Chapter 14
IVY
Ileaned back against the plush cushions, processing everything Sofia had told me. The question lingered in my mind, the one I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to.
"Are they good people?" I finally asked. "The Hales, I mean. Otherwise."
Sofia let out a sharp laugh, shaking her head.
"They're still criminals, Ivy. Let's not pretend otherwise.
" She took a sip of her drink, and I could see she was pondering the family.
"But if you're asking whether they operate with the same code as the Donatis?
Yes. That's why we're willing to partner with them in the first place. "
I waited, sensing there was more as she glanced at her glass.
"From everything I know about Eric Hale," she continued, "he's a man who keeps his word.
He doesn't make promises he can't fulfill, and he doesn't betray his allies.
" She paused, her expression thoughtful.
"I would say with almost full certainty he left you so abruptly four years ago to keep you safe. "
"You really believe that?" After he'd explained, his reasoning had made sense. All of it, if I were to look at it from his viewpoint.
It didn't mean it still hadn't hurt like hell.
"His brother was murdered. He had to step into Daniel's position, establish himself, prove he could handle the responsibility.
That's not an easy thing to do, especially when you're grieving and everyone's watching to see if you'll fail.
" Sofia's voice softened slightly. "He had to work hard to be worthy of the position, which meant having someone would have put them in danger as well.
Made them a target, especially while he was positioning himself.
Now? Less people are willing to target him because they know what the consequences will be.
He and his family have made that clear. But there are still some who would go after him, and those he holds dear.
This life makes him a target. Just like it does for all of us. "
The weight of her words settled over me like a blanket, heavy and suffocating.
I thought about the kidnapping again, about Elena's terror, about how close we'd come to real danger just by existing in this world completely through no fault of our own.
We hadn't asked for it, but we'd found ourselves stumbling right into it.
"You need to be ready," Sofia said, her gaze steady on mine. "If you care enough about him to even consider giving him a chance, you need to be willing to accept that side of him. Not just tolerate it, but actually accept it. Because it won't go away. It's who he is now."
I opened my mouth to respond when Grayson appeared, sliding into the booth beside Sofia. His silver-threaded hair caught the ambient light as he draped an arm across the back of the seat.
"Elena's on her way," he said, his green eyes flicking between Sofia and me. "Jackson will take you both back to Elena's place."
"Thanks," I managed, my mind a jumbled mess and my emotions knotted.
Grayson studied me for a moment, then added, "Eric Hale reached out to me after he left."
I swallowed, my mind jumping to an array of reasons. "Why?"
"Wanted to make it clear he meant no disrespect to the Donatis or to Sofia. Said if you wanted it, he'd like his number passed on to you." Grayson's expression remained neutral, professional. "Thought you should know."
"That's big of him," Sofia said, a note of approval in her voice. "Also makes it known to us that he's not going to hide anything. Since it's clear there's something going on between you two now. Transparency matters in this business."
"Why is all this happening?" Grayson asked, looking at me directly. "What's the connection here?"
Sofia answered before I could. "Ivy and Eric have history. They were together before he went back to his family."
I forced myself to meet Grayson's eyes. "I genuinely believe he had no idea I worked for the Donatis either.
This wasn't some calculated move to get close to you.
" I swallowed hard. "And he definitely didn't know about Elena being your and Meredith's sister.
I saw his face when I told him. He was shocked. "
Grayson nodded slowly, processing. "Still something we'll need to take into consideration. Can't ignore the timing entirely."
"I think it's nothing to worry about," Sofia interjected. "But we'll look into it if needed. Better to be thorough."
The music seemed to pulse louder in the silence that followed. I twisted my fingers together in my lap, feeling the weight of everyone's scrutiny.
I really had a way of winding up right in the most terrible spots in life.
"Can I leave work early?" I asked quietly. "Process all of this?"
Sofia smiled softly and nodded. "Of course. Elena should be here any minute."
As if summoned, Elena appeared at the edge of the VIP section, her dark hair slightly disheveled and her blue eyes concerned. Jackson stood behind her, his presence steady and reassuring even from a distance.
They were a formidable couple, and I was grateful that they'd come so quickly for me.
"You okay?" Elena asked immediately as she reached the booth.
"Been better," I admitted.
"Jackson's going to take you both out," Grayson said. "Get you home safe."
"Thank you. And thanks, Sof," I said as I eased out of the booth and hugged Elena.
"Any time. Just think on it all before you come to any decisions. We have our own decisions to deal with too," Sofia stated as she glanced at Grayson.
"I hope my involvement doesn't affect anything," I said as Elena released me from our hug and squeezed my hand.
"Not really, but it is something we're taking into account. Interpersonal relationships are only a small part of the bigger picture in these kinds of things. We need to take it all into account," Sofia said, although I wasn't sure if it was even reassuring.
Whatever, I needed to wrap my head around everything that had happened and everything I had learned. I felt exhausted, like I'd just had the entire world dumped into my lap and told to set it on fire.
I needed a drink. Or a nap. Maybe both.
We said our goodbyes and made our way out of the club. The cool night air was a welcome reprieve, clearing some of the fog from my head. Elena's arm remained hooked through mine as Jackson guided us toward a sleek black car, opening the back door for us.
"You hungry?" he asked once we were settled inside.
"Starving," Elena said before I could answer. "Late night doughnuts?"
Jackson's mouth quirked in what might have been a smile. "Know just the place."
I sighed as I closed my eyes, my mind reeling.
Eric was a mafia man, with blood on his hands more than likely. Everything I thought I'd known about him was a lie now, a cover for the truth.
The trust I'd started to have for him was gone now, and yet… I still wanted him. Some stupid, naive, fucked up part of me still wanted him.
When he'd pinned me to the wall, my body had reacted to the dominant display. I'd always been a sucker for it. Apparently I had issues.
You can trust me with your life.
Could I though? Could I trust the man who'd lied so easily to me, kept things from me? Sure, Sofia believed it was to protect me, and maybe it was, but it still hurt. It still meant the man I thought I knew was nothing more than a front, a mask for someone much more wicked.
What kinds of things had Eric done to keep his position? Had he killed people? tortured them?
Could I handle that?
"You look like you're about ready to jump off a balcony," Elena noted quietly from beside me.
"I wish I could, this is a mess," I muttered, and she squeezed my hand again.
"Want to talk about it?" Elena pressed lightly.
"With Doughnuts, for now, let me spiral and try to untangle it all," I said with a sigh.
Thankfully, Elena knew when to let me process and sort through things, and she fell silent as we drove, simply holding my hand comfortingly.
Having her was the only reason I wasn't falling apart completely. She and Anna had always been my anchors in life.
Twenty minutes later, we were sitting in a brightly lit doughnut shop that smelled like sugar and coffee. The fluorescent lights were harsh after the dim club, but somehow comforting in their normalcy. Jackson sat across from us with his own coffee, watchful but giving us space to talk.
I had done my best to make sense of everything, and I'd managed to calm my frayed nerves and emotions to some degree. As for what to do, I wanted to talk it out with the one person who knew my situation the most.
Elena bit into a chocolate glazed doughnut, waiting for me to start.
"He lied to me," I said finally, staring at my untouched vanilla cream-filled. "Or at least, he didn't tell me the truth."
"About being in the family business," Elena confirmed.
"About everything. About who he is now, what his life looks like." I picked at the doughnut's surface. "How am I supposed to trust him again when he couldn't even be honest with me?"
"Did he have a chance to be?" Elena asked gently. "You said you just reconnected. Maybe he was working up to it."
"That's what he said too, and Sofia." I took a bite, the sweetness coating my tongue. "Doesn't make it feel any better."
"No," Elena agreed. "It wouldn't."
"I'm not exactly thrilled to be a target again. After our kidnapping, I'm not too excited to being snatched up again. Which will be a risk in being with him," I noted.
"Yeah, and the likelihood of them nabbing us both together again is slim. You'd have no one to buffer your sailor mouth and…" She let her words trail off, and I smirked knowingly.
"My pig-headedness and stupidity? If I get kidnapped without you, I'll probably get beaten to a pulp or worse since I'd probably insult them or some shit," I muttered.
My fire was both my gift and curse sometimes.
The few times I'd tried to dim it, it resulted in me exploding bad, unleashing my feralness on some poor soul.