Filed to story: Watch Me Win Alpha (Olivia & Ethan)
“Tell them what you told me,” Adam encouraged his sister. “They are here to help us. Don’t be afraid.”
Sarah eyed Ava and then me as if she could figure out if we were trustworthy just by looking at us.
After a few moments, she cleared her throat and continued. “Five years ago, right after Russell disappeared, the police found out about Kelly and Russell’s budding relationship. They found Kelly at the hospital. She had those horrible scratches on her face. When they questioned her, she began to sob and scream. She was inconsolable. She couldn’t even tell the police her own name.”
Sarah paused to take a sip of her tea. Gently, I set my cup down on the table. My stomach was too full of anxiety to take another sip. I really wanted to hear more of Sarah’s story, but I didn’t want to rush her.
“It seemed like Russell’s disappearance nearly killed Kelly almost as much as it broke me. They were inseparable as children, and they were growing even closer as teenagers,” Sarah said. “We later learned from the school’s security footage that Kelly left with Chloe the day Russell disappeared.” Sarah’s hands tightened around her teacup, and her eyes narrowed into slits. “That Chloe girl is trouble. She always has been. She became obsessed with my son, and when he rejected her, Chloe set her sights on Kelly and bullied that poor girl until she broke down crying every day after school. She would sit in my kitchen before school and cry about having to go because of that awful girl.”
Sarah let out a deep breath and shook her head in disgust.
“Did Kelly’s grandmother ever report Chloe’s bullying to the school?” Ava asked.
“No,” Sarah said and sighed. “I didn’t even know that Chloe was the reason that she was so upset until after the fact. Kelly and Russell refused to tell us about their problems, writing it off as silly high school-misunderstandings, but I knew that what they were going through was serious.” Her lip trembled, and her eyes filled with tears. “I just didn’t know how serious it was.
“1
Sarah’s cheeks became wet, and she shakily wiped her tears away.
I handed her a clean napkin, and Adam offered to get her a glass of water from downstairs.
When he was gone, Ava and Alexander looked away from the older woman, trying to give her some space. But I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. The raw pain on her face broke my heart in two.
My hands clenched into fists as I thought about how Chloe’s mother had inadvertently ruined this poor woman’s life. If Mrs. Windsor had just gotten her daughter the help she needed, and then Sarah Walker wouldn’t be in so much pain. Neither would Kelly. Who knew? Maybe Kelly and Russell would be married with a kid by now, and Sarah could be a happy grandmother instead of hiding out at her brother’s house.
‘What if’ was always a dangerous question to ask.
*Olivia*
As if Sarah had heard the direction that my thoughts had gone in, she raised her head and gazed at me with watery eyes. “Ever since they were kids and would play house together, I knew that Russell and Kelly were supposed to be each other’s first loves.”
I noticed that when she said her son’s name, her hands tightened around the napkin in her hands.
“They were meant to be,” Sarah continued. “I would sit and watch them make up childhood games and run through my backyard as I sat with Kelly’grandmother. We would talk about their future life together and what they would name their kids.” Her mouth trembled, and more tears flowed down her wrinkled cheeks. “I never imagined that Russell wouldn’t make it to eighteen.”
We were silent for a few moments. Adam came back into the room and handed a glass of water to his sister. She took it gratefully and drained most of it with one gulp.
“Russell and Kelly were headed for the same college,” she said in a miserable tone. “Only an hour away from here, and they would always promise me that they would visit home on the weekends.” Her voice shook, and she averted her eyes to her cold tea.
Ava and I shared a look, sympathy for the grieving mother flowed between us.
“Chloe.” Ava murmured with anger in her eyes.
I knew that her thoughts had gone in the same direction as mine. This was all Chloe’s fault. Russell and Kelly had a great future ahead of them, and Chloe ruined it all with her wicked games. She killed Russell and ruined Kelly’s life by driving the poor girl crazy.
I looked at Alexander, who was gazing at Russell’s mother with compassion. An electric shock went through me when I realized that without Alexander’s protection, I could have ended up like Kelly or Russell since Chloe seemed to have it out for me. Gratefulness for the man beside me filled my heart until it felt like it was going to burst.
As if Alexander could sense my distress, he put a warm arm around the back of my chair, subtly drawing me closer to his side. As soon as I felt the warmth from his body, I relaxed into him. I was glad that I had told him to come with us today. Even though he sometimes pissed me off, I couldn’t deny that I always felt safer when he was by my side.
As Sarah wiped her eyes, she looked curiously at Alexander and me.
When her eyes fell to his arm around the back of my chair, a small smile crossed her face.
I wanted to tell her that Alexander and I weren’t together, but I didn’t want to ruin the small amount of comfort that this knowledge seemed to bring her.
“At least my Russell died protecting the girl he loved,” Sarah said, her voice shaking as fresh tears fell down her face. “I know that if given the choice, he would make the same decision again.”
Adam put a gentle hand on his sister’s arm. “Let me tell the rest,” he offered, since he had noticed that Sarah’s hands were shaking and her mouth was trembling as if talking about her son was breaking her from the inside out.
She nodded and leaned back in her chair.
“Sarah found out that the last phone call that Russell received before he went missing was from Kelly’s phone….” Adam’s hands clenched into tight fists on top of the table. “That was after Chloe had taken Kelly to her house and did unspeakable things to her.”
I nodded, bile rising to my throat as I remembered Kelly’s horrible story about what Chloe put her through.
“Even though other students at the school told the police that Chloe was bullying Russell and Kelly, the police took Chloe’s word that she had merely taken Kelly shopping that day and that the two were friends,” Adam said, his jaw clenching. “Then, the police released her without investigating Chloe further.”
“No doubt the Windsor’s money and influence swayed the police,” Ava said through gritted teeth.
“Exactly,” Adam replied and nodded at my friend. “Soon, the school’s surveillance video of Chloe basically dragging Kelly away disappeared like the incident had never occurred.”
“After Russell’s disappearance, my sister held out hope that Chloe was just keeping Russell hostage in one of the Windsor’s many properties,” Adam said. “Sarah trailed Chloe to New York, and she tried to get into the properties a few times by pretending to be there to interview as a maid, but she was always turned away.”
“Can you believe that the Windsor’s had the audacity to call the police on me?” Sarah said. She was no longer crying. Her green eyes were burning with rage. “The police told me that I needed to let it rest.” She scoffed and crossed her arms. “As if I could just easily forget about the fact that my son was missing.”
“Sarah knew that if there was any way she could rescue her son if he was still somehow alive, she would need to fake her own death,” Adam said. “Since we don’t have any money to hire a private investigator or any friends in high places that could help us investigate, it’s been a difficult road. We’ve had to rely on our own cleverness.”
“We’ve narrowed the place down to the Windsor’s apple orchard,” Sarah said, her mouth in a tight, angry line. “That’s where all the Windsor’s secrets are buried. That orchard is where my son is…dead or alive.” She put a shaking hand to her mouth and began to cry again.
Adam put a comforting arm around his sister. “We know that without money or power, we have no chance in hell at trying to overthrow the Windsor family. Our biggest fear is that if we make it known that we are poking around for evidence, it will be destroyed.”
“Because that’s what the Windsor’s are best at,” Sarah snapped. “Destroying evidence.”
“That’s why we don’t want to go to the police again,” Adam said. “Especially because they’ve never helped her before.”
I nodded, agreeing with him.
I gazed at Sarah. The older woman seemed like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. I couldn’t imagine carrying the burden that she had for five long years. She looked physically and mentally exhausted.
Ava was stewing with anger beside me. I could tell by how tightly her arms were crossed and the way that her whole body was tensed. “I can’t believe this,” she said in a low, dangerous voice. “I personally promise that I will make sure that Chloe is put behind bars for all the horrible things that she has done.”
These words seemed to give Adam and Sarah hope. They gazed at Ava like she was their savior.
But I shifted in my seat, and my stomach filled with nerves. I really hoped that Ava didn’t just make a promise that she couldn’t keep.
“You can trust us,” Alexander said. His words just made my body even more tense. “I can personally assure you that the evidence won’t disappear this time.”
Apprehension flowed down my spine. What if Alexander and Ava had just made promises that we couldn’t fulfill? How much more heartbroken would Sarah and Adam be then?
*Author*
“Now, honey, you need to eat something if you’re going to get better,” a motherly nurse said to Kelly. She was setting down a hospital tray with a side salad, steamed broccoli with cheese sprinkled on top, mashed potatoes with gravy, and meatloaf covered in sauce. “I’ll be the first one to admit that hospital food isn’t the best, but I bribed the cooks in the kitchen to make you a good meal just so that you’ll eat it.” Then, she set down an orange cup of jello with a wink.
But Kelly crossed her arms and turned away from the food. Ever since she heard Chloe was still alive, and even worse in the same hospital as her, she’s refused to eat or drink anything. She wouldn’t say a word to anyone either. Her body was full of anxiety, just waiting for Chloe to find her and finish her off.
The motherly nurse sighed. “At least drink some water for me, sweetie,” she said.
Even though Kelly’s throat was parched, she refused.
On the opposite side of the hospital, Chloe was just waking up. As soon as she opened her eyes to discover that she was injured in a hospital bed, she began to scream in rage.
“When I find that crazy bitch Kelly, I’m going to kill her for doing this to me!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the room. “I won’t let her get away with this!”
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
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