Chapter1:Blood.
Elrissa’s POV
That night, the loud, sickening thud of my father's body landing on the asphalt just a few steps away from where I stood shook the ground beneath my feet.
I froze. The sight before me made my eyes fly wide open, immediately blurring my vision with hot tears, because there, right there, was my father, lying in the pool of his own blood which was now flowing towards the bent metal of his wheel chair. His fragile, paralyzed legs; the ones that hadn't moved in decades were twisted in impossible angles… and his eyes… his eyes were blank and glassy, staring straight up at the stormy sky.
“Daddy?... Dad?!” I screamed, my voice shrill from the horror before me.
I looked up. And there, twenty stories above, the window of his pent house stood wide open, it's curtains billowing wildly against the wind.
A dark, masked silhouette leaned over and was looking down at me, like he was trying to make sure the job was done before melting back into the shadows.
°°°°°°°°°°°°
Five Years Later
“There you go… Oh, hold still ma'am, just one more pin," came the bubbly voice of Petra, my wardrobe stylist mumbling through a mouthful of sewing pins as she tugged at the zipper of my dress.
I smiled, this was the exact picture I had in mind for this special day, I stared back at my reflection in the three-way mirror as the emerald green silk patterned with streaks of silver clung perfectly to my curves.
Today was my wedding anniversary. It's been five years since I got married to Jayden and at the same time, five years had passed since my father was killed and my world came crashing down. Since then, I had spent the entire time trying to build a normal life by getting married to the one man who promised to love and protect me as I tried to bury the ghost of my father's unsolved murder.
A sharp knock rapped on the door of the dressing room, cutting through my thoughts and the quiet hum of the studio. Petra walked to the door, pulling it open to reveal a delivery boy holding a massive, breathtaking bouquet of black baccara roses.
“For you ma'am," the designer smiled, handing it over to me along with a small, elegantly folded envelope. They looked so beautiful, but it's dark, blood-red color made my heart drop to my stomach.
I opened the card to reveal the neat, flawless handwriting of my husband, but the words in it suddenly made the room feel cold.
"To my beautiful wife on our anniversary.
Darling, I know you look so stunning tonight, that's the one thing I'm sure of and I can't wait to see you. But, I am deeply sorry, my love, an unexpected, late night board meeting has forced me to stay back at the office, so I don't think I'll be able to make it to our anniversary dinner tonight.
Please forgive me."
Love,
Jayden.
The fury that replaced the grief in my chest almost immediately was fiery hot and suffocating, Jayden knew how important this day was yet he chose to abandon all of it and leave me with a cold apology note.
"Ma'am? Are you alright?" Petra asked, her eyes wide with worry. I didn't bother to answer or even spare her a glance. I ripped the pins out of my hem, grabbed my purse, and stormed out of the dressing room.
"Throw those roses in the trash!" I barked at the stunned design assistants.
I burst into the main dining area of our penthouse, where the private chefs were putting finishing touches to the massive, candlelit feast. The table was covered in expensive, imported wine, and beautifully wrapped anniversary gifts, all of which I had spent the last couple of months planning to perfection.
"Pack it up!" I yelled, my voice echoing off the high ceilings.
The head chef froze in his tracks, the silver platter trembling in his hands.
"But Madame, the steak is already…"
"Pierre, don't piss me off. I said pack it up! All of it!" I shrieked, slamming my hand on the marble countertop.
"The food, the wine, the gifts… put them in containers right now! If he thinks he can hide behind a desk tonight, he is sorely mistaken! We are taking this party straight to his office."The staff scrambled into a frenzy, terrified by my rage.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
The drive to McMahon Enterprises was an infuriating one. This was a company controlled by my husband but had me as the major stakeholder due to the merging of my late father's company with his, which at the time, was drowning in heavy debt.
I agreed to all of it when he made the suggestion, which he described as an " unbreakable force" if we could come together as one entity. We did just that and he was doing this to me? The thought of it made my fingers tighten on the steering wheel, I was going to make him look me in the eye and explain himself.
The glass skyscraper of his headquarters lit up the sky as it loomed ahead.
I got in, marching through the grand lobby with two terrified catering staff members trailing behind me with heavy boxes of food and gifts. It was when I rounded the corner into the main exhibition hall, that the enormity of it all dawned on me.
The sound of clinking champagne glasses and smooth jazz filled the air.
This was no quiet, late-night board meeting, in fact it was a massive, extravagant business dinner with high-profile investors, politicians, and socialites in attendance, they were chatting and laughing over plates of caviar and sparkling wine.
It was a major celebration, one that Jayden had intentionally hidden from me.
"Madame McMahon?" the floor manager gasped, turning pale as soon as he saw me, flanked by the uninvited caterers.
"I'm sorry but we... we weren't expecting to see you tonight. Mr. McMahon said you were resting at home."
"Resting?" I scoffed, looking at him incredulously.
“Where is he?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the loud music.
"Uhh… He was just here speaking with the board members…I don't …"
I didn't let even let him finish before pushing past him, I let my eyes scan the sea of faces, darting from group to group, in search of his tall frame and his sharp jawline that effortlessly carried his confident smile.
I strode through the crowd towards the VIP lounge, my emerald train cutting a path through the elite of the city, but it was empty.
Jayden was nowhere to be found on the main event floor, for some reason, he had vanished completely from his own party.
Turning back to the catering staff, I grabbed one of the food trays from their hands and lifted it firmly into my grip.
"Wait here with the rest of the food," I ordered, leaving them stranded next to a pyramid of champagne glasses.
Holding the tray, I wheeled around on my heels and dashed straight toward the private executive elevators at the back of the hall. If he wasn't down here playing the perfect host, then he should be in one last place… Upstairs.
I stepped into the elevator, slamming my hand against the button for the executive floors, completely ignoring the security guards who tried to approach me.
As the metal doors slid shut, cutting off the sound of the party below, the elevator shot upward.
My heart rammed against my ribs in the dead silence as I watched the floor numbers climb. I was going up to his private office, and I'm going to find out exactly what Jayden McMahon was hiding from me.
