CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Lorelei
I have made many mistakes in my life.
Dating Paul was a huge mistake.
Being nice to Logan was another one.
Meeting Alexander was another one.
Staying here on this island in the middle of nowhere might be my biggest mistake ever.
“Don’t stay out too long. Remember, we can’t lose sight of you,” Blake, the burly one among my guards, reminds me in a not-so-gentle voice.
This is what my life has been reduced to.
A captive in the middle of nowhere. After listening to Desmond talk about his relationship with his father, I knew that I couldn’t bring up the meeting I had with Alexander.
Even when he had mentioned that he couldn’t be a good father because he never had one, my heart had broken into many pieces.
Not just for him but for our unborn child.
Even though I had lost my parents at a young age, I know how important it is to grow up in a home filled with love, and I had always promised myself that I would raise my children in a home where they would have both parents doing their utmost to be the best parents they can be.
Yet I know Desmond would have made a great father.
I look out at the ocean, wondering what Desmond is doing now. I watch the video Alexander played to him. Desmond must have been hurt seeing my face say all those cruel words, and unlike with Logan, I don’t think he would come searching for me.
“This is all my fault, baby,” I say, touching my belly as the salty breeze hits my face.
Of course, it’s way too early to feel anything, but I am happy that our child is growing in my belly.
Our child.
“You have a call!” Blake calls out again from the porch.
The only person who would call me is none other than Alexander Sinclair.
Calling the man vile is nothing but an understatement.
Even when I had told him that I was pregnant with his grandchild, he had remained cold, telling me that he had no way of knowing if the child was truly his blood.
I just can’t wrap my head around how this evil man sired Desmond.
I stare out at the sea for a few more minutes before I head back into the house.
Alexander Sinclair is not a man who likes to be kept waiting, and keeping him waiting is the only defiance I can show.
Walking up the stairs, I arrive in the living room where Blake is holding the tablet.
“Have you come to torment me again?” I ask him.
“I have better things to do than torment you. I heard you had tried to escape,” Alexander says, his voice cold and stern.
Yeah, I had tried to sneak away from the house, though the guards had quickly found me.
They had left me out in the cold, even after they found me, claiming that it should be enough to make me change my mind about trying to escape again.
This is clearly a tropical island, and even though I am not sure where exactly, I bet it is a private island that Alexander owns.
Will Desmond and Dean be able to find me here?
Even if they did find me, landing here would be next to impossible. The place is basically a fortress, and I wonder if Alexander was using it for some nefarious purpose before he kidnapped me.
“I told you I can’t stay here. Not when I have a husband and family waiting for me.”
“Oh yeah, about that. Desmond has announced to the world that your marriage has ended, and you can’t enter the US.”
Nope! That has to be a lie. He’s definitely lying.
“This is a recent statement by him,” Alexander says as he holds up the newspaper.
My heart beats fast as I spot a picture of Desmond announcing that his marriage had ended due to irreconcilable differences. I want to scream at Alexander and tell him it’s a lie, but I won’t let him get to me.
“I don’t believe you,” I simply tell him.
A devilish smile appears on his face, and he tells me he doesn’t care what I believe. I have met evil in the form of Logan, but Alexander is a different kind of evil. A man who doesn’t care about his own blood is, in my book, worse than the devil himself.
“There is nowhere for you to return to, lass. Just stay there until I get what I want, then you can do whatever you want with your life,” he warns me.
The call ends before I can say anything, and I continue to stare at the blank screen, trying my best not to cry.
I drop the tablet on the table before heading to my room.
I won’t give my captors the satisfaction of watching me cry.
Once I lock my door behind me, I break down into tears.
The possibility of Desmond moving on without me hurts like hell.
I have never felt this much pain before, and I had to remind myself that I can’t trust Alexander.
He is worse than the devil, and he doesn’t mind lying if he means he gets to hurt Desmond and me.
I need to escape. Not on my own this time, I need help.
Watching the movement of the men who guard me, I know it would be next to impossible to escape, but there might be a small window.
Once a week, a small boat lands on the other side of the house, bringing cleaners, cooks, and supplies from the other islands.
The women who come with this boat are natives from another island, and I bet that if I can speak with them, they might be able to help.
Yes, if I offer them a large incentive, they’d help.
But what if they refuse to betray their employers? Then a message. If they can send a message to Katherine, Desmond, or even my grandma, then things would work out.
“I need to meet with them, though.”
Meeting them would be tough, especially under the watchful eyes of Blake and his goons, but they can be oblivious at times, and I’m sure I can manage that. Patience is all that is required, and I wait until the next time the ladies arrive on the island.
“Hello. Good morning,” I approach one of the ladies, the minute Blake and his friends begin their poker games.
“We don't speak English,” the petite woman who is cleaning the kitchen answers. “We no want trouble.”
I contemplate trying to force a conversation, but I stop as I realize that this might not work.
Instead of trying to forcefully recruit them, I take a step back, trying to determine who best to approach.
Most of the women are in their forties or fifties, but there is a lady who seems to be around my age.
She is my best bet on getting out of here, but the problem is that she doesn’t come near the house.
I guess they have concerns that my bodyguards might make a pass at her.
The following week, I wait until the poker game begins before I slip off towards the boat where she is working.
“Hello,” I greet her, desperately hoping and praying that she speaks English.
“The fancy lady in the house,” she answers, her English thick with their native accent.
“Yes, I am the fancy lady,” I answer with a smile.
Asking her right away won’t work. I first need to be able to determine that I can trust her. Just a casual conversation, and I can already tell that I can win her over. I need to confirm the news Alexander had delivered the other day, and Daisy will help me with that.
The following week, she comes up to my window, and she tells me that there is no such article about Desmond Sinclair. In fact, there hasn’t been any article about Desmond since I disappeared, which bothers me a bit.
“He is not a celebrity. Why are you interested in him?” Daisy asks with curiosity.
Should I tell her the truth? Will she believe me?
“My husband. Desmond is my husband.” If she doubts my statement, she doesn’t say anything about it, and I thank Daisy for her help.
Realizing that Alexander had lied to me somehow keeps me going on, and I know that I’ll be able to win Daisy over sometime in the future. Or at least that’s what I thought.
“Do you want to return to him?” Daisy suddenly asks me in the fourth week after I had spoken with her.
“What?” I ask, looking up from the book I’m reading. “Why?”
I became suspicious, wondering if Blake and the rest had put her up to this.
She looks around, and then she brings out her phone.
I am not sure what she has to show me, but it turns out that Daisy has been doing deep dives on the internet.
The succession war between Desmond and Alexander is currently going on, and there have been a few articles about me as well.
“Are you here against your will?” Daisy asks me in a whisper.
When asked, Desmond had carefully skirted around the issue, claiming that I am currently on bed rest while he deals with the company.
His eyes are sunken, and I can tell that he hasn’t been sleeping well.
It has been close to two months now since I last saw him, and he seems to have lost weight as well.
“Why would you think that?”
Daisy shrugs, explaining that the security is too much for this to be a leisure trip. I tell her that I don’t want to get anyone in trouble. If I should escape, Blake and Alexander would probably try to hurt the natives, and I can’t let that happen.
“I help you. You take two friends and me to America. We want to travel to America and work.” Daisy doesn’t understand how hard it is to get a work visa in America, but clearly, if she helps me get back to Desmond, I’m sure he can find a way, right?
Getting them a work visa won’t be an issue for Desmond if we can only get to him. I hold Daisy’s hands in mine, and I ask her if she can get me off the island.
“Might be difficult, but I can ask my boyfriend to help. We bring the boat at night, and we sneak to the next island.”
Hope rises in my chest, and I realize that I might be close to being reunited with my husband.
Daisy tells me she will talk with her boyfriend and inform me of their plans the following week.
The next few days go by rather slowly as I wait for Daisy to return.
When we see her next, she bears good news.
Her boyfriend will sneak up to the island that night, and they’ll sneak me over to their place, where I will be able to travel to the nearest harbor.
All evening, I try to feign tiredness, deciding to remain in my room, which doesn’t seem to warrant any attraction from Blake and his guys.
My gaze continuously flickers to the clock hanging on the wall.
Daisy had mentioned that she would be outside my window by eight o’clock, and by fifteen minutes to eight. I’m waiting eagerly for her to arrive.
“Madam,” Daisy’s voice blows through the silent night.
“Daisy,” I say, trying to keep my excitement down.
She tells me her boyfriend is waiting, and we have to go now.
I take a good look around my room, checking that if anyone steps into the room, they’ll think that I am fast asleep.
It’s funny how I have never had to put pillows in my bed to pretend to be asleep until now.
Walking on the tip of my toes, I exit my room, stepping into the hallway and listening carefully in case one of my captors is asleep.
There doesn’t seem to be any sounds, and I continue outside where Daisy is waiting for me.
“We need to walk to the other end of the island where the boat is,” Daisy says as I join her.
A huge sigh of relief escapes from my lips as I realize that I have managed the first phase of my escape. We hurry through the moonless night towards where Daisy’s boyfriend is. I spot the boat in the distance, and hope rises deep in my throat as I realize I am just moments from escaping.
“Well, what do we have here?” A loud voice snaps through the night.
A figure appears from amidst the rocks, and both Daisy and I stop in our tracks. I recognize Blake immediately, and I realize that they must have been lying in wait for us.
“Told you she was up to something with that gal,” the man with Blake says as they both cut our paths.
Daisy’s boyfriend starts to pull away, no doubt sensing that our path has been cut off. I ignore Blake’s taunting as I watch the departing boat, realizing that my only means of escape has suddenly vanished into the night.