Raven Beauty [b**m]

Chapter 8 — Past

Sebastian

I froze when Keira's body clashed with mines. For a mere moment, I couldn't move or say anything all. She pressed her head on my chest and thanked me for what I had done. I quickly squirmed away from the hug and apologized before rushing out of the office.

I couldn't. She couldn't. I never gave her the permission to hug me—I never gave it to anyone, not even my mother. I couldn't even remember when was the last time I hugged a woman, chest by chest. It wasn't my thing and I couldn't allow it.

"Sebastian," A familiar voice pulled me out of the oblivion. I shook my head as I found myself standing in the middle of nowhere but inside my own building.

"Yeah?" I turned around and found Tristan standing behind me, his hand was over my shoulder and he seemed worried.

"Are you alright?" He leaned down to me and asked, making sure no one else heard him.

"Yes, I'm fine." I scratched the back of my head and went inside the elevator. Tristan followed me behind and went all the way up to my phone.

"Cancel all the meetings for today and don't allow anyone in my office," I said to Nina and she nodded her head.

Tristan and I went inside and I sat on my seat. Drinking some water, I returned back to my senses but Keira's embrace didn't leave my body.

"Are you sure you're alright? Did something happen? You look f*****g traumatized!" Tristan yelled.

"I'm fine, it's okay. Nothing happened," I stated. "What are you doing here?" Coming to the point, I asked.

"The details...you told me to get you details about Keira when you returned back from North Carolina." Tristan reminded me. It hadn't been a day since I was back and everything felt different.

"Yes, what did you find?" I asked as I fixed myself in front of Tristan.

"A lot of s**t and you don't want to hear it from me," Tristan trailed off. He had a serious look on his face and whenever he was serious, it meant something was terribly wrong.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Why does this girl concerns you, Sebastian?" Tristan ignored my question and asked his own.

"I just want to know..."

A knock appeared on the door and I groaned. "What?" I screamed loudly. Now it was all getting frustrating. One thing I gave Nina to do and she couldn't even do that.

"Mr. Russell, Ms. Keira wants to see you." Nina opened the door and said.

That was the last person I wanted to see today.

"Didn't I f**k—"

Before I could complete, Tristan cut me off. "Send her in," He said to Nina and she quickly went outside.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"I'd like to see who this Keira girl is," Tristan got up and said. Keira walked inside with worry in her eyes and I could see it from such a long distance. She was at the verge of crying. I leaned back and rubbed my hand over my head.

"Please leave us," Tristan said to Nina who walked away before closing the door shut so it was just my best-friend and the woman who I was so madly indulged with.

"Everything alright?" Tristan asked as he went to Keira.

"Yes, I wanted to talk to Mr. Russell." She innocently said while pointing a finger at me. The way she spoke to Tristan clearly told me that she was not into other men, she wasn't the same when she was around me.

"I'll leave you both alone then," Tristan looked at me before leaving the room. The glare he gave me was questioning. I didn't want him to know who Keira was, I just wanted him to find about her past—that's all.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" Keira asked as she came close to me.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." I groaned and replied. I needed sometime alone from all of this and Keira had no intentions of leaving me alone.

"No, I did. Please...I'm sorry." She repeated again.

"No, Keira, it's fine. Go home, relax and I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?" I said as I cupped her face. She nodded her head and left the room silently.

I sighed out of relief and placed my hands on the desk. What was I putting myself into? Not just myself but I was putting Keira into this mess as well. She couldn't be able to handle me—no one could.

"Sebastian," Tristan called out.

"Yeah?"

"That was Keira?" He asked.

"Yes, that was her."

"Let's go grab some lunch, we need to talk about a lot of things." Tristan said.

I suppressed a groan and walked behind him. Getting inside my car, I drove towards the nearest restaurant I could find.

"Tell me, what did you find about Keira?" I asked as I constantly looked at Tristan. He wasn't as cheery and funny like before. He seemed furious and I guess a bit disappointed.

My curiosity grew as he kept me waiting for a response. We went inside an Italian restaurant a few minutes away from my building. Only then, Tristan started speaking.

"How long did you know Keira?" He asked.

I shrugged, not able to understand why he was asking these questions when I should be the one asking. "A few weeks, she was a sales promoter...like I said a week earlier." I sipped on my wine and said.

"And why did you want to know about this girl? Do you want her to become one of your submissive's? Is she into that b**m s**t?" Tristan inquired.

"I told you, I like to keep a track on my employees and yes, I'm planning to f**k her but not now. And yes, she is into my lifestyle. You don't need to worry about that. You clearly know that I don't take a step towards a girl knowing she isn't comfortable with my lifestyle. I approached her and she was," I explained clearly so he would understand. I wasn't going to ruin my reputation by forcing someone—it wasn't in my diary at all.

"Fine, fine."

"Now tell me what you found out because I can't wait any longer. I'll literally hire a detective to run behind Keira's past records if you don't spill everything." I stated.

"Chill, you know I'm the best one out there." Tristan winked. "Anyways, onto Keira. I told you that she was in an orphanage till 12 and then a family adopted her. I was able to get into the records of the orphanage she was in. It was all in Colorado. Crystal Tree Orphanage. No idea about her parents or anything but she was adopted by a couple...mother dead and step-father was found guilty of murder."

"Woah, slow down, murder? When was this?" I asked. Keira's step-father was a concern now.

"Yes, he's behind prison now. Her step-father had traces of mental illnesses so Keira ran away when she was 14, she was only a year with him, no reports on how that went. WhenShe dropped out of school when her father was prisoned and since then she became an alcoholic." Tristan continued to explain.

"And then?"

"When the orphanage found out about Keira, they sent her to a rehab and after a few years, Keira escaped rehab and moved to Denver. She finished her high-school studies and that was all. I believe she stays with her roommate and she has been with her since the past 2-3 years."

"Wow! Surprising. I knew she had some kind of mystery but that's a lot to take in!" I exclaimed.

"Yes, poor girl," he felt sympathetic for her and so did I.

"What about relationships? Any past?" I asked with curiosity even though it wasn't the right time to ask but I wanted to know if she was experienced or not.

"No idea, I doubt she would have time to keep up a relationship after being through all this." Tristan replied.

"True,"

I felt satisfied after learning about Keira. I was able to get this all information out of her as well but I just wanted it beforehand. I wanted to make sure that she was willingly doing what she was.

"You like her, don't you?" Tristan questioned with a smile.

I shrugged. "Can't say much. I'm not aware of my emotions just yet but she's a beautiful woman."

"I agree with that...so, how was Aunt Katherine? Did you meet any of your Aunts? Spill your details, Sebastian. I haven't seen you over a week," Tristan argued.

"She's fine, just chit chattering about getting married which I clearly don't want to but she can't understand that. And no, I kept my distance from my ridiculous Aunts! The last time I met them, they didn't get off my ass and my cousins were swooning over me so nope." I explained as I ate my lunch.

Tristan laughed to my response. "Ah, I remember one of your cousins, Bethany—no Bertha, yes that blonde, she was really good in bed."

Tristan and I had a great chat for a few hours in the same restaurant. It was the first day where Nina didn't disturb me by leaving messages about my meetings and I was thankful for it. No distraction for once felt amazing.

We hoped in the car and drove around Denver. I watched the colors in the sky fade away slowly as the moon was appearing. Only a couple hours more and the sky would be covered in darkness.

We crossed one of Russell Properties golf and swimming area.

"Wow! This looks really beautiful." Tristan said as he looked outside the window.

"Yes, one of my favorite projects!" I exclaimed as I stopped my car nearby and walked inside to check out one of my own areas.

"Oh, did I tell you that Keira was hospitalized six times?" Tristan asked.

I froze on the spot and turned around to him. "What? No! Why?"

"Six times for drowning," he shrugged. "It will all two years ago. Keira was found unconscious under the water six times by someone and she was hospitalized each time. It was quite unusual," he added.

"Drowned? Why? There must be something wrong," I asked with worry lacing in my tone. This thing actually worried me.

"Yes, I know. A girl can't drown six times in a span of couple weeks. I dug deeper into this and found out that she had a mental health problem that was related to drowning herself each time whenever she felt sad....or something along those lines." Tristan explained.

I shook my head in disbelief, this couldn't be possible. Why would she drown herself six times? What would she get out of it?

"I want to know more! Which hospital was she hospitalized in? Who was the one who took her and all?" I asked.

"No idea, I couldn't learn about that. Hospital records are completely secretive and not open for anyone. But I do know someone who stays with Keira, her roommate,"

"Do you have her address? That's where Keira lives right now, right?"

"Yes, I do. Hold up," Tristan said before removing his phone. He switched it on and called someone really quickly.

"Hey, Max, could you send me the address of that woman who I told you to research on?" Tristan asked and I just waited. I didn't want to go further into the golf area.

His phone pinged and he forwarded me the message.

880 Clearview Drive — Apartment 233

Molly Drew

I turned around and exited without meeting anyone. Tristan ran behind me and stopped me. "Where are you going?" He asked.

"I'm going to see her," I said before getting inside my car. Tristan looked around, groaned and then finally came inside.

"You just saw her a few hours ago," He ranted.

"I know that but I feel like seeing her again. Got a problem?" I asked.

There was uncertainty in me that forced me to drive to her apartment, for some reason, it felt like she wasn't okay. I must've been really harsh with her earlier. All she did was hug me and I overreacted and pushed her, I shouldn't have done any of that.

The sun was on the corner and it was fading away. I drove towards the area where Keira lived at and stopped around her building.

"I think it's this one," Tristan pointed at one of the old brown building. This street was quite old and the buildings had been around Denver since decades.

I stepped out and looked up. It was a 3—storey building, painted in beige and white. There were a few people crossing by, a few cars here and there and that's all. It was quite peaceful in this community.

I stepped inside the small building, the reception was empty and there was only one elevator.

"Sebastian Russell entering a very old building and going through it! Must be on headlines." Tristan joked.

I pressed on the elevator and stepped inside. The elevator was quite small, made out of metal and there was a mirror behind me. I pressed on the second floor and waited till the door of the elevator closed.

"Should've taken the stairs, you'd reach faster." Tristan ranted.

"I know,"

I tapped my foot on the floor while waiting for the elevator to close. Once it finally closed, it went up and opened again. I stepped out and looked down at my phone to find the apartment number.

"How does this work? How do you find an apartment?" I asked Tristan. I hadn't been in an apartment like this where there were no signs.

"The number is on the wall, this is 200, keep going forward and you'll find 233." Tristan explained.

We kept on walking for quite a few minutes. I could hear faint noises of children laughters and TV noises. When 233 finally came in my view, I closed my phone and placed it back inside my pocket before ringing the bell that was on the wall.

The door flung open and a young girl came in my view.

"Yes?" She was confused by seeing two completely unknown men in front of her door—dressed in suits. I would've been confused too if I was in her place.

"Does Keira lives here?" I asked.

The woman nodded her head, "Who are you? Wait...are you? Sebastian Russell?" She asked. Her face sparked with surprise when she realized who I was.

"Oh, wow!" She breathed out. "Please...come in." She invited us both in her apartment and it wasn't too bad for my taste. It was quite clean and neatly furnished.

"I'm Molly, Keira's friend and roommate." Molly said as she moved her hand out.

"This is Tristan, my friend. Where is Keira?" I questioned as my eyes searched around for her. I couldn't find her anywhere.

"Oh, she came and left an hour ago." Molly replied.

"Could we speak to you about Keira? If you don't mind of course," I asked.

"Of course, I don't. Please, have a seat." She said. Tristan was the first one to crash on the couch, he seemed exhausted but I was in anticipation. I wanted to know where Keira was. I gave her an off to relax and unwind, not to go around.

Molly went inside the kitchen and got back with a couple glasses of juice.

"Wow! I'm still excited. I have heard a lot about you, in magazines and all. I never knew that I would see you face to face," Molly said in disbelief.

"I hope all you heard was good," I smiled.

"Yes, although, it concerns me, why are you here?" She asked as she looked at both of us.

"Just to know a few things. Keira interests me and I want to know more about her," I trailed off.

"Ask me anything then,"

"I learned that Keira was hospitalized six times a few years ago when she was here in Denver. Where you with her at that time?"

The color on Molly's face flushed away and she froze. "Yes, I was. I was the one who got her and called the ambulance all those times."

"Do you know who drowned her? Abusive boyfriend or something?" I asked and she shook her head.

"She finds peace in drowning herself. She loves to suffer under the water. I know it sounds completely horrible and I shouldn't be saying this all but I can't stop thinking about the pain she puts herself every single time she drowns." Molly explained, her voice stated concern.

I was surprised as well. Keira loved water that much?

"Peace? Have you spoken to her about it? It's something pretty serious. She can die if the water fills up her lungs or if she can't breathe or hold on any longer." I stated.

"I know, I have spoken to her, a countless times. I don't know how she got this idea or who taught her this but keeps doing this to herself. During the first few months, she used to do it really often, I used to scream every time I found her inside water, it paranoid me to the point where I called the ambulance each time."

"Really often? Does she does it now?" I asked with worry.

"Not much but she still does. Last week she came home wet and not in her conscious. She takes her car and goes for super long drives to the east of Denver where the forests are. She goes alone and drowns herself in some lake. I told her to stop but she can't, it's her addiction now." Molly explained.

I looked at Tristan with shock. This was something I had never heard before. How could someone inflict pain to one self?

"She got terribly sick the last time she went. I asked her why she does it, and she always tell me that it's an escape for her. She loves the feeling—whatever it is, underwater." She continued.

"Haven't you spoken to someone about this? Psychotherapist? Therapist? Anyone?" I inquired.

"Nope, I promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone. She doesn't does it often now but sometimes, when she is miserable or extremely worried."

"Where is she now?" Tristan asked.

Molly shrugged, "I have no idea, she randomly left in her pajamas. I believe she was going to the grocery but if she was—"

I stood up immediately. "She would've returned back by now,"

"Yes,"

"Can you call her and see what she is up to?" I asked with worry.

"Sure," Molly got up and got her phone from her bedroom. She came up and dialed Keira's number but she wasn't able to reach it.

"It's out of service," she looked up at me frightened. Out of service only meant one thing.

"What was that area...the lake you were speaking about?" I asked quickly.

"It's in the east of Denver. I guess it's called Millrose lake or something along those lines," Molly replied.

"Thank you, Molly. See if you can reach her phone and let me know if she picks up." I said as I slipped my card on the table before heading out of the apartment along with Tristan.

"You're paranoid, Sebastian. Why would she drown herself? It's a chilling night." Tristan said as he stopped me in the middle of the road.

"Because I said something to her that I shouldn't have and she was hurt from my actions," I stated before getting inside my car.