POV: Raphael
Yeah, I left her and went back to my room, but just before she shut the door, she said me a question that made me realize that despite all the drama she was putting on, she was still thoughtful and over-calculative. She said,
“One more thing before you leave my room, Raphael Hawkins. How did you find out I called someone when you left, and how did you hear the exact words I said to the person. Are you monitoring my affairs, is my room bugged?” She asked me, while her eyes looked around the room, searching for a camera or anything that would explain how I found out.
“Goodnight, Eloise. Let’s see how tomorrow works out for you and the girls.” I told her with a smile. She smirked in response, tusking playfully.
“I’ll find out, Ralph. Whatever you think you are hiding from me, I will find out and I will hit you back where it hurts the most. Do not think I would let this go easily.” She told me with a smile, looking right at me.
“You took the words right out of my mouth, Eloise. I’m glad we are on the same page because if I ever find out that you tricked me, I will come for you Eloise and I will not hold back. I’m trying to hear to trust you right now, but trust me, I will not hold back from hurting you when I unravel all this mystery surrounding you and find out that you are playing games with me. Be careful with me, Eloise, you don’t want to find out what I’m capable of.” I told her sternly before leaving her presence finally.
I was so worried that I couldn’t sleep that night. I called Dominic and I told him about my conversation with her and my plans to get Ciara to come back home tomorrow. He wasn’t happy that I made such decisions without him, but he agreed to it if that would get the girls to find out the truth from Eloise herself, then it was worth a try.
“What do you think, do you think she will come clean tomorrow?” Dominic asked me as I spoke to him on the phone.
“I’m not sure, Dom. I have this feeling that she is trying to brainwash the girls with lies again. She even invited her ex-husband to come over to help her explain the truth to the girls like, how crazy is that?” I laughed at the irony of the whole idea of bringing Austin to sit down with the girls after everything he had done to them.
“I don’t like this, Ralph. I don’t trust that woman or her husband. Let’s pull the plug on this charade and just tell the girls the truth ourselves. We don’t owe it to anyone to mend their relationship with Eloise and Austin. As long as the girls are happy and reunited with their real parents, that’s all I fucking care about.” He asserted firmly. To be honest, I totally agree with this, I just don’t know why I feel like I need to give Eloise a chance to come clean.
I’m just thinking of all the years she has spent raising the girls. I believe that she deserves this one chance to compensate for all the pain and heartbreak that would come after the girls find out the truth. But at the end of the day, we still have to make sure that the girls are happy and reunited with their real families. That should be the end game.
“Let’s just let her have this moment. I’ve already promised to help her reconcile with the girls. We’ll see what she has to say,” I told him.
“You mean, we’ll be seeing what is happening in the house?
Are you planning to plant a bug in their meeting?” he asked in dismay. He asked in dismay, his voice sounding a bit too excited.
“No, I’m not planting a bug in their meeting, Dom. Don’t be a joy killer. Let’s give them some time to talk about this, it’s not right to intrude. She needs this moment with her girls, I believe she can handle it. Besides, I need to see Miguel before Victoria meets with him for lunch today. So while are having their meeting, I’ll be meeting with Miguel Myers to find out what plans he has for his sister.” I admitted sadly.
“Is she also going to tell Victoria that Miguel is her sister, will she reveal Claire’s real parents tomorrow?” he asked me, ignoring the fact that I was feeling sad and restless about Eloise and Miguel. What if I lose Victoria after all this, what am I going to do without her in my life?
“No!
The deal was to tell her that she was not her real mother. It’s left for Miguel to tell her the remaining part. Or I could tell her if she asks for my help in locating her real family. I want that part to come later after I have spoken to Miguel and found out what he is planning.” I told him. I think he is just reading the meaning behind my words, he finally kept mute and sighed deeply, giving me a chance to get over my sadness.
“If she truly cares about you, she won’t leave you no matter how much she wishes to be close to her family. I suggest you let her meet them and spend time with them. At the end of the day, she is still your fiancee and you two are still engaged to be married. You don’t think her family will call off the engagement, do you?” he asked me, sounding curious and supportive at the same time.
If only he knew that our relationship was fake, then he would understand my fears. If she decides to leave me, her family could easily pay off her debt and get her to cancel our engagement. She could decide to pay me off and return to her family. With her new found wealth and status, she could leave me, and my contract with her will not keep her.
I ended the call when my feelings were all over the place. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t even hold a meaningful conversation with Dominic without feeling sad and emotional. Sleep eluded me all night, I had to force myself to lie down and gather my thoughts together. I pulled her into my arms, cuddling with her until I fell asleep. The sound of my phone ringing woke me up from sleep early the next day. I picked up the phone and saw that the caller was no one else but Carl.
He has left a lot of messages for me and he is calling to confirm that I have seen his reports. I decided to review some of his messages to find out what was going on before calling him back. I was shocked by the messages I received from him. It was about Austin and Eloise Kendall and it was not something I needed to sleep on. It’s not good at all. I dialed Carl immediately to confirm this information,
“Are you sure of this, did you do your investigations right?” I asked him the moment he picked up the call. I’d asked him to keep an eye on the company and other assets. I didn’t want him to sell off the company and all the other properties and flee with his family. But Carl is letting me know that someone has liquidated all the family’s assets. There is nothing left, absolutely nothing.
After ending the call, I went straight to Eloise and banged on her door, asking her what was going on. But she looked as pained and surprised as I was. I sent someone to Austin and I was informed that he is going crazy with anger because he is looking for the culprit that stole everything from right under his nose.
I thought I could get them to play fair and treat the girls right. But I just got the biggest shock of my life. The company and all the other properties have been sold already. It was sold without traces and now nobody could find out how it disappeared, not even Austin and Eloise. They are both denying it and the company and everything else is gone, like really gone!