Love Lost in Crimson Chapter 2

In my dream, I was falling, endlessly, into a bottomless chasm. When I opened my eyes again, I saw my father, Arthur, crouching by the villa's swimming pool. He held a bloody piece of meat, tossing it into the water. The fish, their bellies distended, their scales an eerie, blood-red, devoured it greedily. He turned to me, a chilling smile on his face, telling me how the scales of fish fed human flesh were the most beautiful, perfect for my bookmarks. My brother, Rhys, leaned against the glass door, proudly showing me a bracelet he’d fashioned from human bones.

Back then, I’d just witnessed my mother’s sudden death, and the darkness terrified me. Alaric, no matter how late his engagements, would always return early to be by my side, waking before dawn to go to work. I casually mentioned I loved the stars, and he spent millions to buy the observatory outside the city, a birthday gift just for me. An heiress from a prominent family, desperate to be with him, offered him a billion-dollar project to force him to break up with me. To reassure me, he blocked her number and declared publicly, "The only woman I will ever love in this life is Elara Blackwood."

I believed him.

So I defied my family, helped him build his empire from the ground up, shielded him from countless schemes, and even deliberately cut ties with my own family for him. He'd held me countless times, whispering, "Elara, once the company goes public, I'll take you on a world tour, pamper you like a princess."

But now? That man, who swore he'd never betray me, was watching me bleed to death in a hospital, all for another woman!

A baby's cry pierced through my hazy consciousness. The next moment, I was jolted back to reality. Looking at Mr. Poirot beside me, I forced the words past my pain. "Mr. Poirot, years ago, my father personally chose you to protect me. You know my family's methods better than anyone."

He said nothing, but his trembling hands betrayed his terror.

"What do you want?"

A pallid, bitter laugh escaped me. "My father and brother will be here any minute. If you don't get a doctor now, when they arrive, you'll be buried alive, your body never found!"

Mr. Poirot instantly paled, his whole body shaking, scrambling to find a doctor. Just as he reached the door, he seemed to remember something. A twisted smile spread across his face, and he whirled around, slapping me hard across the cheek!

The sharp crack echoed in the room, my head snapping to the side. "This is Mr. Williams's private hospital, built in the deepest wilderness! Forget satellites, even a god couldn't find this place!"

I gasped for air, my weak voice filled with a venomous resolve. "You're all too late. I've already sent out my location."

His face instantly turned ashen, his legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, his eyes wide with a ghostly horror. "Th… that's not true…"

I gritted my teeth, every word a fresh surge of cold sweat-inducing pain. "Go get a doctor now. If my father comes, I'll put in a word for you and you might keep your miserable life. Otherwise… next year's this day will be your death anniversary!"

Mr. Poirot, utterly terrified, fumbled for his phone, scrambling out of the room like a madman. I lay on the bed, my belly churning with knife-like spasms, but the knot of dread in my heart finally loosened, if only by a fraction.