Chapter 6
Elena
I ended up forgiving Jax. I couldn't help it.
The guy had just spent three years locked away from the world. He didn't understand anything about what was happening out here. How could I stay mad at him?
After I drained that ginger tea, I looked down and saw him kneeling on the floor. His eyes were red.
"Elena, I'm useless. I couldn't protect you or Mary. I let that bastard William threaten you both, and I just..."
His voice cracked. I could see him struggling to hold it together.
That was it. Whatever resentment I'd been holding onto just melted away.
I stood up and pulled him to his feet, shaking my head at him.
"This isn't your fault. Stop putting all this on yourself. As for Chloe's case..."
I took a deep breath. God, I was so tired.
"If she's willing to actually cooperate with me, I'll do my best."
My throat felt bitter, but I pushed past it and gave him what I hoped was a reassuring smile. It probably looked as pathetic as I felt.
Jax stared at me, and I could see something break in his expression.
He reached out like he was going to touch my face the way he used to, but I flinched back before I could stop myself.
The air between us went awkward real fast.
"Elena..."
He said my name and then just stood there like he'd forgotten how words worked.
I forced myself to recover, laughing it off as I pushed his hand away.
"We're not kids anymore! No more head pats to make everything better. Okay, I really need to sleep now. You should too."
The next day, my inbox was still dead silent.
I'd even lowered my standards and applied to some smaller firms. Mid-size places that should've been desperate for someone with my qualifications.
But I got nothing. Either radio silence or rejections that didn't even make sense. They'd say I didn't meet their standards for an interview, which was complete garbage.
I frowned at my laptop screen.
I'd passed the bar exam. Sure, I wasn't a law school graduate, but that shouldn't matter this much. Something was wrong.
A suspicion started forming in my mind, and then one HR person basically confirmed it.
[Ms. Vance, I have to be honest with you. You're definitely qualified for our position.]
[But it seems like you've upset someone important. Someone who's issued a blacklist order in the industry. At least here in St. Sterling, no one's going to hire you.]
[So you should probably stop trying. Sorry. Take care.]
I watched her messages appear on my screen. Then she read my "seen" receipt and deleted everything.
My blood went cold.
Of course.
It had to be William.
I squeezed my phone so hard my knuckles went white.
Did he really hate me this much? Enough to completely destroy my career?
Emotions burned through me like wildfire, scorching everything inside until I could barely breathe.
But reality was reality. I had to calm down. I had to be practical. Which meant I had to call William and negotiate.
He picked up fast.
"So you finally decided to call?"
Was I imagining things, or did he actually sound amused? Like this was all some game to him?
My chest felt stuffed with cotton. Every breath took effort.
"Boss, I need to see you."
He usually avoided me like the plague. If it wasn't for Sarah Holloway insisting on those monthly dinners, we'd never see each other at all.
I braced myself for mockery or an outright refusal. I already had my arguments ready.
But William didn't follow the script.
"What did you just call me? Boss? Elena, are you even still my employee?"
His voice dropped lower. I couldn't tell if he was teasing me or threatening me.
I went quiet, then gave in.
"Mr. Holloway."
He still wasn't satisfied.
"Elena, do you really have to be this dramatic?"
Hurt washed over me like a wave.
I scrubbed my hand across my face, trying to keep the tears out of my voice.
"William, can we meet or not?"
I couldn't keep up the polite tone anymore. But somehow that actually worked in my favor.
"Tonight at nine. I'll come to the house."
I opened my mouth.
The house?
I'd never thought of the place where William and I lived as my home. It never felt like one.
I wanted to suggest somewhere else, but he hung up before I could say anything.
Nine o'clock came and went.
I stood outside the house, hugging my arms against the cold. I should've worn a jacket, but I'd been too anxious to think straight.
Nine-fifteen.
I paced back and forth, my breath forming little clouds in the air. Every time headlights appeared down the street, my heart jumped. But the cars just kept driving past.
Nine-thirty.
He wasn't coming.
Or maybe he was, and making me wait like this was part of the punishment. Another way to remind me how powerless I was.
I wrapped my arms tighter around myself. The cold was seeping into my bones now.
This was stupid. I was stupid for thinking he'd actually show up on time. For thinking he'd treat this meeting with any respect at all.
But I couldn't leave. Without the title of Mrs. Holloway, I was just an ordinary person with no power to fight back against the heir to Holloway Group.
Letting him vent his anger, meeting with him, talking to him—that was the only way to get any breathing room.
Thunder cracked across the sky. Lightning lit up everything for a split second, and the sound that followed was deafening.
I practically jumped out of my skin. I'd always hated storms.
Then the rain started.
Fat drops hit my shoulders, my hair, soaking through my thin shirt in seconds. I hunched over, trying to make myself smaller, but there was nowhere to hide.
I smiled bitterly at nothing.
Of course. Of course it would rain.
This was exactly the kind of night William would choose to humiliate me. To make me stand out here like a dog waiting for scraps.
But even knowing that, I couldn't make myself leave.
The rain suddenly stopped hitting me.
I blinked and looked up.
A pair of black dress shoes stood in front of me. I followed the sharp crease of his pants upward.
William stood there in a trench coat, looking down at me with that cold expression on his face.
But somehow, even though his eyes were still distant, he was blocking all the rain from hitting me.
I didn't know what to say. I just stared up at him, unable to form words.
