The Still CEO: Forged Succession

Chapter 10 - Bad Luck

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Laurel

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I slowly open my eyes, squinting against the light that floods the room, and just then, panic courses through me as yesterday’s memories flood my brain, bringing with them the question of where I am.

But a loud groan escapes my lips at the throbbing pain in my head. It feels as though my head is about to split open, and at that moment, I realize there’s something on my face. My heart races as I reach up to touch it, and it feels like a band-aid, sending my heart into a spiraling frenzy. I stumble out of bed, now noticing that I’m in my bedroom, my legs shaky as I rush to the bathroom, needing to see my reflection.

Standing in front of the mirror, I gasp as I catch sight of the band-aid on my forehead and try to think back to what could have happened to me, also realizing there’s a chunk of memory missing. The last thing I remember is sitting on the balcony with Liv, crying as the pain of my troubled marriage hit with full force. Beyond that, everything is a blur. I don’t even remember how I came home and I shiver as it becomes clear that I blacked out.

My trembling hands reach up, and I hesitate for a moment before mustering the courage to peel away the bandage, my heart racing faster and faster, the unknown filling me with dread.

But just then, a voice speaks from behind me, and I turn in surprise to see Tyson entering the bathroom. "It's a scratch," he says, walking over to me and bidding me good morning with a peck on the lips, but I freeze unresponsive as a horrible memory invades my consciousness.

I remember hearing Tyson’s grunts, and just as I lifted my head, I heard Liv screaming his name, and they sounded like they were having s*x.

"What’s wrong?" he asks, but my hand flies to my mouth, retching as bile rises to my throat, and I run to the bathroom and throw myself next to the toilet bowl. I empty my stomach and slump against the cold tiles when I’m done, realizing I was dreaming.

I was dreaming about something so disgusting. Just then, the door pushes open, and Tyson enters with some water. I close the toilet, not wanting him to see, and take the water while he asks if I need anything, brushing my hair off my face. I tell him I don’t and thank him for the water while he tells me about the scratch on my face.

He says I fell at Liv’s place but adds that it’s not bad. I ask him how I got home, and he says he brought me. He says Liv called him, and he came to get me, and I thank him, to which he nods. He exits the bathroom after that, and I rinse my mouth and get up. I head back to the mirror and remove the band-aid, and he’s right; it's only a scratch, and I’m relieved.

I grab my toothbrush and brush my teeth before washing my face and heading out of the bathroom when I’m done, my body feeling heavy. I recall taking shots at some point, and I can’t even remember when the last time was that I drank like this.

As I enter the bedroom, Tyson enters through the door with a tray in his hands, and he says he made breakfast. A thank you should be what comes out of my mouth at that point, but I look at him for a moment, noticing there’s something different about him. He’s almost like my Tyson—the one I can barely remember.

"Thank you," I finally find my voice as he sets the tray on the bedside table and opens the sheets, gesturing for me to get in. Why? I ask myself as I watch him place the tray next to me after I settle down. Did I say something? Does he know I suspect he's cheating on me because I can almost swear I see guilt in his eyes right now, and that is besides the fact that he's being overly nice to me, which is something he no longer does.

Things haven’t been the same between us for months now. He stopped doing these things; I can’t even remember the last time he brought me breakfast in bed.

"You’re welcome," he says before disappearing into the bathroom and coming out with something in his hand. I soon realize it’s an ointment, and he applies it to the scratch, asking if it hurts. It stings, but it’s not so bad. Plus, I’m grateful it’s just a scratch. It could have been worse.

I watch him as he walks back to the bathroom again, and I feel that familiar pang in my chest, realizing that he’s not going to ask me if I’m okay or try to get to the reason that might have driven me to almost drink myself to oblivion.

In all the years that we’ve been together, I have never done what I did last night, and I would think that would be alarming for someone who cares. But then again, he knows how he’s been acting. He knows what it’s been doing to me; he sees it every time he looks into my eyes.

A lump rises to my throat at that, and I open my mouth to call him, deciding to finally do it—to ask him if he is cheating on me—but he speaks first, peeking out of the bathroom door. He tells me we have been invited by his parents for dinner tonight, which reminds me that Chase and Liv are engaged.

He also tells me he must go meet up with someone quickly, and I nod again. Just then, my phone rings, and I grab it, and my eyes widen, looking at the clock. I didn’t even realize it was 11:30 a.m. I answer Landre’s call, and he says he's on his way. Damn it. I apologize, telling him something came up, and ask if we could reschedule for another day, and just then, Tyson walks out of the bathroom and walks out of the room.

Landre wanted to meet yesterday, and I postponed for today because I was not in a state of mind to do it, and now with everything that happened, I overslept, and I’m not feeling up to it today either.

He was away for three months, and it’s been a while since we caught up, and I feel bad. But this is not a good time. My life is so crazy right now. He understands and says he’ll leave it up to me to pick another day. I apologize to him again, and we end the call.

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Liv

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"What? You are evil!" Jess screams before clamping her hand over her mouth as I tell her about last night's events and how I made Tyson f**k me while his wife was upstairs. "Girl, what would you have done if she woke up and saw you?" She asks before gasping again, even before I answer, saying I wanted her to see me, didn't I?

I nod, and she gapes, asking what about what Tyson said regarding being in a better place first and I tell her I'm tired of waiting. Tyson has been singing the same tune to me for years. He's trying for a baby with her, and he told me he's doing it to get her off his back, but he didn't even tell me about it, even though that's a pretty big thing.

What if things drag on until she falls pregnant and gives birth, and then that baby changes everything? I don't like the way he rushed out of here with her in his arms. It was almost as if he loved her. I've given him enough time.

“Do you think I should wear these or these?" I ask, holding up two pairs of heels, and she points to the red ones before asking where I'm going. I tell her Chase's mother invited me to dinner this evening, and I'm assuming it's to celebrate Chase and my engagement.

"I see. It looks like Mommy is finally letting go of the past," she says but I scoff at that. That hitch is not letting go of anything. She's doing this for her son. I know she tried to get Chase to break up with me.

"Please, she probably wants to poison me," I joke, and Jess laughs, saying I better swap my plate with her son's. We are still laughing at how hilarious that would be when my phone rings, and it's Tyson. He tells me that he and his wife got a dinner invitation, saying he thinks it's in honor of my engagement, and asks if we have been informed already.

I tell him she informed Chase last night. We don't stay long on the phone as he says he has to go. But I ask him where he is before he ends the call, hearing a lot of noise that sounds like car engines behind him, and he says he's meeting with someone.

I ask who it is, and he says he can't tell me who it is, but what he can tell me is that things are about to change for us. I frown at that, wondering what he means, but I don't ask him. I end the call.

"What?" Jess asks, and I tell her what Tyson just said and how he sounded as though he was at a place with machinery. She says maybe he's buying me a car, but I shake my head. If he was doing that, then that means he would be buying it at a scrapyard.

Besides, he bought me a car earlier this year, and it didn't change our lives. Jess throws a pillow at me and calls me a spoiled brat, as though Landre does not spoil her. She says she feels like drinking some wine, getting up from the bed, and towards the door. She asks if I'm going to join her, but I don't want any. I want to be sober when I stare into my cousin's eyes, recalling my screams as her husband f****d me while she was in the next room.

I can't wait to see her face when she finally realizes that she can't have it all and that the world doesn't revolve around her like those ratchet parents of hers have led her to believe.

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Author's POV

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Donna's arrival at the scrapyard is greeted by the chorus of clanging machinery and the screech of metal, causing her to wince as she steps out of the car. One of Mali's assistants emerges from the wreckage and approaches her. With an air of caution, Donna informs him of her purpose, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she mentions the yellow Chrysler.

The man asks for the license plate number, and Donna hesitates for a brief, heart-pounding moment, wondering if she's giving the correct digits.

She never cared to keep them, as she never imagined she would ever have to use them again. The license plate is a password only those who deal with Mali know about; it holds the key to this covert operation.

There is no yellow Chrysler; it's part of the disguise. The scrapyard serves as a deceptive veil for what really goes on in this establishment. Mali is part of an underground operation, and he plays the middleman. Whatever one needs from the underworld, whether it be mercenaries, poison, or anything else, he is their man.

Mali's man nods solemnly, causing Donna to let out a silent breath as he motions for her to follow him. They venture deeper into the scrapyard, where they find Mali seated inside a trailer with a young woman who hastily departs the scene as Donna enters.

Donna is offered a seat, but she politely declines. She can't afford to linger; there is a dinner engagement demanding her attention. From her purse, she retrieves the envelope and places it in Mali's outstretched hand. Without wasting a moment, he hands Donna what she came for, and she exits.

She takes another deep breath as she steps outside, feeling her hand shake at the thought of what she's holding. But she has no choice. It's her family or the evil that is determined to tear it apart, and she won't let it prevail.

She opens her car door but freezes, turning back before entering the car, suddenly feeling eyes on her as though she's being watched. But she doesn't see anyone, and she figures her nerves are getting the better of her. She slides inside her car and takes off, heading back to her house to help Clarissa with the dinner so she can set everything in motion.

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Chase

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I stop in front of my parents' house, and I hear Liv let out a quiet breath, I know she's nervous about being here. It breaks my heart that she feels like this around my family, a family that is hers now too.

I reach over, take her hand, and ask if she's okay. She says she is, and I lean in and peck her on the lips before assuring her that she has nothing to worry about. I assure her that everything is going to be alright, and she gives me a nervous smile. I raise her hand to my lips and place a kiss on top of it, reminding her that I love her, before exiting the car and walking to her side to open her door. She thanks me stepping out, and my hand finds its way to the small of her back as we head inside.

Dad welcomes us, and it's nice to see him on his feet. We exchange pleasantries while he leads us to the living area, and I ask him if we are early, as it seems we are the first ones to arrive.

But before he replies, we find Laurel seated in the living area, and I frown at seeing the band-aid on her forehead. She says she's fine before I ask as she gets up and hugs us, asking me why I didn't give her the good news yesterday. She seemed like she was going through something, and I didn't think it was a good time, but I don't tell her that.

Instead, I made an excuse. I ask where my brother is, and she says he's running late, but he's on his way. She had to go ahead. I leave her and Liv and turn to my father, asking how he's feeling when he gets up to hug me again and congratulate me.

I thank him, and we discuss his health. He's been doing well and is even talking about popping into the office on Monday, which makes me happy. Before we realize it, we have crossed over to business, and he commends me for a job well done in steering the ship in his absence. He says he's proud, and I tell him I learned from the best.

Just then, Liv's phone rings and she asks us to excuse her as she gets up and heads out to take it. She comes back after a moment, but I ask her what's wrong after taking in her expression like she just received bad news.

She says she's fine, but I ask her if she's sure, not believing it. She insists and sits back down, and just then, my brother arrives. We greet each other, and he takes his place next to Dad and me, joining our discussion. After a while, I get up to check on Mom, and Dad tells me she's helping Clarissa in the kitchen.

"Hey, Mom," I say, walking inside, and we share a hug. She congratulates me on the engagement, apologizing for being so distracted, and I tell her it's okay. I ask if she's okay, thinking of how she's been lately, and she says she's fine. She asks me to tell everyone to move into the dining area, and I nod, heading out after mentioning that everything smells good.

We all move to the dining table and settle down, and just then, Mom and Clarissa enter with the food. There's a guy that I have never seen before, helping Mom and Clarissa. Mom says he's standing in for Joe, our butler when she sees me looking at him.

Clarissa leaves, and the guy remains to serve us. After pouring the wine, he takes his place by the door, and Dad makes a toast to Liv and me. We all clink our glasses together and take our sips, but I notice that Liv places her glass down. I ask if she's okay, and she says her stomach is upset, and she's afraid the wine will make it worse. She's been edgy since the phone call.

Just then, Mom speaks, asking if everything is alright, and I tell her Liv's stomach is upset and she can't drink. But I look at her, taken aback, as she cuts me off before I'm finished explaining, telling Liv it's bad luck not to toast to her own engagement. That's ridiculous.

She insists that Liv take a sip, her tone almost aggressive, and I tell her she doesn't want to drink. Liv apologizes, saying she would like some water, while I'm still looking at my mother, wondering if she's deliberately trying to make Liv uncomfortable.

The server walks over to pour Liv some water, but Tyson stops him and pours the water for Liv, also asking Mom what ridiculous stereotype she's talking about. My dad speaks, stopping the commotion, and Mom apologizes, saying she didn't mean to make Liv uncomfortable. She says she's just old school, and I watch her hands the whole time she's speaking, seeing how her pinky's twitching.

"What the hell is going on with her? She promised she would give Liv a chance."