26. Phoenix
Chapter 26
Phoenix
W e’ve been in some kind of limbo since our conversation last week, and I still can’t get the image of Eve sobbing in my arms out of my head. She was clinging to my shirt like her life depended on it, and I was so relieved when her breathing finally evened out. She cried herself to sleep, utterly exhausted from the emotional hurricane our secrets had unleashed.
Maybe there were too many secrets.
Maybe they broke her.
Maybe I broke her.
Even though she tries to act normal, she’s been quiet and withdrawn. Most of the time, she escapes into her schoolwork she’s slowly been catching up with, or she zones out watching TV or reading a book. We’ve also been reviewing more real estate listings together, and she’s been helping me smooth out a few more loose ends about the foundation. At first, I didn’t want her to work too much, but I quickly realized it’s one of the few times she has a spark in her eyes.
I’d gladly bleed myself dry if it spared her another second of agony. But it doesn’t matter how much I want to, I can’t take away her pain. Instead, I stay by her side and watch her, making sure she eats enough and offering her comfort at night.
I want to be her compass, guiding her out of the darkness and back to me.
My phone vibrates on the table like a bad omen, and I glare at it. Phones have never been as ominous to me as they are now. I’m constantly waiting for a new message from whoever is behind this.
My father’s name appears on the screen, and I sigh. He’s been even more difficult to deal with since the explosion. Because how dare I almost get blown up and bring bad media to the company again?
Annoyance courses through me at having to leave Eve’s side. I avoid it at all costs, more for my benefit than hers. Because just like she was having nightmares about me dying, I had the same about her.
I push out of my chair, and Eve looks up from her spot on the other side of the table.
I hold up my phone. “It’s my dad, I have to take this.”
The corner of her mouth twitches, but she doesn’t smile—something she hasn’t done much of all week.
Sometimes, I wish we never had that conversation. In a way, she seemed happier before. Happier in a situation that, in retrospect, might have been a little less fucked up than the aftermath our conversation has unearthed.
She makes a shooing motion with her hand. “Phoenix, I’m fine, just like the other five hundred and twenty-seven times I’ve told you. You can leave me alone for five minutes without supervision.”
She’s right.
Of course she’s right.
But I can’t help it.
We both know she isn’t okay, even though she keeps telling me she is. Not that she should be after nearly getting killed and almost destroyed by my truths.
What made me tell her what really happened with her sister? I’d promised Connie not to tell anyone, but I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Eve deserved to know. I wanted her to know. The truth must have been devastating for her, but I still hope it was the right thing to do. Even if this wound might never heal completely. I hope she’ll see there’s beauty in scars as they transform into reminders of our strength and resilience.
“I’ll be right back.” The phone stopped vibrating a while ago, and I’m still standing in the same spot.
She waves her hand toward the door again with a flicker of amusement in her eyes. “Go on, now.”
I trudge toward the door, settled enough after seeing that tiny spark in her eyes. Does that mean I’m the reason for that flicker of life sometimes too? “Get Hold or Huxley if you need anything.”
“Yes, sir.”
I turn my back to her, so she can’t see how those words affect me, and slip out of the library. I’m fully aware she didn’t mean them in a sexual way, but my dick didn’t get the memo. She seems to have a direct line to it, despite how worried I am about her, and waking up next to her all week has been absolute torture. Although, I’ll gladly suffer if it means her nightmares stay away .
“Eve, if you think sleeping here with me will help with your nightmares, consider it done. You don’t even have to ask.”
What I really wanted to say was, “I don’t give a damn what you want, I’m not leaving your side. Not now that I know the truth. Not when I know you didn’t have a choice, suffered more of a loss, and lived in more anguish and sorrow in all those years than I could have ever imagined.”
“I killed her, Phoenix. I’m the reason my sister is dead.”
The pain and guilt have been eating away at her all those years. And even worse, she had to suffer in silence because she couldn’t tell anyone.
And she’s still suffering so much.
Every morning, I find her curled up with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, as if she’ll fall apart otherwise.
I want to be the one to hold her every night, to offer her comfort and solace, to keep her safe. But I don’t say any of those things, not wanting to make her uncomfortable when I’m glad she’s at least next to me every night, even if she doesn’t touch me.
I want that motherfucker who did this to suffer, to make him feel only a small portion of what he’s caused. I want to wrap my hands around his throat and watch the life slowly, painfully drain out of his eyes. I want to know he will never feel an ounce of life in his body again because he deserves to rot in Hell for eternity.
The problem is, we’re still not any closer to finding him. Holden says he’s either using a burner phone, or one of those apps, making him untraceable. What makes this even harder is we don’t know who would know so much about both Evangeline’s life as well as mine. It could be one of the many enemies my father has made for all we know at this point, which is pretty much nothing.
I step into my office and shut the door behind me with more force than necessary.
Rain pounds on the window, the sky dark and glum like it’s weeping for us—like it’s seeking revenge for what happened, just like I am.
I dial my father’s number without taking my eyes off the sky.
“What took you so long?” He doesn’t care about niceties or manners.
When my father says jump, he expects you to do it as high as possible without further prompts.
There was a time when I appreciated his tenacity and drive and even admired the way he ruled his empire with an iron fist. I believed him when he told me it was necessary to keep people from stomping all over you. Once, I was impatiently awaiting that much power one day. Excited to have the respect of so many people simply for running a multi-billion-dollar company. That was before I went to prison.
“Phoenix.” My father barks my name, his voice full of annoyance.
“Dad.”
He exhales loudly, probably wondering why I’m such a disappointment.
“I wanted to make sure you’ll be on your best behavior at the party this weekend. After?—”
“What party are you talking about?”
“Where’s your respect, Son? You know better than to interrupt me. And I’m talking about your engagement party. What else would I be talking about? ”
My brain is spinning in circles, sifting through my memories but coming up empty. “This is the first I heard of the party.”
“Can’t trust anyone these days to do their fucking job. After the rather inconvenient event, Byron and I gave the okay to the wedding planner last week to put something together as soon as possible. The shareholders are getting anxious, and you know we can’t have that happen again. So I expect an exceptional performance from you and the girl for some much-needed good press.”
My ears are ringing, the words rather inconvenient event on repeat in my head.
“I’m sorry someone tried to kill me.” No matter how hard I try, I can’t keep the bite out of my voice. “And you’re talking about my future wife, so how about you show her the proper respect and call her by her name?”
He laughs. He fucking laughs like the sociopath he is.
“Well, well. All it took was a small explosion for you to grow some balls, huh?”
I squeeze my free hand so hard my knuckles scream in pain. I’d refuse to believe this man was my father if I wasn’t such a spitting image of him. When I was younger, I thought not being like him was bad and that I lacked what it took to be as successful as he was. Now, I see it for what it really is: a blessing.
I try to open my mouth to speak and give him a real piece of my mind, but my jaw is clenched so hard it’s impossible to open.
My dad sighs, and it’s easy to picture the exasperation on his face. “You’re more dramatic by the day, just like your mother. Just smile for the camera and behave, something menial I assume you and your fiancée can manage for a few hours.”
He says the word fiancée with so much disdain and sarcasm I’m surprised it’s not dripping from my phone.
I need to end this call. “Of course, sir. Anything else?”
“I expect a report soon on how your little project is going. Once it’s ready to launch, we’ll ensure every news outlet covers it so you can be redeemed in public. It’s taken long enough already as it is with all of these setbacks. The faster we can get this over with, the better. And stop requesting files from my employees. For all intents and purposes, you’re not a part of my company at the moment and need to earn your way back into it first.”
Over my dead body is the first thought that pops into my head, which might be too early to joke about, even though the sentiment hasn’t changed. If I could get out of working for my dad without losing my entire inheritance, I’d be on that in a heartbeat. Plus, my grandfather wanted us to work together, and who am I to deny him his last wish?
I say, “Yes, sir,” like the obedient son he expects me to be.
The line disconnects, because why would my father ever bother with pleasantries if it doesn’t make him money?
The words my grandfather’s friend uttered a while back about my dad pop into my mind.
“He’s made a lot of enemies, and if you stand by his side, he’ll drag you right to Hell with him.”
Enemies who would get me locked up first and then try to kill me?
A war has broken out inside me, and I’m not sure which side will win: disgust for my father or the worry how Eve will react when she hears about our engagement party in less than a week, and the show we have to put on for everyone.
Eventually, the pounding rain and swaying trees calm me enough to see her. She doesn’t deserve the leftovers of my anger and irritation that are solely my father’s doing. Never hers. Not anymore.
I open my door and freeze when laughter travels down the hallway. Eve’s laughter. A sound I’ve been longing to hear all week, despite knowing she might not be ready for it yet. Holden’s laughter follows a moment later, mixing with hers. I was gone for less than half an hour, and he’s accomplished what I’ve tried to do all week.
I love her beautiful smile, but nothing compares to her alluring laugh. It was one of my favorite things about her when we were younger. The days I heard her laugh were some of my happiest. Even my dad couldn’t sour my mood then.
When was the last time I heard a real laugh from her? Jealousy wraps around my throat, squeezing with a sickening smile. I hate it, but I also welcome it. The pain is a reminder of my true feelings. How I ever managed to tell myself I hated this woman is beyond me. She still is the purest and most selfless person I know, and she deserves the world.
Footsteps echo through the halls, then stop somewhere close by. I poke my head out of my office like a creep to see what they’re doing, only to draw back a split second later after seeing where they stopped: in front of the music room.
“Is today the day, Princess?” Holden sounds optimistic.
But he’s met with silence, and I hate that I can't see her. I want to gauge her reaction and read every single millimeter of her face as I’ve done for so much of my life.
“Come on, then, Princess. Maybe tomorrow.” Holden’s voice is gentle yet still cheerful.
For a moment, I wonder if that’s exactly what she needs right now and why they get along so well.
He’s the light she needs.
I’m the darkness, only pulling her farther into the deep abyss.
Their footsteps pick back up, and I sink into the shadows of my office and close my eyes.
My head hurts.
They pause again, and Eve says, “Phoenix said he’d be right back.”
Holden chuckles under his breath. “I’m sure something came up and he’ll pop out of a dark corner any second. As your official knight in shining armor, he can’t leave you alone for too long, right?”
Asshole.
There’s Eve’s laugh again. It’s quiet but real.
Something in my chest settles into place upon hearing it.
Maybe I should give the bastard a raise.
They resume down the hallway and the stairs. I wait another minute to follow, both wanting to see Eve but also dreading to tell her the news.