Chapter 52
1079words
“Isn’t this whole scenario going to affect your reputation and company? I mean, I’m sure the press would know by now.” I asked Ethan.
He paused. I kept waiting for his answer, but he said nothing. Now I was more than eager to know what he was hiding. It felt like, for a few hours, he’s the perfect guy who gets you, communicated and cares about your feelings, but then in the other moments, he’s the opposite.
I was about to shout his name, but the door swung open. There was someone who I don’t know of and then Rick himself joined us.
He poured me and Ethan some coffee and sat in the chair right in front of us, smiling.
“So, whenever you guys are ready.”
Ethan and I stared at each other in confusion.
“Well, tell me everything from the start. And my everything, I mean the truth, Ms May.”
“The truth about what? I already told you everything you needed to know.”
“You never told us about Natalia Polinski properly, did you?”
Fuck, he’s such a devil guy, but I guess I had to give him that. He deals with hundreds of people every day. I took a long, deep breath and gazed right at his side.
“Fine. From where do I begin?”
“From the first situation, you got yourself into.”
“I... uh..I.”
Now this situation was going out of hand. The first scenario that fucked this up would be the Roger shit. As far as I know, Rick didn’t know about him and I wanted to keep it that way. I’ve come so far with what I wanted. Not in hell. I would give that up.
“We don’t have enough time, Ms May.”
“Mind your tone, Rick,” Ethan said and Rick flashed his hands up in surrender, giving that cocky smile again.
“Should I really, Ethan?” Ricks replies.
“What will happen if I don’t?” I don’t know what was happening, but the tension in the room was increasing second by second. This was about Natalia and me. How did he circle around and land on Ethan instead? I mean, I was relieved that I don’t have to answer his stupid questions again but, what the fuck was happening?
“Rick, we don’t have to do this,” Ethan almost growled. The officer sitting right beside Rick kept his hand on his gun, alerted.
“Is this what you told my sister before you...”
“Rick!” Ethan got up and was almost about to grab Rick’s shirt, but the police officer instantly cuffed his hands to his chair.
“What the fuck is going on?!” I screamed to myself.
“There’s no need to be so aggressive, Ethan. I’m just stating the facts. Is that what you told my sister before you killed her?”
My eyes go wide in distress and fucking confusion.
Ethan killed Rick’s sister? Wh.. what the hell?!
“Okay, what the fuck...is happening?”
Rick turned towards me, smiling.
“Oh, Ethan Cooper didn’t tell his loved one about my sister, huh? You didn’t tell her about Rita?”
I gazed at Ethan, shocked at Rick’s words. Soon, Ethan settled down and faced Rick with such anger that if we accidentally leave these two men alone in this room, only one would come out.
I was still gazing at Ethan, trying to make him say that Rick was lying about it. I wanted him to say this.
“Who’s Rita, Ethan?”
He still didn’t look at me. His eyes were forward, and they were fixed in that direction.
“Who... was Rita... Ethan?!”
Ethan knew he had to say something, or else it was all going to end up bad for him, or maybe.
“Rita was my fiancee, Ms May.”
I instantly remembered the day when I found the ring in Ethan’s pockets. I thought she left him or he left her or something like that, but... Killing her? I... I didn’t know what and who to believe now.
“Wha... what happened to her?”
Ethan stayed quiet for a while, but he finally let it out.
“She was losing her temper that day, Ms May. It was self-defence.”
“Don’t! give me that self-defence shit! Ethan!”
Rick lost his temper now. He jumped from his chair and bumped his hands on the desks, haunting Ethan.
“I have nothing to say to you, Rick. You never believe me. You knew Rita wasn’t well yet you still let her torture herself.”
“What do you mean, she wasn’t well?” I ask.
Before Ethan could answer himself, Rick jumped in between.
“Ethan Cooper thought that my sister, Rita Anderson, had schizophrenia, which she wasn’t.”
“She was diagnosed daily, Rick. You knew everything. You saw her hallucinating every fucking day, yet you let it slide! I was trying to give her everything I had in my control! I went with her every fucking day to her sessions with I don’t even recall how many psychiatrists and doctors! You know I did everything I could!”
“She...” Ethan was... devastated. I knew he was. I’ve never seen him lose his temper like this. And I knew he wouldn’t lie about this. Of course, everyone would think that he did it. He’s a CEO. Why wouldn’t he? But to me? I’ve seen terrible people my whole life, and god knows how many convicts. But I was sure Ethan wasn’t one of them.
I stayed quiet. The room was quiet. Everyone was drunk in their own thoughts and had terrible flashbacks. While I was trying to figure out how to fucking let all of this bullshit stop.
Before I could say something, another officer rushed into the room, breathing sharply but maintaining his temper. He rushed towards Rick’s side and whispered something in his ear.
As he did, Rick’s eyes went wide. He gazed directly towards me and ordered his men to go away.
He sat in his chair, drinking the whole water bottle in one big gulp, and finally turned towards me.
“You better start telling me the truth, Angelica.”
His expressions were serious. I really didn’t want to know why, but I knew I had to.
“Wh... what happened?”
“Mrs Polinski, Natalia’s mother, was attacked. She’s in the hospital right now.”
I sat there, horrified, not moving a muscle. And all could think was....
“Natalia, Stop.”
