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Scarlett's POV
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"You really just wanted to ask me if Hayden's cousin and him can meet?" I questioned with humor.
"You have his custody!"
My father groaned.
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I grew pissed my father called me for that. Right now I was walking inside the meeting room. I saw every CEO in here. Including Killian Carter and Nathaniel Pierce. I had to get used to this.
And get used to us being recorded, the projects were on live so society could know about them and buy from us.
"You may take a seat!" I informed.
Killian swallowed when he saw me and Nathaniel wouldn't look at me. I sat at the front and they had sat at the other end of the table.
"Let's go!" I heard my father tell Hayden and I saw them walk by the meeting room. Hayden biting a nail like he had done something wrong. Arianna closed the door, letting the meeting begin.
We all begin explaining how we had advanced in the project. Obviously Nathaniel and I had separated and divided the work. It had been his request.
"Okay before we finish this, I want to see if you agree in investing on a community home? "
I began explaining what this consisted of.
"And actually Nathaniel and I experimented on the building with our project and I would like to show how this will benefit the society and investiging would actually help directly the people in here than using the money on other stuff like electricity."
The men looked convinced and tired. The meeting had gotten longer. Outside the sky was gray and lately it had been raining daily.
Arianna helped to connect the projector to my laptop.
I closed the side of the disk of my laptop and grabbed a paper sitting on my laptop. The disk loaded and I opened the paper that had been folded in half. There were words neatly written.
"Please watch."
-Edward Monroe
My heart stopped in a second and my hands trembled.
"Scarlett."
The letter fell of my hands and I looked up to the projecter in front of all of us. I felt my face go white.
Right in the screen was my brother.
I froze. There he was, green eyes, thin nose, pale skin, pink lips. A face full of life. I swallowed and I couldn't move.
My brother licked his lips.
"Scarlett I hope this doesn't get to you but if you're watching this it means I'm gone."
I sunk in the chair. In the background Edward was in the beach and his wild hair was moving with the wind.
"And this is exactly how you should be remembering me. Healthy, happy, beautiful and strong."
I frowned and my eyes watered while a soft chuckle escaped me. Even after death you never lost your humor brother.
My brother grinned.
"I recorded this because lately I've been having nightmares in which I die and I'm not afraid but I am afraid for you."
My brother cleared his velvet voice.
"I'm sorry if this arrived years later but I'm hoping that it will come in a perfect timing in which you need it."
I blinked.
"I really hope that by now father has told you the truth about your mom's accident and that you've forgiven him. I'm not sure if he has but I haven't been able to sleep thinking I'm hidding secrets from you. "
My brother licked his lips.
"But he's had it worse."
I blinked a few other times.
"I hope you understand that I couldn't say anything because it didn't correspond me. My mother was always on his back threatening to send you far away."
My brother sighed.
"Dad confessed to me because it was his way of having me connect with Oliver, to keep you safe. Oliver's your grandfather and I also hope you know by now. "
I was still frozen on the chair.
"I hope you can one day forgive me for hidding this from you. For knowing and not saying anything back then. "
My brother swallowed.
"Scarlett tell Marisa I'm sorry, I wasn't that brother she always expected. Tell her I really tried but Marisa had everything and I had to give preference to my sister."
Edward looked down.
"Ana confessed she adopted Marisa because she was faking another pregnancy to keep father tied to her."
Edward kept his silence. "Scarlett if dads watching tell him I'm sorry for hiding this."
Edward looked to the left in the video and then he looked back.
"I also want to make sure you never blame yourself for whatever happens to me. It's not your fault and it terrifies me to think you'll be feeling guilty while this gets delivered. I know you young lady. "
You do, I thought. Only you did.
"Scarlett I really hope you're having a good life right now and it always worried me your high intelligence. You know high IQ people have a hard time dealing with their emotions-"
My brother ranted and sighed.
"I was never able to make you understand that you are loved. That thought never fit into that thick head of yours."
My brother leaned onto the camera.
"Dad, Oliver, your friends love you."
My brother paused.
"Scar don't be afraid to love, you are not your brain you are your heart. You have to open up to people who love you and that you love."
My brother leaned even closer to the camera.
"Let them see the amazing little sister I have!"
My brother leaned away from the camera.
"I don't think I could ever trust someone the way I trust you. I'd trust you with closed eyes. Also, I never told you but I fell in love with your friend, Candice."
My brother smiled showing dimples on both his cheeks.
Yes, my brother had killer looks.
" I really hope this never has to get to you. That I can live to see you know the truth so I can be at peace. "
"Scarlett I love you. I love you more than anything and more than anyone could."
My brother sighed and stared at the camera with a smile and dead honesty eyes.
"Thank you, thank you for being my sister."
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"Edward get in the water!"
I heard my own voice.
I showed up on the screen with a happy expression, my carefree younger me before Edward's death.
Edward grabbed me and carried me over to the water while we laughed.
The screen went dark, the video ending.
A tear rolled down my cheek and I rolled the chair over to my right side.
Another tear rolled down.
I cleared my throat not looking at anyone.
"Meetings over." I whispered in the dead silent room.
I rubbed the tears away with my fingers and walked quickly to the door while more tears fell.
My lips trembled. I placed my hair behind my ears. A sob came out and I covered my mouth to stop it. I pressed my eyes closed and my chest heaved.
I couldn't control this it was beyond me.
I sobbed louder and made my way to the elevator to see the doors opening and my father apparently looking as if he had been running.
My chest heaved. The last time I had tried to cry I was sedated and everything had been building up. This was my limit.
I closed my eyes, rembering my brother, letting my mind fill me with his voice. I could hear him teasing me like if he was just a few feet away. I shook with sobs. My father walked closer to me and the hole in my chest pushed forward bringing all the pain and sadness I had never faced.
"I didn't want to lose him." I sobbed.
I cleaned my tears over and over to see them replaced with new ones.
"I didn't want to lose my brother."
My father took me into his arms like if I were a toddler. I cried.
"Why?" I cried.
"He was everything, stood up for me and protected me. Why?"
Tears came in floodgates.
"I didn't want to lose him!"
"I didn't want to lose my mother."
"I didn't want to lose Hayden."
"I didn't want to lose Nathaniel."
"I didn't want to lose you."
"I wanted you to -" I sobbed and it was uncontrollable. I cried facing my pain, feeling the tight hole and sadness inside me.
"You never lost me, let me explain-"
I felt my feet giving away and dad took my weight. "I don't need answers."
" I need some peace."
I sobbed in his arms realizing, everyone was watching me.
I hiccuped and regained my weight.
"I'm sorry." I said in between cries. My chest trembled and I hurried to the elevator.
I made my way down not able to control the tears. I tried crossing the street with no sense in me. The car stopped before running me over and his car whistle was loud on my ears. The rain soaked my clothes and my legs gave up on the road. A hand on the car while I went down.
I let out a painful cry and sobbed. I was hugged from behind.
"I'm here, I'm here." My father repeated over and over in his own tears. I trembled and cried.
"I didn't want to lose him." I made my pain known and let myself drown in it..
"I didn't want to kill him."
"If only I hadn't convinced him to go to the race." I cried.
"It's not your fault."
"It is." I cried louder.
"It hurts to much."
"I know. I know." My father whispered and hugged me.
My father tighted his arms around me.
I cried in my father's arms and at some point he carried me.
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Nathaniel's POV
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I took my suit jacket off and hurried over to David. He thanked me for it and wrapped it around his daughter and carried her away. I couldn't do anything than just watch the love of my life be broken into even smaller pieces.
I stood under the rain watching Scarlett on the road. I was never going to learn. I swallowed and blinked away my own tears watching her broken.
I had never seen her cry. She had locked everything up and now the shoe had been filled with too many rocks.
I felt useless not being able to do anything. Her weakness had always and would always be her brother.
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Scarlett's POV
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When I reached home my father begged me to take a shower and I did, crying in there as well.
After I was done he helped me into bed and Hayden brought a tea for me. I drank once I had managed to control tears but they would come back.
That night my father hugged me to sleep and Hayden carresed my hair over and over. We cried together. Feeling the ache of having lost a father, a son and a brother.
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September 20th, 2027
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I sunk into depression but this time I was facing it.
I stopped answering messages and calls, especially Nathaniel's. Oliver would visit every 2 weeks and seeing me release some pain eased his worry. He wasn't into staying due to my father but he was there for me. I also had Giovanni initiate a reopening of my brother's case. I couldn't live with this anymore, if I had to go to jail I didn't care. I wanted peace.
Peace was what I looking for.
Hayden had begged me for forgiveness because he had accidentally switched the disks but I was grateful. My father had taken over the company while I recovered and I was also grateful.
The therapist came to visit and I broke into cries with her.
However, I was finding a healthy way to start healing...
I was also growing very hungry lately so that had me get up from bed but I had also been feeling sick.
"Scarlett?" My father asked.
"In here!" Hayden yelled.
Hayden and I were watching a movie, eating ice cream. However, once my father stepped inside my room I ran to the bathroom holding my mouth. My stomach churned. I released the contents in my stomach into the toilet.
After I was done I felt better and I brushed my teeth. My father was there in the bathroom giving me worried looks.
"This isn't normal and this time I'm not going to ask you! A doctor is coming!" My father informed.
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So here was Thomas asking questions and checking me.
"This is weird." Thomas whispered.
Thomas walked around my room Hayden and my father waiting outside.
Then Thomas froze. He searched his doctor bag like crazy and once he found it he handed it to me. When I saw what it was I felt my heart drop.
I looked up at Thomas like if he was kidding.
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I sat on the bathroom's toilet holding my head with huge eyes.
I walked outside to see three men looking worried. Thomas gave me an expression that asked 'Sooo? '
"This thing says I'm approximately 8 weeks."
"8 what?" Hayden asked confused with a frown.
I looked down at the pregnancy test.
"I'm pregnant." I whispered.