Twenty-one and ready to take on the world, orphan Lizzie Gold didn't expect her chance encounter with a stranger to lead to a damnable task - to take down a rising business tycoon.
Ryan Pierce - her viciously handsome target and her new boss - might...
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R Y A N 50 | bitter truths
The sickening smell of disinfectant off the hospital's floor infiltrates my lungs, irritating my senses. The wait stretches as seconds tick by, my anxious nerves anticipating news of Lizzie anytime. The hospital is one of the finer ones in the area and Mom's heels stalk over the linoleum floor as she enters the luxury waiting room where we are the only occupants while other patients' families wait in the common area.
The aftermath of Winston's death is a blur of images in my head. The one thing I remember vividly though is the moment I threw myself over Lizzie, covering her from the sight of her father's body crumpled on the ground, blood soaking his clothes. When I pulled back, she had fainted with a scream, her knees giving away from underneath her.
What happened next happened quickly from getting Lizzie in the car while the cops took over Winston's corpse. Reece broke a hundred traffic rules on our way to the hospital. After handing over Lizzie to the doctor, we weren't allowed inside the room, much to my dismay.
I am glaring at the sign that reads 'Patients Only' while leaning against a wall, my arms crossed over each other.
"How's Crystal?" Reece asks Mom as she places herself on the white couch beside him.
Her face is pale, carrying an expression with a pair of pinched finely-shaped eyebrows. I have never seen my Mom with dark circles under her eyes before but today, exhaustion is particularly cast over her.
"The doctor said he gave her a sleeping pill so it'd take some time for her to be up," Mom answers with a flat tone. "Otherwise, she is okay."
"That's a relief," Reece mutters.
Their casual conversation isn't how I had expected them to behave. I glance at Mom, her innocent face seeming to be hiding more dark truths than what we have just found out.
Everything feels like a strange nightmare that I am still waking up from. It is like a lucid dream.
"How come you didn't know about Winston?" I demand, turning to face Mom. She blinks as she meets my gaze. "You were in love with him, had a child with him...how could you not know?"
"I did know...or at least I believe I did," she replies with the same morose voice. "I had never seen Silas except for on papers and had only heard about him from whatever your father said. When I found out what happened, I started to despise your father and regretted it even when he was suddenly taken from me."
"I should have known..." Mom draws out. "I always doubted that I had seen Winston before when I met him for the first time. My doubts only got confirmed a few years back when he brought that painting of Caitlin. I knew then who I had married but remained silent for the sake of both of you...for the sake of Crystal."
