His Father Bought Me

Estelle’s pulse pounded in her ears, loud and unrelenting, as she tried to make sense of the news glowing on her screen. The words blurred for a moment, her thoughts tripping over each other.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to look outside as if it could offer her some respite. But the night stretched dark and quiet. Then her eyes drifted to the side mirror, and her gaze dropped on Vance. Something about the stillness, the timing, it clicked.

Her thoughts spiraled. The email, the threats, the pressure closing in around Roman. Her breath caught. There was only one person who could have pulled all of this together so cleanly, so ruthlessly. Magnus.

The realization settled heavy in her chest, cold and certain. Before she could fully process it, her phone buzzed again in her hand. She glanced down. Roman’s name lit up the screen. She exhaled slowly, her thumb hovering over the answer button, hesitation threading through her chest.

Just then, the car stopped. The motion was so sudden it jolted her forward slightly. Her pulse spiked again, sharper this time. She looked up, peering out the window. Darkness.

Not just evening shadows, this was deeper, emptier. No streetlights. No movement. Just a stretch of black swallowing everything beyond the glass, and the phone continued to buzz in her hand, but it no longer mattered.

"What’s happening?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. "Why are we stopping?"

Vance didn’t answer. Instead, he gave a small nod to the chauffeur. Then, in near-perfect sync, both men opened their doors and stepped out. A rush of cold air slipped in before the doors shut again, leaving her sealed inside.

Estelle’s chest tightened. "Where are you going?" she called, her voice rising despite herself. She shifted in her seat, panic prickling under her skin. "Answer me! Where are you going?"

There was no response. If anything, the silence pressed in. She reached for the door handle and pulled. Nothing. Her grip tightened. She pulled again, harder this time, but it was locked. Then it clicked. Child lock.

A sharp breath left her as she fell back against the seat, her chest rising and falling too fast. "No, no..." she whispered, shaking her head.

Her hands dropped to her legs. She grabbed one, lifting it slightly, willing it to respond, to move. Nothing still. Frustration and fear coiled together in her chest as she tapped her thighs, as if she could force life back into them.

"Move," she breathed, her voice cracking.

But the only thing she felt was the creeping dread crawling up her spine. She craned her neck, trying to see through the tinted windows, but the outside remained a solid wall of black.

Then she heard a click and the door beside her opened. Her head snapped toward it, her breath catching halfway.

Magnus slid into the backseat. The faint scent of his cologne followed him in, sharp and out of place against the tension filling the car. The door shut beside him with a quiet, final sound.

Estelle’s fingers tightened around her phone, her knuckles paling as she fought to steady her breathing. "What is going on?" she asked, her voice trembling despite the effort to keep it firm. "What do you want from me?"

Magnus adjusted his jacket with unhurried ease, as if none of this, her fear, the silence, the isolation, touched him at all. When he finally looked at her, his gaze was cool and unnervingly calm. "I’m here," he said evenly, "to fulfill my promise to you."

Estelle’s brows pulled together at once, confusion flashing across her face. "Promise? What do you mean?" she asked, her voice frayed, her heart racing so fast it made it hard to follow his words.

Magnus turned to her then, his gaze dropping to her legs. "The surgery," he said at last. "You proved tonight that you are ready to stand again."

The words hung between them. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Estelle blinked. "But I didn’t do anything," she said, the confusion deepening, her fingers tightening slightly around her phone.

Magnus’s expression didn’t shift. "Just be ready," he continued, his tone even. "We will come for you at midnight." He paused, brushing an invisible speck from his sleeve with quiet precision. "Miss it?" he said quietly. "You stay like this. And I will not be held responsible."

Her chest shuddered as the meaning settled in. Relief rushed in so quickly that it almost made her lightheaded. She swallowed, nodding, her breath uneven as it came and went. "I’ll be ready," she said, a smile breaking through despite everything.

But just as quickly, the smile faded, and her brows furrowed again, sharper this time, suspicion creeping back in. "If you’re still sitting here," she said slowly, studying him, "then there’s a catch. There’s always a catch. Tell me."

For a brief moment, Magnus smiled. "You’re learning," he said.

Estelle let out a quiet breath, shaking her head slightly. I should have known.

"Roman must not find out," Magnus said, his tone flattening again. "Not a word. Not a hint. If you give him even the slightest clue, no one comes."

The air seemed to stop around them.

Estelle exhaled, nodding once. "Understood," she said, though her mind was already spinning ahead, turning over possibilities, risks, and consequences.

Magnus tapped lightly on the window. The small sound echoed louder than it should have.

Estelle watched him for a moment, then lifted her hand slightly. "One question," she said.

He paused, turning his gaze back to her, waiting. She raised her phone, angling the screen toward him, the headline still glowing cold and sharp in the dim light.

"Did you do this?" she asked.

For the briefest second, something flickered at the corner of his mouth. Not quite a smile, but close enough, and Estelle caught it.

Magnus held her gaze, then spoke, his voice calm, almost conversational. "What matters more to you?" he asked. "Standing again? Or getting the answer you’re asking for?"

The question settled heavily between them.

Estelle held his gaze for a moment longer, then slowly lowered the phone back into her lap. She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to.

Magnus tapped the glass again, sharper this time.

A second later, the doors opened, then Vance and the driver slipped back into their seats, the car shifting subtly as their weight settled. The engine hummed to life, low and steady.

No one spoke. The silence inside the car thickened, pressing in from all sides.

Estelle leaned back slightly, her fingers curling against her palm, her pulse still uneven, but beneath it, something else began to settle. Resolve.

If this is meant to stop me from digging, then you’ve just given me another reason to keep going. Her jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. Then, her gaze drifted forward, unfocused, her thoughts sharpening. And I won’t stop. Not until I bring all of you down.

A faint shift beside her made her glance up. Magnus was already looking at her. And there was a small, knowing smile on his lips that sent a chill down her spine, as if he’d heard every word she hadn’t said.