Chapter 14 - Decisions

“You did what?” Topaz O’Connell yelled into the ears of her big brother. It was Thursday morning and the young girl had come to check on her big brother, and possibly spend sometI'm with him. Ever since the memorial service, she had distanced herself from him. Giovanni himself noticed it and didn’t call her out on it. He understood she was hurting and didn’t want to be insensitive about it.
Topaz O’Connell frowned when she walked in and found her big brother laying on his bed, with his hands supporting his head. The look on his face was a pensive one, and full of worry, almost like a cry of distress.
She found this weird. Giovanni O’Connell has always been an early bird, whereas Topaz, well she wasn’t. He loved mornings. When they were younger and close to each other, he would sneak into his younger sister’s room and force her to go on morning walks with him. Although she grumbled over it, she secretly loved it.
All of these led the young lady to conclude that her big brother wasn’t okay. When she had asked him, the older man hesitated to open up. He had dismissed it, blaming his gloomy mood on his job. But Topaz was smart. She knew there was something else. So, she pressed on until Giovanni finally gave in and expressed himself.
As Topaz O’Connell listened to her big brother, she felt sad for him. But that feeling was momentary because she snapped at him when she heard the last words leave his mouth.
“I didn’t know what to say. I was upset okay? Upset and hurt” the young man defended, restlessly pacing in his room.
“And so was she. Imagine how she must have felt. The entire town is referring to her as a slut and you just had to join those pieces of ass. You know that she cares about your opinion of her” Topaz yelled.
“Yeah. I doubt she gives two fucks about my opinion” Giovanni argued.
Topaz O’Connell let out an exasperated sigh. Giovanni’s oblivion annoyed the hell out of her and she wanted nothing more than to factory reset his brain with a dirty slap.
“Don’t be daft! Get your head out of your ass and think. Think for once. She was head over heels in love with you. You were her first kiss, her first lover, her first everything. Hell, she had a lot of first with you than you did with her. So of course what you think of her matters. You know her more than I do, so you should know that she’s just putting on a façade. So what if she slept with Luke? She has slept with several men in Craigsburg and I am not saying this to slut shame her, but from what you told me, you seemed to be particularly pissed over the fact that she slept with Luke. So, if you would stop thinking with the deflated balloon between your legs, you will realize that you have no right to dictate who she sleeps with, and you will start finding ways to fix up your mess” Topaz yelled, taking several breaths to calm down.
The vexation in her voice could be compared to that of an angry lion. She was upset. She had never raised her voice at her big brother, but she felt like she needed to. He was acting like an entitled spoiled kid with a massive self-acclaimed status. She needed him to understand that he had no right to reproach her friend for her actions when he left her first.
He hurt her first. And instead of finding ways to fix it, he adds more salt to the wound.
“You’re scary when you yell” Giovanni O’Connell commented.
“It has to be done. Someone needs to get you off your high horse” Topaz clapped back without a single care.
Giovanni O’Connell sighed. “What can I do to make it up to her?” he asked the young girl with sadness filled in his voice, giving her a pout.
Topaz O’Connell rolled her eyes. “You have to talk to her, that’s evident” she commenced
“I know I ha-“ Topaz cut him off with the death glare she gave him. She hated being interrupted.
“Thank you. I was saying you have to talk to her. But this time, you have to make sure it’s just the two of you, no interruptions whatsoever. You might want to seek Gwen’s help for that. And please this time, don’t mess it up” Topaz warned while Giovanni had a pensive face.
The young man let his sister’s words sink in. Topaz was right. He needed to get Wren into a secluded place and force her to listen to him. Well, not secluded per se, but maybe put her in a situation where she wouldn’t have any choice but listen to him. And as he resonated, the young man suddenly snapped his fingers, and a broad smile occupied his face.
“You just gave me a brilliant idea” he exclaimed in a joyful tone, and Topaz couldn’t help the smile that crept to her cheeks looking at the adorable expression on his face.
“That’s wonderful”
“So, from what I’ve heard so far, Hunter makes arrangements for Wren’s clients. So, I’m going to meet with him and arrange so I can be her client for the night. And Wren would have no choice than hear me out” he explained excitedly.
Topaz O’Connell stared at her brother in awe. It was no news to her that he hasn’t always been book smart, but he was very street smart. But apparently not street smart enough to know that the words that he had just excitedly expressed had to be the dumbest and the most heartless thing he had ever said.
“Gio, no. please shut it. For the love of God, just shut up” the young lady expressed in a calm, yet fed tone.
“But-“
“Barely a few hours ago, you called her a slut. Do you honestly think your plan will work? Doing that will be politely asking a ticket for eternal damnation” Topaz O’Connell said.
“It has to work Paz. It will work. I am confident that this plan of mine will work. I will make sure of it” he argued, excitement back in his, same with his earlier smile.
Topaz didn’t reply. Instead, she shook her head, quietly got off his bed and began to make her way to the door. There was no stopping her brother whenever he had an idea, and so, she didn’t want to waste any more time explaining to him the things that could go wrong.
Instead, she could only stay home and hoped that he returned safely. Because knowing Wren, she wouldn’t put it past her to murder him.
Literally.

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