Chapter 14

Nola was about to say something when Tarquin added, “Elijah is in a bad state right now, so you should not come to my house without an emergency in the future. And if you must, call me ahead of time.”

Nola’s eyes widened in disbelief. So Tarquin’s house became off–limits to her just because Elijah made a scene? How was she supposed to differentiate herself from the swarm of women buzzing around Tarquin?

No, this just wouldn’t do.

“Tarquin, I-” she continued.

“Elijah comes first, end of the discussion,” Tarquin cut in; his tone was icy and final, effectively showing her the door. It was a clear punishment for her reckless banter in front of his son.

He had made it crystal clear that marriage was off the table for them, and yet she dared to rattle Elijah with her wild claims! Besides, he’d never been too keen on having Nola over in the first place.

With a heart full of frustration, Nola knew better than to defy Tarquin when he was this riled. up. In that case, she could just leave for now.

Tarquin turned to his butler and issued a new directive, “From now on, if she shows up, don’t let her in before you call me.”

“Understood, sir.”

Before long, Benjamin Lawson arrived in a flurry of urgency.

Benjamin, Tarquin’s friend and a doctor, had come to discuss Elijah’s troubling condition.

After hearing Tarquin out, Benjamin also suggested keeping Nola at a distance from Elijah for the time being, “Considering how Elijah reacted today, his bipolar disorder seems to be worsening. It’s not looking good.”

“But he’s been on his medication consistently.”

“It’s not about the meds. Elijah’s biggest issue is psychological. The kid’s fixation on his mother runs too deep. If we could somehow bring her back to stay with him, it might just solve the problem.”

Tarquin lit a cigarette, his frustration palpable.

If it were as simple as finding the woman, he wouldn’t be in this mess. He had even gone so far as to bring a stand–in to play the part of Elijah’s mother, but the boy was too sharp. He saw right through the facade and threw a massive fit.

Benjamin, empathetic yet helpless, sighed, “If all else fails, hire a child psychologist, someone who can double as a nanny and stay with Elijah long–term. As long as Elijah warms up to her and she can communicate with him, she might reach into his world and help heal his trauma. And even if full recovery isn’t possible, she’ll be there to prevent his condition from deteriorating and stop an incident like today from recurring. At the very least, she’ll be there when he needs someone.”

Tarquin nodded, “Do you have anyone in mind?”

“Not off the top of my head, but if you’re okay with a stranger in your house every day, I can start looking.”

“I’m just fine. Focus on Elijah.”

Tarquin would move mountains for his son, let alone deal with a bit of discomfort.

“Alright, I’ll get on it when I get back.”

Just then, Tarquin’s phone buzzed with urgency, “Sir, it’s bad news. That lady has bolted!”

“Bolted?!”

“Yes, sir. The fire alarm system went off in the building, everyone panicked and rushed out in the choos, and that lady took her chance to escape.”

Tarquin’s bad emotion aggravated as he heard that, so he just started calling names, “Can’t even keep track of a woman, huh? You useless things!”

He tugged at his tie and said with a grave tone, “Why did the alarm go off? What triggered it?”

“Someone set off a smoke bomb in the basement and triggered the alarm. But we can’t identify who did it. The… the security cameras have been tampered with.

A cold glint passed through Tarquin’s eyes. A smoke bomb as a diversion, security footage destroyed–

that woman clearly had backup.

He had let his guard down, thinking she wasn’t a threat today.

A mistake, evidently.

“Track her down and bring her back!

“Right away, sir!”