Chapter 2
1092 Words
Liana's POV
“I've been looking for you for a long time, Miss Gray.” The man said, dropping the suitcase on the counter.
It made a loud thud and jolted me from my shock. I was still trying to process what had just happened.
Michael was dead on the floor, all the other customers had run out the shop. Leaving just me and the three men in black.
“You are Miss Gray right?” The man questioned, taking a seat across from me. “Miss Liana Gray, if I'm not mistaken?”
I gulped, my shaky heads shifted a cup of coffee towards the man. “What would you need sir?”
The man slowly picked up the mug and took a sip. “Well, I'm here per your father's order.”
I bit my lips, holding back the irritation building up in me. Then looking down I replied.
“Then get to the point of this sudden visit,”
Despite the effort to try making it sound firm, it came out as a croak.
“Don't be afraid we're not here to hurt you,” he opened the suitcase and removed a pack of files. “Firstly, I think you'd like to know….”
He paused, took another sip from his mug and met my gaze.
“Your father is dead, Miss Gray.”
The words echoed in the silence of the shop.
Your father is dead, Miss Gray.
For a moment, I just stared at him. My hands curled around the edge of the counter. My lips parted, trembling slightly.
“Oh,” I whispered, blinking slowly. I let the silence linger, let the weight of his words hang between us. I even looked down, let my lashes cast a shadow over my eyes like I was trying to keep it together.
I swallowed hard, nodded once, then slowly wiped under my eye even though there were no tears.
The man watched me closely, clearly waiting for something… maybe a breakdown.
But all I felt was... nothing.
Finally, I met his gaze again and gave a weak, humorless smile.
“Well,” I said, voice flat, “how unfortunate.”
He frowned, clearly caught off guard. “You don’t seem... surprised.”
“I’m not,” I said, straightening up. “And I’m not sad either, if that’s what you’re expecting.”
I turned away, grabbing a rag from under the counter and wiping a perfectly clean surface just to keep my hands busy. “He wasn’t a father. He was a ghost with a last name. A name I stopped caring about a long time ago.”
The man didn’t respond right away. Just sipped his coffee again, slower this time.
“You’re colder than the reports made you out to be,” he muttered.
I tossed the rag aside. “Then the reports weren’t paying attention.”
Then my eyes landed on Michael's dead body. “And next time…” I started, taking the cup of coffee from the man. “Don't shoot my crush dead.”
The man smacked his lips and adjusted his suit. “Noted Miss Blackwell.”
I slammed the cup on the counter, spilling the coffee over it and the books nearby. The two men in sunglasses reached into their suits but the man sitting across me raised his hand signaling them to stop.
“Don't call me that,” I growled, turning to take another rag.“I abandoned that name a long time ago.”
He ignored my comment, then he slid the pack of files toward me. “Abandoned or not, your father left behind something that belongs to you.”
I didn’t touch the folder. “What is that?”
He leaned back, crossing one leg over the other. “His empire, Miss Gray. And all the ‘benefits’ that come with it.”
I crossed my arms, trying to hold in the chill that was creeping down my spine. “Let them have it,” I muttered. “The empire, the benefits, all of it. I’m not interested.”
The man didn’t flinch. He studied me for a while, then calmly reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a phone.
He dialed, waited. “Yes… she’s here,” he said into the receiver. “She’s refusing.”
There was a pause, and then he offered the phone to me.
I narrowed my eyes. “Who is it?”
“Someone who might change your mind.”
I hesitated but took the phone, heart already beginning to race.
“Hello?”
At first, only shallow breathing came through. Then a soft, warm voice. It was weak but I recognized it.
“Liana?”
I froze. “Mom?”
“Oh, baby…” she said softly. “Is everything okay? They told me you’d come by soon. I miss you.”
I felt something tighten in my chest. “Yeah, I… I’m okay,” I lied. “How are you feeling today?”
She gave a small laugh that turned into a cough. “The usual. You know how it goes. They changed my meds again, but the nurses are sweet….. Are you eating well?”
A tear slipped down my cheek. I turned away from the man’s cold stare, my hand trembling as I gripped the phone.
“I’m eating fine,” I whispered. “Don’t worry about me.”
“I always will,” she said softly. “You’re all I have left, Lia.”
I swallowed hard, biting my lower lip until it stung. “I’ll visit soon. I promise.”
“Okay.” Another breath. “Be safe, alright?”
“I will,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure I could keep that promise.
Then a beep followed. I slowly lowered the phone.
The man leaned forward, folding his hands on the counter with eerie calm. “You see, Miss Gray… your mother’s life is a fragile thing right now. Hospitals are… vulnerable places.”
My stomach twisted.
“I could make one call,” he continued, his eyes locking on mine, “and she wouldn’t wake up from her next nap.”
“You wouldn’t dare…”
“I absolutely would,” he said, interrupting without raising his voice. “So before you say no again… I suggest you think very carefully.”
I looked down at my hands, then at the suitcase, and finally, back at him.
He gave a smile then leaned back. “Your choice Miss Blackwell
- Writer
