My blue eyes narrow into slits as I glare at the woman standing in front of me. She has a snake like grin plastered on her face as she shifts open the binder in her arms.
"Am I still drunk?" I question to myself. "Two hundred thousand dollars!"
"That is correct, Ms Morgan." She takes out a sheet of paper and passes it to me. "On the twelfth of November last year, you illegally hacked into my client's computer and publicly published private information."
I scoff. "That information proved that Reiden Global's products caused the cancer that killed twenty seven people."
She raises an eyebrow. "Cancer is a terrible thing and those deaths were tragic." She feigns sympathy.
"Don't make me pop your ten grand sandbags, honey." I threaten, taking a step towards her. "Get off my property."
A hand lands on my shoulder.
"Don't make this any worse than it already is." Trevor hisses in my ear.
Unclenching my fists, I pick up a beer bottle and take a mouthful of the honey coloured liquid.
"My client-" She starts, but I cut her off.
"Don't use the 'my client' bullcrap." I start. "I know who 'your client' is. Where is he? Couldn't he face seeing me again?"
She opens and closes her mouth like a fish. "I am not at liberty to comment on my client's whereabouts."
I scoff. "This is just petty. I knew Danny's password for his account. It was hardly hacking."
"That is for the court to decide."
"Get out of my sight." My voice is strangely calm, and I watch as she attempts to move past me. "If I ever see you again, I will release every carnivore here on your ass."
She just smiles. "I'll see you in court."
I watch as she climbs into her BMW and drives off. My hand clenches around the neck of the bottle until it shatters. My hand drips blood as I wait for the dust to settle before heading back inside. Trevor is reading the letter the woman gave me, but he stops when he notices my bloody hand.
"El." He breathes.
"I'm fine." I mutter, washing my hand in the sink.
I wrap my hand in a bit of towel as I head to the fridge, looking for a beer.
"If you're looking for a drink, we're all out." Trev grumbles.
"If my day gets any worse, I'm asking hell if they're having an exchange program."
"El-" Trevor tries to say something, but I cut him off.
"If you need me, I'll be with the sloths."
With that, I walk out of the house and into the zoo. Everything we have built here, everything we have achieved, it could all be destroyed because of me. All because I hacked into my ex-boyfriends Reiden Global account and published some information to help families grieve. I attempted to do something good, but it backfired and now my whole life could be ruined.
Holding back tears, I enter the sloth enclosure, grabbing a bucket of fruit, and take a seat under the tree. The sloths always calm me down. They are just so graceful and intriguing creatures. Currently, we have four two-toed sloths in our care. They, like most of the animals here, were in the illegal pet trade. Trevor and I rescued them six weeks ago. They are very friendly, so they won't be released into the wild, instead, they will go to a sanctuary in Costa Rica. I lean back on the tree and watch the sloths climb down towards me.
"Hey, guys." I whisper, gently passing them a piece of fruit each.
I watch with a small smile as they eat their snacks. The youngest one, Misha, climbs onto my back and starts licking my ear. I gently pry him off me and pass him a stuffed toy to latch onto. The three other boys start rummaging in the bucket for their favourite snacks. A knock shatters my moment of bliss and I move to open the door. Slipping out, I am met with Trevor and an old face I thought I'd never see soon.
"Mitch!" I exclaim, jumping into his arms and hugging him.
"Hey, Eleonora." He says, patting me on the back.
I detach myself from my older brother and smack him on the shoulder.
"How's it been? Still hanging around with the dead rather than the living?" I joke.
He chuckles. "Yes, I am still a veterinary pathologist."
I move past him to the sink and start washing my hands.
"Thanks for coming. I didn't know who else to call about the lions. They're usually so playful." I explain, referring to their vicious behaviour.
"Actually, El, I have some people you need to meet."
We walk back up to the house, where four people are waiting for us.
"El, this is Jamie Campbell, Chloe Tousignant, Abraham Kenyatta and Jackson Oz. Guys, this is my sister Eleonora."
These people are about to flip my world upside down.
YOU ARE READING
Falling for Oz
FanfictionFor centuries, mankind had been the dominant species. We've domesticated animals, locked them up, killed them for sport. But a series of recent events seem to suggest all across the globe animals have decided no more. And, so, we were hired. A team...
