Chapter 21: A Thunderous Strike

Evening....

"Wanda, I really need to step out for a bit. I won't cause you any trouble. I'm tired of being locked up," Andrea pleaded.

"I wouldn't want to get into trouble with the boss..."

"But you won't. I'll stay out of his sight. I won't try to run away. Now I know that he isn't really trying to kill me. I assure you, Wanda, that I'll be very good and I'll stay out of trouble. He won't know."

"He's gonna kno..."

"He won't know," she pleaded with her iconic puppy eyes.

Her pleadings yielded great results. Wanda allowed her to follow her out and led her to the back yard. She served her with some juice and cookies and left to attend to her duties. Andrea sat with her feet in the pool while she enjoyed her snacks.

About an hour later....

Andrea overhead Antonio's voice approaching and hid. She really didn't care what he would say to her but she certainly didn't want Wanda in trouble. She tried to avoid him as she made her way for the stairs to avoid attention. Suddenly, a familiar feminine voice caused her to forget about Wanda's trouble. She returned quietly to peep into the living room. Antonio was facing the window in the opposite direction while pouring drinks for himself and the lady. Once Andrea set her eyes on the body of the familiar lady, rage took absolute control over her. She briskly yet silently walked up behind her and tapped her shoulder softly. The moment Lauren turned, a resounding slap welcomed her face to that direction. Antonio immediately turned, almost dropping the glass in confusion. The sound was so loud, he wasn't sure what the cause was till he turned.

"You pathetic little beast," Andrea said through gritted teeth, glaring intensely at Lauren's shocked and horrified look as she sat on the floor with her hand on her already red marked cheek.

Lauren tried to put herself together and intimidate Andrea. "H-How dare..."

"How dare I what?! You filthy piece of..." Just before Andrea could launch another attack, Antonio grabbed her from behind. Wanda walked in that very moment due to the loud sound she had previously heard. She dropped the napkin in her hand and gulped hard in horror when her eyes registered the scene playing before her.

"That's enough Andrea," he said, holding her in the air with his arm wrapped around her waist.

She instantly moaned in pain arching her head back, making Antonio feel extremely warm and uneasy.

"Put me down Antonio. It hurts," she whined with squinted eyes, causing him to do so instantly. Lauren, who was getting up at that very moment, received a quick sharp kick to her rib. Antonio immediately pulled Andrea away and signaled Wanda to come help Lauren.

"You're dead you pest," Lauren said, glaring at Andrea with red teary eyes while clenching her side throbbing with pain. Antonio then stood between the two, holding Andrea behind him. Just when Lauren managed to get up, she attempted to make an attack on Andrea but realized Antonio was in her way....on purpose. "Don't even think about it," he said coldly with his iconic petrifying unfazed expression.

"Mr. A..." Lauren tried to speak.

"Ha! Are you gonna cry? You broke early for a 'tough' woman," Andrea teased with a mocking short laughter. Antonio gave her threatening glare to shut her up but she was unmoved. "I was sure you were nothing but a coward....and I was right. You're all talk and a lousy slave girl... hiding behind her master's name because she's his closest pet. You're a cheap whore hitting on your boss who barely notices you at all. You'd go to the extreme of harming an innocent person...just to get his attention? You really are so darn pathetic. You..."

"That's enough!" Antonio said furiously. He swept her off her feet in bridal style and walked over to the elevator.

"Let me go Antonio," she complained, wriggling out of his tight grip. "She needs to here just how pathetic a woman she is!" she shouted. "You're the definition of a disgrace to womanhood and dignity, you piece of..." The shutting of the elevator cut her sentence short.

★★★

"Let me go!" Andrea complained once more before being thrown on his bed.

"Would you calm down?! You got what you wanted. Now, quit whining like a three year old," he said scouting through the under bed drawers. He took out the first aid kit and opened it up on the bed.

"Just take the entire thing and go take care of your pet. She definitely needs it," she said softly and lay down, facing the opposite direction.

"Sit up," he said coldly, causing her to turn. He was stunned. She had tears in her eyes and rolling off her face. "Why are you....you're the one who did the damage," he said in confusion and disbelieve. 'She's the one who beat Lauren up and yet she's in tears. Women really are something else,' he thought.

"I did the damage?" she said undertone. Suddenly, her voice got louder and aggressive, "What I did to her is nothing compared to what she did to me. I was bedridden for days and being held hostage in the home of a man I don't even..."

"You're not being held hostage," he said unfazed.

"Okay then I want to go home," she said wiping her tears. He sighed and took out a pain relief balm, ignoring her question. "Just as I thought." Just before she could turn away, he held her wrist gently and applied the ointment on her fist. Her fingers were red and swollen from the punch she gave Lauren. She sat up quietly and moved her hand away. "It doesn't hurt. You should go use that on your beloved minion's face."

"Wanda will take care of her..."

"I want Wanda to take care of me instead...."

"That was a job before she messed up and let the cat out of the cage," he said with a sarcastic smile as he took her hand back.

"It's really not her fault. Unlike you, she understands that I'm not a cat that needs to be locked up," she said and pulled her hand away once again.

"Yeah, your actions downstairs indeed prove me wrong," he said sarcastically.

"I was right to do it and if you hadn't gotten in my way, she'd really be sorry for what she did to me."

"If you keep flipping out like that, you're going to get injured and then you can't leave as soon as possible," he said and started to massage her hand.

"I will be taken care off at home and I can take care of myself," she said and tried to pull her hand away. This time, he held on firmly. "Ouch" she winced and stopped struggling.

"You'll be taken care off by who? Your apartment has been empty since you got here and from what I know, you want nothing to do with your sister's boyfriend, whom I believe she's with. Oh and last I checked, you're all alone so don't come bluffing like you have anything to go back to!" Antonio blasted.

"You're wro..."

"Am I? Are you going to deny it to yourself because you sure as hell can't fool me with that," he said angrily. "Don't tell me being someone's lover is what you call home. If he really did care about you, he wouldn't have back down in a search for you until he had you in his arms so if he's who you think you have, he definitely doesn't give a damn about you. Clearly, none of them do!" He got up and marched to the refrigerator furiously. He took out a bottle of water and began gulping the content down. Tears had already blurred up Andrea's vision.

"W-What? Who're you tal..." she was stuttering when he cut her.

"Oh cut the bullshit Andrea Cabrera. You didn't actually think that it would be hard for me to find out, did you? I'm talking about the rich young bachelor I bet you're sleeping with who sent his men to search for you. Well, when you get back to him, tell him he's got a bunch of lousy pests for men because they couldn't get to you...."

"That's enough!" Andrea boomed. "You want to defend that miserable slut down there, fine. I didn't expect any less because I bet you're loading into her anyways."

"Excuse me?!"

"You are excused. As a matter of fact, I'd rather you go console her rather than be such a miserable pathetic jerk, making up stories to make me feel bad. Better yet, LET ME GO! You're nothing but a heartless beast, acting like I was irrational to react that way upon seeing her. You're both cut from the same cloth, nothing but a nasty piece of filth." Andrea broke. Her voice was shaky and tears running down her eyes. She was angry yet she was hurt even more. She always felt like she was alone so for him to rub it in her face, he really got under her skin. "I'm not a slut!" She said as she got out of the bed, about entering the bathroom.

"Oh really?! Then what business do you have with Jayden Knight of the Cavaleiros? Huh?! Why did he send his men looking for you."

"Huh? JJ? Jeremy? That's your reason for accusing me of being a slut? You know what? I don't owe you any explanation but I'll tell you regardless since you clearly didn't know that a guy and a girl can be FRIENDS without screwing each other. Just 'cause you do it, doesn't mean everyone else does. Long story short, Jayden Jeremiah Knight of the Cavaleiro Corporation is my friend."

"Oh plea...."

"I don't care if you believe me or not but you, of all the people in the world, have no right to judge someone's morals. You are right. I may be alone because yes, I have a family but I don't. Nevertheless, that's none of your business because even if I was on the streets, I surely would pick that to being here with you!" She said through gritted teeth and stormed off to the bathroom.