Prince and the Pauper

Chapter Thirty-One

The following week had gone rather quickly, and the anxiety of the upcoming fight had made it hard to relax. Harry appeared unemotional about it, and rather confident too, but I couldn't help but feel like I would lose no matter what the outcome. Yes, of course I wanted Harry to win, but the thought of the enemy being a man I had considered my best friend, a brother, was like I was the one receiving the blows to the gut. I hadn't seen or talked to Sebastian since our last fight and I knew Harry was the reason for it. On Wednesday I had seen him as I was leaving the lobby to go visit Geordie and Sebastian had been blocked from getting to me by a large security guard called Anton. At first I had thought he had just picked up on the alarm on my face when I saw him, but as the week progressed I noticed Anton was always there when Sebastian was, and he was always the obstacle between me and my ex best friend. One conversation with Harry had confirmed that he had ordered Anton to keep Sebastian away from me at all times. My eyes scanned the lobby as the elevator doors had opened and I let out a relieved breath to see Sebastian was nowhere in sight.
"Miss Abel." I jumped slightly as Chandler greeted me from the door as I exited Styles Enterprises. Another revelation that had happened since last week was Sebastian had been fired from his job as the doorman, something that Monica had ordered rather than Harry.
"Chandler." I smiled at him politely.
"Coffee run?" He questioned as he glanced at his watch and seeing it wasn't anywhere near home time.
"What can I say? I'm the best assistant ever." I shrugged playfully, making Chandler laugh, his blonde hair flopping over his bright blue eyes.
"I could have sworn you negotiated coffee runs out of your contract when you first started."
"How did you know that?" I asked slightly confused  and Chandler laughed again.
"I may be just a noble doorman, but Harry and I are friends." I nodded in understanding. It shouldn't have surprised me. Harry wasn't the type to discriminate or look down upon lower-stature jobs. I had learnt that rather quickly during the whirlwind he got caught in when he first met.
"I offered to. Zaiden is up there and the two are talking about-" I stopped, not sure if Chandler knew as much as the fight, but the cocky smile on his face told me he did.
"The fight." He finished for me, making me nod.
"Yeah. I couldn't hear anymore about how they plan on reducing my ex best friend to a pile of blood and bones." I shivered upon remembering the cold manner they had been speaking in.
"Draw the line when he flat lines if you ask me." Zaiden had said. 
"Would it be so bad if  Harry did turn him into a walking bruise? I mean, bloody hell Dev, the arse is partly responsible for Geordie. If that was my brother in a coma..." He trailed off, and I sighed. It still crushed me to know Sebastian wasn't the man I thought he was, to know he had been lying to me the whole time.
"Don't get me wrong, I want him to pay. But is an illegal fight going to be the right payment? What good does blood shed do?" I argued.
"Dante and Sebastian didn't ask those questions before they swung that bat." Chandler pointed out. I winced at the piercing screams that echoed in my head at the mention of that dark day, and Chandler placed a comforting hand on my shoulder as he realised where my head was at.
"Devonne I have never  been the type to encourage fights. Legal wise or not, but this isn't just sport. Dante nearly killed your brother. Your ten year-old brother. Sebastian was there, lied to you about it, and was the shoulder you cried on when those shoulders were carrying partial responsibility. When Harry kicks Sebastian's arse, Trace, Dante and Sebastian will be out of your life for good.
"As  hard as it will be to see it, it can't be any harder than seeing Geordie in that hospital bed when those bastards are walking around without any remorse." I looked up from my feet and flashed a hard-edged smile.
"They are talking about killing somebody."
"And Dante attempted murder." Chandler countered. "Dante wouldn't think twice about killing somebody who crossed him. Sebastian clearly doesn't either. Why offer mercy to those who are merciless?"
"I don't know. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone?" I tried reasoning, making Chandler snort a laugh.
"Love, I saw your sex-hair as you walked out of the penthouse yesterday. You are not one to follow holy scripture."
"Chaaaandler." I groaned making him blast a laugh, coughing into his fist to compose himself as a pretentious woman waltzed inside past us.
"Sorry, sorry." Chandler smirked. "The fight is tomorrow, yes?"
"Yes."
"Then stop worrying until tomorrow. I bet tomorrow morning you'll be hungry for justice and Zaiden will be holding you back to stop you from walking into the ring." I laughed at his comment, and I shook my head whilst smiling.
"Okay. Not sweating it." I waved my hands.
"Damn straight. Now you go and get that coffee, come back, and help strategize how to smack Sebastian right back into his mothers womb." Sebastian raised his gloved hand for a fist-bump, and I grinned as I bumped my fist with his, and walked off to get the coffee. By the time I had retrieved the coffee and escaped the chaotic caffeine rush hour,I even had a small smile on my face. Perhaps we were taking the wrong root, perhaps and eye for an eye wasn't the right path, but Dante and Sebastian had been the ones to drag me off the righteous path in the first place. Chandler flashed a cheeky grin as I passed him as I walked back into the lobby and I laughed lightly at the sight. I felt more confident as I passed the business suits and pencil skirts in the lobby, despite the fact that Harry had turned me into one of them, getting me a pencil skirt that was tight everywhere and a silky green blouse that matched his emerald eyes perfectly. I could have passed as one of them if it weren't for the occasional stumble in the stiletto's that made me look like a new-born giraffe trying to walk for the first time. I entered the elevator and with my hands full and being careful not to spill the three coffee's.I aimed for the top level button, but ended up pressing the wrong one. I cursed lightly and pressed the top button, knowing the elevator was now going to take a detour. I huffed as the elevator rose and the doors chimed as they opened onto a unfamiliar level.
"-itch Devonne." My ears picked up on hearing my name, and before I could second guess my curiosity I stepped out of the elevator as quietly as possible. The doors slid closed behind me and I listened up for the voice again.
"It's too far." Another voice grumbled in a low voice. A voice I recognized and my heart squeezed at the recognition.
"Do you really think you can beat Harry tomorrow?" The other voice argued, his sinister voice making my skin crawl. I didn't have to peer around the corner to know it was Dante and Sebastian talking about us.
"I have been training hard for weeks now." Sebastian growled.
"And Harry had been training for years. Plus he's bigger than you. You don't stand a chance unless we do this." Dante hissed. I pressed my back against the wall and held my breath.
"What are you exactly suggesting here, Dante? Devonne is my best friend." My heart ached at his comment. We had been once, but he had burnt down that bridge.
"Was. You're my brother. We're in this together. Devonne knows what you did now, do you really think she's still your friend? Last weekend she took off with Harry on a romantic getaway and was probably naked the entire time. Your old friend is now my brothers personal whore, so I suggest you open your eyes and see her as the trash she is." Anger boiled below my skin as he spoke so crassly of me, and I bit my cheek.
"So you want me to call off the fight? We'll look like babies."
"You won't need to call off the fight. Harry will do that." Dante sounded smug, and nerves tangled inside of me. Wherever this was headed, it was dangerous, and by some Devine intervention I had been given the heads up.
"In the ring you pick on the opponent's weak spot. Devonne is Harry's weak spot." I inhaled sharply as my intuition warned me where this was headed. I knew I had to get out of here, but I needed to be fully aware of what they were planning. Holding my breath I listened carefully, ignoring the sweat starting to trickle down my temples.
"What are you going to do to her, Dante?" Sebastian asked hesitantly.
"I'm not going to kill her if that's what you're fretting about. But I am going to temporarily dispose of her." My throat constricted and I took a few shaky steps back, pressing the button for the elevator door. My heart was in my throat and as I scrambled into the elevator the last of the conversation drifted into my ears, making me drop the coffees and hiss as the hot liquid scorched down my legs.
"The little whore finishes work at five, and when she does, we will be waiting."