Chapter 275

"So that's it?" Pearl asked. "That's everything? You met one of them at a club, randomly. Told them what you were into and she suggested she bring her friend who worked in the S and M business. These were women that did this for a living. You were all drunk and high and it got out of control?"

"Yes. And I have more regret than I can even explain. I can never take back what happened but I will always wish that I could." Erik said. "And there's more."

"What else is there?" Pearl asked.

"My business in London with my father, that I just arrived back from, that involved this along with other business." He said, looking forward.

Pearl looked at him.

"And Rhys." Erik said. "I don't want to lie to you anymore. Keep things from you. I promised I wouldn't. But Pearl, you have to understand, some things are going to be less than perfect. Some things are going to be dark and ugly."

"What happened with Rhys?" Pearl asked, her voice wavering.

"My father's people found him and escorted him to London where we all sat down over tea to have a chat about this. How he found out, how he was going to handle his knowledge moving forward. How knowing this kind of information put him in a delicate place with the crown. Things like that." Erik said, looking at Pearl in a way he never had before. It was almost threatening in a way. It made her uneasy.

"You threatened him?" She asked.

"Not exactly. But, let's put it this way, it's not something we ever need to concern ourselves with ever again. He will be keeping it safe and secret." Erik said.

Pearl decided to ask more. She felt his hinting was also towards herself. She knew about it now too. Was he threatening her?

"So, how did he find out?" She asked.

"He hired a private investigator to look into me. Can you believe that?! Apparently, he hired him right after he found out we were an item." Erik said.

"And how is he going to handle this knowledge going forward?" Pearl asked, taking a deep breath.

"He is forgetting he knows about it. Along with his private investigator. They have both agreed to keep things quiet, indefinitely." Erik said.

"How did you convince them to do that?" Pearl asked.

"Everyone has skeletons in their closet that they don't want anyone to know about. Rhys used to go to spring break when he was a teenager. Turns out, one year, he and some friends jumped a man and he ended up being beaten so badly, he suffered permanent brain damage. He will never walk again or be able to live independently. Because Rhys was famous and had money, his involvement was covered up. But it never disappears entirely, now does it?" Erik looked at Pearl and smiled. Pearl was beyond surprised to see this side of Erik. He was calculating and cold. She saw something in his eyes in Austria several months ago but couldn't place what it was. She was seeing that look again.

"And it turns out, the private investigator has quite an affinity for very young girls." Erik said. Pearl decided that the conversation needed to end there. These weren't regular people she was dealing with. These were powerful people with endless resources. She now understood the extent of what "in over your head" truly meant.