Chapter 7: Christian's POV

I arrived at the mansion just as Charlotte and Lucas were headed down the stairs. I could already tell from the look on Lucas' face that she had him right where she wanted him. Nothing I could say could snap him out of her spell. The ruler of the universe wouldn't be able to convince him to let her go now. He looked happy, calm and content. Nothing like the man he became after she broke his heart. He changed after that day. He tried pretending to be happy for everyone's sake, but me and Annabelle knew he was pretending. I thought and hoped that eventually all that pretending would fade away and he would be genuinely happy again, but it hasn't happened. Not until now. However, I know this won't last. Charlotte isn't here to stay. She wants something and Lucas is too stupid and too in love to realise it. I didn't bother hiding my disappointment and anger at my brother. This woman wrecked him. He nearly dropped out of University because of her. His life was in shambles because of her and yet, it's like a few days with her made him forget just how powerful of a hold she has over him. "Hey Chrissie." She mocked me. She knows I hate it when anyone calls me that. It makes my name sound like a girl's name. "Charlotte." I spat out her name. She walked towards me with Lucas trailing behind her like a f*****g happy puppy. She looked much better than the girl who drove with Lucas to college. Her jeans, tight shirts and sneakers have been replaced by a black dress that reaches the middle of her thighs with eight huge gold buttons. The dress looks like a jacket that's been turned into a dress that's clinging to her curves. Her hair looks longer. It's not as curly as I remember it, but it has waves that cascade off her shoulders like silk. And then those legs. Charlotte has always had beautiful, long golden legs and clearly now she's not afraid to show them off in those red heels of hers. No wonder Lucas caved in so quickly. "You brought her here?" I c****d a brow at my brother. "Of course he did." Charlotte responded for him. "Where else would he bring me?" I was so angry, I would punch him if I didn't think he would beat the living crap out of me. Lucas has dated precisely four women since breaking up with Charlotte. Not a single one of those women has ever been brought to the mansion because he thinks of the place as is home. He never deemed them worthy of seeing his home. So he always took them to one of his condos. That left me and Lauren free to come and go here without any awkward run-ins with any of those women. "Lauren called me." I ignored Charlotte's question. "She's been here the ENTIRE weekend, Lucas. She..." I took a deep breath to stop myself from strangling him. "She heard you two and ...saw you two." It was only then that the smile on his face disappeared. He realised he had s*x with Charlotte all over his estate and never once stopped to think whether Lauren was here. I don't even care that he didn't stop to think about whether I was here because I already know just how f*****g feral he and Charlotte get. I had to live through their nonsense as a kid, but Lauren doesn't deserve that. That girl loves him and he knows that. "I completely forgot." He looked mortified, but dearest Charlotte showed no shame. "Of course you did!" I stormed past the two of them and ran up the stairs to Lauren's room. When those two started dating, mom literally had to move Forest out of the house and into a spare guest house on the farm. They did it all the time and had no care in the world where they were or who could hear them. The only decent thing about them back then was that at least they made sure they were in a room or some private area, but now they just did it all over this house? They're f*****g inconsiderate! Poor Lauren was in a state the entire weekend and was too afraid to even move. She was stuck here listening to the man she loves getting it on with another woman. "Lauren!" I knocked on her door. "Lauren, it's Christian." I could hear her muffled sobs in the room. They traumatised her. "Lauren...they're dressed." I looked behind me to find Charlotte narrowing her eyes suspiciously at the door and Lucas standing behind her with his hands wrapped firmly around her waist. By the looks of it, she was on her way out but I disturbed the lovely couple and now we're all waiting outside Lauren's room. "I'm fine Christian." She lied from behind her door. "You can go now. I'm just catching up on some work." I glared at Lucas. We could all tell the woman behind that door was not fine. "Lauren, I'm sorry." Lucas finally intervened. "I, uhm, I kind of forgot that you might be here. I'm really sorry, Lauren. Please come out so I can apologise properly." I could hear some footsteps on the other side of the door. Lucas looked a bit relieved, but that's probably because he couldn't see Charlotte's face. She looked ... unimpressed. Lauren opened the door to reveal herself wearing a wrinkled night dress with disheveled blonde hair and red, puffy blue eyes. It's Sunday night so she was probably trying to get some sleep after the traumatic weekend she had. "Lauren Mitchell?" Charlotte was the first one to speak when Lauren's door was opened. "The Lauren Mitchell who has been after Lucas Greyson since she was seven years old?" She looked amused, no longer angry. "Why is a girl who's had a crush on you since she could hardly spell her name sleeping in your house?" Charlotte asked Lucas. Still, there was no anger in her voice, only amusement. "Lauren is a very good friend of mine." Lucas smiled at Lauren who was trying not to look too disheveled before Charlotte, who looked almost perfect. "After you and I broke up, she was there for me and ...helped me." "I have no doubt that she did." She scoffed while staring right at poor Lauren. "I don't want another woman sleeping in the same house as you." She said while looking right at Lauren. "That's my condition for getting back together with you." She unwrapped Lucas' hands from her waist and started stalking poor Lauren like she's some kind of prey. "Lucas belongs to me." She practically snarled at her. "So any fantasy you have of the Billionaire CEO falling in love with the shy and quiet girl, better disappear from that pretty little blonde head of yours." We were all too stunned to speak. In true Charlotte fashion, she didn't even give any of us time to digest what she said. She turned on her red heels and started strutting down the stairs. "I'm taking your driver, Forest." She shouted while walking down the stairs with both speed and elegance. "He's really friendly and he knows how to do his job." "When do you suppose I'll have him back?" Lucas chuckled like she didn't just threaten Lauren. "Never." She turned and smiled at all of us. "He works for me now. I'll arrange for the transfer...if he agrees to it, that is." Then she narrowed her eyes at me. "Better get used to me, Chrissie. I'm not going anywhere this time." Again, she gave none of us any time to digest what she said. She opened the door and she was gone just like that. I was glaring at Lucas and poor Lauren was wiping her nose and tears. "I'm sorry, Lauren." He scratched the back of head awkwardly. "Charlotte and I got carried away." Lauren started to smile to indicate that she was ready to forgive him, but I wasn't having any of it. What he did was selfish and reckless and he needs to know that. Not to mention that getting back together with Charlotte is just a stupid idea altogether AND the woman just threatened Lauren. "Carried away is an understatement." I corrected him. "Because of Charlotte, this place can't be our home anymore! I don't want to see you guys getting it on and I don't want to hear it either." "This is your home." He looked a bit annoyed with the tone I was taking with him. "Next time, I'll make sure we stay in my bedroom." "Next time?" Lauren and I said at the same time. "Yea." He replied lazily. "Now that Charlotte is back in my life, this is her home too." "Her home? Back in- You just- What is-" I was struggling to get a full sentence out. That girl has only been back for three days and already he says this is her home too? "Take her to one of your condos!" I practically screamed at him. "You can do it all over the place there; not here!" He looked at me the way only an older sibling can look at a person. It was a look that made it clear that he's a few seconds away from handing my ass to me. "I'll show her my condos, but she and I will be sleeping here. She'll probably be moving in soon. This mansion is my home and so is Charlotte. I want her here, not in a condo." My jaw hit the floor. Lauren tried holding in her tears, until she gave up and then slammed the door shut in our faces. I swung a fist at him, but I was slammed against the wall before my fist could even land. "Let me go!" I shouted while he twisted my arm. "You're being a f*****g i***t!" He twisted my arm even more and I screamed in pain. "If you do anything to mess up my relationship with Charlie, I will hurt you so much more than this." He threatened me lowly. "I know you've never gotten along with her, but you better f*****g learn because she's not going anywhere this time." He twisted my arm even more and for a second, it felt like I would pass out. "She threatened Lauren!" I screamed at him, but he twisted my arm even more. "Fine!" I finally gave up. "Just let me go!" He finally let go of my hand and I inspected it and stretched it out to make sure it wouldn't still be painful tomorrow. "What about Lauren?" I gritted through my teeth. "You kissed her and then slept with another woman the next day while she was in the next room? You know how she feels about you. Are you cruel to her because your dear Charlotte has finally returned to you?" He sighed and knocked on Lauren's door. We could already hear music blasting in there. "That was a mistake." He said while knocking. "I shouldn't have kissed her and as for what happened this weekend, I had no idea she was here. She should have said something." I wished so badly that I could punch him in this moment. He knows what Lauren is like. She's timid and shy and sweet. She's nothing like Charlotte. Charlotte has an ego the size of a mountain, is too frank, rude and sometimes even ruthless. Lauren was too afraid to even move, let alone leave the house. They essentially trapped her in here with all their lovemaking. If she hadn't mustered the guts to call me tonight, none of us would have ever known what the poor girl went through. When she opened her door, she was dressed in sweatpants and had a bag on her shoulders. "Why do you have a bag with you?" I asked her. "You heard her." She tried taking a step out of her room, but I stopped her. "They're back together so I can't be here anymore. She even threatened me. I'm not staying here." She tried leaving her room again, but this time Lucas stopped her. "I'll talk to her." He sounded unsure of what he was saying. "You're my friend, Lauren. Me getting back together with Charlotte is not going to change anything. You can come here as often as you like and you can still sleep over. I'll explain things to her." Lauren tore her hand out of his and started marching down the stairs while I hurriedly followed behind her. "Why would he kiss me and then do that?" She looked at me with tears in those gentle blue eyes. "I thought-" She stopped half way on the stairs and glared at Lucas who for some reason wasn't chasing after her even though this whole mess is his fault. "Charlotte has turned you into a real jerk!" She cursed at him and then marched down the stairs. "She's right!" I spat out and slammed the door behind me.