Chapitre 22: I Have Nothing To Do With This Murder!

ELENA

"Elena, Elena please stop! You have already drank enough."

Joanna's pleas fell on deaf ears because my hands were already inching to the next glass.

"Boss please! You are drinking too much!" Steve, who sat on my other side, tried to talk me out of my next drink.

But one glare from me made him clamp his mouth shut.

Joanna had enough though!

She snatched the glass from my hands and placed it out of my reach, smacking it hard against the table that half of its drink spilt, wasted.

I pouted, feeling bad for the wasted alcohol. People don't even get to taste it that easily!

Shame!

"Elena, you know what a light drinker you are! Every time you drawn yourself in alcohol, you end up creating a mess. The last time you got so drunk in the France, I found you kissing a tree outside the club. Remember?"

I frowned, turning my head at Steve, who snorted, stifling his laugh.

"Hey you, small head! Don't laugh at your boss." I warned him, and he instantly sobered up.

Joanna grabbed my chin and turned me to face her again. She had her eyes squinted suspiciously as she tried studying something on my face.

"I know for sure that you did something terrible back then Elena. But you are trying to hide it. Whatever it is, I will find it one day but I am not letting you do anything like that again. No!" She declared.

I instantly looked away from her at the reminder of that night. Drunk or not, I couldn't forget the night when I lost my first kiss to a... stranger.

My body shivered, remembering his hands all over my body, trying to claim every inch of it. His lips moved softly against mine at first before they became hungry as if the taste of my mouth woken up the hunger-driven beast inside him.

What I first enjoyed then turned into a hot mess that I thought... I thought that I would surrender myself to that stranger without any care in the world.

That very thought made the hair on my back stand in alarm.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. The after-effect of the alcohol was slowly kicking in, and my head began to feel light.

"Ohhh... Jo-Jo-Joannaaa... You are worrying toooo much! I am the moooossst inn-innocent soul in this eeentiiiire world!" I giggled, showing her a meditation pose to prove my point.

Steve choked on his raspberry punch behind me, but I safely assumed that it had nothing to do with what I just said.

"Of course!" Joanna rolled her eyes sarcastically at me before she stood up.

"Stop overflooding your bladder Steve and help me here."

Steve was instantly on his feet. The man hesitated only for a few seconds before he grabbed my wrist.

"Boss, come on. Let's get you home. Your father must be waiting for you!"

As if he had just detonated a grenade, Joanna glared at him with wide eyes. If looks could kill, then Steve must have under his coffin by now.

But I was still. My mind was numb for initial seconds before the one word rang in my head. Dad!

My hazy mind finally reminded me why I was sulking here at the local bar, amongst the people I tried to avoid crossing paths with, chugging down glasses on glasses of that bitter, burning liquid in hope of it would wash away today's humiliation.

And the bitterest blow came from... dad!

"Elena... my dearest friend, my childhood buddie... it's been a long that we have done a sleep over right? Why don't you crash at my place tonight? We... we can have a good rest, yeah?"

Joanna reached for my hand so carefully as if she was handling a snake. I didn't react as she pulled me to stand on my feet. I saw her motioning for Steve to hold me from the other side before they walked me out of the bar.

"Here's your car. Come on let's get you in yeah?" Joanna cooed, as a mother cooed to her baby in an overly sugarcoated voice.

Steve opened the passenger side door and together, they helped me get in the car. Joanna instantly locked the door to stop me from trying anything funny.

I watched her scolding Steve for his earlier mistake. But my head was still facing the assault of the day.

I was still not over it. The anger was still bubbling inside of me, getting hotter and hotter, redder and redder.

Idiot Joanna. She thought she was smart, but she forgot that I was her Boss for a reason. I stared at the car keys I had managed to get from her. Sliding into the driver's seat, I settled behind the steering.

They both were still engrossed in their conversation that they stopped only when they heard the revering engine and the headlights that blinded them.

Steve was the first one to comprehend the situation and leapt at the car. But I reversed it from the parking lot before turning the steering.

"ELENA!!!"

"BOSSSS!!"

I watched them screaming through the rearview mirror, but it was too late because I was already on my way to get my revenge.

TPV

Madison was pacing around in the living room like a pendulum oscillating to and fro. Julianne sat in a chair with Fredrick standing beside her to give her tablets for blood pressure.

Mason sat on the couch to the left of his mother but avoided meeting her eyes. He wished Jeremy was with him to face his uncle, but the PA bailed on him at the last moment giving an excuse of some family emergency.

He pulled out his phone and typed furiously on its keypad.

= 'Where the fuck are they? I want those two assholes at any cost!'=

He hit the send button before keeping his phone in his pocket again.

"Julianne.... please try Devon's phone again. Why the hell he is not picking up his phone? Christine's phone is still out of reach." Madison worried before cutting the call she was trying to do to Devon.

"Madison, dear, please calm down. Sit here come. You are stressing out since the morning. Fredrick, give her some coffee, please. And Mason, try calling your cousin."

Mason's lips twitched in annoyance. Calling Devon was the last thing on his mind at that moment.

"What should I do then, Julianne? Mason hurry up." Madison too urged him.

With much distaste, he took out his phone and dialled Devon's number that he had saved by the name 'Demon'.

Mason placed his phone against his ear to hear the monotonous chiming of Devon's caller tune. The ring went on before the call ended.

"I am sorry, aunt Maddie but he is still not answering his phone." He was glad that Devon didn't.

"Madison, don't worry. Let's stand strong together in these difficult times!" Julianne tried to calm Madison.

Their conversation was cut short when they heard the sound of the door opening before loud and confident clicks of shoes against the marble floor resonated around the entire space.

Everyone was quickly on their feet as Victor Sanders strode into the living room. His wide forehead displayed lines of annoyance. The corners of his lips pinched down in displease.

His usually well-groomed medium stubble with grey strands in them looked a bit out of shape as if he didn't get time in grooming it.

As soon as he entered the living room, he walked straight to his wife. Madison too met him the mid-way and hugged him tightly.

Even after thirty years of married life, they were still the same as the day they first met. He kissed her on the forehead, taking a good look at her face.

"You look exhausted, Madison." He started with an edge to his voice.

He hated to see her fussing over the boys and worrying over everything that concerned their family. But today was just too much!

He saw on the news how embarrassed and tensed she was though she looked perfectly composed on the cameras. He knew that camera was her habitat, she knew how to deal with it, even much better than him.

But he was her husband. He could read everything that lay behind that mask of a confident, unbeatable woman.

"How was your flight? You must be tired. We can talk after the dinn-"

"No!" He declared.

Julianne couldn't help but glance in Mason's way to see his rubbing his clammy palm on his trouser.

Victor's cold gaze shifted to settle directly on Mason before he let go of his wife. Madison knew what was coming Mason's way and thus wanted to at least postpone it. Alas!

"I am not going to beat around the bush, Mason. Do you have any kind of information about this mess? Or perhaps you have your hand behind it?" Victor Sanders was known for his straightforwardness.

Mason gulped. "Uncle, I am sorry about what happened, but... trust me. I have nothing to do with this murder. I haven't even met that man ever in my life!

How can I kill him knowing he had a family to look after? And what motive I had? We have faced many such investigations and allegations in our life. But nothing came out of it. This case was the same uncle. I didn't need to commit a sin to get out of it."

Only Mason knew how many times he had recited those lines for this moment. And just like every time, his voice didn't tremble even a beat.