Falling For The Enemy

CHAPTER5

Casmero Crest…

I remember that the name had come up in passing, in a whispered conversation between two of

my father's men.

It rang familiar. Not because I knew him, but because I remembered the file. One I'd seen years

ago. Red-stamped. Closed. Handled.

Elora’s last name was Crest.

Pulling open the secure drawer in my home office, I scanned rows of files until my hands

hovered over the file I wasn't supposed to touch.

Casmero Crest.

I opened it.

Unpaid loans. Threats. Assets seizures. A series of notes in my father's handwriting. And then

the final report.

“Deceased. Collapsed at debtors meeting.”

My throat tightened.

I gripped the edge of the table. The room spun.

She didn't know.

She didn't know that her father's death was tied…it was tied to my family's empire. To the same

name she now worked for. The same man she was beginning to trust.

Me.

The smell of soup hit me before I even opened the door to my mother's house.

Everywhere smelled of soup and the soft lavender my mom always used in the sitting room. I

found her folding clothes, her frail hands working slowly.

“Mom..” I called out to her, voice soft.

She turned, her smile instant.

“Elora.. you came.”

“Of course I came.” I said sitting beside her.

“You didn't call before coming, I would have prepared your favorite food.”

“I needed to see you mom. There's a lot I have to tell you.”

We sat at the small table. My fingers trembled as I played with a loose thread on the table cloth.

“I got a job.”

Her eyes widened. “What?... Elora, what kind of job…is it a good one?”

She asked with excitement.

I nodded.

“It's at Cortez Corporation."

The name hung in the air like a storm cloud. She stiffened. Her eyes blinked slowly, like she

hadn't heard me right.

“Elora…did you say…Cortez?”

Her voice barely escaped her lips.

I nodded slowly. “Yes. Damien Cortez is my boss.”

She dropped the folded towel in her hands. Her gaze lost focus.

“No..no, Elora.. this can't be happening.”

“Mom..” I stood quickly. “What's wrong?”

She took a shaky step backward. Her hand clutched her chest, and her mouth moved but no

words came out.

“Mom?”

Her knees buckled.

“Mom?” I rushed forward, catching her just before she hit the floor. Her body was limb. With her

breathing shallow.

My heart pounded in my ears as I grabbed my phone with slippery fingers.

“Hello..yes, I need an ambulance…please my mom collapsed. I don't know what's wrong.”

My voice cracked, but I kept speaking. I didn't let go of her hand.

Not for a second.

The smell of antiseptic stung my nose as I paced the white tiled corridor. My palms were

clammy, and my eyes burned from holding back tears. I stared at the red Emergency sign above

the double doors like it owed me answers.

She hadn't opened her eyes since the ambulance arrived.

A nurse brushed past me. I caught her sleeve. “Please is she okay?”

The nurse gave me a tight smile.

“The doctor will speak with you soon.”

Soon wasn't enough.

I sank onto the plastic bench, arms wrapped around myself.

The door creaked open. I jumped to my feet.

The doctor stepped out, pulling down his face mask. “Miss Elora?”

“Yes. That's me.”

“She's stable now. It was a mild stroke. We'll need to keep her under observation for a few days.

You got her here just in time.”

My knees nearly gave out from relief. “Can I see her?”

He nodded. “Just for a minute.”

I walked into the room quietly. The beep of the heart monitor was steady, rhythmic. Mom looked

so small in the hospital bed, wires attached to her arms. I took her hand gently.

“I'm here.”

Her eyelids fluttered, then opened slowly.

“Elora.”

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing.

At first, I ignored it still in the study, files scattered across my desk, my mind spinning with the

name I saw on the old ledger. Casmero Crest.

Elora’s last name. The man who'd owed my father a ridiculous amount. The one who died.

The buzz came again. Then again. I grabbed it, finally.

Leah.

Her voice was panicked. “Elora.., Elora's mom collapsed. She rushed her to the hospital.

I didn't ask for details. I was already on my feet.

The sterile hospital room felt cold, but the ache in my chest was colder.

The beeping machines around my mom felt louder than they should've.

She had collapsed barely five minutes after I told her who I was working for.

Damien Cortez.

I tightened my grip around my bag, my heart still racing.

“Why didn't you tell me sooner?”

Mom whispered hoarsely, eyes fluttering open.

“I didn't know it would hurt you.” I said blinking fast.

“He's not like…”

She shook her head weakly. “You don't know who they are.” Mom said, looking worried.

“What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Elora, they killed your father.”

My heart jumped.

I couldn't breathe.

I choked back a sob feeling. The walls closed in on me.

She cried quietly, and suddenly the weight was unbearable. I pushed away from her, stumbling

out of the room, tears streaming down my face.

“Wait, Elora,” came a voice.

Damien's. Reaching out. I stopped. And then turned slowly.

“You knew.” I whispered. My voice was barely audible over the sound of my heartbeat.

He just stared. Tense. Quiet.

“You knew all this time who my father was. And what your family did to him.”

His silence was louder than any confession.

Tears blurred my vision.

“I trusted you Damien.”

He stared with his eyes heavy and something like regret. “I didn't know at first.”

“But you know now.” I said. “And you still didn't tell me.”

“Elora..”

“No.” I snapped. “You sat across from me. Kissed me. Looked at me like I was everything. And

all this time, you were carrying a truth that could break me.”

He stepped forward. I stepped back.

“It wasn't me, Elora.” He said, voice strained. “It was my father. I didn't know what he did.”

“You are your father's son.”

He froze.

“I'm not like him.”

“But you didn't tell me.”

And that was the problem. Not what had been done but what was hidden.

“I'm sorry Elora.”

The air felt too thick. I turned away before I could break completely, my vision blurring.

His footsteps echoed behind me as I ran. But I didn't stop. And then I barely heard the soft

padding of Leah's shoes as I caught me outside, pulling me into a warm embrace.

“Elora..” she murmured as she caught me.

We stumbled into the apartment, the door clicking softly behind us.

Before I could say anything, tears spilled over, hot and heavy. I sank down beside Leah,

trembling.

“I don't know what to do Leah.” I whispered, my voice breaking.

“I love him. Damien. Even after everything…I can't just stop thinking about him.”

Leah's arms wrapped around me, steady and warm. “Elora, love doesn't always make sense,

feelings are hard and it's messy, complicated.”

I buried my face in her shoulder, shaking. “But he's from that world, the one that destroyed my

family. How can I be with someone tied to so much pain?”

She held me tighter. “You're not alone in this. You have me.”

I pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes red and raw. “ I'm scared, Leah. I'm so scared I'll

lose him or that I'm just fooling myself.”

She smiled gently, brushing a stray lock of hair behind my hair behind my ear. “Elora you're

braver than you think. And whatever happens I've got your back.”

I took a shaky breath and nodded, feeling a tiny flicker of hope.

This is a mess I didn't know I'd be in.

I stood outside the hospital room, my heart pounding so loud I was sure she could hear it

through the door. Taking a deep breath, I pushed it open.

Her eyes lifted slowly, weary but steady. “Mrs Beatrice,” I began, my voice low, steady.

“I came because I need to ask for your forgiveness.”

She regarded me slightly, the weight of years in her gaze.

“I've learned the truth about my father…about the pain he caused your family. None of it is my

doing, but that doesn't excuse the hurt. I'm sorry. Truly sorry.”

Her hands clenched the bedsheets, tears brimming.

“I want you to know that I never meant to bring more pain to you or Elora. And I hope one day

you can forgive me.”

She swallowed hard, then nodded slowly, a fragile but genuine softness in her eyes.

“Damien.” She whispered, “The past is heavy. But it's not you to blame. You were just a kid, and

you've shown kindness when none was expected.”

Relief flooded through me.

“Thank you, ma'am I promise, I'll do whatever it takes to make things right.”

The office felt cold without Elora's presence.

I paced the office, restless.

I finally decided to call Leah.

she finally picked up, her voice was soft, cautious. “She quit. She decided to find a new job.”

“Why didn't she tell me?” My voice was rough, disbelief cutting through every word.

Leah sighed. “She's scared, Damien. The past, the secrets…it's too much for her.”

I ran a hand through my hair, heart aching. I can't lose her now.

I sat alone, replaying every look, every touch. I needed to fix this. To show her I wasn't like

Father.

The silence that followed felt endless.