This was not good.
Thomas laced his fingers together, leaning back in the chair as the soft sounds of the indoor violin floated around his head. His food laid untouched, growing cold. The rare steak had tempted him at first, but his appetite was lost when his eating partner told him why he had called him out.
Du Fromage was one of the best French restaurants in the city, one of Thomas' personal favourite. When he received the call from his longtime friend, telling him to meet him here at eight, he was happy. Ecstatic even, since it had been a while since they've seen each other. They could catch up on old times, reminisce about the days gone past.
He wasn't expecting this.
His fingers unlaced and he drummed them on the table before him. Their heavy collision with the wooden table had his red wine shaking in its glass. "What was that?" he managed to push out. It took everything in him to tamper the rage threatening to overflow.
Stephen Staton was not fazed by Thomas' concealed anger. He chewed casually on his fish. At Thomas' question, he glanced up. "I think you heard me," he replied. "I won't just sit idly by and let you take everything."
"I don't intend to take anything." Thomas smiled, something just short of a grimace. "Jessime Beaumont is under national protection from the French. I'm just trying to protect America's interest."
"Don't try to convince me, Thomas. Jessime Beaumont is not just an innocent boy in between the games of politicians. He has access to information the Rebels need and don't think I don't know you want that information too."
Thomas resisted the growl bubbling in his throat. They were secluded,sectioned off in their only little part of the restaurant, so they could speak freely without being overheard. "If I'm after information, it's only because that information can fall in the wrong hands."
"Why did you let her do the mission then?"
Taken aback, Thomas blinked. He knew who he was referring to but still, he had to ask, "Who?"
"Annabelle. Or should I say, Annabelle Ferguson. Don't think I don't know about her Thomas. My daughter has a loose tongue and she isn't very fond of your little pet."
Thomas was well aware that Stephan's daughter, Angela, was close with her father, cursed himself when he overlooked that simple detail. Still, his face betrayed nothing. "What are you getting at, Stephan?"
Stephan put down his fork and dabbed at his lips daintily. His lined eyes crinkled with a hidden smile. "You're hiding her in plain sight, aren't you? But you failed to overlook the fact that she might figure everything out."
"That's impossible and you know it."
"Is it? I didn't become a politician out of my own power, Thomas, as much as it pains me to say it. Benoit Beaumont helped me get to where I am and I'm not about to see everything he worked for fall in the hands of the wrong person."
"And that's exactly why Annabelle is there. To protect Jessime. If those Rebels get a hand on him, there's no doubt in my mind that one day they'll get what they came here for. We have to stop them before they succeed."
"No, Thomas. I have to stop you before you succeed. You aren't doing this for Benoit. And you aren't doing this for his son either."
"I'm doing this for the good of America," Thomas growled. He could smell the blood from his steak now, churning his stomach and lighting his anger.
"America doesn't need this." Stephan's eye crinkles smoothed away. His face grew serious as he leaned closer. "We can't make the same mistakes we did in the past, Thomas. It isn't right."
"Then what do you plan to do?"
"I plan to end this once and for all. No one gets it. Not the NPA, not the Rebels. Once the will has been read, I will destroy it."
"You dare?"
"You don't scare me, Thomas. I won't let you make the same mistake twice. This is for your good too."
Thomas's eyes were oddly calm as he watch Stephan throw down his napkin. It rivaled the volcano of rage exploding within him but he said nothing when Stephan got to his feet. He didn't reply when Stephan said something else, bid him goodbye then left. He just sat there, staring at the vacated seat.
Then he smiled. It was small, stretching further apart until it split his face in too. He picked up his utensils, cut a piece of the steak. It laid heavy and distasteful in his mouth but Thomas enjoyed every chew. He swallowed, smiling even harder.
Stephan Staton thought he was going to get what he wanted. He had another thing coming.
**
"That was so hard!" Angela flipped hair once more, before finally deciding it would give her less trouble if she just forgot the curls and put it up into a ponytail. She sighed, banging her head onto the desk.
"Really?"Chelsea, Angela's friend said. "I thought it was pretty easy."
Angela looked up at her. "That's because you kept dropping your pencil on the paper to choose the answer."
"That's the best way to go," Chelsea boasted. She reapplied her lip gloss before closing her compact mirror and tucking them away. "I have to go," she declared. "Courtney's in the nurse's office and I have to go check on her."
"Whatever." Angela didn't lift her head, only waved one hand in farewell. She listened to Chelsea squeeze past the desks before she finally looked up. She managed to catch her brown hair disappearing out the door.
That history exam was brutal. The answers were so close, so damn close, she couldn't figure out which was the right one. It came to the point where she doubted herself, doubted whether she actually knew the answer even though she had spent the entire week studying for the midterm exams. Now, she was just happy that midterms was over. Time for school break. It was a good thing too, she was beginning to miss her father.
Angela turned to Jessi. He was talking to Dan, no doubt discussing the paper. She got up and sat with them.
"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Dan asked Jessi.
"What's happening tomorrow?" Angela interjected.
They both looked at her. An uncomfortable look passed over Dan's face and Jessi just looked away without saying a word. She frowned. "Come on, you guys can tell me. What is it?"
"Mina and I have a date," Dan replied.
"You and the chatterbox over there?" Angela jabbed a thumb at Mina, who stood at the back yammering on in Anna's ear. "What do you even see in that girl?"
"Oh,I don't know. Maybe it's because she's nice, and interesting, and great to talk to."
"Yeah, if you ever get a word in that is."
Dan's face clouded. It was Angela, he told himself. He repeated it, trying to calm himself, but it wasn't working. Over the past few weeks he had grown to really like the bouncy, talkative girl and he wasn't about to let Angela step all over her. "Angela, you don't even know her. Don't say things like that before you get to know her first."
Despite his anger, Dan wasn't one to be harsh.
Angela scoffed. "I don't need to know her and I don't want to know her. But hey, if she makes you happy, who am I to judge?" Angela's eyes shifted away but she knew they recognized the tone. She was judging, she just wasn't saying it aloud.
"You're a real ass, you know that?"
Angela rolled her eyes at Jessi. "Tell me something I don't know."
"Here's something you don't know. It's a double date. Dan and I are going out with Mina and Anna. If you want we could make it a triple date for you."
Anger, deep and fast, made its way to her throat, lodging it shut. Did her ears deceive her? If she didn't know better, she would have thought Jessi just said he was going on a date with Anna. Spitefully too, judging from his tone of voice.
"Annabelle?" she choked out. Oh, how she hated that girl. She couldn't count the times she had vented her rage to her father over the phone, so much so he could barely get a word in.
Jessi leaned back in his chair with a fold of his arms. It was Friday, the last day of midterm exams. It was the best time to have a date and, since it was officially now school break, he could do whatever he wanted. "What?" he pushed. "You have a problem with that, Angela?"
"Of course I have a problem with that!" Jessi watched calmly as she banged her hand on the desk. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mina and Anna turn towards the sudden noise. "You got attacked just last week, Jessi, you shouldn't be up and about."
A few years ago, he would have thought she was just pretending to be concerned for him, doing anything she could just to get him. But now, he knew Angela's words were borne of real worry. It made him feel guilty for taunting her. "I'm better now," he replied. "You don't have to worry about me. It doesn't take more than a few days to heal from a few punches."
"But..." Angela's eyes darted back and forth before she leaned closer."What about those men who attacked you?"
This time, Jessi was honestly taken aback. He knew Angela, loved her like he would love his sister, and he was positive she would go crazy with jealousy. But instead, it looked as if she was concerned about him first. The jealousy was lingering underneath that all, he knew. He came first, and that made him happy.
"Stop worrying, Angie." Jessi flashed her a smile, getting to his feet. "You know whenever you worry too much, you start biting your nails again."
"Then stop making me worry."
"I wasn't trying to make you worry," he admitted. "I was trying to teach you a lesson by getting you jealous."
"And you say I'm the ass." She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms. Jessi waited until Dan grew tired of the conversation and went over to Mina before he continued.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'm pleasantly surprised. My little Angie is all grown up."
Angela ducked under the arm he swung out to her. "First of all," she huffed. "I'm not a little girl. I'm older than you, even if it's by a few days."
"One day," he corrected.
"Potayto, potahto. And second, you can go out with that fake brunette, wannabe princess all you want. I don't care." It pained her to lie, but she managed it, even managed to keep her face straight and bitchy.
Jessi blinked at that. "Huh?"
"You see, Jessi, I'm Angela Staton. I'm the daughter of the famous politician, Stephan Staton. I'm valedictorian, President of the student's council and captain of the cheer-leading team. Angela Staton does not chase after guys who doesn't want her, no matter how much she likes him. I have to admit, it took me a while to figure that out but now I can honestly say that I'm over you."
She ignored the pang of her heart, ignored Jessi's wide eyed stare. "So, go ahead and date Annabelle Ferguson all you want, Jessi. I don't care."
"Wow, Angie..."
"Yes, I know. I have such a good heart." She grinned victoriously, happy she managed to get that much out, despite how bad she felt. She honestly liked Jessi, loved everything about him. Yet, she knew how she could get and she valued their friendship very much. She'd rather lie to him than give him up.
But,that didn't mean she was done with Annabelle Ferguson.
--
Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter! In my effort to make this book more well rounded, I've decided to the reader a look into the minds of each character.
What do you think about Angela's decision? Maybe she's not as bad as we first thought. And that last part with Thomas was kind of eerie. Isn't it odd that Angela's father is tied up in this mess that you, the readers, knows squat about?
Tune in for the next chapter, we'll be having the double date! I wonder what's going to happen ... ;)
Thanks for reading, and I hope you can vote and share your thoughts on this :)
-Marissa