Frankie's point of view:
"Leave, Natasha." Lucy hisses, her shadow catching the corner of my eye. Within a batter of a eyelid, I was surrounded by the loving warmth of Jason's family. Pamela holds her arm around me, Lucy and Georgia acting like a shield in front of us then David and his father Henry tight by Jason's side. I resisted the urge to reach forward and grab Jason's jacket, tucking myself under his arm and staring at Natasha's taller and slimmer figure.
Natasha tutted mockingly, a evident smirk overcoming her lips. "I was invited to this event just as much as any of you where, why should I be the one who goes? After all, I made a very generous donation unlike the little receptionist there. I mean, you've really downgraded there Jason."
I feel Pamela squeeze my shoulder as my chest begins to crumble, a heavy and daunting weight falling atop of my lungs.
"I think you were told to leave." Rachel's stone cold voice breaks through the tense atmosphere. She stands in front of Jason, her frame a lot shorter than Natasha but her size doesn't sphere her authority. Natasha however scowls at the elder, giving a deadly look before returning to Jason's.
"I'm not done." She tells him creating the hairs to breeze down my spine.
"You may not be," Jason begins. "But I am. I'm not only done with this conversation, but I'm done with you."
Her beady little eyes swell in size and her sticky lips part in shock.
"We were a mistake, and I realise that now." He says. "But I'm not blind anymore. I saw you for who you are; a money-grabbing, materialistic, boring person who cares more about the amount of zeros in someone's bank account than someone's happiness. Including your own - money doesn't make you happy, Natasha. Designer labels don't make you happy. They just disguise your own unhappiness in yourself."
My heart soars with pride.
He realises. He finally realises.
"And you think she's better than me?" Natasha spits, venom coating every word. "You think that she can give you what you want? She's nothing, she has nothing! She's your receptionist, Jason - that's not even a real job!"
"At least she has a job and doesn't live of daddy's cheque book!" Lucy fires furiously. David hushes his younger sister but she remains narrowed eyes and shooting daggers towards her cousin's ex-girlfriend.
"Frankie's job is no concern of yours." Jason replied calmly. "Whether she had everything, or if she had nothing, it doesn't differ who she is - and what she is, Natasha; is a wonderful, selfless, funny, thoughtful and incredibly beautiful soul. The complete opposite of you."
The wind was knocked from me and all train of thoughts halted with a screech. I read about these feelings - the breathlessness, the rush, the wobbly legs and millions of butterflies. But this was so much more than what my mind imagined. This was better.
"She's not me, Jason."
"No," He laughs lightly and for a moment, my stomach dips disappointingly after such a high. "She's better."
Mother of all angels.
"You can't get away from me. My dad is still apart of your contract for Hong Kong. I can make this one go bust just like the last."
Suddenly, everybody around me tenses. Jason's suit jacket looked like it could rip open like the incredible hulk, David's knuckles look like they could break if he squeezes any tighter and Lucy - well Lucy looked like she could rip Natasha's throat out by the cords and shake it like a lion shaking its prey.
"Say that again." Jason says, his tone dark and hard enough to make me queasy.
Natasha smirks with a devious glint behind her green eyes. "I think you heard me. Did you think that the contract just fell in on it's own?"
"Why would you do that?" David hisses between gritted teeth.
She rolls her eyes, unaware of her actions. "He told me he was going to Hong Kong over my birthday when he had told me that we were going to Milan. I had to ring to cancel my birthday dress fitting!"
"So you jeopardise a business plan!"
Carelessly, she shrugs. "Just like that one, I can end this one. Or the Switzerland plans, or those cottages in Scotland - test me, I dare you."
"They won't need too." Colin speaks. He stands from the circular table, buttoning his suit jacket that hung loosely. "From this moment, your father no longer has any part of any contract that Jason and David own. Past or present."
"You can't do that!"
"I can, I will and I have." He tells her, standing in front of his son. "Your poison is longer valid. Now, stay out of my sons life or I will take this further."
A grown man, a lot older than Jason, appears at Natasha's side to usher her away quickly, muttering incoherent words to her as he pushes her. Lucy and Georgia's questions fade to a buzz as Jason turns to face me, mumbling something to his mother who tenderly touches his arm. He nods to the two girls and smiles gratefully at Pamela, who gives me one last squeeze before walking back to her seat.
"Wanna' get out of here?"
I breathe a sigh of relief and nod. "Please."
We say goodbye to his family, making Lucy and Georgia a promise to go for a pamper day soon, before turning to his parents. Rachel engulfs me again in her motherly hugs, promising me that everything is resolved now even though my gut was screaming at me that this wasn't over with.
"Frankie?" Colin speaks. "I'm sorry. Our first encounter wasn't exactly the friendliest, and I deeply apologise but I hope you can understand now, after that, why I was so off-putting."
"I understand."
"It doesn't excuse my actions." He tells me. "Seeing how Jason is around you, and how he was around her, is like witnessing a different person. He's happy."
My cheeks flush and I peak from the corner of my eye to Jason who was speaking intensely with his business partner. Smiling shyly, I turn back to Colin who chuckles beneath his breath.
"Go - get out of here quick before Pamela gets one to many gin's into her and starts trying to get you up to dance to Proud Mary."
"It's a classic, Colin!" She shouts, holding her balloon glass in the air with a cheeky grin. I giggle, glancing up to Jason's figure that towered over me from behind. He smiles and holds his hand out, palm up.
"Ready?"
I nod, timidly slipping my hand into his and gasping inwardly at the sudden electric shock that shoots up my arm. Hand-in-hand, we escape from the large room and thank Graham as we jump into the back of the car, shivering at the nippy early December air.
"Where are we going?" I question, rubbing my hands together in hope to feel my fingers again.
"I noticed how you didn't really like your dinner too much." He smirks as my nose wrinkles at the thought of the lobster that was presented to me just a hour ago. "So I was thinking, sushi?"
I narrow my eyes, grabbing a fist full of my dress. "In this? No. Graham, can you take us to the nearest McDonald's drive-thru please?" Graham nods through the mirror as Jason chuckles from beside me. "We can go back to mine - I mean, only if you want. I'm sure you probably had enough for tonig-"
"Sounds perfect." He interrupts. His words are soft, but loud enough to cut me off. Pursing my lips to hide the beaming grin that threatened to spread across my painted lips, I drop my head towards my lap and willed those tormenting butterflies to retort back to their cage.
It was amusing seeing Jason order from the greasy menu and cheekily dip into the paper bag of fries after watching him so politely pick at the lobster that we were both served back at the hotel.
"Dresses like this are so beautiful." I tell him as we ride the elevator, Jason insisting on holding the two bags of food and leaving me to carry the tray of drinks. "But God, I can't wait to get it off and these shoes-" I groan. "How do people wear these every day, all day?"
"Your a woman, I should be asking you that." He laughs. I poke out my tongue as he dips back into the bag. I swat his arm, exiting the elevator. "Stop! If you dare touch my fries, I swear to Go-"
The splashes of the medium cokes went tumbling over the hallway, across my exposed feet and staining the gorgeous satin. Tears welled in my eyes, my hand covering my gaping mouth to stop a gasp.
"I'm calling the police." Jason rushes.
The two bags of our late night snacks missing from his arm as he reaches into his inner pocket for his cell. His other comforting arm snaking across my shoulders in a form of protection but I was too numb to feel anything. Too shocked to speak, to move, to even blink.
"Hello, police please. I'd like to report a burglary."
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Told you guys there would be drama, and it's not stopping here!
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