Contractually Yours

14• A soul to rely on

🔹️🔹️Adrien Russell🔹️🔹️

Having Alan Marshall around wasn't pleasant. At least not to me. Alan had been my biggest rival ever since our college. He competed with me in everything, be it academics, activities, business or girls. 

I never let his childish acts affect me but he did have his ways to get on my nerves. Just like the way he eyed Crystal today. My hands itched to plug out his eyeballs. 

Bastard.

I brought him away from her as she too was clearly uncomfortable. My friends were really glad to meet her. It didn't take long for her to get comfortable with them. 

I felt the need to go to the restroom and before leaving, I glanced at Crystal. She turned her head away as our eyes met. I made my way to the restroom and on the way back, I checked my phone to see a couple of missed calls from Aunt Margaret. When I called her back, it was engaged. 

It was already 10 and I decided we should leave. My eyes landed on Anna, who was near the drink counter, but Crystal was nowhere in sight. I looked around and to my dismay, Alan too was gone. 

I walked towards the group of women and spoke. "Excuse me, ladies." I looked at Anna. "Where is Crystal?" 

"She had a call to attend, so she went into the yard." She replied. I nodded and told her and Tyler that I was leaving. They insisted on walking me out so that they could bid goodbyes to Crystal. 

As I came to the yard and looked around, it was stranded. I frowned and took my phone out to call Crystal but stopped when I heard muffled voices coming from a corner. 

Suspiciously, I went closer to the source of that voice and the scene in front of me made my blood boil. 

Alan, that fucker was forcing himself on my wife. I marched furiously towards him and yanked him away from her with all my force. Without thinking of anything else, I turned him around only to punch him hard in the face. "HOW DARE YOU LAY YOUR HANDS ON HER!?" I yelled. 

The sudden force made him fall on the ground. I hovered over him and beat him senseless. "I will kill you!" 

Soon his struggles stopped and he passed out. Blood and bruises covered his face but I didn't stop. I was blinded by rage and did not care about how bad my own knuckles were hurting.

I was stopped by Tyler from nearly killing him. "Stop Adrien! You will kill him." He pushed me away with all his force. 

I rubbed my hand on my face as the burning rage inside me refused to cool down. 

My eyes fell on Crystal who was crouched in a corner across the wall. Her body shook as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. My heart ached listening to her sobs. 

Anna tried to comfort her but she flinched at her touch. I sat down in front of her and held her arms but she yanked it away. 

"Crystal." My voice was barely a whisper. She tried to move away from me, hating anybody's touch. Her cries grew louder and she fisted her hair. 

"Crystal. It's me." I wanted to comfort her. To tell her that she was that I was here and now she was safe. 

"It's me, Adrien." She stopped moving. Her head slowly rose and her teary eyes met my blood shot ones. 

I was taken aback when she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I carefully wrapped my arms around her and caressed her hair and back while she cried hard on my shoulder. 

"It's okay. I'm here." I whispered to her. Her heart hammered against her chest, matching mine. Her cries slowly fainted and soon, she stilled in my arms.