MARK
Finally, Elara was out of my life.
The relief washed over me like a cold wave as I sat in the private VIP waiting lounge near the airstrip. After our private wedding ceremony, we had come straight here to wait for our flight to Germany.
Outside, the storm raged, rain hammering against the glass walls, lightning splitting the sky in violent flashes. Inside, everything was quiet, polished, and expensive. Two years. Two long years of faking love were finally over. Two years of holding her hand, listening to her boring dreams, pretending to be the perfect gentleman.
That's it; I’m done with that shit.
I took a slow sip of vintage champagne and smiled at my reflection in the darkened window. Then I pulled my girlfriend—no, my wife—onto my lap.
Zane giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. She looked nothing like the timid, glasses-wearing secretary she had pretended to be for the last two years. No meek smiles. No lowered eyes. Just confidence and victory.
We had been together for five years. Long before Elara ever entered the picture. Everything had been planned perfectly. I hired Zane as my assistant so we could be together right under Elara’s nose. That stupid heiress never suspected a thing. To her, Zane was just the quiet girl who fetched coffee and took notes.
She never knew Zane owned my heart.
"Thank goodness I was very specific," I whispered, kissing Zane’s neck. "I told Elara I didn't want a big wedding. I told her I was 'intimidated' by her wealthy friends. She fell for it completely."
Zane laughed, running her fingers through my hair. "She was so gullible. She actually thought you were shy," she said with a wicked smirk.
I nodded, feeling the satisfaction burn in my chest. "I made her cut the guest list down to nothing. Just her silly godmother and her daughter—that blabbermouth friend, Sarah. On my side, I just introduced a few actors as my 'distant family.' We took our vows in that little church earlier, and I almost laughed in her face when she cried on the phone."
Zane kissed me hard. "But we are the ones laughing now. We took our real vows this morning, Mark. Just us and the money."
I checked my Rolex. "Babe, hurry up and get the bags ready. Our flight leaves in forty-five minutes. First Class needs to settle in first. We’re going to Germany for our honeymoon, and I want to be drinking champagne in the air before anyone realizes the bride is missing."
"What about Jason? He should be here by now," I asked with a concerned expression.
"Speaking of the devil," Zane murmured, looking toward the heavy door. "Here he comes."
Jason walked in. He looked like a total wreck compared to the clean elegance of the room. His cheap suit was soaked with rain, and his shoes were caked in fresh mud, but he had a grin on his face that stretched from ear to ear.
He grabbed a handful of nuts from the table and flopped down onto the leather sofa opposite us, not caring about the dirt he was spreading.
"Is it done?" I asked, my voice dropping to a serious whisper.
Jason chewed slowly, enjoying the moment. "It's done," he said, washing the nuts down with a stolen beer. "I dumped her in the old textile factory and set it ablaze."
"You're sure?"
"She’s broken, Mark. Ribs, legs, everything," Jason confirmed. "She won't survive ten minutes in that burning factory, and even if she does, she’s finished."
Zane let out a breath of relief, but her eyes narrowed. "What about the friend? That blabbermouth silly girl, Sarah? Sarah was the only one smart enough to call the police."
"Yeah, what about her?" I asked. "She was supposed to be at the church."
Jason’s grin turned dark. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I handled her too," he said calmly. "I didn't send my men; I went myself. After I was done with Elara, I drove straight to her mother’s house while you guys were at the altar. Sarah showed up there."
"And?"
"And I startled her," Jason said, laughing, a cruel, unbothered sound. "My boys held her down while I hit the old hag so hard she passed out cold. There was blood everywhere. Sarah was screaming, begging me to stop."
"Did you kill the old woman?" Zane asked, looking impressed.
"Maybe yes. Maybe not. She’s alive for now," Jason shrugged. "But I made it clear to Sarah. I told her that my boys are keeping an eye on her every move. I told her that if she makes any moves, if she calls the cops, or if she tries to look for Elara, her mother dies instantly."
"So she’s stuck?" I asked.
"She’s paralyzed," Jason confirmed. "She is sitting on that floor, holding her bleeding mother, too terrified to dial 911. She isn't thinking about Elara. She should be worried about her half-dead mother. I neutralized her completely."
"Perfect," I said, feeling a surge of admiration for his cruelty. "Fear is better than a prison cell."
I picked up my phone. It was time for the approved payout.
"You earned it, Jason. Actually, you were right. Humility does it. The more I acted like I was nothing, the more Elara wanted to give me everything."
I opened the banking app. The balance sat there, glittering on the screen: $84,000,000.
"Forty percent, as agreed," I said.
I typed in the account number Jason had given me and hit transfer. Jason’s phone pinged. He pulled it out and stared at the screen. His eyes went wide.
"$33,600,000," he whispered. "We actually did it."
"We did," I said, standing up and buttoning my tuxedo jacket. "The perfect crime."
The announcement for our flight chimed over the speakers.
"That’s us," Zane cheered, grabbing her bag. "Honeymoon time!"
We stood up. I felt lighter than air. I had the money, I had the girl, and the only person who could stop me was rotting in a ditch.
"Enjoy Germany," Jason said, waving his beer bottle at us. "I’m heading to Mexico. Don't look back, Mark."
I squeezed Zane’s hand and smiled. "I never look back."
We walked out of the room toward the runway. I didn't think about Elara. I didn't think about her pain. I only thought about the castles I was going to buy and the fast cars I was going to drive. Elara Vance was just a stepping stone, and I had finally stepped off.