No Escape from the Billionaire

CHAPTER 5

The airport was buzzing with activity with a tangled mix of departures and arrivals as well as frantic footsteps and whispers of conversation across various languages. Liesel Bauer firmly held her hands to her son's hand as she swung between the crowd. The burden of her past was firmly weighing onto her chest. However, she held her head up and pressed herself to concentrate on the child sitting in front of her.

"Stay close, Elias. We won't leave until I check a few things. Can you help me, mein Schatz?" Her tone was calm as she hid the turmoil raging within her.

"Of course, Mama!" Elias smiled at her with his little feet moving to hers. "See? I'm following you!"

Her lips curled in an unintentional smile, despite the gnawing anxiety that was raging at her. Her son served as her anchor and the primary reason she had overcome all obstacles in her path. He was not aware of how much strength he could give her.

"Thank you," she whispered while rubbing her hand over his curly curls. "Your aunt Sussan will be here soon."

Elias exclaimed, his enthusiasm exuberantly spreading. "Really? She's coming now? Mama, I can't wait to meet her!"

Before she had time to respond, the voice of a familiar face rang across the terminal.

"Liesel!"

She swung her head sharply and turned with her breath in the air. An elderly woman stood at the gate for arrivals and waved a bouquet of flowers with one hand while grasping a huge toy car in the second.

"Sussan!" Liesel breathed, her chest tightening. It had been a long time since she last saw her most beloved acquaintance, and she'd gone missing out of Ravensburg without even uttering a word.

Elias released his hand and ran into the air and laughed. His laughter echoed. "Aunt Sussan!"

Sussan only had a moment to put the presents away prior to the little boy leaping in her arms. She snatched him up with ease and laughed as she pulled him into a hug.

"Oh my goodness, Elias! Look at you! You're even more handsome than in the pictures!"

Liesel moved towards the two of them; her heartbeat slowed when the burden of the moment settled on her. She had been afraid to return, worried about what she might find, but here she was. Warmth. Safety.

Sussan took her next item; she wrapped her arms around her with a hug. "You're really here," she said, her voice full of emotion. "I still can't believe it. You're home."

Home. This word sent a strong heartbeat across Liesel's chest. What could she possibly mean by this anymore?

Sussan turned her head back with her eyes glued to her face. "You're too thin," she gently rebuked her. "Have you been taking care of yourself?"

Liesel made a joke. "I had a four-year-old to raise alone. What do you think?"

Elias pulled at Sussan's sleeves. "Aunt Sussan, can we go home now? I want to see where Mama used to live!"

Sussan had a ruffle in his hair. "Of course, sweetheart. Let's get you two out of here."

The trip through Ravensburg seemed like a dream. The streets felt familiar; however, they seemed distant, as though they had been part of a completely separate time. Liesel was looking out of the window of her car while memories echoed at every corner. She would frequent cafes to linger and reflect. She would spend long periods of time talking with Sussan in the park. The enormous skyline, once created, gave her a sense of unstoppability.

"You're quiet," Sussan murmured, glancing at her. "How does it feel being back?"

Liesel exhaled in a slow, steady way. "Like I'm walking into a trap."

"You don't have to be afraid. No one knows you're here."

Her fingers swelled within her lap. "I don't believe that."

An eerily quiet silence lasted between them until Sussan made a new statement. "You're worried about running into him, aren't you?"

Liesel didn't answer.

It was not necessary to mention the name of his son. The man in question was Alaric von Rothschild. He was the man she had been avoiding for the past five years. He was the man that, despite all, remained in her thought patterns.

Was he able to remember her? Perhaps she was an unimportant moment within his vicious universe?

"Mama, can we go to the park tomorrow?" Elias's voice was able to cut through the tension.

Liesel blinks, bringing herself to go back in time. "We'll see, sweetheart."

Sussan made a turn down a quiet street. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. "Staying in Ravensburg?"

"I don't have a choice," Liesel said. "Elias deserves to know where he comes from. And I need answers."

Sussan looked at her but did not fight. "Let's get you settled. You're going to need your strength."

In the evening, long after Elias was to sleep, Liesel sat by the windows, gazing at the city she used to call home. The skyline remained exactly the same, the bright lights reflecting off the river, and the streets below awash with those who didn't know the amount of history she put in here.

It was not right to have returned. It was a feeling that gnawed at her, the most intense, persistent anxiety she was unable to overcome.

An unexpected knock on the door caught her breath.

Her pulse raced. There was no way for anyone to be aware that she was there.

She walked slowly and sat her hands against the wood flooring. "Sussan?"

Silence.

The discomfort within her chest grew as if it were a wildfire. She reached out to the handle before turning the knob. The door creaked.

There was no one there.

However, something else was.

Someone placed one envelope on the floor.

Liesel hesitated when she was picking the item down. Except for one item, there were no markings on it.

Her name.

Her hands shook when she ripped the slit open.

Inside was a picture.

She left behind an image of herself.

This was 5 years ago.

I am in a hotel room.

She was the next night drugged.

In the night, the world changed.

She exhaled deeply, her gaze locked on the scrawled words beneath the picture.

"You were never supposed to survive."

Liesel's stomach twisted, her grip on the newspaper tightening.

The skin began to itch in a sense of overwhelming fear that she was under surveillance.

The girl turned and pointed through the glass, looking for the shadows that hung between the buildings.

Nothing.

However, the sensation persisted.

The girl wasn't secure.

But not right this moment. Not ever.

Morning came too quickly, bringing no relief. The woman barely sipped her coffee before her brain was racing around the messages, trying to understand the implications of who might have delivered it.

Elias was all dressed up and was ready for the day. "Mama, can we go outside now?"

She was hesitant. "Maybe later, mein Schatz."

A car's doors slammed shut outside.

Her heart stilled.

She walked slowly into the room and dragged away the curtains.

Her breath went out abruptly, exhaling.

A black vehicle sat on the other side of the street.

The tinted glass was rolled down.

Thenand then

Alaric von Rothschild looked straight at her.

Liesel felt an actual force strike her as the two people's eyes met.

He was aware.

He has always been aware.

Her time just ran out.