My Dad’s Billionaire Enemy

by Winters, Bella

“It doesn’t seem like it’s your place to say a lot of things,” I snapped and instantly regretted it. Noah had been so nice to me, and it was only logical that there would be things he couldn’t talk to me about. I couldn’t blame him for that.

  He didn’t reply. Instead, he gestured to my tray. I had finished all of the food. “You done with that?”

  “Yeah,” I said, looking away and pushing it towards him.

  He took it and disappeared through the door without looking back.

  I might have just lost a potential ally in this weird world that I had been dropped into, and I was wishing I had done things differently. Maybe then I would have had a better chance at escaping, finding out what was going on, and how I was involved.

  Chapter Eleven

  Malcolm

  Several days passed before I saw Aurora again.

  I’d been throwing myself into the preparations for the gala. I was frankly bored and didn’t want time to think about things. I was tired of waiting around for Kline to show his face, and I didn’t know what else to do.

  I didn’t let myself go down to the basement again, because I knew that would just cause more complications, and that was the last thing I needed.

  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Aurora had a right to know.

  She had a right to know why she was here. She had a right to know what was going on. And she had a right to know who her father really was.

  He had lied to her for so long, and I couldn’t stand bastards like that.

  My own father had been one. For years he had seen another woman, and when the truth was finally discovered, it ruined our family.

  I hated him for the secrets he kept, but I also would have rather found out earlier. After the fact, so many things clicked into place and started to make sense.

  Aurora deserved that. She deserved to know the truth.

  Perhaps it was just another excuse to see her again. I thought this many times as I gathered up the evidence to present to her. But I just kept repeating it to myself: She deserved to know the truth.

  I headed down to the basement once again and paused before the door. Did I even have a right to be here?

  I only hesitated for a moment though. It was a weakness that I couldn’t afford. Especially with the gala coming up.

  I entered without knocking, and Aurora looked up from where she was sitting on the bed, reading through a book that I had someone bring her. Noah made me aware of the fact that she didn’t have anything to do, so I thought it was the best solution.

  “What do you want?” she asked, a touch of venom on her tongue.

  “To explain the truth to you.”

  Her eyes lit up ever so slightly. “Finally, I’ve been waiting for a while,”

  “Good. Because I’m not covering for your father any longer. It’s time you learned the truth.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Don’t you want to know who your father really is?”

  “Yes, but…. ” she trailed off, hesitating. I could tell she was nervous, and she had every right to be. I was probably about to destroy her image of her father.

  “Come on, let’s sit,” I said, gesturing to the table and chairs that I had brought in for her. I took a seat and then watched as she took one as well.

  As soon as she was seated, I pulled out my tablet, pulling up the first of many pieces of evidence against her father.

  Her face immediately shifted into shock, and I almost felt remorse. But this would be better for her in the long run. She deserved to know the truth.

  I showed her photos first. Her father in position with a gun. His targets, all dead. Him receiving calls. Meeting with mob bosses. Being awarded absurdly large sums of money.

  And then, as if all that wasn’t enough, I pulled up a video of him in action.

  I watched her as she watched him set his sights, and pull the trigger. The victim fell, their blood spilling, and Aurora let out an audible gasp, her hand covered her mouth.

  “I think you can see what I mean now,” I said. “I didn’t want him lying to you anymore.”

  “But… who is he?”

  “You mean what. Your father, Samuel Kline, is a hitman. One of the best in the business, in fact. He’s killed innocent people Aurora, and criminals. But all for money, never for justice.”

  There was a struggle going on in her face, and I could see it clearly.

  “There has to be some explanation for this, doesn’t there?” she asked, grasping at straws.

  “The explanation is right in front of you Aurora. Your father is a hitman, he kills people for money, is that so hard to accept?”

  She was retreating in on herself, shoulders hunched, muttering under her breath. “No, not my father, not Dad, not Dad. He was kind, he was so funny, how could he… Not Dad, not Dad,” over and over again.

  I extended my hand to rest on her shoulder. “Aurora, that doesn’t mean he’s a bad person.”

  “Of course you would think that.” Her words contained so much anger. She was angry with the situation and about the fact that I had been the one to tell her. There wasn’t any explanation for this that would make her world go back the way it was.

  “So what if it applies me too? The fact is, your father did this as a job. He made money by killing people, and then he used that money to take care of you.” The rage that first fueled me to reveal the truth to her subsided. Now, I just felt sympathy. I wanted her to understand that just because her dad did bad things, didn’t mean that he was a bad person.

  “But… he killed people.”

  “And some of them were bad people.”

  She wasn’t even looking at me anymore. She was staring down at her lap, where her hands were shaking. I had the sudden urge to reach out, grab her hand, hold it and tell her that everything was going to be fine. She was going to be fine.

  “I don’t know what to think anymore. Is he a good person? If he is, then why doesn’t he feel guilty? Why can’t I see it on his face when he comes home? Are you a good person? If you are, why don’t you just let me go?”

  Her head whipped up and she looked me in the eyes, tears welling up in hers. “Why can’t you just let me go?”

  It was the most emotional I had ever seen her. Even when she had first been kidnapped she hadn’t been like this. She had been strong, fighting against my every move. This development stung me deeply, and I realized just how badly I had hurt her.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have done it.

  “Because I can’t. You’re still useful to me.”

  “How?”

  “Because, Aurora, your father is on a mission to kill me. And I’d like to stay alive, thank you very much. You’re here so he doesn’t make any move against me.”

  “Surely you could negotiate—”

  “Not with one of the most powerful gang bosses at his back, pushing for him to do this job. Your father knows dangerous people, Aurora, and unfortunately, I’m one of them. Though, there is something you could do.” I didn’t want to raise her hopes too much, but I also knew that this was the only way I was going to get her to the gala.

  “What is it?” she asked, suddenly eager to please.

  “I’m throwing a gala this weekend. If your father sees that you’re with me, there might be a chance he’ll be a little more understanding. And it will definitely persuade me to be more lenient.”

  She hesitated, and I could see on her face that she was still thinking of a few days ago. I still hadn’t apologized to her for that, though I didn’t know if I could think of what to say. It had been amazing, the best I had ever had, and I would gladly do it again, given the chance.

  “You don’t have to answer now, just think about it. This might be your chance to make things right.”

  * * *

  After my conversation with Aurora, I realized I didn’t want to be left alone with my thoughts. That fact that I had hurt her like that was haunting me, even though I knew that it had been the right thing to d
o in that situation.

  So I called the Four together to do some party planning.

  We gathered in my favorite parlor again, seated in our respective chairs. Leroi had his cards with him again, and he was running through a series of his favorite tricks.

  “We need to talk about security at the party,” I said, leaning forward. “It’s important that we get this figured out so we can be ready for Kline when he comes.”

  “Having the place tapped is a good idea,” Gilles said. It was rare for him to speak first, but I was glad he did. “If I can monitor from behind the scenes, I can let you know if anything seems suspicious.”

  “That’s a good plan.” I leaned back in my chair, giving Gilles a nod of approval.

  “I don’t feel safe enough with just that though,” Noah said. “We need some of our men in there too.”

  “Of course our men will be in the mix, Noah, who do you think I am?”

  “No, I mean, disguised, that way they’re not as easy to spot.”

  “Misha, can you get some people disguised as guests? Enough to monitor the place?” I asked, turning to him. He was the head of security after all and handled matters such as these.

  “Definitely boss,” he said. “Shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Good, anything else?” I asked turning to them.

  “I have a brilliant idea,” Leroi said. His smile indicated that it was, in fact, not something that I would think was a brilliant idea.

  I sighed. “Spit it out Leroi.”

  “Well, obviously we need some entertainment, otherwise it’s just going to be a shitty gala all around. I know some go-go dancers that we could hire—”

  “Not a chance.” I cut him off with a glare. “It’s not that kind of party, Leroi. It’s a sophisticated gala.”

  He shrugged. “I mean, I was just trying to make things a little more fun. Some rich people throw parties like that.”

  “Maybe at the playboy mansion.” Noah smiled. “You’re really just out to get some, aren’t you Leroi? What happened to the girl from last time?”

  He shrugged, moving his deck of cards from one hand to the other. “Eh, not much to tell, she got kind of boring.”

  “You move on way too quickly,” Gilles observed.

  “Like you get much action,” Leroi retorted.

  “Woah there, I’m sure there will plenty to go around at the gala,” Noah said, standing between the two of them, giving me a look over his shoulder.

  “Stop arguing, you’ll give me a headache,” I snapped, standing up. I had other places to be, I couldn’t be babysitting two idiots arguing about such trivial things as hookups. “I trust you’ll figure out the security,” I said, directing this to Misha and Noah.

  Then I stomped away, not waiting for their responses. I had other things to attend to at the moment. I had called for my dressmaker to come earlier this morning. I wanted a dress made for Aurora for the gala, just in case.

  As I expected, she was waiting for me in my study, browsing the books I had tucked away in my personal bookshelf.

  As she turned back to look at me with a smile, I couldn’t help but flashback to my childhood. She had been my mother’s dressmaker when I was younger and had been like an aunt to me back then.

  She still was, with her graying hair and knowing looks. She could always tell when something was on my mind, and it was a dangerous talent to have. I didn’t like sharing the intimate details of my life with many people, but she was someone I trusted.

  “Kylie, so good to see you,” I said, letting her take me in for a hug and kiss my cheeks.

  “What’s this about making a dress for the weekend?” She wasn’t tiptoeing around the subject, that was for sure. “You know I like more time for my masterpieces.”

  I sat down in my office chair with a sigh, pulling one of my favorite books off the shelf and flipping through it out of habit. “I don’t need a masterpiece. Just a dress that will look good.”

  She raised her eyebrows, and then gave me that smile, the one that said she knew exactly what was going on.

  I groaned inwardly. Here it came.

  “You have someone special in mind, don’t you? The Malcolm I know would just send someone to a department store if it was this late, but no, you called on me. Who has you all tangled up?”

  “Can you just make the dress?” I sighed. “I don’t need you interrogating me right now.”

  She shook her head, but she was still smiling. “Oh, I can make the dress. But I’m expecting details and lots of them.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Aurora

  It was a few more days before anything of note happened. By my calculations, it was now the weekend. I was trying to stay in a normal routine and keep track of the days, so I wouldn’t get too lost.

  When the door opened, I was expecting the maid who brought me food, snacks, and new clothes every day. Or maybe even Noah, but not Malcolm.

  I was sure at this point that he wouldn’t be coming back to see me. It seemed below him to even check in with me, and I had already served my purpose to help him release his sexual frustrations.

  I was sure now that he didn’t want me anymore, though I kept shaving just in case. It was something I felt ashamed of though.

  So when Malcolm entered, I didn’t know what to do. I froze where I was, sitting at the table with a book in hand.

  “What are you doing here?” were the first words out of my mouth.

  He smirked. “I have just as much of a right to be here as you do if that’s what you mean.”

  “I didn’t ask to be here.”

  “That’s not the point.”

  His hands were behind his back, and now I was worried that he was hiding something. Was he going to hurt me? Was this some new way of toying with me?

  But what he produced was not anything of the sort. It was black fabric, and soon I recognized as a dress. Knowing him, it probably was a dress, but I couldn’t make out much about it.

  It was probably for the gala, the one he had asked me about a few days ago and then never talked to me about again.

  “It’s time that you get ready,” he said. “Can you be civilized?”

  “I’m always civilized.” I stood up, admittedly a little curious about what the dress was like. Still… I hesitated. To cooperate with him? To go to the gala? It seemed like a recipe for disaster.

  But I would do anything for my father, just to see him again, just to get answers, no matter what the world might think of him.

  “Good. Because there will be important people at the gala, and I expect you not to mess this up. The life of your father hangs in the balance after all.”

  I knew it was, but did he have to be a jerk and remind me of it like that? I crossed the room to stand next to him, hands outstretched to take the dress.

  “Oh no, you’re not getting dressed yourself,” he said, pulling it back, close to his chest.

  Was this going to be another of his games? Would he insist on dressing me and undressing me himself, like I was some sort of doll?

  “This dress was custom made, and I don’t trust you not to ruin it. You’ll get dressed like a proper lady, with help. Follow me.” He started out the door and up the stairs, without even checking to see if I was following him.

  “Where are we going?” I demanded as I rushed to catch up to him. I was surprised by the fact that he wasn’t using more force.

  “That’s not for you to worry about.”

  We were out of the basement now, and passing through beautiful hallways, lined with art, occasionally lit by a window, but mostly by extravagant sconces protruding from the walls.

  Even as I was hurrying after Malcolm, I couldn’t help but admire the splendor of the place. It was like nothing I had ever seen. I had only read about houses like this, with so many extra rooms that they became a maze of opulence. I had never expected to experience one in real life, much less in these conditions.

  And while I could tell from the clothes I had
been given, and the furniture in the room, that Malcolm was rich, I hadn’t expected him to be this rich. Certainly not rich enough to dismiss priceless impressionist artworks to the position of decorating his hallways.

  We wove through the mansion until we came to a room with two large white double doors, which were already open.

  Sunlight filtered in through a large window to grace a hardwood floor, and there was a woman waiting, smiling in an armchair.

  She stood as we entered, and I was yet again surprised how eagerly she greeted Malcolm. She wrapped him up in a tight hug, kissing both of his cheeks in turn.

  She was the sort of woman you knew was kind from the first glance. Her hair was gray, and her skin was showing the wrinkles of age, but they were around her mouth and her eyes as if she smiled too much.

  The aura she exuded was one of warmth and acceptance, and I wondered how she knew a man like Malcolm. Especially knowing him as well as it appeared she did.

  She turned to me, tilting her head as she examined me.

  “Is this the one? I have to say, she’s a good deal prettier than you led me to believe.” She nudged Malcolm with her elbow in a teasing manner, and I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t blowing up at her.

  He simply smiled. “Work your magic.” And then he left, shutting the doors behind him.

  I noticed now that he had draped the dress over the armchair, and I was eager to get a look at it, but the woman was advancing on me fast.

  “My name is Kylie, dear,” she said, pulling me into a tight embrace. “Malcolm already told me yours.”

  She stepped back then, still holding me by the shoulders, taking a moment to examine me.

  “You’re so lovely, I can see why he’s fallen for you.” She gave me a wink, but I didn’t know how to interpret it. Malcolm, falling for me? She had to be out of her mind to think that.

  “I—” I began, but she cut me off immediately.

  “Now, we don’t have much time. I didn’t have your exact measurements, so I need to make sure that there aren’t any major alterations I need to make.”