Page 33 of Exile
But I can understand why.
I was warned about this cell.
Fuck. I stabbed Whittingham. Everything hits me at once as I circle back to his office, my mind replaying the events.
Asshole had it coming—there's no doubt about it. I don't regret it at all, surprisingly. The adrenaline has faded but I still feel justified in my reaction.
I have no idea how people like him can live and breathe with so much hatred. They get off on the idea of hurting others, determined to do whatever it takes to get their way.
For someone that claimed I could be saved when I first arrived at Lilydale, all I can do is shake my head. He lied from day one. There was never any intention of saving me. I was just a chosen project in their eyes. After feeling unworthy for most of my life, it was a shock to realize that I was worthy to people society deemed important—my story, at least.
I was personally selected to come to Lilydale. That hotshot attorney fought for it, not realizing he was putting me on a silver platter. They ate up my sob story, my tragic background, seeing nothing but dollar signs. From the day they accepted my application, I was worth a price.
No, that's a lie. I was the price.
I paid the price.
Still. Whittingham lied to me and Margaret, promising me great things about Lilydale. Yet, he watched Damon bleed out on the floor. He instigated my kidnapping, knowing what I was about to be subjected to.
He's a fucking monster.
Minutes turn into hours, and hours into years… Well, it feels like it. The only saving grace for my sanity is my cell phone. No reception is a killer, but at least I can view the time. Except it feels like it's lying to me too. Four hours pass but it feels like days.
I pass the time by scrolling through my gallery, not even embarrassed by the sex photos stored in there. I'm clinging to the thought of my guys.
It's distressing knowing that I'm stuck here until Whittingham decides it's enough. They couldn't even get Theo out when he was thrown in here.
How long will it take? Days? Weeks?
And then I realize I'm exactly where I don't want to be—at the mercy of Whitface. Only he can access me, separating us when I'm the biggest target in Lilydale. It wouldn't take much for Alexander to come down here, corner me all alone and end my life.
He'd use a gun, no doubt. Alexander and Whitface are all about the theatrics. It's why they use Lily's—my mother-in-law's—important dates as codes. Sending a statement is meaningful to them. The assholes love flaunting their power, and I've potentially walked right into their trap.
Well… what alternative did I have? I wasn't about to sign the annulment and just hand over everything to Alexander.
No, I decide, this was the better option. Even if they kill me, I will have saved innocent people from their clutches. Justas long as Damon survives me. My shares will revert to him, keeping him the majority shareholder.
The thought is troubling. I can't help but run through the other scenario. Where would my legacy go? Legally, it falls down the family lineage. But I don't have any family. Maybe a few distant cousins who probably barely remember me, but other than that… no one.
All my family is here in Lilydale.
I check the time again, not surprised that only a short period has passed. Left alone with my thoughts, I'm stuck envisioning the worse case scenarios. But once again, I tell myself it's okay.
Because I'm the badass who stabbed that motherfucker with a pen.
Chapter 13
Theo
My fist slams into the guard's nose, enjoying the sickening crunch that vibrates under my knuckles.
Doubling over, the miserable sad sack of existence makes a choking sound, blood guzzling into his mouth as he fights for air.
"What the fuck do you mean she's in solitary confinement?" Grey mutters darkly.
He's calm. Well, ascalmas he can be. And by that, I mean the type of eerily quiet calm that radiates danger. The guard knows this, whimpering as he holds his hands up and waves the proverbial white flag.
"I don't know! Jonathon didn't say much. Just that she attacked Mr. Whittingham in his office and he was told to take her down to the holding cell."
