“Burn those who burned me!” Chapter 30

Chapter 29: The Charity Ball Part 3.

***\-Thomas’ POV:***

The mentioning of the invitations, Darius thought this would be a good time to ask about Damon. Speaking coolly, Darius walked closer to Aaron.

*“I’ve been meaning to ask Chairman, what exactly is your relationship to my older brother Damon?”*

Thomas and the Crests all looked at Darius in shock, why was he asking about Damon? Daniel’s face suddenly darkened, he hadn’t expected Darius to flat out ask the chairman. He’d hope they would have time to speak with the family first, but Darius just blurted it out! Davis gave a puzzled look to his son.

*“Darius, the chairman doesn’t know Damon, why would you as-”*

*“Because he’s here.”*

Darius cut his father off; his gaze never leaving Aaron, there was something about his coolness that concerned Darius. He had a feeling there was something going on and an uneasy feeling began to creep into his chest. Amber’s gasp broke his train of thought.

*“A-Are you saying Damon is here this evening? In THIS ballroom?”*

Thomas could feel the color draining from his face, if Damon revealed the truth about Rabena, they would all be screwed! Grabbing Darius’ arm, Daniel spoke up.

*“Darius, might we have a word with our family in private for a moment.”*

He spoke in earshot so that Aaron couldn’t hear them. Darius gave Daniel a quick look, he’d realized this was not the best way to handle things. Letting out a slight sigh, he nodded in agreement. Daniel smiled coolly at Aaron about to apologize when he noticed a slight smirk on his face. Something was definitely going on.

*“My apologies Chairman Michales, I need to have a word with my family for a moment.”*

Aaron gave a polite but dark smile, just as he suspected, they’d seen Damon which was causing them to panic. This was most certainly going to be fun. Aaron gave a polite nod approving Daniel’s request. After thanking him, Thomas along with the Crests walked frantically away.

Once they found a secluded section, Thomas pushed Darius against the wall.

*“What the fuck is going on Darius! Damon is here?”*

Thomas seethed as he barked in a quiet tone sure not to cause a scene. Daniel then grabbed his shoulder pulling his back.

*“Take it easy Lockwood! Yes…Damon is here.”*

Everyone stood with their faces pale, they knew this could cause some serious problems. Thomas ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

*“I don’t understand, what the hell is he doing here; and why the hell didn’t you both tell me!”*

Darius walked up to Thomas’ face; he’d had enough of him acting like they were his assistants.

*“Let’s be clear Lockwood, we don’t work for you. This really doesn’t concern you; Damon is OUR brother.”*

Thomas began to seethe, had this fool forgotten what was at stake!

*“In case you’ve forgotten Darius, we’re here tonight to secure the MGT deal. That DOES concern me as it does you all ass well! Have you forgotten, Damon could blow the whistle on this whole thing if he tells Michales the truth!”*

Amber let out an exasperated sigh, ‘that runt! Causing trouble again! That’s all she ever does!’ Danielle also looked around in a panic, if word got out about how the Crests treated Rabena this could ruin them all. She wasn’t about to lose her chance to snatch Chairman Michaels. From the moment she’d saw him, she decided she wanted to be the chairman’s wife, no longer interested in marrying Thomas. In a sugary voice, she decided to speak.

*“Maybe we should all find Damon, if we can reason with him, maybe he’ll help us.”*

Darius looked over at Danielle with irritation, he’d saw how she was looking at the chairman. He also noticed how the chairman looked at her and he could have sworn he saw hints of disgust in his eyes.

*“Dani, I don’t think Damon cares about what we’re trying to do.”*

“Then make him!”

Voice raising, Danielle was starting to lose her patience. Damon had always been annoying, constantly siding with Rabena. She couldn’t understand why he didn’t love her like everyone else did.

*“Keep your voice down!”*

Thomas barked as he looked around the room to make sure no one noticed. Amber suddenly stepped beside Danielle rubbing her back as if to calm her down.

*“Dani, sweetie don’t yell. We’re going to figure out something…right.”*

Amber cut her eyes over at Thomas causing his irritation to rise. All of them were useless!

*“I don’t know, perhaps if your sons had informed me of him being here BEFORE confronting Michaels I could have got in front of it.”*

Thomas glared at Darius, his eyes reddening with fury. Darius walked directly to Thomas face leaving little room between them.

*“Or maybe if you hadn’t locked my sister in fuckin shed for three days nearly killing her none of this would have happened.”*

Danielle, Davis, and Amber’s face all ashen at Darius’ words. Daniel however, stood quiet. The image of Rabena in that shed still haunted him to this day. Thomas stared at Darius with a smug look. Letting out a scoff,

*“Your sister? Don’t make me laugh Crest. You practically cheered me on when I put her in there.”*

Darius gripped Thomas’s collar, eyes glaring with rage. The Crests soon bunched in front of the two men trying their best to prevent a scene. They weren’t aware that both Damon and Rabena were watching the whole thing.

*“Darius, let him go!”*

Davis spoke in a low and pleading tone, but Darius was seeing red. Thomas let out low chuckle.

*“Tell me something Darius, those three days she was locked up…did you check on her even once?”*

Thomas’s words hit Darius like a tone of bricks. During Rabena’s three-day hold, he’d spent those days with the rest of the family celebrating Danielle’s birthday. He didn’t think about Rabena not one time. The blood slowly drained from Darius’ face as a sudden realization seeped in. He had no right to be upset. Letting go of his collar, Darius stalked away. The remaining Crests let out a low sigh of relief. Amber’s thoughts began to run wild; she blamed Rabena for all of this, it was HER fault why her family was falling apart.

Thomas looked over into the crowd trying to spot Aaron, he had to move fast and secure this deal before the Crests all screw everything up.

*“I’m going to find Michales and his fiancé. Hopefully I can secure this deal before your sons ruin everything.”*

Daniel had reached his limit; Thomas’s arrogance was pissing him off.

*“Hey Lockwood, let’s be clear about something. Rabena was YOUR wife, and maybe if you had been even a half decent husband instead of having your head up Danielle’s ass you would have known she was the one that wrote that proposal and got you that meeting. So don’t try and put this on us, you’re the one that fuck this up!”*

Thomas opened his mouth to say something but closed it quickly after. He had no rebuttal to Daniel’s harsh words because everything he said was true. If he had been a better husband, none of this would have happened. Thomas turned to leave looking for Michaels. As he stalked away, thoughts of Rabena started to flood his mind. How she would always cook for him because he had a special diet, how she organized all of his paperwork and kept everything in order. Even though he did not respect their marriage or even her, Rabena still performed her duties as a perfect wife. Never bothering or nagging him, never asking for money or expensive gifts, always supporting him while maintaining grace. Even after securing this deal, Thomas made up in his mind that he would find Rabena and remarry her. This time he would do her right. Spotting Aaron speaking with some guests, Thomas walked up to him with a big smile.

*“Chairman Michaels, if you’re okay with it, I’d like to pick back up where we left of the other day. Your fiancé, I’d love to meet her.”*