CHAPTER SIXTEEN
1910 Words
CHLOE
I was taken aback by what Edward said. His tone was utterly nonchalant, yet the look in his eyes showed he fully intended to follow through. Buy the school? Did he really think acquiring property was that simple? What if the owner wasn't ready to sell? What if the owner had absolutely no intention of selling?
I'd noticed over the past few days that he genuinely cared about me. I knew I was the reason he'd said such a thing. He didn't care about the school itself; he'd made that clear by leaving the premises whenever he wished. I couldn't blame him—he was nearly twenty-four. He wouldn't feel comfortable around people so inferior to him, both in wealth and age.
He wouldn't have cared if he was expelled. I was certain he already possessed all the high-school curriculum knowledge he needed, given he was home-schooled. So why would he buy the school for my sake? He might not say the decision was because of me, but I knew it was.
What other reason could he possibly have?
To avoid being expelled? No, he clearly didn't care about that.
Because of his new friends, who also did nothing wrong, other than leaving school without permission? No, he'd shown his detestation for the idea of friendship, so he probably didn't care about them either.
Now that I was weighing up the reasons, it all made perfect sense, and I was at the centre of every valid one. First, because of my father—who would be enraged when he heard what happened. Second, because of Evan—so Edward could justify his actions next time (though I doubted there would be a next time). Lastly, because he simply wanted to. Because he wanted to buy it.
The Ed I knew did things on impulse. Not that he needed a valid reason, but this particular situation was caused by me. I concluded, therefore, that it was because of me.
It was well past six in the evening. Sarah and Edgar had already gone to their respective homes, and Edward and I were driving back to my father’s house. We could have gone there straight from school—only the maid would have been there at that time.
We were about a mile from the house when my phone rang. Father showed as the caller. As soon as I answered, his voice bellowed through the phone.
“Where the hell are you?” The shout was so loud I pulled the phone away from my ear.
“Close to the house,” I managed to reply, noticing Edward turn his head to look at me.
“Get your arse here right now!” he snapped before ending the call.
Why was my father home at this hour? It was one of his busiest days—all his days were busy. Why would he be home now, barely half past six? And why had he actually called me to ask for my whereabouts? The father I knew wouldn't even announce his arrival, let alone phone me about my location. And he sounded furious. Sounded? No. He was furious.
He knew.
The school authority had probably called him to inform him about Edward’s outburst and my unauthorised leave. He was Edward’s guardian, according to the school report.
If Edward noticed anything, he didn't show it, nor did he say anything as I battled with my thoughts. In no time, we reached the house. As I got out of the car, Edward grabbed my hand, and we walked inside together. We were met by my dad and his mother, staring.
“What on earth did the school just report to me? You hit someone and left school without permission? And you’re only just getting home now?” My father roared the moment he was sure we were a few feet inside the house.
He probably didn't see our intertwined hands, I thought. But then he yelled again, “Why the f**k are you holding hands?” Oh, he saw that.
Neither of us replied. Edward simply stared at him. Just when I thought he was about to say something, he didn't. Instead, he faced his mother and said, “How would you feel about acquiring an additional property?” He asked Kate, who looked dumbfounded and confused.
Why was he talking about property when my father was drilling holes into us with his eyes? If looks could kill, I’d be dead already.
“What are you talking about, Edward? Why all of a sudden?” Kate asked.
“I’m buying the school, Mother. Make the necessary arrangements,” he spat out. My father, already angry, now got up from his seat, looking more confused and upset than before.
“Who the hell does your son think he is? He can’t just buy things like that,” my father challenged.
“How many things have I bought that are on your record?” Edward retorted. My father immediately fell silent, unable to find an answer.
But he didn't give up on the initial matter. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why did you beat someone in school for f**k’s sake? Are you an animal?” My father said. I knew his last word pissed Ed off because he squeezed my hand so hard I flinched from the pain.
“I think there’s no need to call each other animals, is there?” Kate, his mother, tried to pacify him. But my father had seen he’d struck a nerve in Edward, and he pushed further. He loved having the upper hand—I knew it, and I could see it.
“Oh, no. He would be called an animal if he acted like one, and he did. So he is an animal!” he barked out. Edward released my hand and lunged at my father in a second.
Oh, no!
This was not good. It was far from being good.
“Ed,” I called to him. He tried not to look at me, even though his head had turned in my direction.
“Calm down, son. He doesn’t mean it that way. It’s the human in him,” his mother said as she moved closer to her son. With her last sentence, I knew my father would take the literal meaning of it, even though she meant otherwise.
“Let me make it clear for the last time. You are not my father! You don't have any right to talk to me like one!” Edward seethed with cold, silent rage.
“As long as you live under my roof, I will act like your father! Because I am!” At the end of his futile declaration, Edward had my father’s throat in his hand, and my father gasped in pain.
“You are not my father! And if my presence in this house is what makes you think you can act like one, then I will leave,” Edward said. When I heard his plan to leave, I felt a pang of pain.
I wasn't even concerned about my dad, whose life now hung by a thread that depended entirely on Edward’s change in mood. I was more concerned about what Edward had said. Was he leaving this house?
“You want to leave me?” I muttered, looking at him. I hadn't realised I'd spoken my mind aloud. He released his grip on my father’s neck and faced me.
“You can come if you want,” he said. He knew that would be practically impossible. My father wouldn't allow it. How could I leave with a guy I'd only known for a month?
Not that my father meant that much to me. Before and after my mother’s death, he was the same cold man I knew. He had only started acting like he cared now that his new wife and stepson were around.
“She is not going anywhere. And in fact, where the hell are you going to go? Your father might be rich, but—”
“He is not rich. He is wealthy,” Edward interrupted.
“You’re just a teenager. You don’t even know how to tackle life’s basic troubles. All you do is drive the latest sports car and influence my daughter with it,” my father coughed out, wrapping a hand around his neck.
Edward faced him again, smirked, and said, “Last time I checked, I didn’t use your money. It was mine.” He then turned to his mother. “How did you end up with such a disgusting human? I’m disappointed, Mother. As soon as I leave this place, I’m removing my share from the company. All the companies.” I saw his mother’s eyes widen in shock.
“Don’t do that, Edward. Without your share, the companies are nothing,” his mother pleaded.
“What do you mean?” My father asked her.
“He is the heir, Ellis! He has the largest share. I’m just managing things for him for the time being,” Kate explained to my father. How had he not known about it until now? Had he really believed that Kate owned all the wealth when the heir was still alive?
Edward looked at his mother, then at me, before saying, “On one condition: Chloe is leaving with me today.” I was astonished. He was bargaining for my presence with him against the removal of his shares. I knew my father wouldn't refuse. It might shatter his ego, but he wouldn't refuse the offer.
I was still smiling at what Edward said when his mother said, “Okay,” and my father didn't object to her answer.
“Go on and pack your things. We are leaving,” Edward said to me, and I obliged.
“I’m buying the school under her name, and I will take over the companies when I’m done with high school. Not that I need to complete school before taking over, but you know I’m doing this for Chloe,” he muttered out, loud enough for me to hear from the stairs.
He was doing all this for me. I knew it, and now I could prove it.
I was leaving my father's house to live with him, and my father hadn't declined the offer. He would be taking over the company after high school, which was only a year away. He would be the famous CEO of Fluers while I attended college to further my education.
I had it all planned out, and it seemed like an elegant future to look forward to.
Mates are supposed to be forever, right? So would Edward and I. He would be the CEO of his company and the Alpha of his Pack, while I would be his Luna.
Isn't that what authors name the mate of a reigning Alpha? Luna. Luna Chloe.
Truly, we were meant for each other. I thought of everything with no bad effects or incidents—why should I think of bad things when it was obvious that only good things would occur?
- Writer
