Page 151 of Blue Gold

“Huh?”

Lifting my gaze up from the miracle Father unknowingly gave me, I returned his stare.

“His name is Elliot Dufort, and you better remember it, as one day, I’m going to marry that man.”

Knowing I had a flight to catch, I moved to get out of there when he snapped.

“Take one more step and that’s it.”

I stopped, not because I was scared of his threat, but the opposite.

“And what will happen if I leave this office?”

With his face all red and sweaty, he narrowed his eyes on me. “Then you will no longer be a part of this family.”

That made it a hell of a lot easier.

“With a family like ours, there’s not much to lose, is there?” I offered him the last smile he’d ever receive from me.

Having nothing more to say or learn from him, I turned around and walked toward the door, his shouting following me. Even when the bottle he tossed at me shattered on the wall, I didn’t stop. Instead, I brushed my hand over my shoulder, cleaning it of the drops of booze that landed there before opening the door.

In the hallway, I found Mother, Catherine, and Andrew lurking outside Father’s office like a bunch of scavengers, there to feast on my remains and see what more they could get with my falling out of the will. The joke was on them, as I never had any interest in the money they all held so close to their heart. I was an outcast to this family the day I was born, and today, it simply turned official. Yet all I left behind as I stepped out of this house wasn’t a loving family, but chains that had restricted me for far too long, and at last, I was free.

From there, I made a quick stop at our place to grab the things I needed for my long-awaited trip.

“Where to go, sir?” the taxi driver asked after I got inside the cab.

“JFK. And please hurry up,” I said, my hand holding the envelope while my heart beat fast, eager to find my French prince and bring him back home.

47

ELLIOT

Crickets chirping outside my window, along with the wind rustling through the trees, had kept me awake all night. Sounds I’d grown up with had become a nuisance, and I found myself missing the noise of the city.

His city.

Tired, I cracked my eyes open. On the wall in front of my bed, the sunrays had painted a strip of light, and I kept staring at it, watching how it climbed up the wall as minutes passed, turning into hours. I had no plan to get up, and even if I did, I had no power to do so. Every bone in my body hurt, every muscle ached. And even when I tried to ignore the pain, the sorrow in my heart was just too much to bear.

“Mon amour,” Maman said as she entered the room.

I miss hearing his English.

“How’s your headache? Any better?” she asked. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she placed her hand on my forehead, softly caressing my hair.

“Better,” I lied when she gave me a small smile.

“Do you want to join me for lunch?”

I shook my head, guilt twisting my stomach at seeing the pain in her eyes.

Pain I’m responsible for, yet not willing to heal.

“Are you sure? I cooked your favorite. Coq au vin.”

I gathered my strength into a thin smile. “Maybe later.”

Her face fell, but accepting my answer, she nodded. “I’ll make sure to leave you a plate.” Getting up, she kissed the top of my head, and her warmth gave me a brief relief. Only it was gone the second I thought of my Daniel and how he used to kiss me the same way. But what good would it be to think of him? I left because I knew how he’d hurt next to me. If I were to stay, then he’d have the same expression my maman had, only I couldn’t bear to see it on him.