3. Endeavour
1676 Words
Preferring patience over a hasty soul fixed on rushing to an equally satisfying task, and hoping they waited patiently with enthusiasm during the task that held them back, did — could not — do them any justice.
It all felt like her time was slipping away bit by bit as her father rambled on stories — totally off track from the business discussion, despite the fact that chapter had been closed — A successful bridging passion to Lexical.
“I have to go! I’m so bored.” she groaned, resting her head against the black office chair.
The room fell deadly silent, all the laughter suddenly stopped. Three sets of eyes glanced to her direction — two unimpressed and one amused by the whole situation.
It was no lie he found her choice of words far from professional or appropriate, the frown on his face said it all — he gave an apologetic smile to their guest.
Her brother did share the same thought as his father, unlike a frown he was glaring at her.
“Forgive her, she is still a child.”
He apologized, taking his gaze off her towards Chiara — who simply gave both of them a tiny smile, she might have wanted to leave right now.
Scarlet didn’t find it at all wrong — well not completely, she knew it might have been a bit wrong — but what did they expect, she did not in the slightest want to be at work and mostly during her menstruation period.
She would be happily be lying in bed at this exact moment, eating a bag of chips enjoying some music or something — but men had to f**k that idea up.
She glared at the blonde, “At least I could stay faithful!” she knew that was a poor, very poor comeback but it always hit the right spot.
And it did
He suddenly stood, violently he pushed the chair way back — he was furious and fed up with her comments.
The truth did hurt.
He held up by gripping onto her shirt. The two siblings were holding a staring contest, Scarlet however had a smirk on her face — she was greatly enjoying every single moment of this.
It did not last all that long as Mr. Blackwell slammed his fist against the table — startling the two plus the Chiara in the room.
He had about enough of these two, it wasn’t the appropriate time for a bloodbath nor was it professional — for f***s sake they had a business partner they just secured a deal with in the room, yet they were so infuriating.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, he diverted his gaze away from the two to Chiara.
“They still fight like five year olds.” he laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood, just a bit.
He didn’t have to try hard, as she gave him a head nod understanding it all, she had one of her own — a twenty year old girl.
“Immature most times — very typical, they never change.”
No one liked being called immature, well most people in there right mind — it was an insult to her. Scarlet lost how many times she had been called that, certainly at a point being called the same word again and again grew tiring — infuriating.
She laughed, a forced laugh with smile. “I honestly didn’t know you had a side profession, you know business woman during the day and a comedian at night — but I thought you had another job to do at night—”
The stinging in her cheek was evidence enough to prove something had kicked the words out her mouth, despite that it took her a couple of seconds to comprehend or fathom the situation.
Until she met his gaze, he slapped her — her father. In all her years she had only received the fury of his palm once, when he thought she lied, then on he promised to never do it again — then again things change.
“Shut up!” he barked glaring at her, Scarlet hadn’t been the only person shocked — her brother stare their father as though he grew two heads, and Chiara had her hand covering her mouth.
Diverting her gaze, she stared at the floor, she didn’t have the courage — to meet his gaze nor hold back her tears.
“Yes Mr. Blackwell.” she had whispered, her voice betraying her — a bit shaky, vulnerable.
He dropped his arm to his side in defeat, the overwhelming pain in his chest, the vivid memory filling his mind.
“Scarlet.” he tried to reason — comfort her or apologize, but that was as far his long awaited speech went, he could just call out her name.
She didn’t look at him, she just wanted the comfort of her bed again — today all went straight to hell, probably even came from there.
“Dad—”
“What now boy.” he sighed taking his gaze off Scarlet to Michael.
“Check your phone.”
Pulling his phone from his pocket he sighed once more — exhausted. So much drama, just too much.
Andrew Blackwell had been trending yet again, ranking number one on newly generated keywords — the mostly searched person within the past hour.
Clicking on the first article on Lexical: Andrew Blackwell accused of sexualising, molesting minors — demanding nudes and falsifying age.
“That bastard!” he hissed, kicking the chair.
“We have to delete that keyword!” being the good nephew he was, he spoke earning a nod from his father.
Despite Andrew being a pain in the ass he sadly was family, if he was involved in a scandal — they were too and that wasn’t good for the company.
Scarlet wiped away the few tears that had somehow managed to escape, glancing at the two men — well glaring.
“You’re not f*****g deleting anything!” Scarlet shouted, stopping Michael right in his tracks.
“Well look at it!” he shoved the phone screen in her face.
With a shoved from her, the phone was out of sight — she didn’t need them barking empty explanations, she knew all that written by the title alone was all true.
“I don’t need to read that to know it is all true, my answer is still no. Let it stay there floating the internet forever — all the articles.”
“He is our uncle!” urged Michael with a slight frown.
His concern, the whole excuse he gave, was much — way too much — than his concern about his own wife and it sickened her.
Smiling she shrugged, “I do not have an obligation to shelter him from his mistakes. You make them, you pay for them and he is not my ‘uncle’, get it?”
Shushing him and her father, she added. “And before you say anything, I would like to tell you this company has policies that our users want us to uphold — no matter what. Transparency, accountability and privacy, not only are you putting at risk the name of the company you worked so hard to build for a s**t show such as your brother — I meant it in the most disrespectful level. The keywords are formed by our users — I say give them what they want.”
“It is a mistake.” Mr. Blackwell spoke.
Scarlet strongly disagreed with a loud scoff. “How long are you going to keep lying to yourself about what that man is. First, you cover up his rape case falsifying court evidence and bribing who you had to for that dog to win the case — you side line him molesting me at fifteen because he was ‘drunk’ and meant no harm. What the f**k is wrong inside that head of yours?”
Hurt was an immaculate way to put it all, she was hurt but betrayed and traumatized by him and his brother’s actions. Till this day she never understood why he couldn’t believe her then, even when she pleaded.
He stayed silent diverting his gaze away from hers, ashamed maybe but he never learnt — she knew that. As of Chiara — how the woman wished she left, she knew she was invading a very private conversation.
“Let him face trial for being a predator again to a minors, do me that bit of justice. Your little brother or not — he is a monster.” she sighed, physically drained. “If not, I would like to not be CEO of a corrupt company — I didn’t even want to.”
“Scarlet...” he trailed off as his phone began to ring.
“Is that him?” the frown pasted on his face verified it. Stretching out her hand she said. “— give me the phone.”
Answering the call she placed the phone to her right ear, her attention on both the men in the room. She silently listened as he panicked trying to explain everything to his big brother, all pathetic if she was asked.
She chuckled, “For once he loves me more than you.” her eyes were fixed on her father, it wasn’t a loving or admiring gaze something much darker shadowed her emotions. “Go f**k yourself Andrew Blackwell — you’re on your own.”
Ending the call, she threw the phone to the man but not before she made sure to block him and delete the contact.
“I’ll leave now.” she announced, her gaze on Mrs. Brown — she really forgot her presence, poor woman had to witness that.
“I apologize for everything that happened here, you should go now as well.”
With that she left, not bidding the other two a bye or a second glance, she needed a nap — a long one.
- Writer
