CHAPTER FIVE – THE UNWELCOME GUEST.
A knock on the door when clocks marked twenty one hundred.
I was seized in silence, papers about money scattered where I sat. Visitors never came by now and nobody was aware I'd removed those pages from Father's room.
A second knock arrived, sharper than before. This one pressed forward without waiting.
The folder landed hard inside the drawer, pages crumpling at the edge. One step, then another, heading for the exit. Eyes pressed close to the curved lens. Outside stood a figure - charcoal fabric draped too well, like money shaped it. Hair combed without flaw. He didn't shift. Didn't blink. Just waited, still as someone used to getting what he wants, his own way without struggles.
His words slipped under the door, sharp like ice at dawn. He could sense her near, quiet on the other side. A moment passed before he spoke once more, steady but low. "This had to be said now, no waiting", he said.
The air between them felt tight, unyielding.
Fingers paused near the lock, but the voice meant nothing to me.
"Damien Cross. I represent certain interests that concern your family's situation."
My gut told me to leave the lock turned. Still, a shift in how he spoke showed he had no plans to walk away. If he understood what my family faced, then he came either to lend a hand or track us down.
The moment I turned the knob, the chain stayed locked. It was already past midnight
He opened his mouth, and drew his lips as if in laughter, though his eyes stayed cold.Heavy they were, like skies saturated with coming downpours. The words came quick, "this had to be said now",
"I don't do business at my apartment."
"Then you shouldn't have stolen your father's files",he said.
I was gripped by fear, leaving my skin cold. That look didn't escape him - his fake smile stretched further, edged like steel.
"Let me in, Miss Ashford. Unless you want your neighbors to hear about Benjamin Ashford's impending bankruptcy", he threatened.
Clumsy hands tugged at the metal links. Backing away, I left space for his slow approach.
Through my apartment he walked, as if every corner already belonged to him. My cold gray eyes took in each thing without asking.i had fixed that old bookshelf just last summer. A street vendor sold me the painting one rainy Thursday. On the lower frame of the window sat a tiny tired-looking elephant toy - my grandmother gave to me when I turned twelve.
He held the figure of the animal, rolling it slowly between his palms. Not impressed, really - he'd thought someone from that family would do better
I took it quickly from his hands. What is it that you need? I asked.
Down he sat on my couch, legs neatly crossed, no invitation needed. That suit of his - likely pricier than what I pay for months in rent." Help", he said he wanted to give me
"By breaking into my home?"
"The door was unlocked." He tilted his head, studying me. "Careless, given what you're hiding," while he laughed to scorn.
I remained standing, arms crossed. "If you're here to threaten me - "
"I'm here to offer you a solution," he pulled a slim folder from his jacket and laid it on my coffee table. "Alexander Pierce isn't your only problem," he continued, "Pierce is just the loudest one."
My stomach twisted. "How do you know about Pierce?"
"I know everything about everyone worth knowing." He tapped the folder. "Your father owes money to seventeen different creditors. Pierce is circling, yes, but there are others. Quieter ones. More dangerous ones."
The folder stayed untouched by me. You belong to their group,I calmly accused him.
"No." His eyes locked onto mine. "I'm the one who can make them all disappear."
"Nothing's free."
"Smart girl." He leaned back, looking entirely too comfortable in my space. "I need something from you. Something only an Ashford can provide."
"I don't have any money," I declared at once.
"I don't want your money." His gaze drifted to the drawer where I'd hidden the documents. "I want information, I ask for access to your father's business connections, his secrets, his leverage points."
"You want me to betray my family,", I asked in all honesty.
"I want you to save them." He stood, moving closer. He was tall - I had to tilt my head back to meet his eyes. "In three weeks, your father will lose everything. His properties, his reputation, his freedom. The Ashford name will be synonymous with failure."
"And if I help you?"
"Then I make sure the only people who suffer are the ones who deserve it. "Something moved back and forth rapidly in his expression, that I almost missed. "Pierce, for starters."
I stepped back. "I need time to think."
"You have until Saturday. "He moved toward the door, then paused. "That's the night of the Pierce gala, isn't it? The night your mother's planning to auction you off at the price of a female horse."
Something sharp hit my throat. You figured that out, he inquired, because, "I told you, I know everything."
He opened the door, then looked back at me. "Choose wisely, Miss Ashford. Some cages are harder to escape than others."
The latch snapped into place after he left.
A chill ran through me as stillness filled the room. Outside, a dark sedan moved gently, off the sidewalk and vanished around the corner.
The screen lit up as a call came through, number hidden.
"The file contains evidence, go through each page carefully. Anyone who stands against you will become clear, once you read and understand what's written. - D.C.
End of Chapter Five.