The next morning, Eloise woke up from a deep sleep to a sound of alarm. Half conscious, she wriggled her arm free and slammed the bedside table searching for the clock as its relentless brrrrrring burrowed into her brain.
She sat up and ran a hand through her ruffled shoulder length hair. Eloise hated mornings. They were tiring for her. She was in a daze before her phone rang.
She quickly grabbed it and saw that her aunt, Lizzy was calling her.
Eloise answered the phone and a soft gentle voice rang in her ears. "Dear, were you asleep? Am i disturbing you?"
"Oh no auntie, I just woke up. what's up?" Eloise replied in a husky voice.
"it's nothing. I just wanted to know if you arrived safely. Your nonna is worried about you. You know even though she doesn't show it, she cares about you." Lizzy advised her. Eloise's maternal family cared about her unlike her father's side.
The Grays were snakes. Till date, Eloise did not understand why her madre (mother) married her father. Her madre was a beautiful woman with auburn hair. Eloise got her hazel eyes from her mother.
Her mother was called Aurora Russo. She was an Italian woman from a wealthy and influental family. Aurora ran away from her family and settled with Francis Gray, her father in California.
"Hello? can you hear me?" Lizzy said when she noticed silence from the other side. Her aunt's voice brought Eloise back to earth.
"Yes auntie. I'll call nonna (grandmother) myself. Don't worry I'm fine. By the way auntie, how is the moving of the company going on? Are there problems i can help with?" Eloise asked as she was aware of the difficulties of moving companies from a country to another.
"it's going on well so far. You will merge the family business to yours in Hong-Kong right? Dear, are you sure you can handle it? Don't overwork yourself."
Eloise knew her aunt was worrying about her but she was no longer her old self. The new Eloise wants to be successful in life in spite of her love for sleeping. Eloise founded an entertainment industry in Hong-Kong and was now one of the top five leading. Her nonna trained her as the heiress of the family, Russo Group Conglomerate Company. Thanks to her nonna, she was managing the company very well.
"Auntie I'll be fine. I promise. I'm to visit grandma Bella at the hospital today. I'll call you later." Eloise said as she stood up from the bed. "Ok then, make sure to call your nonna. Take care." Lizzy said before hanging up.
Eloise looked at the time. It was half past six. She stretched out her body and went to the bathroom to take her morning shower before brushing her teeth.
After shower, Eloise wore a grey sweatpants and grey baggy t-shirt. She tied up her short hair with a rubber band. She was to go to her morning run. She wore a black nike air max shoes before putting her earpod in.
Eloise walked out and locked up her suite. She stood infront of the elevator and pressed the button going down.
When Lucas walked out of his room, he saw a mesmerizing scene. There, stood a woman fully dressed, only her alluring and highly charming face was seen. She had one of her hand in her sweatpants pocket with another hand holding her phone. She seemed to be listening to some music as she was wearing a white earpods.
Her head was facing down as she was busy with her phone and her delicate neck was seen. Lucas approached her cautiously and stood next to her, not wanting to destroy the bewitching scene infront of him.
Eloise felt a presence next to her side. She turned her head and looked up. She made an eye contact with Lucas. His eyes were inviting and was looking at her with tender.
Lucas sucked in a deep breath when he met with her hazel gold eyes. Her eyes were tempting him to grab her small waist, pin her to the wall and kiss her breathlessly.
But no. He would wait until she gives herself to him. Of course he will still pursue her. His father did not teach him to force a woman without her consent.
"Hello?" Eloise woke him up from his daydream. The man infront of her looked seductively handsome. He was wearing black sweatpants and black windbreaker. She could see his white t-shirt underneath. His hair was disheveled and was slightly wet. He smelled nice. His scent was hypnotising. One would want to hug him and smell him all day.
"Hello Elli." Lucas said.
"Hello....wait, i told you I'm not Elli!" She retorted.
"I doubt that."
"You...you cannot force me to be someone else when I'm telling you I'm not."
"I'm not forcing you. Its the truth. You are Elli. My Elli." He said as a matter of fact.
Eloise was taken aback for a sec. 'My? Does he think I'm his woman? '
"Why am i even talking to you?" Eloise sighed as she put her phone in her pockets.
"Maybe because you like me?" He said sarcastically. Lucas watched as she turned her head abruptly. She was glaring at him coldly. He was amused. He did not find her scary but cute. Only if he knew how many people were scared of her face and glare.
"Good morning!" He said beaming at her as if her glare did nothing to him.
"Yeah...it was. Until i saw you." Eloise said while she stepped into the elevator.
She pointed at his suite." Who is that woman coming out of your room?"
Lucas was confused. He turned to glance at the direction she was pointing at, but he saw nothing. When he heard the elevator doors closing, he turned back to see her waving at him with her fingers, a mischievous smile on her face. That's when he realised that she distracted him. He chuckled and pressed the button, and waited for another one to come.
The elevator reached ground floor and Eloise walked out. She knew if Lucas followed her, she would not be able to run. He would bother her with his questions.
She walked out of the hotel and went to a nearby park. She put in her earpods and started jogging.
•••
When Eloise stopped her run, it was already eight in the morning. She went to the same restaurant she took dinner last night after taking a rest of twenty minutes.
She took her breakfast which was sandwiches and a fresh apple juice. She went back to her room when it was nine o'clock. Luckily she did not see Lucas.
As soon as she entered her room, her phone rang. It was unknown number. By show of the number, She immediately knew it was from this country. Only her grandma had her number. At first Eloise did not want to pick up but when she thought of the possibility of something happening to her grandma, she picked it up.
"Yes?" Eloise asked. There was a silence. No one talked for a whole minute. Eloise thought they did not hear her and wanted to repeat. Suddenly she heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice. She felt indescribable feeling. Her throat became dry as she remembered the owner of the voice.
"Elli? Is this Elli?" Francis Gray, her father asked.
He still had the guts to call her phone after what he did. Eloise once thought that if her father apologised, maybe they can start afresh?But she was wrong. She waited eight years for his call but he never called. Not even once. He never searched for her after she disappeared. If not for her grandma, she would have destroyed the Gray family long ago since she had the ability. Both legally and illegally.
"Hello? Can you hear me? Lily, are you sure you gave me the right number?" France asked his other daughter not knowing he was being heard.
"Speak." Eloise said indifferently. She would not entertain his nonsense.
"Elli if you can hear me, come quick! Your grandmother was sent to the ICU!"
Eloise body's froze for a moment. Her mind almost went blank.Then she recovered quickly. She would not have been successful businesswoman if she did know how to control her emotions.
"Which hospital?" Eloise asked coldly and texted Liam, her secretary at the same time, telling him to prepare a car.
"So you could hear me? why were you pretending to be deaf?" Francis shouted angrily.
"Speak." Eloise said again, her voice intimidating. Francis had no choice but to say the name when he heard her voice. "Health Medical Hospitals."
Eloise immediately hung up. At the other side of the phone, Francis Gray was fuming with anger. He felt intimidated and was blaming Eloise.
"How could she hung up on me? Am i not her father?" He was shouting very loud when nurse approached him." Sir. This is a hospital. Reduce the noise, you are disturbing the patients." She left as soon as she said those words.
"Dad, come down. Maybe sister is running to the hospital and have no time. She has no money to hire a taxi remember? " Lilian said righteously.
"Running? She would not make it in time even if she stays across the hospital considering her body. I fed her for years and now she had the guts to hung up on me!" Francis sneered.
Lilian could not wait for her fat ugly sister to come. 'She disappeared for eight years, maybe she will be fatter?'
Immediately after she hung up, Eloise went to the bathroom to take a quick bath. Liam was only ten minutes away from the hotel she was staying at.
After shower, Eloise went to her walk in closet. Since she had no time, she took out black cargo pants and white crop top. She wore white sneakers and took her black baguette bag and a black sunglasses. She did not dry her hair and let it dry itself. She looked handsome yet beautiful.
Liam called her as soon as she locked the suite.
"I'm coming."
When she reached the hotel lobby, she saw the car that picked her up the day before. Liam was standing outside facing the hotel entrance. When he saw Eloise approaching, he greeted her."Boss."
Eloise nodded at him and got in the car. "Drive as quickly as you can. To the Health Medical Hospitals"