𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 || ✍︎︎

𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞.

♬ OUT THE ROOF - Chase Atlantic

☆彡

"Oliver Check, isn't it?"

I play with the keys in my hand while the blonde stares at me in confusion.

My voice cuts through the chatter, light and casual, yet it carries a certain weight. My fingers absentmindedly twirl the keys in my hand as I fix my gaze on him, noting the flicker of confusion that crosses his face.

"Um, yes. Why?" His reply comes, tinged with a hint of impatience as his eyes dart briefly to the woman seated across from him with impatience drawn all over her.

"I work with your boss; he needs to speak with you." The words are simple, yet they carry an underlying command as I nod at the phone in my hand.

Almost immediately, the air between us shifts; his demeanor softens into one of politeness. With a brief explanation to his date, Oliver rises and follows me.

Stepping outside, the night wraps around us, I lead the way, phone pressed to my ear. We veer off into an alleyway, as his breaths intensify.

So naïve, and people like that always end up paying the price for it. "Are you gonna let me talk to my boss or what?" His voice, laced with annoyance, makes me want to rip off his head right here and now, yet I restrain.

With a deliberate motion, I let the phone slip from my grasp and watch as it shatters. Oliver's eyes follow its fall, widening in disbelief.

"This is so rude, Let me formally introduce myself. I'm the person who will be firing you today." My smile is devoid of any warmth as I observe his reaction, a mix of scoff and disbelief.

"What?" He retorts, his defiance a thin veil over his realization.

Unfazed, I continue, the keys twirling idly on my finger as my tongue presses against my cheek. "I'm buying out your whole company, but on one condition,"

"They have to fire an employee who has a serious problem with stalking and harassment." The words hang between us, heavy with implication. His face, once marked by arrogance, is now drawn with shock. "Wha—"

"Celestine Solace. Ring a bell?" I press on, indifferent to his confusion. "Doesn't matter. I'll make sure you're in jail for a long time." The color drains from his face, leaving behind a canvas of fear. His eyes start turning into pleading ones.

"No, no please, I still have a lot to live for, I'm only twenty-five! I-I, it was a mistake."

I ignore him and carry on.

"Even after you'll get out of jail— which I'll make sure wont happen till a long time— you wouldn't ever be able to find a job because of your record." My lips curve at the sight of him begging for forgiveness.

Some find joy in certain hobbies, I find joy in seeing pathetic nobodies like him get exactly what they deserve.

I turn to leave and he bangs his hands against a large garbage can. "This doesn't even fucking concern you!" I dont turn around, but I stop in my tracks.

"My wife was a shadow of herself for a year because of you. Imagine her, just an hour ago, finding the picture you sent. She looked as thought the air she breathed was poison. And for that alone, you deserve to rot in hell."

I swiftly grab the gun buried in my pocket before pulling the trigger 5 times, making sure to hit all of his limbs— and his dick.

"The ambulance is on its way, and you know better than to run your mouth by now. I expect you to confess immediately when the police gets here too."

Turning away, the screams of agony sound from behind me as I stride towards my car, hands buried in my pockets.

The air in the car is thick with a kind of silent tension that settles deep into my chest. Celestine's glare is practically a weapon in itself, and it slices through the silence between us as I start the engine.

I can't say I blame her. I never expected gratitude, but I also didn't expect the blatant anger that radiates off her like static electricity. I'm used to it by now—her bitterness.

"Don't whine," I mutter under my breath, glancing at her out of the corner of my eye. "I asked you if you wanted to join me, and you said no."

She doesn't even flinch at my words, her eyes fixed straight ahead, her face a perfect mask of indifference. But I see it, the way her shoulders tighten just a little, the way she clenches her jaw.

She's pissed, no surprise there.

★★★★★

The front door clicks shut behind me, and it's like a switch flips in her.

"I don't need you fighting my battles. I'm very capable, Caden," she says, her voice sharp, a blade that she's throwing in my direction.

"Your reaction to a simple letter of his says otherwise," I shoot back, cocking my head as something flares within me.

Her eyes lock onto mine, hard and defiant. She looks like she could break me in half with a glance if she wanted. "Just because you don't know what simple human emotions are doesn't mean they don't exist, Caden. That was a perfectly normal reaction." She exhales, disgust lining every syllable. "And even if it wasn't—I don't need you doing me any favors."

"Oh please, I didn't do what I did for you. I did it because pathetic little shits like him don't deserve the privilege of even breathing, I just thought you'd like to see him get his karma." I only spared his life because dying would let him off the hook.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." She scoffs before storming off, leaving the tension crackling in her wake.

As I enter my room, my gaze inevitably drifts to the portrait of a young girl.

Sophia's eyes, once brimming with innocence and joy, now stare back at me, frozen in time.

My father never saw her as his daughter; to him, she was merely an asset.

From a young age, he subjected her to relentless pressure, expecting nothing short of perfection. She didn't deserve any of his bullshit.

She did everything he demanded, striving to meet his unreachable standards, she was able to carry the weight of his expectations.

Until she wasn't.

Until the pressure eventually became too much.

Until, one night, she wrote a long, heart wrenching letter to Roman and me before I found her—

Don't go there. Never go there.

🝮
-𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝.