I couldn't sleep all night, I was worried about Eloise. She woke up in the middle of the night, gasping and shivering. She had a nightmare. I consoled her and held her tight in my arms so she could sleep.

In the morning when I came out of the shower I saw her standing in the balcony, watching the busy streets intently. Her back was facing me and she still had my shirt on. The sight of her tempting long slender legs made me hard on. But her stiff body language told me that she was stressing again. I sauntered toward her and snaked my arms around her waist, her alluring scent filled my nostrils. Nuzzling my head in her hair I sniffed her scent. She was so addictive. I wanted to make love to her last night, wanted to take her pain and stress away with my love but I couldn't bring myself to that. Last night she just needed to be held with love.

Shifting her hair on her right shoulder I placed a kiss on the neck then little above, just below her ear. She moaned and arched her back and dropped her head on my shoulder to give more access to her neck. She gripped my hands that were on her waist and inhaled deeply. I showered light kisses on her jaw and then at the back of her neck then shifted her hair to the left shoulder and kissed the right side of the neck.

"You're again thinking," I mumbled, pulling her body against mine. "I told you not to." I kissed her earlobe. She sighed and detached herself from my body and gripped the railing, looking up in the sky.

"How can I not think, Daniel? Everything changed overnight. Despite her mean attitude towards me, I have always loved her 'cause she's my mother. But yesterday's revelations aren't going out of my head. How could she? I mean... Am I just a business deal for her? A fame bearer for her? And she says she loves me. How can I trust her? I don't think she has ever loved me, she has always loved luxuries and publicity. And now I have started to hate her." Her voice cracked.

I sighed and turned her to face me. I cupped her face between my palms. "You don't hate her. You're hurt. Don't overthink, Eloise. I know what your mother did is wrong but I'll suggest you relax and leave everything on time as time has the capability to heal deep wounds. Don't develop hate inside you 'cause it'll give you nothing but torment."

She held my wrist and pushed my hands down and averting her eyes she spoke, "I can give time to my relations with my mother but what about Rick? He gave me 48 hours to answer him and I have only 30 hours left." She ran her hands through the length of her hair locks. "What should I do? I'm...I'm scared, Daniel. For the first time in life, I'm fearing someone. He...he will ruin everything." She started hyperventilating. Not again.

I had had enough of it, I lifted her in my arms and walked towards the couch in the room. I sat on the couch and made her sit on my lap in a straddling position.

"He will do nothing. I'll make sure of it," I said sternly, pinning my hard eyes with her soft ones. "He's coward, he knows that you alone can defeat him that's why he is playing cheap tricks to fill you with fear, breaking you. Enough of fearing that bastard. You were never like this. Where is my strong Eloise, huh? Where is Eloise who never back down without fighting?" I questioned her firmly. She lowered her eyes.

She was forgetting how strong she is.

"Eloise, he's playing with your this." I poked her forehead. "And this." I poked her heart. "He might have made you weak for a little while but what he doesn't know is you're brave, courageous, and bold who knows how to fight back on her own, and this time I'm with you."

A small smile broke on her lips as she nodded her head. I smiled and pinched the tip of her nose.

"Now, cheer up because I want my Eloise back."

"Enough of calling me, Eloise. My full name coming out of your mouth makes me feel odd." She grumbled. Smirking, I arched an eyebrow.

"Why? Isn't this your name?"

"You know what I mean." She creased her eyebrows.

"No, I don't. Please enlighten me." I asked innocently. She scoffed and tried to stand up from my lap. I laughed out loud and tightened my hold on her.

"Okay, sorry, sorry, sorry, my dear Eloiiiiii." I trailed off.

She chuckled and hit my chest. I pulled her closer and brushed my lips against hers. My hands rubbed her both thighs and started moving upwards under the shirt. She moaned and abruptly broke the kiss and raised her eyebrows.

"Mr. Adams, aren't your hands moving in the wrong direction?"

"Oh? Then you want them to move..." Without letting go of the eye contact, I seductively slid my hands down to her thighs and then caressed between her thighs. "...here?"

She blushed profusely and grabbed both of my wrists. "Nowhere, Mister." She jerked my hands at my side and stood up from my lap but I was fast enough to pull her back but this time underneath me on the couch. I didn't give her time to adjust and started tickling her.

"No, Daniel." She laughed but I didn't stop until she was gasping for air. I adoringly looked at her smiling face and kissed the tip of her nose.

"This is what I want, your smile."

She circled her arms around my neck and pecked my lips. "Thank you." She whispered. "Anything for my love," I whispered, kissing her forehead.

"Now, Trish will be coming with your clothes and other stuff and I've also asked Ariana to come and give company to you for the day."

"Why? Can't I accompany you to your workplace?" She frowned.

"You always can but today I'm not going to the office."

"Then where are you going?"

"To show someone who I am."

:::::::::::::::::

"How dare you walk in without permission." Rick burst out the moment I barged in his office.

"I don't need anyone's permission to do what I want," I said dryly as I locked the door from inside. He studied my action with raised eyebrows. I looked at the lock and then at him and smirked.

"We don't want to be disturbed, now do we?"

"Why are you here?" He clenched his jaw, eyeing me suspiciously.

"I had an idea about you being dumb but I didn't know that you are awfully dense," I said sarcastically, making my way towards the chair placed opposite to his desk and sat on it.

"Oh, dense? I think dense here is the person who sent you here as her lawyer." He chuckled wickedly as he sat on his chair. I fisted my hands, controlling myself from beating him.

"Not her fault, she knows I can do multitasking at times." I retorted back coolly, narrowing my eyes.

"I simply asked her to give an answer and being a coward she is, she has sent you to defend her. How thoughtful! If she or you thinks that you can defeat me by coming here and having a talk with me then both of you are living in delusion." He said proudly, an annoying smirk playing on his lips.

Egoistic bastard! He thought I was here to have a chit chat with him. But I wasn't here for that, I was here to show him his place.

I leaned forward, plopping my elbows on the desk. I scratched my right eyebrow and chuckled humorously.

"But Dick —oops my mistake— Rick..." I pinned my mirth filled eyes with his angered ones. "...you have already lost. The one you're calling dense is the sole reason for your defeat."

"I never lose and never will." He shouted back. How dare he shout at me! I was on the edge to stand up and punch him until he bleeds but I remained calm as I hadn't put my point forward yet.

"Okay, let's face this. You thought you always win until you came face to face with strong-willed Eloise who shattered your ego into pieces. Now you're scared, scared of her." I smirked at his sudden shocking expressions but he came back to normal within a second.

"I'm not scared of anyone. You cannot do anything to me. I hold the power in my hands." He retorted back. He was on edge, that's what I wanted.

"Oh, come on, Rick. I don't even need to do anything as she's more than enough for you. She already has pushed you off your limits. She has shown you what losing feels like." I said calmly but dangerously.

"Don't underestimate me. It won't take me a minute to disclose the papers to the media. Then I'll see who has lost." He yelled, banging his palms on the desk. Now we are at point. I clenched my jaw and narrowed my eyes at him.

"If you have even a pea size of the brain you will not do it," I warned him in a dangerously calm tone, keeping my temper in check.

"Don't you dare insult me in my own office or else." He roared, standing up from the chair.

"Else what?" I too stood up in rage. "Again threaten to disclose the contract? That's only what you can do you coward bastard." I gave him a deathly glare. "But have you ever thought about what will happen to you?" No? Let me enlighten you."

I authoritatively sauntered towards him and stood in front of him and clenched and unclenched my fist. "I will expose your dirty business too," I said, gritting my teeth.

"You know nothing." He spat but I heard the hesitation in his voice. I smirked and took a step towards him, going closer.

"Money laundering, illegal basement casinos in your hotels, illegal strip clubs, tax evasion, and most importantly... casting couch...are these enough or you want me to count more?"

Dread surfaced his face, losing all the colors. Still, his eyes squinted in rage. "You don't have any proof." He eyed me incredulously.

"Did you think I would come to threaten you without preparation? Ah! This has proved how stupid you are." I smirked evilly, adjusting his collars in the right place then I abruptly gripped his collars and pulled him to me.

"I've solid proofs against you, you Dick head. It will take no time for me to bring out every single woman who has suffered because of you. Then you'll watch your reputation being tarnished before the whole world, your shares will go down in a jiffy and your businesses will shut in front of your own eyes. You'll be ruined. I'll ruin you." I roared furiously and pushed him back which made him stumble and he fell on his chair.

I placed my one hand on the desk and another on the back of his chair and bent to his eye level.

"Now, will you still do what you wanted to?" I asked. He clenched his jaw and glared at me with blazing eyes but couldn't say anything. I had shut his disgusting mouth.

"Disclose the papers, I dare you," I said and stood straight, and adjusted my suit jacket. I turned around to leave but stopped before I could take a step and again face him.

"Oh, I forgot something." I grabbed his collar and punched him in his face. "This for asking her to leave me." I pulled him up and pushed him against the wall, he groaned. I punched him in the stomach. "This for daring to threaten her."

He coughed and tried to punch me but I held his wrist and twisted at his back and punched in his face again. "This for making her cry."

His nose started bleeding and he was groaning in pain. I pushed him back which made him fall on the floor. I crouched down in front of him. "Eloise is not alone, I'm with her. Stuff this information in this thick head of yours." I poked my finger in his forehead and stood up. I felt great after punching him. He deserved it.

Without giving him another glance, I strode out of his office. I knew that now he would not dare to do anything as he could lose everything.

I sat in my car and drove to my next target, Eloise's mother.

::::::::::

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Elena asked in shock as soon as she opened the door of her apartment.

"Wanted to talk to you," I said. She asked me to come inside and we sat on the couch.

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked.

"You're an educated woman, Elena. This wasn't expected from you." I directly came to the point. She sighed in sadness and averted her eyes.

"Do you know how much have you hurt your daughter?" I said, trying my ultimate best to be polite as I didn't want to offend her with my words but I did want to remind her about her grave mistakes.

She didn't reply instead she lowered her head. She knew she was guilty. Good.

"Eloise loves you a lot but what you have done has broken her trust in you," I said and her head shot up like with a jerk. Her eyes were showing pain. She still couldn't say anything so I continued.

"Do you know how much had she cried last night? She was broken, she was screaming. I had never imagined that I would see her in such a vulnerable state."

"Is...is m.. my daughter okay?" She suddenly asked in worry, her eyes showing pain.

"She is. Because I'm with her. I won't let a strong woman break down just because of someone else's mistakes." I said firmly.

"I know I've committed a grave mistake." She started crying. "I..I was blinded for fame that I didn't notice what I was doing to my daughter and I'm regretting. I'm sorry... I know she hates me now but I love her, I can't afford to lose her." She sobbed.

I sighed and shifted closer to her and engulfed in a warm hug. "You'll not lose her. You've accepted your mistake and you are regretting that's a big thing to do. You just have to say it to Eloise, she'll forgive you. She has a big heart and let me tell you she doesn't hate you she's just hurt." I mumbled, rubbing my palm on her arm in a soothing manner.

My main motive to meet Elena was to make her understand her own mistakes but she was aware of it and was suffering and was in fear of losing her own daughter. This was the biggest punishment she could get. Now, I just wanted to bring mother and daughter together. I didn't want to break any relationship.

"I've tried my best but I failed to protect her." She sobbed and then pulled away. She looked at me with teary eyes and held my hands in hers.

"Daniel, please protect her. Protect her from that hungry vulture. I want my daughter safe." She pleaded.

"Don't worry, she's safe with me. I've already done whatever was needed to protect her and now you too don't have to stress about Rick. He has been taken care of. I'll advise you to stay away from him and if he dares to threaten you again...come to me without hesitation." I reassured her and gave her a smile.

"What did you do?" She asked, frowning.

"I did what was needed to show Rick his place, nothing else."

She still looked at me in doubt. I squeezed her hands and smile. "Rest assured, everything is under my control."

"Thank you so much and I'm so sorry. In order to protect my daughter, I advised her to stay away from you but she straightforwardly denied and now I know why." She studied my face in admiration. "You're a sweet person and through your determination, I can see how much you love my daughter."

I couldn't say anything so I just smiled sweetly in return.

"I'm sorry, Daniel for judging you wrongly." She mumbled.

"It's okay, it happens. And hey, I told Eloise that I will win your heart too, and guess what? I won." I grinned. This made her smile too. At last, she smiled.

I remained at her place for a few more minutes then bid her goodbye.

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Elena was sobbing thinking she had always been wrong. She had done many wrong things and judging Daniel was one of them. But after having a talk with him, she was satisfied that her daughter has got a man like Daniel in her life. She was somewhere sure that he would protect Eloise from any danger in the world.

On the other hand, Rick was fuming in anger. "How dare that Daniel lay hands on me. How dare he threaten me!" He muttered while clearing the traces of blood with the tissue. He was shaking in anger and wanted revenge on him and Eloise. But he knew he wouldn't be able to disclose the papers as his own reputation will be tarnished and he would definitely go to jail if his illegal doings comes out.

But he still wasn't going to back down. He wanted Eloise and he was determined that he would get her. He just had to catch her alone and bring her to him. He was going to show them that he will not back down easily.

He called Michael, the one who would do anything for him as he was giving him money and fame. Michael came to meet him in his office.

"What happened to you?" Michael asked him, looking at his black eye and swollen nose.

"Cut this crap and listen to me," Rick growled, he wasn't in the mood to give answers to anyone.

"I want Eloise."

Micheal looked at him with raised eyebrows thinking what had happened to this man all of a sudden. Why did he want Eloise?

"Do whatever you may but I want her standing before my eyes. Do it as early you can and I'll fill your pockets with money." Rick offered. "I want to defeat Daniel at all costs and ruining Eloise will be the biggest defeat for him."

Michael's ears perked up listening to the offer. Well, he was going to question him about all this matter but now he wouldn't as he was going to get money and fame, after all, that's what all he cares about besides he too wanted to take revenge on Daniel for insulting him at the party.

"Consider your work done," Michael smirked.

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