Yours, Never Again

Eloise’s pov

“Good evening Mr. Keys,” I pecked my dad. He was sitting down on the couch reading read a book. “Where is Rose?” I sat beside him on the couch and rested my head on his shoulder.

“She’s upstairs. Happy birthday, sweetheart,” He hugged me. “I got you something nice,”

“Really? What did you get me?” I asked him. I wonder what he got me. My eyes wandered to a corner of the sitting room and I saw a stack of magazines from Silverberg.

“A house in the Harts estate. A place meant for the rich like you.” He smiled at me

“That’s too much dad, you should spend your money on other things.”

“I know I have not done so much for you, even with your business.”

“I am okay with that Dad,”

“I have news for you, I am about to sell my business off, truth is it has not been doing well,”

“He collapsed at work last month twice,” Rose said as she came downstairs.

“Hey mama,” I said to her and I raised my head to look at her. Rose and I had bonded over the past two years, and for some reason, we became close, I always thought she was going to stay as the villain in my life forever but here we are acting like real mom and daughter.

“Hey baby,” She hugged me and sat beside me on the couch. “The doctor said he needs to stop working, his heart is not strong,”

“How could you say it like that Rose? ‘His heart is not strong’ uhn” My dad fired at her.

“Sorry old man, it’s my bad I married a workaholic that made me attend country clubs instead of staying home with me.”

I laughed so hard at the two of them bickering. This is why you should marry your friend.

“It’s not funny,” They both said.

“The Harts group offered to buy the company so I got the house as part of the payment. It is in your name,” He stated and that surprised me. Why did Victor buy my dad’s company?

“Your Friend dropped your bag off this evening and Mr. Hart called when I was upstairs. He said he wants to revise the sales agreement” Rose said.

“Why?” I asked. I am scared, does he want to add a marriage to the contract as it happens in novels? That’s scary.

“I don’t know, He didn’t say anything about it.” She held my hand. “Where is your ring?”

“I broke things off with Sam today,”

“Good thing, I hate that boy for no reason.” My dad said.

“How could you say that? You mean to your daughter,” Rose said.

“Maybe it is a good thing,” I said.

“What did he do?” She asked.

“She won’t say. Her secretive self didn’t think I would remember that Mr. Hart was the boy we had lunch with in her last year of college,” My dad said.

“Oh, her boyfriend of then, I did” Rose stated to confirm if he was who she thinks.

“We weren’t dating and Sam put me in trouble. I was at the prosecutors’ office today,”

“Why didn’t you call us? Rose asked

“I didn’t want to bother you.”

“That again Eloise. How did you get out? I feel like an irresponsible dad,”

“Victor got me out. Don’t me how. I need to sleep,” I stood and I went up to my room.

“I am not done talking,” My dad called after him but I didn’t answer him.

To me, he was the most understanding and loving dad. He is not irresponsible, I am just an arrogant stubborn head. I picked up my phone, read my texts, took a quick shower and I went to bed.

Victor’s pov

I left Chan with Eloise knowing he would do a good job. Eloise didn’t ask me for help but her eyes were crying for help. She had changed a lot in four years, she grew her hair out, and she wears makeup now. She looked so different, her eyes were as pretty as ever. I could not concentrate at work, my mind kept going back to her.

I told Anderson to look up her company’s finances and ask our audit team to do something about it. Anderson reported back to me and I saw how rotten their records were. Where the fuck is her Fiancé? He was the COO of the company according to an interview I read about them sometimes.

Did she agree to take the fall? There is no way she could do all this stuff, the Eloise I know didn’t care about money. She loved writing. That was her passion, there is a loophole somewhere, Just then Chan called me.

“I just left the prosecution office. I pulled a few strings and she would be out soon.”

“Thanks, man,”

“Her fiancé is on the run, he ran off knowing he messed things up. The people involved should accept settlements and she would pay a fine to the government.”

“I will foot that, I want all these resolved by today. Will that be possible?”

“Sure,”

“Thanks, man,” He hung up. I texted David to come after he finished his exam for today.

I busied myself with reading proposals till it was time for me to clock out. David then came.

“Buddy, I like the idea that Victoria bugged your office. It was funny watching you rush out of your office when Leslie told you El was in trouble,” He laughed as he came into my office.

“Hahaha, so funny. I am so going to kill Victoria. What took you so long?”

“I am a busy man Harts, handling work as the COO and going to school is no easy stuff,” He laid on the white couch.

“Get your legs off that couch, don’t whine like Victoria doesn’t assist you with work,”

“Whatever. Why am I here?” He asked me. He didn’t even get his legs off the couch. I move to sit on the black couch in front of him. I looked him in the eyes. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I didn’t say anything to him. and he puts removed his shoes.

I sighed. “Go pick up Eloise,”

“Do that yourself, ”

“She won’t come with me. We fought this morning?”

“Shit. What did you say to her?”

“It’s her’ fault anyway,”

“Victor, what happened?”

“She was smiling when she saw us, like how could she smile so I said she looked miserable,” David sat up on the couch.

“You are an idiot. Give me your car keys, I will bring her here and you should apologize to her.”

“Why?”

“She is going through a lot man, you can’t understand since you were never with her.”

“How was I supposed to be with her after what she said?”

“I told you not to rush things, you rushed things and hid away like a fucking coward because of what she said. You were not supposed to eavesdrop,”

“Well I am glad I did, I don’t understand why you are blaming me but please go pick her up,”

“I will, Leslie told me what happened with Sam. This is your chance man. You two should settle,” He wore his shoes, picked up my car keys and he left my office, of course, he slammed the door. I laid down on the sofa waiting for him to show up with her. Deep down I was happy.

“She is downstairs, “I heard David say. I had dozed off, I opened my eyes and I yawned. “Mind what you would say, she is sensitive and she cried when I wished her happy birthday,”

“She cried? I am surprised,”

“Get going, I will lock up. She is going to her dad’s place.” He handed me my keys and pushed me out of my office.

I got in the car and Eloise was sleeping. I watched her sleep, she stirred when I saw that she was waking up I wiped the smile on my face off. My simping days are over.

“Where are we?” She asked me thinking I was David.

“He went home. Input your daddy’s address in the GPS,” She did as I said. She is calm already, I started the car and moved. I thought of my mom’s retirement ball on Saturday, Secretary Sarah too is retiring with my mom. “You are going to a ball with me on Saturday,” I said to her.

I needed someone to follow to the ball so my mom and aunt Steph won’t be playing matchmaking that night.

“Bold of you to assume I would follow you,” She is being stubborn again. Can’t she just agree with me? I guess I would have to threaten her.

“You have a choice ma’am. I have saved your company from crashing and paid the fines and damages ruled out for you. Oh, I also gave your employees bonuses since they have not gotten any this year,” You made me say this El.

“I will pay you back,” This arrogant ass, she can’t pay me up in the next ten years.

“Only with what I want Eloise, Give me your management rights on Silverberg or do whatever else I ask, which doesn’t exclude sexual favors. I mean sexual payment.” That came out wrong but I mean it.

“I will file a complaint about this Victor, in court,” She wants to use the law.

“Have you forgotten I have the best lawyer in this nation? I have won the case before it started. Jokes on you,” I laughed, her magazine even wrote an article about Chan being the best lawyer. I guess that line bought her confidence.

“Think about it Eloise,” I parked the car because we had reached her destination. “I can see you are still wearing that bracelet. Happy birthday.”

She got out of the car and she slammed my door. I smiled to myself, I watched her sway her hips unknowing into the house. I zoomed off after she entered.