Get Up

The office door slammed shut, bringing Peter back to reality. Anthonio, who has tried minimizing his existence for a while, finally made a move. The anger on his face was evident as if a raging storm was showering on top of his head.

"Get up." Anthonio said as he cracked his knuckles while tapping his feet against the floor.

Peter didn't respond to his request, destroying his last sense of patience. Pulling the shocked man on the floor, he dragged him across the office and threw him against the office desk. A loud "bang" could be heard from the strong hit on his back.

"Let me tell you how hard Selina had worked for the past weeks. She stayed late in the office, typing up proposals and edited it until your clients were satisfied with it. Her nails chipped after long hours of overworking her fingers, yet she didn't stop for an extra minute. I spotted her several times in her office and brought food for her."

"If I didn't hear and see it with my own eyes, I would never believe such silly girls actually exist. There were many business terms she wasn't sure about, but she didn't want to bother you. So, I explained it to her. Have you taken a look at her hands? Paper cuts and blisters on her fingers? Where were you when she met with investors and travelled all over the city?"

"You were stressing out in your office! You were bribing people through illegal means! As for her? She obtained all these contracts for your company. Y-o-u-r company. Not even hers. She wanted to support your dream. When she gathered those signed contracts, she looked so happy."

"She said she could finally take away the crease between your brows and frown on your face! Have you taken a good look at the dark circles under her eyes? Of course not! Because you've neglected her efforts like pouring water down the drain. Hah..until now, I still can't believe my ears."

Squatting down, Anthonio forcefully lifted Peter's chin to meet him at eye level. "I hope Bryan didn't miss out on that sentence you said just now. You mentioned Shirley influencing your thoughts, but at the end..you are the one following her nose. Before making decisions, how about opening your eyes and actually using it to look for the truth."

"Honestly, if I loved a woman enough to make her my fiancée, there will no reason why I would listen to a third party's words about her. Take a good look at your childhood sweetheart and then at this girl who gave it her all to save you from financial crisis. Selina isn't rich like Miss. Han, but in my eyes, she's a much cleaner woman."

"Stand up." Anthonio took a deep breath as he faced the empty man in front of him. After some time, Peter still didn't budge.

"You've killed your fiancée and now you are going to kill your company? The investors she spent weeks to convince are still waiting for you. Are you going to gather yourself and come with me or will you stay like a mud pile of shit? If you really feel guilt for what you've done, then let me tell you how worthless your regret is. You can't reverse time. So, get your ass together."

Straightening his back, Anthonio brushed the wrinkles flat on his clothes before exiting to the conference room. Even if Peter becomes useless, he wouldn't let her effort go down the drain. He accompanied her for the past weeks. If Peter wasn't joining the meeting, then he will greet the investors himself!

In the meantime, Bryan had already left Sin Corps. Every now and then, he would check his phone; hoping to see a message from her or any updates from the police. When he faced the blackened screen, he would close his eyes and release a deep sigh.

Last night, he took a quick shower and went straight to bed. He wasn't in the mood to search through the house for clues. The keys to his house seemed heavier to rotate because he knew she wasn't going to be there when he comes home. Turning the knob with one hand, he held bottles of Selina's favorite champagne in the other. When he walked in, the glint of Selina's palette knife reflected to his eyes.

"Mom, what are you doing?" His sudden appearance made Katrina lose her grip on the painting tool. As the palette knife clattered to the floor, the baby blue paint splattered spots on the newspaper.

"I..I.." How could she tell him she was covering up the blood stains on the wall?

Seeing the matching colored shade, his attention concentrated on the fresh layered paint across the wall. The hesitant voice of hers only made him suspect her more. "What's behind this layer that you have to cover it up with paint?"

"N..Nothing. I accidentally spilled some ink on it, and it smudged. It looked bad, so I wanted to cover it." She lied again.

"Acrylic paint is different from the material we used on this wall. I'll get baby blue paint from the supply store later." He bent down on one knee and started cleaning up the floor.

"You just came back from outside. You must be tired. Get some rest first." She sighed in relief when he didn't continue asking about the paint.

"No need. I just came back from Sin Corps. Peter knows about Selina and I cleared everything up with him. He accused her for no reason." Bryan purposely left out details to test the waters. If his mother had something to do with this, then her reaction would be what he had in mind.

"Oh... It's good you cleared her name. I'm going to wash my hands." She smiled while rubbing her dirtied fingers.

As soon as she got up, he took the palette knife and scraped away the wet layered paint from the wall. "You lied to me."