Bad Blood ~Rewrite~

Seventeen

Time stretched into an eternity as Caitlyn anxiously watched the numbers climb above the elevator door. Nick stood beside her, staring at her intently as she refused to look at or even speak to him. He sighed softly and reached forward, slamming his hand suddenly on the emergency stop button. Caitlyn took an instinctive step away from him as she finally turned to look at her ex.

"Why won't you talk to me?" He begged, taking a step toward her. Caitlyn looked down quickly, feeling her breath catch in her throat as he took his hand in her own.

"W-why would I talk to you? I have nothing to say to you..." she murmered, attempting to sound assertive but failing. Nick rested his finger under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his own, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. His hand landed gently on her waist, and she could feel her heart attempting to beat its way out of her chest.

"I never wanted to hurt you," he whispered, staring desperately into her eyes. "We still have a chance. I love you, Caity. Just do what he says, and we could be together... I love you." Caitlyn pulled away from him suddenly and looked down at the floor. She shook softly in her place as she refused to look at him.

"I would never go back with you," she whispered. "You tried to kill me... I hate you..." Nick sighed and shook his head in disbelief.

"You're so goddamn stubborn," he muttered, hitting the button once again and allowing the elevator to ascend once again. "But I'll show you..." Caitlyn looked over at him quickly, unsure of what he meant as the doors crept open. He put his hand on her shoulder and shoves her forward slightly, guiding her to Depp's office. Caitlyn sucked in a deep breath as they approached the black glass doors that blocked the man's office, feeling the eyes of every worker on her as they went. Nick stopped in front of the doors and knocked lightly before pushing the door open and gesturing for her to go inside. She looked up and felt her breath hitch in her throat as she saw Johnny sitting behind his desk with a wicked smirk.

"Good morning, my dear," he said eerily. "Come in. Have a seat. We have much to discuss." Caitlyn stood frozen in her place for a moment, defiance cementing her in place. Depp smirked softly and turned to Nick, raising his eyebrow at him. Nick put his hand on Caitlyn's shoulder and forced her down into her seat. She let out a soft grunt and bit her tongue, biting back her words. "Thank you, Nicholas. You can leave us. We'll be a while..."

"I thought that-" Depp looked up at him quickly, his eyes darkening as he stared the boy down. Nick's jaw tensed, and he glanced at Caitlyn. He turned and left silently. Depp turned back to the young woman in front of him, a wicked smile forming on his lips.

"Can I get you anything, my dear? Coffee? Tea? You'll be here for quite a while." Caitlyn felt her teeth dig harder into her tongue as she refused to acknowledge him. "Suit yourself." He stood up and walked around the desk, staring intently at her as he went. Caitlyn stared back, a silent anger building in her chest as she thought of everything this man had done to her. He stopped directly in front of her and leaned against his desk.

"You've proved yourself to be rather resilient, I have to admit. At first, I found it annoying how you managed to survive... another grievance I can add to my list against Mr. Sangster. However, I have to say... after you escaped death for the third time, I was impressed. I decided to change my plans for you..."

"Plans?" Depp flashed a wicked smirk as he looked away from the younger girl before moving to sit beside her.

"Nicholas believed that I was going to let you lead my company with him," he said, staring out the window as he avoided eye contact with the younger woman. "In fact, I promised him that if the two of you were married, that you'd come to no harm - regardless of whether or not you were on our side. He was quite worried about losing you. Something you should know about me..." He shifted to finally turn and look at Caitlyn, his wild smirk returning. "I rarely tell Nicholas the full truth anymore. He's gone soft... I blame you primarily, but I won't hold that against you. It's not your fault he fell in love... However, I never told him my real plans for you."