Chapter 29 Elsie
Elsie
“You’re going to be fine.”
“I know, I’m just nervous.” I wrung my hands, trying to calm myself down. Lukas stood with me outside the doors of Alicia Vane’s office yet again.
“You’ve done nothing wrong. No question they ask could be harmful to you. I’ll be right here when you’re finished, okay?” Lukas rubbed up and down my arms to comfort me.
Nodding, I leaned forward. We kissed briefly, and it calmed me down a few degrees.
Vane’s office was sleek and modern. The building was new and towered against the skyline, home to many law offices.
There was a simple courtyard in front of the building with immaculate landscaping and stone benches.
Once I walked through the front door, the receptionist, who sat at a black semicircular desk, greeted me.
She smiled up at me as I walked to the elevator.
I made it to the right floor and was led to a conference room. The receptionist there was already waiting for me and knew who I was. The room was colored in black, white, and gray, giving off a steely, professional vibe. Goosebumps rose on my arms, and not just because it was a bit chilly.
“Hello, Elsie,” Vane walked through the open door, a notepad and folder in hand, as she pushed the door shut. Her face held a warm smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Hello, Ms. Vane.”
“I know you most likely have no interest in being here, but it will help me, and I’d rather get this over with.
Of course, with your father arrested and the article revealing your involvement with Lukas Bristol, there is talk about your involvement with your father.
So, I’m here to ask you a series of questions on the record.
You may refuse to answer any of these questions without an attorney present, but since you were already informed of this, it seems you are okay without one. Is that correct?”
I took a deep breath, nodding. It had been a little more than a week since my father’s arrest, so when Vane’s assistant called me and told me they’d like to bring me in for questioning, I agreed quickly.
I had nothing to hide; I’d done no wrong.
I already knew some of the procedure from observing my father, but I’d done further research to prepare myself.
“Yes, that is correct. Actually, I would like to do all the questioning on the record and under the influence of a truth potion. That way, we can truly be done with this after today.”
Alicia looked up from the notepad that she was writing on, a full grin taking over her face. “That is wonderful news. I will return with my assistant and the potion. Ed has already made some that we have on hand.”
Nodding again, I placed my hands on the table and watched her leave. This was the best option possible to keep me out of this case once and for all. It ensured that Lukas and I would be cleared of any collusion as well.
After the article broke headlines, Ed spoke with Lukas the following Monday to determine whether there was any misconduct on Lukas's part—asking whether he’d fed any information to William through me.
Lukas didn’t have to say much for Ed to believe that he genuinely had done nothing to help Aster’s defense.
Since it was my father who had been harming witnesses, I didn’t get off so easily.
But it would be done after this. Alicia had assured me that she would make a public statement about it as well.
Alicia returned with her assistant, who immediately came around the long conference table to me and placed a document in front of me.
“I’m Andrew Thompson, Ms. Vane’s assistant.
Nice to meet you. This is a contract of consent.
Essentially, it details that you are taking the truth potion of your own free will, and that you will take any legal accountability necessary for your words. ”
I scanned the one-page document, verifying it was exactly as he said it was. I signed it and slid it back in his direction.
“Thank you.” He took the paper and walked with it back down the table to Alicia. Then, he picked up the box that she had placed on her side of the table and brought it back.
“This is a simple truth potion. This potion renders the user unable to tell anything other than the full truth. If you resist telling the truth, it may cause increasing headaches. Its effects should last up to three hours, so once we finish here, we recommend you return home until it wears off.” Andrew opened the box to reveal a round potion bottle filled with yellow liquid. He pushed the box towards me.
Without hesitation, I took the vial from the box and uncorked it, swallowing all the contents in one go. The potion was fizzy going down my throat and caused a brief bout of chills to race up my spine, but once it was in my stomach, nothing happened.
“Elsie, I’m going to ask you a few simple questions just to get started.” Alicia had her pen ready as she looked at me. I nodded. “What is your full name?”
“Elsie Anna Clarke.”
“Who are your parents?”
My chest stung a bit at that question. “My mother was Kimberly Clarke, and she passed seven years ago. My father is William Middleton.”
“Where do you go to school?”
“Forrestbriar Academy,” I said easily.
“What is your mastery at Forrestbriar?”
“Magical Literature.”
“Very good.” Alicia turned her papers over.
“I’m going to move on to more difficult questions.
Please remember that should you try to tell anything other than the truth, you will have a headache.
It will get worse the more you fight the truth, and it will be obvious to us that you are withholding information. ”
I was jittery as Lukas ushered me to his car, my hands vibrating with energy.
“How did it go?” he asked as he opened my door.
“It went great! I took the truth potion so that we could just be done with it after today!” And since the truth potion was still coursing strongly through my veins, I continued.
“Alicia said that my answers were perfect and cleared me of any further questions. She asked a ridiculous number of questions.”
“You took a truth potion?” He looked at me in utter shock.
“Of course I did. I needed them to officially clear you and me both so that we wouldn’t have to deal with any more of this bullshit.” Cursing wasn’t typically part of my vocabulary, but it came out with the rest of my truth.
Lukas chuckled, closing my door and walking around to his side. “I see the potion is still affecting you?”
“They said it would be three hours at least before it completely wears off. It was only an hour ago that I took it, so I still have two hours. Andrew told me I needed to go straight home just to be safe so that no one could take advantage of me.”
“Home it is, then. Do you want to pick up any food before we go home? We can order something to go.” Lukas pulled out of the parking lot, looking over at me for an answer.
“Sure, as long as we can still get home pretty soon. I want to spend the rest of the day in bed with you. I was really hoping that you would feel the same.” The words slid off of my tongue so easily, and I didn’t even care.
Lukas’s mouth dropped open a bit, which I found hilarious but kept to myself. My words had been more honest than I’d ever been, the potion stripping away any instinct to hold back. It felt…nice.
“I’m more than okay with that. I’ll call in some pasta that we can pick up on the way.” Lukas’s voice was tight, as was his grip on the steering wheel. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, making quick work of ordering.
For the rest of the ride to the pasta house, I watched him, and I pondered everything between us so far.
It was something I had done a lot lately, as I had difficulty wrapping my mind around the way he cared for me and treated me.
Even something as simple as taking me to Vane’s office and waiting for me so that I wouldn’t feel alone.
He could have gone into his internship today instead, but he took the day off to support me.
His caring for me had been occurring since the moment we met, and all of it seemed to hit me in that exact moment. It was like a train plowing over me at full speed.
“I love you, Lukas.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, the truth demanding to be spoken.
We were on a B-road when Lukas slammed on his brakes, turned on his blinker, and pulled off onto the shoulder. My heart thundered in shock and fear of his reaction.
When the car was parked, Lukas turned in the seat to fully face me, his eyes wide. He almost looked confused as his brows pulled together. My lips pressed together because I refused to let anything else slip, so silence fell in the car.
“You…you’re on the…you can’t lie. You mean that, don’t you?” Gravel thickened his voice as he spoke, his blue eyes not moving away from mine.
“Of course I mean it. Not only am I on the truth potion, so I can’t lie, but I’ve also felt this way for a while, and I’ve been too scared to tell you. Now I’m thinking I was wise not to tell you.” Damn the potion because it was making me say a lot more than I intended.
Lukas remained still, just staring back at me. The desire to look away from his gaze nearly won, but then his hands were on my face and neck, pulling me closer to him. His lips smashed mine, clumsily but with fiery fervor.
I responded to the kiss immediately, leaning over the console to make it easier for both of us, but he pulled away. Each of his hands was on my cheeks, and he held me just a few inches away from his face.
“I love you, Elsie. I have for longer than I even realized. I love you so much.”
I nodded, tears stinging my eyes. My forehead leaned against his briefly, the overwhelming rush in my gut making me close my eyes.
“I replay the banquet where you stole my drink nearly every day. Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t have been so stubborn and had just asked you out that day. Other times I realize I wouldn’t change a thing about us.”
I leaned back and opened my eyes, seeing the sincerity in his. Nothing could stop the grin that formed on my face.
And since the stupid potion was still in my veins, I spilled even more truths.
“I didn’t know it was possible for someone to love me the way you do.
I just thought relationships would be what I’d always experienced, where both parties were interested and cared as long as it was convenient.
I—I never knew it could be like this.” Tears were streaming down my face, and they were the happiest tears I’d ever experienced.
“You deserve even better than the way I can love you, and I’ll spend every day trying to love you more and more. I promise, Elsie.”
I was shaking my head and pulled him in for a quick kiss. “I don’t even deserve you.”
“Elsie, I’m serious. You deserve the world. And I’m going to give it to you.”
He pulled me in for another kiss, this one slow and languorous. Despite the kiss’s lack of speed, we made it into the same seat, on the side of the road, and remained there for far too long.