<b>Chapter </b><b>34 </b>
<i>-Thomas</i><b><i>‘ </i></b>POV<b><i>: </i></b>
Thomas arrived at the Ivy around 12:30pm. As he made his way past the reception, he could see the friend that informed Andrew of Damon’s return. Walking over, Thomas began to ask where Damon was. Before he could finish, the man waived his hand in the air.
“<i>First </i>things, <i>first </i><i>Lockwood</i>, <i>that </i><i>assistant </i>of <i>yours </i><i>said </i>I’d <i>be </i><ipensated </i>for <i>my </i><i>information</i><i>.</i>”
Thoams looked at the man withplete disgust.
“So, you’d <i>sell </i><i>your </i><i>friend </i>out <i>for </i><i>money</i><i>, </i><i>how </i><i>disgraceful</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
The man scoffed.
“<i>Whatever</i>, <i>you </i><i>want </i><i>the </i><i>information</i><i>, </i><i>it’s </i><i>gonna </i>cost <i>you</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Thomas pulled his checkbook out and wrote the man a check for two thousand dors. After cing the check in his pocket, he pointed over to the section Damon was sitting with his friends.
“<i>Pleasure </i><i>doing </i><i>business </i><i>with </i><i>you </i><i>Lockwood</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Thomas made his way to the section, hopefully he could find out where Rabena was in time for the ball.
Damon wasughing with his friends Jake and Chris. They had been his best friends since grade school and was upset when he left.
“Man look <i>at </i><i>you</i><i>! </i><i>The </i><i>west </i><i>has </i><i>been </i><i>good </i><i>to </i><i>you</i><i>! </i><i>Still </i><i>pissed </i><i>at </i><i>you </i><i>for </i>leaving <i>us </i><i>though</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Chris joked as he gave Damon a soft punch to the arm. Jake chimed in as
well.
“Yeah dude, I can’t <i>believe </i><i>you </i>ditched us<i>! </i><i>We’ve </i><i>really </i>missed you!”
Damon smiled sheepishly at his friends, when he’d decided to leave with Rabena, everything happened so fast he didn’t get the chance to really say goodbye.
“Sorry guys<i>. </i><i>I </i>had to protect <i>my </i><i>little </i>sister <i>though</i><i>.</i>”
Both Chris and Jake knew about the hell Rabena had been through at the hands of Thomas and the Crests, so even though they missed their friend, theypletely understood.
<i>“</i>Nah, <i>we </i>understand. <i>I </i>would have done the same thing for my sister. How is Rabena<i>?</i>”
Jake asked as he stuffed fries in his mouth.
1/3 <fnf86a> Read full story at find[f]ovel</fnf86a>
12:44 <b>Sat</b><b>, </b><b>30 </b>Aug
<i>“</i><i>She’s </i>doing <i>great </i><i>actually</i><i>. </i><i>She’s </i><i>really </i>grown <i>up </i><i>and </ie <i>into </i><i>her </i>own<i>. </i><i>I’ve </i><i>got </i><i>to </i><i>see </i><i>her </i><i>in </i><i>a </i><i>totally </i><i>new </i><i>light</i>. It’s so much <i>I </i>got to <i>catch </i><i>y’all </i><i>up </i>on.”
Damon looked at his watch, hisst friend Raymond was also supposed toe, but he still hadn’t arrived.
“<i>Hey</i><i>, </i>wasn’t Raymond supposed toe too?”
Chris looked at his phone.
“Yeah it <i>looks </i><i>like </i><i>he </i><i>just </i><i>texted </i>me <i>saying </i><i>something </i><i>came </i><i>up</i><i>. </i><i>Guess </i><i>he </i><i>isn’t </i><iing</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Damon didn’t mind; he’d never really cared for Raymond. He hung out with him only because of Chris, same for Jake.
<i>“</i><i>I </i>know <i>that’s </i><i>your </i><i>friend </i><i>Chris</i><i>, </i><i>but </i><i>that </i><i>dude </i><i>always </i><i>seemed </i><i>shifty </i><i>to </i><i>me</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
<i>“</i><i>Nah</i><i>, </i><i>he’s </i><i>alright</i>. <i>He’s </i><i>just </i><i>not much of </i><i>a </i><i>people’s </i><i>person</i>.”
Jake shrugged his shoulders as if to say, ‘whatever you say‘.
Just as Damon was about to say something, he noticed both Jake and Chris look up startled. Curious, he turned around to see what they were staring at. There was Thomas, looking nervously at Damon remembering thest time the two of them were in the same room.
Thomas extended his hand nervously to Damon.
<i>“</i><i>Long </i><i>time </i><i>no </i><i>see </i><i>Damon</i><i>. </i><i>How’ve </i><i>you </i>been<i>?</i><i>” </i>
Damon looked at Thoams’s hand with disgust, no way did he think he was going to be friendly with him after what he did to his sister. Standing slowly, Damon looked down at Thomas.
“What the hell are you <i>doing </i><i>here </i><i>Lockwood</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
Thomas felt a slight surge of fear down his spine, he didn’t think Damon would attack him in a public ce, but he stepped back just to be cautious.
“I didn’te to start <i>any </i>trouble <i>Damon</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>just </i>wanted <i>to </i>know <i>if </i>you could tell me <i>where </i>Rabena <i>is</i><i>.</i>”
“<i>Why </i><i>in </i><i>the </i>hell would I do <i>that</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
Thomas knew this wouldn’t be easy, still, this was the only chance he had left.
“Look <i>Damon</i>, I <i>know </i><i>I </i>wasn’t the best to <i>your </i>sister, for that I’m sorry. You have no idea how much <i>I </i><i>wish </i>I <i>could </i>take back what I did. <i>That’s </i><i>why-</i>”
Before he could finish, Damon cut him off.
<i>“</i><i>Exactly </i><i>what </i>were <i>you </i>wishing you could take back Lockwood? <i>Throwing </i>a marriage certificate <i>in </i><i>her </i>face and
<i>then </i>bailing on <i>her </i>to <i>celebrate </i><i>her </i><i>sister’s </i><i>birthday </i><i>even </i><i>though </i><i>it </i><i>was </i>her <i>day </i><i>too</i>? Or <i>how </i>about <i>all </i>the times <i>you </i><i>picked </i><i>Danielle’s </i>side over <i>Ruby’s </i><i>even </i><i>though </i><i>she </i><i>didn’t </i>do <i>anything</i><i>. </i><i>Oh</i><i>, </i><i>this </i>is a <i>good </i><i>one</i>, <i>maybe </i><i>allowing </i><i>her </i>to catch you <i>fucking </i><i>Dani </i>in <i>the </i><i>guest </i>room. <i>You’d </i><i>like </i>to take that <i>back</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
Jake and Chris stood in shock, they knew things were bad between Thomas and Rabena, but they had no idea it was THIS bad. Thomas was a whole monster.
Suddenly, Damon walked up to Thomas’s face causing his color to drain with fear.
“Or <i>maybe </i>you wanna <i>take </i><i>back </i><i>nearly </i><i>killing </i><i>my </i><i>sister </i><i>by </i><i>locking </i><i>her </i><i>in </i><i>a </i><i>hot </i><i>shed </i><i>for </i><i>over </i><i>three </i>days with no food <i>or </i><i>water</i>.”
All the color had drained from Thomas’s face at this point. He knew this meeting wouldn’t be easy, but he hadn’t expected it to go this horrible. There was no way Damon would tell him anything after expressing all of Rabena’s grievances. With Damon still staring in Thomas’s face, Jake decided to speak up.
“I’m <i>not </i><i>sure </i><i>what </i><i>your </i><i>n </i><i>was </i><i>here </i><i>Lockwood</i>, <i>but </i><i>whatever </i><i>it </i><i>was </i>it’s <i>not </i><i>going </i><i>to </i><i>happen</i>. <i>Why </i><i>don’t </i><i>you </i><i>take </i><i>your </i><i>leave </i><i>and </i><i>spare </i><i>yourself </i><i>any </i><i>further </i><i>embarrassment</i>.”
Thomas panicked and looked over at Jake.
<i>“</i><i>Jake </i><i>I’m </i><i>sorry </i><i>but </i><i>this </i><i>doesn’t </i><i>have </i><i>anything </i><i>to </i><i>do </i><i>with </i><i>you</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>just </i><i>want </i>to-”
Jake walked up to Thomas followed by Chris; a crowd of people were now looking in their direction. Chris decided to speak now.
<i>“</i>Lockwood<i>, </i><i>we’re </i><i>doing </i><i>you </i><i>a </i><i>favor </i>because <i>unless </i><i>you </i><i>want </i>all <i>these </i><i>people </i><i>to </i><i>see </i><i>you </i><i>put </i><i>on </i><i>your </i><i>ass</i>, <i>I </i>suggest you leave <i>now</i><i>. </i>
Realizing he was outnumbered, Thomas decided to take his loss. Holding his head slightly down, Thomas turned to take his leave. Fuming, he called his assistant and told him to put a stop order on the check he wrote out to Raymond. Next he headed over to the Crest estate to inform them they would be going with n B.
Seething, Thomas knew he had to secure this deal by any means necessary, but he’d also begun to feel guilty about how he’d treated Rabena all these years. He told himself after he secured the deal with MGT he would make it up to her, it was the least he could do for her writing that proposal.
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