Chapter 30: Second-in-command

Friday was a mess for both Serene and Nicolas. Nick got a surprise visit from both Victoria and his father and was given information in a matter of minutes while Serene was driven to a pit of confusion about whether he should be angry with his boss or understanding. Although it was obvious that the information was a bit last minute, the two didn't say anything about it.

Seven didn't know what to think about the situation. He was angry because he knew where Nick's heart stood, but at the same time, he hated the fact that Nick couldn't stand up for himself - for what he loved.

It was Saturday morning and Serene stood silently, his hands behind his back, watching Joseph say his goodbyes to his son. Nicolas and Victoria were preparing to fly out to their planned vacation.

Seven held Nicolas's suitcase, standing next to Marcel. He kept his chin high, showing no sign of unprofessionalism. Even though he was confused and bitter inside, he couldn't interfere with such a matter.

When Marcel heard about Nicolas leaving, he knew there was a possibility of something going wrong and he didn't want the last interaction with the CEO to be an argument. Victoria grinned at the chairman, letting Nicolas walk towards his two friends.

Marcel stood straight, looking at Nick, "Have fun on your vacation," he uttered. Nicolas nodded holding out a hand. Marcel held his chin high, clutching his hand, pulling him into a hug, "I'm sorry for my stupidity the last time we talked," Marcel whispered.

Nicolas smiled softly, patting his friends back, "Don't worry about it," he pushed away from the hug carefully and tapped his shoulder, "I know you meant well by it."

Marcel shook his head, "Man, you gotta think about this while you're on that goddamn plane," he turned his head slightly, frowning, "Please."

Nicolas bowed at him, not saying anything else. He turned his attention to Seven who didn't give him a gaze. He walked towards the assistant, "You alright?" he asked calmly, grabbing his suitcase from his assistant. Marcel acknowledged the two, not wanting to overhear their conversation, so he walked towards Joseph and Victoria.

Seven nodded at the question, "I'm fine." His eyes finally turned to Nick, "Have fun on your trip, Mr. Anderson."

Nicolas sighed, pouting. He gripped the suitcase in his hand, "I'm sorry for doing this. I know you probably expected more from me."

Seven didn't say anything. He turned his head and saw the sad expression on his boss' face. Though Nick was right about Seven's expectations, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man standing in front of him. Seven quickly eyed the other three that were occupied, moving his cold hand to Nick's, "Don't stress about it," he reassured, "Have fun on your trip."

Though Seven desperately wanted to save his supervisor from the vacation, there wasn't much he could do. Nicolas had full control over the situation and only he could change his fate with his father. Although bothered with jealousy and anger, he didn't know what to do. Knowing Nick's bad relationship with Joseph, Seven couldn't think of a solution where everything would work out and it upset him. Seeing Nicolas walk away with a scowl on his face was maddening and noticing the chairman wave them off with a grin made Seven even angrier.

Serene didn't have a ride home, considering he and Nick were brought to the airport by the chairman. The plan was for Seven to grab a taxi, but Marcel had offered a ride.

Not thinking much about the offer, he accepted and went the rest of the ride silent. Seven wasn't in the mood to talk.

Upon arriving at the front doorstep of his apartment, Marcel had wanted to ask something. The two entered and Seven closed the door behind them, Marcel awing the apartment, "Woahh! Nice place you got here, Seven." he complimented.

The assistant sighed, throwing his keys on the counter, "What is it that you wanted to ask me?" His body was sore, and all he wanted to do now was go back to bed and ease his mind from trouble.

He walked into the small kitchen, setting up water to boil. Marcel strolled towards the couch, allowing himself to fall onto the cushions, "What's your opinion on Nicolas' forced wedding?"

Seven stood by the kettle, not knowing how to respond. He stared at his reflection that was on the silver teakettle, hearing the water boil inside. He didn't expect the question and didn't know how to answer. He stood in the same spot for what felt like forever... not saying anything.

For a minute, Marcel believed Serene didn't hear him, considering how long he took to answer. However, Seven responded, not with an answer, but a jolt when the doorbell rang. Serene closed his eyes, calming himself as he felt his heart race out of the blue.

"Who's that?" the lawyer asked, rising from his lazy position. Seven shrugged, not moving from his position, "I think it's one of my friends."

"You think?" Marcel restated, walking towards the door.

Seven kept his eyes locked on the kettle, hearing Marcel's footsteps go towards the door. He let out a soft sigh, calming himself down. At this point, he didn't know if the sound of the doorbell was what was making his heart race or the fact that Marcel had asked a question Serene didn't have an answer to.

Marcel hummed, placing his hand on the doorknob, opening the door. "So, are you going to answer my question or-" he continued. His eyes widened at the sight of two people.

Emilee stood in front of him, smiling, "Hey, uh- dude." she raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

Marcel smiled, "Goodmorning."

"Goodmorning, Emilee," Serene shouted from the kitchen, signaling Marcel to let the two people in. The lawyer stepped aside, making eye contact with the black-haired male that followed Emilee.

Marcel's lips curved into a smile, sharing eye contact with the man who was a bit younger than him. His orange sweater gave Marcel a fall vibe, adoring the male's choice of fashion, "I like your sweater," the lawyer complimented.

The blonde-haired girl grinned, hearing the compliment get thrown at her brother, "I brought my brother, Seven, if you don't mind."

Serene held a coffee mug in his hands, only to be drinking hot tea from it, "Can't really say anything now that he's in my apartment, now can I?" He turned his back to the counter, leaning against it and staring at his friends.

Sam snorted, neglecting the compliment he got from Marcel, "I'm the one that returned your call when you needed a ride to get away from your beloved Nicolas."

Marcel closed the door, his eyebrows furrowing at the mention of his friend, "Nicolas?" he repeated, looking at Serene who was wide-eyed.

Emilee beamed, "How'd it go? Did he mention the night to you?"

Serene's cheeks colored, "Em, shh-"

"Are you talking about the night of the party?" Marcel asked, walking towards the kitchen counter.

Emilee and Sam sat on the stools, resting their arms on the surface of the minibar. Seven was blushing red, putting his mug down, not wanting to drop it from his hands shaking.

Sam snickered, noticing how nervous Serene was getting, "He doesn't know?"

Marcel squinted at the assistant who kept his eyes on the floor, "Know what?"

Seven didn't know what to do. Emilee and Sam had already mentioned it and Seven couldn't improvise anything. Marcel was told the story that he and Nick had walked out of the donation party, but Emilee and Sam were given the real story. He sighed, realizing now that he should've kept his mouth shut.

"I slept with Nicolas," the assistant sighed. It seemed like a bad idea to expose Nicolas like that, but Seven couldn't figure out any other story or improvise something that would make sense. He only hoped Marcel wouldn't walk out of the apartment hating Nicolas.

And to his surprise, Marcel scoffed, crossing his arms as he sat down on another stool next to Sam, "I knew something was up with you two. Is this what Nicolas couldn't tell me?"

"He couldn't tell you nor his dad," Serene kept his gaze down on the floor disappointed in himself that he couldn't keep a secret again, "We were at the party, but we were playing a drinking game and he got intoxicated, causing us to sleep together."

"Like.. you two had sex?" Marcel hesitated to question, not wanting to invade his privacy. Serene's face burned with both embarrassment and sin, "Yes."

Emilee frowned, seeing how troubled her friend looked, "What did Nicolas say after the party?"

The three listened to Seven's explanation about the situation during the night of the party. At first, he wasn't comfortable with describing it to them because he, himself, wasn't comfortable with even remembering it.

Marcel wasn't bothered by it. There was a voice in the back of his head telling him that Seven had grown onto Nicolas the day they met. Considering how blunt Serene is, Marcel knew Nicolas was interested in his character. After the party, Marcel has never seen Nicolas act tense in front of him. It was what gave it away - that Nicolas was lying.

At the end of the explanation, Marcel tilted his head, "He told you to keep it a secret?"

"Even from me?" Emilee pouted.

Serene nodded, "I wanted to tell someone. I really did... I mean, it was the first time I've been in that situation. You'd think I'd be fine with a secret that big carving inside of me."

"So he didn't say anything about it at all?" Sam asked, scoffing right after, "What a dick move."

Marcel shook his head, "No, wait."

The other three turned their attention to the lawyer. His thumbs tangled, "Nicolas isn't a dick. He's just dealing with a lot. I suppose, putting myself in his shoes, he's focused only on what his dad wants."

"Well, his dad sounds like a dick," Sam responded, being nudged by Emilee. "What's wrong with focusing on his dad?"

"There's nothing wrong with it. I mean, if you want to be a good child, you need to be obedient, right?"

Serene nodded, "Nicolas is too obedient though. I can tell he doesn't want to go through with the wedding, but he's just scared."

Marcel smiled softly, "Exactly my thought. Seven, I don't think you know this but Nicolas' dad was forced into marriage as well."

"As well? Wait, is Nicolas being forced into marriage?" Emilee's eyebrows raised, sitting straight with curiosity.

"He is," Marcel responded, "As Seven said, it's very obvious he doesn't want to go through with it. Nicolas is afraid of owning up to his dad, but I don't know why."

"Because he knows his dad has been through a lot maybe. From what's he told me, he's just always been getting shut down by his father... getting blamed for his mom's death." Seven commented, taking a sip from his mug.

"It's frustrating to see him like that." Marcel frowned, tapping his finger on the counter.

"See him like what?" the girl asked.

"He's afraid of his dad, but still aims to make him proud. How do you even make it a goal to try to get the one person that degrades you proud?" the lawyer asked.

Sam turned his attention to the assistant, squinting at him, "Do you like him by chance? Or, better yet, are you positive that he has feelings for you?"

Seven frowned, putting down his mug, "I mean... he did take me out to dinner... and kissed me. I can only assume it's his way of admitting his feelings, I guess..."

The room went quiet. A type of quiet that gave off a 'and then...' aura. Seven looked up from the floor and noticed the other three staring at him.

"And you?" Marcel asked.

Seven felt his throat stiffen, his chest building up a sense of pressure, "I- I think I do have feelings for him."

Marcel clapped, nodding, "Good! That's all I needed to hear." The lawyer stood up from the stool, stretching his arms with a smile on his face, "Listen, Seven. Nick... all his life he's never disobeyed his father. He's always listened to him in hopes he would be forgiven for the death of his mother. When he was younger, he has always been a model in the GamerCave company, being admired by anyone and everyone that saw him in and outside the building."

"Why are you telling me this?" Seven asked.

Marcel stopped moving, crossing his arms now, "Because," he stated, "Nicolas has always been a loyal son to his good-old dad... until he met you."

"Until he met me?"

"Yes! I mean- I could be fishing for anything right now, but I'm making a big assumption and guessing that if he had never met you, he wouldn't be so conflicted with his father's proposal right now." Marcel finished.

Seven titled his head, squinting his eyes at the lawyer, "You're making an assumption."

"What? You don't believe me?" Marcel exhaled, humming as if he were thinking another way to explain the situation, "The night of the donation party, it was before Nicolas got the call from his dad right? The call about the marriage?"

Serene nodded slowly, not knowing where he was going with this. Marcel chuckled, clapping his hands together, "The only time he's ever questioned and shouted at his dad's arrangements was during the call about him getting married." Marcel kept a smile, looking at the three as if they knew where he was leading up to, "Oh, come on! Are you three not getting it?"

The lawyer sat back down on the stool, putting his arms on the counter, "Seven, I think, in my eyes, if you haven't slept with him, Nicolas wouldn't have doubts about the marriage."

Emilee sat up, a grin spreading across her face, "Oh! So, Seven CAN change Nick's mind on the marriage?"

Serene's cheeks flushed at the mention, turning away, "This is ridiculous. I could never get involved in the topic. It's not my place." Of course, he wanted to. But remembering how he was yelled at for intruding on the topic, he didn't know how else to approach the situation. Even if the two associates didn't have an attraction towards each other, Seven didn't think it'd be possible to even talk Nicolas out of an arrangement his father made.

Sam's eyebrows furrowed, leaning into Emilee, "I'm so confused." he whispered.

Marcel jumped off the counter, stepping towards Serene, "Listen to me, Sev. Nicolas won't listen to me because he has no reason to. I'm just a friend who doesn't know how his work... works. You, on the other hand... if the explanation you gave now is true - about him kissing you, taking you on dates, and making moves on you - I truly do think he has feelings for you AND you can convince him out of the marriage."

Seven didn't respond. He kept his back turned to the three, eyeing down at the water puddles on the counter from the kettle.

"Doesn't it bother you that the guy you slept with is marrying someone he doesn't like?" Marcel asked quietly.

Seven clenched his hands into fists on the marble counter, turning to the lawyer that stood in front of him, "What bothers me is that Nicolas can't see how wrong this entire thing is! Even if I didn't like him, even if we hadn't slept together, I hate that he won't let me advise him as an assistant!" Seven groaned, running his hands on his burning cheeks, frustrated at how long the conversation has been going. Even so, he was getting flustered about the comments Marcel was making - comments that made sense.

"It bothers me knowing that I'm assisting someone who can't even think for themselves. I got this job to be a second-in-command. Not assist someone who is a second-in-command."

Marcel grinned, staring down at Serene whose hands were clenched and his cheeks were heated, "Good to know that you agree with me."