Chapter 4
Helen moved closer, her steps deliberate as she tried to channel a confidence she didn’t feel. She drew in a steadying breath, attempting to project the inner seductress she thought she could be. But beneath the practiced calm, all she really wanted was to get the hell out of this office, to escape the heavy weight of the situation, and to find her daughter.
Still, the reality of her position was inescapable. Paul and Nathan, the supposed powerhouses of the deal, weren’t what everyone believed them to be. They weren’t impressive dealmakers—no, they were slimy bastards, liars and cheaters. Scam artists? Con men? Helen’s gut twisted at the thought of them, but she forced herself to focus on what mattered most.
Her daughter.
Their daughter, actually.
Helen knew that this moment, this twisted game they were playing, could cost her everything. She might lose her beautiful, bright little girl because of the choices she had to make today. But if Angela was safe, that’s all that mattered. She could lose it all as long as her daughter wasn’t harmed.
So, with a mix of determination and fear coiling in her chest, she walked toward Raj, each step measured, keeping her focus despite the heavy dread clouding her mind. She could feel the shift in his demeanor as she approached, his eyes following her, heated with something that stirred deep within her. She recognized the unmistakable arousal in his body language and smiled—her confidence as much an act as her calm facade.
But as her gaze met his, a strange rush of nerves tugged at her, and she was acutely aware of how close she was now, how tall he stood before her. He really was magnificent—a dark angel, powerful and magnetic in a way that made her heart race and her thoughts falter. She had forgotten how he could affect her like this.
She reached out, her fingers trailing over the lapel of his suit jacket, the smooth fabric a stark contrast to the raw tension thrumming between them. “Don’t take the deal,” she whispered, her voice low, the words barely audible. “They’re trying to scam you.”
Her breath caught in her throat as she leaned even closer, her lips near his ear. “Pretend you’re falling under my spell,” she murmured, the words a mix of desperation and hope. She was playing a dangerous game, but she couldn’t afford to fail.
Raj blinked but didn’t move, his body stiffening just slightly, and for a heartbeat, Helen wasn’t sure if he understood, if this ruse would work. But then she saw it—a flicker of understanding in his eyes, and her breath caught in her chest as he nodded.
“You’re the bait?” he asked quietly, his voice low and measured, as though he was processing the depth of her words.
“I think so,” she replied, her pulse hammering in her ears.
He paused, as if considering something, then asked, “Did they drug the coffee?”
The question stopped her cold. The coffee? Her mind spun, and for a moment, her hand froze against his lapel, her thoughts scattering. “It’s possible,” she said, a frown crossing her face as the implications sank in. “They’ve been pushing coffee on me all morning. I haven’t had any.”
Raj’s gaze sharpened as he leaned in just slightly. “Where’s your daughter?”
Helen swallowed hard, willing her voice to stay steady. She lifted her chin and managed a small, bright smile, despite the storm of emotions crashing over her. “She’s at the Little Tree Day Care on Fifth Street.”
Then, without thinking, she inched even closer, the barest brush of her breasts against his chest as she tilted her head up. “They threatened to hurt her if I didn’t play along.” She lifted her lashes to look into his dark eyes. “Please tell me you can get her out of there safely.”
She held her breath, the desperate need to protect her daughter almost too much to bear. Tears welled in her eyes, but she forced them back, willing herself to stay strong, to get through this one moment. Raj didn’t respond immediately, but his eyes softened as if taking in the weight of her words. Then he nodded, his voice calm and certain.
“I’ll send someone to pick her up,” he promised. “I’ll let you know when she’s safe.”
Helen exhaled the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, the tension in her body slowly unwinding. But Raj wasn’t finished.
He leaned forward, his face close enough that she could feel his breath on her skin. His smile was more than a gesture—it was a promise. “After that, we’re going to talk. Are we clear?”
Helen nodded, her heart still racing. She pretended to simper, putting on an air of compliance as she moved away from him, heading towards the food laid out on the table. She took two steps, then stopped, the memory of his words still pulsing in her mind. She turned back over her shoulder, her voice low and urgent.
“Don’t eat the food,” she said quietly. “If they drugged the coffee, there’s probably something in the food too.”
Raj’s eyes locked onto hers, a faint glimmer of approval in his expression as he let his gaze slowly move over her, lingering just a little too long. “Later,” he promised, his tone laced with an unspoken understanding.
Helen nodded, praying that he truly understood the gravity of the situation. Her pulse fluttered, but she forced herself to stay focused on the task at hand. The only thing that mattered now was getting her daughter out of harm’s way.
Raj paused, his eyes returning to her with a sudden intensity. “What’s her name?” he asked quietly, the question hanging in the air between them, an anchor to this moment of fragile trust.
Helen hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “Angela.”
Helen swung her hip out, hoping that Paul and Nathan thought Raj was asking about meeting up later in the day. “Her name is Angela,” she whispered. She moved to the table and picked up a pen, writing her cell phone number on a piece of paper, then handed it to Raj.
“Help me!” she whispered. She paused at the stunned look on his face, but knew that she couldn’t linger much longer. Paul and Nathan were watching. She could feel their eyes on her as they pretended to oversee the luncheon in the next room.
As soon as Helen entered the lunch area, Nathan came over with a plate of pasta piled high with cheese and two pieces of garlic bread. Helen smiled as she took the plate. Nathan had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, but it wasn’t as odd as the older woman off in the corner laughing at whatever Paul was saying, or the…she suspected he was Raj’s accountant…who was making out with a woman that Helen didn’t recognize. Was that woman in the older man’s arms a member of the administration team? If she was an employee, she had to be new. Helen hadn’t ever seen her until today.
Considering everything else that was going on, Helen suspected that the woman was actually a hooker.
She glanced at Raj, who nodded his head. Helen had no idea what that nod meant, but her heart was pounding with fear for her daughter’s safety.
The meeting reconvened a half hour later. Everyone returned to the conference room and Helen sat directly across from Raj. Was Angela safe? What had his nod meant? Helen was so nervous, she nearly spilled the fresh cup of hot coffee Nathan set in front of her.
Yet another woman brought in cookies, this one in a skintight outfit with several buttons undone on her blouse. Everyone in the room could see that the woman was wearing a red, lace bra and no panties. When the woman bent over, there were no lines visible under her skirt.
Harry literally panted with lust. He almost stood up to follow the woman, but Paul stopped him, putting a hand on his arm.
“Later, my friend. She’ll still be here after we sign the documents that outline the terms of the deal.”
Helen was shocked when yet another woman in a skimpy outfit walked in and handed Paul a file folder. Paul opened the folder and slid the papers over to Raj. Raj stared at the papers, blinking as if he too might be infected by whatever drug was making the lawyer and accountant act so ridiculously.
Raj even picked up a pen. Helen held her breath, willing him to understand what was going on.
Thankfully, Raj put a hand to his head, acting like he had a headache. He even pinched his eyes closed, pressing his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose.
“I can’t…!” he paused, then made a show of trying again, blinking as he pretended to focus on the papers in front of him.
Helen breathed a sigh of relief when he put the pen down. “I need an aspirin.” He stood up and left the conference room. Evelyn and Harry looked shocked, then broke into giggles, even leaning against each other as they watched their boss leave the conference room.
Paul and Nathan had obviously drugged Raj’s team. Helen leaned back in her chair, pretending to zone out, even though she’d thrown her lunch away, untouched. She was starving, but there was no chance she was going to eat that food.
“Well, that was wild!” Evelyn announced and fumbled as she tried to pull the strap of her briefcase over her shoulder. It took her several attempts, but finally, with Harry’s help, she got it. The pair stood up and followed their boss.
“I think we might be in trouble!” Harry muttered, then spoiled his attempt at seriousness with a giggle.
“He’s going to be pissed tomorrow,” Evelyn announced as they left the room.
There was a long silence after they left. Helen sat very still, wondering what she should do next. She didn’t dare break the silence, fearful that Paul or Nathan would realize that she wasn’t drugged.
“Well that was a waste,” Nathan snapped. “By tomorrow, they’ll have come to their senses.”
Paul grunted, leaning back in his chair, tapping a pen thoughtfully as he watched Helen. “Maybe you should head over to his hotel and offer your…services.”
Helen lifted her hand in a drunken salute. She had no idea what impact the drug would have on her, so she added a slight giggle. “Aye, aye, cap’n!” she said and stood up, walking out of the room as well. At the doorway, she slapped her hand on the frame, as if she she’d lost her balance slightly. But she was perfectly fine.
Once she was far enough down the hallway that neither Nathan nor Paul could see her, Helen abandoned her charade and hurried to her office. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get to Angela!
With that plan in mind, Helen grabbed her purse. She was grateful her cell phone had been on her hip the whole time, but she checked her purse to make sure that her keys were still there. At the doorway, she paused, slowing down slightly, adding a bit of a wobble. She had no idea who in the hallway was in on the drugging plan, so she started walking drunkenly again, just in case someone was still watching her.
She meandered over to the elevator and took two tries to press the call button. When the elevator arrived, she made sure to lean against the wall, as if she needed help propping herself up. Finally, the elevator doors opened and Helen stepped inside. Thankfully, the doors quickly closed once again. She wasn’t safe, but at least she wasn’t visible any longer. Straightening, she checked her phone, praying that Raj had followed through.
The address to a hotel had been sent to her phone. She thought about going back to the conference room to get a sample of the coffee or maybe the food, but she didn’t want to risk it. Her priority was ensuring that Angela was safe.
Outside, Helen lifted her hand and a cab pulled up to the curb. She stepped inside and directed the driver to the hotel.
As they pulled up outside the hotel, a large man with a heavy, bulky suit jacket stepped up to the cab and opened the door. “Ms. Vittorio?”
Helen gasped in alarm. “Who are you?” she demanded, pressing her hand to her throat. She knew that it was a defensive pose, but she didn’t care. At this point, appearing tough and in control was out the window.
“I work for His Highness.” He gestured towards a door that had a “Private” sign on it. “This way, please.”
Helen cautiously stepped out of the cab and followed the man into the hotel. There were so many people milling about the elegant lobby, she didn’t dare ask questions. But once they were in the elevator, the questions exploded from her.
“Is my daughter safe?” she asked, terrified that she was asking the wrong person, but she had to know.
The man looked at her without any expression on his features. “She is safe.”
Helen closed her eyes, her breath catching as she leaned back against the cold wall of the elevator, almost crumbling with the weight of her relief. Angela’s safe. The thought was a balm to her battered soul, and she nearly gave in to the tears that had been threatening all afternoon. But she fought them back, steeling herself for what was to come. One step at a time. She whispered it to herself like a mantra.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and Helen stepped into the expansive penthouse suite. Her eyes widened as she took in the stunning space before her. The room was a study in understated luxury—gleaming white walls stretched upward, their stark simplicity only broken by the soft glow of indirect lighting. The floor, a smooth marble polished to perfection, reflected the sunlight that streamed in through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a golden hue across the room. The place felt as though it existed in a world apart, distant from the rest of the city’s chaos, even though it sat in the heart of Chicago’s financial district.
She couldn’t help but pause for a moment to take in the breathtaking view. Beyond the glass, the city sprawled out beneath her, the skyline of towering glass and steel cutting into the horizon. The streets below seemed tiny, insignificant, while the expanse of the sky above felt endless. The contrast between the bustling world below and the tranquil isolation of the penthouse above was almost disorienting.
The furnishings were sleek, modern, and minimalist—white leather sofas arranged in an inviting circle, accented by glass coffee tables and metallic sculptures that caught the light in delicate, shimmering ways. In one corner, a grand piano sat under a soft spotlight, as if it were a sculpture in itself. Everything was immaculate, almost sterile in its perfection, yet there was an undeniable sense of comfort here, of wealth so refined it didn’t need to shout to be noticed.
Helen moved farther into the room, her heels clicking softly on the marble, her fingers trailing lightly across the smooth surface of the furniture. The air was fresh, filled with the faint scent of clean linen and something floral—perhaps a subtle perfume from the vase of white lilies placed delicately on the coffee table. She felt the weight of the space, its opulence, pressing in on her. This was the kind of life she’d only dreamed of—the kind of life she was now deeply entangled in.
But beneath the beauty and perfection of it all, there was a tension in the air, one that Helen could almost touch. It was the same tension that had brought her here, the same tension that had made her stomach knot with unease earlier. But for now, Angela was safe. And that was enough.
She inhaled deeply, preparing herself for whatever would come next. The room, beautiful as it was, felt like a gilded cage.
The second thing she noticed was Raj, standing by a window. Helen hurried toward him, demanding, “Where’s my daughter?”
A small, dark-haired rocket barreled straight for Helen. She bent down to catch Angela and held her close for a long moment, struggling to calm herself.
“Momma!” her tiny bundle of energy shrieked, wrapping tiny, chubby arms around Helen’s neck.
When the two pulled back, Angela immediately noticed the tears in her mother’s eyes. “Why are you crying?” she asked and before Helen could respond, she continued. “You know what will make you feel better?”
“What’s that?” Helen asked, laughing through her sobs as she noticed the smear of chocolate on her daughter’s cheek.
“Cookies!” she yelled happily. Then she looked over at the man by the window, her eyes turning cautious. “Who is that man?” she asked. “He looks really familiar.”
Helen sighed, knowing that her daughter was seeing herself in Raj’s features.
“Why don’t you go get me a cookie and we can talk, okay?”
Angela was more than eager to run off and get a warm cookie, most likely because she wanted another cookie for herself.
Helen stood up and realized that she had flour all over her clothes. She didn’t care. Angela was safe and that was all that mattered.
When she straightened up, Helen looked at Raj, resigned to explaining everything.