Chapter 45: In Which He Witnessed A Cat Fight

Theo stared at the woman standing in front of him, arms folded across her chest, eyes squinted and lips in a thin, grim line.

“I just suggested the most plausible solution to Kate. Why would you think I’m up to something?”

“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” Theo frowned.

Audrey threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, “Look. I was just trying to help my best friend. If there’s another person who can read those d*mn cards, I won’t even mention that b*tch’s name. Why should I give her the chance?”

Theo sighed, “You’re still not telling me what I want to know.”

Audrey held her head and screamed at the top of her lungs. Theo covered his ears with a flat expression and waited patiently for the tantrum to end.

When it did, Audrey inhaled shallow breaths, “I want the old Theo back.”

“What are you plotting against Aurora?”

“Nothing! I’m not a monster, you a*shle!”

Theo crossed his bulging arms across his thick chest, “Then why did you bring Will Fisher here?”

Audrey gaped in shock, then swiftly regained her composure. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Theo fished out his phone and played the recording.

Theo’s unmistakable deep, solid voice spoke, “Tell me - who paid you to come here?”

Then, Will’s voice permeated through the cool air of the meeting room, loud and clear, “Audrey Walters.”

Theo observed as Audrey’s eyes enlarged with horror, then tapped on his phone screen to stop the recording and point the phone at his childhood friend, “Why did you do this, Audrey?”

“It wasn’t me,” Audrey whispered with a note of denial. “He was lying.”

Theo was infuriated. How could she deny it when the evidence was right in her face? He tapped the screen to let the audio recording continue till the end.

Theo’s recorded voice commanded again, “Explain.”

Will heaved a sigh and then responded obediently, “She wanted me to tell you all that has happened between Aurora and me.”

“What else?”

“I am to convince Aurora to marry me and take her away from you.”

Theo’s voice chuckled, “But she kicked your a*s.”

Will’s voice started to get annoyed, “Look, I’ve done all you asked. Give me the money and I’ll be on my way.”

“You’ve already taken it, didn’t you?”

Will’s voice quavered, “What? No, no, no. You can’t do this.”

“Didn’t you blackmail Aurora for thirty thousand in total?” Theo’s voice said with a bleak calmness.

“No! I mean, yes! I did. But that was before--.”

“So, you got the money you wanted. Now, leave,” Theo’s voice repeated in a threatening note.

“No! F*ck! Sh*t! Look, Mr. Barone. You have to trust me. I didn’t want to do it. The blackmail thing. It was all that b*tch, Audrey Walters. It was all her idea!”

Audrey screamed again, “No!”

Theo raised a finger to his lips and glowered at her, telling her silently to shut up and listen.

Will’s voice sounded clearly again, “... came to me and told me that Aurora has gotten herself a new boyfriend - someone who’s immensely loaded. And I could knock some cash off her.”

Theo’s voice growled, “There you have it. Your thirty thousand dollars.”

“No! Please, Mr. Barone. I really needed that cash!”

“Listen, you f*cksh*t,” Theo’s voice was unusually low and strained with rage, “I suggest you take your sickening self out of this place and never look back. That thirty thousand was Aurora’s hard-earned cash, you piece of sh*t. She didn’t take a single free dime from me.”

There was a pause and then Theo spoke again, “If I see you appear in front of Aurora once more, I’m going to send your sorry a*s to jail and keep you there. Then, I’m going to every print and online platform about how you got the funds for your business, so everyone will know what you’ve done.”

“Y-you c-cant do that,” Will sounded terrified.

“Your disappearance for my silence,” Theo muttered. “In a week.”

Theo tapped on his phone screen and slotted it back into his pocket as he stared at the pretty face crumbled before him.

“I’m done with this,” Theo rolled his eyes. “We’re done, Audrey. I wanted us to remain as friends, but I think that's too hard for you. I guess we won’t be seeing each other for the time being.” He turned and left.

Was he too harsh? Theo opened the door. Then, he shook his head. No, he wasn't. Compared to what they did to Aurora - stressing her to the brink of insanity and working her to death in the past few weeks - this was just a small feat.

He stepped into the corridor and inhaled deeply. This should truly end, he hoped silently. Aurora deserved better.

A pair of fair arms wrapped around his waist to stop him from moving further and then Audrey crashed against his back.

“No, Theo! Don’t do this to me! You can’t just kick me aside. You promised to look after me forever,” Audrey wailed.

“Let go, Audrey,” Theo said calmly. He tried prying her hands open, but they wouldn’t budge.

“No! Please, Theo. Let’s just go back to where we were. You did all this to spite me. You just wanted me to apologize to you, right? I’ll do it. I’m sorry! I’m really sorry.”

“It’s over, Audrey. Just leave it,” Theo tried to break away from the crying and sniffling woman.

“Let go of him, you b*tch.”

Theo stopped struggling at Aurora’s voice. He lifted his gaze, saw his ravishing goddess glaring at Audrey with fire in her eyes and swallowed hard.

One should never mess with a jealous girlfriend, he thought and made a mental note.

“Aurora,” he whispered.

But Aurora couldn’t hear him. She stepped towards Audrey, tore her arms off Theo’s body and pushed the vixen away, then shoved the large man behind her own body like a mother hen.

Surprised by the attack, Audrey stumbled backward and landed on the floor with a loud cry. When she looked back, her eyes were reddened with anger. She stood and lunged forward, “You slut! How dare you push me!”

Aurora stepped forward with a raised arm, aiming straight for the same cheek.

Instantly, Audrey halted and recoiled with a wince, as if she felt the sting of a slap. But it was actually from her vivid memory.

“Ha! I thought so,” Aurora muttered angrily. She took another step forward and snarled at the cowering woman, “You touch him again, I swear to God I’ll pull those beautiful locks off your pretty scalp!”

Frightened by the vision of the threat, Audrey pursed her lips tight to stop herself from worsening her situation. This slut has gone rogue, she thought silently. She would need back up.

“This is not over,” Audrey scrambled to a stand and growled back, then flinched again as Aurora pounced at her with a hand raised.

“It’s over,” Aurora countered firmly. “Leave.”

Once Audrey disappeared around the corner, Theo remembered to breathe again. He carefully placed a hand on Aurora’s shoulder and called her name in a tender voice. When she didn’t respond, he tried to turn her around.

“Babe...”

She glared at him, “Why the hell did you let her touch you?”

Theo widened his gaze at the flushed cheeks and moistened emerald eyes that sparkled with love for him. Ah hell, he groaned silently, he wanted to skip the panel discussions and take her straight to bed now.

Quietly, he pulled her into his embrace and hugged her tight.

“I told you, I don’t like her touching you,” she sniffed.

“Alright. I’ll keep her at a radius of eight feet from me,” he kissed the top of her head and smiled.

Aurora chuckled softly. Then, she pulled away and threw her small fist at his strong chest, “Where have you been? You said we’d have lunch together. Lunch is almost over.”

“I was settling some things for the panel later,” he explained, brushing the loose strands off her face.

“Panel?” She blinked.

“Yes,” Theo smiled and kissed lightly on her lips. “Come and watch me. We’ll have dinner when I’m done. There’s this restaurant with a nice view,” he suggested with a gentle voice.

Aurora finally smiled with a sparkle in her eyes, “Okay.”

Theo hugged her again, wondering how to keep her away from the tarot card reading.

Something about it felt odd, but he couldn’t figure out what it was.