Chapter 44
chapter forty four
where are you, shadow?
“Dad?”
The word tasted like copper. Old and bitter. Like putting a penny in your mouth and instantly realising it was never meant to be there.
Having a dad had been a chapter of my life I was too young to remember, one I rarely let myself think about because it felt insignificant.
Unlike Rory, who spoke of her dad with fondness and full memories, mine only sparked short-lived curiosity on blue moons—curiosity I never had the energy or desire to explore.
He was a lost cause as far as I was concerned.
A transparent father figure.
Until now.
Arthur… my dad… looked back at me, his eyes rounding in a way that made it feel like he’d waited a lifetime to hear that word.
He smiled. “My girl.”
The audacity hit me like the breeze. “I stopped being your girl the day you left.”
His hand reached for me again, and I stumbled back. “You’re wrong. You were always my girl. Harriet… not so much.” He glanced away. “She was every bit Susannah—stubborn. No sense of humour, even as a child.” His eyes flicked back to me. “But you… well, you were my girl.”
My face twisted. “I was barely one when you left.”
“I still knew. And if what I read in the tabloids all these years said anything, it was that I was correct.” He smirked proudly. “Feistiness is a Holland thing.”
My head spun. If my hands weren’t bound, I would’ve tugged at my hair. Instead, I sobbed. “I don’t get it… Why didn’t you say anything when you came into Flo’s?”
He circled me, not like a father—more like a great white did before tearing you limb from limb. “Nerves, mostly. I didn’t want you to be afraid of me.”
I lowered my voice, disbelief washing over me. “Well, gold star for that fucking plan.”
“See!” He bellowed, loud enough to scare me, just a little. “Feisty. Just like your old man.”
I shook my head. “I think if this little kidnapping plan says anything, it’s that I am nothing like you!” I spat the words, angling my head as he walked behind me.
“I told you, you’ve got nothing to be scared of. We’re not here to hurt you. It’s actually a bit mad that you, of all people, got caught up in this.” He wandered until he faced me again. “But don’t worry; our guest of honour should be here pretty soon.”
My aching eyes burnt right through Oscar, noting every wicked crease in his smirk, before my attention tugged back to… my dad. “This is all for Marcus?” The name sweetened on my tongue, and the dots connected.
There was no way…
“Wait a minute… Are you the ones who have been fucking with his company? The missing files?” I glared harder at Oscar. “That was you?”
From the shadowy corner of the rooftop, Oscar stepped into view, moving from behind Dad.
“The plan was always to use someone to steer him away from what was really happening. After what happened with Radcliffe, using you, knowing the parallels my brother would fall for, it felt like an opportunity we couldn’t resist.” He licked his lips in a sly smile, only making him seem more immature.
“I was the one who convinced him to watch over you.”
“While you destroyed everything he’s worked for?”
He shrugged carelessly. “Destroyed. Took back what was mine. I don’t care what you call it, so long as the end result is the same.”
My eyes flicked to Arthur. “Where could you possibly fit into all this?”
He smiled like a child waiting for someone to ask. Pathetic, really. But I needed answers. Anything to make my head less cloudy and my heart stop racing.
Arthur sniffed, hands clasped behind his back, pacing like before.
“See, there was a reason I left your mum—so I could focus on myself, the way I’d always planned.
I never loved Suzie. She was a quick fuck that turned into the worst mistake I’d ever made.
Soon enough Harriet arrived, and two years later…
so did you.” His pacing stopped, hands slipping into pockets.
“I fucked up. I lost sight of what I wanted, and while you were too young to remember me, before I could love you, I ran.”
“To do what?”
His head tilted. “The exact same thing Marcus Romano decided to do.” He stood before me.
“Holland Solutions was my baby before you and your sister ever existed. We were… God, we were the best. We provided the highest-level security to society and politics. For Christ’s sake, we had Tony Blair under us at one point.
” His face reddened, index finger pointed at me.
“We were on our way to a global clientele, Cora. And then…” He turned to glare at Oscar before looking back at me.
“Romano got one of our most high-profile clients, and slowly, we lost everything.”
Quiet conviction settled over him. His eyes closed, then opened, locked on me. “Within a year, I was worse off than when I started. No money, no life, just the realisation that this was all I’d ever wanted—and I’d do anything, by any means, to get it back.”
I winced. “Is that what this is about? I was stolen from possibly the best night of my life with the man I love because his company was better than yours? Is that why I’m here?”
He shook his head. “You were never supposed to be here. You were just supposed to keep him busy.”
Oscar moved closer, clearing out his throat and mirroring his brother’s shadowy movements—the only difference being I felt safe in Marcus’.
“The stalking plan was easy. I knew the guilt eating him alive would make him invested, and I was right. It was nothing personal—just a way to keep him off my back while I passed everything over to this one.” He nodded at Arthur.
I shook my head. “He’s your brother. How could you? After everything?”
Everything hit his ears, and for a moment, I swear I saw that same look Marcus gave me whenever the word “Lana” passed between us like a fragile teacup.
Oscar’s eyes narrowed before it fully formed; the power in them was all I could see.
“I did this to help him.” His head shook.
“When our sister was attacked, I saw him change. He became obsessed with making everything in our lives perfect, building a fucking empire to feed his ego trip. He turned this awful thing into our entire lives, and I was done letting him pretend he could save anyone.” He looked at Arthur.
“Your dad sniffed me out first. Undercover at a bar, next to me at Knicks games, until we became friends. Then he drew the truth out of me—and that’s when he told me his plan. ”
Arthur smiled. “I wanted to be on top again.”
My eyes narrowed right at him. “To feed your ego trip?”
“To make every decision in my life worth the cost.” He wandered, face stony.
“And when I had someone on the inside, all I needed was to drag Romano away from what was mine. I knew what I did about his past, and I knew you’d wear him down so he had no energy to even notice his company crumbling.
Then you made him fall in love with you, and suddenly…
you became the answer to making his company mine. ”
“Ours,” Oscar interrupted. “You mean ours.”
Dad didn’t budge immediately. He kept his eyes on me in a way that told me every dark thought circling his thick skull.
Then, a heartbeat later, his attention drifted to Oscar.
“About that…” My heart sank, and I watched Oscar’s face shift.
“Now don’t get me wrong, without you, none of this would be possible.
But for this to work, I can’t have another slimy Romano creeping after me. ”
Oscar shook his head, skin as pale as the moon watching over us. “No.”
Wickedness slicked across Arthur’s smile. “I’m afraid so.” He clapped a hand on Oscar’s shoulder. “But genuinely, thank you. For everything. Come to me if you ever need a reference or… anything.” He walked back toward me.
Oscar’s face reddened, arms wide with betrayal. “You can’t do this!”
Arthur spun. “I can do anything now.” Before I could scream, the gun was pointed at Oscar. “Thanks to you.”
I’d never heard a gunshot before. If you haven’t either, I'll tell you it’s the scariest sound to exist.
I considered ripping at my ties, slicing my wrist just to cover my ears. The shot reverberated, soaring off the sky, deafening me. Oscar clutched his shoulder, the blood seeping through his white shirt, almost perfectly matching his tux.
I don’t know why I screamed. Oscar had betrayed me, betrayed Marcus, and what I'd just watched was pure karma. But I couldn’t stop it.
“Are you crazy?” I yelled, hands shaking behind my back, knees nearly buckling. “What are you thinking?”
Arthur stood over Oscar as he fell against the brick wall, groaning as he slumped. Slowly, Arthur walked back to me, gun still in hand. He lifted a hand, brushing my tear-streaked cheeks. “Why don’t we wait for our guest of honour before question time?”
“No need.”
A deep voice sounded behind me. I spun, my dress twirling around my feet.
And when I saw him, my heart sighed.
Marcus glanced at me for a second, then over my shoulder at my dad. In a heartbeat, his look shifted from admiration to pure anger.
“He’s already here.”