Chapter 101 He May or May Not Have Killed Her Parents

Eden's POV:

"Eden," Noah whispers, shaking me slightly.

I hadn't realised that I'd fallen asleep, my head resting on my grandma's hospital bed while I hold her hand desperately tight.

"You need to rest," he tells me. "Let me take you home?"

"I don't want to..." I begin, my voice drifting away. "I won't leave her."

Martin is sitting on the opposite side of the bed, a sad look on his face.

"Eden, I can call you if anything happens," he offers but I shake my head.

"No," I insist. "You guys can go, but I'm not leaving."

"I'm staying with you," Noah says sternly. He's got a strange look on his face like he wants to say something but is holding it back, probably because he's worried about me.

"At least, let me get you something to eat," Martin says, getting to his feet.

"I'm not really hungry," I say with a yawn.

I don't even know what time it is. Am I supposed to be hungry right now? Looking down at my watch, I'm surprised to find it's close to midnight. I don't even know how Martin would manage to get me something to eat. Unless he knows where all the all-night eateries are, something I definitely don't.

"You guys should go home," I say, stretching my arms above my head. "It's so late and you both have work in the morning."

Neither of them look like they care about that. I get that they're worried but the constant hovering isn't really necessary.

Noah's POV:

I can't believe she's suggesting I just leave her here on her own, or worse with Martin! Martin who may or may not have KILLED her parents.

It's completely incomprehensible to me that she's letting him stay. Surely, she's as worried as I am about the idea that he may be the one to have stolen all that money from the company. And yet to look at her smiling gratefully at him, it would appear not.

Perhaps she hasn't read James's email yet.

That's the only option that actually makes sense. Because if she had read it, she'd have mentioned it by now. There's no way she's been sitting on that information all day without so much as one sour look at the man.

I know Eden and she's not very good at holding her tongue.

If she was worried about her grandma's safety around Martin - something she possibly should be - there's no way, he'd still be here.

"Eden, I've told you already," I say gruffly, "I'm not leaving."

"I'll go grab some coffees," Martin tells us, before crossing the room to the door.

When we're finally alone, I think I've finally found my moment to raise my concerns with Eden but I'm not quick enough. She breaks the silence first.

"I can't believe she didn't tell me," she says almost mournfully.

"It's not your fault," I try to reassure her.

"Why wouldn't she feel that she could tell me then?" she demands, turning to look at me.

"I think she was trying to protect you."

"I don't need f*cking protecting."

"I know," I tell, herpulling her hands into mine, "but that's what family does, isn't it? They protect each other..."

She doesn't like my explanation but she allows me to pull her into a sort of hug, or as close to a hug as possible when we're both sitting in metal framed chairs.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you," she whispers.

"It's okay."

"No. It's not... When I agreed to this, I didn't know you or... what you'd end up meaning to me."

"I know."

"People don't usually see me," she says in a tone that suggests she's telling me her deepest secret. "They see money... They see what they can get. But they never see me."

"So you wanted to be someone else?" I ask. This might not be the conversation we need to be having right now, but I'm fascinated. I want to understand her decision.

"I wanted to see what it was like not to be Eden Clancy, heiress or Eden Clancy, rich girl. I just wanted to be me. To be Eden..."

"I can understand that."

"It's okay if you don't. It doesn't make a lot of sense even to me. When grandma suggested it, I laughed in her face... I really didn't want to work at the company."

"Why?" I ask, stroking the back of her hand with my thumb.

"It felt unfair," she admits. "It's grandma's company. It's her dream... her's and my dad's but it was never mine. I don't really have my own dreams, aspirations or whatever and mostly that's because my life's kind of been mapped out for me."

I'm quiet as she takes a steadying breath.

"I'm her heir and that means I get the company, I get to be responsible for all those people... the employees... I get to devote my life to someone else's dream and it kind of sucks... or at least, I used to think it did."

"Not now?"

"No... You changed that. You and the team."

I can't help but feel a little bit proud that I might have influenced her decision to keep the company.

"I think I was scared," she admits.

"Of what?"

"Being a disappointment," she tells me, her eyes wide. "It's like the doll's house. I couldn't finish it because I didn't think it would be good enough. Not as good as my dad's..."

"But it was. It is. Your house is possibly the best Clancy House yet."

"Maybe... I don't know." She shrugs off the praise almost as if she doesn't hear it. "Until I came to work at Clancy's, I didn't realise I could... or that I wanted to. I've never felt closer to my family than I do now..."

I open my mouth, ready to tell her about what James told me when the door opens and Martin walks in carrying a tray of coffees.

"I thought you might appreciate a biscuit or two as well," Martin says conversationally, completely oblivious to the serious conversation he's just interrupted.

"Thank you, Martin," Eden replies, pulling her hand away from my grasp so she can accept her drink.

I eye Martin suspiciously. I really don't trust the man. Then again, I'm not the best judge of character. I didn't trust Eden when we first met and she turned out to be the company's heiress. I really need to discuss this with Eden. She's good at reading people. I might not trust my own judgement, but surely, I can trust hers.