Chapter 3
Boom! Elgin smashed the phone to smithereens, rage flashing in his eyes. âGo after her, now! She wonât get far!â
Ivory Towers was ablaze with lights that night, buzzing with cars and people coming and going-
Letitia was holed up in a grimy and stinky sewer, barely dodging Elginâs henchmen hot on her tail.
In the chaos, she bolted down the hill and made a beeline for the prison to see Preston
âDadâ¦â
âSweetheart! Thank Godâ Youâre alive!â Preston was beside himself with joy, tears streaking his face. âI thought you
wereâ¦
âDad, I came to ask you what happened with Marcelâs death?â
âI donât know The medicine I used was correct! Sweetheart, do you believe me?â
âI do.â Letitia bit her lip hard, nodding her head.
So, someone had framed her dad. She never owed Elgin a thing, let alone any redemption!
âWeâve been set up, but whatâs done is done. We canât do anything to change it now,â Preston sighed deeply. âSweetheart, you must look out for yourself.â
Letitia, gripping the phone, looked steadfastly through the glass at Preston. âDad, Iâll find the evidence to clear your name.â
After visiting the prison, Letitia headed to the hospital to see her mom. But before getting to the hospital entrance, she spotted several guards in black suits!
Letitia quickly ducked out of sight.
Elgin had her pegged. He knew she would appear at the hospital and had his guys there waiting early.
If she got nabbed and hauled back, she would be in for a hellish nightmare of torture!
While Letitia was brainstorming how to slip past the bodyguards, the giant electronic screen across the street flickered and switched to AquaCityâs financial news.
Elginâs handsome mug was front and center.
Standing in front of the office building of Ramirez Group, clad in a black shirt, he was a force to be reckoned with yet looked effortlessly cool, his lips curled in a half-smile and half-smirk.
Beside him, a swarm of reporters bombarding him with questions.
âMr. Ramirez, is it true that youâre dipping your toes into showbiz?â
âWill the Ramirez Groupâs acquisition plans be completed on schedule?â
âMr. Ramirez, paparazzi snapped pics of you at the city hall yesterday. Were you there toâ¦â
Elgin tilted his chin up, eyeing the camera. âTo get married.â
His reply set the scene ablaze. Mr. Ramirez had admitted he was married!
Who was Mrs. Ramirez, snagging the most eligible bachelor in AquaCity and CEO of the Ramirez Group?
The camera zoomed in on Elginâs eyes, deep as the cosmos, not blinking an inch.
The next second, Elginâs voice, low and husk âMrs. Ramirez, if youâre done playing around, itâs time to come home.â His voice sounded indulgently tender, but Letitia knew it was a warning!
The bloodthirsty smirk on his lips sent chills down her spine as if he were standing right there.
Elgin turned and walked away, his bodyguards blocking the reporters.
He wouldnât have accepted the interview if he hadnât used the media to send Letitia a message!
Chapters
Meanwhile, Lotitia saw a few nurses pushing a qurney to an ambulance, preparing to transfer a patient.
It was her mother! Where were they taking her mom?
âMom! Throwing caution to the wind, Letitia bolted over
She clutched Malindaâs hand
nightly âMom, Iâm so sorry I couldnât come to see you sooner
But the bodyguards already swarmed around her
âMrs Ramirez, this is Mr Ramirezâs order. Please donât interfereâ
âI wonât run I go back now! Letitia pleaded desperately. Just give me back my mom.
Yet Letitia could only watch her mother taken away
Elgin knew what her weakness lay He had stung her heart only by a small move.
Half an hour later, Elgin slood by the floor to ceiling window in the CEOâs office with a cigarette unlit between his fingers
âMr. Ramirez, Mrs. Ramirez is here, Elginâs assistant Ranen Mitchell knocked at the door.
âCome in.â
Letitia walked in, her face ashen.
Elgin asked with his back to her, Youâve decided to come back, havenât you?
âFree my mother She spoke humbly, âWhatever you want, just take it out on me.
Thad no intention of hurting her Letitia, youâve been too restless.â
âIm sorry. It was my faultâ
Elgin squinted So you think you can settle it by just saying sorry?â
Letitiaâs hands clenched, nails digging into her palms 1 promise Iâll never run away again.â
How in the world could she possibly escape from Elginâs grip? Her parentsâ lives were directly in his control. Besides, Letitia could only uncover the truth about Marcelâs death and clear her fatherâs name by staying close to him!
Elgin beckoned with a finger, and she obediently approached
He bent down, whispering in her ear, âTell me Should I break your left leg or your right?â
His tone was as soft as a breeze, yet the words were brutal
Letitiaâs legs buckled with fear, barely able to stand 1 I wonât dare again.â
Elgin gripped her slender waist firmly âIf it happened again, I would break them myselfâ
He huffed and released her, lounging back on the sofa, casually bringing the cigarette to his lips
Letitia crouched at his side, took the lighter, and flicked it on for him âMr Ramirezâ
He didnât move.
The lighter grew hotter and hotter, scorching, yet Letitia dared not let go, fearing to piss him off.
Her hand blistered with a burning smell in the air
Only then did Elgin lean down to ignite his cigarette.
âDo you want to save your mom? Do something to please me, Elgin blew smoke in her face, âDo you know how to make a man happy?â
Letitia coughed violently, her face flushed with more than heat.
for reaction armused Elgin, a low chuckle escaping him. She was like a pet he raised
But before his laughter was gone, Letitia suddenly stood on tiptoes and gently pressed her lips to his.
She figured this should please him. But when it came to what usually happened next between a man and a woman, she was completely ignorant.
Elgin looked at the woman in front of him. Her nervous lashes fluttered, her lips soft and enticing, and she was utterly unaware of her allure.
He quickly felt a stirring inside.
That wasnât good news because Letitia was the daughter of the man he had vowed to avengel
âGet lost Elgin shoved her away without mercy, his face full of disqust
Letitia silently picked herself off the floor and left, only to find a worse fate awaiting her No sooner had she stepped out of the office than Ranen said, âMrs Ramirez, Mr. Ramirez mentioned that the cleaning department is short-staffedâ¦â
âRanen, I get the picture. Iâm on my way.
For her, scrubbing floors was a step up from sticking around Elgin
Ranen watched Letitiaâs retreating figure and shook his head with a sigh.
He thought Mr. Ramirez had fallen head over heels for a girl and rushed into marriage. Turns out Mrs. Ramirezâs social standing was downright low
âMr. Ramirez, Ranen finished reporting on the dayâs work and added, âabout transferring Mrs. Ramirezâs mother to another hospitalâ¦â
âGet her the top-notch doctors for treatment.
Ranen paused, taken aback.
âAre you deaf?
âNo, no, Mr. Ramirez.
Elgin kept a poker face. âDonât let her find out
All this was only another move to keep Letitia on a tight leash. With Malinda in his grip, Letitia could only toe the line
Elgin leaned back in his leather chair and casually flicked on the surveillance.
On the screen, Letitia was seen in her janitorial uniform, intent on her work, with a mop and bucket in hand
During her two years in the mental hospital, Elgin occasionally checked in on her through the cameras hoping to soothe his grief over his fatherâs loss with the sight of her misery.
But he miscalculated.
At first. Letitia was a mess, but she quickly found her way to survive and gradually adapted
Amidst the other patients madness and disarray, Letitia was neat and composed, a lotus rising unsoiled from the mud
If not for their deep-seated hatred, Elgin admired her to some point
He was about to turn off the feed when another woman appeared on the screen. The woman was Raize! Morris, Elginâs fiancee in name, at least.