CHAPTER 73

"PLEASE STOP WITH THAT!" I sighed and walked back into the room.

"Eleanor....drake is the only person who acts unpleasantly around you!"

"Lauren, throwing stones at someone is another example of your obnoxious behaviour....and it's exactly what you're doing now...."

"Alright. Maybe I am throwing stones at him but I trust my hunch and it points to him...."

"Lauren...please stopp...I should be thankful to him for the months break that I had. He helped me out big time and why would he??" I asked back and she shook her head wondering just what was going on.

I was equally confused and rubbed my hands in my hair.

"My dear....there is a kind of hatred that is determined to manipulate fate....and I can see that in Drake's eyes for Adam..." she turned me around to face her and laid out all her thoughts at once.

I looked at her not sure if I was listening at all.

Drake had helped me big time and I forgot to call him and day thank you. He paused the movie production for a month and I did not even call him once to thank him. Was he really the one trying to snatch me from Adam then?

I spent my time with Adam after filming got paused and got distracted with the wedding.

"Oh dear...." I awoke as if from a nightmare in the day. I ran my hands on my pockets and everywhere on me. I flipped the beddings and touched the bed everywhere but I couldn't find it.

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"Oh...my phone. I realised I didn't call Drake in a long time and gosh....what a terrible terrible person I am..." I chuckled and pushed my hair back, still looking for my phone.

Lauren stood at the dressing table and looked at me as if something terrible was going on in my head. Her look was full of disdain and she was obviously judging me.

"You know I'd use a hand...." I demanded with my hands on my waist and elbows out.

"You have two...." she smiled and took out the key from her pocket, unlocking the door.

She walked out and shut the door behind her, shaking the house to its foundations.

Tired, I sat on the edge of the bed and yawned, holding my elbows on my thighs and my face on my palms.

Drake Anderson.

His name repeatedly echoed in my mind preceding Lauren's suspicion. Why would she think it was him?

I agree he was acting a bit off when around me but that was no reason for me to come up with a hasty generalisation and paint him black.

I needed to find proof first that it was him.

Ivanovich's death was a total loss. In a moment, we had it all and yet lost it in the next.

He was our own connection to whoever it was that was responsible for all this.

"Why did he have to die?" I asked myself and rubbed my face. I laid on my back, eyes on the white ceiling above. Clear as the clouds, whiter than snow.

I turned to the side and saw my phone on the nightstand.

All this entire time??? I smiled and got it only to see a call the next minute.

"Gemini...." I started.

"I see you've forgotten you're signed under an agency ..."

I rolled my eyes. It was of him to always start conversations with a somewhat insult but I already had a splitting headache from all the thinking. I needed relief.

"What is it?" I asked furiously.

"You know you should have your anger checked...." he laughed and I was more than ready to scream bloody murder to show him just how I really needed to get my anger checked.

"If this is what you called to say am going to hang up..."

"No no no! Wait..." he begged and a smile brewed on my face.

"You need to meet Natalia. Drake issued a restraining order against her and she can't talk to you. She really needs to. I mean Eleanor come on...she's your boss....can't we all out this scandal behind us and move on?" he asked and I pinched my eyes.

Since the day Natalia slapped me, I lost all my respect for her. I couldn't believe she had really done it. I always thought highly of her despite the nasty rumours spreading behind her back. I thought not to be shallow and act like a real woman but she still took me for granted.

Thanks to Drake for helping me and putting her in her place. After all this, how could Lauren even think Drake was the culprit?

"Eleanor? Are you listening?"

"Save her a seat next to mine at the briefing...It's this Monday right??" I asked and he went silent for a moment.

"But...she was thinking of ---" I cut the line and placed my phone down.

I walked to the window and saw Lauren and her two kids in the garden. They had such a beautiful family and I wished to get just like it one day. With a little more kids, though. Maybe...5? or 6?

But of course I had to talk to Adam about it first.

I quickly took my phone again and went through the recordings I had taken from the wedding. Sven's and Kelly's.

They were probably on their honeymoon right now after throwing such a wedding that shook the earth to its foundations. Functions that caused websites to crash weren't an easy thing to do.

I watched the video I took of Kelly's vow and an idea immediately tapped into my mind.

I quickly uploaded it on my Instagram page and captioned it, 'to my future husband, Adam'

Hugging my phone the next second, Adam was all I could think of. I loved him dearly. I prayed and hoped that he would understand how much I really loved him and how I acknowledged his love for me. My one true love, my Adam...

I fell to the bed and giggled, embracing all the pillows.

"Auntie Eleanor??" a cute feminine voice called from behind me and I saw Lauren's daughter standing at the door. She was carrying a gift bag of which caused me to wonder what was going on. It wasn't my birthday.

"Come in dear....what's up?" I asked hugging her and smiling at her face.

She smiled back and I was able to see she lost all her front teeth. Best time of the age and being a kid.

"Someone dropped this for you...." she blushed leaving the bag on the bed.

"Where's mommy?" I asked.

"In the kitchen...." she replied before running off too.

I smiled at her shyness and took the bag. Who sent this for me?

I scrutinized it and unfortunately it had no tag to hint me from which shop it was bought from.

I looked inside and saw what seemed like a chocolate box.

"Adam??" I smiled at the thought and took out the box.

I put my phone aside and happily unwrapped the chocolate box. It was heart shaped. Just what I loved.

" Adam...did you really have to??" I smiled and opened it only to regret the next second because surely, I had opened a hornet's nest!