Chapter 3 Apologies And Adversities

• Eleanor could not believe what just happened, and apparently neither could Nathaniel.
• "No, I didn’t mean that. Eleanor, listen.” Nathaniel tried begging, but Eleanor couldn’t care any less than she already does.
• “Excuse me,” she bluntly replied, pushing her way through his grip on her elbow to the bathroom and locking the door behind her.
• "Baby, please listen to me... Eleanor I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean to yell at you, please.” Nathaniel kept pushing his luck with Eleanor.
• Eleanor said nothing. Heavy silence fell.
• “I’ll explain to you what happened. I’ll tell you what’s happening. Please just answer me. I’m sorry, please.”
• I guess he pushed the right button with those words because Eleanor unlocked the door immediately and walked right past him to the bed.
• She sat on the bed, undressing herself without saying a word.
• “Her name is Victoria.” Nathaniel began.
• “Who?”
• “Victoria Chanel, the woman who killed one of my men.” He stopped expecting a reply but got none.
• Eleanor stood up, grabbed her towel from its hanger, wrapped her naked body, and sat back down in silence.
• “She promised to end everything that has to do with me. She’s my ex, and we broke things off in high school.
• “You are literally almost thirty, and your high school ex-girlfriend is still in your business till now?” Eleanor finally spoke.
• “It’s very complicated.”
• “If you’re not going to explain, please let me know; I want to sleep!” Eleanor snapped, clearly dissatisfied with Nathaniel’s suspenseful story.
• “Her parents are rich. She grew up very rich. So back then, she liked me, but I didn’t like her back, but she wouldn’t leave me alone. He trailed off a bit.
• “So what?” Eleanor asked, getting wrapped up in his tales once again.
• “So I dated her for her money because I was broke as fuck back then, and now she wants revenge, and she’s trying to acquire my entire empire, and I don’t know what to do.” Nathaniel concluded.
• He sat down, looking helpless. Staring into Eleanor’s eyes, his eyes searched hers. passionately looking for a reply.
• “So your ex is your karma because your stupid ass decided to date for money? So you basically just used her?” Eleanor’s confusion was louder than a bomb.
• “Exactly… I’m very sorry I yelled at you. I was just tensed, and I didn’t know what I was thinking.” He spoke calmly.
• “So what are you going to do about the man who died?”
• "Nothing.” Nathaniel shrugged, looking very carefree.
• “What do you mean ‘nothing’? Doesn’t he have a family or people who depend on him?” Eleanor was shocked at how nonchalant Nathaniel was about a person’s life.
• "No, all my men are single.”
• “So what? Doesn’t he have parents?”
• “Would you believe if I told you literally 90 percent of them are orphans? picked them up from the streets,” Nathaniel said, smiling proudly.
• “Whatever”
• Just as the conversation was getting light and good, Nathaniel’s phone rang. He answered the call on the second ring and put the call on speaker.
• “Yes…” Nathaniel replied to the call.
• “Nathaniel Caldwell,” a lady’s voice echoed from the phone.
• “If you want Rohan, Tyler, Chris, and Henry alive by tomorrow, you had better step down because their lives depend on your decision.” The lady said it coldly.
• “Who is this?”
• “I’m not here for a conversation, mister! Do as you are told and act as fast as you can. You have 30 hours left. The lady said that and hung up.
• “You see what I’m saying! Who the fuck was that now?” Eleanor shouted in sheer panic.
• “Give me a second.” Nathaniel sounded anxious. He was clearly scared, but he covered it up well. His sweat dripping on his bare chest as he was panting made him look all the more handsome to Eleanor, but now isn’t the time to admire him. He dialed a number on his phone, and the call started on the first ring.
• “Where’s Rohan?” Nathaniel asked.
• “He is missing.”
• “How many men are missing?”
• “Four men, sir.”
• Nathaniel hung up immediately.
• “It’s our wedding night for fuck sake, man. What is happening?” Eleanor shouted angrily.
• “If I knew, I would have told you.”
• Eleanor couldn’t do it anymore. She stood up, walked to her large walk-in closet, and grabbed a black plain tee and gray sweatpants. She walked out, walking straight to the bathroom. She slammed the bathroom door shut for the second time tonight.
• Nathaniel, on the other hand, looked all the more lost and tired. He checked his phone for the time, and it was quarter past midnight.
• “Babe…” Nathaniel called softly, trying to get Eleanor’s attention.
• “What do you want?” Eleanor shouted back through the noise of the shower running.
• "I was making sure you’re not upset?”
• "Oh, shut the fuck up!” She shouted back at him and tuned out.
• Eleanor has always been an overthinker, but Nathaniel just made everything worse!So he actually dated a woman for her money?What if he was using her as well? He always commented and complimented her intelligence, so what if he was just using her to expand his so-called empire?No! He can’t be like her dad! No!
• “Why are you talking to yourself?” Nathaniel laughed from outside.
• “None of your business, Nathaniel!” She shouted back.
• “I have to go out real quick, babe!” Nathaniel shouted, knocking on the bathroom door.
• Eleanor turned off the shower. What did he just say?
• “What did you say?"
• “I have to go out real quick,” he repeated.
• “At this time? Really?”
• “I won’t stay for that long... I’ll be right back before you know I’m gone, I promise!”
• “Whatever”