Chapter 24
Audacity
Damien
The soft chime of the elevator filled the small space as it ascended but my mood had never felt lower.
Elena couldn't remember me. Could she even remember anything? My mind raced with thoughts as I replayed every moment, retwisting and rethinking it through.
She'd not given anything away, not even a little to suggest this was an act.
What'd happened to her? I wondered, a frown etched on my face. I'd begun having suspicions since I'd kissed her in my office but now I was completely sure, maybe not completely.
I'd offered her those lucrative terms just to keep her around, keep her close to me where I could continuously observe her.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts as the elevator doors slid open and I strode out.
"Send a memo to all the directors," I snapped, catching Clara's attention. "I want all their reports ready by tomorrow morning, including Howard."
"Yes sir," Clara quickly wrote down some notes on that clipboard she seemed to carry everywhere. She was efficient, and I liked that.
"Anything else?" She asked after a pause.
I drummed my fingers on the desk, my mind filling with thoughts. "Tell Howard his supervisor, Olivia's been sacked, send the notification to him, and be sure to highlight the words 'incompetent' and 'unprofessional'" I instructed.
A smile tugged at my lips as I imagined Howard's reaction when he got to see the report.
"Get that done," I waved my hands and walked into my office, closing the door behind me. I took out my cell phone and dialed a number as I took my seat. The line chimed once before going silent.
"Hello," Priest's voice came over the line and I could hear some faint noises in the background.
"You failed me a few months ago Priest," I began, leaning back into my chair. "Remember?"
The line went silent for a long moment. I was about to speak when Priest spoke up.
"Yeah I remember," he muttered, his voice low.
I smiled slowly, Priest had promised me months ago that he would find Elena. But all trails had gone cold after the hospital, he'd done his best, but it hadn't been enough to find Elena.
"She's back, Priest," I said, listening for his reaction. "Elena's back, I just saw her."
"She is?" Priest sounded surprised.
"Yes," I spun my chair around slowly, turning to stare out at the view through the floor-to-ceiling glass panels.
"I need you to do something, right now," I massaged my brows as I spoke. "Find out where she's been for the past few months, I need to know everything."
"I'll get it done," Priest agreed immediately.
"Do it fast," I ended the call immediately. I trusted Priest, despite his previous mistake, he was thorough and clean with what he did.
Elena was back I thought, back and different. I couldn't quite place what it was but something had changed I thought.
Despite myself, I flipped open the proposal for Project Houston that she'd brought earlier, my eyes scanning through again.
She was smart, really smart I thought, going through the proposal with deepening interest. It was like I'd found out about a side of her I didn't know existed.
Elena Kingston, the daughter of Albert Kingston, yet she was nothing like her father. My lips thinned at the thought.
I'd just finished reading through the proposal when the office line rang, I raised a brow as I reached out to pick up the call. It was rare for people to call my office directly as most would call Clara instead.
"Hello?" I picked up the phone.
"Good afternoon, Damien," my eyes narrowed as I recognized the person on the line.
Howard.
"I was so surprised when I heard the news of your illness this morning, Howard," I ignored his greeting, taking control of the conversation.
"It's a wonder that I didn't see a report about it," I added, filling my voice with mock surprise.
Howard fell silent, his displeasure as loud as his silence. "I apologize," he grunted finally, breaking the silence.
"Do better next time," I said, not acknowledging his apology. It gave me great joy when I faintly heard Howard grinding his teeth in anger.
"I will," Howard answered and his voice trembled slightly.
"Good," I nodded, satisfied.
"I just received word that you sacked a supervisor in my department," Howard finally broached the topic he'd been wanting to. "You can't just—"
"No Howard," I snapped, my patience wearing thin. "I can and I have, your supervisor committed some grossly unprofessional errors and if left to fester, she'll become a problem."
"I still think I should have been informed before this decision was taken," Howard didn't back down, his voice held a thread of anger. "Your action was rash."
"Rash?" Howard's words made me chuckle. "I'm not rash, Howard, and I'm not your friend either. Do well to remember that," I ended the call before he could say another word.
Damn egotistical piece of shit! I held back the urge to curse out loud. Howard's words had gotten on my nerves. He, and the other Directors had all led comfortable lives and they'd let this company rot into the ground.
Well too bad for them. I was here to clean up the mess, the thought brought me another rush of determination.
I'd just begun sorting through the paperwork on my desk when the door opened silently. I frowned as I stared at the tall hulking man who towered above everything.
"Why are you here?" I questioned, staring at Priest with dark eyes. He knew I hated him meeting me in the office, the less people knew of his existence and ties to me, the better.
"No one saw me," Priest grunted, stepping forward. He was a huge man, about six foot four and he had a squared face and wide jaw.
"Why…" I gritted my teeth and I repeated the question. "Are you here?"
"I thought you might want to see this in person," Priest produced a brown file, handing it over to me.
"It's about Elena," he added and my eyes narrowed immediately. I didn't say a word before I quickly opened the file and a bunch of photographs spilled out.
The most eye-catching one was the picture of a car, a cab I realized, examining it further. I looked up at Priest in confusion.
"Pictures from an accident six months ago," Priest's expression barely moved. "four casualties, two—"
"What's the point?" I snapped, interrupting him. I could feel my heart already picking up the pace and I stared at him with held breaths.
"Elena was in this accident," Priest said, breaking the silence. "She and her daughter were the only survivors."
'Thank God' I exhaled, letting loose the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. However, Priest's next words made my nerves tighten.
"According to the information provided in the police report, they found some clues to believe there was foul play involved."
"What!" My blood ran cold, I didn't know when I'd gotten to my feet. "So you're saying—"
"Yes," Priest nodded, his expression grave. "Someone may have tried to have them killed."