Lies & Temptation

Chapter Eight

Slade

Three Years Ago:

Ellie has proven to be the right woman for me. Of course, she would never control me as a wife would typically do and I would still have my many mistresses, but she would help me to gain my father's empire. He would approve of her to be my wife whereas I've been unsuccessful with many others. It was about convincing him that I loved one, but let's face it, my father never loved my mother either. He simply married her out of convenience.

While in my office, going over some last-minute official wedding documents, Marko strolled in with a worried look on his face. What could it be now? It had to be Ellie. While in my care, she never listened, which only made it worse for her but so thrilling for me. I was hoping that she misbehaved again so that I could teach her another lesson, hell, I was itching for it.

"Sir," Marko gulped, clearly worried about what I might think of what he was about to say. "Ellie has escaped."

"What?!" I yelled, slamming my fists onto my desk while standing up abruptly, causing my chair to fall over behind me, crashing into the wall. "And how exactly was that possible? You were her watcher, Marko?!"

He scratched his throat and proceeded to look anywhere but at me directly. "She said that she had to use the restroom like all of the times before. I didn't know this time would be different. She must have opened the window in the bathroom sometime last night, planning her escape. Ellie slipped out of the window in the bathroom on the first floor, sir. It didn't seem strange until a few minutes later and she wasn't returning so I kicked the door in to find the water was running but the window was open, and Ellie was gone. We have been searching the grounds, but there is no sign of her."

I smirked, walking around my desk, slowly drawing up my sleeves. "It's okay Marko. We all make mistakes." I pulled my gun out, pointed at his head, and pulled the trigger. Fucking idiot!

I raced out of my office, gathering all the men that I had. "Make this your top priority. Find her or you will all find yourselves in the same boat as Marko. I want her back now!"

My men raced off in different directions. I was getting ready to follow them when I opened the front door and there my father stood with his twenty-two-year-old mistress, Jennifer.

"I see that you've lost that one already. Shame. Ellie was a powerful woman that you let slip through your fingers, son. Women like that come once in a lifetime."

"What are you talking about? You hated Ellie."

He shook his head. "On the contrary. I thought Ellie would change you into the man you should have been, the man that I should have been to your beloved mother. But you are just a coward who hides behind his guns and will never make anything out of himself but being your everyday gangster."

I laughed sarcastically. "Me? I'm the problem? I wonder where the hell I got it from, Dad. All you've ever done is bring these young women around my mother knowing what you were putting her through. I've learned from you. You should be proud of the man that I've become because a weak man couldn't run your damn business now could he?" My blood was boiling. I was trying so hard to stay calm because if I pushed him too far, I wouldn't get what was rightfully mine.

"Weakness is exactly what you are doing. I was weak just as you are now. I didn't get to make it right before your mother passed away. You had this beautiful woman who would have laid her life on the line for you and now she is gone because you treated her like every other plaything you've ever had. I don't blame her one minute for leaving. I hope that she runs far away and you never find her because you, my son, do not deserve happiness after all the horrible things you have done."