Chapter Eight – Won’t Let Her Go

Zion’s POV 

Mad fury coursed through my body as I realized what she had done. How dare she hit me? I would punish her right away! No one could get away after messing with Zion Concorde! Maybe she hadn’t gone far without a car or her bag!

I was about to open the door and run after her when a phone buzzed somewhere on the floor. I felt my phone in my pocket. It wasn’t mine. I looked around to find Andrea’s phone lying outside the main door. She might have dropped it in her haste. Then how would she summon help in her condition? 

I walked out of the penthouse, picked up the phone and glared at the screen. The name Adrian flashed across the screen, immediately making me see red. At that moment, I could have killed the guy with my bare hands. I was about to accept the call immediately, intending to blast him for calling at odd hours, when my gaze fell near the elevator. 

A gasp of horror escaped my lips at the sight of Andrea lying near my private elevator. I knew she was burning with fever when I had touched her. How could I be so inhuman?

I slipped the phone into my pocket and rushed forward towards her. In a split second, I picked her up in my arms. She was burning with fever and I felt guilty for fighting with her instead of taking care of her. 

‘What’s wrong with me?’ I couldn’t help but mutter. In her unconscious state, she rested her head on my shoulder and all the bitterness I had harbored in my heart ebbed away. I felt lighter, euphoric, like a little boy who got what he craved! 

It was true in a way. Of course, I wasn’t a little boy, but I definitely craved Andrea with all my heart and soul. It wasn’t something I developed overnight! I had craved her ever since I had seen pictures of her and Knox. I was eighteen and here on a brief visit with my grandfather, Theodore Concorde. He was grandpa Vincent’s close friend. 

Yet I didn’t get to meet Andrea on that visit! She had already left for her college in Copenhagen. I waited for ten long years for her to return to LA. With my life in a mess; it wasn’t a difficult task to do. My grandpa died from multi-organ failure, leaving all the property, business and wealth to my stepmother, Delia Kaya, who was wicked as sin. I knew he hadn’t signed willingly but was forced to do so on his deathbed! 

I had no idea how my dad, Atlas Concorde, married her in the first place! She was a stark contrast to my mom, Rosa, who died in a car accident when I was just thirteen. Ever since Delia came into our lives, she has been controlling everything! It was because of her I had to leave Athens and the business and come over to LA. She had forced me to marry her niece, Elena Nomikov, in return for 50% shares in my grandpa’s business. 

It was impossible to tolerate the woman. Yet I married her just for access to the Concorde Group! After a year, things became unbearable, and I had to seek a divorce. Delia tried everything in her power to get us back together, but failed. She refused to hand over further access to the company shares, insisting on handling the business herself. I knew it was beyond her. Now, within a week, she was struggling already, begging me to return, but I wouldn’t agree so easily. I would need more shares or she could face the angry, dissatisfied customers! 

I knew the goodwill of the company would be at stake, but at least she would know the gravity of the situation. The press was already prepared to cover the sensational news of her evil ways! It was only because of me they haven’t published it yet. 

Andrea stirred, bringing me back to reality. I knew I was fucked up, but I desperately wanted her in my life. I could accept her with all her flaws because I was no saint. In fact, I was even more flawed than she was.

“Why are you fighting me, Andrea? Why can’t you just agree and be mine already? You had agreed once. So what changed in these five years?” I murmured, but she was still unconscious. I carried her to my bedroom and lay her down gently. 

I was at my wit’s end, having never done this sort of thing before. I was good at negotiating, at striking deals, but never comfortable with women. Although I had married, we lived separately. I continued to live in my bachelor pad where she was forbidden to set foot in. I knew I was a beast, but now I couldn’t do a thing about it. My circumstances were different. 

“Water!” muttered Andrea, and I rushed to the kitchen to get it for her. Maybe I should summon a doctor! 

I looked up on my mobile phone for a doctor near me and called her home. In the meantime, I took the water to Andrea. Her eyes were still closed, and she was delirious. I felt guilty for her condition. Sitting down on the bed, I held her by the shoulders and lifted her a little. 

“Here, drink some water, Andrea!” I raised the glass to her lips, and she sipped slowly. All the animosity I felt for her vanished within seconds. I felt overwhelmed to get a chance to be with her. 

If Delia hadn’t intervened five years ago, I would have been with Andrea already! I wouldn’t have hurt her at all. 

Her body sank in my arms and I gently lay her down. The doorbell rang, and I rushed to get it. The doctor arrived and examined her. 

“It’s just flu. There’s nothing to worry about, Mr. Concorde. I’m sure adequate rest and care can heal her in three-four days.”

After the doctor left, I was determined to keep Andrea here with me forever. I wouldn’t let her leave. With renewed energy, I prepared a lemony chicken soup for her. There was a time when she used to love everything I made for her. Would she love it still? 

Maybe she didn’t remember a thing! After all, we spent only a month together, but those were the only precious moments of my life. Maybe she had better memories, but I didn’t. For me, time stood still since she left me five years ago! 

I carried the soup to her and placed it on the nightstand. Holding her limp body by her shoulders, I fed it to her, one spoonful at a time. She opened her delirious eyes and stared at me, wordlessly. My heart constricted with pain to see the tears trickle down her cheeks. Maybe I was too harsh on her. I swore to change myself only if she agreed to be mine.

“I’m sorry!” she whispered, closing her eyes as if to block me out of her life again. It hurt me, but I didn’t say a word, holding the medicine to her mouth. I was so lost in her I had completely forgotten about her retaliation earlier. 

She swallowed the medicine with water and lay down to sleep. I gazed at her longingly for a second before picking up the tray. With her back turned towards me, I knew she hadn’t forgiven me at all. Maybe it would take a lot of effort to undo the hurt I had inflicted on her. 

I trudged back to the kitchen to wrap up the work. There was a lot of soup left and I helped myself to it. The warm dinner rolls dipped in soup tasted delicious tonight, more than an exotic dinner. Maybe it was because of Andrea’s presence in my house. It now felt like home. 

I wrapped up the work as quickly as possible and strode towards my bedroom at last. The prospect of sleeping next to Andrea made my heart skip a beat. Finally, my dream would come true! Maybe all wasn’t lost. 

As I entered the bedroom, my gaze went towards the bed to check up on her. She wasn’t there on the bed where I had left her! 

Panic settled in my heart. Where could she go in such a condition?