Free Book | Forest's Redemption

Chapter 24: Lauren's POV

"You and I both know Charlotte Ericsson is not invincible." Lisa smirked. "She has a weakness, just like everyone else. And her weakness is that she knows she doesn't belong with Lucas Greyson. She knows she doesn't belong amongst high society and no matter how hard she tries to pretend, it is our job to remind her where she comes from and that no matter what she does, she will always be a dirty little rat."

Her words were so cruel and cold that they sent a shiver down my spine.

She didn't notice my discomfort. Her eyes were firmly fixed on the road while we drove to Lucas' place. As usual, she didn't allow any music to play while she drove. She only listens to audio books or recordings of lectures or cases and sometimes listens to the news if she's in a good mood.

But she isn't in a good mood today.

I didn't tell her or my parents that Charlotte and Lucas are back together. Last they heard of them was when Lucas and I were doing our final year. They're all very upset with me because I chose to handle this myself instead of asking for their help.

"Why are you even home, Lisa?" I asked her. "Wanted to take a break from your perfect life?"

She rolled her eyes.

Unlike me, she already has her Lucas Greyson.

She's been in love with Justin Odewell ever since she met him in the fifth grade. Justin was the Lucas Greyson of their cohort and also had every girl pining after him. He knew of Lisa... everyone knew of Lisa. She's the smart Mitchell girl and I'm the 'nice' one.

However, he had a highschool sweetheart and they were going to get married as soon as she returned from England, where she was studying.

Lisa and Justin got better acquainted while that girl was in England. They didn't date, but they became really close friends, just like me and Lucas. And when Justin's girlfriend came back, he realised his feelings for his highschool sweetheart had changed. He still loved her, but he also loved Lisa. So he had to choose between the two of them.

That girl also threw tantrums just like Charlotte. She wanted Lisa out of Justin's life and when Justin refused to do that, she had no choice but to walk away.

And Lisa won her Prince charming.

Lisa always wins.

Unlike me, she's smart. She's smarter than Charlotte will ever be. She has a doctorate degree, everyone respects her opinion and she's pretty much amazing at everything she does. If she wanted to practice as a lawyer, I'm pretty sure she would have wiped the floor with Charlotte's little smug smile. But lucky for Charlotte, my sister is content helping Justin climb the political ladder and raising their kids.

"I was visiting mom and dad." She sounded annoyed with my question. "Is that okay with you?"

"Whatever." I groaned and shifted uncomfortably in my seat. My dress kept inching further up my thighs, almost revealing my underwear. I hope it doesn't do this during lunch.

"Your dress is too short." She eyed me up and down. "Why are you even dressed like that? I thought you said this is going to be a lunch not a pool party."

"You just keep your eyes on the road." I snapped at her. "Charlotte dresses...provocatively. I have to change things up."

She started laughing.

It was a painful laughter that left me feeling even smaller than I usually feel when I'm around Lisa.

Lucas dragging me to dad's house was already mortifying, but finding Lisa there and having her see me like that was the absolute worst nightmare for me. I would much rather the president of the country see Lucas treating me like that than have it be Lisa whose life is perfect in every single way. Lisa, who is the smart sister and always leaves me being the nice girl people keep around because she's friendly.

She was laughing so hard that she had to put a hand on her mouth to stifle all the laughter that threatened to escape her mouth.

"That's a lie, Lauren." She was still laughing, but at least she was trying to stop now. "I've seen how Ericsson dresses. I've also heard how people talk about the way she dresses. It's classy, sophisticated and intriguing to the eye."

She turned to look at me and laughed again like she didn't care that it broke me to see my own sister looking at me like that.

"There's nothing classy about what you're wearing." She said in that cold voice of hers. "You look like a highschool girl who just discovered she has an ass and boobs."

I stifled a sob that almost left my lips.

I would have been crying right about now, but I learned a very long time ago that Lisa doesn't care about my tears. She'll only comfort me infront of others. Behind closed doors, she doesn't bother hiding her cold and icy demeanour. I used to think she hated me, but I've seen her with my nieces and nephews. She's a strict mom who believes people should only cry as a last resort or to trick someone. Any crying outside those two things, bores her.

"You just mind your own damn business, Lisa!" I tried pulling my dress down so it doesn't expose me too much. "I know what I'm doing."

"I doubt it." She almost chuckled. "You've been in love with that man since you were six years old, Lauren and after five years of doing nothing but being by his side and forsaking your dreams just to be close to him, you don't even have a kiss to show for all your effort."

I remained still.

I could have told her that Lucas and I finally kissed and that he told me he loves me, but none of that will matter to her. The only thing that will make her take me seriously is if Lucas proposes and I'm probably a few years away from that happening.

"Dad says he's going to intervene starting now."

"Wait! What?" I almost choked on my words. "I don't want dad to-"

"You're his daughter." She shut me right up. "He knows how much you want Lucas Greyson and seeing you like that last night hurt him. It hurt all of us, Lauren."

We were both quiet while the audio book kept drumming on.

"I know you think I don't care for you", she said a bit too softly, "but I do and seeing my sister being shouted at by a man she loves and coming home with a black eye is not something I will ever forget. It's time to put Ericsson in her place again."

"How?" I asked her shakily.

I didn't want my family to get involved. I wanted to make Lucas realise his feelings for me on his own, but now that they know that Charlotte is back in the picture maybe accepting their help is not such a bad idea.

"How do we do that, Lisa?" I repeated when she just smirked.

"Well", she took a deep breath, "like I already said, Ericsson knows she doesn't belong with people like us. Punching you has proved that and I'm pretty sure she knows it too."

"Okayyyy." I beckoned for her to go on.

"She'll start distancing herself from Lucas." She said calmly. "She'll push him away because every dirty little kid who's ever been rejected by their parents believes they are unwanted by everyone. She'll push Lucas right into your arms and soon enough that pesky Greyson wall protecting her will be no more."

She had a huge evil grin on her face.

I've seen that same evil grin on Jona's face and Charlotte's face. It's unnerving and honestly it always creeps me out because it's followed by someone getting into trouble.

With Jona, I've seen that grin each time I'm about to find out that there's yet another mistake that I made that he uncovered. With Charlotte, I've seen that grin when I passed by her home office in the mansion. I don't know what followed after she grinned like that, but I know whatever it is, it isn't good.

And with Lisa, each time she gets to use someone's past against them, she grins just like this. Just like mom and dad.

"I'm in." I said softly. "I'll do anything to protect Lucas from Charlotte."

Who better to take down Charlotte than someone who's better than her in every way?

"Of course you're in." She turned to look at me as soon as she stopped the car. "You've always been in, Lauren. Just like last time."

She exhaled slowly and loudly as if her own words soothed her.

I tried my best to ignore her words. No use fussing over the past now.

The moment we stepped inside the house, I ran to the kitchen to get myself a much needed drink.

I had to dodge servants who were carrying food, drinks, deserts and snacks outside. They all looked excited for this lunch because Charlotte no doubt showed them some new trick or something. But most importantly, she said they can have a party of their own after we're done with the lunch.

We've never even had a party here for me, Lucas or Christian, but she wants the employees to have a party. It's just another way for her to get them to her side.

After dodging everyone and ignoring all their shocked gasps and attempts to get a closer look at my eye, I finally made my way to the bottle of whiskey I was looking for. It's one of the last few bottles of alcohol in the house because Queen Charlotte doesn't drink so alcohol is not included on the grocery list anymore.

I poured myself a glass of whiskey and snuck into one of the more quiet rooms in the house. The whiskey was bitter and much too strong, but I didn't want to waste time looking for something else.

I've been with Lucas for five years. How has he still not admitted his feelings for me? I've been by his side, I've taken care of him, his home and his company and yet now he's making me out to be the bad guy.

"You okay?" Christian suddenly appeared next to the balcony.

He looked tired and very unhappy. The second he saw my eye, his unhappiness increased tenfold.

"Oh my gosh, Lauren." He gasped. "She really hurt you."

I winced when he almost touched my eye. It was f*****g sore and I didn't bother trying to conceal it with any make up. I want everyone to see what Charlotte is capable of doing.

"Yes." Lisa's voice echoed from behind Christian. "She really did hurt my sister."

Christian turned around and he and Lisa greeted one another. They didn't exchange any hugs or fake smiles because Lisa reserves that for people who need to see a smile on her face and Christian is still upset because I got punched in the face.

"I can't believe she did this." He tried taking a closer look at my eye. "Who the f**k goes around punching people?"

"Someone who is used to punching people." Lisa answered him. "Someone who isn't like the rest of us and whose natural instinct is to punch someone rather than talk about their feelings like any normal and sane person."

She walked closer to me and despite me trying to pull away, she still touched my eye.

"Ow!" I cried out.

"Charlotte is not like us." She ignored my cry. "When backed against a corner, she'll revert to her natural state - a dirty foster kid whose own parents knew from the moment she was born that she deserves to be beaten, stomped on and kicked until she can never gets up. And if you don't sort out this problem, she'll drag down the Greyson name. You know that, don't you Christian?"

She was now looking at him, glaring at him and daring him to disagree with her.

"No." He started walking away from us. "She's a pain in the ass, but she doesn't deserve to have parents who hate her. No one does. And by the way," he turned to look at me and Lisa who were following him outside, "you and I both know it will take a nuclear bomb to drag down the Greyson name, Lisa. Leave your fear mongering for someone more gullible. I have my own reasons for disliking Charlotte. Don't try to rope me into whatever scheme you're weaving against her."

Lisa groaned lowly and rolled her eyes.

I was struggling to keep up with the two of them. I wanted to walk with Christian so I could make sure that he still agrees that Charlotte should stay away from Lucas. I half expected him to agree with Lisa. He's the only person who seems impervious to Charlotte's charms.

She studies with him each night, helps him apply to other law firms for work, has introduced him to almost all his idols from the legal industry, but he refuses to cave in to her tricks. Even if he didn't agree with everything Lisa said, I thought he would at least agree with some of it.

I finally managed to keep up with them when we stepped outside.

The garden looked spectacular. It was decorated like there would be an engagement announcement and judging from how Charlotte is dressed and how she, Annabelle and Mrs Greyson are jumping from excitement, that might actually be what's happening.

I would die if something like that happened.

Lisa immediately started walking in Charlotte's direction. She had that menacing smirk on her face, but Christian looked pissed at Charlotte.

I dared to glance at Lucas who was busy fixing himself a drink.

The look in his eyes almost made my legs give away.

He looked at me like he could strangle me and not even feel guilty about it.

How the hell is he looking at me like that? Charlotte punched me, but he's treating me like I'm the threat, like I'm the one who's going to hurt her.

I couldn't breathe while we all greeted one another. He was almost shielding Charlotte with his body, as if someone would try to hurt her when she's the one going around punching people.

When Lisa made it clear that she wants to speak to Charlotte alone, I was almost glad to be away from Lucas' judgmental eyes, but things got worse.

They got so much worse.

I watched the three of them talking...and then I watched Lucas pull Charlotte into his arms and she cuddled up to him like she would never step out of his embrace.

Fuck.

"How's your eye, honey?" Mrs Greyson's question pulled my eyes from the horrific scene infront of me. "What did the doctor say?"

I swallowed my tears and told her and Annabelle how my eye is. I could never understand the two of them. They're kind and loving and the most genuine people I know, but they could never seem to see through Charlotte. They never hated her and never blamed her when Lucas broke down. They just kept saying we need to focus on the future and not the past.

But now here they are letting a woman from his past, a woman who broke him, back into his life.

"You'll be better soon." Annabelle gave me the most pitiful smile. "You'll see."

I wanted to scream at them. Not once did they say anything about the woman who did this to me. They were talking like I did this to myself, but I remained quiet. There's no use taking out my anger on them. Charlotte is the one who should feel my wrath.

Lunch was great. It was perfect because everything Charlotte Ericsson does is f*****g perfect.

The food was devine. There was laughing and dancing and we all went on as if I wasn't walking around with a black eye.

I watched Lucas and Charlotte the entire time.

They couldn't keep their hands off one another. They were flagrant with their PDA and no matter how red my face got and no matter how many times I ran to the house to go clean my tears, they didn't care. No one but Christian seemed to care about me.

When everything was getting cleared up, I couldn't get out of the house fast enough. I was walking as fast as I could when I heard something that made this entire dreadful day worthwhile, something that confirmed that my sister knows people better than anyone in this world.

"I insist." I heard Charlotte's voice. "I want you to go to the banquet with Lauren, Forest."

She's pushing him right into my arms...just like Lisa said she would.