Lured into Lies by Melanie Martins
Chapter 6
Manhattan, November 6, 2020
Petra Van Gatt
When Alex and I left New York three weeks ago, I never thought a judge would be ordering us to come back for a hearing against my parents––especially not so soon. The hate I have for their controlling behavior is beyond imagination. Despite the county court rejecting my mom’s petition to grant her guardianship, Eric didn’t even bother to drop the charges filed against Alex. What a horrible bunch! As Ryan said, they are just doing it to bring us back to New York. And it’s working, since here we are, in a plane, heading back to the States. I remain quiet, looking out of my window, while Alex and his legal team are finalizing their defense strategy for the hearing that will happen in a few days. I can’t think of anything more humiliating than having to go to a court and prove to a bunch of people that I wasn’t kidnapped and that I’m not insane or crazy for loving him. Him—the man I have known for as long as I can recall and who loves and cares for me more than those so-called parents of mine. Yes, it might seem odd for the outside world that we are together, but that shouldn’t be their business in the first place. It’s our love, meaning it’s between us and only us. My attention goes to my fiancé, and as I look at him, there’s a small smile sprawling across my lips. Despite his flaws, despite his past, despite everything we are going through, I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else but him.
“I only see death and misery, Miss.”
Death and misery… I might have left Bermuda, yet Louise’s voice and her prediction are still here, haunting my every thought. I close my eyes, trying to chase those words away. But as I try to do so, my mind replays that evening with crisp imagery, and I remember the way she left the sofa and walked away, her expression so grave and sinister.
“Petra?”
I blink twice, my eyes alighting on Alex and Ryan who are both looking at me. I rub my eyes, not realizing how long I had been in my head.
“Ryan suggested to have another testimony that is not mine or yours. Do you think Emma would be available?”
As I ponder his suggestion, Ryan takes over. “Roy and Tess will testify and will most likely paint a very misguided opinion of Alex to the judge. We need an outsider that can do the opposite.”
“Well, Emma should be perfect,” I tell them.
Since I’m not sure if she’s still in New York or not, I take my iPhone, turn it on, and go to the messages app to text her. Inside the app though, I find Matthew’s newest unread messages popping up. What a pity he sided with my parents instead of me. We were supposed to be friends, or so I thought. Now that we are no longer in Bermuda, I feel tempted to read them. After all, we have a presentation to finish for philosophy and there’s no more reason to keep myself disconnected from the world since we are landing in a few minutes.
I decide to read what he has to say, with zero intent to respond: You haven’t been present for the past two classes, and I must say, it feels odd not having you here. Now I don’t have anyone to rant about Ayn Rand to since they all agree with me and it’s so boring! Anyway, I hope you are safe and happy wherever you are. P.S: This was a big text just to say I miss you.
Wow. That’s not the kind of message that I expected from him, especially after leaving his house in the middle of the night right before his birthday. He sounds rather sincere and nice. I keep scrolling and read another one: I know you must be furious at me for supporting your parents with their guardianship request, but I want you to know I did it because I genuinely care about you and your health. If you ever feel like talking, let me know. P.S: we need to finish our presentation ASAP. Prof Reich decided to change the delivery date, and it’s now due on Nov. 15.
Shit. The fifteenth? Oh crap… While I don’t intend to keep a close friendship with him, we do have a study to finish, so I decide to text him and say, Hi, Matt, thanks for the texts. We do need to finish it, yeah. Is the library open? We can meet there tomorrow.
Then I text Emma, asking her if she’s in town along with a brief explanation of what’s happening. Not even a minute later, Matt’s reply pops up.
Hey!! All good? Welcome back to New York! I was actually planning on spending the day there tomorrow. Feel free to join!
I’ve missed that library quite a bit, in fact; the environment there is so quiet and serious that I always managed to focus more there than anywhere else. Since Emma hasn’t yet answered, I text Matthew back: Alright, deal, see you tomorrow.
* * *
I thought I wouldn’t miss Manhattan or the cold weather that shivers my bones and makes me feel like I’m in the midst of a snowstorm without any snow, but as we reach the condo, there’s that nostalgic feeling in me that pinches my heart. I wouldn’t hesitate moving to Singapore or anywhere else, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t miss here. Feeling a little buzz in my pocket, I take my iPhone and check the new text message.
Babe, so glad you’re back! When can we meet? Btw, no prob for the hearing. Tell Ryan to contact me whenever he can. X.
Smiling at the screen, I knew Emma would accept it without hesitation. I ask, Are you at home?
Yep. Wanna come?she replies in a few seconds.
I check my watch and notice it’s barely noon.
Okay, let’s have lunch together.
Since Alex and his legal team are now in the dining room, still discussing that court hearing, I knock on the door for the sake of politeness, and after stepping in, I say to Ryan, “Um, Emma is okay to do a testimony if needed. You can call her whenever you want to arrange the details.”
“Oh, that’s fantastic,” he praises. “Well done.”
Then I look at my fiancé and say, “I’m gonna have lunch at her place.”
As I’m about to step outside, I hear his voice echoing across the room suddenly. “Wait. I’ll call your driver.”
My eyes widen in surprise, and I turn, looking at him as he’s already making a phone call. “My driver?” I repeat, just to confirm that’s what I heard.
Alex doesn’t reply as he finishes to instruct a so-called Zach over the phone to come in.
Oh dear, don’t tell me I’ll have someone following me wherever I go.
The doorbell startles me, and I frown, wondering if Zach was the man I saw standing in the corridor outside the penthouse. I thought he was someone from his security.
His. Not mine.
Alex stands up from his seat and leaves the dining room, gesturing me to do the same.
As we set foot in the entryway, we find Maria opening the door and welcoming the very same man that I saw standing outside.
“Petra, this is Zach, your new chauffeur. He will drive you wherever you need to go.”
Yet, Zach is not alone, and there are two men right behind him. “And who are these two men standing behind him?” I ask Alex, his expression deepening.
“Your new security,” he says without an ounce of bother.
I chuckle immediately; it must be a prank or something. “I don’t need security to follow me wherever I go.”
Alex steps closer to me, and as we face each other, he lowers his voice, trying to be more discreet. “Your parents tried to inject you with a microchip,” he reminds me. “Who knows what they are capable of?”
“They won’t kidnap me,” I snap. “Otherwise they will lose the case immediately.” But Alex keeps staring at me, unconvinced. “That would be such a poor move from their side.”
Despite my arguments, his expression remains just as serious. “Poor move or not, I don’t want to take any risks.”
“Alex, I’m just going to see Emma. That’s it.” My patience is running low with his overbearing attitude. “It’s a very protected estate,” I insist. “I don’t want a security team to follow my every move.” I keep looking him straight in the eyes, hoping he’ll reconsider.
Alex draws out a breath, thinking something through. “They will stay here, but Zach takes you there and brings you back once you are done.”
I heave a sigh, annoyed at his attitude. There’s nothing wrong with booking an Uber, and I’m pretty sure Alex knew I wouldn’t like to have someone he appointed to drive me around, which might explain why he brought those two extra security agents. Accepting my request to not bring them with me would look like he’s conceding. Shaking my head in displeasure, I head toward the front door and leave the house without saying anything further.
Reaching outside the building, the cold wind freezes my bones on the spot, and I shiver instantly. Jeez, I’m still not used to the cold after spending my last two weeks under the Caribbean sun. Zach opens the door for me to get into the backseat, and I’m glad to see the car is not some extravagant Rolls Royce, but a normal black Mercedes-S. As I get in, I notice there are two Evian water bottles placed in the cup holder of the middle seat—a small gesture but truly appreciated given the fact it’s a fifty-minute ride.
Despite Zach being a very polite and courteous driver, I can’t bring myself to forget what Alex did. Why does he need to be so controlling like Dad was?
“Is the temperature okay, Miss?” Zach asks, looking at me from the rear-view mirror.
“It’s perfect, thanks.”
“If you need anything, just let me know,” he says.
“Thanks.” I put in my AirPods and start listening to my favorite playlist.
Fifty minutes later, Zach drops me off right in front of the entrance to Emma’s house, where the sky is just as grey as in the city. When I left the country three weeks ago, I never thought I would be able to see her so soon. My eyes alight on the one and only Emma Hasenfratz, who’s standing on the front porch waiting for me, with her black, short hair which is always so perfectly styled, along with a pair of shorts that she’s sporting so effortlessly that it chills me by just looking at it. Boy, how can she cope with the cold like that?
I leave the car and shut the door without giving Zach a second thought. Walking toward her, I ask, “You stayed in New York the whole time?” My tone is as excited as the big smile on her face.
“Nah, I came back yesterday from Tulum,” she explains, before opening her arms wide to give me a hug. “Gosh, it’s so good to see you.” Emma embraces me tightly in her arms, and we stay hugging each other for a few more seconds than usual before she releases me and starts checking me out. “Wow, Ms. Van Gatt has got a tan. You look great.”
Dropping my gaze at her compliment, I smile shyly. “Thanks.”
She then takes me by the hand, bringing me into her house, and we head to the living room.
“Did Yara or Julia already call you for our trip to the Netherlands?” she asks.
My eyes widen in surprise at her question. While Margaret did invite me to stay at her estate for a fews days before the wedding, I didn’t know Emma had also been invited. “Um, yes. Margaret invited me. You’re also joining?”
“Yep. It’s gonna be so fun! Yara told me I can stay at her mom’s house.”
“Oh, I see you and Yara are getting along well.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty dope.” We then take a seat on the sofa and Emma asks, “Have you stayed at Margaret’s place before?”
“Yeah, I spent last Christmas there. It’s a pretty big estate, you’ll like it.”
“Alright, cool.” Emma seems to have another question in mind as she looks at me pensively. “Um, what about your dad? Is he gonna attend the ceremony?”
“After everything he’s trying to do?” I ask, although mostly to myself. “I don’t think so, no.” Which honestly sucks, but she doesn’t need to know that.
“That’s so fucked up. What about Matt?”
My brows crease immediately. “Matt? What about him?”
“Yeah, I mean, are you still talking to him?”
Why on earth is she asking me about him? The question is on the tip of my tongue, yet I decide to answer hers first, keeping it as short as possible. “Um, just for the sake of a study we are doing together.”
“You know he came here with your parents and his dad. And, like, his dad is just as fucked up as yours, but I appreciate him.”
“You do?” Now I’m even more surprised by what I’m hearing. “How come?”
“Yeah, he was worried about you, and he told me when Alex left, you weren’t eating shit, and he had to do livestreams and watch you eat.” Oh, I do remember that perfectly well. Yeah, Matt is a nice person no matter what. “He seems to care a lot about you. You shouldn’t ignore him.”
“He’s against my relationship though,” I tell her. It feels weird to talk about Matthew with Emma. I mean, there’s literally nothing to talk about when it comes to him. “He will do anything to tear us apart.”
“Nah, I don’t think he’d go that far. I think that’s mostly your mom pulling the strings.” Her comment leaves me totally perplexed. Did Matt persuade Emma to give me a word about him?
“Um, well, I have to meet him to finish a project we are working on for philosophy, but that’s it,” I explain, aiming to close the subject once and for all.
“Alright, you do you.” And while I smile at her answer, thinking we’d moved on, Emma manages to piss me off as she says, “Just don’t be too tough on him.”
“Did he ask you to give me a word or what?” I ask bluntly.
“More or less,” she confesses, before reaching for her pack of cigarettes that is lying on a low table, not too far from her crystal ashtray. “We just spoke a bit while he was here with his dad.” Well, at least she’s honest about it. A few seconds of silence ensues while Emma lights up her cigarette and exhales the smoke. “How is the preparation for the hearing coming along?”
Ah! Finally the subject of discussion I came here for. “It’s going well. We have to be there at eight-thirty, so don’t be late,” I tell her.
“No worries, I’ll be on time,” she says, before taking another puff on her cigarette.
“Ryan will make up a few questions about me and Alex, and mostly stuff related to his behavior toward me and so on. But he’ll talk to you on Tuesday so that you can be ready.” And before she can say something, I lay my hand on hers. Lowering my voice, I add, “Thank you for doing this. You have no idea how much it means to me.”
“I know, girl.” She gives me a quick pat on the arm, and the gesture feels so familiar that it warms my heart. “And, um, are you confident he’s gonna win?”
“I hope so. Ryan said it’s just a formality before we celebrate victory.”
“That’s great,” she answers back. “So if he wins, your parents will let you live in peace? Or do you think they’ll come up with something else?”
“Gosh, I hope not.” And I actually shiver at the idea they could have another twisted plan in mind that we know nothing about. “I wish Dad could set himself free from Mom though.”
“Yeah, she seems to be even worse than him. I never thought she could be so overbearing.”
“Oh yeah, she is the worst. Alex now wants me to have a private chauffeur and security because of what she tried to do,” I disclose.
“You mean, the injection?”
The simple thought of it sends chills up my spine, and I try my best not to remember that day. “Yeah…” I close my eyes to calm myself down, but my mind starts replaying the moment when Dr. Nel took that syringe and glass vial out of her briefcase while my parents didn’t bat an eye. While I knew Mom wouldn’t care less, I felt so betrayed by my dad’s compliance. This is not something I’ll easily forget.
Emma keeps observing me attentively as she seems to be thinking something through. “Do you want me to take care of her?”
I blink twice, totally baffled. “What?” I utter, unsure if I heard her question properly or not. But given her facial expression, it looks like she isn’t joking. “Of course not,” I tell her immediately, seeing how serious she seems to be about it. “Mom is just freaking out because of my relationship. Once she understands there is nothing she can do, she will leave us alone.”
“And what if she doesn’t?” she pushes further.
I try to hide my outrage, but my jaw already dropped. How can she ask me that? How? “I’m not into killing anyone, Emma,” I say, this time my tone more insistent. Jeez! It’s crazy how she can think it’s okay to kill someone. “Especially the woman who gave me life.”
“Alright…” While I’m still pretty shocked at what she had in mind, Emma just blows out the smoke and taps the cigarette against the ashtray, letting the ashes fall into it. She then casually smiles at me and says, “As you wish.”