A Lovely Obsession ( Billionaire Romance Novel )

Chapter 24

Nora's POV:-

“Grandma, do you even know what you are saying? We can't just leave! And where are we even supposed to stay? And why are we even leaving in the first place?” I say breathless. I may not know the answer to the first three questions but I can guess the answer to the last one.

“We will go to Laura's Dale. We will find someplace to rent there. Maybe we will find one near the cottage we used to own. It's safe there and I am sure people remember us even if we haven't been there for the last couple of years. As for the reason why we are going, I think you know that already.” Grandma's voice trembles at the end and her eyes are filled with a strange sort of fear.

“ I need to know what exactly happened between you and Derek. What did he threaten you with that you decided to meet him? Did he tell you he would hurt us?” My grandmother's tone suddenly turns gentle. She beckons me to sit next to her and when I do I find that her eyes are filled with concern.

I feel a mixture of guilt and shame especially as she holds my hands in her wrinkled fragile ones. How will I tell her that I have fallen for the very man who she is trying to protect us from? Even as I think this my heart squeezes painfully.

A voice screams in my head that the Derek I knew would never hurt me or my family. He loves to make threats and never act on them. But then did I ever know the real Derek? It would be better to say that I had seen who the real Derek was the first time we met. But just by doing a few nice things for me, he had made me forget that completely.

“ I watched him kidnap a man.” The words spill out of my mouth. I watch as my grandma's eyes widen with horror and her jaw drops open.

“When?” She croaks.

“ The night of that charity ball that I went to with Kevin. Derek threatened me to keep my mouth shut or else he would hurt us. Now the police are looking for him.I was approached by a detective today.” The words just keep coming out of my mouth. There was so much I had bottled up within myself but I have reached my limit and the dam has broken.

“So Derek met you today to threaten you not to go to the police?” My grandma looks like she has aged ten years more and at this moment I hate Derek with an intensity I have never felt before.

He's responsible for this. For every fucked up thing that's been happening in my life since that cursed day I met him.

“He confessed to having that man murdered in cold blood. And I need to head to the police station right now!” I gasp as I surge to my feet feeling a sense of determination flowing through my veins.

I am going to do the right thing even if it kills me. Though I wonder what will kill me first, the heartbreak or Derek?

“ Wait? Nora, no! Listen to me!” My grandmother grabs my arm.

” He has the entire legal system in his pocket. You can't win against him. Sooner or later he will have us all killed or do something even worse.”

“Then why did the detective visit me then? Was he in his pocket too? There's got to be someone willing to stand up against him!”

“Nora child you don't look well please sit down.” Grandma tugs at my arm and I collapse beside her.

I feel lightheaded, dizzy, and feverish. But I force myself to sit up and focus on what grandma's telling me.

“The detective must be someone new who isn't aware of how this system works. Or he is just a fool. Or maybe he could even be working for Derek. Maybe he's trying to test you to see if you can be trusted to stay silent. Oh, my Lord! Does this mean he's thinking about whether he should have you killed or not?” Grandma babbles looking almost unhinged.

“ I think he wants me alive. He was interested in me, remember? You said he was obsessed with me.” I say partly to comfort her and partly because a very naive part of my brain still believes Derek would never hurt me.

“That is still no guarantee that he wouldn't kill you if he thinks you are a threat.”Grandma rubs her temples looking like she is debating something. Then hesitantly she speaks.

“I could never tell you about what happened between me and Derek's grandfather. But I think you should know because you are not as afraid of him as you should be. I want you to understand why I hate the Osborne family so much.” I suddenly feel afraid as I think about what she's going to tell me.

“I already told you that his grandfather fancied me but what I didn't tell you is that I was already in love with someone else. I even fell pregnant with his child.”

Her words shock me into silence. I never expected my old-fashioned grandmother to have had such a past. I might have found it amusing except my mind was filled with the question of what became of that child and his father. And suddenly I felt my blood run cold as I watched the grief-stricken expression on my grandmother's face.

“Will was our chauffeur. My parents would have never agreed to a match with him but they passed away in a car accident. My older brother was now head of the household. When I told him that I was in love with Will he was furious but nevertheless for my sake he agreed to give us his blessing. He even decided to give Will a job at our company that would pay him at least more than what he got as our driver. Everything seemed to be going just the way I wanted and I was over the moon.”

“Until Darius Osborne came along right?” I guessed.

“I don't know what got into my brother to invite him to my engagement party. He was friendly and charming. I started thinking of him as a friend though Will always disliked him. Things changed though when we went bankrupt. Darius offered to help but on one condition that my brother should give him my hand in marriage. Your granduncle told him that I was his sister, not his property and I was already engaged to the man I loved. But Darius kept on insisting.” Grandma looks like she is about to faint.

“It's alright if you aren't willing to tell me everything right now grandma it's okay. I will do whatever you tell me to do.” I hold her hands in mine.

“ I only want you to do only one thing: stay away from both Derek and the police. It's the reason why I want us to move away from the city.”

“When I saw Derek assault Simon Miller I think I silenced my conscience by telling myself he must also be someone from the underworld. It didn't make sense to risk the lives of my family members by getting involved in matters between criminals. But now that I know he was just an ordinary businessman killed in cold blood by Derek I can no longer handle my guilt. This could happen to us as well. Wouldn't you want people to stand up for us?” I say earnestly.

“No, I would forgive them for staying silent. Why? Because I never got justice against Darius. I had to fake my death and live the rest of my life under an alias. The only one who really knew the truth about me was your grandfather. You never knew I even had an older brother, that is how scared I was.” She says.

“ And why did Derek tell you that he killed this poor man?” Grandma eyes me suspiciously and I think she knows I am hiding something from her.

“ I guess he's overconfident. He thinks I will never go to the police.” I stammer feeling both shame and self-loathing.

” I think we both should get some rest.” I say getting up wanting some time alone to think. Grandma doesn't say anything for a while but as I reach the door she finally speaks.

“My brother and Will were killed by his men. Darius made me watch. I fainted and then I came to know I had lost the baby as well. Yet no one would listen to me or do anything to help me or take any action against him. Think about that before you decide to tell everything to the police.”

I just stand there watching her in horror before my legs give out beneath me.