by Lannah Smith
"True," she murmured, her eyes flicking to Christopher.
It was time Christopher put an end to the topic.
"I'll wash the dishes," he said, stacking the plates. "You and you," he pointed at them both, "get the hell out of my kitchen."
April chuckled before she hopped off the stool and kissed him. Hell, but how he loved to hear her laugh. She'd been doing it often now. Her happiness pleased him so much.
The two retreated to the sofa and Christopher started washing the dishes in the sink, thinking about her.
April was finding her place in the world again and so many people were helping her. Sophia was assisting her with college. Terry was guiding her back into the social graces of their peers. Emilia had helped her reconcile with Abigail and now the three were poring over wedding magazines and April was tasked with the floral arrangements and other designs. She had a knack for it after all and she loved doing it no matter how exhausting it made her become at the end of the day.
While she was doing the things that were making her happy, Christopher was doing everything he could to enable that.
Full-time covert protection and surveillance.
He had Jaehyun and Klay leading those. Jaehyun was meant to go with her everywhere and stay by her side no matter what. Klay was there to ensure no harm would come to them.
Nick had also offered his services no matter how much Christopher was rejecting it. But the situation has changed. He needed all the help he could get. The Russians were giving them more crap and Edward fucking Locke had disappeared.
Edward Locke hadn't attended Terry's party. And as far as Christopher could recall, it had been the first time that he hadn't attended that event. Locke was already aware that they were back in the city and had also probably seen Christopher and April’s picture on the city’s socialite magazine. His men had already started moving and their little chess game had now progressed even further.
Soon, everything would end.
Soon, April would be free from her father.
Christopher's grandparents hadn't gone to both of the parties they attended recently. His grandfather was still seething over his disobedience and was keeping on sending him angry messages, voicemails and even memos. Alec was taking the full-brunt of his anger since he was shielding the most of it from Christopher. He'd be sorry for it but it was a job Alec had signed up for from the start.
Finished with the dishes, he dried his hands and walked out of the kitchen. They weren't on the sofa, he noticed. And neither of them noticed him when he heard them talking by the elevator.
He was about to round the corner and announce his presence when he heard April speak.
"I want you to look up something for me, Alec."
He stopped.
"I saw this... this woman yesterday again."
"A woman?" Alec sounded concerned.
"Yes. It's the fourth time I saw her and I definitely know it's the same woman. She was looking at me strangely again... it gave me the chills just seeing that expression on her face."
"What expression?"
A pregnant pause, then, "Blame."
Christopher inhaled sharply.
"I wanted to ask Christopher's opinion about this first but you are in such a hurry to leave that I... I don't want him assigning this to someone else. I'm not... it's not like I don't trust Jaehyun or Klay—"
"I understand, Miss Locke. Don't worry. I'll look into this."
"Thank you. I just feel like I know her somewhere but I don't think I've actually met her. Or talked to her. Or done something to make her hate me which, let's be honest, I'm famous for - are you smiling?"
"No."
"I think you were," she said in an accusing tone.
"Do you need anything else?"
A sigh, then, "No. You can leave if you want to."
Christopher turned the corner to see the elevator doors closing on Alec. April looked at him.
"You just missed him," she said with a grumpy expression.
He pulled her into his arms. "I see him every day. I won't miss him."
She smiled. "You heard, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did," he admitted.
"What is your deal with Alec?"
"I already told you everything you need to know, honey," he said, blinking innocently at her.
She rolled her eyes. "You're keeping something from me."
"Alec's keeping something from you."
"Fine," she blew out a sigh, "I won't prod. But it does make me awfully curious."
Christopher wasn't certain if Alec would be safe from April's prying if most of the things she'd done was for curiosity's sake. Her curiosity was a powerful thing, an innate motivator filling in the gaps of her old bleak life.
As much as Christopher had opened a new world to her, April had also opened a new world to him.
Accepting that the past couldn't be undone and trying to put it behind her, she helped Christopher take his mind off their problems at night and by day, helped him with his situation at the office when she had the extra time. Christopher was amazed by the wealth of information in her memory. He knew she knew everyone who was anyone in the city but he didn't know the extent of the information she had on every single one of them.
"I told you I was curious," she told him when he exhibited so much surprise over the background data she had on one of his more stubborn clients. "It wasn't for blackmail, I just wanted to know why he kept buying limited-edition dolls. I happened to know about it because he outbid me when I was trying to buy one for Rita's daughter."
"And when you found out he had a child with his mistress?"
She gave him a lock. "I kept quiet, of course. He's not going to sell you that property because that's where he's keeping them. But maybe if you offered something..."
The implied suggestion wasn't lost on him. He smiled.
Two days later, Christopher bought the property.
Christopher had offered that client a deal he couldn't afford to reject, which included protection.
"About that woman," he started to say but she hushed him.
"Alec already promised to take care of it."
He laughed low. She missed Alec's company. She'd grown to depend on him too. "Fine," he whispered. His head was bent, his mouth inches from her own. "I'll let him deal with it as he sees fit."
"Good," she pressed her lips to his and pushed him away before he could attempt to deepen the kiss. "I forgot to tell you. Hannah still hates my guts."
He laughed and watched her pick up her phone from the table. "She'll come around, honey."
She snorted disbelievingly.
"I don't think it will happen anytime soon. I did embarrass the hell out of her back in high school." She gave him her eyes again and her voice went soft. "And it was something I did on purpose too."
Chapter 68
It was strange, having Terry Evans as a protector when we butted heads with each other before more times than I could count.
She was like a mother hen when we were out together, watching over me close, teaching me the latest trends, stopping when I try to speak my mind which was, for the most part, me being rather blunt and offensive.
It was strange having Sophia Gage as a friend when I tried to destroy her relationship.
She reminded me so much of a mom too, the type of empathetic mom who respected my limits but wasn’t afraid to scold me if I too was being rather blunt and offensive.
It felt stranger to be so close to Emilia and not having to worry about it. And what felt strangest of all was how their significant others no longer stare at me with pure disdain but with concern, respect and loyalty.
It was me who was still unsure at this new relationship with them, swinging between puzzled and alarm. I had grown up not trusting in anyone because I might be used or worse, betrayed. It was something that would take me long to get used to but I rather like having those kinds of relationships with them.
Hannah was the only person left who didn't want
to have anything to do with me. And there was no love lost between her and I.
Years ago, when we were in middle school, I didn't know what screw went loose in her brain when she decided that she wanted to sit on my table. And demanded for me to go elsewhere.
I had already built a reputation as a bitch, a queen bitch. I couldn’t let her humiliate me and ruin the reputation I had made for myself to keep everyone away.
So I humiliated her. Insulted her to her core. Made everyone turn against her.
It was something I hadn’t really regretted. She seemed like a strong girl. She could handle herself. And she did when she made Terry her ally.
Now we were all sitting together in one table, watching Emilia and Rohan dance their first dance at the dance floor of the Evans ballroom. I didn't become the maid of honor no matter how much Emilia and even Abigail tried to persuade me. I wasn't even a bridesmaid, that duty went to two of her best friends. Instead, I threw myself into making sure this day would be perfect for her, from the church to the reception.
And it was beautiful, watching Emilia and Rohan say, "I do."
There were no dry eyes during the ceremony even amongst the men.
Save for me. I didn’t want to cry and miss any second of Emilia's special day.
Emilia was glowing in her wedding gown when she wasn't bawling. It was a nice day and everyone was nice to me, even going as far as being friendly, like I was welcome.
Like I belonged.
I never felt like I belonged. I knew this was Terry's doing. She had authority over the females in the city and they would be stupid to cross her. Like they once were stupid enough to cross me.
Like Hannah, I showed them no mercy.
But Terry would ruin them if they try to cause a scene at Emilia's beautiful wedding, I would to, so they were trying to fake friendliness to me.
They expected me to be cheerful and excited about celebrating the happiest day of Emilia’s life and I was happy for her. I was. But what about my father? He was always in the back of my mind. He still wanted me back. Would he just show up one day? Now that he wasn’t making a move, my fear was magnified.
Where was he? And what was he planning?
“You can’t let him ruin your life… ruin our lives,” Emilia corrected as they were poring over a magazine together in my bedroom. “He shouldn’t have that kind of power over you. Not anymore.”
She told me to stop thinking about this. But every time I went out of the penthouse, I always get this heavy weight in the pit of my stomach and it didn’t go away until I was back home. I finally did, as the weeks that came turned hectic for Emilia and Rohan’s wedding. Cramping a year’s worth of preparations into two months wasn’t easy. But we somehow did.
I was talking to Terry when the DJ asked the best man and maid of honor to take the dance floor. From the middle of the dance floor, Emilia looked at me then at Christopher and winked. Wordlessly, Christopher turned to me and pulled me out of my seat.
"I'm not the maid of honor," I protested, searching for Abigail who had managed to disappear.
Emilia laughed as Rohan swayed themselves near us. "Abigail went off somewhere with her boyfriend,” she told me giddily. “Just go dance with him. You’re supposed to be the maid of honor anyway."
“What the bride wants, the bride gets,” Rohan reminded me with a tiny grin.
Christopher tugged on my hand and when I looked at him, he was looking at me with a suspiciously innocent expression.
“Why do I feel that you put them up to this?” I asked him as he guided me to the middle of the dance floor.
He laughed and draw me closer. His left hand rested lightly on my waist while his other held my hand. “Because I did,” he confessed.
The boyish grin on his face made me laugh. I put my free hand on his shoulder and said, “You’ll pay for this later, Christopher.”
“Oh, I’ll atone for it.” He gave me a wink. “You have my word, honey.”
We were dancing alone on the floor, everyone watching, and somewhere, I heard Sophia bursting into tears again. Christopher’s gaze was riveted on me and he looked so blissful, so in love that my throat knotted. His love for me shone like a beacon, so unmistakable that I was overcome with it.
He leaned down to kiss me, sweet and tender. When he pulled away, I barely noticed that the ballroom had gone silent save for the beautiful music that came from the orchestra.
"I love you, April," Christopher whispered to me.
Tears sprung to my eyes. I had never really told him I loved him.
I smiled into his beautiful face.
“I—."
"How dare you live like this, you bitch?"
My body went stiff and my head jerked up. Christopher was quick to push me behind him but I still saw her. And the sight of her washed over me like a freezing cold wave drowning me in debilitating dread.
It was the woman who'd been following me around, glaring from a distance. She was advancing to us, in a server's garb, her scathing eyes on me. From the corner of my eyes, I saw men striding towards her.
"Who are you?" I asked and Christopher hushed me.
Her brows lifted. "Me? I'm just the wife of the man who died trying to save your fucking ass."
Gasps filled the room as the music died.
Years of training to control my reactions kept me on my feet, even when the raw shock and fear in my quivering heart wanted nothing more than to break me down and shatter me completely.
"You let my husband die. You let your father kill him. How dare you be happy!" she screeched.
I'd only seen a picture of her once. When Dan and her were just newly-weds. She'd been a blonde beauty. But now she was barely and painfully unrecognizable, her hair a mess, her face hollow and her eyes sunken with so much pain.
"No," I shook my head, swallowing with difficulty, "No. I didn't mean for it to happen—."
Struggling from Klay's hold when he tried to take her outside, she screamed some more, "He cared for you! More than anything else in the world! More than me! More than our child! You kept taking him away from us but you let him die!"
I came unstuck and moved back, my hand flying to my mouth to stifle a scream of anguish. Christopher turned to me but I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t look at anyone but her.
"Bring me back my husband, you monster!" The doors closed behind her yet I could still hear her screaming. "Bring him back!"
Christopher was shaking with fury when I finally summed up the courage to look at him.
"April..." he started, his fingers giving my shoulder a squeeze. “Don’t listen to her.”
Tears rolled down my eyes.
"I told you," I said softly. "I would always be my father's daughter."
Then I turned and ran.
Not once did Hannah feel even an ounce of sympathy for April Locke.
She had lived like a princess, behaved like a queen.
And the way she had humiliated Hannah and let her become a victim of bullying, despite it happening long ago, was something Hannah could never forgive.
Christopher hadn't told her the exact details regarding April's disappearance. Nor did he explain the circumstances of her return. She just knew that April was back, that April was with Christopher now, and that somehow, April didn't graduate from university and that her hands had become a little rough and calloused, like she'd unbelievably lowered herself to doing manual labor.
Yet somehow, April still had retained that dignified air around her, that overwhelming presence that made Hannah remember her humiliation, pissing her off.
There was no way they'd ever get along.
So when Hannah saw what had unfolded in front of her, what she had heard from the woman who wasn't a server after all, Hannah watched April ran gracefully out of the ballroom in those hopelessly high heels, her mouth wide open in shock.
Christopher ran after.
In fact, all of them ran after her, calling her name. Terry, John, Emilia, Rohan and Leon.
All but an ashen-faced Sophia since she was holding her baby in her arms.
Shoving her glass of wine at Will's way, Hannah followed after them. But they must have made a wrong turn because she was the only person who caught up to April and Christopher. Rounding the corner, Hannah swung back into hiding when she saw how they were arguing out the hall that led to the Evans gardens.
April was trying to make Christopher let go of her but Christopher wouldn't. Voice hoarse, desperate, he was apologizing to her, saying he should have kept that woman away. He knew who she was. Alec made sure she was taken cared of but she had somehow escaped from Alec's eyes. And came here.
