Ch 13: Forgiveness

Recap:

Cecilia covered her mouth to stop herself from laughing as she felt tears coming out from her eyes.

"Whose phone is that?! Turn it off at once!" Nic's loud voice sounded through the double doors. "Didn't I warn you all to have your phones switched off?! Whoever it is, you're fired!"

There was complete silence for a moment, before some brave employee finally spoke up.

"Umm, sir... I think... it's your phone."

This made Cecilia burst out into a fresh wave of laughter, as she bent over clutching a hand to her mouth.

"What?!! Mine?! I don't think so..." Another moment of silence, as Cecilia imagined Nic checking his phone.

"WHO DID THIS??!!!!"

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Everyone seemed to have lost their tongues as complete silence met his question. Cecilia held her breath, desperately fighting the urge to laugh as the rest of the staff from the other floors started gathering around the boardroom in curiosity.

The double doors suddenly banged open, revealing their boss.

For a moment, Cess' breath was taken away. His slightly damp hair was slicked away from his forehead, face freshly trimmed to leave a light speckle of stubble, his long, lean body in a fitted charcoal gray suit. Cess could only stare wonderingly as she felt her knees weaken, and her heart race.

Until she saw the expression on his face. A nerve in his temple was beating furiously, his jaw clenched so tight she was sure his teeth would shatter at any moment. His eyes were flashing bright blue as he came to an abrupt stop outside the boardroom doors, surveying all his staff with a chilling cold gaze.

Cecilia didn't know if she should be fearing for her life or rolling on the floor with laughter. She might well have followed her instincts and gone with the latter, had Nic not spoken at that exact moment.

"All of you," he spoke, voice deceptively soft. "I want you in the auditorium. Now." He strode off without a backward glance, leaving everybody looking at each other in dismay.

The atmosphere was sombre as everyone quietly shifted in their boss' direction. Nobody dared speak, let alone question what was happening. Cecilia followed after them, curious as to what Nic would say.

By the time everyone made it into the large hall, Nic was already standing up on the podium, looking dowm at them like a king observing his lowly minions.

"I am certain you all know why I have called you here today. I don't want to hear any explanations from anybody. I simply want the person responsible to come to my office by the end of the day. If nobody claims responsibility by 6pm today, I will be forced to use the CCTV footage to find out. But, either way, I will find out. I am advising you: it will be better for you if you come and accept it yourself. Otherwise you will not like the consequences." Deadly silence met his words. "You may all leave now."

Muttering broke out as everyone made their way back to their work places. Cecilia moved, too, panic filling her as she realized that she would be caught either way.

"That means he will find out it was me by this evening. I need to carry out the rest of my revenge plan straight away!"

She strode with a new purpose towards her office, muttering under her breath.

"And what was that ridiculous speech about? 'Giving you until the end of today!' Ha! What is he? My school headmaster? And what is he going to? Send me to detention?! What utter bullsh*t! He's the one that needs to beware of me!"

***

"Hey, Soph!"

Sophia startled, looking up from her laptop screen, glasses perched on the end of her nose. Seeing Cess, she smiled warmly, setting her glasses down.

"Hi Cess. What brings you here?"

"Oh," Cecilia pouted. "It's gone way past lunchtime. Aren't you going to grab some lunch with me?"

"Has it?" Sophia quickly checked the time, seeing it was indeed almost 2pm. "Wow! Time really flew today!"

"Tell me about it!" Cess rolled her eyes, as she came and perched on the edge of Sophia's desk. "Everyone has just been gossiping all morning."

Sophia's entire countenance darkened. "Whoever pulled that prank deserves every bit of punishment Nic sends their way."

"What?" Cess blinked at Sophia, astonished. "Come on! Don't you think it was even a little bit funny?"

"No. Had it been just staff, then yes, I probably would have found it hilarious. But, in front of foreign investors? Who Nic was about to sign a multimillion pound deal with? No."

"What!" Cess gasped, body tensing. "Multimillion pound deal?"

"Yes." Sophia sighed, squeezing her temples with her fingers. "I don't know what they would have thought about the professionalism of our company. I don't even know if Nic managed to finalize the deal, or not."

"He'll sort it." Cess waved away her concern. "His ever so loyal staff will help him deal with it. Although," she snorted, " their loyalties do seem to give way as soon as they hear a big, powerful name."

"What do you mean?" Sophia turned to look at her, brows furrowed.

"Just yesterday his staff were blaming me because I apparently made him look bad in front of the shareholders, and today they were all bowing and scraping, just because they happened to find out I'm a Knight."

"No. That's not why."

"What? Then why?"

"Cecilia, after you left, Nicolas told them to be on their best behavior around you, and to treat you with the same respect they accord him with. He warned them of dire consequences if any of them failed to comply."

"What?! Really?!" Cecelia couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes. He told them that he really respected your father, and as such you were to be treated with respect and dignity for whatever length of time you were here. Some of the staff were reluctant, but he insisted that they treat you well, otherwise they would have him to answer to!"

"Oh, God." Cecilia felt a wave of guilt flow through her, as she thought about what she had done. "Sophia, do you by any chance know when Nic takes his coffee?"

"He takes it with his lunch. Why?" Sophia asked, baffled. "Wait, where are you going?"

"I'll be right back!" Cess called over her shoulder hurriedly as she ran out of her office.

Panting, she picked up as much speed as she could, dodging around people walking down the corridor

"Oh God. Please let him have not drunk that coffee!"

***

"Steven, have you brought the CCTV footage, as I asked you to?"

"Yes, sir." The boy set down his boss' coffee first, before handing him the discs. "Sir, the sugar packs were slightly ripped, so I thought it would be best to put in the sugar myself before bringing it to you. You do take two, don't you?"

"That's fine." Nic said, absentmindedly, as he sat down and put the disc into his laptop.

"Sir... if you don't mind me asking... didn't you say you would check the CCTV after 6pm?"

"Do I owe you an explanation?" Nic raised an eyebrow impatiently.

"N-no, sir... I was just..."

"I always like to be well-informed. To be informed, is to be powerful. And to be powerful, is to be rich. And if you are rich, it is easy to be well-informed. The three are always interconnected. Do you see?"

"Yes, sir." The boy stared in awe at his boss.

"And seeing as I want to be both rich and powerful, wouldn't you say it is my essential duty to be well-informed?"

"Of course, sir!"

"Good. You may leave." He dismissed, flicking two fingers.

Steven scrambled to obey, shutting the door.

Nic started the recording, fast-forwarding to today's date. As he started playing, he reached forward to take a sip of his coffee.

Suddenly, his door banged open, and a body flung itself at him, knocking at his cup. Coffee spilled onto the carpet and splashed onto his trousers.

"What the-" Nic sprang up out of his chair, quickly righting his cup as he lifted it above his head to prevent further being bathed in the brown liquid.

Which was still in danger of falling, as a bundle of red hair kept jumping up to try and knock it of his hand. A bundle he was beginning to recognise.

"Miss Knight?!" He spoke incredulously. "What on earth are you doing?"

"You-" she panted, jumping up again. "Mustn't-" Jump. "Drink-" Jump. Jump. "The Coffee!"

"What?!" Nic stared down at her, seriously beginning to consider her mental health. Had he somehow been interacting with a mentally disbalanced person all this time, without knowing it?

"Don't drink it!"

"I fail to see how my drinking habits are any of your concern." He pinned her with a deadly look.

"Why can't you just listen to me, for once!" Cecilia paused in her efforts, frustration etching her features as she caught Nic's gaze for a long moment.

Gaze still fixed on hers, Nic brought the cup down ever so slowly.

Cecilia smiled slightly as Nic stretched the cup in her direction. "Thank-"

Suddenly, he changed direction, and brought it up to his mouth, downing it in one breath. Cecilia could only watch in horror, as Nic's gaze clashed challengingly with hers while he drank.

Finishing the cup, he set it down with a thump!, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, gaze still fixed on Cecilia. Cess just slumped in resignation, unable to undo now what had been done.

Well, he's the one who will suffer. If only he had managed to curb his ego... But, no, why would Nicolas The Great curb his ego! He's too amazing for that! He's above everybody else! So then, suffer! Suffer the consequences, you big, egoistic idiot!

But just as quickly as Cecilia's anger flamed hot, it burnt out. After all, it was her fault, not Nic's. Had she not been so intent on revenge, Nic wouldn't need to suffer the consequences. Guilt suffused her again.

"Nic, I have something to tell-"

But Nic's complete attention was focused on something on his laptop screen as his entire body turned to stone. If she thought he looked furious a few hours ago, it was nothing compared to how he looked now. His entire face was granite, his eyes burning embers, his face slowly turning red with rage.

"Nic-"

He abruptly put up a hand to silence her, and Cess immediately lost any ability to speak. He lowered his hand, silently watching something before he bent and clicked the mouse a few times. Slowly, he straightened again, his head twisting towards Cecilia. Faced with the full force of his incensed gaze, Cecilia felt herself shivering in dread.

All of a sudden, he grabbed hold of her upper arm bruisingly hard and dragged her around to his side of the desk. Yelping in pain, at first it didn't click to Cecilia what it was she was seeing on the screen. And, then, as realisation dawned, her heart fell out of her chest.

It was a picture of her. Paused. Zoomed in. Or to be more precise, a picture of her pouring powder into his suit, a satisfied smile playing on the lips of her video-self. Still holding on to her arm, Nic zoomed back out and carried on playing the recording.

Side by side, they watched the scene unfold. Video-Cecilia seemed altogether too smug and pleased with herself as she poured itching powder down the suit and then lined it wearing gloves. She then scurried about the office before reaching the shoes, stopping, and diverting towards the table and picking up a mobile. The grin that broke out on video-Cecilia's face caused the present Cecilia to cringe. The recording played out until the moment her video-self left the room, at which point Nic stopped the recording.

An appalling silence filled the room. Cecilia hung her head in shame as she struggled to think of the adequate words to say.

Nic suddenly twisted towards her in anger. "YOU-" He stopped suddenly, blinking at her, seemingly stunned. "Hey... Are you crying?"

Cecilia shook her head to deny it, but then felt the salty stream hit her lips, and realized it was the truth. She nodded, miserably.

"Why... uhmm," Nic cleared his throat, looking extremely uncomfortable. "Why are you crying?"

"Because..." She whispered something under her breath.

"Hunh?" He leaned in closer.

"Because..." She hiccuped.

"Hunh?!" He tilted his ear, brows furrowed.

"Because I'M SORRY!!!" She wailed, sobbing loudly.

"Oh!" Startled, Nic jumped back, holding his ear lightly.

"I'M SORRY, AND I DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED!" She cried.

"Ok, ok, calm down-"

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I RUINED YOUR REPUTATION!" She bawled, wiping her snot with her hand.

"No, you-"

"AND I MADE YOU INTO A LAUGHING STOCK! AND I PUT ITCHING POWDER IN YOUR SUIT! AND I WAS GOING TO PUT JUUUICEE..." She wailed.

"It's alright-"

"AND I PUT 'Sexy and I know it' AS YOUR RINGTONE! WELL... I MEAN IT DOES SUIT YOU... BUT STILL-"

"What did you say?" Nic felt the corners of his mouth tilting up, against his will.

"AND I PUT A WHOLE PACK OF PEANUTS IN YOUR CAR EXHAUST PIPE! AND I WAS GOING TO SEND AN INVITE TO ALL YOUR EX-GIRLFRIENDS TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE AT THE SAME TIME!" She put her head in her hands, sobbing loudly.

A short bark of laughter was heard. Cess stopped crying momentarily, to look up for the origin of such a bizarre sound. The sight that met her eyes made them widen in wonder.

Nic was holding on to the desk with one hand, the other holding his stomach as he laughed. His eyes crinkled at the corners, deep dimples appearing on both cheeks as his head tilted back in the throes of laughter.

Cecilia just looked at him, heart beat doubling and tripling, until it was off the Richter scale. Pure pleasure warmed her entire being at the sound of such open laughter coming from such a man. It didn't matter that she had no clue why he was laughing - just that he was.

"I've never seen you laugh before." She whispered.

Abruptly, the laughter stopped, as his sapphire blue gaze clashed intensely with her bright green one. He didn't say a word, but his face slowly hardened back into an impenetrable mask.

Desperate to regain that one, brief moment of comraderie, Cecilia hastened to ask him if she was forgiven.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"No."

"No?" Cecilia's lower lip wobbled, as tears unwittingly came to her eyes again. "NO??!!"

"Hey! Don't start-"

"Uuuunnhhh!" Cecilia cried. "Unhunhunhunh!"

"- Crying again." Nic finished, sighing.

Cecilia collapsed on the floor, still sobbing.

"Hey!" Nic exclaimed, as Cecilia grabbed hold of his leg.

"PLEASE! PLEASE FORGIVE ME, MR FRIERE!"

"OK, OK! Just get off my leg!" He tried to shake her off.

"PLEASE SAY YOU'LL FORGIVE ME! I PROMISE I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!"

"OK!! But, will you get off?!"

"PLEEEEAAASSSSEE-"

"If you don't let go of me in the next 10 seconds," he said coldly, "then I will never forgive you as long as I live."

Cecilia let go of him with startling alacrity, jumping up to look at him with hopeful wide eyes.

"So, you forgive me?"

Nic's mouth twitched. "Yes, I forgive you."

"YAY!!" Cess jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "THANK YOU!! And this time, just you wait and see, I'll never put lactulose in your coffee again!"

"Thank you." He said dryly, and went to sit in his chair. Then he abruptly stopped mid-way, muscles tensing. "Wait." He turned to stare at her. "What did you say?"

"Oh, yeah..." Cess mumbled, unable to look him in the eye. "Oops?"

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