When Lauren got home, she found me watching a series. I was taking a study break and knew she would be home right around 6pm.
She looked better than she did when I saw her this afternoon and judging by the look on her face, she didn't want to talk about what happened.
"What's for dinner?" She tussled my hair and plopped down on the couch next to me.
"The chef made tomahawk steak with all kinds of sides." I smiled at her. "I'm not hungry yet."
She left the living room and made her way to the kitchen. "Steak is exactly what I need after the day I've had." She took off her heels on her way to the kitchen.
She ate while I watched TV. We ended up being on the couch for a few hours and talked about a few things, but not about what happened this afternoon.
Around 9:30, when we heard the door click and keys rattle behind it, we both braced ourselves for what waited behind that door. Lucas told us both that Charlotte will be sleeping at the mansion for the next two weeks.
What he didn't tell us is that Charlotte doesn't just need some clothes and toiletries to sleepover. Unlike most of us, she needs a dozen designer suitcases and a bunch of legal texts and three pc's and monitors that were installed in one of the home offices when I got here.
When I asked what's going on, I was told that Ms Ericsson needs all those things for work, even the shoes...the endless amount of shoes.
The study was refurbished and renovated because apparently she also works from home and she needs all those things to work.
She's a drama queen.
"Hey guys", Lucas greeted us as soon as the door opened.
Lauren and I stared at one another. We were expecting the Queen of Sheeba to be with him, but he was alone.
"Charlie just forgot something in the car." He raised both brows at us. "I want everyone to get along. Got that?" I rolled my eyes, but nodded my head.
A few minutes later, Charlie walked through the door wearing a dark green dress that hugged her hour glass figure. Her long curls were flowing down her shoulders, framing her face perfectly.
Charlotte Ericsson is a beautiful woman.
I looked away from her when I realised I was staring for too long.
"Hey Chrissie," she c****d a brow at me.
"Charlie." I groaned.
"Hey Lauren." She said with her beautiful smile and started walking to her.
"I have a gift for you." She took out a piece of paper out of her designer bag and handed it to Lauren. "Think of it as a token of peace. A new leaf between the two of us."
Lauren took the piece of paper with much hesitation. Initially it didn't seem like she wanted to take it, but when Lucas urged her with a look, she took it.
"You bought me a horse?" She asked while reading the paper.
"Yea." Charlotte looked at Lucas nervously. "I remember from back in school that you liked horseback riding. I don't know much about horses, but I was reassured that this is the best horse anyone can own for riding. The place is not too far from here. Maybe you can go on weekends?"
Lauren looked at me and Lucas and then at Charlotte.
I expected all kinds of things to happen when these two met again, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this to happen.
Lauren loves the outdoors and being with animals, especially farm animals. Lucas was shocked when she wanted to stay in New York after they graduated; we both were. She's a lot like mom and Annabelle. They also prefer the farm over the city. We actually thought she would ask for a position in the farm, but she insisted that she wanted to stay in the city.
"Thanks." She mumbled with uncertainty. "Uhm, this is really nice of you, Charlotte."
Charlie smiled at her and then looked up at Lucas who seemed quite happy with what was happening.
"I have some work to finish up." Charlie said while looking right at me. "Chrissie, why don't you come help me?"
It was posed as a question, but we all knew she wasn't actually asking me to come help her. She was telling me.
She tried walking off, but Lucas grabbed her arm, spun her around and then kissed her infront of me and Lauren.
I'm already used to seeing these two kiss infront of me. They've done it plenty of times before, but Lauren's face was getting redder and angrier by the minute.
It wasn't a peck on the cheeck or a quick kiss. There was a whole lot of tongue in that kiss and Lauren had to bear witness to it all.
"Don't come to bed too late." Lucas groaned after they finally stopped. "Four hours of sleep each night is how people end up collapsing."
"I'll see what I can do." She mumbled while they hugged.
The second she stepped out of his embrace, she grabbed my hand and made me follow her to her new home office.
I hadn't actually stepped inside the place while everything was being set up this afternoon. What she had was more than a home office. This is a full blown office with three pc's, three large monitors and flat screen that seems to be mirroring everything on the computers.
It's not just the computer set up that's dramatic. This room was previously a simple study, but now there are shelves with too many textbooks to count and files upon files that made me shudder when I thought of reading them.
I gulped when I saw the newly set up office. This is what's waiting for me if I pass my board exams. If I'm complaining about all the work I have to study for my exams then how in the hell am I going to practice as a lawyer?
"Don't look so scared, Chrissie." She chuckled and walked right over to a second desk in the large study.
"Come on," she plopped down on a chair, "I'm going to help you study."
I felt the blood drain from my face.
Of course Lucas told her I need help. Christian Greyson failed his exams, so here comes Charlotte Ericsson to the rescue.
I took a step back, trying to get out of that room. Lucas doesn't trust me to do this on my own and it's f*****g insulting.
"Lucas told you I need help?" I spat out. "He thinks I'm going to fail again?"
She shook her head calmly. "Nope." She suddenly took my hand and dragged me back into the room. "My firm gets informed about candidates who get the best results everytime the exams are written. I knew you were writing last year so I asked for your results."
"And you saw that I failed." The words tasted so f*****g bitter. "You here to gloat and tell me how you passed on your first try?"
"What is wrong with you?" She pushed me on the shoulder. "Why do you have it in your mind that I'm this evil, heartless b***h?"
She was looking at me, waiting for an answer that I wasn't going to give her.
"I grew up with you, Chrissie." She continued when I didn't say anything. "I know that you're a smart kid, much smarter than me actually. You just feel overwhelmed easily and then you end up procrastinating."
She grabbed my hand and made me sit down. "A lot of people don't pass on their first try, Chrissie. Don't dwell on it too much. Just focus on moving forward. That's what life is all about."
"Go get all your books and everything you need to study." She instructed sternly. "I asked for two desks in here so that you can study while I work. You and I are going to share this study from now on."
I tried to stop the smile that crept up on my face.
I kind of felt relieved that someone was going to help me...even if it's Charlotte.
I thought she would be working, but she didn't touch her own stuff. She sat with me until 4am in the morning showing me how to compact all the work and make it easy to digest, understand and remember. She was teaching me all kinds of study techniques that I didn't know about.
It made everything...bearable and by the time she started to get sleepy, I felt like I could actually do this. I could pass my exams.
"No more six hour long breaks." She teased when we left the study.
"I was trying to cheer up, Lauren." I half lied.
I was trying to distract her from what happened today, but I also used that as an excuse to not go back to studying.
"You need to avoid people like Lauren." She said almost absentmindedly. "People like her wander this world aimlessly and without purpose trying to cling on to others who are trying to make something of themselves. You can't afford to let that kind of attitude rub off on you."
I was about to go off on her, but she didn't give me a chance.
"Lauren thrives on being a victim." She said angrily now. "She needs to believe that someone is a villain so she can have an excuse why she doesn't have what she thinks she deserves and what she was too lazy to work for."
"Char-" I tried to stop her.
"She can afford to be a victim." She put a finger on my lips. "She's a pretty blonde girl with baby blue eyes and her dad is crazy rich. And truth is, you can also afford to be a victim. You're a Greyson. Even if you decide to do nothing with your life, you'll have billions of dollars at your fingertips."
"I, however, can't afford to be a victim. For me, being a victim means being homeless. It means being a drug addict or selling my body to make a living." She swallowed and removed her finger from my lips. "I can't tell you to stop being friends with the cute blonde that's pining after a man who may or may not love her, but I care enough about you to tell you that Lauren is rubbing off on you. Soon, the boy who is as ruthless and determined as me, will turn into a whiny coward who's always complaining about how unfair the world is."
We had reached Lucas' suite and I couldn't say a thing to what she just said.
I stared at her as she entered the suite as if she didn't make me doubt someone who is a dear friend to both me and Lucas.
Lauren isn't as cut-throat as Charlotte. That doesn't mean she's playing victim. She just needs a bit of an extra push sometimes, but when things really matter, that girl shows up and gives her best.
If it weren't for her, who knows what would have happened to Lucas after Charlotte broke up with him. Lauren may not have things figured out like Charlotte does, but gosh, that doesn't mean she's playing victim.
Aksara