Tasha goaded almost cruelly, “And me? Do you think I sat back and relaxed when De Silva kept me? You think I’m not entitled to a piece of this?”Fabian locked eyes with her, barely containing his rage. “This wasn’t something I imposed upon you. But I will not be a pawn to you or anybody else while Loretta’s life is at stake.”Tasha contorted her expression in rage. “You will be sorry for this, Fabian. You will be sorry for dismissing me.”Fabian stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor. He had had enough. Whatever Tasha hoped to achieve in this conversation, he had no time to waste on her. Loretta was still alive somewhere, and he needed to reach her before it was too late.“You made your choice,” Fabian said, tonelessly. “Now I will make mine.”He did not speak again but walked out of the café, burdened by the effects of their talk. The stakes had risen, and Fabian was very much aware that he was under pressure.Tasha was standing outside of the restaurant, her heart p
Tasha disconnected the phone call, her heart rate still elevated. She tilted her head upwards towards the clouds, suffocated by the burden of the choices she had made. It was clear that she had started something that she would not be able to finish, and now, waiting was the only option left.She pushed the phone back into her handbag and opted to leave the place, her head full of thoughts. It was a dark road she was traveling upon, and there was no way to retrace her steps. Not anymore.Fabian would be hers. One way or the other.With strides made even faster by the click of her heels on the pavement, Tasha exited the restaurant and stamped her foot with a stutter. In every direction she turned her head, she recalled her talk with De Silva, the germs of anxiety in her chest multiplying drastically. At her first inquiry, there had seemed to be no doubt to her that Fabian would one day notice her, desire her even. But at this point, she was no longer certain where De Silva's game ended,
When the door opened it was Fabian whose face she met – his features betrayed nothing. His eyes, however, those impossibly dark, bold eyes that were trained on Tasha in an instant, bore into her own holding something other than doubt. Rage. Treachery.“Tasha,” came the low threat in his voice. “We need to talk. Right. Now.”Tasha’s heart began to race. She opened the door wider to let him in, only for her heart to thump harder with each passing moment.Fabian entered the room casually. He was in no hurry to pay compliments. The instant the door was latched, he swung round to face her with an unnerving intensity.“Is there something you’re withholding from me?” he asked, throat constricted in anger. “What is happening with De Silva?”That did take Tasha by surprise. She knew she had two options – either keep lying or get stripped of all her boundaries and tell him everything.The social embarrassment lasted long, but she remained silent.And then, she started speaking but only the fain
Tasha’s frayed nerves were jangled by the message delivered by De Silva. It was a tightrope walk between worlds, one in which she was losing Fabian’s trust and the other where De Silva’s demand was becoming more and more urgent by the minute.She started pacing, the phone still in her grip. There was a whirlwind in her head and she couldn’t help but admit that it was bad. She had managed to bind herself some time with the manipulation of facts but there was a nagging reminder of Fabian’s ultimatum. If he learned how far she went with them, he would hate her. And even worse, if De Silva wanted her gone, she probably wouldn’t even be around to see the mess created.Tasha called the unknown number again, shaky as she was about to hit the call button.De Silva answered with impatience. Tasha, you’re cutting it close. I hate waiting.Tasha struggled a little and kept her voice from shaking. Sorry. He didn’t bite the bait. It’s like he knows you don’t have Loretta, and that’s why he does no
Fabian pinched the bridge of his nose and tried to suppress the weariness that was already setting in. “Tell them for tomorrow evening,” he said without a thorough understanding of the time frames being discussed.Emma stayed quiet as she looked through her files. “Tomorrow evening is the opening of the event for one of their companies,” she said with apprehension. “They will be busy. I even invited you last week to the event.”Fabian raised his eyes in surprise. “Didn’t get any invitation.”Emma's expression turned slightly concerned as she braced herself. “I sent it, Fabian. A week ago.”Fabian slouched in his chair and let out a long sigh. Most likely, he had been too busy to even pay attention. With his quest to find Loretta obsessed with making every investigation count and also managing his business, he had no doubts that some issues were being missed. He had been concentrating too long on finding Loretta and everything else which was quite frankly a waste of time."Fine," Fabia
“Vinnie, what we need to establish is how much Tasha knows,” Fabian spoke, running his fingers through his hair. “It’s possible she had close contact with De Silva during her abduction and this is information that we have yet to explore.”Vinnie inclined his head while wearing a grim face. "I agree. However, I have a suspicion that she is up to something. Her resentment for Loretta can be a very powerful weapon."As Fabian was speaking, his phone vibrated on the table. He quickly looked at the caller's ID, it was an unknown number. He picked up the receiver, albeit reluctantly, as his curiosity got the better of him."Is anyone there?" he asked, sounding a bit unsure and frightened.“Fabian, it’s me, Tasha,” she replied, her breath hot but rushed. “We have to speak. I have something that can turn the tide.”Fabian felt the heat in his blood intensifying. “What information are you talking about?”There was a pause and then Tasha said, “I heard De Silva’s men talking about something. Th
Fabian let out a heavy breath and ran his hand through his hair, “For now, I have to concentrate on Loretta and what De Silva wants. There cannot be any distractions.”“Yes, I can see that”, Mikel replied, “But remember the detail is equally important. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.”Fabian massaged his temples, feeling the effect of Mikel’s statement, and tried to forget it. Deep down, he understood Mikel and was also sick about crossing paths with Tasha given the nature of her last demands. Yet, he could not allow himself the luxury to be sentimental due to the foreseeable consequences.“I know Mikel. I just… I cannot shake off the necessity of her,” Fabian confessed. “But she may not want to be left out of anything that may happen which I cannot disregard.”Mikel nodded in understanding. “I see that. But if you’re also attending the grand opening, maybe it’d be a good idea to play nice, but nothing too extreme with Tasha. Find out the rest of her secrets without l
“Not…,” he said with frustration. “This is not what I want Tasha.”She moved back a bit, this time adopting an expression of mock disappointment. “But you still have to face the reality. I need more now.”Fabian ground his teeth in a form of irritation, feeling like he was dancing inside a box and outside one too. “You have made that evident.”“Just keep in mind,” she said, her tone lowering to a whisper, “that I can be of assistance. I can help you get to Loretta, but you will have to support me.”His resolve fortifying, he looked straight into her eyes. “This is not a game Tasha, Loretta’s life is in danger.”“I know,” she replied, urgency lacing her voice. “And I want to help you in finding her. But you need to sort us out first. If we are to find a way out of this, then stop pretending.”Fabian felt his palms become sweaty, but he compelled himself to concentrate on the music, blocking her pleas out. When the song went on, he was trying hard to remain composed, telling himself tha