Chapter 56 The Weight of One Mistake
POV Damian:
“What’s happening?” Ethan asked, and with a glance under the table, he got his answer.
“Scarlett, get out from under that fucking table!” I demanded.
Scarlett stood up, buttoning her blouse. I knew those buttons hadn’t come undone accidentally. Seeing her swollen lips almost made me reconsider her insane desire to suck me off. I tucked my cock away and nearly groaned at how hard I still was. My pants were tight, but I’d have to endure it, at least until this meeting was over. Looking at Scarlett, seeing the expression on her face as though I’d just taken her favorite toy from her hands—or better, from her mouth—only fueled my anger. As if the shitty day I’m already having wasn’t enough, I still had to stop an important meeting, one I didn’t even want to be in, because she decided she wanted to suck my dick? No, fuck that!
“What the hell are you thinking? We’re in the middle of an important videoconference, we don’t have time to play around with this kind of bullshit. On top of that, you spilled water all over my pants,” I said furiously.
“Calm down, Damian,” Liam asked, and I shot him a look telling him to stay out of it.
“Calm down? I had to stop an important meeting to—”
“Enough!” Scarlett shouted, cutting me off. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again, I… I… I just wanted to do something nice.” She thinks stopping an important meeting is nice?
“Something nice?” I repeated incredulously. “Scarlett, I don’t know how things worked with your ex-boyfriends, but you need to understand that we are not them. We have responsibilities, this company is our responsibility, and we can’t just stop a meeting because you want to suck my dick under the table.” I said it as sincerely as possible, hoping she’d understand.
“Damian…”
“We’ll talk later. You’re dismissed for the rest of the day.” I cut her off, not wanting to continue the conversation. If she wants, we can talk at home. I just want to finish this meeting as fast as possible. Scarlett left the room with her head down, and an uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest.
Did I fuck up?
“Damian, you didn’t have to talk to her like that,” Ethan said, and I focused on the chart Scarlett had brought me, not wanting to look at him and confirm that I really had acted like the asshole she loves to call me.
“She seemed upset,” Liam pointed out, making the discomfort in my chest grow.
“I can go after her,” Noah offered. “Since our brother fucked everything up again. If she wanted to suck your dick, you should have let her. Shit. Better she had come suck mine.”
I wasn’t going to sit here listening to my brothers worry about Scarlett, knowing I’d acted like a jerk. I should have let her suck my dick like it was a damn lollipop. At home, I’ll apologize for my behavior and hope she forgives me—even if I have to spend the whole night buried inside her to convince her.
“Can we get back to the meeting? We’ll talk to her at home,” I said, ending the topic of Scarlett and returning the call to Madison, who answered quickly. “Where were we?” I asked, trying not to think about Scarlett for the rest of the day.
...
It’s almost eight at night and Scarlett still hasn’t come home. I’m pacing back and forth, irritated by her lack of responsibility. Fine, she probably hates me right now, but she could at least answer us and say where she is and whether she’s okay. When I got home, I went straight to her room to talk and apologize for my behavior, but she wasn’t there. I searched the entire house and confirmed she wasn’t anywhere.
Only then did I realize her car wasn’t parked where she always leaves it. I didn’t need to think much longer to know I’d fucked everything up. I tried calling several times, but she didn’t answer. I sent messages she didn’t even see. She must be really pissed at me.
By the looks my brothers keep giving me, I know they’re blaming me, and I can’t even deny it. If Scarlett isn’t home, it really is my fault. Why did I talk to her like that? I berate myself for being so impulsive and rude. None of my shit is her fault, and she shouldn’t have to deal with it. I try calling her again; it rings a few times before going to voicemail.
What the hell did I do?
We spent the next few hours waiting for her to come back, but she never did. Not wanting to sit around any longer, we decided to call hospitals, the police, or anyone who could help us find her, or at least give us some news. When I called the police, they said they couldn’t do anything until she’d been missing for 24 hours. The hospitals we contacted had no patients matching Scarlett’s description, which relieved us, yet did nothing to calm our nerves about not knowing where she is. It’s 1:27 in the morning; I don’t know if I can stand waiting any longer. Ethan is calling the last hospital on our list. If they give us the same answer as the others, we’re going out on the streets to look for her.
“Hello, sorry for the late hour, I’m calling to ask if a 26-year-old woman, white, black hair, pregnant, was admitted…” Ethan stopped speaking, and my heart clenched. “What?” The worry in his voice made me fear the worst. Please let it be nothing… please let it not be her… I begged silently. “I… I’m her boyfriend, I’m on my way.” His hands were trembling when he hung up.
“Ethan?” Liam called, but he remained silent.
“Ethan?” Liam demanded.
“Scarlett… she… she was in an accident,” he said, collapsing onto the couch.
“What? How… how is she? And the baby?” I asked, panicked.
His eyes locked onto mine, and what I saw reflected in them made me close my own, bracing for the worst.