The Chairman's thoughts lingered on Liora as he watched her ride around the estate on the bicycle Caspian had gifted her before leaving for the USA. A bright smile was always glued to her face whenever she rode that bike, as if each turn and pedal drove her thoughts to Caspian.
His mind was a labyrinth of possibilities, his focus razor-sharp despite the peaceful surroundings.
He knew that time would reveal how this chess game would unfold. Liora's future was uncertain, and Caspian's influence over her intrigued him. There was a certain magnetism between them, one that seemed almost predestined in the Chairman's mind.
He wondered if Caspian would succeed in whatever path he had set for his grandson.
Seeing so much of Suzi, his former lover, in Liora, the Chairman couldn't help but think, 'She would make a great pole dancer, just like her grandmother!' The thought amused him as he watched Liora cycle past his window.
A flicker of a smile played on his lips at the thought, but it quickly vanished. Then again, he realized he might very well find himself at war with his own grandson.
"Only time will tell what future awaits you, Liora. Until then, enjoy your freedom," the Chairman smirked.
Robert's voice broke through his thoughts, questioning why he remained so fixated on the Valentine family. The Chairman was known for his inscrutable nature, but Robert still couldn't fully grasp the depth of the man's obsessions. The way he manipulated people, even those once considered family, was unnerving.
The Chairman watched Liora for a long moment, and then, with his characteristic air of cryptic authority, he spoke.
"Some bonds are not easily broken," he mused, his gaze intense. "And some debts... they linger."
Robert tried to digest the meaning behind those words, though the Chairman's cryptic responses often left him with more questions than answers.
The allusion to debts carried a particular weight, but Robert knew it wasn't the kind of debt that could be easily quantified. The Chairman had always been someone who played the long game, thinking many moves ahead, while those around him saw only a fraction of the bigger picture.
"Robert, make sure Paula gives me a personal greeting tonight."
The simple command brought Robert back to the present, but the weight of the Chairman's plans hung in the air like a silent storm cloud. Every detail seemed calculated, every move meticulously planned. And Liora... she was at the center of it all.
Robert hesitated. A flicker of confusion crossed his face. "Sir?"
"Is there any problem?" George asked.
He knew the Chairman's orders always had a purpose, but this one was peculiar. "No, sir."
Robert's unease grew as he considered his next task. With a reluctant nod, he turned to carry out his orders, his thoughts still circling around the Chairman's cryptic musings.
It was 8 PM, and Paula was meticulously wiping down the countertop with a kitchen towel, a broad smile crossing her face as she thought about leaving for the night. However, fate had other, crueler plans in store for her.
"Paula, the Chairman wants to see you tonight in his room," Robert's voice came from behind her, striking her heart like a bolt of lightning.
She unconsciously clutched her collar tightly with one hand. "B... But I must go to Liora tonight."
"Are you defying the Chairman's order?" Robert stood in front of Paula like a robot, his lack of expression or movement making her feel even more isolated and powerless.
"But what about Liora?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper, pleading with Robert to understand, to give her some leeway.
"Are you going to make the Chairman wait?"
Paula's fingers tightened around her collar as anxiety coursed through her. "Could you please inform Liora that I won't be able to come tonight?" she asked, desperation creeping into her voice.
She didn't want to go—not tonight, not ever. But did she have a choice? The Chairman's family never defied his orders, and who was she, just a mere servant in the mansion? She was merely a woman earning a good wage to provide decent care for her ailing mother.
"I don't think the Chairman would appreciate me deviating from his instructions," Robert finally said, his voice barely audible. He looked away, unable to meet Paula's eyes, not wanting to see the pain he knew he would find there.
His internal struggle mirrored Paula's; he, too, felt a deep sympathy for Liora, who couldn't bear to be alone at night after her father's death. If it had been anyone else, he might have spoken up.
But this was the Chairman, George Glacier—the man who had helped him when he needed it most. His loyalty bound him to follow the orders without hesitation, no matter how much it conflicted with his own feelings.
Paula's shoulders slumped, her courage failing her as she realized she had no choice. "I… I am sorry. I am leaving now."
She turned and walked out of the kitchen, her heart aching with the knowledge that tonight, Liora would face the dark shadows of the Glacier Mansion alone.
As Paula moved down the hallway, her steps echoing in the empty mansion, she felt a wave of guilt and sadness. Liora was like a daughter to her, yet she was abandoning her to face the night terrors and loneliness. A surge of self-hatred welled up within her as she contemplated her own helplessness.
The Chairman's power was absolute, an iron fist. She was as helpless as a rabbit in the clutches of a hawk, pinned beneath talons that showed no mercy.
****
Liora's gaze flicked to the wall clock in the living room. The hands crawled closer to 8:30 PM, their movement maddeningly slow. Her eyes darted back to the front door, willing it to open. It didn't. Paula still wasn't home.
She sank deeper into the sofa, hugging a pillow to her chest. 'Maybe she's just running late,' Liora tried to reason with herself.
But the longer the silence stretched, the heavier it pressed on her. The spring night, once calm and inviting, now felt suffocating still. Even the faint ticking of the clock seemed loud enough to drown out her thoughts.
"She'll come soon," Liora murmured as though saying it aloud would make it true. But the unease clung to her like a shadow.
The TV flickered before her eyes, throwing vibrant images that danced and swirled in a chaotic blur. Her mind wasn't on the show; it was with Paula, imagining every reason she might be delayed with logical explanations.
Her phone sat on the coffee table, taunting her with its silence. She reached for it, scrolling through her sparse contact list: her mother, Officer Park, Paula, and… Caspian. Four names, and none of them messaged her yet.
She tried Paula first. The call rang and rang until it went to voicemail. She tried again, her pulse quickening with each unanswered ring. Still nothing.
Liora bit her lip, her fingers trembling as she debated her next move. The scene of her father vanishing into the night and only being found four days later, lifeless, started to play in front of her eyes as if the television itself had transformed her entertainment into a horror show.
She shook those thoughts of her, but her trembling body started to betray her resolve. She scrolled to her mother's name, who was out of town, and calling her would only cause her mother worry.
Officer Park? He had a night shift, and she didn't want to interrupt him unless it was absolutely necessary. Liora waved away the thought of calling Officer Park. And now that left only one name.
Her thumb hovered over Caspian's contact. A familiar hesitation gripped her. It was late where he was, seven hours ahead, to be exact. He might be in class or, worse, busy with something important.
'What if I bother him?' The thought almost made her put the phone down. But as she stared at his name, her need for comfort outweighed her doubts. Then a message lit up her screen.
"Good night, Ora!"
Her heart fluttered at the sight of his message. It was as if the universe had given her permission. Without thinking, she hit the call button.
The phone rang....rang....and rang.
Her hope deflated with each unanswered tone. When the call disconnected, the silence felt colder than before. She slumped back onto the sofa, pressing her forehead to her knees.
"Why did I call him?" she whispered, mortified. "He's going to think I'm clueless, calling out of nowhere like this."
Embarrassment burned through her. She wished the couch would swallow her whole. She forgot about Paula for a moment, consumed by thinking how foolish she must seem.
Then, her phone vibrated.
Her head shot up, a flicker of hope sparking in her chest. "Paula?" she muttered, reaching for the phone. But it wasn't Paula.
It was Caspian. Her heart skipped as she answered, barely registering her own breathless words.
"Caspian, my hero!"
The relief in her voice spilled, unfiltered, like warming the cold, empty space around her. The ticking clock faded into the background, and everything else seemed just a little less heavy.
Caspian leaned against the counter in the corner of a busy café, a chilled coffee in hand. He took a slow sip, savoring the taste, when her sudden exclamation pierced through his thoughts.
He choked, the coffee spilling from his mouth in an explosive spray, splattering across the chest of a passing stranger. The liquid hit the man like a storm, soaking his shirt as if a summer rain had come without warning.
Caspian tilted his cup in a reflexive motion, spilling even more coffee onto his own shirt. He stood there, stunned and dripping, while the entire café watched the spectacle unfold. The moment stretched as the stranger stood frozen, eyeing the damage to his clothes in disbelief.
Without a word, Caspian discarded his now useless cup into the nearby bin. He didn't offer an apology. Instead, he extracted a crisp $1000 bill from his wallet, flipping it in the air before handing it to the bewildered passerby.
The man blinked at the money, eyes lighting up as he snatched it, no doubt wondering if this eccentric, rich stranger might change his mind before he could walk away.
"Liora…" he muttered to himself, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips despite the chaos unfolding around him.
Taking a deep breath, Caspian quickly reached for a napkin from the counter, dabbing at his shirt in a futile attempt to stop the coffee from spreading. As he mopped up the mess, he couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself, shaking his head.
"Am I your hero now, Liora?" His voice was smooth, almost taunting, the same velvet tone that had always held her captive. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips—a genuine one, rare and unguarded.
"Is that a confession?" His voice carried a playful lilt, though his gaze stayed fixed on the polished floor beneath him.
Liora's breath hitched on the other end. She clutched her phone tightly as though holding onto him through the connection. "Confession about what?"
He chuckled, a rich, warm sound that reached her like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. "You still know how to make me laugh, Ora."
The sound of her name from his lips made her heart skip, a flutter she tried to suppress. "It's... really good to hear your voice," she said softly, her tone barely above a whisper.
Caspian froze mid-step, her words catching him off guard. "It's nice to hear yours too," he admitted, his voice softer now.
His brow furrowed slightly, sensing there was more to her call than simple affection. "Did Paula let you call me this late?"
Liora glanced at the clock, realising why she had called him. It was past 9:30 PM.
"She hasn't come." She bit her lower lip. The pause that followed felt like an eternity of loneliness. "I don't like being alone at night."
Caspian turned away from the seat where he had been sitting before calling Liora. A smile that was difficult to conceal spread across his face, though he attempted to maintain a straight expression.
"I see." He leaned against the café wall, piecing it together.
"Do you want me to stay on the line until she comes back?" he offered, his tone calm but firm, like an anchor in a storm.
Her response was immediate, almost desperate. "Yes."
But then doubt crept in. Was she being selfish? Did she even have the right to take up his time like this? Before she could voice her hesitation, he spoke again.
Caspian glanced back at the coffee table, a playful smile on his lips as he winked at the girl with whom he had been sharing his coffee. In response, she blew him a teasing kiss.
"Ora, give me a moment. I'll call you back in a few minutes."