Chapter 74

Taylor bit down on her freshly manicured fingernails, her cell phone image stuck in her pupils. She paced back and forth along the length of her work desk, her cell phone unnervingly lying there like a ghost. The motionlessness of it disconcerted her.
She’d not too long ago overheard the news; the one where Mia was missing. Taylor’s nostrils flared, breathing converted into an arduous venture. Coincidences were rare in her circle of people. The correlation between the revelation of Mia’s affair to Gabriel and her disappearance was too prominent an affair to ignore.

She removed her nails from between her teeth, her tongue hurling loose flakes of nail polish away from her mouth. Gabriel had gone crazy! She dug her nails into the sides of her head. He’d gone too far. Taylor grabbed the cell phone in her quivering hands. She had to do something. She never wanted anyone to get hurt, especially not Mia.
She searched for a number, an email. Anything that could help her contact Harvey Regal, but their website was under construction. Taylor groaned in frustration, an overwhelming sense of urgency paralysed her to the point of her cell phone sliding out of her fingers. She dashed to the door, running into the elevator.
Perhaps, she could help them find her. She’d been with Gabriel for years and he barely hid anything from her. There must be something she could do. A start would be to help the Regals’. She knew the investigation would be planned around Harvey, the news reports made that quite obvious.
She eventually drove her car into a parking space; two parking spaces. She hadn’t time to worry about occupying an extra park. She switched her car off and bolted towards the building. At the front desk, she was being turned away.

“I am sorry ma’am, this is not a good time. Mr. Regal is not amenable to making himself available for anyone.” She looked at Taylor’s frantic eyes with compassion but there was nothing she could do. Their boss was under investigation; his company’s reputation was taking a hit and apparently the woman he was seeing is married and now missing. Harvey Regal had other priorities.

“He’ll want to hear what I have to say, I can help him.” Taylor pleaded with the astounded girl. Her eyes searching in the air for another way to reject Taylor’s request.

“Please.” Taylor hung onto the marble counter, slightly leaning forward.

“I-I..” The girl struggled to formulate any words. She’d told Harvey and Ethan that she wasn’t suited for the front desk. But did they listen? She struggled with turning people away, with being unable to satisfy someone’s needs when they acted as if their life depended on it; just as this other woman was acting. But they’d assured her that her compassion was just what they needed for clients when they first entered their building. She wasn’t so sure.

“Is everything alright here?” Ethan and his wife had strolled into the building, their steps quickening. Taylor turned to face him, she recognised him instantly. He was Harvey’s business partner. But his eyes hadn’t touched her.

“I was just explaining that Mr. Regal is unavailable,” Natalie responded unsurely, happy for the save.

“But I really need to see him, right now.” Taylor had straightened, her voice shaking from the anxiety laden in them.

“I know you.” Ethan’s eyes darkened as he lowered his eyes, exchanging quick, noticeable glances with his wife. “She can talk to us.” Peyton laid an arm on her husband’s arm, walking ahead of him and leading Taylor upstairs.

“Whatever you had to discuss with Harvey, you can say it to us.” Peyton drew out a seat for Taylor while Ethan closed the door behind them. He leaned against the door, allowing his wife to take the lead on this discussion. He knew they were thinking the same thing. Was she here to derail and distract them? She was Gabriel’s mistress after all.

“I don’t know how to say this.” Taylor lowered her head, eyeing her fingers in her lap while they played about with each other in a nervy dance.

“Take your time.” Peyton diminished the need to be quick and precise.

“There is no time.” Taylor sucked in a huge breath. “It’s my fault Mia’s missing and every second more that she isn’t found is killing me.” Her voice cracked.
Ethan leaned off the door and gazed at the back of this woman’s head in confusion. “What do you mean?” Peyton eased her husband’s rising tension with one glance.

“I told Gabriel about her affair with Harvey.” She exposed her involvement.

“Affair?” Ethan couldn’t hold his tongue. “You mean it’s deplorable when she does it but when you and Gabriel did it, it was all fine?” Ethan slurred the words, his communication skills hampered by his anger.
She didn’t reply. “I may be able to help, I know in my gut Gabriel is behind this.”

“Do you know where he might be keeping her?” Peyton questioned. She would have had to be blind to not see the guilt in Taylor’s eyes but guilt was a reactive emotion, if she’d only been proactive then none of this would be happening. Peyton couldn’t hold her hand and give her the comfort she craved, not while Mia was out missing and Harvey was searching for her.

“He has a lot of property that he bought under a false alias, I-I made a list.” She pulled out her cell phone and played the recording she made while driving.

“Are you really here to help?” Ethan had come up beside his wife.

“I am, I honestly don’t know things became like this,” She confessed, her eyes filling up.

“Then why did you tell him?” Peyton questioned.

“I thought it would make him finally give up on Mia and finally love me again.” She said, the words sounding pathetic to her own ears.

“If you really want to help ,be a part of our witnesses during the trial.” Peyton told her, rising from her seat. “We’ll be in touch.” She walked over to the door and held it open for Taylor.
Taylor remained seated despite being asked to leave. “What about finding Mia?” She shifted in her seat. They hadn’t even asked for a copy of the file.

“Harvey and the authorities are already on their way to find her.” Ethan responded coldly.

***

“How dare you fucking touch her?” Harvey growled ferociously, “I am going to kill you.” He snatched up the collars of Gabriel’s shirt, slightly lifting him off the floor, his lips rolled back to reveal his dripping fangs; he was taking his pound of flesh and then some from this man. The image of Mia, blooded and bruised behind him seared into his brain until that was all he could see.
Gabriel coughed as he regained his breath from the blow, a flagrant laughter erupting out from him, its vivacity hindered only by the pain shooting through his body.

“If I may,” a voice flowed out of the shadows. Mia glanced around, squinting but she couldn’t make out any figures. “men like him usually suffer more in life than in death.”

“How do you guarantee that happens?” Harvey questioned of the veiled entity.

“Let her finish what she started.” Harvey landed a blow across Gabriel’s face to wipe that smug smile off. His neck twisted around and Harvey threw him back on the floor. He gazed back at Mia, her eyes were roaming, unfocused. He gazed down on Gabriel, trying to stand himself, Harvey kicked him back down and then he saw it.
That must have been what Draven was speaking off.

Blood pooled and stained Gabriel’s trousers. “Don’t get up, you won’t be able to escape.” Harvey recommended. It was taking everything in him not to rip this man limb from limb. Harvey strolled over to Mia, “What do you want to do?” He asked her. He couldn’t begin to understand how she’d suffered in the last two days alone. As much as he wanted revenge, she needed it.

Mia dragged herself to her feet taking a shard of broken glass with her as she stumbled forward. Gabriel was attempting to get up, the blow to his head from Harvey had disoriented him. Harvey sent another blow to Gabriel's chest, knocking the breath out of him. Mia knelt down and stared at Gabriel’s eyes.

“I’d do it all again.” He spat blood on the side of him and smiled at her menacingly. “Was it as good for you as it was for me?” He hackled, reaching a hand out to touch her thigh. Mia screamed out in rage, bringing the shard of glass down onto his lower body again and again and again.
Gabriel screamed out in pain, as his legs and penis was being nicked over and over. She kept recoiling but she kept coming back again. When the last bit of energy left her body Mia raised to her feet, the shard of glass clattering to the floor as tears ran down her cheeks. Blood splattered across her arms, face, neck and clothes. She stumbled backwards, her legs giving way beneath her. Strong arms cradled her against Harvey’s chest.

“You found me.” She collapsed in his arms, her eyes weighing down by heavy anchors as she glimpsed him again; this time closer.

“I found you.” He said, tightening his grip on her as she slipped into unconsciousness. He had Draven to thank for that, the man had pulled whatever strings he had to get Harvey out of Police custody faster than Raya could, finding Gabriel’s hiding spot within hours. He’d even offered to come along as back up. After all this interaction, Harvey was yet to see his face. Their one on one interaction had been conducted with Draven's face being covered by a black face mask that only revealed his eyes and a ball cap. But it didn’t matter. Mia had been found and Harvey would make sure everyone who had a hand in her suffering would feel his wrath.

“Take her outside; the ambulance will be here soon.” Draven had stepped slightly out of the shadows, his eyes glowing through the darkness, his lips all that were semi-visible. “No need to worry, she just exerted herself.” He placated Harvey’s worry.
Draven then gazed down at Gabriel, his lips curling up into a sinister smile. “He’ll want to die every single day he wakes up, and I bet he’ll try to.” Draven drawled. “But I’ll make sure he lives a very long and healthy life.”

“Thank you.” Harvey said to the man again, the sounds of the sirens filling the air as police and EMT’s swarmed inside. They took Mia from Harvey’s arms and carried her away on a stretcher. They also attended to Gabriel, the Police handcuffing him. Draven had slipped out undetected.

***
At the hospital, Harvey waited with his friends and family, along with Mia’s sister and her husband to be able to see her. She was getting cleaned up, her wounds being attended too. She’d regained consciousness halfway to the hospital, the police clamouring about to get a statement from her.
Out of it, apart from Gabriel, his mother was also arrested as an accessory to his recent crimes. Nylah was facing disbarment and Taylor, well her own guilt was destroying her. The news was finally corrected and Harvey’s family’s reputation was restored, even strengthened.

“She’s asking to see Mr. Regal now.” The nurse came out together with Amber and Amiyah. They’d gone in previously to see Mia. She’d been hysterically asking for her daughter from the time she was conscious. They all thanked heavens that Amiyah was too young to understand the severity of the situation her mother had just escaped.
Harvey stood up and followed the nurse into Mia’s room. She was sitting up in bed. The palms of her hands bandaged but he could still see the restraint marks around her wrist and the bite mark on her neck. His heart ached.
He sat at the edge of the bed. He wanted to touch her, to hug her but she looked so bruised that he didn’t know if he should. Mia slid her hand into his and smiled.

“I have to discuss something with you.” She said, her hands shaking. He rubbed his thumbs against her flesh, ready to hear whatever she had to say, instead Mia looked across to the doctor who’d been speaking to her moments before.

“In cases such as this, we usually give a dosage of emergency contraception to prevent pregnancies that may arise, however, they work by postponing ovulation but Mia may have already ovulated rendering the medication ineffective. The other option if Mia is found to be pregnant is abortion, it is generally illegal except for particular reasons; rape being one of them. The problem here is that Mia indicated to me that you have had unprotected sex recently as well.” The doctor gazed back at Mia for confirmation and so did Harvey.

How could he have been so neglectful? Harvey hadn’t even realised that he’d been so careless with her. Not that he would mind if she was having his child. He knew what he wanted and that was everything that involved Mia.

“We did.” Harvey confirmed. The memory resurfacing without much effort on his part.

“If a pregnancy arises, it’s difficult to determine paternity just based on date of conception.” The doctor continued. “Now, I am not saying she is pregnant, but there is always that possibility.” The doctor clarified, “and as of now, if such a pregnancy were to be detected then there are two possible fathers.” She was gazing at Harvey, directing the explanation to him and he knew this was already discussed at length between the doctor and Mia.

“She also said testing paternity too early in a pregnancy or even during the pregnancy can have risks.” Mia added on, not meeting his gaze.

“I’ll leave you to discuss.” The doctor nodded, walking outside.

“I don’t really know what to think, there are all these options and procedures that I just cannot wrap my head around.” Mia said to him as the door closed, locking them in alone.

“What do you want to do?” Harvey brushed his fingers across her cheeks.

“If I am pregnant, whether the baby is yours or not, I do not think I have it in me to…” Mia croaked, clearing her throat. “I can’t give him or her up.” She gazed into Harvey’s eyes, knowing that she may lose him with her decision.

“Whether the child is mine or not,”Harvey leaned closer to Mia, searching her eyes. “I will be right by your side, loving them and doing right by them.” He told her honestly. “It doesn’t matter to me whether I share the same genes.”

“You don’t have to shoulder any responsibility, Harvey.” She told him, especially if he was not the father.

“That’s what husbands do.” Harvey replied cheekily.

“We aren’t married,” Mia shook her head in confusion.

“Not yet.” He agreed. Mia chuckled softly. “Isn’t it too early for you to be making such promises?” Mia shot back with an eye roll.

“I know what I want, Mia. I am smart enough not to let it go.” He assured her.
Mia couldn’t control the tears rolling down her cheeks. Her chest constricted. What did she do to deserve such a man in her life? “You know when I was tied up in that house, I kept thinking that I would never see you again.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “I kept regretting not telling you,” she cupped his face with her hands, butterflies fluttering about in her stomach as she gazed upon him, upon every perfect line and crease.

“Telling me what?” Harvey prompted her.

“How much I love you.” Mia whispered, easing into his arms. Harvey’s chest warmed and he laid his cheek against her head. He’d been waiting to hear those words from her, craving it even. “I love you. Nothing is going to change that.” He reassured her.
They hung on each other in a profoundly intense and still embrace. Mia rubbed her face into his chest, breathing in his scent. “How lucky I am to have met you.” The full strength of her voice was muffled against the walls his chest.

“How lucky are we to have found each other.” Harvey corrected her. Feeling every bit as fortunate to be able to hold her in his arms again with the knowledge that he’d never again have to think about a life without her in it.