His Father Bought Me-Chapter 18: The Clock Is Ticking

"You should get moving," Magnus said casually, glancing toward Roman as though the matter were already settled. "The clock is already ticking."

Roman stared at him in disbelief. "You can’t seriously—"

"Welcome! I’ve been expecting you." Magnus’s tone shifted instantly, bright and welcoming as his guests stepped into the office.

"Thank you, Mr. Whitehall," one of the men replied warmly. Then his attention shifted to Roman. The man smiled and extended his hand. "Congratulations on your marriage."

Roman hesitated for a brief second, looking at Magnus, before accepting the handshake.

The man leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Though I must admit... I would have expected you to choose someone more... suitable," he added with a polite chuckle. "Someone able to stand, at least."

Roman’s jaw tightened, a dark look settled in his eyes as he stared at the man, his fists slowly curling at his sides until the knuckles turned white as anger rose inside him, but he forced it down. Instead of replying, he turned and strode toward the door.

Behind him, the man’s voice floated through the room. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, not at all," Magnus replied smoothly. "But you know how we men can be when someone speaks poorly of our wives."

Roman paused for the briefest moment, his chest rising and falling as he fought to keep his temper under control. Then he pushed the door open and stepped out into the hallway, exhaling slowly as he continued walking.

Nathan was still waiting outside, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He straightened when he saw Roman approaching.

Roman didn’t look at him. "Let’s go to your place," he muttered, heading toward the exit. "I don’t want to stay in the same house as that man."

Nathan pushed himself off the wall and followed. "And your wife?" he asked curiously. "I kind of want to meet her."

Roman stopped abruptly. His eyes flashed with restrained anger as he turned toward Nathan. "Not another word about her," he growled. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Nathan raised both hands in surrender. "Alright, alright... message received."

They continued down the hall together. And as they stepped outside into the cool evening air, Roman spotted Lena approaching across the driveway, but he kept walking.

"Roman!" she called after him.

Roman paused beside his car, the key already in his hand. For a moment he glanced back at her, then he unlocked the door and slid into the driver’s seat. Not now. Not now, Lena. The engine roared to life, and seconds later the car pulled away from the driveway, Nathan’s vehicle following behind.

—

Back at the Whitehall estate, the hours slipped by quietly.

The exhaustion gripping Estelle slowly loosened as she stirred against the soft sheets, her breathing uneven as sleep gradually gave way to consciousness, and her eyes fluttered open.

For a moment she lay still, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, silently wishing the entire day had been nothing more than a nightmare. But the silence of the room offered no comfort, it was real. A soft groan escaped her as she pushed herself upright, her muscles stiff and heavy.

The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow of a lamp in the corner. Her eyes slowly moved across the space, taking it in for the first time since Roman had carried her in and laid her on the bed.

That was when she noticed it, a glass jug sitting on a small table nearby. Her gaze dropped to the side of the bed, and she saw her wheelchair waiting there. Carefully, she shifted toward the edge of the mattress, the movement was slow and awkward, her arms still burned with pain, but eventually she managed to lower herself into the chair.

The soft whir of the wheels broke the stillness of the room as she pushed herself toward the table. As she moved up close, she realized the table was part of a small workstation with papers neatly arranged beside an open laptop.

As she reached for the jug, her sleeve brushed against the keyboard and the laptop screen flickered to life. The sudden glow filled the dim room with pale blue light.

Estelle’s eyes widened as she looked at the laptop screen. A video sat paused in the center of the screen and her pulse quickened. Get the water and don’t touch anything else. She forced herself to turn away and reached for the jug instead, pouring water into a glass. The faint sound of liquid filling the cup seemed unusually loud in the quiet room.

She lifted the glass and took a slow drink, but her eyes drifted back to the laptop. She felt as though the paused video was screaming her name.

Estelle squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to suppress the curiosity clawing at her mind. Don’t. But the pull was stronger than her resolve. She set the glass down and wheeled herself closer, pushing the chair in front of the desk aside so she could face the screen directly.

Her finger hesitated above the trackpad, then she tapped it and the video resumed. It was short, barely ten seconds, and it played silently before starting again, and again.

Estelle stared at the screen as the loop repeated, her eyes widened further with every replay. "No... no... no..." she whispered under her breath, shaking her head slowly.

He wouldn’t... He wouldn’t betray his own team.

With trembling fingers, she minimized the video and her breath caught in her throat as an email filled the screen. Her eyes scanned the message quickly.

This should keep you loyal and quiet. If I release this, your career is ruined. Be guided.

Estelle’s hand flew to her mouth. What is going on here? Her thoughts raced as she stared at the screen. Beneath the message was another attachment, another video. She moved the cursor over it, but just as she was about to click, the door suddenly swung open and Estelle froze.

"What the hell are you doing on my computer?" Roman’s voice cut sharply through the room as he stood in the doorway, his eyes wide. Beneath the anger in his voice was something else, something closer to fear.

Estelle slowly turned to face him, shock and realization mixing in her expression. "You threw the game..." she said quietly.