Page 9 of Cruel Heir

“It’s okay, Beth. Leave us alone.” Isabel gave the tiny blonde a reassuring nod, and I heard the door shut behind me. “Are you here to threaten me again?” she asked without looking at me.

“I’m sorry,” I muttered.

I was not lying. I had been so caught up with keeping up with this monster that I turned into, and I only realized that when Isabel mentioned it. I already became my father.

“I can’t believe I was acting the way I was because a child threatened me.” I laughed at how ridiculous that sounded as I sat down next to her gently.

Isabel visibly relaxed a bit as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I don’t want you to be worried about anything,” I added. “This baby will be safe. I won’t let anything happen to him.”

I wasn’t the type to make promises often. There wasn’t much in my life that mattered enough to me, but I meant every word I told Isabel. Frankly, I didn’t give a shit if my father planned to use the baby against me. I wouldn’t stoop down to his level and harm an innocent child.

“No matter who the father is?” Isabel asked. Her voice was so quiet. If I weren’t sitting close to her, I wouldn’t have been able to hear her.

“Yes,” I answered confidently.

Isabel’s eyes shimmered slightly, and a small smile appeared on her lips. For once in a long time, I felt like I had actually done something genuine.

“It’s you,” Isabel revealed as tears fell down her cheeks.

I didn’t know if it was fear or even mood swings that made her cry, but I pulled Isabel in, and she buried her face on my shoulder.

“I’m here for you, alright?” I uttered softly. “Whatever you need.”

The situation made me realize that no one paid attention to the few people left in our lives and how we affected them. The power, the control, the business – they meant nothing amid all this chaos.

“It’s okay,” I continued, trying to soothe Isabel. “I’m gonna make sure that you and the baby are okay.”

That was a promise I was willing to keep. I had someone to protect now, and there was no way I would let that go to waste. At that moment, I forgot about Eloisa. But then again, I had some unfinished business with her. I refused to let her go easily if the accusations about her were true.

*****

Eloisa

A few more days passed, and there was still no sign of Keith. Fortunately, I had an endless pile of schoolwork to deal with to even think about him for more than a second. Sure, being the person I was, I couldn’t help it whenever my mind drifted towards the man, but Nick’s face would pop up right after that, telling me how stupid I’d be if I didn’t listen to him. And that’s what I did.

Allison left on Thursday since her mother called her because of her dog’s health. I knew how much Allison loved Pepper, so I told her to go home and cover some of her work. Hence, I found myself with more things to do than ever.

I was in the room with a huge cup of coffee right next to me when I heard the loud chatter outside in the dormitory corridor. It was Friday, and there was an open house party somewhere, so everyone was practically going.

Everyone but me.I took a deep breath. I didn’t like parties, but I felt like going to one tonight. Hell, it had been a tiring week. Not to mention, her absence made my life boring.

“But I still have a lot of schoolwork to finish, so let’s get this started,” I reminded myself before pulling my hair back in a tight ponytail, preparing myself for an entire night of studying.

Just as I opened my laptop, I heard a knock on my door. I groaned. That was the problem with dorms on a busy night – everyone was suddenly illiterate and couldn’t tell the difference between rooms 206 and 209.

“This is not two hundred and fucking nine!” I yelled out loud. It was probably the fifth time I had to do that. I took another sip of my coffee as I tried to focus on my work.

But then, someone knocked louder.

I got up. “Okay, that’s it.” After wiping my hands on my sweatpants, I cracked my fingers.I’m going to kill whoever’s out there.I pulled the door open. “Listen here, you little—”

To my surprise, it wasn’t some wasted guy or girl who couldn’t read.

“Look at you. You’re like a small angry muffin.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to that because that’s not what you say to someone you ghosted for a week. “What are you doing here, Keith?” I asked instead, crossing my arms over my chest.

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