Chapter 38: Chapter Thirty-Eight: Justice and Love
"Girl, this is crazy, look at you on TV!"
Kieran stood in my lounge room, rather than sitting like a normal person. He was currently referring to the news as it aired the photos the press had somehow gotten a hold of, and then images from the press conference held earlier today. I didn't exactly do any talking during it though, it was all Clarke explaining we were in a relationship, that I didn't work there anymore, and to respect our privacy right now. Alicia even made an appearance to show her support.
The news was even suggesting Alicia and I were good friends, I mean we were, but they also were still speculating how Clarke and I got together.
"Calm down, Kieran. I didn't invite you here to obsess over this," I groaned.
"How can I not when my friend is on TV, with her hot boyfriend I might add," Kieran pointed out, sitting on the couch next to me.
"Thank you," I rolled my eyes slightly. "But seriously I just want things to calm down. Don't get me wrong, every second I'm with Clarke it's great, time actually slows down when we're alone I swear. Then his phone rings and it's either the police or the PR time, or Malcom and it's something new, a new problem and then we both have to move a million miles per hour."
"And it doesn't feel like you're together then?" Kieran guessed.
"Yeah, it's weird, I just hate the feeling," I explained. "I hate that Clarke's as stressed out as he is right now. He's doing everything to keep the company going right now, and everything to make a relationship between us work, and he's even been looking a place in Connecticut for me...well us, but me, and I don't know how he's doing it."
I saw Kieran smile. "I think it's pretty obvious."
"Oh, really. Well explain it to me cause I don't get it," I frowned.
"He can handle it because he has you," Kieran shrugged. "I'm not going to claim it's easy, but I can only imagine having someone there, like you, makes it all a little better."
Maybe Kieran was right, I don't know, but it made me more inclined to spend every free minute with Clarke that I could. Like the next day, I made sure to show up and see Clarke for his lunch break. Most the time we had to have lunch in the building but at least it was something.
"Oh, hey, babe, just give me two minutes," Clarke said when he saw me walk into his office.
"Babe?" I frowned.
He looked up from his desk and smiled a little. "Don't like it?"
"I...no, I don't mind," I admitted. "Your office door was wide open by the way."
"Oh, I know," Clarke nodded. "I'm trying to be a little more open, like my father was. Thought it might help me run things better around here."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that...babe," I smiled back.
I sat in the spare chair in his office on my phone whilst I waited for Clarke to finish what he was doing, and then Clarke's desk phone rang, and I sighed. We might be here a while.
"Yes, hello. I don't have long-," Clarke started to say but suddenly stopped and I saw him look very confused. "Are you sure? Right now? Yes...yes, thank you."
Clarke hang the phone up quickly and stood up just as fast. I knew something was wrong.
"What's happened? What's wrong?" I asked, standing up.
"It's the police," Clarke stuttered, as he made his way to start to leave. "'There's about to be a whole task force coming through our lobby now."
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't know," Clarke muttered. "I'm going to find out though."
Clarke was already walking out of his office and I made sure to follow him and he didn't protest. As we got to the front desk the police were already making their way through, and with guns.
"Detective Wilson, what is going on here?" Clarke demanded.
"Our fake doctor gave up a name," the detective explained as we caught up with him. "We're here to make an arrest. Here, the warrant. We ask you to stay clear, Mr. Watson."
"Warrant?" Clarke frowned as he got the piece of paper off the detective.
Clarke stopped walking as he read the warrant. I grabbed onto Clarke's arm as I stopped walking too, to look at the warrant but I only caught a glimpse before he dropped his arm.
"No, this can't be right," Clarke muttered.
"What?" I frowned. "Who are they arresting?"
"They're...it's...Malcom," Clarke said blankly.
"What? Clarke!"
Clarke shot off, before I could say anything, to follow the police, which I realised were now walking in the direction of Malcom's office. I sped up after him but by the time I caught up to him, the police had already stopped him, just outside Malcom's office. I could see the detective arresting Malcom and then they started dragging him out.
"How could you do this?!" Clarke suddenly yelled. "He was your friend!"
"My friend?" Malcom laughed as he was pushed by the detective. "My friend let a kid take over the company. What a friend he was!"
"What are you talking about?" Clarke frowned.
If Malcom was going to say anything else to Clarke he never got the chance because the office leading him away pulled him right down the hallway. I think Clarke was going to make a break for it and go after Malcom but I grabbed out immediately to grab Clarke's hand, which forced him to stop and look at me. Clarke looked past me pretty quickly after that and I looked behind me to see the detective was still here.
"What the hell is going on?" Clarke asked him.
"We'd...better talk about this in your office."
I gave a Clarke a nudge to tell him it was a good idea. Clarke glanced at me then sighed and nodded at the detective. We all started walking back to Clarke's office and I gripped onto his hand as we walked and he gripped my hand back. Malcom was the only one in this company who didn't doubt Clarke when he became CEO. He was the only one who supported Clarke and helped him keep his job, and Clarke had known him since he was a child. I knew this had to hurt.
We got into Clarke's office and it was then we let go of each other's hand. Clarke sat in his chair behind the desk and gestured for the detective to sit in the chair opposite the desk. I stood near the back because I figured if Clarke didn't want me here he would've told me to wait outside already. I did however notice the detective give me a look and Clarke noticed to.
"Whatever you need to tell me she can hear it too," Clarke said quickly. "So why exactly have you arrested me CFO?"
"Because...he was named by the Gregory Taylor, the man the FBI arrested," the detective sighed slightly. "He was offered a deal to give up the names of who he was hired by. He didn't give up a lot but he did name Malcom Hester in your father's murder."
"I...I don't understand," Clarke muttered.
"We weren't so sure either, thought he might've just been giving them a name to make his deal stick, so we did an investigation of our own. We....found a chain of emails sent to a friend of Malcom's about what his motives may have been," the detective said cautiously to gage Clarke's reaction, but Clarke stayed pretty straight. "The emails indicated that Malcom was no longer happy with his position in the company and he believed Henry wasn't doing enough. In the emails he talks about taking over your father's job multi times, but your father never allowed it. Malcom's friend, who we are still yet to identity convinced him to hire someone to remove your father from the picture, as Malcom believed he could step in once your father passed. Further emails show he didn't believe you were going to be promoted to CEO immediately after Henry's untimely death, but Malcom was not aware of his will that allowed you to be promoted. The emails also show his plan to take you out. He has been blackmailing a few of your business partners to not do business with you and discredit you."
My mind was running about a million miles per hour trying to put it together, so I couldn't imagine what Clarke's was thinking. Malcom had worked with Henry since day dot, and the day they started the company. How long had Malcom wanted to be in power and how long did Henry deny him before Malcom killed him? How annoyed must've Malcom have been when he found out Clarke suddenly got the power he wanted? Malcom knew he couldn't use the same method to take Clarke down, because then it would look suspicious. So he took out the people Clarke needed to keep his position. It was the only reason he couldn't sign anyone. Clarke always thought Malcom was the only one he could trust, but it was the opposite.
"Will...will there be a trial?" I asked when I realised Clarke couldn't speak right now. He didn't know what to say and I knew it.
"It's unlikely," Detective Wilson said, turning around to glance at me. "The DA is likely to offer him a deal considering his clean record up until now. Instead of life he'll probably get around twenty five years and a chance to get out before he's too old. If it goes to trial we've got enough evidence to get a life conviction."
"He'll take the deal," Clarke suddenly muttered. "He's not stupid."
"I am...extremely sorry," the Detective said shaking his head. "I know this is not what you expected."
"No, it's not," Clarke agreed, breathing out. "However, you did what you promised, and your caught my father's killer. I appreciate all your hard work detective."
It was clear Clarke wanted the detective gone and he was more than happy to leave. The detective told Clarke he'd keep him update and it was unlikely he'd need anything else from Clarke, especially if Malcom took the deal. Once he was gone Clarke didn't move and I made my way over to him. I slid my hand over his shoulders and he jumped slightly realising I was there and then he pulled me straight onto his lap, wrapping himself tight to me. I put my arms around his neck and rested my head on his.
We just sat there for a minute in silence, arms wrapped around each other. We didn't need to talk right now, I knew what Clarke was thinking. Malcom had betrayed him, the one person he thought he could trust. He done the most unforgivable thing, which was kill the one person that was important to Clarke.
"He deserves to rot," Clarke finally muttered. "I almost don't want him to take a plea so he can get life, but I know he's not that stupid."
"I'm so sorry, Clarke," I whispered, moving my head to so my forehead was closer to his. "I couldn't have imagined this..."
"I know," Clarke sighed. "Me neither, but...it makes sense. Too much sense that I don't know how I didn't see it before."
"Oh, please don't do that," I said quickly. "Don't blame yourself. There is nothing in there that's your fault, okay?"
Clarke slowly just nodded. "This was not how this day was supposed to go, I had something planned."
I found myself playing with his hair, stroking it in comfort. "It's okay. We can just stay here, or go home. I don't think anyone would blame you."
"No, no, I can't. I have so much here I have to sort out now whether I want to or not," Clarke told me.
"Well, then let me stay, and help. I can be your assistant again for a day," I told with him a slightly smug smile.
"I have Lucy, you don't need to do that," he sighed at me.
"Yeah, I think today you're going to need two, because there is no way she would know what to do for this anyway," I pointed out. "Plus, I don't want to leave you today."
Clarke looked straight into my eyes and I saw the sadness, and I think he saw the determination in mine. "Okay, that would actually be nice. Thank you."
There was a hell of a lot damage control to do once the news leaked about Malcom. Clarke had to get an official statement out. He had no plan to go in a front of camera now, and I didn't want that for him because he would not handle it right now. So it was a written statement and it was a big one because it would show Clarke didn't support Malcom. It sent everything into more melt down mode as there was email after email and call after call of people asking for the story to be confirmed, from news outlets and business partners. Poor Lucy didn't know who half the people were and who she should really talk to and ignore, she told me she was extremely grateful I had stuck around too.
After hours and hours of dealing with everything, and for a moment it even feeling like I was back at work, things finally started to calm down, well calm down to the phone wasn't ringing off the hook and Clarke looked more exhausted then I had ever seen, I forced Clarke to leave and deal with it tomorrow. It all couldn't be solved today, that was impossible.
We drove to the penthouse in silence, but I sat in Clarke's arms after he had pulled me into them. He seemed to want me close to him whenever he could. It was only once inside the penthouse did Clarke finally say anything.
"I really don't think I can handle any more of this," Clarke sighed as he sat on the couch. "I have never been more over seeing my name in the media than ever before."
"It's been a lot, I know," I agreed, sitting next to him. "First the autopsy report, then...us, and now this."
"All I can hope, is that now, this means it's over," Clarke said, looking at me. "I want to continue building this company, working towards me being recognised as a business man, not just party-boy Clarke Watson. Then there's us, I want there to be a future for us. Every time something like this happens it feels like a roadblock. I feel like we can't get off the ground, Rory. We started this relationship all wrong and I hate that because you are there for me no matter what, even when I tried to push you away in the beginning. I couldn't imagine my life without you now. I trust you more than anything, and you let me be me without telling me it's wrong, you just trust me, and I could never imagine I could meet something like you, Rory, and I hate that my screwed up life could get in the way because I love you, and I don't think-."
"Wait, back up. What did you just say?" I said quickly, turning my body to face him.
Clarke froze, like completely froze in place as he realised why I had stopped him. I don't even think he knew he had said it, but it was weird. It felt nice to hear and it made my heart flutter and my body tingle. I knew he meant it.
"Oh god, this is what I mean!" Clarke groaned. "My head is so scrambled from all this that I spoiled everything."
"Hey, no," I said placing my hand on Clarke's chest. "You didn't spoil anything."
"Of course I did. I was supposed to wait, get you on some really fancy date and tell you the right way, do at least one thing right," Clarke explained hectically. "I know it's early for me to say something like this but we've been through so much and at first I wasn't even sure, like maybe I was just overthinking it because I'd never been with someone like this before, but then, that day after you told your dad about me and things were coming together, I saw your face, and I just knew..."
"Clarke."
I couldn't get him to stop now he had started. He was a bumbling mess of fear and love. It was kind of nice actually, and cute, but I needed to get a word in before he drove himself crazy. To get him to pay attention I swung myself over Clarke's legs so I was straddling him and I moved my hands to hold his face.
"I don't care how or where you say it to me for that matter, just as long as you mean it," I told Clarke calmly. "I don't care if it feels rushed even. I mean we've been through so much over the past couple of months, it hasn't just been the month we've been together. So I understand it, I just...want you to mean what you said."
Clarke breathed as he moved his hands to hold onto my body, a small smile on his face. "See, this. You prove to me you're strong and smart and just...so much more than I ever expect. I love that about you, I love you."
I smiled at him again, I couldn't help it. It warmed me completely in my whole body. When Isaac said it, it felt nice, like someone wanted me, but when Clarke said it, it felt like he more than wanted me, but it completed some part of his life and mine.
"I love you too."
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