Dating Mr. CEO - Chapter 48: Chapter 48

ELROY
I knocked three times, gaining Lucas's attention.
After Damien, Cade and I finished our scheduled photoshoot with a magazine company, Damien headed out for some work while Cade and I went back to Sparks.
For a reason.
Lucas looked up from his laptop, frowning when his eyes met mine. I made my way casually into the editing office, rolling up the sleeves to my Ash long sleeved shirt before tucking both my hands into my black baggy three quarter Jean.
"What do you want?" Lucas stood up right, snapping at me. "what are you doing here?"
I raised a brow at him. "First off, this is my company, and I can go wherever I want to. Secondly, I just came here to apologize."
He looked confused for a minute, but then his confused look faded into a frown. "Apologize for what?"
"For threatening you. My girlfriend thought it was pretty wrong to give a threat like that. I didn't mean to say all those things about rendering you homeless."
Lucas smirked. "I see she came to you after all... That was the plan though. I bet she hates your guts now."
I shook my head. "You don't even know how to play this game, do you?" I pulled my hands from my pocket, made my way to his table, picked up a pencil absentmindedly and looked up at him. "One thing you need to know before you think of crossing me, is that... No matter what, I'm always ten steps ahead and as for Fay, you're only helping our relationship grow. Infact, I'm honored to tell you that we're perfectly fine, even better than before."
He frowned. "Well, that's just for now... When I'm done with you-"
"Your measly threats doesn't faze me Lucas." I cut him off, "you're a fool who thinks he can throw in a few threats and lie to Fay, to get her away from me." I dropped the pencil. "I know you know things you shouldn't know, and trust me, I still wonder how, and I still wonder why you would gain so much pleasure in seeing me or any of the members of my family suffer, cause last I checked, I don't remember doing anything to you."
His frown deepened. "You don't remember doing anything to me? You stand here and tell me that you don't remember doing anything to me?!"
I shrugged. "I don't think I did, Lucas. And if eventually I did something to make you feel angry, then bring it to my notice, if it's something that deserves my interest or my apologies, I'll gladly render it."
His jaw clenched, looking more angry by the minute. "I hate you." He gritted out in anger.
"Great, that's progress, why? Because you love Fay, and she's with me?" I asked calmly.
"No." He said.
"Then, why else? Don't you like your salary? Do you need a raise? Or a loan? Or... What could I have possibly done to you? Why would you want to ruin my family?"
"Because you ruined mine." He said tersely. "You ruined my life."
He said it with so much loathe, with so much aggression. Almost as if I actually did ruin his life.
"What the fuck are you talking about Lucas? I didn't even know you until I employed you... How could I have ruined your life?"
"How can you remember? You've ruined the lives of so many other people, it's pretty hard for you to keep track." He snapped.
"Excuse me?" I asked.
"Who do you think you are? You think because you carry a very powerful last name, you can do whatever you like? You think it's a blessing?" He scoffed. "Let me tell you something you know, but are obviously denying. Your last name isn't a blessing... It's a curse, to you, and to everyone around you."
I frowned. "Tread lightly, Lucas." I warned.
"Or you'll do what?" He gave a mocking laugh. "There's something about you Chesterfields. You think you're all so important, so superior... You think you can fix everything with money and-"
"What the hell does this have to do with anything?"
"10 years ago, you lied to the press, paid off people to lie for you, ruined the life of a very innocent woman and murdered her fucking son. Your bloody family didn't own up to it... Your bloody family erased that little boy from the face of the freaking earth... He wasn't even freaking buried, why? Because you wanted to protect your cursed reputation." Lucas said, coming closer to me as he spoke.
I knew the look of horror was obvious on my face. How does he even know about this?
"You erased his identity with money." Lucas said, standing right in front of me.
Flashes of that night hit my senses like a new wave of heat. His words slapped off every thought of myself not being guilty.
His words strangled me with the hands of guilt, tearing my throat to shreds...
He was right... We made a mistake... But it wasn't my call... I never asked them to hide anything, I didn't even know when they solved everything with the press.
I woke up to see everything taken care of.
I couldn't change their minds, I was only a kid. I was only 14, what could I have said to possibly change their minds, how could I have even thought of anything when I was busy trying to phantom a life without my parents, when I was busy trying so hard to find someone to blame for everything, when I couldn't even think anymore?! When I couldn't stop myself from blaming myself for everything!
"How-" I gulped. "How do you know all this? You aren't- you aren't supposed to-"
"Know? Just like you didn't want the world to know?"
"Lucas-"
"Your family is nothing but a curse, and I'll be so glad to be the one to remove the curse from existing. I'm only one step ahead to doing it."
I blinked, snapping myself out of my thoughts.  I didn't come here to sink back into my dark shadow.
"If you hold a grudge against me... Why are you trying to involve Fay in it? I honestly don't even know why you hold a grudge against me, for that night."
"Admit that it was wrong." He said.
"I'm not admitting to any damn thing Lucas... Whatever happened that night, happened for a damn reason, and honestly, I really don't care. It happened ten years ago... It's in the fucking past. It doesn't matter-"
I was cut short of my words when his fist connected with my jaw, causing me to stumble backwards.
Not my face.
I tasted blood almost immediately as I touched the side of my mouth, pulling my hand to my view to see blood on my finger.
"You know this face is award winning right?" I managed to let out, feeling the sting in my jaw with every word I let out.
"Makes me want to break it even more." He charged towards me, tugging my shirt in a grip, hitting me flat on my cheek bone.
I stumbled to the ground, wincing in pain.
But it didn't matter, I was getting what I came here for.
"Come on... Get up... Fight me." He let out angrily.
I got up again only to be hit really hard on my stomach. It felt like air had been knocked out of my chest. I bent, not having the time to groan in pain when he held me straight up again, hitting me on the face.
I fell straight to the ground again, but this time, he followed.
He held my neck with both his hands, strangling me with all his might, closing all passage of oxygen.
I tried to pull his hands away but he wouldn't budge.
"Now- now you'll feel exactly the same as me... How I- feel every- every bloody day."
I couldn't breath.
I didn't want to get tired of struggling. The bastard was choking me with a devilish smile on his face.
Pushing him off of me was a stupid act, it only made my chest close in on me.
Damn it to hell... Not now...
"Do you feel it yet... Your attack will only kill you faster."
I had figured out a way to pull him off of me, but I was stalling, wanting to see the outcome of whatever his aim was. And why? I couldn't give an answer to that-
"Hey!" Cade's voice filled the room, and soon enough Lucas was pulled off of me.
My hand flew to my throat on impulse as I tried to cough back air into my lungs. It wasn't working.
"What the hell! You could have killed him!" Cade yelled at Lucas as he gripped his arm.
Lucas in turn, shrugged himself off Cade's hold, turning to face me. "This isn't over yet. You just drew the damn line." He snarled, pushing his way out of the editing room which was actually beginning to fill up.
"Get back to work! Everyone!" Cade yelled as he crouched in front of me.
I heard hasty footsteps, and I knew immediately that everyone in the room was busy making their way out.
It didn't take long enough to feel the light vibration in my fingers, gradually moving to every single part of my body as I struggled to breathe.
"Hey- hey-" Cade said, holding my shoulder. "Breath, here," he tried to make me breath into the inhaler in his grip but I pushed him away.
"El... Don't do this now okay, you know you need it."
I don't
I wanted to speak but it was impossible. I was busy coughing out my intestines, hoping to God that he let me breath on my own again. I didn't want the help of an inhaler.
Cade tried to force me again but I pushed him.
"What the hell is wrong with you?"
I coughed, wheezing and gasping as my chest denied me of oxygen.
"Do you want to fucking die?!"
I continued wheezing, as I managed to drag my body so I could at least rest on the wall.
"Fuck it." Cade muttered, forcefully tackling me to the ground, I tried to push him off but my hands were really slow. He pressed the inhaler into my mouth a few times before releasing me.
In turn, I was beginning to take in longer breaths as my chest began to expand again. My heart began to lessen in it's pace as I inhaled and exhaled heavily. I did it a few times trying to catch my breath, it was almost as if I had just returned from a marathon race.
"Are you okay?" Cade asked carefully.
My ribs were on fire but I couldn't speak yet.
Cade shut his eyes for a second heaving a sigh of relief. "Were you seriously planning to get yourself killed? Why didn't you push him off you?"
I didn't reply. I was still trying to calm my shaky body and unsteady heart.
I closed my eyes, resting my head on the ground.
"I saw the angle El, you let him strangle you on purpose. Why?"
I inhaled and exhaled before speaking. "Pushing- pushing him off wasn't- wasn't the plan."
"So him strangling you was?" Cade asked indignantly. "If I hadn't intervened, he would have killed you, El."
I peeled my eyes open. "I had it- I had it in control Cade."
"I know you did, but you didn't take control."
I was feeling a lot better now, so I lifted myself up gently. "If I had taken - taken control, I would have hurt him. You know me Cade. I don't stop at one push. I would have ruined the plan. I let- I let him hit me, and I let him suffocate me, it was all part of the freaking plan."  I said.
Cade shook his head in disbelief, lifting himself off the ground. He held his hands for me to take and I did as he assisted me to stand up right, I groaned due to the pain hitting my ribs and stomach.
"That wasn't the plan I made with you, El. It wasn't. He was only meant to hit you maybe once or twice."
"I know, and I also remember that I wasn't meant to raise a finger on him. If I had pushed him off, my anger would have gotten the better of me."
"He was killing you." Cade stated as if I wasn't getting that point.
"Yet here I am, very much alive. I d-don't- even know why we're having this discussion now. How does it look?"
Cade frowned as he analyzed my face. "You have a nose bleed and a cut on your face, which is beginning to leave a bruise, your neck has his prints on them."
I furrowed my brows, wiping the blood off my red nose. "Plan A worked." I said. "Now it's your turn. You know what to do."