Chapter Thirty-Four

Past

T he air is crisp and cool as I step outside the college building. I shiver slightly as I walk toward the curb, where I see the familiar black car with my father’s security chief, Derek, waiting for me.

Frowning, I approach him. “Derek,” I greet him, trying to keep my tone friendly despite my concern. “Is something wrong? I wasn’t expecting a ride.”

Derek’s expression is as composed as always. “Miss Gibson, your father has requested your presence at his office. I’m here to take you there.”

A pang of unease settles in my chest. “What happened? I’m worried—”

Derek simply opens the back door of the car for me and waits. I purse my lips. He won’t reveal a thing. I don’t have any other option but to go with him.

As I sink into the back seat, my mind drifts to the past month, overwhelmed by guilt. Ever since that disastrous dinner with Edward, where he not so subtly proposed marriage to advance our family’s business interests, I’ve been avoiding Dad’s calls.

It’s been a month since that evening. And the distance between us has grown with each passing day. I didn’t reach out, not because I didn’t want to, but because I was hurt and didn’t know how to bridge the gap that had suddenly widened between us.

I used to look forward to our talks, our shared moments, but now this impromptu meeting is filling me with dread. I knew I was being na?ve by ignoring his calls. I anticipated that he would demand answers, given how abruptly I left that evening. But apart from few phone calls, he didn’t try to contact me. I hoped that by delaying this confrontation, Dad would somehow forget what happened that night. Clearly, I was wrong.

When we finally arrive, I walk through the busy lobby of Innovare Dynamics Group main building. I follow Derek to the elevator.

The elevator doors open to the top floor. I’m guided toward the conference room rather than his office even though both are connected through a mirrored wall. The change strikes me as odd but I keep my thoughts to myself.

Derek opens the door for me. When I step inside, a cold shiver runs down my spine. The sight that greets me is a shock to my system.

Edward is seated at the table with his arm in a sling, but it’s not just the sling that has me reeling. His face is marked by a series of faded but still evident bruises that make my stomach drop.

The sight of his battered face and broken arm sends waves of nausea through me. Edward’s father, Richard McAllister sits beside him, his face set in a rigid, unforgiving line. Dad sits at the head of the table, his expression grim while William Thompson is seated across from him.

“Dad?” I manage to say, my voice wavering as I step into the room. “What’s going on?”

“Take a seat.” His gaze is piercing as he regards me. “We need to discuss your boyfriend. Damian Montgomery.”

The shock of hearing him mention Damian so openly makes me stumble over my words. “You—you know about him?”

“Yes,” he says, his voice laced with distaste. “I know everything about your secret relationship. The phone calls. The text messages. The secret dates. The mansion he bought for you and how you’ve been seeing him for over two months now.”

I try to speak, but my father cuts me off with a sharp gesture of his hand. “River, I’m deeply disappointed in you. I can’t accept this relationship. Not only is he a rival of mine with questionable morals, but he’s also a decade older than you. I’ve kept quiet, hoping you’d eventually come clean about it yourself.”

“Dad, I—”

“However, this meeting isn’t about your lies and secrecy,” he interrupts, his voice growing colder. “It’s about your boyfriend’s criminal behavior.”

I flinch. “Whatever you think of him, dad, I promise it’s a misunderstanding. Damian is nothing but an honest, hardworking, respectable—”

“Feared.” Edward interjects harshly.

“—businessman.” I ignore him and stare pleadingly at dad. “Just because he’s your competitor doesn’t mean he’s a criminal.” I stare at him imploringly, “If only you’d meet him, you’d see—”

Dad pushes to his feet. “I don’t need to meet him to know he’s dangerous.”

“How can you say that?” I ask, my voice filled with desperation.

“Because Edward’s injuries speak volumes about the brutality that man is capable of.” Dad’s expression hardens.

The words hit me like a sledgehammer. I can hardly breathe as I turn to Edward and examine his bruised face again.

“No,” I whisper, my voice trembling and barely audible. I mutter the same word over and over again, my voice rising in pitch as panic sets in. “No, that can’t be true. Damian would never—”

At that precise moment, Damian’s words come back to haunt me.

“I didn’t invite his touch,” I say, meeting Damian’s intense gaze head-on. “I leaned away every time, trying to signal that I wasn’t comfortable with it but he didn’t seem to notice.”

His jaw ticks. “Sounds like he needs to learn his tboundaries,” Damian says, his voice chillingly calm. “Perhaps a broken hand might make him think twice.”

“It’s true.” Edward snaps. “Damian was the one who attacked me. I saw him clearly.” When I shake my head vehemently, he snaps again, “Stop shaking your head like an idiot!” The harshness in his voice makes me flinch, my lower lip trembling uncontrollably.

I glance at Dad but he just stays silent, watching me.

It’s devastating to watch him let Edward speak to me that way, without so much as a word of reproach for his behavior.

“When you took off so abruptly, I was furious, so I settled the bill and left shortly after. I went out clubbing with friends for a few hours before deciding to call it a night. I still can’t figure out how Montgomery knew exactly when I’d be home or how he managed to bypass the tight security of my building, but he found his way into the garage and attacked me there.”

I listen in stunned silence. I don’t know how to react or what to say. It’s all too surreal. Damian had made vague threats about hurting Edward, but I brushed them off as nothing more than his possessiveness. I never imagined he would actually follow through and break Edward’s arm. The thought makes me shudder inwardly.

Edward glares at me, his eyes smoldering with fury. “He didn’t just beat me—he made sure I felt every ounce of his fury. He coldly declared that I needed to learn my place and stay away from anything he considered his. Oh, and that wasn’t all. The asshole said this was merely a warning. If I dare cross him again, he promised the next encounter would be far more brutal. He was making sure I understood the consequences of stepping onto his territory.”

Dad crosses his arms and levels me with a cold, penetrating stare. “He made sure to erase all the CCTV evidence.”

I’m trembling, my palms sweaty as I gaze up at him helplessly. “No, there must be some mistake. Damian wouldn’t do something like this.”

“The evidence was tampered with, River. Edward’s injuries, combined with the missing footage, reveal not just Montgomery’s power but his willingness to misuse it. I wanted you to see this, to understand the gravity of the situation.”

I stand on trembling legs. “If this happened a month ago, why did you keep it from me?”

“If you’d been answering my calls and messages, you would have known about this sooner.”

My heart pounds painfully in my chest. “I need to talk to Damian about this. I have to—”

“You’re not going anywhere,” my father’s tone is final.

A cold dread settles in my stomach. “What do you mean I’m not going anywhere?”

“You’re not going back to your apartment. You’ll be staying with me from now on.”

I gape at him, my voice shaking with alarm. “Wait, what? You’re not serious, are you?”

He meets my shocked gaze steadily. “I’m serious. You’ll be coming home with me. It’s the only way to keep you safe.”

A cold shiver runs down my spine. “No! You can’t do this to me. I need to see Damian. I need to—”

My father’s calm demeanor only heightens my fear. “I can do whatever I deem necessary. I am your father.”

Trembling, I shake my head, my feet retreating. “Y-you c-can’t do this…” My heart pounds wildly as I make a frantic move toward the door, my hands trembling as I reach for the handle.

Just as I manage to wrench the door open, Derek steps inside with a swift, imposing presence. Before I can react, his strong hands grip my shoulders, pinning me gently but firmly. “Please, Derek, let me through,” I plead, tears welling in my eyes.

Soon, sheer panic takes over, and I begin to thrash violently in his hold. I twist and writhe, trying to break free, my scream piercing the air. “Let me go! Please, let me go!” My voice cracks and rises in a desperate, frantic wail.

Derek remains resolute. I push against him, but he doesn’t budge. The room seems to close in on me, my vision narrowing as the walls feel like they are closing in. I can’t breathe properly.

“Dad!” I cry out, turning to him with wide, pleading eyes. “Please, don’t do this. I’m begging you. Just let me talk to Damian. I need him.”

His gaze remains cold and indifferent. “This is not up for discussion, River.”

“But you can’t do this! You can’t keep me against my will, Dad!”

My panic escalates into hysteria. My hands claw at the air, my breathing becoming more erratic. I begin to scream uncontrollably. “Let me go, Derek! Someone help me! Please, somebody!”

Dad’s detached eyes are fixed on Derek who is still holding my struggling body. I catch dad giving him a subtle nod and within seconds, I hear the shuffling of feet. People in lab coats enter the room.

“No! What are you doing?” I shriek as one of them approaches with a syringe. The sight of the needle sends a jolt of pure terror through me. I struggle against Derek, but he holds me firmly.

“Please, no,” I beg, sobbing. Tears run down my face as I watch helplessly. “I don’t want this. Please!”

One of the men presses the syringe into my arm, and I feel a cold, sharp sting. Almost instantly, a chill of numbness spreads through my body. My limbs grow heavy, and my attempts to resist are feeble. My thoughts scatter, slipping away like sand through fingers.

A single tear escapes, trailing down my temple as my neck slumps backward, unable to support the weight of my heavy head. “Damian,” I mumble as the darkness closes in and pulls me under.