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Jayden wasn’t just livid; he was almost apoplectic with rage. ‘Are you insane?’ he yelled out, causing Noel to wince sharply.
‘No, I am not,’ Noel responded firmly.
‘Well, I must assume you have taken leave of your senses because what you’re asking me to do is absolute insanity!’
‘You don’t understand. You didn’t see him. Jayden, he’s literally living in hell.’
‘Good,’ Jayden responded.
‘He won’t be able to last for much longer. He could die!’
‘He sure is taking his sweet time about it.’
Noel stared at Jayden. ‘You don’t mean that.’
Jayden’s gaze was firm as he looked back. ‘Yes, I do.’
‘Jayden,’ Noel took a deep breath and tried again. ‘He is being raped.’
Jayden didn’t blink. ‘So?’
Noel staggered as he took a step back in shock. ‘You can’t… you don’t… you know, you know as much as anyone how horrible that is.’
‘It’s because I know that’s why I do not care.’ Jayden’s eyes were venomous as he continued. ‘He did the same thing to you, and if it is being done to him, then that’s what I consider justice.’
Noel shook his head. ‘That’s not justice. He is being punished but it is not justice. And it isn’t justice to leave him there knowing what he is going through.’
Jayden scoffed in disbelief as he stared at his best friend. ‘I don’t get it. I really can’t understand it. After everything he’s done to you, you should be the last person to want to help him. I know you are a bleeding heart, but you are not stupid. Why can’t you just leave him to his fate? Why can’t you let go?’
Noel hesitated. ‘I…’
Jayden’s eyes narrowed. ‘Do you still love him?’
‘Of course not.’
‘Then why?’ Jayden pressed on relentlessly.
‘I…’
‘Why Noel? Why can’t you let him go?’
‘Because it is my responsibility!’ Noel exploded.
Jayden stared at him in confusion. ‘What?’
‘I…’ Noel blinked, and this time there were tears in his eyes. ‘He is doing this because of me. He is allowing these things to happen to him because he is trying to pay me back.’
‘Allowing?’ Jayden snorted. ‘Is that what he told you?’
‘No, I…’
‘He doesn’t have much choice in the matter, does he? I, therefore, fail to see how he is “allowing” anything.’
Noel’s glare suddenly turned fierce. ‘I don’t like this any more than you do, but I at least have the humanity to not turn a blind eye. It takes strength to go through what I did, and it takes even more strength to look back and be able to forgive those who have hurt you. I do not have to forgive him, nor do I currently have the strength to, but I do have the strength to help him. Why? Because he has gone through what I have and worse.’
‘And he deserves it!’ Jayden yelled back. He couldn’t keep his emotions in check any longer and the fury rolled out of him in waves.
He was angry. He was angry at Noel for asking something like this from him. He was angry at the way that despite what that bastard did, Noel still wanted to help him. Most of all, he was absolutely furious that that bastard was the reason he was fighting with his best friend.
He couldn’t understand it. Try as he might, he couldn’t bring himself to understand why Noel was asking him this.
‘This isn’t the fate I would have chosen for him but don’t think for a single second that I would ever lift a finger to drag that puerile vermin out of the hell he created for himself.’
Noel took a step forward. ‘Jayden…’
‘No! I don’t care if you will hate me for this, but I am not going to change my mind because I know where my priorities lie.’ His eyes were burning with anger as they locked onto Noel’s. ‘And I think it’s time you figure out where yours lie as well.’
He turned around and stormed out of the office, leaving the other occupants to stare after his retreating back with a different mix of emotions.
Samuel sighed and stood up. His face looked tired as he walked up to place a hand on Noel’s shoulder.
‘I’ll talk to him.’
Noel nodded and Samuel took off his hands and walked out of the office.
Victoria had been sitting quietly watching the whole issue unfold and now that she was left alone with Noel, she was studying him with a look of open curiosity on her face.
‘I really can’t understand you,’ she murmured to herself.
Like her son, she really couldn’t figure out what Noel’s goal was. Unlike Jayden, however, she understood enough to work out the source of his intentions.
‘I suppose I understand enough.’
Noel was starting to grow uncomfortable under the weight of the dark eyes that were eerily similar to Jayden’s.
Victoria made up her mind.
‘I will help you.’
Noel was confused. ‘What?’
‘Don’t you want to get him out of prison?’
‘Yes,’ Noel answered unsurely.
Victoria nodded and sat up. ‘Then I will help you.’
Noel didn’t know what to feel about this sudden development. ‘Why?’ he asked.
‘It’s simple. I owe you.’
‘What?’
Victoria smiled. ‘I never properly thanked you for what you did for Jayden.’
Noel was completely lost. ‘What did I do?’
‘You became his friend.’
‘Oh.’
Victoria’s smile was gentle as she looked at him. ‘It may not seem like much, but he needed someone he could call his best friend. His father used to be his best friend and… well, you know what happened. I tried to step in and fill that gap, but there’s only so much a mother can do. He needed to be with someone his own age, so thank you for being his friend.’
Noel glanced down. ‘You don’t have to thank me though,’ he muttered. ‘I seem to be the only one who is benefiting from our relationship. All I do is keep asking for more and more favours.’
Victoria laughed at that. She had a beautiful sort of tinkling laughter that made Noel temporarily forget about his embarrassment.
‘If only you knew,’ was all she said in response. She shook her head. ‘Sometimes just being there is more than enough.’
‘I… well… erm,’ Noel wasn’t sure what to say in response to that. In the end, he settled for, ‘Thank you.’
‘Don’t mention it. Now it is my turn to thank you.’
‘But,’ he hesitated. However, at Victoria’s encouraging look, he continued. ‘You have already done a lot of favours for me,’ he pointed out. ‘You were the one to get me into this prison in the first place.’
‘I didn’t do any of those things for you. I did them because my son asked me to. Everything I did was for him. What I am going to do this time is because of you.’ Victoria paused. ‘However, there is a limit. My relationship with Jayden is already shaky and when he finds out about this, he will no doubt be furious with me. Therefore, to not antagonize him further, all I am going to do is take Charles out of prison. No more, no less.’
Noel nodded. ‘I understand.’
Victoria’s eyes were inscrutable as she stared meaningfully at him. ‘Do you?’
‘Y… yes?’
‘How far have you thought about this? For starters, after I get him out, where is he going to stay? I’m sure you are aware that he has been disowned by his family and I have a feeling your family would be much less receptive to the whole thing than Jayden has been.’
Noel blinked. She was right; he hadn’t thought about any of that at all. However, he couldn’t panic about that now because Victoria was watching him carefully.
His eyes grew firm as he stared back at her. ‘I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, please do what you can.’
Victoria smiled at that. ‘I was right about you.’
Noel suddenly had a weird feeling at the back of his neck. This was the second time today that someone had said that about him. It wasn’t a lot, but it was strange enough that it had happened once, let alone twice.
He tamped down his discomfort and glanced curiously at Victoria. ‘What… how are you going to get him out?’
‘Simple, all we need is a presidential pardon.’
Noel blinked in confusion. Was getting a presidential pardon really simple?
Victoria must have noticed the question on his face because she suddenly smirked. ‘Have you forgotten who I am?’
The smirk reminded him so much of Jayden that it sent shivers down his spine.
‘I am the matriarch of the First Family of the Noble 52. The President depends on my money to fund his campaigns and my influence to keep the 52 families in check. What is a little pardon compared to that?’
Right. Noel thought dizzily. The Mills were no longer the second family after the fall of the previous first family. He knew it was going to happen, but he didn’t realize it was going to happen so quickly. But then again, what did those things mean to him? He was from a simple family that was as far removed from the powerplays as it was from the sun.
Victoria walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. ‘Come. I believe we have work to do.’
~
While Victoria had been speaking with Noel, Samuel had been roaming the hallways of the prison trying to track down Jayden.
It took him several minutes to finally find his boyfriend pacing furiously in the parking lot with a dark look on his face.
Samuel watched him for a few seconds before hesitantly approaching. ‘Jayden?’
Jayden immediately rounded on him. ‘What?’
Samuel could see that he was itching for a fight, so he chose his next words carefully. ‘Do you… do you want to talk about it?’
Jayden snorted. ‘Trying to get me to talk about my feelings, are we?’
Samuel flinched. ‘That’s…’
‘Or are you here to tell me what I should be feeling?’
‘Where is this coming from?’
‘You know damn well where this is coming from!’ Jayden’s voice was growing louder as he continued. ‘Sometimes, people do not need to talk about everything. Sometimes, people need space to process things and don’t need your voice in their ear trying to tell them what to do. And above all,’ his fists were shaking as he yelled the last part at Samul. ‘I don’t need to be treated as if I have the emotional intelligence of a two-year-old child!’
The space between them was silent as Jayden’s words floated in the air.
‘You’re right,’ Samuel whispered softly.
Jayden’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the tears in Samuel’s eyes. He quickly took a step forward, his anger dissipating into concern and guilt.
‘Samuel, I..’
‘No, no.’ Samuel shook his head furiously as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘Don’t apologize. You were right. I do push too much.’
Jayden’s voice was quiet as he asked, ‘Why do you do it?’
Samuel took a shaky breath, and his eyes were sad as he looked up at Jayden.
‘I’m scared,’ he admitted quietly.
Jayden stepped closer to him as he continued. ‘Ever since this whole thing happened, it feels as if there is this wide distance between us. And anytime I try to bridge it, it just grows wider, and it never seems to stop. I’m afraid that our relationship won’t be able to handle the baby and we are going to break up. It scares me so much because the thought of losing you physically hurts me. Anytime I think about it, I feel a sharp pain in my chest and it’s like I can’t breathe.
Samuel’s chest suddenly felt lighter now that he had gotten all of that out.
‘You’re not going to lose me,’ Jayden said after a while. ‘If for any other reason than I’m too stubborn and prideful to allow something as tiny as a wrinkly baby to drive me off.’
Samuel let out a snort. ‘True.’
‘Also, I feel the same way about you. It’s scary, but it’s a good kind of scary.’
Samuel suddenly felt tired. He looked around before walking to sit behind a grey Camry, which hid him from the view of the many windows that lined the massive structure of the prison behind them.
He sighed and closed his eyes as he stretched his legs on the warm asphalt that was prevented from being too hot due to the large shade of a nearby tree.
‘I know what you mean,’ he said as Jayden came to sit down beside him. ‘Sometimes I wonder if my attachment to you is healthy.’
‘Who cares?’
‘You’re right.’ Samuel closed his eyes and sighed. ‘Jayden, I really hope that when we grow old, I’ll be the first to leave because I honestly don’t see how I can survive without you.’
Jayden frowned. ‘What about me?’
A peaceful smile came upon Samuel’s face. ‘You have always been stronger than me.’
Samuel’s eyes were closed, so he did not see the look that came upon Jayden’s face at his words.
‘I can’t accept that.’
Samuel opened his eyes at the force in Jayden’s voice. ‘What?’
‘I refuse to accept that situation. I’m not going to let you go. I will follow you wherever it is, even if it is death itself.’
There was a fond smile on Samuel’s face as he looked at his boyfriend. ‘I don’t think you know just how possessive you sound right now.’
Jayden looked down and muttered, ‘I have always been possessive. I just try not to show it because I know how unsettling it can be.’
Samuel’s expression was thoughtful as he closed his eyes once more and lay his head against the cool metal of the car.
‘I like it.’
Jayden looked up in surprise. ‘Really? Because I don’t like how it makes me feel.’
‘It’s nice.’
A soft wind brushed through Samuel’s hair, and he looked so peaceful as he sat there that Jayden almost thought he had fallen asleep.
‘Samuel?’
‘In this world, everyone wants to feel as if they belong, that they are a part of something bigger than themselves.’ Samuel’s eyelids lifted and his hazel eyes were soft as he turned to look at Jayden. ‘It makes me feel as if I belong to you. That I am a part of you. You are me, and I am you. And together, we make something bigger than ourselves.’
Jayden hadn’t thought about it that way. ‘In that case, I like it as well.’
Samuel chuckled and looked up at the pieces of bright cerulean sky he could see peeking through the branches of the tree.
‘The sky is really beautiful, isn’t it?’
‘Huh?’ Jayden frowned in confusion before looking up. ‘Yeah, I guess it is.’
‘Sometimes, whenever I feel lonely, I like to look up and remember that there are billions of people just like me, all looking up at the same thing. It makes me feel less lonely.’
‘We are all under the same sky,’ Jayden murmured.
Samuel turned to look at him. ‘Exactly! So, whenever we are apart, just remember that no matter where we are, we are both still living under the same sky.’
Jayden eyes were thoughtful as he stared up at the clouds that could be seen through the leaves. ‘The sky is much prettier when I’m with you.’
Samuel’s eyes filled with amusement at the conviction in Jayden’s voice. ‘It’s nice to talk, isn’t it?’
Jayden’s eyes narrowed. ‘Not always. Sometimes silence is better than a thousand words.’
‘I understand, and I promise to try to stop being so…’
‘Pushy?’ Jayden offered helpfully.
Samuel’s nose wrinkled slightly, but he agreed. ‘Yes, that. I promise not to be so pushy in the future.’
‘Thank you.’
Samuel hesitated because he didn’t know how Jayden would receive his next question. ‘What are you going to do about Charles?’
A dark expression came upon Jayden’s face. ‘Nothing,’ he stated bluntly.
Samuel sighed. He had thought as much. ‘Noel isn’t going to be happy.’
‘I know, and I am okay with that. He can be mad at me, but my mind is made up, and don’t try to talk me out of it either. This time not even you can get me to change my mind, and I don’t want you to try because I hate saying no to you, but I will this time if I have to.’
‘I won’t,’ Samuel promised. ‘I respect your decision.’
Jayden looked away. ‘I know, I am heartless. Not only am I heartless; I am also vindictive and cruel, but it is because I am those things that is why I can leave him where he deserves to be.’
‘You are not heartless. It is actually the other way around. Your heart is so large, it senses emotions that most people will overlook, and you use it to love more deeply than anyone I know. It’s because you care that’s why you are doing this. You look out for the people that matter.’
‘And Charles doesn’t matter,’ Jayden insisted. ‘So, what if he dies? He dug his own grave, now it is time for him to lay in it.’
Samuel said nothing and just gently held Jayden’s hand as he lay his head on his boyfriend’s shoulder.
Unbeknownst to them, Charles would not be lying in his grave for a long time to come, because there were two people who were working tirelessly to dig him out and bring him back, both figuratively and literally, into the light.
Author’s Note: A bit late with the update; much apologies.
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