CHAPTER 114
LILY’S POV
First thing the following morning, I was in Noah’s office, waiting impatiently for him to arrive. He usually left his office unlocked so the cleaning lady could come and clean it early in the morning before he arrived for work. But I preferred to lock mine before leaving because I don’t like people tampering with my stuff. The cleaner lady only cleaned it when I was on shifts as I kept it tidy most time.
I don’t usually come over to Noah’s office. It was always the other way around. But the matter at hand was driving me insane, choking me to the point of death I just had to leave everything else I was doing and come here.
I can’t believe Robert showed up at my place. Digging up where I worked and sending those whack flowers weren’t enough he had to come to my house when it was almost dark, whining like an adult child.
How did he manage to find my address? Who gave it to him? Or did he somehow install a tracking device in my phone or anywhere around me? I doubt that because I’d never let him anywhere close to me talk more on my phone. Someone was probably feeding him all the info about me or he was secretly following me.
I still don’t know how he managed to gain entry into the estate. I was in such a hurry this morning I hadn’t asked the security team. They were firm on their decision of not allowing anybody to come into the estate without a confirmation call from the person they wanted to see. For Robert to gain entry, he must have bribed them or something. And here I was, thinking they were trustworthy and incapable of being swayed. I guess what they say is true: everybody is corrupt for the right price.
Robert knowing where I stayed was bad. Really bad. Worse, he saw the kids and they saw him, something I have been trying to prevent for the past nine years. Now they won’t stop asking me questions about him.
“Mummy, who is that man and why did you scream at him like that?”
“Mummy, why does he look so much like Liam?”
“Mummy, why does everyone get to look like Liam and not me? I want someone that isn’t you to look like me.”
“Mummy, I thought Uncle Noah and Hawkeyes and Scarface were the only men allowed to come to our house? Why did you allow that man to come to our house and why does Lila keep saying I look like him?”
“Mummy, why were you pulling us away from him like that? Is he dangerous? Did he have a gun or a knife?”
“Mummy, why were you crying? Was it because of him? Did he in any way hurt you?”
“Mummy, but I must say I don’t like the way you treated him. He seemed like a good guy. What you did was very bad. You hurt his feelings. I think you should go apologize.”
If they only knew what was at play here, they wouldn’t be asking those questions for their own good. Last night, all their questions got me so angry and irritated I had to send them off to sleep without tucking them into bed and reading bedtime stories to them. This morning I had left before they were done preparing for school, leaving everything for Nana Mae.
All these years, I had done everything in my power to keep Robert from finding me and the kids only to watch my efforts go down the drain in an instant. Now that he had set his eyes on them, I knew he wouldn’t back down. He wouldn’t leave them alone. He wouldn’t leave us alone.
And what if he took this to court? What if he fought for custody? The mere thought sent a chill down my spine. That was my greatest fear.
Nine years ago, I remembered how he and his family hired those top-notch lawyers to get me the death penalty in court. I thought I was going to die. It was a miracle the judge ruled in my favour and I made it out alive.
That’s why, whenever I remembered Nana Mae’s talk about second chances, my heart ached with a deep, unbearable pain. My heart bled because I didn’t know how to give a second chance to someone who once wanted me dead without a second thought. What if I did… and it ended up being the death of me this time?
He was on his knees, claiming to be truly sorry for everything he did to me, but I know better. I wasn’t going to fall for his empty pleas so easily. More than anything in this world, I wanted him to suffer. I wanted him to feel the same pain and fear I felt as I watched those lawyers debate my life like it was nothing more than a game in court.
For all the years I spent pregnant in that filthy, rat-infested prison, eating garbage food, I wanted him to pay-every single day, in every possible way. Which is why I’m going to make his existence a living hell. As much as I can, I’m going to prevent him from seeing the kids and keep rejecting him till he feels hopeless and breaks. God knows I’m not being wicked, I only want to give him a taste of the hell he put me through and see just how long he’ll last.
No doubt, when it came to legal battles, Robert had the upper hand with his family’s wealth and influence. I only had Noah by my side. And somehow, I felt like having only Noah wasn’t enough. I needed to gather all the power I could, but I didn’t know where to start or who to turn to.
Noah agreed to help me destroy him. That’s why I’m here so early this morning. He said he’d run a proper background check on Robert to find a loophole we could use against him. I know it hasn’t been up to 48 hours since we discussed that, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. Time wasn’t on our side. We needed to find this loophole and destroy him quickly before he could think of taking the kids’ matter to court and fighting for custody.
It was past 9 am but Noah still hadn’t come. What could be keeping him? He usually arrived before 9. I was restless as I stood up and paced the office. I glanced out the window at the bustling city below, fretting as I waited for him.
I know he usually went for a jog or to the gym before coming to work. Could that be what was keeping him? Or maybe he had somewhere else. But he’ll tell me if he had somewhere else to be. He told me everything. He never kept secrets from me and I like that about him.
I let out a deep breath and massaged my temples to calm myself. To distract myself and pass the time, I decided to call Jane. It’s been quite long since we last spoke.
I dialled her burner phone. I know she had given me instructions not to call her and that she’d be the one to call first. But it didn’t matter anymore since Robert had already known where I was.
She answered on the first ring, just as it was about to stop.
“Hello…” She sounded like she didn’t know who was calling.
“Hey baby girl,” I tried to sound cheerful amid my gloom.
“Lily?… Is that you?”
“Yeah.” I nodded and smiled dryly.
“What the fuck Lily?” She was mad at me. “I thought I told you not to call that I’ll be the one to…”
“It doesn’t matter anymore,” I said, cutting her off mid-sentence.
“Why?”
I sighed weakly, turning away from the window and walking to the visitor’s seat. I sat down quietly. “Because Robert has already found me.”
“What?!” she gasped, her voice sharp with shock. “How did it happen? Was it my fault? I’m so sorry girl… I thought I was doing everything the right way… I don’t know how he could have managed to find out your location. Maybe he had a professional hacker hack into my phone and trace your…”
“Jane, you don’t have to worry,” I tried to calm her. “It’s not your fault okay?”
She went silent for a moment as if trying to process and properly understand the situation.
“If it wasn’t me, then who?” she asked, her tone calmer but still laced with deep concern. “Does anyone else know you’re in LA?”
“No, it’s not that,” I sighed. “He found me at a business meeting. Somehow… it was my fault.”
“How?” She was so curious. “Tell me everything, Lily.”
I wanted to when the door pushed open and Noah stepped in.