread the situation.

“It means you are mine now in every sense of the word,” he said. Before she could ask another question, there was a knock on the door. The nanny walked in shortly after.

“I’m sorry to interrupt you sir, but it’s about Jason,” the nanny Rose said. 

“What’s the problem?” Blake asked.

“He won’t get into his bed and he refuses to eat anything. He is sitting on the floor humming to himself,” Rose said.

“Go back to him. I’ll be right there,” Blake said. After Rose left, Blake turned to Ella. 

“Your work starts now. Take care of my son as though he was a precious gem because that is what he is to me,” he said. He led her to Jason’s room and they found the l;ittle boy huddled on the carpet. Blake gestured to Ella to talk to him, but he did not respond immediately. However, everyone in the room was stunned when Jason turned and saw Ella. He stood up and walked straight to her and burst into tears. When she hugged him, his sobs increased and he held onto her tightly. It was as if he was afraid she would leave. After a few minutes, the sobs subsided and Jason leaned back. He looked at Ella with an indescribable sadness and then lay his head on her chest.

“What happened?” Ella mouthed to Blake. Blake dismissed her by shaking his head. However, he did not object when Ella picked up Jason and carried him to his bed. She tried to tuck him in but he began to sob again. He did not stop until she lay beside him. He held her arm tightly and slept on it so that it would be impossible for her to move without him noticing. About five minutes later, Jason was asleep. Blake was watching the whole scene as though he was in some trance.

“Why is he like this? He was fine earlier,” Ella asked when she was sure Jason was asleep. 

“I don’t know. You sleep here tonight. I’ll have someone bring you supper and your things will be brought from the hotel,” Blake said.

“I need to check out and settle my bills,” she said in alarm. Things were moving too fast for her.

“I’ll handle everything,” he said as he stepped out of the room. Ella looked down at the beautiful boy who was fast asleep in her arms. She kissed his forehead and sighed in despair as she wondered what she had gotten herself into. She felt all the loneliness and fear she had seen in the boy’s eyes resonating in her heart. Although this was her house, it was the last place she wanted to be.

                                            *****

Blake left his son’s bedroom in a state of shock. He had to find out everything he could about this woman. He was not comfortable with the effect she had on his son. He thought back to the morning and his heart skipped a beat when he remembered how much he had wanted this woman as his plaything. He had no idea that he would need her for so much more. Earlier that morning at the office, all hell had broken loose for Blake. Jason had come out of the office and began to walk around in ssearch of Ella. He looked around the large spacious office and then walked to the reception with Amanda in tow. Jason walked back to his father’s office and walked around again before he walked to his father’s desk.

“Where is pretty aunty?” he asked his father.

“She had to go. Maybe we can go get some cake and hot chocolate,” Blake said as he tried to pick up Jason.

“No! I want pretty aunty,” Jason shouted. 

“Come let’s play,”  Amanda said as she tried to give him one of his puzzles from his bag. He took it and threw it across the room. It crashed loudly as it made contact with one of the chairs in the room. Jason then lay on the floor and curled himself into a ball. 

“Jason, you cannot throw things around just because you are angry,” Blake said sternly. Maybe he was being too lax with his son. He needed some discipline. He tried to pick him up but he wouldn’t sit up. Blake forcefully lifted him up and placed him on the chair but Jason looked away. 

“Buddy, I want you to sit with Amanda while daddy does some work,” Blake said. 

Jason did not act as though he had heard anything he said. He continued to look away. Amanda came and picked him up and carried him to the other side of the office. She had ordered some snacks for him and she placed some on a tray. Jason threw some cake at her but he didn’t utter a single word. He then picked up a juice box and hurled it at the window. The commotion caught Blake’s attention and he walked over to them. 

“I can’t work with all these tantrums. Take him home,” Blake said as he took out the car keys. 

The minute Jason laid eyes on the car keys was when all hell broke loose. He picked up everything within his reach and began throwing them at Amanda and Blake while screaming at the top of his lungs. Blake and Amanda were frozen for a minute as they watched this drama unfold. Amanda tried to calm him down but he wouldn’t let anyone near him. After about five minutes of chaos, Jason seemed to calm down. Blake assumed that he had become exhausted and he had no more fight left in him. He picked up his son with little resistance and tried to cuddle him. He could tell that his temperature was elevated but nothing else seemed wrong. 

“Buddy, are you feeling ok? Does it hurt anywhere?” Blake asked him. Jason stared at the wall as if he could not be bothered to acknowledge the presence of his father.

“I think we should take him to the hospital,” Amanda said. She was afraid that the strange woman had done something to the boy. She did not want to be blamed. 

“Let’s go,” Blake said and they walked out together. Blake called ahead so that there was a doctor waiting for him. At the hospital, Blake was ushered into the private ward and a doctor quickly checked on Jason. After a quick examination, the doctor asked Amanda and Blake an assorted number of questions. 

“Who was the last person he talked to?” the doctor finally asked. 

“Me when he asked for the whereabouts of someone I was meeting in my office,” Blake said.

“Where is this person now?” the doctor asked.

“I have her contacts but I really can’t be sure,” Blake said. 

“You need to find her because she is the only one who can get through to your son. He has developed selective mutism and his psychology is telling him that she is the only one he should speak to,” the doctor said.

“How is that even possible? That woman is a perfect stranger,” Blake said in alarm.

“It’s difficult to understand this condition but if you want your son to speak again, then find this woman!’