Billionaire's Love

{18} And the truth comes out...

This chapter is dedicated to everyone who's facing a difficult problem. You're not alone. You never are.
^Picture of Chantelle above^
Re-edited | 11.1.17
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My first instinct is to head to his house to see if his family is alright because after him, they are my main concern. I leave my car six blocks away so that no one will see me and causally stroll down the street, glancing around me every so often incase someone was still watching the house.

My heart races when I see the door wide open, panic and pure horror filling my body. There are shards of glass scattered around the floor and the ornaments broken as if someone was in search for something.

Oh my god.

"Ray! Ezra! Are you guys here?!" I shout, my boots cracking the glass into smaller pieces. When there's no reply, I whisper timidly. "Coal?!"

Tears streak out my face and I fall onto the couch in distress. I hear a creak and I stand up, ready to fight, my gun tucked safely in my boots as I reach down for it, when Ray waddles into the room then towards me, relief and happiness spreading through my body. I smile and scoop him into my arms as Ezra appears, my heartbeat slowly returning to it's normal pace, all signs of anxiousness and worry disappearing at the mere sight of them.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" I ask, frantically, gazing over Ray's and Ezra's body for any scars or cuts. Ezra is only wearing a vest, a bandage wrapping around her left arm.

"Yes. These men came in and Tried shooting me, it only skinned my arm but then Coal jumped in and shouted for us to head to the safe room." Ezra explains, my eyes gazing over at her bandaged left arm, and takes Ray out my arms, cooing him back to sleep.

I furrow my eyes at something she said and frown in confusion. "Why would he build a safe room?"

"He knew people will come after him. You know Coal, he's very protective." She says and plays with Ray, smiling as he let out a giggle.

"Where is he?" I ask, suspiciously, glancing around the room, checking for anything to help me out the clues about Coal together.

"I don't know. The men came in and trashed the place, trying to find The Chip. Coal ran after making sure we were safe and knocking the hit men to unconsciousness. I have no idea where too afterwards. After the men left, we didn't leave the safe room."

"Chip?"

My mind muddled with too many information but they're slowly piecing together as memories about The Chip and my Dad swarm my mind. It makes sense, all this time when he told me that he can keep himself safe is because he's been trained to keep himself and the people around him to be safe.

He lied to me, he lied about who he is and he played me because Coal is the person I've been searching for the entire time. He got me distracted, he made me forget about my task, he made me fall for him.

Was any of it real to him? Or was it a trick?

"Ezra?" I whisper and she looks up, frowning as she notices my concerned and betrayed expression.

"Yes dear?" Her tone wary and cautious as Ray wriggles in her arms uncomfortably.

"What does Coal do for a living?" I lock my eyes with her, anger and hurt glimmering in them, and watch her body stiffen up and a flash of recognition and guilt in her green eyes.

So I'm right.

"Nothing." She lies, trying to avoid my eyes as she comforts Ray. I scoff in disbelief and take a step towards the front door, ready to bolt out this house.

"I fully believe that his real name is Jamie Smoke. His sister was murdered, trying to find The Chip, a chip that fucking Jai had all along." I snarl slightly and hear Ezra wince at my tone. 

"The reason why he changed his surname was so they don't find him, so I don't find him, and Dimitri has been looking for him, the man I've been trying to kill for 3 years. Coal lied to me? Didn't he? He isn't a normal teenage boy, he didn't follow me to the prison out of curiosity, because curiosity killed the cat, like I'm going to fucking kill him."

I can feel the tears swell up and look away. "He is Mr Smoke's son, Dad's best friend. I also believe that he completely played with my feelings." I whisper. Ezra remains quiet as I glance up at her, her long locks covering her face. "Tell me I'm wrong." She doesn't reply and I roll my eyes, leaving the house.

I walk to my car, anger and pure hurt are the only feelings that I know. Tears threatened to leave my eyes but I keep them in, trying to stay strong. But soon my body weakens and all I want to do is cry but I can't and I won't because anyone can be watching me and if they see Alexei Kolsov's daughter in tears, my family name will go down in shames. So I keep my feelings together, I separate my heart from my mind, everything around me suddenly in darkness. I near my car, my shaky hands resting on the door handle while a single shed of tear roams freely down my face. I wipe it away almost immediately, pissed with myself for catching these damn feelings as I could almost feel a cage be built around my heart.

Then I hear a faint shout. Quiet at first but then it grows louder and my body cringes. I sniff and pull out my car keys when I hear it. My name, loud and clear in the summer air.

"Chantelle."

I stop and turn around, my heart beating at the voice, my anger dissolving as betrayal takes its place, my blood boiling. There Jai stands, still look sexy as always, as he inhales sharply when meeting my blue eyes.

He is there. Jaime Smoke. Coal Black. Jai. He is there but at the same time he isn't.

Because the boy I once I knew, is long gone.

••••
I hate sad news. It makes me cry and over the last week or two, I've been shedding quiet a lot of tears. Word of advice my bumble bees, hold onto everyone taut is in your life and do not take them for granted.

Because it can all be ripped away from you in a blink of an eye.

Stay awesome. Stay grateful. Stay truthful x

LMB