[ON GOING] All Of Me 18+ Only (Book 3 of Lastor series) #Wattys2020

Chapter 15: Jude

I've been waiting for this since the moment I took my father's seat. Maybe subconsciously, everything I'd done, all the mistakes and failures I committed, was so this moment would come. The only reason I was ever willing to bear this burden was because I had Angel to bear it with me. At least that was how it was supposed to be. But she wasn't here anymore and I didn't care anymore either.

Release me. Take it all. Please.

"All in favor for Jude Timothy Howard-Lastor's impeachment, say aye," Benjamin declared almost grudgingly.

I pitied him. Only in death, or an act of treason, could he be released from his duties.

One by one, I listened as my so-called family gave their agreement to the motion and as it went on, I felt the tightness in my chest that's been twisting since I claimed this seat loosen. But then it came to the thirty-first seat. The last vote. Lady Georgiana.

She remained silent, staring at the table. Every pair of eyes was on her, waiting. When she finally lifted her gaze, she set it on me. For a brief moment, I saw my sister in her. It was the fearsome rage in her eyes. It almost made me smile.

"On what grounds?" she demanded from her grandfather. "On what grounds are you stripping him of his seat?"

"According to the family by-laws in regards to motions of no confidence, statement of grounds are unnecessary as long as the requirements are met," he replied, not even bothering to face her at the other end of the table.

"I'm aware of the laws. I've studied it intensely. The entire thing is vague and deliberately invites abuse," she spat back.

"Are you disparaging my father's words, girl?" Lord Reiner interjected.

"If I am, is there a law against that?" she challenged. "The dead have no rights or place within the council. Your late father is of no exception, sir." He fumed, his jaw twitching as he visibly restrained himself. She scoffed, turning her attention back to her grandfather as she stood from her seat. "Statement of grounds is not required in this matter but can be requested by those who are undecided. So tell me, on what grounds?"

He shifted in his seat, tilting his head towards her. "Recently, the failure of the Moscow operation."

"That was my failure. If there is someone who should be punished for that, it should be me," she said, regarding the rest of the council. "Angel provided me with her resources. We had them surrounded. She even went so far as to disable the target, on her own, might I add, and left him for me to just pick up and leave with. Yet, I failed to accomplish that simple task. So why is he-" She pointed her finger at me. "- being punished for my failure?"

"Georgiana," Lord Robert said in a warning tone, casting her a glare. "Know your place."

It was outstanding, how her rage seemed to grow and engulf the room. It even made me take pause and consider her more seriously instead of just an insignificant seat-filler I've been thinking she was.

"Excuse me?" she snarled, slamming her palms on the table. "You are the last person who should remind anyone of their place, you... you inferior codger."

Her father let out a snort, covering his mouth when all eyes went to him. "I beg your pardon," he said, snickering. "I'm just quite proud of my baby girl."

"Oh shut up, Dad," Georgiana snapped. "Every one of you should shut up. You weren't there. You weren't the ones who faced against those people. One of them, Malachi, single-handedly took down over sixty of Angel's soldiers and managed to escape while the safe house was being bombed to kingdom come. The ones who rescued him, I was told there were four people. Just four, against the two hundred soldiers I had at my disposal, and they still escaped. Angel survived an attack from them not an hour before the operation and later faced against Malachi in a bloody slugfest, coming out of it on both feet. She was even able to talk his second-in-command into sparing my life before leaving and she did all those things out of fucking boredom. And you want to remove Master Jude as Head?" She paused, looking at us in disbelief. "You must all be more psychotic than Angel is."