"Ashton, get a hold of yourself," Brandon said when he saw his son painting vigorously in his room for the last twenty hours, his eyes bloodshot as he made wild strikes on the canvas.
Three more paintings were placed side by side, his fingers bleeding from the brush’s roughness, his grip on the tools unrelenting.
Each canvas held the sa face, just different expressions. In one canvas she was smiling, blushing in the second one, and scared in the third one, just like he saw her standing outside that studio in that alley.
She pretended to be strong, but he could still feel the lingering fear beneath that facade that scread at him to pull her into his arms, tell her what it ant to lie to him for four years and destroy him from inside and out, and then love her in a way she would never be able to run from him again.
Brandon looked at his younger son, who wasn’t stopping despite being tired, and pursed his lips.
This girl was surely going to be his death one day.
"I said stop this madness, Ashton!" Brandon shouted before he tried to grab his son’s hand, but the man yanked his hand free, painting her lips with such perfection as if he was afraid that if he got distracted, he would ruin her, his love for her, and that alone was enough for him to continue.
"Stop it, Arnold!" Brandon finally lost his temper, grabbed his hand, and smacked his face as hard as he could to bring him out of this daze.
The color palette fell from his hands along with the dirty water mug. The drops from the water mug splashed on the canvases, and he paused before crashing out.
"What did you do?!" He shouted.
Brandon narrowed his brows.
"What I did was stop my son from becoming mad for a woman who would never be his. I want you to stop hurting yourself for that bitch and—"
"Don’t call her that!" Arnold grabbed Brandon’s throat between his hands, choking his own father as he saw nothing but a man who disrespected Elara, the love of his life, the only woman he ever got so obsessed with.
"Let go," Brandon tried to breathe out.
Seeing the situation escalating, Henry rushed forward along with his n to separate Ashton from Brandon.
Brandon massaged his throat in disbelief as he looked at his son, who was roaring at him like an unhinged animal.
"Have you lost it?" Brandon asked.
While his elder son, Daniel, seldom threatened him, he knew that the man cared about familial bonds a bit too much ever to try to kill him.
But his younger son, Ashton? He was a different story. He could kill him if he displeased him too much, after all, he spoiled him rotten, the only reason why he was helpless against him right now.
"What am I supposed to do then, Dad? I have been living like a corpse for four years after I found out she was dead. But now that I know she is alive, you said I can’t have her because she is my brother’s woman? How am I supposed to react? I saw her first! I don’t care about their past or anything. She should be mine. Rightfully!" Ashton shouted, looking around as if nothing made sense to him.
Brandon pressed his lips into a thin line.
He always relented and gave his son everything he ever desired, and heck, he could bring any other woman to his feet, but how could he touch his elder son’s woman, the one he claid he would kill for?
And knowing how Daniel was, there was no doubt he would see to the end of his promise and threat.
He just wanted to protect Ashton from Daniel’s wrath. But if he kept acting like that, how would he do it? Brandon wondered.
"You lived like a corpse for four years, then continue to do so if you can’t live without her. I cannot lose you because of so bitch. But I cannot get her for you either. She belongs to Daniel, and you’d better get that thing straight through your head. Nothing is changing that," Brandon said before he nodded at Henry, and they left with his team.
Ashton looked at the back of his father and shouted angrily.
"She is mine! You fuckung heard ! She is mine. Always has and always will be!" Ashton growled, throwing the canvases on the ground before screaming again.
Seeing Elara’s happy face on the ground, his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly got on the ground.
"I am sorry, Elara. I didn’t an to hurt you. Shhh, don’t cry. I’ll pick you up now. No one is taking you away from . Never," Ashton cradled the canvases in his arms like a baby.
The n who were ordered to keep an eye on him so that he wouldn’t try anything to harm himself couldn’t help but look at him with pity mixed with disgust.
At the sa ti, Sylvia, who flew to the country from Italy, looked at Alen with raised brows.
"You are kidding , right?" She asked.
Alen looked at his sister before shaking his head.
"Why would I joke around over such an important matter? I called you here because we need a few females on our lady boss’s side to protect her in the ladies’ room if sothing happens. I recomnded you," Alen said, looking at her sister as if he was honoring her by inviting her here.
Sylvia looked at her brother as if he had lost his mind and couldn’t help but grit her teeth.
"You think this is so kind of honor? You very well knew that I had liked our boss since forever, respected him more than just a man I worked with, and even dread of proposing. How could you do this to ? How could you invite to protect the girl he was marrying?" Sylvia asked.
Alen pursed his lips.
"Don’t blow this out of proportion, Sylvia. Tell your decision. Are you ready to do it? Don’t forget that you are replaceable," Alen said, his words a bit too harsh for Sylvia to handle.
Her lips trembled, and she looked away, clenching her fists to calm her raging emotions as she blinked her eyes furiously to shoo the tears.
"I can’t believe these words are coming out of my own brother’s mouth. Was I ever important to the organisation?" She asked, feeling hurt and betrayed.
Not picking her to marry was one thing because emotions couldn’t be forced, but calling her replaceable was a bit too much, especially when she risked her life so many tis.
She dedicated her life to the Macros’ group for as long as she could rember. She didn’t even know what life, what person, was outside this place.
And this was what she got after working so hard all these years?
"Is that what our boss thinks?" Sylvia asked, a little hope in her heart.
"Thinks what?" Alen asked, getting impatient.
He had hundreds of things to handle, and dealing with his emotional sister, who couldn’t get over the fact that their boss was marrying his love, wasn’t on that list.
"He would never," A voice interrupted their conversation, and Alen and Sylvia turned to face the woman who walked inside the hall with a calm expression.
Alen’s pupil dilated. Did Miss Elara hear Sylvia’s confession of love to their boss? What would she think of them? Will she bla him for bringing his sister into this despite knowing the truth?
The man panicked and stepped forward quickly. He opened his mouth to speak and handle the situation when Elara raised her hand to stop him.
She directly looked at Sylvia.
"You are not replaceable. Everyone has a place and importance in this organisation. I hadn’t gotten the chance to introduce myself properly when we first t. Elara Frost," Elara extended her hand.
Sylvia looked at the extended hand with a little wariness.
There was no doubt this woman had heard them and knew she was in love with the man she was marrying. So what was this all about?
Sylvia’s mind went into high alert.
"Sylvia," Sylvia shook Elara’s hand, and the latter pulled her in for a hug.
Sylvia froze in her place.
"I respect your feelings for Daniel. You worked really hard for him. It would be selfish of to ask you to protect in this ceremony, and I would never force you to see it either. Thank you for everything, to you all," Elara said before she pulled away.
Sylvia looked into the woman’s eyes, which held only genuineness, and they brimd with tears.
She finally understood why their boss chose her.
The way she held herself so elegantly and poised, maybe she would never be able to do so.
"Excuse ," Sylvia said before she turned, leaving the hall in rushed steps.
"I am sorry about my sister, Miss Elara," Alen quickly chid in, and Elara looked at him with a sigh.
"You n are so an sotis. Must you hurt your sister like this? You were aware of her emotions. How dare you call her to protect ? If I had been in her place, I would’ve gouged your eyes out," Elara said.
Sylvia, who heard her words from behind the pillar since she wanted to know if the girl would change her narrative after she left, felt a deep ache in her chest.
She wanted to hate this woman who was marrying the man she loved all her life, but how could she after seeing how genuinely good she was?
Sylvia slid down the pillar and covered her face with her hands, silently crying to release the emotions she had been bottling inside her all this ti.
Daniel, who saw everything unfolding from the balcony of the first floor, looked at his woman with a complicated expression.
His woman was too good for her own good. He was confused between protecting her and corrupting her. He sighed and shook his head before nodding at Kevin to bring Elara up.
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