Chapter 51: Lauren's POV

She wore snow white clothes to my hearing. Everyone else wore different shades of black, grey and navy blue, but this woman is wearing a blinding white two piece to the final day of my hearing, as if it were her wedding day. It fits her perfectly of course. The collar of her top has some kind of gold embroidery that makes anyone want to take a closer look. She paired the white ensemble with white heels, pearl earrings, a pearl necklace and bracelet and of course, that huge diamond ring on her finger. Her hair is tied in an effortless bun at the top, but a few strands are hanging loose, making her look almost angelic. This woman comes from nothing, but she always looks like she comes from old money. Even when she was just hanging around in the mansion, she always looked and smelled like a million bucks. I hoped I'd catch her without any make up and find her skin all wrinkly, damaged and uneven so I could feel better about my own appearance, but no such luck. I've seen her plenty of times without make up. Her skin is perfect. Goodness, her entire body is blemish-free, and scar-free except for those nasty scars on her stomach and back that I suspect her father left her as a parting gift. "I really wish your father had let us pin all of this on Lucas Greyson." My attorney whispered in my ear while Jona made his closing arguments. "We wouldn't be in this position right now. The Company will definitely want to take you to court after the hearing and I am almost certain they'll win." I should be scared right now. I should be terrified. After all, my time at Greyson Corporation is about to come to an end. Jona, a man who got poisoned a week ago, refused for the hearing to have any further delays. At first, we had to postpone the hearing after I collapsed in the elevator. Then, we had to postpone after he landed in the hospital. The disciplinary panel was willing to give him another week to recover since apparently he suffered kidney failure. However, the man demanded that the hearing proceed as scheduled. So he's here, pacing slowly in a cane while talking ever so eloquently and pretending not to be out of breath because he just can't stand that I'm still officially an employee of Greyson Corporation. I wish that poison had worked faster. I wish I had opted for a poison that killed them instantly instead of opting for one that would take a bit longer so that I could enjoy watching them die and watching Lucas seek out my help more and more each day. He would have remembered that when he was down, I was the one who was there to pick him up; not Charlotte. However, my plan failed. Lucas saved them both, but he also revealed that he had his men watching both Charlotte and Jona. And Joshua seems to be the main person in charge of keeping Charlotte safe. All those men who watch over Charlotte follow his lead, and I think she trusts him. When she steps out of a car, she looks for him and then gives a sigh of relief once he's close. When she goes running or to go exercise, he's always trailing behind somewhere. When she's shopping, meeting with clients or doing absolutely anything, Joshua is there ... hidden somewhere. Sometimes I get the feeling she's pretending he's her father and I think he also likes pretending that she's his daughter. Maybe they both need that - one to pretend she has a loving father and the other to pretend he has a successful daughter. My attorney kept whispering about how I'm so done for, about how I might end up in jail, about how I don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation, but I could hardly focus on her or on Jona's menacing eyes while he spoke. Everyone's eyes are on him and the disciplinary panel infront of us, but my head is turned around to have a proper look at the couple sitting in the front row. I expected Lucas to be here. He's the majority shareholder and the CEO and today is the final day of the hearing. I also understand why the other major shareholders are here. My case is apparently one for the books. It will affect the company. As Jona describes it, my behaviour is proof of gross negligence that borders on intent to do harm to the company and its clients. He says I've acted like someone who was certain that their actions would never have any consequences because of the position my family holds ... or rather held ... in this company and in the country. Jona has made the case more than about me and my misdeeds. He has turned me into the poster child for a rich, irresponsible and criminally insane person. The case is no longer about punishing Lauren Mitchell- it's about holding one of the heiresses to the Mitchell empire accountable. I should be listening to all the terrible things he is still spouting, but I can't focus on anything other than the couple sitting in the front row. Lucas is wearing the most perfect form-fitting and expensive looking three piece suit. I think I was there when he bought that suit. I understand why he's here. I truly do, but why is she here? Why does she have to see me like this; when I'm getting humiliated infront of a crowd of people and can't do a damn thing about it? My eyes were glued on the both of them. Her arm was locked in his and he had a hand on her thigh. He was rubbing it gently, not caring if anyone else saw them and she was ... staring right back at me. She noticed my eyes on his hand and then her eyes got that glint that I've become used to seeing in Jona's eyes. Her beautiful face suddenly burrowed in his neck and she kissed him, leaving an imprint of red lips on his neck. He smiled and returned this gesture by kissing her on the forehead. He didn't try to remove the red stain on his neck. In fact, he didn't seem to mind it at all. All the while, his fiancé was looking right at me ... smirking ... I was about to turn around and pretend to listen to Jona droning on and on about what a terrible person I am, but I stopped when I noticed a small shimmer on Lucas' left hand. I squinted my eyes to get a better look. ...He's wearing a ring ...a gold and black ring on his ring finger ... No. They can't be married. My friends back in Oklahoma told me that Mrs Greyson and Annabelle are still planning the wedding. Invitations have gone out already and that wedding will only be in like a year. A thousand people are rumoured to have been invited. It's not just a wedding. It's going to be a networking event for the richest and most powerful people in the country. Anyone who talks about it has already declared that if you're not invited or not attending, you're probably not as important as you think. They wouldn't have eloped. Charlotte would want the whole world to know she married the one and only Lucas Greyson. She would want to rub my face in it. That's a decorative ring. I decided. They're not married. They're not married. They're not married. That woman was born Charlotte Ericsson and she will die as Charlotte Ericsson and nothing else. My lawyer stood up to go make her closing arguments. She did her best. She's good, but she's not better than Jona. I doubt many people are better than Jona. She kept talking and talking and talking, but the panel didn't seem to buy what she was saying. Two of the three members of the panel were even scowling at her. They thought she was trying to make a fool out of them. But that didn't matter. Soon, Charlotte will be dead and if he doesn't admit his feelings for me, so will Lucas. I kept reminding myself of that whenever images of that black and gold ring would pop in my head. "Ms Mitchell?", a stern and angry voice suddenly boomed my way. I looked up to find my lawyer still on her feet and all three panelists on the Disciplinary panel glaring at me, waiting for me to say something, but I have no idea what. "Uhm, sorry. What?" "I asked if there's anything you would like to add in addition to what you're legal representative has told us." The man in the middle snapped at me. "Uhm, no." I looked to my lawyer for some pointers, but she just pursed her lips into a sympathetic smile. "I think my lawyer has said everything that needs to be said." All three panelists all but scoffed at me when my lawyer went to sit down again. What the hell was I supposed to say? The panellist in the middle suddenly stood up and stared right at me while my lawyer held my hand. "Over the course of five weeks," he started, "we have read and listened to evidence from Greyson Corporation and the accused employee, Ms Lauren Mitchell. Greyson Corporation provided evidence of a grossly negligent employee who disregarded company policies, the law and basic employee duties because she relied on her father, a shareholder in the company and a feared and formidable person in this country to shield her from the consequences of her actions. The Company demonstrated how at every point and juncture, the company CEO informed Mr Lawrence Mitchell of his daughter's actions and the irreparable harm it caused the company. However, Mr Mitchell refused to agree to his daughter's employment being terminated and even went as far as intimidating other shareholders to ensure his daughter could do more harm to the company. As a result, the company lost millions due to Ms Mitchell's actions. Her legal counsel has argued that these actions were not the result of Ms Mitchell intentionally jeopardising the company; rather she was merely negligent in the performance of her duties." "My colleagues and I cannot agree with this." He looked at the two panellists on his left and right and they nodded in agreement. "Accordingly, we are of the view that Ms Mitchell's employment should indeed be terminated. Additionally, she should be held liable for her actions in both a criminal and a civil court and our judgment shall reflect those views should the company wish to take this matter beyond that of a disciplinary hearing." Of course there were shocked gasps coming from the crowd that came to watch my demise. The shareholders whispered amongst one another and some of the heads of various departments were even smiling with a relieved look in their eyes, as if the thought of working with me terrified them. These people have laughed with me, joked with me and yet now they're happy that all of this is happening to me? I tried to blink them away, but my tears were relentless today. I could see Lucas' hand going further up her thigh, wrinkling her perfect white skirt. Then I saw shimmers of that gold and black ring again. It was taunting me. He was taunting me. She was taunting me. They were both taunting me. His hand suddenly grabbed her slim neck gently and he planted the softest kiss on her lips. I think the panellists from the disciplinary hearing were still talking about what a terrible person I am. I'm not sure. I was still looking at that shameless display of affection that was intended to hurt me. Gosh, I know Charlotte is going to die soon. None of this should matter to me, but it does and it hurts so bad. When I finally forced my head to snap back to the front, everyone was standing up. The hearing was done. My life at Greyson Corporation came to an end just like that. It took Charlotte and Jona less than six months to uproot something I spent five years trying to build. That's how good they are. My lawyer started saying a few comforting words, but none of her words provided any comfort. Her eyes were filled with so much pity that it forced more tears to run down my cheecks. I think I'm crying because all I've ever wanted was to be by Lucas' side and now that's come to an end. I think I'm crying because the moment Charlotte reappeared, Lucas didn't hesitate to cast me aside. I think I'm crying because no matter how much I hate to admit it, I don't think Lucas will ever love me as much as he loves her. "Ms Ericsson", I watched a few shareholders gathering around Lucas and Charlotte. "It's Mrs Greyson now." Lucas corrected the man with a huge smile on both his and Charlotte's face. I started rubbing my chest as a stabbing pain started forming in the area. They're married. They eloped; just like how his dad eloped with his mom before he was born. She's Mrs Greyson. I grabbed my purse and ran as fast as my weak legs could carry me out of the hall. I need to find Melissa. I need to find Melissa. I kept repeating to myself. She will have coffee with me, sit down with me and hug me and tell me she'll be there for me. Then when she's not looking, I'll take her phone. Lucas' travel schedule will be somewhere on her phone. I just need to find it and then everything can go back to normal after that. I probably won't even need that travel schedule. Charlotte will be dead soon and Lucas will come right back to me after that; just like he did back then. ... but what if he doesn't? ... if he doesn't, then I'll need his travel schedule. Then he'll also have to die. I took out my phone to call Melissa, but I was stopped by a message from James. Lisa is in the hospital. I've tried getting in touch with your parents because I know you have the hearing today. However, they both refused to come see her despite me explaining how serious her condition is. Please come see her as soon as you're done with the hearing. She needs her family. Justin laughed when I called him and ...uhm ...Brandon told me to never call him ever again. One of the twins was stillborn and the other one is in ICU. Your sister shouldn't be alone right now. Please come see her. Regards James AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you like this book, please leave a review of some sorts in Chapter 1 encouraging others to read it. Maybe that way I can get more readers!!