The Joke

Chapter 24

Annie's POV

I'm not afraid, I'm anxious. It's going to be the first - and maybe the last? - time that I'll be standing tall, holding hands with Niall in front of this cruel team. Modest.

We're walking through these large corridors in this massive and luxury dwelling. Our way there seems endless and tiring, as many people step right and left in front of us, during their work. Some of them hurry up, some others are just talking on phone about their job's issues and problems, while other ones are holding papers in their hands and go hastily to their offices. It's a chaos and it's weird,  because nobody has noticed our presence, especially this of Niall.

Niall is just focused on what he's going to say to shut up their mouths, while his fingers are tightly entwined around mine, leading us to their place. For a moment, his gaze reaches my eyes and a smile appears on his always pink lips. I smile back at him and he stops pacing, making me do so as well.

"It's here," he points at the sign on the glass door, on which is written "One Direction's Management Company".

I don't have the time to even react, when a pretty, brunette, in her early 30s woman spots us and opens the door.

"Niall Horan, are you joking on us?" she glares at me and testing me from head to toe.

"Seems like a joke?" he ironically asks, raising a brow.

"It does." she firmly responds, slowly going backwards to let us get in the room.

As we're going inside, we see them working and being busy, no one of them has still felt us barging in. Consequently, everyone's eyes start to collide on ours and they stop doing their actions, staring at us and remaining silent.

"This is ridiculous, c'mon." Courtney, who's more of Niall's manager, laughs.

"Look, all of you. We're not here to act like a comedian or anything. This is not a fucking joke, this is the reality and we're not asking of you to accept this, we demand it and already expect you to stop putting and putting your shit on our relationship, with the only goal to destroy what we have." he pauses and everyone's listening to his speech.

"Actually, this is pathetic and worthless. You're being pathetic from the beginning, you all think I'm a pet or an object that you can make him do whatever you want him to, causing problems in his life and messing around like we've done the worst things and you're trying to take revenge. This is pathetic as hell, what the fuck you want from us?!" he snaps, never letting my hand unstuck from his.

"Your good." Courtney swallows her saliva, tucking her hair behind her ear.

Niall starts laughing. This is ridiculous.

"You dared to tell the world about us!" someone from behind shouts, hitting violently his palm on his desk.

"Fuck yes, I did." he admits. He what?

"You broke the rules. You're not under control. You need to be, for your good. We try to help you, but love has blinded you and you can't realize it! You think that your choice,  being with her, is the right one but you're wrong once again! She's just about to take what she was always eager for and you just let her keep going! You're being stupid Niall, your mind can't understand how you've helped this poor girl reach her target, how you've unconsciously allowed her  take advantage of you !" that man claims, trying to mislead the only boy I've ever loved and simultaneously the only person apart from Melissa, who standed there for me and was always beside me, in goods and bads, during these past two months. It's a small period yet it seemed like a whole year.