Flashback: One Hour Ago
Erick closed the report folder from Matthew with a soft thud, yet his eyes remained fixed on a void on his desk. His mind was no longer in that cold office.
"Matthew, get the car ready. Take me to where Elly Anderson lives," Erick ordered suddenly. His voice was flat, but there was an undeniable urgency beneath the surface. "I want to see for myself how she has been living all this time."
"Very well, Sir," Matthew replied without question, though he knew this was about more than a business investigation.
Erick strode out of the room, his pace nearly frantic. Within his chest, there was a strange hunger, as if seeing Elly was the only cure for a thirst that had tormented him for years. He kept convincing himself that this was a form of hatred, that he only wanted to savor her suffering. However, the frantic beating of his heart betrayed every denial.
They carved through the streets of Montana in the black SUV. Erick stared out the window, his fingers tapping the armrest with impatient rhythm.
The vehicle eventually slowed and came to a stop in front of an old apartment building that appeared dingy and neglected. The fading paint on the walls was masked by road dust, and several windows were covered in plastic to keep out the cold wind.
"Miss Elly lives in that building, Sir," Matthew said, pointing toward the fragile concrete structure. He glanced through the rearview mirror, observing his master's frozen expression. "Will you be going down to see her now?"
Erick remained silent. His throat felt dry as he stared at the rusted apartment gate. For a moment, his ego battled with a deep seated longing.
"There is no need," Erick finally said, his voice raspier than usual. "I only wanted to see the environment where she lives. Pull the car over there. I don't want us to stand out."
"Yes, Sir." Matthew turned the wheel, steering the car to the dark shoulder of the road, a few yards from the entrance. There, in the silence of the luxury cabin, Erick waited in the shadows. His eyes never left that squalid entrance. Part of him wanted to go in, to confront Elly and demand an explanation for her betrayal five years ago, but his pride held him back.
The silence inside the SUV was suddenly shattered as the headlights of another car swept across the dull asphalt in front of the apartment. A luxury sedan pulled up with a smooth motion, creating a stark contrast against the dilapidated surroundings.
Erick instantly straightened his back. His focus locked, his eyes narrowing sharply behind the dark tint of his windows. As a man stepped out from the driver's side, Erick leaned forward, trying to recognize every contour of the well to do stranger's face.
Erick's breath hitched when the man walked around and opened the passenger door with perfect politeness. A second later, the figure that had haunted his dreams appeared. Elly stepped out, holding a small child by the hand. Erick's eagle eyes did not miss a single detail, including the plastic bag from a mobile phone shop that Elly clutched tightly.
"You really are a slut, Elly," Erick hissed. His voice was hoarse and cold, yet it held a simmering hatred ready to boil over at any moment.
Below the window line, his hand gripped the tablet on his lap so hard that his knuckles turned white and the screen creaked under the pressure. His jaw tightened, creating a terrifying, sharp line across his handsome face.
So... this is how you've survived all this time? By selling yourself to wealthy men? Erick's inner voice whispered, every word tasting like poison.
His rage peaked when he saw the warm smile Elly gave the man, a smile that used to belong only to him. How dare you live with a smile that happy built upon my suffering, Elly! You will pay for every tear and every piece of wreckage you left behind for me.
Erick remained frozen in the car, his eyes unblinking as he followed the luxury sedan's taillights until their glow was swallowed by the darkness of the road. As soon as the car vanished from sight, Erick threw open the SUV door with a violent motion, ignoring Matthew's warning.
Across the street, Elly was just about to step into the bleak apartment courtyard. She still held Felix's hand, trying to navigate the cracked cement path toward the dimly lit lobby door. However, before her foot could touch the first step, an incredibly powerful grip snatched her arm.
The jerk was so violent that Elly's body was forced around. She nearly lost her balance, saved only by the broad chest of the man now looming over her.
"Erick...?" Elly's voice barely surfaced. Her throat had suddenly gone bone dry.
Her eyes widened, projecting pure terror as she stared at the face before her. Erick stood there, his breath ragged and heavy with the scent of raw fury.
The man's eyes were no longer dull. The whites were shot through with thin red veins from his boiling anger. His gaze was so sharp and full of vendetta, it was as if he wanted to destroy Elly right then and there with a single look.
Felix, startled by his mother's hand being wrenched away, could only stand frozen, staring at the terrifying stranger.