Page 18 of Darkest Deception

“You seem to be very attentive for someone who isn’t interested in my life. You want to see me fuck her? Is that what you want? A show? So that, what? You can label me as incapable of running the company?

I choke on absolutely nothing. Helia takes a step closer to me and leans down to press his lips by my ear.

“Be careful how you speak to me, Ambrose. I won’t hesitate to choke you on the very water you used as your disguise to listen in on the gossip.”

My jaw drops open.

He strides away from me, his threat hanging like a dagger above my head.

I will never win against him if this keeps going. He has left me shocked and horrified after every single interaction. His parting words just now are an exact reflection of him.

Cruel. Disgusting. And a menace to society.

But watching him take control and be so commanding, it’s twisting my opinion of this big bad guy who has stolen everything from me. I can see now that he’s more than capable of keeping Glamorous afloat.

Doesn’t mean I’ll accept it.

Soon enough, we are all done, and I head home. I don’t tell Helia that I’m leaving. The workday is more than over. It’s seven in the evening. I am tired.

Soaking in a beautiful hot bath is definitely what I need to soothe my muscles after being on my feet all day.

Tomorrow is Friday. Last day of the week.

As soon as I step foot inside my house, I catch movement in the corner of the hallway, and my mind instantly reels back to the mysterious hooded man. I take a deep breath, telling myself it’s just security doing inside checks of the mansion.

My stalker doesn’t just stand there watching my window anymore. He explores and wanders around the back garden as if he has no care in the world that my security guards, who patrol the property, will catch him. Every. Single. Night.

He is getting more confident.

I need to put a stop to this before it gets worse. Somehow.

I don’t want to end up like my sister.

I don’t want to be crazy and paranoid, obsessed that someone could easily end my life.

Helia would have no problem killing me if he truly had the chance, and I think he would do it.

His crude words flash through my mind. I can’t believe he wanted me to watch him fuck Lilith like I am an exhibitionist who loves seeing that shit. Funnily enough, Helia seems the type to do exactly that. To get back at me. To make me angry. To piss me off, or to even just prove his point.

My eyes shut, and an image of his eyes on me as he kisses Lilith flickers through my mind. Disgusted with myself, this mental image makes me cringe. I won’t give in. I could never see myself with someone like him. Never in my life.

My muscles finally relax under the hot water. The peace that consumes me is a rare reprieve. The water manages to release the tension from my body, and my shoulders drop, my body floating.

A loud thud comes from my bedroom. I flinch and snap my eyes open.

Water slouches around me, and I wrap my arms around my knees. The aroma of lavender is gone, and the cold air of the bathroom seeps into my bare skin, making goosebumps rise.

My heart beats erratically.

It’s him.

It is definitely him.

I know it.

I knew he was growing far too confident.

With fear gripping my throat and my heart racing a hundred miles an hour in my chest, I snatch the towel off the hook and wrap it around me, rushing out of the bathroom and into my bedroom with bare feet and water dripping down my body. A piece of rolled paper wrapped in a green bow sits on top of my bed.

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