The case against Thompson suddenly became more than just throwing his friend who betrayed him into jail. Then again, it was never just about that. It was mostly about Astra, and making her feel the same amount of pain that he felt when she cheated on him and broke his heart. It was about maybe being able to get her back again, even after everything.
Nicholas knew that he had to choose one; it either had to be revenge or love. He knew that revenge was the reasonable thing to choose. If he got her back, what if she decided to cheat on him again? What if she broke his heart again? Would he keep on forgiving her and putting himself at risk? Was he going to be able to keep up with all that?
Nicholas was not sure if he would be able to; revenge was the safest option. Retribution was the option he was going to choose. The feelings he still had for Astra were not worth it, not one bit. It was pointless to be in love with someone who did not reciprocate their feelings. It was so bad that he had to seek pleasure elsewhere.
He was going to make her feel pain for all she made him go through. The best way he could do that was through the case. Nicholas knew that Thompson was dangerous. The fucking bastard had gotten under his skin and made him lose a lot of contracts and money through fraud. The only problem was that Nicholas did not have enough evidence to put the betrayer in pain. The news of Thompson's betrayal had come suddenly. A few days later, he received an anonymous letter with incriminating pictures of Astra. It seemed then that everyone around him was a betrayer, that he had no real friends, no real family. Things had not been easy after that. It was so hard for him to pick himself up and start over again.
The company that Nicholas had inherited from his father suffered so many great losses when he was gone. He spent the last five years throwing himself into work, trying his very best to build his company again from the shambles Thompson and Astra had made it. Apart from the fact that his personal life was a mess, the past five years had been productive enough. His company was even more successful than it had previously been.
It was not until he had gone through this amount of success that he decided that it was time to take revenge on Thompson and his thieving ways. His so-called friend was living the life while he was still unable to sleep without drowning himself in alcohol. It was the best time to take revenge.
It was only after his company was in shambles that he hired a private investigator to check on Astra. He found out then that she was practicing law again and had had plastic surgery. The idea of using Astra as a defense lawyer against Thompson had come then. It was one of the best ideas he ever had. The case was rusty because he waited five years to sue. Thompson would have destroyed all evidence, if there was any at all to begin with. It was not exactly the smartest thing to do. However, there was the issue of making Astra pay. That was the major reason for the case. Nicholas could always make Thompson pay in other ways.
"James!" A plan had begun to cook in his head when he shouted from his music room, calling on his body guard.
"Yes, Sir," the man said, all but scurrying into the room. Nicholas glanced at his body guard. He looked like he was struggling not to cover his nose. Nicholas could not hardly blame him; he knew that the place would smell like vomit. Astra too had come and was disgusted.
"Please help me call Sarah." "Tell her to come to the house as soon as possible," Nicholas said, as he tried to stand up from his sitting position on the ground. The pounding in his head increased twofold, and everything around him was blurry for a full minute.
"Also, tell the housekeeper to please get rid of this mess," he managed to choke out when he was stable. He liked James for the fact that he didn't try to help him as he staggered his way out of the room. The last thing he wanted was to feel like an invalid.
"Yes, sir," James said as Nicholas walked out of the room, "I will do that right away, sir."Nicholas rolled his eyes at his enthusiasm.
Nicholas all but dragged himself to his room and forced himself to take a bath because there was no way he would let Sarah see him like that, so vulnerable. All the while taking his bath, he thought of how he would make Astra pay for all that she had done. He wanted her to beg him. That was exactly what he was going to get. She was on her knees begging. He could not wait.
He took two tablets of Panadol for his headache and began to dress as he waited for Sarah to come.
He put on casual slacks and a white dress shirt. He combed his hands through his hair. He felt much more refreshed.
"Nicky!" Sarah shouted, and Nicholas rolled his eyes, a typical Sarah move. Leave it to her to announce herself in the most obvious manner.
"And the whole world must know that her royal majesty graced this house with her presence," he replied as he walked down the stairs to meet with her.
Sarah responded with a smug smile, her eight-month-old on her hips. The little guy gave a smile as he walked down, extending his arms at him.
"And of course, Theo wants his uncle," Sarah said. Nicholas immediately extracted the baby from her hands and settled him on his chest. Sarah was his cousin that he met after the divorce. She had come from England, where she had been staying with her parents, and was a bit stranded in America. She traced him to her cousin about three times removed, and arrived at his company, all but demanding a job almost two years back. Nicholas was stunned by the audacity, but it was enough to let him know that she was a Trentonian through and through. He had given her a job then, but she had become even more than a friend, more than family to him over time.
Sarah was pregnant when she came. Nicholas did not know then, but her ex-boyfriend had abandoned her with the pregnancy. She had come to the States to begin a new life. It was not easy for her, though, but Nicholas tried his very best to support her throughout. Sarah knew all about what Astra did to him and she was also helping with the case with Thompson. He knew that he could trust her. Even his mother liked her, and she didn't like anybody, not even Astra.
"It is clear that Theo is tired of the females in his life; he wants something new," Nicholas joked, bouncing the baby. The gold locks he inherited from his mother were bouncing around with him. He flashed his gums with just four teeth at Nicholas, and he smiled. He liked the little fellow, maybe a little too much. The boy made Nicholas think again and again about having his own child. Astra and Nicholas always planned on having children together, but they kept on pushing it. It was never the time. Nicholas was relieved that they didn't have any children together; it would have made things even more complicated.
"I could leave him with you to enjoy something new for the next few weeks. "Wouln't you like that? Sarah asked, a coy smile playing on her lips. Nicholas panicked for a few seconds. There was absolutely no way he could take care of a baby for that long. His nephew might love him at the moment, but babies were usually professionals at crying, and Nicholas could not handle that much crying.
"Well, it depends on what state you would like your baby to be in when you return," Nicholas replied, clearly unimpressed by her threat.
Sarah let out a loud laugh. "Are you just going to keep me standing all day?" Sarah asked, and Nicholas eyed her. He enjoyed the change in the atmosphere. It was typical of her to be so playful.
"There are chairs everywhere, Sarah. You can sit down with anyone you want. You don't expect to be treated like a guest, do you? " Nicholas asked, and Sarah let out a dramatic sigh as she collapsed on the chair.
"I guess I will have to take the below-bar treatment I get then," Sarah said. This time, Nicholas was the one to laugh. He really enjoyed having her over.
So, what was it that was so important that you had to summon me all the way to your little palace?' Sarah asked as Nicholas sat opposite her, holding her son in his lap. The little boy was already playing with the buttons on his shirt.
"Thompson came to threaten me," Nicholas said, remembering how Thompson all but barged into his house to ask him in no uncertain terms to let go of the case and to remove Astra from it. Nicholas had been shaken after he left. That's why he drove Astra out of his house. He was concerned for her safety.
"He clearly has some loose strings lying around. "He doesn't know yet that we don't have substantial evidence." "We have to find out what he is hiding," Nicholas continued, and Sarah nodded.
"You already have people following him; you'd know if he did anything suspicious," Sarah said, and Nicholas nodded.
"I know, he also threatened Astra's life," he continued, and Sarah scoffed. She did not understand why he still loved her, regardless of how badly he treated her in the past.
"Why do you care?" Sarah asked, and Nicholas ignored her.
"I want to make Astra feel the pain I have been feeling all this time. The only way I can do that is through this case" Nick replied instead. Sarah's eyes widened. She probably did not expect that from him.
"You can barely do anything to her using the case." "You should try to go into other areas of her life," Sarah suggested, but Nicholas shook his head in disagreement. He did not want to go that far.
"I just want to do the case. I don't want to go any further. I want her to be doing a wild goose chase with the case, and also because it will be making Thompson uncomfortable, he just might flop," Nicholas said.
"I highly doubt that this would be equal to the amount of pain that you felt back then," Sarah said again, and he shook his head.
"Her entire career is in my hands with this job. Her losing this case, and woefully too, will put a dent in her career. With enough drama and time, we can make her career as a lawyer worthless. Her career is her lie at this point. I have it in my hands. " Sarah seemed convinced by this, and she nodded her head.
"The only problem we might have is how to go about this. How do we make the job hell for her? " Nicholas asked. Sarah smiled in return, the type of smile that made him never doubt that she was truly a Trentonian.
"Don't worry, just leave it to me."