CHAPTER 6

Five Years Later

Sarah

I stood in the living room taking in the breathtaking view of the ocean below my penthouse. Watching the waves rise and fall has been part of my morning ritual for the past five years. It was beautiful to see and the sight never gets old.

I moved around the room, clad in nothing as the morning sun teased my pale skin.

A soft sigh escaped my lips. I need to go out more often, I subconsciously reprimanded myself. It would be good for my social life—not that I needed one.

I paused as my eyes caught my reflection on the window glass, which replaced a section of the wall. My long, wavy hair was packed into a messy bun, accentuating my high cheekbones. My skin looked pale under the bright light.

I strolled over to the fridge and pried it open. A plate of half-eaten salad stared at me gloomily. My eating habits were bad and needed to be addressed. I made a mental note to stop at the grocery store after my gym session. Which will entail letting my assistant, Valeria know that I would be coming to the office late.

Valeria was a chubby, funny girl who had worked for me since I came to this foreign land. People misjudged her as a pushover because of her friendly demeanour. But little did they know, they were far from the truth.

Valeria would tackle the strongest warrior of the clan with her wits. I smiled at the thought of her pretty face morphing into a frown when I called her to postpone all my appointments for this morning.

My phone rang, startling me for a second. But the name on the caller ID made my heartbeat pick up a notch.

"Have you missed me?" The voice I have learnt to love yet despise spoke from the other end of the phone.

"Have you?" I threw the question back at him.

His voracious laughter filtered through the phone and a sweet tingle ran down my body, settling between my legs.

"You know the answer to that question, pretty one. If you would just give me a chance to show you how much I've missed you. And how much I still want you after all these years." "You know where to find me, Lucas," I teased, wanting to feel desired.

After my miscarriage, Lucas provided me with a home and a pack. We had argued over the debt I owed him but in the end, his need to destroy Ryder was stronger than his bodily need.

I knew I didn't love him and never would—not after Ryder's act. My heart was closed off to love. Though I've had flings every now and then.

I was also aware that I'm indebted to Lucas for taking me in. It felt normal to fight my sexual attraction towards Lucas.

He had arranged for me to move far away from the realm to keep me off the radar and help me get ready for when the time was right to strike. Deep down, I figured he needed to keep me at a distance to protect himself. And I teased him mercilessly about it.

"You're right about that. I do know where to find you," he continued, pulling a smile from my lips.

"But that's not the reason I called you. It's time Sarah." I felt my hand tremble lightly. For five years I have waited patiently to hear these words. Now hearing it, a shiver replaced the tingling sensation I had felt. I knew he was talking about the one thing I craved like air. It was time to ruin the person that haunted my dreams—Ryder.

I cleared my throat. "Why now?" "Because it is the right time," his voice had dropped a notch, almost cold. "Are you having cold feet, Sarah Willow?" The mere thought of Ryder made my blood boil with rage. I would love nothing more than to see him lose everything he held dear. Ever since I left the realm, Lucas had made certain that there had been no mention of Ryder or any information regarding him spoken to my hearing. The silence prolonged between us.

I could hear him breathing loudly over the phone.

"Sarah?"

"I'm right here." "You haven't answered my question."

I paced the room with my hand running through my hair. "I haven't got cold feet. I want to pay him back for every ounce of pain he inflicted on me. I want to watch him suffer and beg at my feet." I paused, taking deep breaths to ease my anger.

I could almost picture Lucas sprouting a smile. The thought of destroying Ryder always made his body flush with excitement.

"But I'm not going in blind," I continued, not giving him a chance to talk. "If you say this is the right time, I need to know why. Did you do something to him... or his son?"

I held my breath as Lucas burst out in laughter. Why do I care? I wanted him to suffer but to what extent am I willing to go? Why is my heart beating fast at the thought of him dead?

"No, no, Cherié," he chuckled. "I would let you have the honours. I'm not the monster they have painted me to be." He cleared his throat. "A good portion of his company shares went up for sale recently and I so graciously acquired them. I had to pay double the price to get it in your name, as a silent investor. A lot of effort was put into keeping your name under wraps. He won't know what hit him."

I sighed loudly as relief washed over me. This was way better than I had expected. My eyes lit up with excitement. "This is what I've been waiting for. Time to take everything from him, right under his nose."

"I need you back here as soon as possible. The wheels are already in motion."

"I'll round up my business over here and dismiss my staff. I've to let Valeria know--"

"That won't be necessary," he spoke, cutting me short.

"She has been duly informed and everything is been set in place. She will be leaving with you."

"What? Valeria? How do you kno-- Never mind. I'll be over there within the shortest of time."

"Can't wait." The dailtone sounded flat in my ears.

I looked around the room, trying to connect with the shell I had lived in for the past five years. I felt nothing. I was going to miss nothing except the view of the ocean.

I knew what needed to be done. I picked up my phone and dialled Valeria.