[[ Veronica's Pov ]]
I regained consciousness after an unknown amount of time. Opening my eyes groggily, I discovered myself back inside my pink-walled bedroom. A sudden hope hit my mind.
Was it a dream?
My hope didn't last long when a mechanical voice rang from my bedside snapping me back to reality,
" Enough of acting?"
I snapped my head aside only to see him sitting with his legs crossed on the armchair. He looked so disheveled. A few buttons of his t-shirt were unbuttoned revealing his sweaty collarbone inside. His thick locks of hair seemed messy as if they hadn't been combed for years. He looked like a pure mess, a mess that I had created. A burning cigarette was hanging between his forefingers as he hauled up from the chair before making his way towards my bed.
My heart raced in anxiety. He was looking for nothing but a complete devil who could suck my soul anytime. He spoke in his voice,
" Get ready now! We will leave within an hour for C Nation."
I whispered looking away from his emotionless glare,
" But my dad.."
" He will be fine as long as you cooperate with me.", his threatening voice cut off my words. I went silent for a few moments and supported my heavy arms to sit up.
I spoke after going through an internal battle inside,
" What.. what about Victoria? Have you found any traces anywhere?"
His expression changed faster than flipping a page. A dark layer of hatred quickly appeared on his expression. I regretted the second time for asking too much.
He took a domineering puff from his cigarette and bent down slightly to look through my fearsome eyes. Fanning hot breath on my lips, he replied between his gritted teeth,
" You are in no position to ask about her."
My tears threatened to fall but I stubbornly held them in my eyes. Breathing erratically, I managed to squeeze out a few words harshly,
" It doesn't prove that I am at fault, Mr.Davidson."
I pronounced his surname to create a clear distance between our relationships. His face grimaced before taking another puff from his cigarette and spraying it on my nostrils.
Immediately my stomach tightened into a heavy pain when the smoke traveled down to my stomach. I understood what was going to happen when I struggled to breathe this time.
Still fighting with my breathing regulation, I heard his disgusted voice on my face vaguely,
" If I find out that you are behind everything Veronica, I will make sure that you regret each moment for coming into this world."
I couldn't register his words anymore. My breathing had started to work out erratically and soon I was lacking oxygen in my stomach.
My hands went up to rub my chest in the hope that it would stop anytime soon. My asthma attack didn't come back, was it?
I had recovered a long time ago. He gave his final words before puffing another one and making his way outside,
" Faster! "
My vision started to turn blurry around me. I straddled the bed before reaching for my drawer. I searched through the staff but my inhaler was nowhere to be seen. Knowing that he wouldn't give a damn, still, I pleaded through my irregular breathing,
" B.. Blake...My..My inhaler..."
His track halted abruptly before turning around and staring at me coldly. His emotions didn't change at all upon watching my struggles. Instead, he cracked into a hilarious laugh before spouting venomously,
" Another Play, Veronica. You can keep dreaming that I will let you."
He attempted to walk out but fortunately, my old servant made a sudden appearance. She ran up to me with her white apron and spat nonstop,
" Young Lady? Young Lady? Are you all right? Has your asthma attack come back?"
I waved at her as an indicator that she should find the inhaler first. Luckily she was a smart kid and went through all the drawers in a while.
Soon she found it lying in a corner and passed it on to me. As if my life had gotten back, I inhaled the medicine deeply before exhaling a relaxing breath.
Blake watched us from the doorway like a show. His expression expressed that even if I were to die like this, he wouldn't care.
A chuckle escaped through his lips as he spoke with sarcasm,
" Karma is a bitch."
Well, he had already assumed that God had punished me for the sin which I had never committed before.
He took his leave without sparing a single glance and strode down the stairs. My maid cast a hateful glare on his retreat before angrily cursing under her breath a devil."
She faced around to speak to me with a gentle smile,
" My lady..how..how are you feeling now? Any better? What did he do to you? How can a man be so ruthless? Didn't he know that you are struggling to breathe? "
I ignored her accusations. Though Blake was being mean to me a moment ago, I could understand his emotions. Anyone could be angered to death if they assumed that I could be the planner behind his family's death.
The sound of his boot tickling against the marble floor was gone. I heaved in relief that he was no longer around me. I was away from the devil momentarily.
[[ Blake's Pov ]]
I hate her!
Every nerve of my body screamed telling me that I hated her from the core of my heart. She was acting again a few moments ago!
She was doing fine but why did she start to feel suffocated then? Did she think that I would let her go just because I would pity her for being sick?
No way! I wanted justice for my unborn child!
I strode downstairs slowly and saw my so-called father-in-law sitting there with his pale face. He jumped off the sofa after finding me and whispered more likely in pleading,
" Blake, Veronica.. Please don't do this to her...Her career would be shattered if you took her away now. For Christ's sake, Victoria is already gone."
I felt another round of pain stimulating my heart when he talked about Victoria. Our life could have been perfect with her baby bump growing now. That night when she told me that she was pregnant, I went almost crazy with excitement. She planned for the whole night telling us how she would raise our child as a perfect human being.
Those words repeatedly rang in my ears. My pain all turned to rage after finding Veronica's involvement in everything.
I cast him a death glare before speaking with disgust lacing my voice,
" You should thank me for letting her be alive so far. If you utter any more words, I will simply burn down your empire. Trust in my words! "
The old man's face was horrified but nothing compared to the pain that I felt for losing my unborn child. She or he was innocent and Victoria. She was the love of my life.
I ignored his existence before heading outside with my large strides. As I came near the entrance, I encountered a bunch of over-excited reporters who had been trailing me since last night.
I stopped facing the shouting and screaming crowd in the opposite direction. I made a signal of huss as they all went dead quite almost instantly.
My threatening words fell out icily,
" Anymore shouting and I will see who can have his hands tomorrow for writing headlines."
They were all just a bunch of idiots. They only cared about how to make random assumptions and get a popular headline for tomorrow's newspaper. My warning did work though.
Taking a puff from my cigarette, I spoke tugging my fist inside my pocket,
" One by one! "
They all nodded with understanding. The ironic gate stood between us like a third wheel as one of the female reporters asked from the other end,
" Mr.Davison, the citizens want to know what you are going to do with Veronica Knight. Now she is a promising star and your family, are you going to put her behind bars, or any investigations going on?"
I pondered after hearing her series of questions. It was a perfect opportunity to destroy the name of 'Veronica Knight' from the world of modeling. One rude word from my mouth was effective enough to lose her most valuable resource " The Rira Fashion Show", one of the highest-demand clothing brands in the world. Victoria was their runway model for years. Then Veronica scouted this rare opportunity very recently. If any model managed to showcase her talent on their runway, the supermodel of the year title would be hers. Everyone knew all of it and that's the reason, her dad pleaded numerous times.
My eyes danced in amusement when I imagined the scene of her breaking down after the news.
How would it feel Veronica after losing your most valuable opportunity?