Flatline - Murder | Mystery | Intrigue

Chapter 14

Emile 

I hurried back to reception, but they weren’t there anymore. 

“Excuse me,” the receptionist looked up and immediately smiled coyly, my fingers tapped the counter rapidly, “could you tell me where the lady and gentlemen who were over there went?” 

She stared as if she were deep in thought. I cleared my throat. 

“Uh, sorry, they went to room two-twenty-one. Seth Fortune, right?” she blushed a little and her eyelashes fluttered. 

“Thank you,” I didn’t bother to acknowledge the flirting, I turned and hurried to the elevator. The ride seemed interminable, as I left the elevator I called Tony. 

“Tony, it’s me. I need you to keep an eye on Kimberly, she’s up to something,” I started.

“I know,” he cut me off, “I was about to call you.” Had she already made her move? I breathed slowly, hoping to keep a clear head. “It’s all over social media and the tabloids,” he confirmed. 

“What is?” I growled, that b*tch got the drop on me. 

“Secret CEO is about to be a daddy,” he hesitantly stated. I punched the wall. 

“They named me?” I was furious, years of carefully laying low was ruined. I gripped the phone hard. 

“Yeah, they did, is it confirmed though? Are you the father?” he asked tentatively. 

“I doubt it,” I answered. 

“There’s more,” he cut me off again. I took a deep breath, steeling myself. “We just received notification of a paternity suit against you,” he finished. 

“Oh really, Kimberly has got some balls,” I smirked. “Well, I have a little ace up my sleeve anyway, let her carry on for now.” I would take her down hard, publicly. Oh Kimberly was going to rue the day she met me. 

“Are you sure Boss? Shouldn’t we be doing some damage control?” he fretted. 

“The damage is already done, my role at Flatline is public knowledge now,” I hissed. “The rest is easy enough to deal with, meet me at the office tomorrow at nine am, I have things planned for Kimberly…” He agreed and we ended the call. 

I carried on towards the room and found the guy Kay had been talking to earlier standing at the door. They had seemed fairly close before, possibly even intimate? My eyes narrowed at the thought. I straightened up and walked over. 

“Emile Riley,” I announced. He turned and took a wide stance, pursing his lips. 

“Peter Adams,” he replied, looking me up and down. 

*_* 

Kay 

“What’s his name?” Seth asked. I had really hoped to avoid telling him, but I wouldn’t withhold any more information, nor lie to him. 

“Hugh Van Dykk.” Seth’s eyes widened in response. 

“You mean the CEO of Mono Industries?” he speculated. It was my turn to be shocked. 

“How do you know about him?” I faltered. 

“We did a case study on him in Business Economics at school, he’s one of the richest men in the country,” he frowned. 

“Well, whatever you do, stay away from him,” I warned. “He hasn’t been interested in your mom or you for all these years and it’s unlikely he ever will be. Trying to make contact with him would probably not be welcomed.” Seth’s frown deepened. I felt bad, yet another family member that couldn’t care less about this beautiful soul. 

“I need to call Papa and Izzy,” I smiled, “I’ll be right back.” I kissed his forehead and left the room. 

I felt the tension as soon as I opened the door and immediately regretted leaving Seth. Emile and Peter faced each other aggressively, sizing each other up. The atmosphere was heavy, as if each was waiting for the other to attack. I cleared my throat and raised an eyebrow at the scene. Neither of them broke their stare.

“I see you’ve already met,” I gave them each a pointed look when they finally looked my way. Peter looked sheepish and Emile smirked, it was really too much testosterone for my fragile nerves. I sighed.

“Peter, thank you so much for bringing Seth, I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t,” My eyes brimmed with tears again, I sniffed slightly and willed them not to fall. I was sincerely grateful despite still feeling awkward about our night at the club. His expression softened. 

“Any time Kay, you know that,” he consoled. “Do you need me to stay with you? I’m not sure that douche will stay away.”

“No, that’s ok, I’m about to call my dad and Izzy. They will probably be here soon.” I needed to diffuse the awkward situation between these two guys as soon as possible. “Thank you for offering, I’ll call if I need anything.” I said firmly. 

“Please do,” he said as he turned to leave. I watched him leave and then turned to Emile, I was ashamed to admit that I had totally forgotten about him with all the drama. I smiled awkwardly. 

“I’m so sorry about how this evening turned out,” I began hesitantly. He raised an eyebrow. 

“Unless you planned all this, there is really no need to apologize,” he said sternly. My phone buzzed in my hand and he nodded slightly. I looked down at it, a text message from an unknown number, I frowned as I opened it.  

‘Secret CEO is about to be a daddy’ was the headline, it had a picture of Emile. I stiffened. 

“Thank you for everything, I’ll be in touch to plan the shoot on Monday,” I said coldly and with a sense of finality. Confusion flitted across his face briefly, but he recovered quickly.

“Thank you for spending some time with me today, Kay. I hope we can do it again soon.” The look on his face told me it wasn’t really a question, more like a statement, something he intended to happen regardless. He kept eye contact for a few more seconds, then he turned and walked away. I exhaled. 

I called my dad who was on his way before I had even ended the conversation. He was never one for many words. The next call was to Izzy, she was already close by and started making her way over as well. I sighed and went back to Seth. He was fast asleep again, I sat next to his bed and held his  hand. Memories of him with his mother came unbidden, which inevitably led to thoughts of her death. My body drooped and my arms automatically wrapped around myself. No matter how much had happened to me afterwards or how many years had passed, it was still the most painful experience of my life.

The door opened and my father walked in and as soon as I saw him, I dissolved into tears. He walked over and wrapped me in a hug, stroking my hair. The tears turned into sobs and we spent the better part of five minutes just standing there.

“I was so scared,” I eventually managed to choke out, “scared I had lost him,” I sniffed. 

“I know Honey, but he’s ok now. We need to focus on keeping him that way now,” he consoled. He was always a practical man, a man of action and generally would not waste any time before doing what needed to be done. 

“That’s true, we had an appointment to see a counselor tomorrow. I will have to call and cancel and find a rehab center for him instead,” I’d filled him in on the phone, but had yet to tell him about Jason. I opened my mouth and the door opened again, it was Izzy this time. 

“Oh my God is he ok now?” she walked over and hugged me tightly. “Hi Mr. Maloney,” she greeted without releasing me. 

“Hi Izzy, I hope you’re well,” he replied. She nodded, distracted by the need to know what exactly had happened. 

“He’s okay now, he will need to stay here under observation for a few days. Izzy, I’m glad you arrived just now, then I only need to say this once. Jason is involved in this mess, he’s been seeing Seth and supplying him with drugs. I found him in this room earlier,” I seethed. 

“What?” both Izzy and my dad said simultaneously. 

We spent the next half an hour discussing the way forward with Seth before my dad sent me home to rest, assuring me he would stay with Seth until I returned the next day. 

A/N 

Hello from the other side… 

Hey guys, I am super curious to know how many are reading this and also what you think should happen next? I’d love to hear from you in the comments, if you prefer not to leave a comment, please send a smiley or a wave so I know you’re there. 

Thanks for reading!

Love 

kg