5: Burning Flames

~ THEO’S POV

I can change her life. I will make sure that I change her life and make it in the ways she never expected it to me. Laura has to feel what I have been feeling for several years now. She needs to see life in my own gaze and needs to understand that just because she has the bag and the man does not mean she won… well, her being in my office with her man begging to work with me clearly shows that she lost but I would like it to be more evident and raw.

I want to see the blood, I want to see the mirrors and the flames and every single piece of her burning down in a way she never knew can happen. That will be when I will believe my revenge has been achieved, that will be when I will finally be able to sleep without thinking of ways to destroy her and attain my heart's peace, and that will be the day my closure will come to reality.

I strolled into the club, the pulsating music wrapping around me like a familiar embrace. Scanning the room, I spotted Jamil perched at the bar, casually drinking a beer. As I made my way over, I nodded to the bartender and ordered my usual before sliding into the seat beside him. Jamil's eyes lit up with a mix of curiosity and anticipation, clearly waiting for me to dive into the details of my meeting with Christian and Laura.

"I'm guessing you wanna know," I said, a smirk playing on my lips.

"It won’t be a wonderful meeting if I don’t get to hear the stories, so tell me, how did it go?" He pressed, leaning in slightly, eager for the scoop.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, letting the cool beer wash down the tension from earlier. "It could have been worse, but it’s not," I finally replied, my voice steady.

"Worse for you or her?" He asked, his brow raised in intrigue.

I scoffed, a hint of amusement creeping into my tone. "For her, obviously. I have the upper hand; there’s really nowhere she can maneuver that’ll put me at a disadvantage."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "You sound too confident."

"I’m not confident, I’m just honest. She’s a killer, but she can’t kill me, at least not with the way life is going on right now." I leaned back, taking another sip of my beer, feeling the weight of the night lift just a little.

"So what did you do to her?" He asked, his brow furrowing with curiosity.

"I haven’t done anything yet. Honestly, I don’t plan to put in any effort right now, at least not until I get everything lined up just the way I want it," I replied, trying to keep my tone casual.

"What do you mean by everything?" He probed, leaning in slightly, intrigued.

I smirked, enjoying the suspense. "You’re gonna find out soon enough."

He took a long sip of his beer, nodding thoughtfully as he processed my words. Despite all the horrible things Laura had done to me, Jamil always seemed to brush it off, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t that bad. I couldn’t tell if it was because he was good friends with her or if he just had this unwavering belief that everyone had some good in them, even those who were truly terrible.

To shift the conversation away from the tension, I asked, "So, where’s Kelly? He should be here by now." I glanced at my watch, noting the time ticking away.

Jamil replied, "He sent me a text saying he’s on his way, so I guess he’ll be here in like five minutes or less."

"Okay, good," I said, feeling a bit relieved.

"Yeah, and before I forget, I skimmed through the whole contract and sent it to you," He added with enthusiasm. "I really think it’s a perfect deal! Everything looks solid."

"Is it the one with the writers?" I asked, and he nodded while explaining it to me. Working with Jamil is a breeze; he's twice as easy to collaborate with compared to anyone else. It's not just because he's my friend—he's genuinely professional and passionate about what he does.

As Jamil and I dove into business talk, Kelly joined us, and his first words were, "Oh god no... please stop with the business conversation."

I chuckled at his familiar reaction every time he heard Jamil and me discussing work. "Oh please, we were just skimming through the contract process," I replied, noticing the irritation in his voice as he took a seat.

"Skim through something else..." He shot back, and as his eyes landed on the beer bottle in front of us, he added, "Like the beer, skim through that."

I let out a slight chuckle and took a sip of my beer. Jamil jumped in, asking, "Forget about the beer, what took you so long?"

"My car got hit by another car," Kelly replied nonchalantly, shrugging it off like it was no big deal.

"Holy shit! Did you get hurt?" I instantly questioned, my heart racing as I hoped he hadn’t.

He shrugged, a casual look on his face, and said, "Nah, I didn’t."

"You gotta be more careful, Kelly. This is the third time in a month you've crashed into a car," Jamil chimed in, shaking his head in disbelief.

"In my defense, they crashed into me. I was just driving, minding my business," Kelly shot back, trying to defend himself with that classic nonchalant attitude of his.

"And what were you drinking while driving?" I asked, already knowing the answer. It was definitely a bottle of beer. He’s way too addicted to alcohol, but honestly, I can’t even imagine what his life would be like without it. It’s like the only thing that keeps him grounded enough to work without turning into a total lunatic.

He replied, "A bottle of beer."

"Oh fuck!" Jamil groaned, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I knew it! You never learn," I said, mentally facepalming myself at this point. How could he be so reckless?

"Hey, I only had one bottle!" He defended himself, rolling his eyes as if that made it any better.

"Whether it’s one or five, it doesn’t matter! No drinking while driving, Kelly!" I asserted

"I hear you, I won’t do that again. Now can I order?" He shot back, but it felt more like a statement than a question. He turned his gaze to the bartender, who immediately came over, ready to take his order.

As the bartender started preparing his drink, Kelly leaned in closer and asked, "So, how was it?" His eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly eager to hear my thoughts.

I raised an eyebrow and replied casually, "How was what?"

"You know, the whole meeting with Christian Beaker and you know who," He said, referring to Laura. He rarely mentions her name directly because he knows it gets under my skin.

I took a slow sip of my beer, letting the moment hang a bit before responding, "Well, I talked to her and her husband, and they think I’ll be working with them."

"But will you?" He pressed, his curiosity getting the better of him.

I nearly choked on my beer with laughter, shaking my head at the ridiculousness of it all. "Absolutely not!" I exclaimed, the absurdity of the thought making me grin.

"Then, what’s it gonna be?" He asked eagerly, his eyes glinting with curiosity.

I was about to respond, but the looks on his face and Jamil’s really made me smile. They seemed genuinely invested in what I was about to say, practically leaning in. Taking a brief moment to gather my thoughts, I finally said, "It’s gonna be bad… very bad."

"Well, that’s the plan?" Jamil asked his tone teasing but with a hint of seriousness.

"I can’t tell all the details right now, but trust me, it’s not gonna be your typical hate story. It’s gonna be fire on fire. Either I burn or she burns, but the flame will definitely be on!" I asserted, a confident smile stretching across my face. I’m willing to throw myself into an uncomfortable situation just so I can achieve my goal.