CONFUSING PLEA

THE STORY GOES BACK TO ELLIE'S POV


Lemuel shakes his head. "I have no idea; he says it is important. I suggest you call Damian right now because, in an hour, your father needs to be ready for the operation. We can't waste any more time. It is not good for his condition."

"Okay. I will speak to Papa first," I say, hoping that he will listen to his daughter and forget this Damian thing. Besides, if he really needs to say anything, he can tell me. Why does Damian have to be involved?

"Okay. Be quick about it, and don't upset him. I repeat that again; don't upset him, Ellie. If he insists on speaking to Damian, please let him," Lemuel says. I hate how he is saying it, but I understand it perfectly.


I nod my head and stroll to my father's room.

He is here, relaxing. Waiting for the game-changing moment. He seems to be more than okay. He seems so calm for a person who is awaiting serious surgery. But his actions worry me more than his condition right now.


"Dad?" I whispered, sauntering to his bed.

He forces his head to tilt slowly in my direction, watching me as I inch closer. "My dear. Is Damian on the way?"

Damian is the only one in his mind. What is this? When did he grow so fond of Damian? And why does he need to see him with so much urgency?

"Umh... Aah. Actually, Papa. I was meaning to talk to you about that. What is so important that we can't wait? Besides, Damian might be busy with work and all, you know," I say, reaching for his hand, which he does not object to.

"Don't you know where he is? He is your fiance, right? You two ought to be talking."

Shit! Double shit! I hope we will not get caught in this act of ours. The truth is, we have not talked to each other these past two days since they left our house. He hasn't seen the need to call me, even just checking on me or my father, and I have not seen the need to call him either. I am still fuming mad at him. He is the one who needs forgiveness, so he should be the one reaching out. Not me. Not me!

"Well, you see," I stop, scratching my eyebrow as I look for a convincing lie. 'After all that has happened, we haven't had time to talk, really. I was busy with you and the things in the castle, handling the documents, and generally everything, Dad. But we are good. Nothing should worry you at all," I mumble as calmly as possible and as convincingly as I can ever be. He cannot know that I am playing this game with him.

"Please call him, my dear. This is my last wish."

"Last, what are you talking about, Papa?" I snap, a cold chill paralyzing my spine as it dances down.

"Relax, my dear," he stresses to me. 'I mean, it is my last wish before I go for surgery. It is very important, so please."

"But Dad," I speak as politely as possible, 'what can be more important than you going for the surgery that we have been waiting for? This is what will make you better, Dad. Everything else can wait You can talk to Damian after. I promise, he will be the first person you see when you wake up. He will be beside me. Just do this for me, Dad."

He shakes his head, shattering my hopes. "No, my dear. Forgive me if I can't listen to you right now. I need to do this right now. Please call your fiance for me, my dear. I won't be at peace until I speak to Damian."

"But..."

"Please, my dear. Do it now. The more we argue, the more we waste time. Please? Do this for me, my child; I beg you!" He pleads.

I guess there is no sense in battling to persuade him otherwise. But what is the deal here, huh? I understand that I accepted Damian as my betrothed. I get it; they don't know that this is just a show. But what is this he can't tell me without Damian's presence? I am his daughter for crying out loud, and that man is nothing but a cheat. A heartbreaker. A filthy liar! A...

"Ellie, dear. Please?"

I snap at my father, tossing the curses for Damian aside, and play cool in front of him. "Alright, Father. I will step out to call him. Please rest before he gets here, okay? Don't worry about anything." I mumble with a heavy heart.

I start outside, only to crash with the witches just at the door. Wow! They finally developed hearts and recalled that they owed all that they had to this vulnerable man in this room. The man has expressed no concern at all. How nice of them to show concern just now! No, how shameless!

"I am here to see my husband, so will you step out of my way?" Gracia grumbles, her little slut flipping her hair and giving me a look that says, ‘Now what? You are going to start a fight here'?

Useless monsters!

I glance back at my father, calmly resting on the bed. I would love to bang this door on these bitches' shameless faces and send them to hell, but I can't. Not now. I step aside, and they wander in majestically, like they are going to a contest. I close the door. Well, they better not cause my father any trouble if they don't want me to slit their throats. IMAO!

I dial Damian's number and wait for him to pick up. The tingling sensation of the ringing irritates my ears every passing second because it goes unanswered, making me impatient. Where the hell is this jerk? The second call goes unanswered too. Stupid jerk! He probably thinks I am dying to see him, which is why he is ignoring my calls. Silly jerk!

I redial the call again a third time, with anger and paranoia crawling under my skin.

Third attempt! Fourth attempt! Fifth... tenth time! I am dialing his damned number a tenth time, and still, it goes unanswered. What in the devil's name happened to ‘I'm just a call away'?

Goodness!