Chapter Seven

“What??… Your father and sister are back in town…” Angela’s eyes widened, her mouth full with the piece of chicken she was eating, just before Emma came into the house.

Emma was too shaken to speak, so she only nodded miserably. What’s worse? She couldn’t tell Angela about her father’s demands. She headed to her room, her mind spinning out of control.

“What will you do?... You can’t keep living like this, Emma… Just look at you. You are not the happy Emma that left the house this morning…”

‘I could kill him…’ Emma blurted out, as she dumped her bag on her bed. Maybe she should poison her father instead; that should get him off her back. But she laughed at her foolishness, despite the tears that burned in her eyes. Alexander’s thoughts flashed, and her heart yearned desperately for him. Yet, again, her father’s evil plan stood stark against her feelings for him.

“Emma Taylor, you need to put them in their place… and you need to do it now. You have worked hard, so hard, for the last six years building this new life.”

“Do you think I don't know that?...” Emma lashed out, her voice shaking.

“I won’t let them bully you anymore, Emma…. I will not let it happen.”

“It’s not that simple, Angela…”

“Emma… You are my friend, and you can’t keep getting tossed around like a ball…”

“I know that, okay… I will think of something…”

“Let’s go to Alexander… He can help…”

“No… No… My family is too messy to pull him into. My father is the king of manipulators. I don't want to drag him into it…”

“Do you think he isn’t involved already? You just said he paid $10,000 for just two nights… He is so involved, Emma.”

Emma let out a shaky breath.

“I could run away…”

“You will break Alexander’s heart if you do that, Emma.”

Maybe that was best. She’d rather break his heart than poison him. But then, even if she ran away, she couldn’t trust her father. His heart is already set on Reed Technologies, and Harold will go to any length to get it on a platter of gold, even if it means hurting people. She could go to the police, but the thought made fear grip her from the inside, and her heart sank. Her father’s hold was unseen, yet it weighed heavily on her.

“I just want to sleep, Angela… I want to sleep…”

Angela’s gaze was fixed on her. She was quiet, but one could tell she was worried for her friend.

“I will think of something…” Emma said, shutting her eyes. She didn’t shower that night; all she wanted to do was sleep. That was her safe space—she forgot everything. Growing up in an abusive home meant sleep was your safe space, where you could be oblivious to everything and everyone.

Her phone rang, and she jumped from the bed. Angela had left her alone when she shut her eyes. She picked up her phone and saw the strange number. Her father!

Emma didn’t pick up. She couldn’t.

But a message popped in.

(“Pick up my call now. Or I will be forced to call Alexander. I’m sure he will be glad to pick my calls. Oh, in case you are not aware, he gave me his number when I sent you off to sign some documents as your sister’s guardian in the hospital.”)

The phone rang one more time, and she picked up this time.

“I didn’t think you would keep ignoring my call after that message…” Harold's cold voice sent shivers down her spine.

“What do you want? I’m sure you’re glad already… You’re beginning to reap from Reed Technologies… $10,000 in one night, father…”

“Oh, that is just the beginning, Emma. Too bad Alexander is so in love with you that he can’t see what’s about to hit him…”

“Alexander is a good man…”

“Oh, save it… Come to the hospital tomorrow. We need to talk. Let’s start putting plans in place to make the company ours…”

“I will not come to the hospital, and we have no plans together. Goodnight, father.”

Emma cut the phone, her hand trembling as she turned it off.

She wanted to scream out loud, but she couldn’t. Instead, she screamed into her pillow.

Emma knew she needed to act fast, but as usual, she felt helpless. Unsure of what to do. While tossing and turning on her bed, an idea popped into her head, and she decided to try it out. Maybe that would make her father leave her the hell alone.

*******************

“Isabella was in your bedroom… dude, are you kidding me?” Brian hollered.

“Keep your voice down…” Alexander crossed his legs, leaning into the chair in his office. He had a slight frown on his face. He had to sleep in a hotel the night before because he wasn't sure he could spend any more minute in the house without touching Isabella. He hadn’t been physically intimate with a woman for about five years. Isabella’s body could drive any man crazy, but he had long since learned to tame his desires.

“That’s wild… What? How did she get in?”

“My father… and I can't wait to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Isabella isn’t so bad, Alex… I mean, she has a banging body… Her family is rich… What else could a man possibly ask for? She offered herself to you freely, man…”

“Brian, I’ve said it more than once: I have no feelings whatsoever for Isabella. I didn’t mind being friends with her, but the stunt she pulled yesterday crushed any friendship possibility…”

“This has to do with Emma, doesn’t it?”

Alexander was quiet, but Brian saw the warmth in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter, Brian… What matters is, I won't date a woman throwing herself at me. No matter what.”

“Isabella is hot…”

“You can have her…”

“No thank you…”

Jefferson Reed cleared his throat, his face in a grimace. Alexander looked up. He didn’t realize his father had been standing at the door. He frowned slightly, his jaw clenching.

“So, after handing down my son Reed Technologies, he’s wasting his time chatting about women…”

“Maybe if boundaries had been respected, I wouldn’t be here talking about a woman…”

Brian sensed the tension in the air, and he made to leave the room.

“Stay back, Brian…” Alexander said, his eyes not leaving his father.

“That girl is wife material for you, Alex…”

“I get to choose who I will marry, father. Not you…”

“Oh, really? Do you think someone in your position has to do things the high-school, goosebumps in the belly way? No. You are Alexander Reed, my son. You marry who looks right for you by society’s standards… And Isabella is all you need.”

“So does that mean you never loved mother? You only married her because she looked aesthetically pleasing to you?”

Jefferson Reed was quiet.

“Answer me, father… Was mother just a piece of art to you? One that fits the shelf of your life? Answer me…” Alexander bellowed.

Jefferson’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing.

"That’s what I thought," Alexander said bitterly. "You may have settled for a life without love, but I won’t."

Jefferson’s expression hardened. "You’ll see reason eventually. Isabella is your future, whether you like it or not."

Alexander turned away, his mind racing. He walked to the window, trying to cool off, but then he heard the door click open.

He turned, and Emma stepped inside. Without hesitation, she spoke, her voice calm but urgent. "Alex, we need to talk."

Her words hung in the air. The fact that she called him Alex, without hesitation, hinted at intimacy and familiarity. It wasn’t the usual "Mr. Reed" or even "Sir"—it was just Alex. The intimate tone was too glaring for Jefferson Reed.

Jefferson froze. His gaze fixed on Emma with a mix of shock and confusion.

"Uh oh" Brian muttered.

"What did you just call him?" Jefferson asked, his tone icy.