The billionaire's sweet editor
Chapter 37: Lucas: Toxic bro

Chapter 37: Lucas: Toxic bro

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!

What have I just done?

When I was driving here, maneuvering my way around the traffic in Avondale, I made sure to tell myself to handle whatever I was going to face like a man. I calmed myself down and drove here as fast as I could, making sure to follow all driving protocols the law set.

I reached the gate and parked my car, made sure I’d locked it before coming inside. I was doing fine. I was being a fucking adult just fine until I heard Mary screaming Iris’ name and the mixed sound of something hitting a wall and something breaking.

Immediately opening the door, the horror I saw was enough to make me scrunch my face. The house that was orderly and modern yesterday was now but a battle scene.

The glass was everywhere, the TV was in shambles on the floor, some flower pots were broken, and so was the coffee table. But that was the least of the horror.

Jerald was sitting on Phineas, punching his bloodied face mercilessly. You’d think he had murdered someone close to him but no, it’s all because he dared his sister. I was about to lunge at them when I noticed Iris on the wall looking at me, fingers right below her hurt elbow.

Scanning her didn’t take time because there was blood on her blazer, but the cries coming from Mary suddenly got louder. Iris was going to have to come second.

Swearing to get revenge for her, I lunged at Jerald, grabbing his collar and pulling him before pirouetting and throwing him on the wall. I didn’t wait to see how he’d react before I was crouched on the floor, pulling Phin off the ground with Mary rushing to wipe the blood off his face.

Thankfully he wasn’t badly injured, except for a busted lip and a dark mark right next to his left eye. I helped him sit on the sofa, but Jerald that fucking dickhead wasn’t having any of it. When he lunged at me, I made sure to avert his hands, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him with my hands.

Now here’s where the problem began. I wasn’t planning on saying it, no. It just came out on a whim because as Jerald was groaning, pinned under my grasp, Iris winced at the pain of wiping the blood on her elbow with her blazer.

She winced.

Just like that, the anger I’d been trying to hold in and all that anxiety seeped out of me and I blurted out the secret without meaning to.

"I’m going to show you what happens when you mess with my girlfriend," I said. It sounded cool a minute ago, but after Jerald glared at Iris and repeated the word "girlfriend" after me, he suddenly got stronger.

Now we’re having a war between men. A strength battle. His fingers grip the sides of my bicep and arm, trying to free himself from my grasp. I used my other arm to lock him in, gritting my teeth and lowering us.

"Lucas you son of a—" I grip him harder, rendering his speech useless before he finishes. His face is a bit pale by now. I should let him go before he starts choking me, but I don’t.

I need this moment etched into his—ouch!

"Sorry, I wanted to hit Jerald not you," Mary stutters, holding the wooden spoon more firmly this time but it’s too late.

Jerald finds the weak link once I flinch, freeing himself before I can pin him again. In mere seconds, our roles are reversed. Now I’m the one being pinned.

"I’m going to kill you too, son of a bitch," he hisses the words out. They slither on his tongue, hate in each word when he pronounces it. He flips us over, sending me to the floor and sitting on top of me like he did with Phineas. Then the punches come.

Raising my legs with all my might and grabbing his throat from behind, I overturn him, freeing myself from his beast-mode rampage. He wriggles from the floor, glaring at me when I grab his arms from behind.

"Let me go!"

"Not until I know you’ve calmed down," I announce, being pulled and pushed as he tries to free himself. I know he’s mad because we broke his trust, but hitting everyone like a madman wasn’t what I expected of him.

"Lucas you—"

"That’s it, I’m calling mom and dad!" Iris shouts, already dialing the number.

"Iris don’t you dare!"

"If you’re gonna call my grandparents, might as well return the favor whilst I still have time." Placing the phone on her ear she looks at Jerald in the face, a smug look in hers when he frees himself from my hands and sprints toward her—but can’t bring himself to grab it from her.

"The number you’ve dialed is not available at the moment, please try again later."

"I’ll try from my side," Mary says dialing the number and calling her mom, only to get the same response.

"I’ll call Dad."

"Stop it, I won’t call your grandparents."

"Good," Iris quips, smiling, "now let’s sit down and talk like adults, okay?"

Jerald flexes his muscles, turning to glare at me and Phineas before turning back to Iris. "I’m sorry, but that won’t be possible. I can’t be in the same room with these guys right now."

"Jerald, please stop acting like a fucking brat and sit down. We can talk this through and come to a fitting conclusion," Iris tries to reason with him, gesturing at the debris-filled sofas.

"What am I supposed to talk about? I warned you guys every day about them." He points at Phineas and me. "One is a fucking perfectionist who cares about his magazine ranks more than anything, and one is a fucking womanizer."

"He is not!" Mary and Iris hiss simultaneously. I blink at myself, surprised that she is defending me.

Quickly bringing myself together, I suppress the urge to hug her. That’ll have to wait until we’re alone.

Laughing to himself and grabbing a fistful of his blonde hair, Jerald stoops down till he’s leveled eye-to-eye with Iris. "Do you think I’m being stupid and paranoid for suggesting they’re assholes?"

"No, but you’re being narrow-minded by sticking to the past versions of your friends, suggesting we’re the fools for liking them."

Chilldown, Lucas. It’sjustanacttoeaseJerald.

He strides toward Mary, who stands between him and Phineas, making her brother scoff and sneer at the same time. "He dicked you down so bad you can’t even tell right from wrong now can you?"

"Don’t you dare talk to her like that!" Iris hisses.

"Or what, you’re going to call my parents? Do it and I’ll call your grandparents to tell them that their granddaughter is being used as a sperm dish by her boss."

Placing a hand on her chest, Iris backs away, shocked by the sudden accusation thrown at her like a dagger. Her eyes are wide open, mouth and shaking as though she’s suppressing her anger. It hurts to see her like this. It hurts to see her cry. It hurts to hear what Jerald just said about her.

Fuck

"If you don’t want to die in my hands, stop slandering her right now," I say in a low voice, all intimidation intended when I glare at him.

"The truth hurts to hear."

"How am I a sperm dish?" Iris asks in a low shaky voice. "All I want is a peaceful conversation without all this bloodshed, and that makes me a bitch? Ha!"

"And all I’m asking is for you to stop being so stubborn and see the pain I’m trying to make you avoid. We all know you have fucking trauma because your parents abandoned you, but that is no excuse to be stubborn. Do you want peace? Then stop dating these assholes and move on, I’ll stop fighting them then."

When he’s done speaking, Jerald catches a deep breath and lets it out almost immediately. The room is silent, eyes on him as everyone takes in what he just said. We were all hit hard by his words, but Iris took the hardest end.

This time she couldn’t hold in her tears. They’re spewing out like they’re coming from a freaking fountain, flowing down her face as they go. Jerald turns pale when his eyes land on her. Maybe the realization of what he just said dawned on him.

He takes a step towards her but she raises her palm at him. "Don’t, I’ll excuse myself from your sight before you have to handle more of my fucking trauma. And I’m sorry for dating your friend. He just seemed like a nice guy and since you’re the one who always tells us to date good guys, I thought I’d take a chance with you friend. I didn’t know that it’d lead down to this."

"Iris, that’s not what I was trying to say—"

"I heard you loud and clear, Jerald. And I’m pretty sure everyone else did. I’ll save you the trouble of seeing my face by staying away from you. At least that way we can both respect ourselves."

"Iris—"

"Don’t worry about the dark, I have someone who can take care of me now. My boyfriend." Jerald’s jaw ticks when she points at me. "Fuck what you think, because as you said, I am fucking stubborn. I’m still going to continue dating Lucas even if it kills you, and just so you know, during these two weeks whilst my grandparents are away...I’ll be moving in with him."

What?

"Iris you don’t wanna—"

"I’m not your sister, Jerald. Fuck with her all you want, but don’t fuck with me because I’ll hate you for life, and there’s no blood ties that’ll keep pulling our lives together."

Turning on her heel, she leaves with a bang to the door, crying louder once she’s outside. I don’t wait, rushing to her before she leaves me behind—but not before giving Jerald one last warning glare.

I love my friend, but not when he’s being so fucking annoying. And defines not when he’s being so toxic to everyone.

★★★★★