A week had passed and Luther was nowhere close to catching Susan, who by now seemed to be enjoying the cat-and-mouse game. she knew he was on her tail and she left Luther little clues for him to find, only for them to be dead ends.The house was dead silent, Rose had taken Grace out under the pretense of grocery shopping. when she was not openly blushing at anything James said, she kept Grace as busy as she could manage, so much so she didn't have time to be alone or move around the house, and think about Neill.James was drawing up the coming week's schedule when he heard someone coming down the stairs. he left his chair on the kitchen island to investigate the intruder, and came face to face with Nicholas. He looked at him like he'd seen a ghost. his hair was damp and he had a towel around his waist. which meant he'd been in his room all the time this morning. "What are you doing here?""I live here James" he chuckled, "with you and Grace and..." he left the sentence hanging."W
...."It was Mr. Morgan" the dam of tears finally gushed out and she broke down "I'm sorry, I didn't think he would take things this far with Neill. "No." he staggered back to the couch, he felt as though he had been pricked with a sharp needle through his heart."The only Morgan I know was Grace's employer from the cruise ship" "According to him, they used to have a thing going and she promised him the world before she ran off with you." her lips had a slight pout as she folded her arms on her chest defensively. "Grace didn't run off anywhere.." he wanted to add more but didn't see the point of arguing with her further, clearly he had underestimated her abilities and ambition in destroying his relationship with Grace. "Please let me explain" she pleaded with him but he was already walking towards the door and leaving. A while later, Nickolas arrived at the mansion's entrance, his feet felt heavy as he dragged himself inside. James saw the weary look on his face as he walked passe
Susan sat on the floor in a barely lit backroom, she had been there for three weeks. this was the longest she had stayed In one place. she kept on looking at the burner phone to see if there were any messages for her, but there were none. She glanced in the corner at the sleeping bundle, but he snored away peacefully. He had been such a darling. in all this time he had not caused her at any point one mishap. Since leaving Meyer's Mansion, she had been receiving instructions on what she should do and where she should go, but she had never met the person in charge. To her the kidnapping looked like it was something well-planned. all she did was receive money and instructions from letters when she was still at the Meyer mansion. Panic started to bubble up. what if her benefactor abandoned her and she got caught with a missing child? but she doubted that very much, she trusted whoever was on the other side of the phone. She had her reasons for betraying Nickolas Meyer.She spent five
As soon as Nickolas stepped inside the cabin. his eyes caught sight of the blazing fire in a stone firework. He appreciated the warmth that came from it. filling the little cabin. at least now he knew he was not going to freeze to death in the woods. He looked around the cabin. it was the smart little place. his gaze landed on their mark again. although the cabin was cozy, he couldn't settle just yet. "Is it true?" he asked her bluntly."What's true?" Irene feigned ignorance "That you took Neill?""Can I offer you anything?" she asked as if they had just come from a picnic, obviously ignoring his direct question.Nicholas looked around the small cabin. there were signs of Neill anywhere. the whole setup felt like a bizarre nightmare to him. how did Susan become Irene? and how did Irene become so ruthless? "Coffee would be nice." he had so many questions his head hurt. He walked to the rocking chair that was placed next to the fire. under any circumstances, the place would be a per
Luther was waiting for his boss's return from the woods. Sinister thoughts were going through his mind. A day had passed and he had not communicated to ensure his safety. on the third day. Luther was beside himself with worry, he could not stand staying in his room anymore. He went to the local 'canines for hire' sign he had spotted when he first arrived. He took with him the canine off in the direction of the woods. His name was feebles. The name was not very encouraging. Luther thought.The only pieces of equipment for direction were a tracker that he had on Nickolas's phone plus the dog to help him through the dense forest. the pin of his location had been in one place for over a day now. The path to the cabin was none existence, he wondered how Nicholas must have made it through.As they approached a clearing path at the top of what seemed like a hill, Feebles started barking and pulling at him with the leash. His feet were heavy as he ran after the wild dog, his heart beating a
Luther drove slowly around the icy streets In rural Loviisa. The small town was cramped with old wooden houses. On any other day, he would have enjoyed the drive and explored the town. With most of the residents speaking Swedish, This was not his idea of a picnic. he and Nickolas had their hands full both literally and otherwise. There was no way he could have escaped this one. After they had moved Susan's body or Irene's. Damn her. They had gone through her belongings thoroughly. Examining every item closely until they found an address that had led them here. He stole glances at the side profile of his boss and didn't like what he saw there. His lip was set in a tight snare and his features resembled something made from stone. He was obviously thinking about their chance of finding Niell just as he was. He would have given his life just for the baby to be found safe and alive. He owed Nickolas that much. Though Nickolas never said anything about the events of that day the baby
The following morning Nickolas and Luther drove to the address they had scrambled on a piece of paper from Irene's belongings. They stopped in from of an overly decorated wooden house. The walking path leading to the door was decorated with white stones and small glass oaks in colorful clothing. The owner's intention might have been style and homely but the effect it had was something from a scary movie. Nickolas rang the doorbell once and when no sound came from the house he rang it again. Luther was peeping through the windows. It didn't seem like anyone was home. Until they heard a shuffling of feet from inside the house. A small woman opened the door. She looked about ninety years old and ready to drop. She looked at the two men with curious blue eyes and spoke something in Swedish they couldn't understand. They looked at each other and then at the old woman and she said "Ah you don't speak Swedish." she nodded at both of them and they nodded back "I'm Miss Merrybale and can
Amelia drove to the Meyers mansion in the afternoon. Her breath caught in her throat as she drove towards the big house. It was still beautiful and it could still be hers and Nickolas one day. Except right now Nickolas wanted nothing to do with her. The last time she saw him, things had turned ugly and fast. But no biggie, lovers quarreled all the time. She would apologize and he would be very sensible about it. There. She thought. James opened the door to let the wind in and her. "What can I do for you Ma'am?" he could not hide the bitter taste of the words from his mouth. "I'm afraid Mr. Meyer is not around at the moment.""Oh. When will he be back?" she asked."I'm not at liberty to say Maam." annoyance written all over his face. "No one seems to be at liberty to say, I called his office three weeks ago and there also, his PA was not at liberty to say. I called again today, but she was still not at liberty to say. James, what is going on?" James looked at her strangely. The
"Watch your step." Nickolas walked behind a blindfolded Grace."You know how much I don't like surprises. Are we there yet?" They had been walking for a while now and she was getting suspicious about the so-called surprise. "Almost. You gonna love this one." He was praying he hadn't gone off the mark. They took the last step and he stopped them both. Grace could smell the salt In the air. It reminded her of the smell that was a permanent fixture in their old basement. "Now you can open them." He let go of the cloth that was covering her eyes.When Grace opened her eyes, she couldn't stop blinking at the sight in front of her. "No!" She screamed in delight. "Yes." He couldn't stop grinning as he took in her happiness. The yacht had been an impulse purchase but he was glad he had bought it. "I thought since we met on a cruise ship, for our second honeymoon, we could recreate that experience on a more intimate scale." He was usually very confident but in the past months, he had be
Grace put a steaming cup of coffee before Nickolas on the kitchen island."You are starting to behave like the wife I was meant to have." He looked at the steaming cup and she raised her eyebrow and glared at him."I will take it back if you don't behave." She sat down on one of the high stools and looked at him, her face softening. "Can I ask you something?" She cleared her throat. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Nickolas raised his eyes and looked at her. "Anything." She shifted in her chair. "When we were clearing out the mansion, I saw a jewelry box in your study…" She let the sentence trail off. "What about it?" He took a sip from his coffee without looking at her. "Is it yours?" "Yes. Pretty much everything in the study was mine. Say what you mean and mean what you say kiddo." He eyed her suspiciously."There was a picture with a woman and a child inside.""And you wanted to know who the woman was, if you must know, she's not my woman.""Of course, I know that I'm your w
The following morning, Grace, Nickolas, and Luther walked into the Meyer mansion. The furniture on the first floor had been removed, giving the place an overly open feeling. As much as the light came through the big glass windows, the air inside was stifled and cold, giving the illusion that the house had been vacant for a while. The dust had started to settle on the marble floor, causing a scraping sound as their feet moved against the floor. Nickolas opened the door to his office, the only room on the first floor that had not been touched. Except for the mess that was on the floor, the room was intact. He also felt strange being there, given the fact that he hadn't been gone for over a week. Maybe the mansion had always carried a heavy presence without him realizing it, what was worse, he had gotten used to it. The office looked like someone had ransacked the place or the windows had been left open causing the papers to fly in all directions.He crossed the door threshold, insta
Nickolas made a move to walk towards the bed. But Grace opened her mouth and shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to go there just yet." He stood next to the bed, hearing what she was saying but not understanding her. "What do you mean by that?""That I don't think I'm ready to share a bed with you just yet." It didn't get any louder than that.He gathered his wayward thoughts and mumbled something before walking into the ensuite bathroom, to take the longest cold shower of his life. Grace sighed with a smile on her face and changed for bed. She picked up the red dress from the floor, shook her head, and smirked at it. Nickolas looked at the two water taps and didn't understand how the cold tap could feel so hot against his skin. He needed it cold. Ice cold to freeze his bruised emotions. Grace was rejecting him. She had been ready to walk out through the front door with her chest barely covered to meet another man and do god knows what but she wasn't ready to share a bed with
Grace looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress looked, as though it had been sewn on her body. The neckline was too low, and the bodice that was supposed to cover her breast barely covered the whole breast. One mistake and they would be out on display for everyone to see. She put on her matching fuck me heels and did a final twirl in front of the mirror. Satisfied, she took her purse and carefully walked downstairs. She paused at the last step and looked around. With the furniture installed, the house looked more like the home she had envisioned. They had delivered everything she had ordered right to the T. Now all she had to do was to enjoy it. Starting this coming Saturday, with the get-together with her friends. She walked into an open plan that includes the lounge area and kitchen, next to it, the dining area. She walked to the kitchen and took out her wine glass. She needed to calm her nerves before she left the house. After pouring the wine, she gulped
The following morning after he spent a miserable night on the floor. Things seemed to be abuzz at the house. Grace was already up and having a merry time with Niells Nanny. "Good Morning. Hope you had a relaxing night, after all that work you and Luther did." She said when he approached them, moving to the kitchen, to take out two cups. The nanny disappeared at the same speed. Nickolas followed her to the open-plan kitchen h he had a miserable night. While She, on the other hand, looked as radiant as ever, liked someone who had a night's rest in a plump bed with supporting pillows. "It was okay. Not one of my finest. But it was okay, thank you for your concern." He thought his body would snap at the slightest movement. She busied herself in the massive kitchen and brought him a cup of coffee. After last night's events, he hoped it was not poisoned. He closed his eyes and took a sip. It tasted amazing. He looked at the cup in surprise. "What would you like for breakfast?" Grace wa
The following day, The Meyer mansion started getting cleaned and furniture wrapped. And other important items were put away into boxes for storage.By midweek, the undertaker had come to dig up the little coffin from the shallow grave by the pond to be moved to the new estate. Grace was home and they had already chosen a spot to lay her to rest.Nickolas now had two houses to sell. If Amelia ever left hers, he would also sell that house. "The house is in the process of being sold." He told Grace after the undertakers had put the coffin on the ground. "That means you will be homeless soon or are you not moving in with Amelia at her house?" He was taken aback by her question, he didn't think she would ever bring her up. He had a lot of repairing to do. "No. I thought you could spare a room for me. One room at the furthest side of the house. You won't even have to see me." He knew he was pushing his luck, but she looked at him as if considering his words. "I'm desperate here." He add
When Nickolas got home that evening. Stravos met him at the door. "Madam left with her luggage and the baby." Those were the first words that left the man's mouth. "Ok stravos, thank you for letting me know." He had known that it was inevitable, but he still felt a tug at his heart. He had been hoping that they would move across this hurdle unscorched. But maybe he had been right all along. It was too much for her. After all, it had been his cross to bear and not hers.He made his way to the master bedroom and started opening closets, she had taken everything. She wasn't only mad at him, this time she was done, and little Neill? Would they have to go to court and fight it out? It was his rotten luck. He sat at the edge of the bed and thought about his choices. To add salt to injury, Amelia had come out of their affair happier than him, and without a hair out of place. He laughed out loud. She had bagged a child with a man she loved and most of his money. He truly envied her. He got
When Nickolas got off the elevator, heads turned to look at him, some who were brave enough, whispered to their coworkers under their breath. It was clear that everyone was shocked just as Luther had been that morning, that they were going to work. He wondered what they must have been thinking all along. Did they think he was dying and the company was going down under? Lucky for them, he was back and ready to stir this ship to greater heights. As soon as Nickolas sat at his desk, his secretary came to his office and gave him a heap of messages that he needed to return. Soon enough he forgot all about Amelia and her drama, he had dodged a bullet there. Funny enough he thought he would lose his mind the day he found her with another man, but to his surprise he didn't feel a thing. Rather, his mind was preoccupied with Grace and the plans he had for them if she ever forgave him for his derailed ways. He wondered if it was too soon to ask for a second honeymoon.Luther knocked and peek