"Hayley."

"What are you planning to do?" I asked without beating around the bush.

"If I didn't know better I would think that you are worried about me dearest daughter?" He chuckled. "Is it our dear Nicholas or should I say Xander that you are worried about?" He said, his tone turning dark, sending a chill down my spine. 

No. No. He knows. He Knows. This is not good. I need to do something. 

"What are you talking about? Who Xander?" I mumbled weakly. 

"You are the worst liar dearest daughter. I know he is Xander Nicholas Lorde, son of Andrew Lorde. I am sure you remember him, the man I killed." He chuckled darkly at the last word. "It took me a long time and lot of resources to get to his well hidden past, I wish that I had received it before I signed the contract with him but its never too late. I should have killed that child when I had the chance." I could hear his jaw clench, his teeth rubbing against each other. A shiver ran down me, my heart throbbed at his words. I could feel sweat form on my forehead. 

I tried to mask my nervousness and keep my voice strong. "What are you going to do? Are you.. are you planning to hurt him?"  My voice fumbled at the last sentence. The thought of Nicholas hurt made my heart clench in pain. Despite what Nicholas did to me, I still loved him and wouldn't want to see him harmed.

I can't let him hurt Nicholas. I need to know what he is planning. He will not let Nicholas get away with ruining him. 

He clicked his tongue. "Wait and watch dearest daughter," His tone mocking. His laughter trailing away from the phone. 

"Wait.. Wait." I screamed though the phone. Ignoring my pleas, he hung up on me.

Why is all this happening? What should I do? I felt a tear trickle down my cheek. I ran my hand through my hair and slumped down on the sofa, my eyes closed. 

It was dark. I was running towards something or rather someone when I heard a loud bang. My footsteps turning frantic as I urged my legs to run faster towards the sound. I must have been a fool to not run away from the sound of the gunshot and rather run towards it. I pushed the door open and entered a familiar study, Andrew Lorde's study. My forehead furrowed, my eyes narrowed as it adjusted to the sudden onset of light. I saw my father standing in a pool of blood, his gun pointed at the person on the floor. My eyes shifted from my father's cold ones to the person on the floor. My father's body blocking my view of his face. A gaping hole in his chest as the last breath left his chest, his body pale from the loss of blood. My father laughed like a maniac, his laughter echoing through the empty hallway as he walked away. I stood there paralyzed. My eyes finally made their way to his face. I steeled myself knowing who I was going to see. But what I saw made me stumble back as I crashed to the floor. My chest tightened, I was no longer breathing. My heart beating erratically as  I realized who he was. Nicholas lay there dead. 

I woke up panting, tears running down my cheeks, my whole body sweating. 

It was just a dream Hayley. Just a dream. I took a long breath as I tried to calm my racing heart. I looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was five in the morning. I picked up the phone and dialed the number which I had been ignoring. 

"Hayley." Nicholas answered the phone on the 1st ring.

"Nicholas." 

"Thank god that you called. I have been trying to reach you. I am sorry for what I did. I am really sorry. I can't lose you." Nicholas said frantically. 

"How are you?" I asked, my thoughts going back to the nightmare that I had. 

"Not good. I need you. Please come back to me." Nicholas pleaded, a hint of hope in his voice. 

"You seemed to be well and good, after all you were able to carry out your revenge against my father." I said, not being able to mask the bitterness and hurt in my voice. 

"No..No.. If you are talking about yesterday, that had already been set in motion long back. I.. I had totally forgotten about it. I swear to you." His voice raising an octave higher as he desperately tried to get me to believe him. I sighed. Nicholas might have used me, deceived me but he had never lied to me. 

"I have been a mess. My thoughts were filled with you, I was thinking about all the ways I can get you to forgive me. " He whispered, his voice breaking. This Nicholas was nothing like the tough, brooding Nicholas that I had known.

"Your words mean nothing to me when your actions spoke otherwise." I said. "But that's not why I have called you. I need to talk to you about something important. Can you meet me at Elite cafe at 8?"

"Yes. Yes. I will be there." I could hear the curiosity and a hint of hope in his voice. I nodded. 

Remembering that he couldn't see me, "Okay." I whispered and with that I hung up not wanting to prolong our conversation in fear of succumbing to my feelings for Nicholas.

I made my way to the washroom. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were red and swollen, dark circles forming around them. My face was flushed, my skin pale. I washed my face and brushed my teeth. I tied my hair into a bun and made my way to the balcony. I popped the EarPods in my ears and leaned against the railing. The morning breeze giving me a sense of peace as I closed my eyes. I stood there for an hour or so enjoying the moment of solitude, free of thoughts. 

I took a shower and got dressed in jeans and a crop top, tying my hair in a bun. I took my wallet and phone, locking the door. I decided to take a walk to the cafe. My thoughts drifting to my impending meeting with Nicholas. I didn't know if I was ready to face him yet but I knew one thing for sure, I needed to warn him. My father was not going to take this lightly, he is going to react violently and Nicholas needed to be ready. 

I reached the cafe after 15 minutes of walking. On entering I saw Nicholas already there, waiting patiently for me. He was early. I made my way towards him. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts as he stared at the wall in front of him.

"Hello Nicholas." I said as I took the seat opposite him. 

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