Chapter 211
No.1
The words hung in the freezing air of the penthouse.
Elisa's cold curse echoed off the high ceiling.August looked down into the eyes of the woman beneath him. There was no anger left in her pupils.There was no hatred. There was only a hollow,terrifying void. His heart violently contracted in his chest.
He released her wrists as if her skin had suddenly turned to burning acid. He pushed himself off the leather sofa and took two rapid steps backward.His large hands immediately went to his wrists,adjusting his expensive silver cufflinks. It was a mechanical,desperate physical action to hide the sudden, cold panic spreading through his veins.
Elisa did not look at him. She slowly pushed herself up from the cushions.
The fever burned through her bloodstream,making the room spin violently, but she clamped her jaw shut. She refused to make a single sound of pain.She reached down with trembling fingers and grabbed the edge of her silk robe, pulling it tightly
over her shoulders. Her movements were stiff,jerky, and completely devoid of a soul. She looked like a broken marionette.
The silence in the room was absolute and suffocating.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing ring shattered the quiet.
It was the hotel's internal landline sitting on the mahogany desk. It was the only communication line August had not completely severed.
No.2
August's dark eyebrows slammed together. He took three long strides across the room, snatched the heavy plastic receiver, and pressed it to his ear.
"Who authorized you to bypass the security protocol?" August demanded. His voice was a low,freezing growl.
"Mr. Chambers, I apologize for the intrusion."
The voice on the other end belonged to Simon,his Chief of Staff. Simon sounded tense. "I amn standing outside your suite doors. I have received direct,overriding orders from Madam Germaine in New York. She requires immediate access."
August's jaw locked. The muscles in his neck strained against his collar. The mention of his
mother meant his absolute control over this room was over. Germaine Chambers did not make suggestions. She gave commands backed by the full weight of the family trust.
He slammed his hand against the wall panel, hitting the security release button.
The heavy mahogany double doors clicked and swung open.
Simon walked into the penthouse. He did not look at the shattered glass on the floor. He did not look at Elisa shivering on the sofa. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead. He pushed a heavy brass clothing rack into the room. Several haute couture evening gowns hung from the metal bar, wrapped in protective plastic.
No.3
Simon walked to the glass coffee table. He placed a brand-new, encrypted smartphone and a small,square velvet jewelry box directly in the center of the glass.
"Madam Germaine's instructions," Simon said,his voice perfectly monotone. "She assumed you might not have packed for a formal occasion and had the hotel's personal shopping service send up a selection. She insists you choose one. Today is Ms. Wilder's birthday. The matriarch requires a video conference in exactly ten minutes. She
expects to see a display of marital stability for the family records."
Elisa sat on the sofa. The word 'birthday' hit her ears.
A slow, incredibly dark smile cracked across her pale lips. Her stomach churned with pure, acidic irony. She had completely forgotten her own birthday. She had been too busy drowning in a pool and watching her company get slaughtered. Now,the woman who held her grandfather hostage was forcing her to celebrate it.
August waved his hand sharply, dismissing Simon.The heavy doors clicked shut again.
August picked up the new smartphone.He walked over and held it out toward Elisa.
"Get up," August commanded. He used the tone of a master speaking to a disobedient dog. "Change your clothes. Put some makeup on. We are doing this call."
Elisa did not reach for the phone. She slowly tilted her head up. Her dark, feverish eyes locked onto his face.
No.4
"I have a temperature of one hundred and three degrees," Elisa stated. Her voice was a flat,
mechanical drone. "I am not participating in your mother's pathetic public relations circus."
August's eyes narrowed into dangerous, lethal slits.He leaned down, his face inches from hers.
"You will participate," August whispered, his breath hitting her cheek. "Because if you ruin this video call, I will personally call the billing department at Presbyterian Hospital in New York. I will cut off every single cent of Phineas's medical funding before the call even ends."
Elisa's breath stopped completely.
A violent, homicidal spike of adrenaline shot through her nervous system. Her fingers curled into fists so tight her nails dugcrescent moons into her palms. He was using a dying old man's oxygen supply to force her to smile for a camera.
She forced the bile back down her throat. She snatched the phone from his hand, her fingernails scraping hard against his skin. She stood up,ignoring the agonizing pain in her lower spine.Every movement felt like ground glass grinding between her shattered L4 vertebrae, and a wave of dizziness threatened to drop her to her knees, but the adrenaline spiking through her veins was the only thing keeping her upright as she walked directly into the massive walk-in closet.
Ten minutes later, Elisa walked back into the living room.
She wore a long, high-necked burgundy dress. The thick fabric perfectly hid the violent shivering of hei body. She had applied a heavy layer of foundatior and dark red lipstick, masking the sickly, blue tint of her skin. She looked flawless. She lookec completely fake.
No.5
She sat down on the edge of the leather sofa.
August sat down right next to her. The cushion sank under his heavy weight. He reached out and wrapped his large arm around her shoulders,pulling her flush against his side. The freezing cedar scent of his cologne invaded her nose,making her throat close up in disgust.
August tapped the screen of the new phone. The video call connected.
Germaine Chambers' face filled the screen. She was sitting in the dark, wood-paneled library of the Long Island estate. Her eyes were sharp,evaluating, and completely devoid of warmth.
August instantly transformed. The cruel, violent monster vanished. He smiled, a warm, perfectly crafted expression of a devoted husband.
"Mother," August said smoothly. "We are just enjoying a quiet evening in Miami."
Germaine's cold eyes scanned the screen. They locked onto Elisa's heavily made-up face.
"Happy birthday, Elisa," Germaine said. The words sounded like a legal summons. "I expect you to maintain the dignity of this family during the summit. Do not cause any further embarrassments."
Elisa looked directly into the camera lens. She stretched her lips into a wide, flawless, submissive smile.
No.6
"Thank you for the birthday wishes, Germaine,"Elisa said. Her voice was light and perfectly modulated. "Your guidance is always appreciated."
Germaine gave a single, curt nod.
"I have secured a private table at the Michelin-starred restaurant on the ground floor," Germaine ordered. "You will both attend dinner tonight.Be seen.Be perfect."
The screen went black. The call ended.
The instant the connection died, Elisa's smile vanished. She violently shoved August's heavy arm off her shoulders and slid to the far end of the sofa.
August's arm hovered in the empty air for a second.His jaw tightened. A flash of dark irritation crossed his eyes, but he pulled his arm back and began adjusting his silk tie.
At that exact moment, the screen of August's private phone, sitting face-up on the coffee table,lit up brightly.
A text message preview popped onto the lock screen.
Elisa's vision was sharp. She saw the sender's name: Allena.
No.7
She saw the first line of the message: Darling, I'm waiting for you at the private beach restaurant.Hurry.
Elisa stared at the glowing screen. A massive,violent wave of physiological nausea rolled through her stomach. The sheer, unadulterated hypocrisy of the man sitting next to her was suffocating.
He had just used her dying grandfather's medical care to force her to attend a fake birthday dinner for his mother's approval, while simultaneously booking a romantic beach dinner with his mistress in the exact same hotel.
She looked at August's handsome, chiseled profile.
She felt nothing but pure, absolute disgust.
August felt her eyes on him. He glanced down at the table. He saw the glowing screen.
He moved with lightning speed, snatching the phone and flipping it face down against the glass.He cleared his throat, his posture going completely rigid.
He stood up and looked down at her.
"Eight o'clock," August commanded, his voice hard and uncompromising. "Be downstairs at the restaurant. Do not give my mother a reason to look closer at us."