34. A Confrontation
A Confrontation
Electra
" W hat the fuck was that?" I yelled the moment I burst through the conference room door, where everyone had already gathered.
The eyes of Fredy, Peter, their father, Derek, and Rosalind were on me, but I didn't care about their shocked gazes.
My anger was directed towards the only person who was glaring at me like I was some annoying bug.
Fucking asshole!
"Calm down, Electra," Andreas said in a fake, sweet tone, making me almost explode with rage. That imbecile let me go in front of the entire country without proper preparation or knowledge about what was happening, and he was about to lecture me! Not in a million years.
"I demand an explanation!" I held his hard stare, breathing like I'd just run a marathon. The blood in my veins was boiling. I was barely keeping myself under control. I’d never been so pissed.
"Why didn't you tell me about the lawsuit?
Why the hell did you withhold that information when I came to you? "
"Stop yelling at me, Electra!" he growled, giving the impression of a lion ready to strike. "I won't deal with your hysterical episode."
"Hysterical episode?" I hissed, fisting my palm. My entire body was in fight mode. "You made me a pawn in your stupid game! You lied to me. Everything Bastian ever worked for is at stake here, and you dare to call me hysterical?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalind open her mouth. She would’ve probably stood by Andreas’s side, but Mr. Thorn stopped her before she said a word. No one interfered in our argument, and I was glad for that. I wasn’t in the right mind to deal with them all.
“You should’ve left the stage exactly like you were instructed,” Andreas spat, his icy eyes showing so much anger they almost matched mine—almost.
“I’m not a robot. A machine you can program and have under control!
” I inhaled a sharp breath, unable to hide the tremor in my body.
No one could ever infuriate me to the point where I almost lost it.
But my protective instinct over Bastian and my love for him were stronger than anything I’d ever felt.
He was under attack, and his idiotic brother hid it from me when it was my job to shield him and take care of him.
“Whether you like it or not, Electra, we will deal with it by my rules,” Andreas announced in a tone that didn’t take any objections, but I was done being a crying, broken girlfriend. I was one of them. I was Bastian’s wife. My word was equal to theirs.
“Yeah? Like you’ve been dealing with it till now?” I raised my eyebrows at him, his expression darkening. Undermining his position and doubting his work was dangerous, but he crossed the line, and I wouldn’t allow him to do it again.
“My job is to protect Bastian and this family from vultures like Sarah Pearson and her minions,” he snapped, walking around the table. He was moving towards me like a hunting lion, slowly and steadily. His eyes never left my face.
“And how’s it going so far, hm?” I turned to face him, noticing there was about a foot of free space between us.
He was much taller than me, but I didn’t let him intimidate me.
He messed this up. “Reporters know about my contract with Bastian. They are listening to that bitch’s lies, and you did nothing to stop it!
Instead of crushing her with everything you have, you sent me out there to make a fool of myself! ”
“You little piece of...” He gulped down any insults that came to his mind because, surprisingly, even when I was yelling at him as a lunatic, he didn’t let his temper get the best of him.
I admired his self-control. “Two hours ago, you didn’t even know your name; that’s how lost you were, and now you’re telling me what to do! ”
“I have—" I started, pointing with my index finger at his chest, but I was cut off by the strong voice of Mr. Thorn, who brought us back to reality in a millisecond.
“That’s enough!” he rumbled, standing. I shut my mouth, but the staring contest between me and Andreas continued. “You two are the strongest defense Bastian has. Don’t fight over something you can’t change.”
“I want to prevent that from happening in the future,” I said, my voice slightly trembling, but I did my best to sound normal.
Mr. Thorn didn’t know me well enough to understand that this wasn’t my usual self.
This beast woke up when I realized Bastian’s life’s work was endangered by someone who made up false accusations to gain money, fame, or maybe revenge for something he did in the past.
“And I’m sure Andreas learned his lesson and will update you on everything,” Mr. Thorn replied, giving his son a pointed look.
I turned to him, unsure if I heard him correctly, but he only gave me a small, tired smile and touched my shoulder.
“Welcome to the family, honey. I believe you will find out soon that we are more protectors than attackers.”
With one last look at his sons, he left the room, leaving a heavy silence behind.
“He wasn’t talking about you, right?” I said quietly, casting Andreas a glance, and he narrowed his eyes at me. Despite my voice being low on volume, he heard me clearly.
“You know nothing about me, Electra,” he pointed out, handing me a file that appeared out of nowhere in his hand. “Sign it and make it official. Police will want to see it.”
“Police?” I echoed, frowning. I took a silver pen from him, staring at the dotted line in the bottom right corner .
“I was already there,” Derek uttered, looking at his vibrating phone. His bored face almost made me smile. I liked the guy even when I didn’t know him well.
“We’ll all end up there,” Peter sighed, grimacing. “They will want to know everything about this marriage, about their relationship, not to mention the contract.”
“That’s insane. It’s our privacy,” I mumbled under my breath, writing my name on the marriage certificate and handing it back to Andreas. He took it, his face his typical emotionless mask again.
“You’ve got this, Electra,” Rosalind said, a small smile appearing on her red-painted lips.
A breath hitched in my throat, and my eyebrows shot so high they almost met my blonde hair.
That’s how shocked I was to hear her speak.
“I didn’t believe you had it in you, but I finally see what Bastian saw in you the entire time.
We’ll kick Sarah’s ass and send her back to Alabama. ”
“I’ll send her to prison for this,” Andreas growled, flashing Rose an angry glance. “And when she gets out, she’ll be working her butt off to pay for the public insult on Bastian’s name. I’ll wipe the fucking streets with her stupid face.”
I watched as a grin settled on Peter’s face, and Frederick chuckled. Derek leaned into his seat, still looking like he was attending some boring show, but he lifted one eyebrow at Andreas, almost like he was challenging him to do what he said.
“You know it’s just a matter of time until the lawsuit against Electra attacking Rick Mallard shows up,” he remarked, referring to the incident that happened months ago.
I slapped Rick and fired him in Bastian’s name.
Because of his insults, Bastian ensured all of Rick’s contracts were terminated, and from what I heard, he filed for bankruptcy.
“He wouldn’t dare,” Andreas stated confidently, smirking arrogantly. “They didn’t know about the marriage. It’s a huge difference between suing an assistant and the company owner. That lawsuit won’t ever make it in front of the judge.”
I looked at him, feeling lost. I still hadn’t calmed down after the press conference and the argument with Andreas, and I was already facing more unexpected news. I wasn’t used to such an eventful life .
“Okay,” Rosalind broke into the conversation, leaning over the table to grab a copy of my marriage certificate. “How are we going to play it?”
“You’ll say the truth,” Derek replied, and Andreas nodded in agreement. “Bastian came to you to ask you to be the witness at his secret wedding. As it comes for us, we didn’t know about the marriage. It was a private ceremony, without any fuss or guests.”
“You claimed that?” Frederick asked, confusion written all over his face. He was quiet the entire time, and I could only imagine how hard it was for him to keep track of everything said.
“Yes,” Derek confirmed, standing and buttoning his black jacket. “They were skeptical but didn’t have any other choice but to believe me.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” I raised my hand, quickly connecting the dots. “You spoke with them before the press conference?”
“Yes, Mrs. Thorn,” he answered, winking at me with a sly smirk. “You’re the only one who wasn’t sure about your decision.” He stopped beside me, fishing a small red velvet box from his pants pocket. “This is the engagement ring.”
He took my wrist and placed it in my palm. Tears welled in my eyes. I imagined this moment a million times, but certainly not like this, with Bastian’s brothers and friends, yet without him.
“I have the wedding rings,” Fredy said gently, giving me another box that was black and shiny. “I tried to match his taste. I hope you’ll like them.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, doing my best not to start crying. All the strength I felt before vanished into thin air, and I felt broken and vulnerable again. This was entirely different from the fairytale living permanently in my head, and I couldn’t even be sure it would ever be like it.
“We would like to congratulate you, Electra,” Rose announced, offering a smile that didn’t reach her sad eyes, and the others nodded in unison.
“We’ll send presents to your apartment,” Andreas added, and Fredy rolled his eyes.
“Would you like a new coffee machine?” Peter asked, scratching his chin, and I burst into tears mixed with laughter .
“Stop making it weirder than it already is,” I muttered, shaking my head. I felt highly uncomfortable with two boxes with rings in my hands.
“But we are a bunch of weirdos.” Derek shrugged, squeezing my shoulder supportively. “If you need anything, just call. I’m mostly in Bastian’s office.”
I nodded, grateful for his words, and he left the room with one last half-smile. Rosalind and Peter followed him because they needed a ride, and Frederick went to find his father. I stayed in the conference room with Andreas, who was scowling at me, and I felt the lecture coming from a mile away.
“I admire and respect you, Electra, but this has to stop,” he started, and I lifted my eyebrows. I didn’t expect to hear this. “You’re not alone anymore,” he continued, sitting down, and with his leg, he also moved a chair for me. I took a seat, cautiously watching him. This wasn’t a man I knew.
“For weeks, Bastian tried to show you that you were partners and he had your back. Yes, he made some mistakes, but he loves you.” Andreas gently squeezed my hand, making me feel even more confused. “Let me and my family, who is now your family too, help you. You don’t need to fight alone.”
“It’s easier said than done,” I said, ashamed of all I’d said to him.
“I know, but at least promise me that you’ll try,” he said, much gentler than I’d ever heard him speak.
“Okay,” I muttered, hanging my head low. “I promise.”
Shockingly, he placed his long, tattooed finger under my chin, pushing me to look at him.
The breath stuck in my throat, and my heart skipped a beat.
I knew that intense stare. The one that made me shudder every fucking time, but he just wasn’t the right man to look at me like that, and my heart almost broke all over again.
His resemblance to Bastian was hurting me more than I could take.
“You’re not the only one who loves him, Electra,” Andreas whispered like he was afraid someone could hear him admitting that he cared.
“He’s not only my brother; he’s my best friend.
A person I could always count on. He never left me in trouble, even when I deserved to get my ass kicked, he was there to help me, to support me in whatever gibberish I was making.
” He wiped a tear that escaped my eye with his thumb, his eyes swirling with so many emotions that I couldn’t identify them.
“I’m broken and lost, too. And I don’t know what to do if he doesn’t wake up. ”
“He will,” I breathed, taking his palm away from my face. He obviously needed some human contact, too. “He won’t leave us here hanging by a thread.”
“I believe that. Otherwise, I would’ve lost my mind,” he uttered, breathing sharply. “The next few days will be hectic.”
He was back to his usual bossy self in a moment. I wasn’t sure if he ever showed any feelings or if I only imagined them.
"Reporters, police, maybe a court hearing?" I asked, rising to my feet, and he stood up as well.
"It's too soon for a court hearing," he replied, taking his briefcase and safely storing files with my signature. "But we need to be ready for anything."
"No lies or half-truths," I reminded him, and he nodded, giving me an annoyed grimace.
"Place a ring on Bastian's finger and wear yours always," he ordered, opening the glass door for me and following me outside. "We'll decide about the next step together."
"Thanks." I smiled at him, and he turned in the other direction. But before he could leave me, I stopped him. "And I'm sorry for earlier."
"Don't apologize, Electra," he said before I could continue, shooting me a grin. "It was a great show. I was almost impressed by your audacity to yell at me."
"Thank you," I deadpanned, acting offended, but he didn't care. He chuckled and left, leaving me with a familiar feeling of loneliness. At least I could spend the afternoon in Bastian's quiet company, thinking about what happened.
I became Mrs. Thorn in the most unusual circumstances, and a huge fight was in front of me. I felt it in my bones. The hardest decision of my life would surely complicate everything, but I finally felt prepared for a change, and I knew Bastian would be proud of me.