A Beast Sees No Beauty

Chapter Fifteen

He broke her. In a single moment of anger, Juliet crumbled before him. Through all their yelling and screaming, he assumed that she was impossible to offend. He'd said worse things before. It finally occurred to him that he slowly cracked the walls to her mind until they finally came crashing down in a wave of emotions.

Jeremiah grabbed his shoulder and began to usher him away, but Vincent jerked his shoulder out of his hold and forced his way forward. This was his doing, he'll be damned if anyone else touches her or tries to fix things for him.

Serena brushed Juliet's hair out of her face and trying to calm her with soft words of support. Vincent stopped an arm's length away, watching as Juliet struggled for breath between her sobs. The sight tore his heart apart. He wasn't sure when it happened, perhaps between the sly remarks and loud arguments, but he began to feel for the girl. Not romantically, at least not that he could say, but he didn't want to see any sort of harm come to her. Not from him or anyone else.

Reaching out his arms, he took Juliet from Serena, who was shocked to see Vicent so stoic. He simply pulled Juliet into his hold, letting her rest her head against his chest while he brushed his fingers through her hair.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm worried about you because I don't know Harris Jones, and I don't want you to get hurt because I trusted you with someone I didn't know. Whatever happens to you while we are here is on me, and I don't like guilt." Her cries became nothing more than sniffles and before long she was silently leaning against Vincent without ragged breaths exiting her lungs.

"From now on, if you want to see Harris Jones, then someone needs to be with you. At least until I can approve of him, alright?" Juliet nodded and stepped away, finally calm enough to face the other people in the room.

"I'll see you all in the morning."

Vincent didn't even care if she took the bed that night, but when he returned to the room hours later, she was curled up on the floor, sound asleep. He was half tempted to move her as she slept, but he knew he'd get an earful the next morning if he did. Instead, Vincent silently regarded her sleeping form before drifting off himself.

~~

Harris was not pleased when Juliet told him why they couldn't be alone together the next morning. Not pleased in the slightest. He felt the usual tickle of rage hit his chest, begging to be let out, but he wouldn't dare do that now. Not when he was so close to happiness.

Fine. If Vincent doesn't want them alone, then he'll have to find a way to distract him.

Harris struggled when looking over Jeremiah's frameworks that day. He couldn't think clearly. He couldn't keep his attention on math. In aggravation, he threw his pen across the room and watched as the ink dirtied his carpet. 

How could he let this happen? How could he let another man control the woman of his dreams? He couldn't bear to think she was being held emotionally captive in such a way. She was a bird in a cage, and he was the key to the lock. He could save her, if only he had time to be alone with her.

But how?

"Mr. Jones? Have you finished checking the math for the Francis house?" Harris sighed and rubbed his forehead, annoyed that Jeremiah was yelling out from across the office space once again.

"No sir, I'm afraid I'm not feeling well and unable to contribute to today's work. I think I'll head home and nurse myself until tomorrow," he waited patiently for the go-ahead, which came only seconds later.

Grabbing his jacket, Harris left the office in a hurry. Not only did he need to clear his head, but prepare for his cousin's visit for dinner. Rosaline was his favorite person in the world and was wiser than he. No doubt she'd be able to come up with some sort of solution to his dilemma.

Time must have escaped him because, by the time he arrived at his home, his dear cousin was at the door, an elegant eyebrow raised and her foot tapping against the brick pavement. "You're late, again. Honestly, cousin, I don't know why I put up with this!"

Her smile broke through enough for him to know she enjoyed his constant tardiness just a bit.

"Come on in, I need your advice on something," Harris stepped past her, letting her in first before closing the door behind him. He adored his cousin. She was intelligent, alluring, charming, and the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen - besides Juliet that is. There was a difference in their attractiveness however, Juliet was innocent and kind, while Rosaline was seductive and mysterious.

"Advice? Am I to assume that there's a girl in the picture?" Rosaline's teasing was usually not so on point, but today had been her lucky day. Her gaze cast over the blushing Harris, taking in his sheepishness. "My, my, my, and who is this mysterious woman who has cast her spell on you, dear cousin?"

"Her name is Juliet, and she is as radiant as the sun. And sharp too, you'd like her cousin. Anyway, she's visiting the town with another man for whom she's nursing, a Vincent McCoy, and he won't let her alone with me-"

"Did-did you say, Vincent McCoy? THE Vincent McCoy?" Rosaline sunk down into the chair, a hand covering her beating heart. How was her cousin so dim as to not remember Vincent McCoy. Sure they met only once or twice, but no one forgets McCoy, no one.

"Yes, as I was saying,  we aren't allowed to be alone together. I was hoping you could help me come up with some sort of plan to distract Mr. McCoy so I could be alone with Juliet. It doesn't need to be extravagant-"

"I can help." Rosaline made eye contact with her cousin, a devious smile lighting up her features. "Call it what you will, but I consider this helping you dear cousin. I can distract Vincent so you can have your precious girl."