He rolls his lips, a guilty-as-fuck expression appearing on his face.
Instant sickness washes over me. “What did you do?” I snap.
His lips twist just a touch but enough that sends a shiver down my spine. “That life has been deleted.”
I stare back at him, trying to process what he’s saying. My heart kicks up a little with fear of what he means. “You did what?”
A proud all-out grin lands on his face now. “We made sure there was no trail. Your life as Elsie never existed. Every record with that name attached is long gone. No one can trace you or link you back to them.”
My heart goes into overdrive. “There is no way. You couldn’t have destroyed it all.” In a panic, I pull out my phone and try and log into my Instagram, but it won’t let me. It just keeps saying I have the wrong username or password. My hands tremble as I try repeatedly, fresh anxiety taking over.
“We did. Every image of you has been destroyed, every video you put out into the world for the low-life creeps to beat off to, gone. You can thank me later.”
“Thank you?!” I almost shout. Is he fucking kidding me? “I don’t believe you. It’s not possible,” I whisper as I start trying other apps on my phone, realizing I can’t log in to anything that’s attached to her name. A shaky finger hovers over my photos. Do I look? But I can’t help myself, and sure enough, the folder is empty. Tears well in my eyes, fresh pain lodging itself in my chest. How dare he do this to me.
“When you’re as powerful as I am, anything is possible, birdie, a fact that would be useful for you to remember. From today on, you are part of my family, one of the Thrones, and this town will accept any story we tell them. That is why I booked Miss Arnott to have the paper run a story. Hate me all you want, but I did it for you.”
Sickness taking over my body, I stare out the front of the car. How the hell did he delete my life? I don’t even understand how he had access to my accounts without my passwords, unless he did something when he was holding my phone hostage. Is that even possible? Because these apps worked just yesterday, and now they are gone. He keeps saying how powerful he is, and half of me thought it was all talk, but now I’m not so sure. This shit is creepy and invasive and all-out insane.
He opens his door then comes around my side to get mine, staring down at me, oozing power in his expensive suit. He holds a hand out for me to take, and I can tell by the look on his face he thinks he hasn’t done anything wrong. “So, is there anything else you need to tell me? Or do we make up a nice story for the papers and be done with it. The four of us can get on with our lives.”
I glare back up at him, anger vibrating through me. He just deleted the last ten years of my life with no concern about how that would make me feel. My memories are all gone, my last years with my sick father, nothing but what I can still picture in my head. Who does he think he is, God? Sure seems like it. There is no way in hell I’m going to just get on with my life with him.
I ignore his hand and push up to standing, grateful for the extra-tall heels he got me so the height advantage he has over me isn’t as much.
He doesn’t let me pass but instead presses me into the side of the car when I try. He radiates a stupid amount of heat. His large frame surrounds me. He brushes his fingers through my now-short hair, his touch so different to what it was back at the restaurant. It’s tender, almost like he cares when I know that’s not true. “Don’t hate me. I did this for you, Dove.” His hand slides down the side of my face, and he cups it, staring deep into my soul. The broken look in his eyes only makes my chest ache more. The boy I once loved is gone, and I’m never getting him back.
“Make up whatever you want,” I mutter, so done with being in his proximity. I rip my hand from his grip and shove past him, stalking away back up the stairs of the parking garage, desperate for space from him, before I go find that knife and use it.Don’t hate me.It’s a little too late for that, asshole.
Chapter 27
Bodhi
Fucking Kasen siccing Gloria on me. The woman is batshit crazy. She was on her knees practically begging to suck my dick, her lips all pouty and shit, but all I could think about was the lunch Kasen was having with Dove. Would she be angry when she worked out it was all a set-up to control her? My guess was absolutely. Would have liked to be there for that showdown, but he made sure both River and I had other shit to do.
So distracted with thoughts of Dove, I showed Gloria the plans then led her back out of my office quick smart. She was clearly pissed, but what did she expect? I have no interest in fake chicks like her. I did what I was told and showed her the plans.
When I got sick of not being able to concentrate, I left the office and came back home to finish what I had to do while waiting for them to get back from lunch. I knew she would be a distraction for River and Kasen, but nothing could have prepared me for how obsessed I would become with knowing where she was and exactly what she was doing at all times. Our security cameras catch most of it, but when she is out of the house like now, I itch to see her again.
With a tumbler of whiskey at my side, I scan over the contracts for our new golf course on my laptop. This project is going to make usbillions with the construction contract alone. It’s insane to think not that long ago we were struggling to eat, and now we can have anything we want at our disposal. As much as Keller was an evil cunt, he knew what he was doing.
I click off the plans and onto my side project. We had the Southern Breakers’ bank accounts emptied, all funds stored in an offshore account that will eventually go back to the girls they were exploiting. When I track them all down. The Silver Room has been shut for a couple of days, and from the cameras we had installed in their clubhouse, it appears to be boarded up. My guess is anyone attached to the club is hiding. With the trap I set up for them, it looks like they owe quite a substantial amount of cash to some pretty dodgy people. I look forward to logging back in and seeing the state of the place in a few days. Something tells me shit is about to get real down in Breakers Point.
“Kasen’s plan worked, there are already photos of him and Dove online,” River announces, plonking down next to me on the sofa.
I snatch his phone from his hand and inspect the new story. To anyone else, he and Dove would appear to be a happy couple out to have some fancy lunch, but I know Dove, and the way her hands are balled into fists tells me she wasn’t as into this kiss as K would have the world believe. He’s so obsessed with getting what he wants, he can’t even see the damage he’s causing in the process, and he won’t hear me out. When I bring it up, he shuts me down, says I’m too close to the situation to see. Thinks I’m the one with the problem because I have a hard-on for her.
“Helps when you own the establishment and the media outlet,” I grumble, already knowing the backlash from this is going to be a problem. We need her on side, not hating us.
“Saw you disappear with Gloria at the office. She live up to her reputation?” he asks when I have been staring at his screen for long enough for it to go black.
I pass his phone back. “K’s idea of a joke. Didn’t work out so well for Gloria.” I chuckle out a laugh, picturing her angry face when I led her back to her office alone. She won’t be bothering me anymore.
“You turned her down?” he asks, surprised.
“I don’t fuck anything that moves,” I mutter, unimpressed.
He raises a suggestive eyebrow, trying to bait me. “Normally you do.”
