Free Web NovelChapter 126: You are here because of what you know
Lyvana’s mind raced. Why did his voice sound so familiar? It was like a blurry memory, hidden just out of reach. freewebnσvel.cѳm
"Don’t you want to know why I wanted to meet with you?" he asked when she remained silent.
"No, not really," she said.
Andrew laughed and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.
"So stubborn. That’s what Julian likes about you, isn’t it?"
Lyvana felt another sharp pang in her stomach. It felt like a hot needle was pressing into her. She tried to hide the wince, but Andrew noticed. He glanced down at her hand, which was still pressed firmly against her belly.
"Are you alright?" he asked. He almost sounded concerned, but his eyes remained cold.
"The maid must have put something in my food," she lied.
She couldn’t let him know about the pain. She couldn’t let him know she was pregnant.
Andrew stood up and paced the small room.
"The food was fine, Lyvana. My people are very careful. If you are in pain, it’s likely the stress. You really should relax. I won’t hurt you."
He walked toward the bed again. He stopped and looked her directly in the eyes. His gaze was intense, almost suffocating.
"I won’t ever hurt you... again, Lyvana," he added.
The room felt colder. "Then let me go," she pleaded. "I am of no use to you. My family will give you all the money you want. I will give you everything I have."
"You think you’re here because I need your money?" Andrew let out a short, dark laugh. "No. You’re here because of what you know, Lyvana."
Lyvana’s heart skipped a beat. A cold chill ran down her spine. "What are you talking about? I don’t know anything."
Andrew ignored her question. He reached out as if to touch her hair, but she flinched away. He only smiled.
"You’re right about one thing, though," he said, standing up straight. "You are of no use to me. Yet."
He walked to the door and stepped out, shutting it slowly behind him and clicking it shut.
Lyvana stared at the door. The pain in her stomach was going down.
What the fuck was going on? Her mind was spinning.
Again? What did he mean he wouldn’t hurt her again? She had never met this man in her life... had she?
Suddenly, a flash of fire and a familiar, cold laugh echoed in her mind.
Her eyes went wide. Her heart felt like it stopped beating.
"Oh my God..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "Oh my God..."
The fog in her brain cleared all at once. She remembered the hidden room.
She remembered their voices. She remembered the email. It was him.
"How is this even possible?" she choked out, a fresh wave of terror washing over her. "How could he remember her?"
At that same time, downstairs, the house was far from silent.
Andrew Thorne walked down the stairs, his expression calm. At the bottom, he found his mother pacing the floor. Her face was pale, and she looked frantic.
"Andrew," she hissed the moment she saw him. "The maids told me Lyvana is here. In this very house! My God, are you crazy?"
"Calm down, mother," Andrew said. His voice was smooth, which only seemed to make her angrier.
"Don’t tell me to calm down!" she snapped. "What are you even doing? I don’t know if you’ve heard, but the police just raided the docks. Most of our men are dead, and the rest were arrested."
"Yeah, I heard," Andrew replied. He didn’t even blink.
"You know what that means, right? If even one of them talks, we are ruined. The only thing saving us is that they don’t know our names. We only talked to them electronically."
She walked right up to him, staring him in the eyes. "But do you know who does know our names, and our faces? Seraphina. And right now, she is with missing. Probably Julian got to her."
Zara poked a finger at his chest. "I told you a million times not to involve that girl. But nooo. Because you were sleeping with her, you thought you could use her. You wanted her in the game, and now she is the one person who can burn us both alive!"
She lifted her arms up, then put them down, looking frustrated.
"And then what do you go and do? You bring Lyvana into our house, into your room, and show her your face. Am I missing something here?"
Andrew didn’t flinch. He looked at his mother with a calmness that was almost terrifying.
"I am in love with her mother. And I am not going to let any harm come to her. I will fix this."
Zara’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. For a second, the house was dead silent. Then, she swung her hand and slapped him hard across the face.
The loud crack echoed through the hallway. Andrew’s head snapped to the side.
"In love?" Zara hissed. Her voice was shaking with pure disgust. "You have lost your mind. She is the enemy’s woman! We only used her to get Julian to the docks!"
Andrew slowly turned his head back to look at her. His eyes were dark and serious.
"I said I would fix it," he repeated. "And I will. But please, mother, stay away from her. If you touch her, you will find out exactly what I am capable of."
Zara stared at him in shock. "You’re threatening me now?"
"No, mother," Andrew said. His voice became soft again. "I am just saying, you should trust me."
Zara stepped back, her chest tight. She looked at her son as if she didn’t recognize him. What had gone wrong? Everything was on track.
"Trust you?" she whispered. "How can I trust you when you are messing up our plans? Julian will be coming for us, Andrew. He isn’t going to stop. And when he gets here, your ’love’ won’t save us."
Andrew didn’t answer. He simply adjusted his shirt collar and walked past her, heading toward the study. He didn’t look back.
Zara watched him go. She touched her throat, feeling a cold wave of fear.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She dialed Adrian’s number. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the buttons.
"It’s me," she whispered when he picked up. "Andrew has lost his mind. We need to move up the timeline. I need to meet Chairman Grant. I will be there tomorrow."
She hung up before Adrian could even reply. Her eyes turned toward the stairs, toward the room where Lyvana was trapped.
"I’m sorry, Andrew," she murmured to the empty hallway. "But if you won’t protect this family, I will. I will free the girl tonight."
She dialed Arthur’s private number.
"Zara," Arthur answered. He sounded annoyed. "You shouldn’t be calling me."
"I know. But I need those injections. The ones you told me about."
There was a long silence on the other end. "It’s untested. I told you that. We don’t know what it will do yet."
"I don’t have a choice!" she whispered harshly. "Andrew is messing up everything. He’s going to get us killed for a girl. I need it, Arthur."
"When do you want it?"
"Now. Get someone to bring it to me right now."
