Chapter 18
Secrets in the Dark
(Ezekiel's POV)
The clock read 11:47 PM.
I sat in my car, parked outside the De La Cruz estate, gripping the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. I wasn't sure how long I had been sitting there, but the air inside the car felt suffocating.
The meeting was in thirteen minutes.
Thirteen minutes to decide if this was a mistake.
I glanced at my phone. No new messages. No calls from Mary.
She had already given me her answer earlier, don't trust Elijah.
But what she didn't understand was that I wasn't sure I had the luxury of that choice anymore.
Elijah wasn't just making an offer. He was applying pressure. He wanted an answer, now, and he wasn't the kind of man to accept a simple 'no.' Refusing him outright would mean war. One I wasn't sure I could survive.
And then there was Andrew.
A man just as ruthless, just as dangerous. But unlike Elijah, Andrew wasn't pushing for anything, he was waiting.
That's what terrified me the most.
I didn't know how much he already suspected. I didn't know if he had been approached by Elijah telling him about the offer as well.
I know Elijah so well that he might try to tell Andrew as a way of telling him that there's nothing he can do when he wants to take what he wants.
And I sure as hell didn't know how he would react to me asking for this meeting.
But I had to take the risk.
With a deep breath, I grabbed the door handle and stepped out of the car. The night air was cold, a sharp contrast to the tension burning inside my chest. The De La Cruz estate loomed before me, dark and imposing, with only a few dim lights illuminating the windows. The guards at the gate didn't even stop me, they just nodded in recognition and let me through.
Andrew was expecting me.
That wasn't comforting.
I walked through the entrance, my footsteps echoing against the marble floors. The air inside smelled like expensive cigars and aged whiskey, but there was something else beneath it, a tension that clung to the walls like a ghost.
A butler, dressed in black, appeared at my side. "Mr. De La Cruz is waiting for you in his office."
I nodded, swallowing hard.
Each step toward that office felt heavier than the last.
I had been here before, many times. But never like this. Never with a secret weighing so heavily on my mind.
The door to his office was slightly ajar.
I hesitated for a brief moment before pushing it open.
Andrew sat behind his desk, one hand resting on a glass of whiskey, the other flipping a knife between his fingers. The soft glow of the lamp behind him cast shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more dangerous than usual.
His blue eyes flicked up to meet mine, unreadable as always.
"Ezekiel," he greeted, his voice smooth but cold. "You're late."
I exhaled through my nose, stepping inside. "Not by much."
He gestured to the chair across from him. "Sit."
I hesitated, then obeyed, feeling the weight of his gaze as I lowered myself into the seat.
For a moment, there was only silence.
Andrew took a slow sip of his whiskey before setting the glass down, his fingers still toying with the knife.
"I assume you didn't call this meeting for casual conversation," he said. "So, get to the point."
I clenched my jaw.
There was no room for hesitation. If Andrew sensed any weakness, I wouldn't leave this room the same way I came in.
I leaned forward slightly, resting my forearms on my knees. "I need to know something," I said carefully. "Has Elijah approached you?"
Andrew didn't blink. Didn't flinch.
That was almost worse than if he had.
For a long moment, he simply stared at me, the knife still spinning between his fingers in slow, methodical movements.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"No."
A single word. Flat. Unreadable.
I swallowed. "Are you sure?"
He arched a brow, leaning back in his chair. "You think I wouldn't know if he did?"
Fair point.
Andrew knew everything. He had eyes and ears everywhere. If Elijah had made a move toward him, he would have known.
Which meant…
He was coming for me first.
I fought to keep my expression neutral.
Andrew watched me like a predator sizing up prey, his patience clearly thinning. "Why?"
I hesitated. This was the part I had to handle carefully. One wrong word, and I would find myself on the receiving end of that knife he was playing with.
"Elijah made me an offer," I admitted. "One that concerns both me and Mary."
"$700million, without taking it back and he doesn't even want Mary as his wife".
The air in the room changed.
Subtle, but noticeable.
Andrew's grip on the knife stilled. His expression didn't change, but the temperature in the room dropped.
"He's interested in my company," I continued, keeping my tone even. "And in return, he wants something that belongs to me. My daughter"
I didn't say it out loud, but we both knew who I meant.
Andrew leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on the desk. "And what did you tell him?"
"I haven't answered yet."
His lips curved slightly, not a smile, a warning.
"Interesting."
Another pause.
I could feel the noose tightening.
I had expected him to be angry. Expected a violent reaction. But instead, he was calm. And that was what unsettled me the most.
Finally, he set the knife down, folding his hands together.
"I'll give you some advice, Ezekiel," he said. "If Elijah comes knocking on your door, offering you a deal that sounds too good to be true, he's already decided how he's going to kill you, if you don't accept his offer."
A chill ran down my spine.
Andrew didn't deal in empty threats.
"Then what do you suggest I do?" I asked, my voice lower than before.
His smirk was cold.
"Simple," he said. "Let him think you're considering it. Keep him talking. And then… when the time is right, we'll deal with him together."
I swallowed.
I had expected Andrew to warn me to stay away. To demand I cut ties immediately.
But he wasn't just aware of the danger.
He was inviting it.
Because for Andrew De La Cruz, this wasn't a threat.
It was an opportunity.
And that terrified me more than anything.