Free Book | Forest's Redemption

Chapter 17: Lauren's POV

"Lucas what are you doing?" I asked with nothing but shock in my voice.

He didn't answer me. He continued kissing and licking my neck while pushing my waist against his groin to make sure I could feel his hardness.

Gosh, he was so hard.

"This is what we've both wanted for years, Lauren." He continued with his onslaught. "I'm done fighting it. I'm done fighting what I feel for you."

"But what about Char-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence as he captured my lips in the most intense and passionate kiss ... my very first kiss. My very first kiss and it's with him. Of course it's with him. It can only ever be with him.

...

"Hey Lauren." A very familiar sarcastic and monotone voice came echoing down my ear.

"Look at her Char," Jona's thin, malicious-filled voice chuckled. "She's having a wet dream starring none other than Lucas Greyson."

I quickly shot up only to find Jona looking at me with nothing but amusement and Charlotte's heels sounding off into the kitchen.

"What the hell are you doing here Jona?" I clutched at the flimsy blanket that was covering me.

"No, Lauren." He sneered at me. "What are YOU doing here? Moaning Lucas Greyson's name out here in the living room for everyone to hear; for Mr Greyson to hear. For Charlotte to hear."

I gulped nervously. "I fell asleep while waiting for Christian and Lucas to come back with their mom and Annabelle." I explained. "I didn't mean to- I didn't know that- What are you doing here Jona?" I stood up from the couch and started folding my blanket. "This is MY home. You're the visitor and I won't be made to feel uncomfortable by you!"

"I'm here to shame you." He spat at me. "Mr Greyson may have put a muzzle on Char, but I'm free to tell you just how creepy you are Lauren Mitchell. Women your age aren't sleeping at a man's house all in the name of friendship. They're sleeping in homes they built for themselves or homes they share with someone they're in a relationship with."

He was standing so close to me that I could barely move.

I used to think that Charlotte is the scariest person I've ever met, but Jona is ten times worse. He knows just what to say to make me feel like s**t and of course he, of all people, had to witness me dreaming of being with Lucas yet again. And seeing as I fall asleep on the couch regularly and Charlotte now lives here, it means she's also seen me dream of him and heard me moan Lucas' name.

Fuck.

Lucas has probably also seen me. I am so f*****g screwed.

"Let her be, Jona!" Charlotte's voice came from the kitchen where pots and pans were making too many sounds. "Come taste this."

Jona didn't react for the first few seconds. He just stood a few inches from my face, glaring at me with nothing but disgust on his face.

"You've grown too soft, Char!" He shouted while glaring at me. "Just give me the word and I will destroy this girl's life. She's f****d up so much at work that I wouldn't even need to break a sweat. In fact," he narrowed his eyes at me and smirked, "everyone who works at Greyson Corporation knows how incompetent Lauren Mitchell is. They're just too afraid of Mr Greyson to tell him her so-called helping hand is the touch of death for any project."

I could feel them, my f*****g tears. Always at the ready when it would embarass me the most.

"Jona!" Charlotte scolded and I heard her high heels marching to the living room.

"Lauren, I'm sorry." She apologised like she wasn't surprised to find me on the couch moaning Lucas' name. "Jona forgets that he's here to help me and not torment you. You go back to sleep. I'll get him out of your hair."

She grabbed Jona by the arm and made him follow her to the kitchen where I could hear a whole lot of commotion going on.

I slumped back on the couch and just covered my eyes with both hands.

Is he right? Is my hand the touch of death?

I don't really have a set position in the company. I help where I can and where help is needed. I don't necessarily enjoy the work because office work is generally just boring, but I try my best. All I want to do, all I've ever wanted to do is stand by Lucas' side and help him make his dreams come true.

And that's what I've done...I think.

That mishap with the permits is still eating away at me. I only made changes to those applications because they didn't look right to me. Each time the legal team submitted them, the part that dealt with the engineering portion of the application just looked wrong. I have an engineering degree so I just fixed it for them... I fixed it for them all five times they submitted that application...

I didn't know the engineering team was also helping out with that application. I thought it was just legal. That's the only reason why I changed things around. I just wanted to help.

Maybe I shouldn't have done that.

And now it seems after finding that out, Jona has made it his mission in life to find every little mistake I've ever made since I started with the company. Some mistakes are not so little, but Lucas understands that I just wanted to help.

I cleaned my face and decided to stop my pity party. That company is my home, just as much as this mansion is my home and I'm not leaving either of the two. I will continue living here and sleeping here every single day and I will continue working at Greyson Corporation for the rest of my life.

Charlotte and Jona will not make me back down.

"You guys need any help?" I popped my head inside the kitchen and found Charlotte laughing and cooking with the kitchen staff while Jona ate some of the food they were cooking.

They all looked like they were having the time of their life...until they saw me.

"Thanks for offering, Lauren." She offered a smile. "I know you hate the kitchen; just like Lucas and Christian."

The kitchen staff laughed and made noises like this was some inside joke that I wasn't privy to.

"You can go rest up or maybe take a swim?"

"No, I'd like to help." I lied. "You're getting things ready for Mrs Greyson and Annabelle, right? Just tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it."

Jona groaned and rolled his eyes. "I should get going Char." He hugged her while glaring at me. "Nigel wants me to meet his parents today and I have to get ready."

They exchanged laughs and taunts with each other and with the kitchen staff while I watched like an outsider.

Charlotte seems to have this ability to charm the socks off of everyone she meets. She's befriended every single person who works in the mansion. She knows their names, the names of their spouses, kids, neighbours, grandparents. She knows everything.

They light up everytime they see her and always have somethings prepared that they want to show off to her. They'd show off how well they cooked something she taught them how to cook, or how well they cleaned a room or some furniture or how beautiful they made the garden look.

Some of the employees in the house have even showed her the designer clothes they bought. Apparently she has a hack to getting anything at a discount. Turns out Charlotte Ericsson never pays full price for anything and now all the people who work at the mansion can afford things they previously thought they couldn't.

Everyone wants to show that woman the best they have to offer and me, Lucas and Christian never even knew that any of this was possible. We were friendly enough with the staff and laughed and joked around with them from time to time, but it was all superficial, at least from my side it was.

Charlotte knows these people like they're friends and family...not like they're employees.

"You can chop up the onions." She gestured after Jona finally left.

I grabbed an onion and tried my best to chop it up.

"That's the garlic." She smiled and handed me what I'm assuming is the onion.

She's always smiling at me. All that anger and hostility she had towards me just evaporated into thin air. I know she's putting up a front, but even I'm starting to get convinced that Charlotte Ericsson likes me.

"I'm sorry about what happened in the living room." I muttered while chopping the onion. "I didn't mean to fall asleep and dream about Lucas."

"That's okay." She gave me that brilliant smile once more. "This is your home and I'm a guest. You feel free to go on as if I'm not here."

"Then why are you still here?" The words forced their way out of my mouth before I could stop them. "It's been a month. Don't you think you've out-stayed your welcome?"

All the chatter and laughter from the kitchen staff suddenly stopped and the room fell silent.

"You guys go on." She smiled at them, washed her hands and then started walking out of the kitchen.

They all looked at me like I just tried to stab her when all I did was ask a question.

I left the stupid onion and followed her. This is a long time coming. This conversation was going to happen sooner or later. Rather it happen sooner.

"Forest wants me here." She said nonchalantly. "And this is his house; not yours."

She had stepped outside into the garden and of course the second the sun hit her skin, her skin turned gold. And now here I am with a gold-skinned model towering over me while I try to get her out of my home.

Life can be so f*****g cruel.

"It may not be my house, but it is my home Charlotte. That's why Lucas refuses for me to leave. That's why no matter how much you wish I wasn't here to see you two making out infront of me, he insists that I stay by his side. And I'm not going anywhere, Charlotte. He loves me. He told me so himself. So you can stop putting up the friendly act and just tell me what we all know you want to tell me."

I was so nervous that I was almost trembling. I'm going head to head with Charlotte Ericsson. I'm telling her that her precious Forest loves me. He's told me that repeatedly. She needs to know that. She needs to know that she is no longer the only one in his heart. I'm there too and she can't kick me out.

"I know he loves you." She said while dipping her feet in the pool. "And I can see he wants you close by." She sighed and looked into the far distance as if contemplating what to say next.

My heart was beating so hard and so fast that it felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. She knows he loves me and she knows Lucas likes keeping me close.

She knows he may love her, but now he loves me too. Lucas Greyson finally loves me too.

"If Forest tells me to leave, I will leave." She broke the silence. "And if you two get together," she snapped her head at me and narrowed her eyes at me like I was her prey, "I won't lounge around his house like some love-sick girl with no home. I won't try to disturb any alone time you two try to spend together." She started walking towards me, her wet foot that she dipped in the pool left a wet footprint behind her.

"I won't keep faking panic attacks so that I can keep hogging Forest's attention. And I will most certainly not be strutting around half naked claiming it's too hot to wear clothes."

Every crude word I wanted to hurl at her was stuck in my throat. She was now standing right infront of me, daring me to refute what she just said, but of course I couldn't and of course she noticed.

I had to amp things up a notch with her now living in the house. I'm not proud of it, but I did what I had to do. If Lucas saw anything wrong with me disturbing him and Charlotte or wearing little clothes around the house or getting panicked whenever the two of them are alone, then he would have said something.

I did what I had to do to save Lucas from Charlotte. That's all I want. I just want Lucas to take a step back and guard his heart. That's all.

She gave a menacing smile and started walking away, but I wasn't going to let her win this round. Charlotte Ericsson will never beat me again.

"Are you afraid of walking around half naked in the house because of your scars?" I asked in my most cruel and confident tone.

I saw the scars on her back and stomach when she and Lucas had their three day long s*x marathon. Most of them seemed to be fading, but there are two large scars on her stomach and back that I'm pretty sure will never fade.

For a second her face contorted with anger before she regained control and pretended as if I didn't just press one of her buttons.

The amazing Charlotte Ericsson has a cryptonite. She's not so invincible after all and judging by how her entire body tensed up and how she's currently balling her fists, this is the right spot to hit.

"I bet Lucas avoids those scars when he's having s*x with you." I spat at her. "I watched you two and not once did he touch those scars."

I was being cruel. I was being so cruel to her, but how much crueler has she and Jona been to me? If she can dish it out, then she should be willing to take it.

She was walking so slowly towards me that it felt like she was moving in slow motion.

"I've beaten girls who weighed twice as much as me and who were as tall as fully grown men, Lauren." She almost whispered.

Fuck.

"What do you think I'll do to a short girl who can be swept away by the wind?" She smiled...a menacing smile. "I will beat you until you're black and blue, Lauren Mitchell. I will put you in a coma and your rich father and Lucas Greyson himself won't be able to help you once I start beating you."

I was trembling. She was so f*****g close that she was practically breathing against my skin. If she...if she chose to start beating me right now, she'd kill me. I'm certain that I won't even get a slap or a punch in there. She grew up in f*****g foster care.

"Charlie!" I heard Lucas' voice behind us.

I saw the shock on her face the second she heard him. Lucas Greyson just saw the true Charlotte Ericsson. I may be close to shitting my pants because of how scared I am, but I'd take a beating from her any day if it means seeing the look on Lucas' face right now.

There's none of that usual adoration and love in his eyes. He's shocked, angry and very disappointed.

"Lucas." She turned and said calmly. "Are they here? I'd like to go say hi."

She tried walking past him, but he grabbed her wrist.

"You promised me." He scolded her. "What you did right now, threatening Lauren in her own home, is NOT trying to be nice."

She merely glared at him.

"Apologise to Lauren." He demanded. "Now!"

She tore her hand out of his and started making her way to me. She was being forced to apologise to me, but she had a huge smile on her face.

When she stopped infront of me, I knew immediately what was going to happen...and yet there was nothing I could do to stop it. I was completely frozen.

She punched me right in the eye.