Chapter 7
ESCALATING TENSIONS
ELENA
"What's this?" I asked, holding the check with shaky hands as I stared at Jacinta, silently waiting for answers.
I could recognize that signature anywhere, it was Damien's signature without a doubt.
How many nights had I stayed up at night staring at the copy of our marriage certificate, tears streaming down my face and wishing that it was all a dream?
"Tell me, Jacinta," my voice came out sharper than I'd intended. "What's this about?" I stared at her, my eyes searching hers, looking for clues.
"Yes it's from Damien," Jacinta sighed, looking away. Her expression looked crestfallen. "He gave it to me."
"Why?" I repeated, holding the cheque between my thumb and index finger. I couldn't imagine any reason why Damien would give Jacinta a cheque worth… my eyes glanced over it and my eyes narrowed further.
A cheque worth half a million dollars, that was insane money. Whatever it was for, I didn't expect it to be good.
"I…" Jacinta's lips quivered and she tried and failed to meet my gaze. She raised her head after a moment and I noticed her eyes were teary.
"Whatever happens, Elena," she breathed heavily, her voice choking with emotion. "Just know I never planned for this, okay?"
'Wait, what!' my eyes widened and I froze, her words taking me by surprise. She continued speaking before I could react.
"Dam—" she cleared her throat. "He offered me a choice. To either leave and never come back, or—" Jacinta met my gaze. "Or he'd ensure I never get a job anywhere as long as I stayed."
"What!" I felt as if fireworks had set off in my mind and for a long moment, all I could do was stare. Damien said that? My insides tangled into knots as waves of fury, indignation, and sorrow filled me.
How could he?
"I'm so sorry," I whispered, thinking about how Damien must've coldly presented her with his terms, not giving her much of a choice.
I reached out to hold Jacinta's hand but she scooted away, avoiding my outstretched hand.
"I'm sorry, Elena," Jacinta whispered. She avoided my gaze as she spoke, "I took his offer."
"You don't have to worry about him, I can—" I was trying to console her when her words dawned upon me. A bolt of pain pierced through me with such force I winced.
"Yo–you, what?" I muttered weakly, my eyes fixed on Jacinta. "You accepted his terms?"
"Yes," Jacinta's voice was firmer now and she met my gaze squarely. "I'll only be a bad influence on you, I'm sorry Elena. But…" she bit her lips.
"This money will go a long way for me. It's very important to me."
I felt as if the world had come still. Jacinta's words echoed in my mind, till they reached a crescendo. 'it's very important to me'
More important than our friendship? Jacinta's face looked strange in my eyes, all familiarity and traces of the person I knew were gone.
"It's for the best," Jacinta whispered, she edged closer slowly before quickly whisking the check out of my hands. I didn't react, I just watched her turn on her heel and leave, leaving me standing alone.
Damien? Jacinta? How could he? How could she do this to me? My heart swelled with contrasting emotions as I strolled aimlessly on the streets. My expensive clothes drew strange looks from people but I couldn't care less.
By the time I'd reached the end of the street, my emotions had all warped into one flame. Anger.
Damien was pushing it, I gritted my teeth, anger coursing through me. He thought he could take whatever actions he could threaten whoever he wanted to threaten and get away with it.
In my fury, I subconsciously ignored the fact that Jacinta had also accepted his terms without refusing. All I had in my mind was rage.
I noticed the car Damien had arranged to bring me, it'd been slowly following me close to the curb. I didn't think twice, I walked briskly to the car and got in before the driver could come out to open it.
"Take me back home," I snapped, anger radiating off me. "Make it fast."
The driver nodded silently, putting the car in drive and moving away.
I spent the next couple of minutes in deep silence as I silently contemplated how to broach the topic when I got home.
The drive took longer than expected due to traffic. By the time the car was driving through the gates of the estate, my anger had subsided, replaced by raw pain.
I held my bag on my arm as I walked into the house, silently contemplating if I would check on Lily first before confronting Damien.
My heart skipped a beat when I walked into the living room. 'What happened here?' Blood drained from my face and my knees nearly buckled beneath me.
The entire place was a mess, the giant TV was on the ground, the curtains had been torn down by some brute force and I could see dark streaks on the wall.
I felt the hairs on the back of my neck rise as I looked around. My heart suddenly beat frantically and I rushed upstairs with one thought in mind.
Lily.
The sight of some more dark streaks on the walls made me frantic and I increased my pace, nearly tripping over the last step. I didn't pause to check if it was blood on the walls, all my mind was focused on Lily.
"Lily!" A scream tore itself from my throat as I burst into her room, the sight that greeted me made me freeze.
Damien was sitting by the edge of Lily's bed, and Lily was in his arms, one of his hands gently stroking her head.
"Damien," I whispered, my heart beating erratically. I hesitantly took a step forward, scared he'd make a sudden move.
"Damien," I repeated, taking a slow step forward. My heart lurched and I froze as his dark ominous gaze whipped to me suddenly. I felt a chill run down my spine, but I swallowed, willing myself to remain steady.
"Let me have Lily," I whispered, my tone pleading. Desperation clawed at the bottom of my throat when I stared into his eyes, those eyes didn't belong to Damien Landon.