36 Deal again?

<<Charlie>>

McCrae?

James McCrae?

James Jackass McCrae?

Out of all the people on this planet, James McCrae had to be Francine's cousin?

Are you kidding me right now?!

"Liz! You've grown up to be a beautiful woman!" McCrae complimented, advancing towards me.

I took a synchronized step backward. I didn't know if he recognized me by the way I looked or the way I just took a step backward. If he hadn't seen Francine for so long, there wasn't any way he would know how she looked like right now.

But he did see you!

McCrae cocked his head to the side but didn't utter a word. He stepped back and allowed me to have a place to breathe fresh air. I had no idea how I should be acting in front of him. My mind froze at the sight of him while my blood boiled inside my veins. Everything he had done with Nicole - the scars, the marks, the pain, and the screams - came rushing back at me.

Samuel's eyes widened at my horrified face, and he quickly rushed towards me. He grabbed me by my shoulders and gave a little squeeze as if to say, 'Calm down, woman,'

Samuel nervously laughed. "Oh, Mackey. You've grown up to be a...a...a..."

McCrae smirked. "Not finding any words in your dictionary?"

I smirked back. "Maybe he doesn't have the perfect word for you, McCrae? Did you ever think that?"

"Perfect word for me? I guess the word 'perfect' fits perfectly, don't you think?"

Samuel and I snickered. God, this man still had his head on clouds. I wondered what would happen when he would fall from the clouds. Would it hurt?

If he fell from Hell, then definitely!

The King, watching the atmosphere becoming a little tense, decided to break in with his laughter.

"Oh ho ho, James. You must be exhausted from the journey. You should take some rest," He clapped, and the maids rushed in at his side.

"Please escort Sir James McCrae to his chambers,"

This was the worst thing that could happen.

And I wish to God that I do not have to take my words back.

--

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"The hostility towards McCrae, the look of pure rage in your eyes, and the fact that you would have murdered him if it was not for me."

I crossed my arms against my chest, sighing.

"You'd feel the same if you knew what he did," I paused, leaning forwards. "To Nicole,"

His eyes widened. "What did he do?"

I leaned back in my chair and stretched my arms over my head. "You might wanna sit down for this one."

He obeyed, sitting down on the chair across me, and waited patiently for me to start. I took a deep breath and prayed to God to give me the strength to relive those horrible moments. Sometimes, I felt like McCrae was my 'abusive' boyfriend and not Nicole's. The way I reacted in front of him was supposed to be how Nicole reacted.

But her enemy was my enemy.

McCrae and I had a history of fighting.

Those were battles that we fought - some lost and some won.

I started narrating to him the story of how we met James McCrae - more like, How I Met Your Mother sitcom. He sat quietly through the whole narration, occasionally flinching when I mentioned a brutal scar or the way he came back drunk and beat up Nicole.

I still stood by my words.

If it weren't for me and my loyalty towards her, she wouldn't have lived.

Jamie walked in during the narration and stayed back until it was done. Samuel had a horror-stricken face as if he had come back from a horror movie. Jamie had a blank expression-not being able to comprehend what was now in the air.

For them, it was just a story that had happened in the past. Something they would forget over the course of a few years. For me, it was a scar imprinted on my chest. The memories would always be there. The screams and the scars would be there.

"Wanna say something? This silence is really awkward,"

Sam sprang to his feet. "Give me a sword, Jamie take the shovel. Let's murder that bastard!"

Jamie stood up. "On it,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on,"

Samuel, who was on the verge of exploding, spat. "Are you asking me to hold on?! Do you even listen to yourself now?!?! McCrae is a bastard and a monster. He doesn't deserve to live. He shall die."

Before Samuel did anything stupid, I grabbed his wrist. "If I had to kill him, I would've done that ages ago, Sam. There is a reason he was sent to jail."

"So that he could come back and repeat his deeds? Not happening this time! Not to anyone else."

"Sam," I gave his wrist a light squeeze and stared deep into his eyes. I wished he could see the storm inside me right now. "Death is too easy of a punishment,"

"Then what?! I cannot be under the same roof as him, knowing what he did to the woman I love."

He slumped down on the chair, hanging his head down.

"We'll think of something. Now that he will be here 24/7, we will have a plan to execute, and this guy would be out of all our lives forever."

"I do not know if I can keep my cool in front of him. Imagining the smirk makes my blood boil."

I patted his shoulder. "Guess we have to think of that too."

Jamie rushed back in.

"So, are we killing someone today?"

---

"We finish him at night,"

"Where do we bury him?"

I smacked them both. "For the last time, we are not murdering him! No matter how tempting that idea is. "

"We have to do something he cannot-"

"He cannot?"

Our heads snapped towards the door to see none other than James McCrae, leaning against the door. He strode inside, observing the lair while we observed his every move. I clenched my hands into fists, forcing myself not to punch him in the face. But the question was-

How the hell was he here?

"Were you three talking about me?"

Nothing.

Just silence.

"Ah, I shall take that as a yes. You know, I still feel a little awkward when people talk about me. Silly me, still can't handle the spotlight!" He smacked his head, laughing while we just stared at him. Honestly, the proverb is true.

'When you hate someone, everything they do annoys you,'

"What? Will you not even laugh at my joke? It was a good one, by the way."

Samuel crossed his arms, straightening himself. "Why are you here, McCrae?"

"Ouch, the hostility in your voice kills me! What did I ever do to deserve this, Samuel?"

"ANSWER. THE. GODDAMNED. QUESTION. MCCRAE!"

"Now that's not fair, Samuel. You are in no state to interrogate me when you're the one in the wrong,"

Samuel narrowed his eyebrows, taking a defensive step backward. "What do you mean?"

James smirked. "Bringing Charlie Robinson to pretend to be Liz for a year? I must say, you sure are a mastermind, Samuel."

Our eyes widened in horror. He knew I was Charlie?! But how? He just met me? - I mean, Francine! McCrae saw the horror-stricken faces and laughed his heart out. His maniac laughter echoed through the lair.

"Am I wrong, Robinson?" He spat, which made me shiver. Jamie and Samuel stood in their positions, frozen. There was a lump in my throat that hindered my voice while my brain processed everything at break-neck speed.

And then, I could see a notification pop inside my brain.

Unfortunately, Think has stopped.

Yeah, I knew that already!

He laughed again. "Your face tells all, Robinson. You don't even have to agree or disagree with me,"

"How did you find out?" I asked.

"How did I find out?" He repeated my words, pretending to think as he walked towards the bookshelf that we installed a couple of months ago. "Well, you see, it was quite simple."

"Your voice, your language, and most importantly, the way you say 'McCrae' and make it sound like it's a...a...a..."

Samuel smirked. "Now whose dictionary lost words, huh?"

McCrae snapped. "At least, my dictionary doesn't have the word 'lie' in it,"

Samuel quickly shut up, and James McCrae continued his speech.

"Liz never called me McCrae, by the way. They all called me Mackey when we were kids, and do you see yourself when you see me? Of course not, how foolish of me! I see you, though. I see the pure rage in your eyes every time you see me. So, keeping all of this in mind, I concluded that you are none other than - Charlotte Robinson."

Jamie clapped. "That was, indeed, an extensively planned conclusion. You must have given it a lot of thought,"

McCrae smirked. "Of course, Jamie. Of course, I did. Although figuring out who she is, was not that hard of a task."

"Why are you here, then? It's not because you wanted to meet Charlie now, was it?" Samuel asked.

"Hmm," He paused, exhaling heavily. "Why am I here?"

"Stop repeating words! It's annoying!" Samuel yelled at him.

McCrae chuckled. "Calm down, Samuel. You don't want to lose your temper, do you?"

Samuel gritted his teeth. "You have no idea what I want to do, McCrae."

"AAAH, I'm so scared! Please,"

"Answer James, we want an answer," Jamie said. "Or else, I do know how to hide a body,"

"Fine," He huffed. "I'm here to offer a deal,"

I raised an eyebrow.

"A deal?"

"Yes, Robinson. A deal. You must know what a deal is, given the fact that you are here. Of course, you are not doing it for free,"

"What kind of deal are we talking about?"

Samuel shot me a glare.

McCrae grinned. "Now that is what I was expecting," He continued. "After two months, Liz will come back for the coronation,"

We stared at him.

"I pay you twice the amount the Maxwell siblings are paying you, and you convince Liz to crown me King, instead."

Honestly, I may have choked on my own spit.

"You? King? Please,"

"Don't be silly, McCrae. You don't have what it takes to be King,"

"You'd be the worst,"

"And please, I am not a gold-digger. I am not interested in your black money,"

McCrae shrugged. "Okay, it's your choice. But do you know what would happen if the King found out about this little 'trick' of yours?"

Jamie's eyes widened. "Banishment?"

"Ha! Worse than that! You could also be sentenced to death," He continued. "Think about it, Robinson. It's either the money and your life, or the death of everyone and a tyrannical ruler."

---

"He wins either way,"

"Did you say something, Annie?"

Augustus's quiet voice made me realize the setting I was in. McCrae sat across me, smirking and gesturing towards the King now and then while I played with my food on the table. He gestured towards my food.

"Have you lost your appetite?"

I pushed the plate aside and sprang to my feet. "I'll be upstairs if anyone needs me,"

I strode out of the dining hall and made a beeline towards my chambers. All this while, I could think about was the deal McCrae offered. To take or not to take?

I know I sound like Francine from the previous chapter.

But the deal...?

To take or not to take?

"Annie!"

No one ever called me Annie since mum. She was the only one calling me Annie, and now Augustus called me too. I walked and walked without turning back. I had no interest in dealing with him tonight. I had bigger things to take care of. One of them was the 'final boss' of my story.

James McCrae.

"Annie! Stop!"

I didn't.

"The Crowned Prince orders you to stop!"

Crowned Prince?

Really?

In my kingdom?

You gotta be kidding me!

"You're not the Crowned Prince of this Kingdom, you know. Your orders don't work here,"

He smirked. "You stopped. That is all that matters,"

I sighed. "What do you want?"

"To know the reason you left early."

"Can't you spend one day without bugging me?"

"We shall be engaged in two months, Annie. Don't I deserve to know what is going through that head of yours?"

I snapped. "We shall. We haven't yet."

And it's Francine you would be engaged to, not me.

"But-"

"I'm exhausted, Xavier. I need to hit the sack. Deal with you later!"

I took a sharp right turn and disappeared into my room.