Page 14 of Eternal

I grit my teeth harder, jaw aching from my clench. But that pain is not near as deep as the pain she is feeling. I slam the computer shut; I can’t watch anymore as she cries herself to sleep in her sister’s arms.That should be me holding her.My feet carry me to my living room, opening a bottle of bourbon.

I’ve become entirely unhinged. I’ve slept with countless women, yet Freya is the only one that comes to mind. She’s the only one that makes my world keep spinning, or rather start to spin. How the fuck did I allow her to get such a grip on my soul? Regardless, I have to snap out of this.

Walking into my office, I have several employees kiss up to me with “Good morning, Mr. Astor.” I ignore all their efforts like I do every day. This morning, I am not in the mood for anyone’s shit. I open the door to my office that overlooks downtown Miami, but to my surprise, Luca is here, sitting inmychair, with his feet propped up onmydesk. I take a deep breath, trying to regulate my breathing, but after last night, this is the last person in the world I want to see. Approachingmydesk, I noticemycomputer is open to the view of Freya and the two others she’s staying with having breakfast. She looks like she’s had a rough morning. I can’t blame her; I’m in the same boat. But my attention is focused on why Luca is watchingmyFreya.

Mine.

Not his. He doesn’t deserve to be able to watch her during her most vulnerable, intimate moments. I made a mental note to update her security system. Make it so thatIam the only one who can watch her.

“Wasn’t sure if you’d show up here this morning, Soren,” Luca says so casually as though he belongs here.

“What do you want?” I bark, “I don’t have time.”

“I was just coming to remind you to not fuck this up. This arrangement is merely a business transaction, and I’m sure I don’t need to remind you what is at stake with it either,” He growls at the end, and my patience starts to really wear thin.

I snort at his “business transaction” retort.

“Yeah, just like how mom was a business transaction, and I was the product of rape. I’ve heard it over and over. I don’t need this today.” I step aside, gesturing for the door, “And stay the fuck out of Freya and I’s relationship. You’ll only fuck it up for us anyway,” I snap at him as he heads for the door.

He turns around to spout out some unnecessary comment, but I slam the door in his face, cutting him off. My mood has dropped significantly since I arrived; not that I was necessarily happy this morning. For now, I need to focus on work.

My colleague knocks on the door shortly after I’m settled in for the day. Someone had tried to get into the database to destroy our ability to upload new content and gain the names of those who had been taken and who were their executioners. Thankfully, our system was built virtually bulletproof, but we find faults we can improve every time this happens. I’m stuck attending meetings throughout the day; each was like a broken record. Shit, that could’ve been consolidated into one meeting or just sent an email. But people feel better saying it over and over in person, so fuck it.

I allow my day to be consumed by work until one meeting gets so dull my mind starts to wander back to Freya. Discreetly, I pull up her cameras from my phone, only to find the apartment devoid of life. A small pinch of relief falls over me. At least she’s not crying in bed still. I turn my attention back to the meeting. Surely, I’d be able to give my attention duringonemeeting without my thoughts drifting back to her.

At the end of the meeting, I head for my office, now needing to put protection in place for Abe. Knowing my father, he’d be the asshole who would still kill him to assert his dominance over our relationship. I make a call to my closest employee, Derek.

“Boss! Whatcha need?” The sound of a chainsaw goes off in the background, and Derek is yelling at the other person for not doing it right.

“I need you to get security over to my apartment building. Amp it up as much as possible while staying discreet. The apartment we are targeting is on floor 18, penthouse two.” My voice is calm, and void of emotion as I slip into my truest version of myself.

“Ooo, are we planning to take someone out?” Derek sounds like a giddy kid for candy. He’s just as fucked up as I am, if not worse.

“No, I need protection for my fiance's brother-in-law, I guess,” I respond, not sure how to describe Abe in relation to Freya.

“Fiance? How come you never told me about her? I bet she’s got a killer body, you’ll share right?” Derek’s excitement and statements rake on my soul. If he were in the same room as me, he’d be dead.

“Fuck no. Don’t talk about her like that again. She’s mine, Derek.”

Derek is quiet for a moment processing my words before getting serious again, “You got it, boss. It won’t happen again. I’ll get things in place, and let you know when I’m done.”

I hung up on him, not wanting to talk to him anymore. I know we’ve shared women in the past, but Freya is different. She’s solely mine. Besides, she’s not a one-night stand like the others were. I’m taking things slower than normal with her. I’m afraid of breaking her more than she already is.

With my suit slung over my shoulder, I stare at a jewelry set in the window of some fucking store. My Freya would look gorgeous collared in diamonds. I go inside to have them purchased. Something gnaws at me that I’m making the wrong decision, but I suppress it. She was just wearing a necklace similar to this one last night, and she looked so beautiful in diamonds. It’s too much of a peace offering, but I want nothing more than to spoil her. I’ll have to think of more personal gifts for her, but these will have to do for now.

As I exit the store, I pull up the cameras again and watch her as she’s getting ready for tonight. On occasion, she cracks a smile at her sister, and every time she does, it puts a crack in my armor. She’s slowly slipping into my heart, and I can’t stop it from happening. Freya talks about how her future has been stolen from her; for me, my life has a purpose for once. One day, she will understand. But we have forever for that.

Chapter six

Freya

Iwakethefollowingday to the smell of coffee and pancakes. Voices softly flowed from the kitchen. I no longer have any tears to shed. I make my way to the kitchen, following the voices. They are talking about the gala tonight. My mind is racing as I try to think of a way to get out of going to this. I am not ready to face my future. Serena and Abe notice me and stop immediately. I look and feel like I’ve been hit by a truck. They both give me warm smiles.

“Would you like coffee and pancakes with us, Freya?” Abe offers.

I give them a slight nod. Serena glides around the kitchen, making my coffee just how I love it. A dash of zero-sugar creamer. She offers it to me, along with a smile. I give her a half-assed smile, zoning out their conversation as I sip my coffee.

My mind wanders back to what Soren said to me last night. A marriage of convenience; just what every girl dreams of. Abe draws me out of my thoughts when he asks if I want anything added to my pancakes. I opt for blueberries and try not to allow my brain to drift back to last night.

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