Beast (Happily-Ever-After: The Illegitimates Book 1)

by Trisha Grace

  “Helena Shaw,” Mr. Eolenfeld said in a warning tone.

  Liam’s piercing eyes stared right at her. It was his turn to gauge how serious she was.

  She would give him the freedom to choose, as he did for her. “Give me a minute and we’ll leave.”

  Mr. Eolenfeld watched her as she strode back into the room.

  “He isn’t interested in listening or talking to you. We’re leaving.” Helena turned and was about to leave the room when she once again locked eyes with Liam.

  His scar didn’t bother her. She didn’t think it made Liam any less, but it had made him feel that way his entire life.

  Clenching her fists, she spun back to Mr. Eolenfeld. “You should’ve done something. Bobby should’ve been punished. Liam didn’t deserve to be locked away and abandoned. And you.” She jabbed her finger in his direction. “You should’ve known—like you do now—how truly monstrous your money-grubbing parasites are. You should’ve done more to protect him as a boy, and you should’ve done something for him when his mother died. How could you leave him alone in that mansion?”

  Mr. Eolenfeld merely stared back at her without a word.

  “But you know what, he doesn’t need you to do anything anymore. He’s more than capable of handling things himself.”

  “And you’ll no doubt be there to help him.”

  She drew a deep breath through her nose. “Thank you. I’ve told you this before, but I want to say it again.”

  “You’re cutting me off,” Mr. Eolenfeld said. “You’re choosing him.”

  Liam had told her that he wouldn’t make her choose, that as long as she returned to him, he would wait.

  But she wasn’t going to make him wait.

  “Yes.” Helena looked back over her shoulder when she heard the door click closed.

  Liam crossed the room to her.

  He wanted so badly to kiss her. He wanted way more than that. He wanted to fall on his knees and worship at her feet.

  His arms went around Helena, and he pulled her tight against himself. He didn’t want to hurt her by squeezing too hard, but he couldn’t seem to get her close enough.

  Liam had thought his life had been cursed the moment he was conceived. He thought God had been determined to break him in every way possible.

  But right now, he held in his arms something the parasites out there would never have or understand.

  He pressed a gentle kiss on her hair. She was more precious to him than his own heart. He would give up the world for her right now. He would spend the rest of his life making sure Helena got everything she wanted.

  Right now, he had to protect her from the Eolenfelds.

  “I don’t know why you lied about Helena being the executor of your will,” he said to Edward Eolenfelds. “But you’ll tell your parasites that you were lying. If any of them show up within a hundred feet of Helena, I’ll carve up their face like Bobby did to me.”

  “Have you ever seen Bobby remove his shirt?” Edward asked as casually as one might ask about the weather.

  “Did you hear what I said?” Liam’s low rumble was almost like a growl.

  “Have you ever seen Bobby remove his shirt?”

  Helena patted him softly on the chest. Liam loosened his arms, but didn’t release her completely.

  “His mother hurt him too,” Helena said. “He has a similar scar on his arm.”

  “That’s the only one on his arm. I didn’t know until … what happened to Evangeline. At first, Bobby was quiet. The police thought he was traumatized by what he saw.” Edward jerked his chin toward Liam. “You were quiet too. Your whole face was bloody. There was blood on Bobby’s hands. The police took you to the hospital and photographed you for evidence. I admit I went into crisis mode. I got lawyers and refused to let the police speak with you and Bobby. It wasn’t until much later that I found out Bobby only did that to you because Evangeline threatened to do it to him if he didn’t.”

  Liam had always known Bobby’s mother was evil, he just didn’t think she was that way to her own son.

  Helena licked her lips. “Still, you didn’t have to send Liam away.”

  “Liam’s mother threatened me. She wanted money, or she’d blow this up. If she did, if the press got hold of it, can you imagine what they would do? It wouldn’t be an accident. Accidents don’t sell newspapers. They would’ve said it was murder. Liam would forever be labeled a murderer. I didn’t want him tagged with that. So I gave her the money, in exchange for Liam and her staying away.”

  “You used money to solve your problem.”

  “That was how I used to solve all my problems.”

  Liam laughed once without humor. “You know yourself well.”

  Helena crossed her arms. “You sent them to that godforsaken place.”

  “It wasn’t a godforsaken place. I had staff maintaining it,” Mr. Eolenfeld said. “But Liam’s mother, out of spite, fired everyone. She tore up the place whenever she got drunk.” He glanced over at Liam. “I heard your temper didn’t help either.”

  “Not once did you think, ‘Oh, maybe she isn’t the best guardian for the boy?’”

  Mr. Eolenfeld rubbed a hand over his mouth. “I wasn’t a good man, Helena. I told you. I thought I’d paid them the money. They could do whatever they wanted, especially since …”

  “Since I wasn’t an Eolenfeld.” Liam had never heard all this. It didn’t change how he saw Bobby. He was still the selfish, entitled boy who chose to carve up Liam’s face to keep himself safe. It might have been self-preservation, but Liam didn’t care.

  He wasn’t all that surprised that his mother had tried to use the situation to extort more money. She had always made it clear that he was a disappointment. She had made it clear that he wasn’t enough to make his father think of them as real family.

  Which was what his mother had been after—to become an Eolenfeld.

  When Liam had seen the mansion from the car, all that hurt and misery of being linked to the Eolenfelds came crashing back. This was the last place he wanted to be, but he had to be here. He wasn’t going to let Helena walk in here alone.

  Especially not after what Bobby had said.

  All his hurt quickly faded the moment Helena put her hand into his. Her touch calmed the raging waves of emotion, and it reminded him of why he was there. Helena—and she was all that mattered.

  “I was going to send Bobby away too,” Edward Eolenfeld said. “Arrangements were being made when he had a nervous breakdown and tried to kill himself.” He sighed and turned his attention to Helena. “Your brother found Bobby hanging from the fan. He wasn’t strong enough to get him down, so he held Bobby up on his shoulders and called for help. Bobby had sent everyone in the wing away with a major tantrum, so it took a while for anyone to come. If it weren’t for Nigel, Bobby would be dead.”

  Helena’s eyes widened. “How come I didn’t know any of this?”

  “It was after your parents’ death. You were living with your aunt. She didn’t want you to know.”

  Helena blinked, seemingly in shock.

  “Your aunt felt you’d been through enough. She didn’t want to burden you with this.”

  Liam draped his arm around her shoulders, and she leaned into him.

  “I’m sorry, boy.” Edward gave them a head to toe scan.

  “His name is Liam.”

  Edward’s lips curled. “I always thought you and Bobby would end up together.”

  Liam’s hand instinctively flexed, tightening his hold on Helena’s shoulder.

  “I’ve never felt that way about him,” she said.

  “That was why I left Bobby a double portion.” Edward reached for the phone by his pillow. “I knew you would never accept my money.” He looked up after typing and sending a message. “I told the others you were the executor because I thought it would make Bobby step up. I thought it was working. He stormed in here and yelled at me for doing something so stupid.”

  “Maybe he’s just annoyed that yo
u wouldn’t give him the money directly,” Liam said.

  Edward looked at Helena. “You think so?”

  Helena drew a breath through her nose. “It was a stupid plan.”

  “Wars have been fought over women, Helena.”

  She rolled her eyes. “The Trojan War is fiction.”

  “Wouldn’t you go to war for Helena, Liam?”

  He would. Without a doubt, he would.

  “If you need me to sign anything so you can change your will without me being the witness, let me know.” Helena took Liam’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “Liam.” Edward waited for him to turn around before continuing, “I’m sorry. I truly am. If there’s anything you need from me, please let me know.”

  “I don’t need anything from you.”

  “I can get you a new place. I can set up a trust fund so you don’t ever have to worry about your future with Helena.”

  “I don’t need you to do that.”

  Helena grinned. “You know how you’re always going on about how every one of your children and grandchildren are useless parasites that never accomplished anything?” She leaned closer against Liam’s arm. “I think the Eolenfeld name is the curse. Without it, Liam has done very well for himself.”

  “How well?”

  Liam’s lips hooked back in a smirk. “I promise that Helena won’t ever have to work another day in her life, unless she wants to.”

  “I want to.”

  Liam ran his hand through her hair as he smiled down at her.

  Edward appraised Liam. “I had an epiphany in the ICU. I’m having another one now.”

  “Goodbye, Mr. Eolenfeld.”

  “Liam, is it impossible to request that Helena drop by every now and then to visit a dying old man?” Edward asked Liam.

  Helena shot him a glare. “Don’t do that. Don’t try and make him feel guilty, and why should you have to ask him? You think I can’t make my own decisions?”

  “But you’re cutting me off because of him. If Liam’s fine with it, you will be. You’re always brave for others.”

  Helena rolled her eyes.

  “I just got out of the ICU, Helena. All of them think I’m dying. Why do you think they’re all fighting to keep me isolated? What do you think they’ve been humming in my ears?”

  Helena looked over at the door. “Why don’t you just leave? Can’t you arrange for someone to take you away?”

  Liam drew a breath through his nose. He wasn’t quite sure how to deal with Edward Eolenfeld.

  It was obvious the old man was simply trying to make Helena feel guilty. Surely she knew that, but she was still worried about him.

  “Get someone to whisk you away to a secret location so no one knows where you are,” she continued.

  Edward leaned forward conspiratorially. “I’m up for it if you’re willing to break me out.”

  Helena narrowed her eyes. “I’m cutting you off, Mr. Eolenfeld. Keep up.”

  Liam tugged a stray hair behind Helena’s ear. He had no doubt she’d truly cut Edward Eolenfeld off for him. She had shown him over and over again that she would choose him. He had needed it. His heart had been so carved up that he needed patching up.

  Only Helena, with her big heart, could see past a monster like him. Monsters like Edward and Bobby Eolenfeld. Like Nigel.

  “Maybe next week,” Liam said and grinned when Helena frowned at him. “If you want to see him or plot to break him out of here.”

  Her brows drew closer. “Are you okay?”

  “It’ll be fun to see their reactions.” He cupped her face. “I’m choosing you, too. I’m choosing everything about you, and that includes how you’re able to care about monsters like them.” He knew he’d said the right thing when her lips parted in a brilliant smile that lit up her face.

  Chapter 20

  “You have it bad for him.”

  Helena looked over at Judith. Her friend’s strawberry-blond hair was tied up in a messy bun. She folded her legs up on the dining chair, looking comfortable in her light gray hoodie and black leggings.

  Not as comfortable as Helena was in Liam’s black hoodie, which was so large she probably didn’t even need the leggings she had on.

  Judith tapped on Helena’s iPad, then glanced over her shoulder at Liam. “I see where you got your inspiration for the character.”

  After they left the Eolenfeld mansion, Trevor had dropped Liam and Helena back at the hotel. Judith had called and asked to meet up to discuss and finalize the storyboard for her pitch.

  Liam didn’t want Helena going out while the stalker was still at large, so Judith ended up in their suite.

  The two of them took the round dining table while Liam sat at the desk in the corner of the living room.

  Helena and Judith were supposed to be talking about work. Instead, Judith grilled her on everything that had happened.

  “Was it love at first sight?” her friend asked in a whisper. They had been doing that the whole time since Liam wasn’t seated too far away.

  His focus was entirely on his laptop’s screen, though.

  “I couldn’t even see his face at first sight,” Helena said. “I only saw his silhouette.”

  “It must have been for him. Why else would he come running to you when he heard you scream?”

  “He’s a good person,” Helena said.

  Judith closed Helena’s iPad and slid it back toward her. “Are you going to say yes?”

  “To what?”

  “You said he proposed.”

  “He didn’t propose.”

  “He wanted to marry you before the sun rose, right?”

  “That wasn’t a proposal,” Helena said. Though she couldn’t say Liam wasn’t serious. If she had agreed, she had no doubt he would have made that happen.

  “So if he really proposes, will you say yes?”

  Would she? Helena wasn’t sure. It had only been a little over a week, but already she couldn’t imagine life without him. She twitched a shoulder.

  Judith waved it off. “That’s not the most important thing anyway.” She glanced over at the sketchbook Helena had shown her. “Is he sure he’s deleted everything?”

  “He wouldn’t say so if he wasn’t.” Helena stared at the sketchbook. She hadn’t wanted Liam’s brother to see what was inside because of how sexually suggestive the sketches were. Judith was another woman, so Helena didn’t mind as much.

  “Whoever the stalker is, he must be fuming right now.”

  “Liam still has his program crawling through the Internet.”

  “I’m glad that of all the people your brother might have dumped you with, it was with him.” Judith stuck her fork into a slice of kiwi from the plate of fruit Cassian had sent to their room.

  Cassian hadn’t just ordered fruit. There was a three-tier mini pyramid of bite-sized cakes and cookies. He had informed Liam about it before it was delivered. She was certain Cassian wouldn’t do anything to her food, and the person who prepared and delivered it probably didn’t even know her.

  Still, she wasn’t all that keen to take a bite.

  Judith looked over her shoulder at Liam again. “Instead of hacking into GS Inc., why don’t you just ask for access?”

  “From your stepmother?”

  Her friend scowled. “Of course not. I wouldn’t ask you to do that, but there’s always Ronald.” She twisted around in her chair and propped her elbow on the back of it. “Not that I’m doubting your skills, Liam, but I don’t think you’ll be able to hack into the system. Gaming is pretty cut-throat. Secrecy is very important. Our systems are secured.”

  Helena smiled at her friend. Judith’s stepmother had stolen her game and booted her out of her father’s company, but Judith still thought of herself as part of GS Inc.

  Judith turned back around and pinched a bite-sized cake. “I bet if you ask nicely, Ronald will help you get through or get those logs for you.” She popped the cake into her mouth.

  Liam looked up from the laptop an
d arched a brow at her.

  “Ronald,” Helena said, loud enough for Liam to hear, “is one of the game developers at GS Inc.” He was one of the rare decent guys at the company. “But he was a little much.” She turned to Judith. “So, no thanks.”

  Since Helena wasn’t on the actual game development team, she didn’t show up often at the office. It was only in the initial stages that she had to be there, and it had been torture to maintain her smile while Ronald followed her around. He was always hanging around nearby and would jump at any chance to talk to or do something for her.

  It had been sweet, until it wasn’t.

  If she coughed a little, he would bring her a cup of water or coffee, which she never drank. If she complained about being hungry, he would appear with snacks, which she never ate even if they were sealed.

  Ronald had asked her out once, twice, three times. Helena gave up counting after the fifth time. Still, he continued hanging around her.

  It had gotten so bad that Helena made Judith promise never to leave her alone when she was at GS Inc. Especially not after what she saw happening in the pantry with Priscilla.

  Judith shrugged a shoulder. “What about Jay? He’d have the rights to access the files.”

  Jay, the project manager, had been arrogant and masochistic.

  “You hate that guy,” Helena said.

  “He doesn’t think women should have anything to do with game development, but he’s absolutely fine with you being a children’s book illustrator.”

  Which was why Jay mainly rolled his eyes or made snide remarks whenever Helena or Judith fought against any changes he wanted on the game.

  “If Harriet finds out that you’re trying to hack into the system,” Judith said to Liam, “she’ll sue you for all you’ve got.”

  “I won’t get caught.”

  Helena’s lips curled at Liam’s confidence.

  “GS Inc. has a good system, but it isn’t using Shadow Corp.’s system.”

  “Shadow Corp.?” Judith looked at Helena, her eyes wide.

  “About that …” Helena pursed and released her lips. “I wasn’t sure if I should tell you. Liam and his brothers own Shadow Corp.”