The Dark Secret of the CEO by Sofia de Orellana

Chapter 13

I can’t help but cover my mouth to not shout out. I can’t believe it. It’s really him. My heart just goes insane, beating like a drum and threatening to jump out of my chest. I have to be wrong, why the hell would Rick be in New York?

“Hera?”

I don’t react. I’m just completely stunned, in shock. A wave of memories suddenly takes over my mind, driving me insane with melancholy and bitter, stinging feelings I had buried deep before they drowned me. Rick’s gotten older by a few years, but there’s no way I’d forget the face of the only man I ever loved. On the screen, he looks like any other cop standing perfectly calm in his NYPD uniform. Since when the fuck did he even become a New York City Cop?

“I was about to leave,” Abe answers the question I already forgot.

Rick nods, and lets him walk away, while Charles still seems suspicious. My God, those two on the same screen is like a nightmare come true. What the hell is Rick doing at my funeral? Abe walks away, but then, he suddenly darts to the side, to stay behind and witness the scene. The camera goes dark, and we can’t see the two men’s actions nor faces, but we can hear them just fine.

“…Long time not see.”

“Agent Rivera,” Charles comments. “That’s funny, I don’t remember you being part of the NYPD?”

“I moved departments recently.”

“New York is quite far from your hometown.”

“I had personal interests here.”

The shots are being fired and my heart’s being cribbled with bullets. Someone amongst the female vampires chuckles, visibly excited by the tension, but I’m not quite the same. It’s horrible for me to listen to this, and I’m just glad I can’t see it. I want to scream, but instead, I just muffle it behind my palm.

“…My condolences,” Charles mutters. “I know you had some feelings for her too.”

“I did.”

The answer’s angry tone clearly means he held more than “some feelings” for me, but Charles pretends not to hear it. He clears his throat.

“I understand you’d want a minute,” he calmly says. “After all, you didn’t get to… see her again.”

He tries to walk away, the brunette’s heels right behind him, but before we hear more than three steps, Rick’s voice echoes in the church.

“It’s strange, isn’t it?”

Charles stops.

“…Excuse me?”

“How she was alone, the night of her death?”

“I’m very sorry, Agent Rivera. I was attending a Charity Party on the other side of Manhattan. I should have had someone stay with her, but June barely accepted anyone but me by her side in the… last weeks.”

That’s not true. I just didn’t have anyone else to turn to.

“So you left her on her own, in a hotel room?”

“She chose to stay there herself, she felt safe in the hotel. You can ask her manager, she’d picked it hers-”

“There were lots of blades in that room.”

“…Excuse me?”

“There were razors, kitchen knives and many other dangerous things.”

needed the things that are used in an

issue leaving her alone with all sorts

We’re all eyes riveted on the screen, despite it being completely dark. Wherever Abe hid, there isn’t a hint of light,

not really sure what you’re trying to do here, but I’d suggest you deal with your grief in a better way than accusing me of neglect. I was her fiancé, you were her ex-boyfriend. For you to come into the picture now to accuse me of

people walking out, Charles and that dark-haired woman. From what we hear, Rick stays behind, and the video suddenly stops. I

says

for the stuck-up dude?” Cecily frowns. “Is

all of them, and stand up, turning around to face

to put me through this? What was the point?! Show me how little people actually cared about my death? Or to show

Darling,” says Cata, looking

about me, it’s too fucking late now! I can’t just go back, June Starr is dead! She

“Hera, stop it.”

keep screaming my agonizing feelings out. His ice-blue eyes

didn’t choose to

are just about as confused as I am. My emotions at their wits’ ends, I nervously laugh, hysteria knocking

just say?” I

death was not a

Perhaps Richard’s mad, or he didn’t understand

did. I’m… grateful, if you’re trying to console me, but I remember very precisely what I did. I remember every bit of it, it

remember

glance around, and there’s a whole room of vampires waiting for me to answer him as

it was like I couldn’t laugh or smile ever again. Like I’d never get out of it. I wanted to, but I always just wanted to cry, to disappear. It was like that every day, for weeks. Nothing could make me smile, I just felt completely… void. like there was a heavy, heavy weight on my heart that just sucked all the happiness and joy away. Like I

and days going by without me seeing anything that could end my torture. The depression kept me stuck in bed, or on the floor, with just no idea

I know anything about it,” mutters Benedict, crossing his arms.

all do, Bene,”

when you woke up here, in

throws me right back into

suppose.

make

who’s staring at me as if I’m

“There’s no way, right?”

you talking about?” I

within two days, certainly not because you’re transformed. Most of us took days, if not weeks, to get over whatever trauma caused our deaths, Baby. You getting up depression-free makes

but he’s also staring at me, although undecipherable as

“Because my troubles are gone,

Baby,” says Rebecca. “It just doesn’t make sense. Clinical Depression isn’t just a state of mind, it’s an actual, diagnosticable illness, Hera. Someone diagnosed

Agency sent a psychiatrist, and that’s how they… got me

you have a regular

meds. …I’m sorry but I still don’t get it. Where are

who could have

one but him and perhaps a couple of staff for weeks, so now, can you tell me

“Everything.”

confused, Richard suddenly takes out a piece of paper, and hands it to Rebecca. She raises both eyebrows, but stares at it, quickly reading the lines with her eyebrows slowly tilting from upwards to downwards. I barely saw anything, but it looked like a

asks, glancing over her shoulder and for

that our Baby didn’t

minute. While most of

an interesting mix of Beta-blockers, Corticosteroids, isotretinoin,

word. “Like drugs?

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