Chapter 468 Scars Pt 1

Chapter 468 Scars Pt 1
AMELIA 

Today's an important day.

I've been on edge all morning. Damien has called for a Keller family meeting. We're all going to be there, including Ethan and Penelope.

He announced that there'd be a meeting only last night during dinner, and he asked Theo to give Ethan a call. I was startled by the news and so was she. He didn't tell me what he'll say to Ethan, but we can guess what it is. He wants closure. Ethan owns a third of everything, and that matter needs to be resolved. I doubt that Damien will allow him to return to the company. I just don't see it happening. Ethan himself never mentioned it to Theo, not that he'd dare to.

Theo told me that he's out of the hospital. She said he hasn't left the country yet because he wants to see Damien first. Damien, however, wanted nothing to do with him until yesterday. He's asked after him, but he didn't want to see him. He's still hurt by what Ethan did to us, his betrayal is a wound that will never quite heal for him. And if it ever does, it'll leave a nasty scar behind.

Concerning our day-to-day lives, it's been two weeks so things have gone back to normal. Somewhat. Everyone knows Damien's alive now; they were shocked when they first found out. Theo said that The Lounge was packed with individuals wanting to know more about his state on the day she spread the news around, so it had to close down for the day. She told everyone the truth of what happened, why we had to keep Damien hidden from Ash Rockford and the Huntingtons, who have since sent a lengthy apology to the entire Keller family for their involvement with Ash. They lied about not knowing his true intentions-predictable-but Damien considered it a triumph. There will be no war.

As promised, I never left his side. Not once. I tended to him and watched over him day and night. It gave me immense pleasure; I didn't realize how much I missed him. I eventually told him that I killed Ash Rockford, that I shot him right between his eyes. He didn't say anything, he just held me close and kissed my forehead. He never asked me what transpired between us before I shot him and I never offered him an explanation. I'll never tell anyone what happened, nobody has to know. That part isn't important. In fact, I feel like I'll erase it from my memory, completely.

Since I was taking care of him, I relieved my mother of her duties, of course. She was happy to leave. It didn't offend me, I know I asked too much of her by asking her to stay. Deep down, I had hoped that she would warm up to him, but no such luck. Again, I don't blame her. She needs more time, maybe, or it just won't happen.

"Promise me that you'll come visit me," she said before she left. "Don't ever make me come back here, you know how much I hate this place."

"It won't be anytime soon," I told her. "But I'll visit you. I'll stop by to see you. That I promise."

Damien's much better now. He's back at The Lounge, has been for the last week. He can't move around as much as he used to, he'll usually ask Theo to take his place, but yesterday he attended his first meeting with the council, who have since asked for his forgiveness for abandoning me.

I don't blame them, everyone was trying to avoid Ash Rockford. He was trouble, but he's dead now so it doesn't matter. Not anymore.

I'm sitting next to him now. He's stroking my leg while he signs some documents. We don't have a secretary. After what happened with Gillian, I think it's best if we handle things ourselves until we find someone trustworthy. I never found out what Gillian was doing here. She was working for Ash, but what did she discover? What did she find? Maybe she didn't find anything, which is why Ash felt the need to eliminate Damien. We'll never know, now that he's dead.

I stare at him again. I'm surprised by how calm her appears. The meeting with Ethan will be in twenty minutes. I ask, "What are you going to say to him when you finally see him?" I've been avoiding this conversation, because I don't want to stress him out. But the moment is nearing and I'm anxious.

"I'll tell him that he'll get his equal share," he simply says.

I frown. "That's all the meeting is about?"

"Yes," he says, turning to me. "What did you think it would be about? Absolution?"

I look into his eyes. There's a hardness in them that I rarely see. I place my hand on the side of his face and kiss him lightly on the lips. "I know how much you care about him, that's why I'm asking you. I don't want you to regret anything."

He says, "I can't forgive him, not after what you've been through. He's the reason why you had to get involved with Ash Rockford and I'm never going to forget that. It's the only reason why I don't want him anywhere around me. Or you."

Now that Damien is well, I don't feel that much hatred towards Ethan. The feeling ebbed away, it seems. I wa surprised when I caught myself thinking about him. I felt sorry for him, for everything he went through. Sure, he deserved everything he got, but there's room for forgiveness in my heart and I was never close to me. In fact, Ethan Keller had always been disdainful towards me, which is a shame considering we're siblings.

Damien's rancor is somewhat startling, but i can't judge him for it. I never will.

He's still reading through documents when Theo knocks on the door, letting us know that Ethan has arrived. He's waiting for us in the conference room. I look at him. Again, he's oddly calm, but his teeth are clenched.

Penelope is with him. Her hand is on her belly, even though I still don't see a bulge. I'm guessing she wasn't lying about being pregnant. She looks over at me and I meet her gaze. We don't say anything to each other. There's nothing we could possibly say, anyway.