There was no way I was going to pass up the opportunity to see Pierce, even though I desperately wanted to know who it was that wanted me dead. Pierce was more important, I'm afraid.
I signed the documents in an instant and handed them to John. He ran his eyes through for a moment and smiled satisfied. He stood up, "Shall we?"
I didn't bother to change, In black leggings and an oversized T-shirt I trailed behind him to go see Pierce.
We arrived at one of the largest hospitals in the city, I should have known. Maybe I could have found him on my own if I had tried.
When I entered the large room, I saw Pierce lying unconscious on the bed, with several wires attached to him and his nose covered with an oxygen mask. I rushed to his side in tears, when I saw him leave that day, I never thought our reunion would be like this.
"And Johanna?" I turned to John.
"She is recovering in another room," he said, indicating that she was not in a coma like Pierce.
"How exactly did this accident happen?" I couldn't help but wonder.
John didn't respond and I turned my attention back to Pierce. Something strange was happening and even if he didn't want to say it, the truth would come out in the long run. I stood up and sniffed, wiping away a stray tear. I was reluctant to leave Pierce.
"We have some business to attend to," John informed me, waving the brown folder in my face.
"Will I get to see him again?" I asked, wondering why they didn't want me here in the first place.
"Sure," he smiled, "as long as you do a good job at the meeting." He turned his gaze to the gold watch he wore on his wrist.
"I'm afraid time is running out, Aurora, we have to go now."
On the way to the meeting, John had us stop at a boutique and picked out a bright red suit for me. My hair was done in a hurry, as was the makeup, but it still looked great. I could barely recognize my reflection as I stared.
Along the way, he informed me of some important things I needed to know and I listened carefully because I didn't want to go there and make a fool out of myself. To say I was nervous would be an understatement, my whole body was shaking and I couldn't stop the anxious thoughts.
"Relax," John said calmly as the car stopped.
I took a deep breath and felt my muscles loosen. "I can do it," I said trying to convince myself and not John.
We got out of the car and entered the building, many eyes swept me through like a tornado wave. It was hard to guess what they were thinking as everyone whispered, but I retained my confident demeanor careful not to slip, that would be the biggest embarrassment of the century but these heels were wearing me out, every step required a massive amount of energy.
I saw Pierce's mother come out of a corner, she looked at me like she couldn't believe her eyes. However, she didn't say a word and focused her gaze on John who was standing next to me. He stood there for a moment. "How is the situation over there?"
The woman shook her head, "It's a disaster, they're furiously calling for his dismissal. Nothing seems to melt through, they want him gone." She said in a bitter tone.
John smiled, knowing he now had the solution, and for a moment I was relieved that I had agreed to sign the papers, even though a nagging voice in my head reminded me that something could go wrong, I pushed it behind me, right now Pierce is all that matters.
He put a hand on her shoulder and said, "It's okay, I can fix that." Then he turned to me, "Let's go, Aurora." And I followed him obediently.
As we walked down the hallway, Jordyn appeared on the other side. She looked visibly shocked when she saw me, then turned her gaze to John and shook her head disapprovingly, as if she already knew why I was there. I flashed her a sorry smile as we passed each other, not bothering to exchange a greeting.
When we arrived at the meeting place, John violently kicked the door open and strode confidently inside.
The excitement in the room immediately calmed down.
"You arrived on time," said a bald man sitting near the door.
I could make out a group of old men gathered around a table that took up most of the room. They were all dressed in suits and most were bald.
At the end of the table sat a gray-haired man who seemed to me to be the leader of the gang. His body was slumped against the chair and his expression was icy cold.
"That chair isn't yours," John said directed at him.
He lifted his legs and placed them on the table as if to propose a challenge. "It's just a matter of time." He said.
"Your son Pierce has done a terrible job managing the company's affairs, causing us to lose stock." The man said, "And you're too old to run the company, which leaves us no choice but to fire Pierce and hire someone competent. And who do you think he would be?'' He suddenly paused and asked.
"Me!" He answered his question with hysterical laughter. There was applause and it was clear that they were all his accomplices. I rushed to the nearest available seat.
"And who do you think you are, sitting there?" The man's attention was suddenly turned to me.
I wanted to say something, but John beat me to it. "This is Aurora, the one who would fill Pierce's position until he returns."
They all exchanged strange looks like he was talking stupidly. John slammed a paper on the table and after a few passes it landed on the man at the top.
Each man had a unique expression of shock as they read what was written on the paper, but none could match that of their leader. He was so shocked that he stood up screaming and I stifled a laugh. John didn't hold back and placed a hand on his chest, laughing like there was no tomorrow.
The room fell silent at John's laughter and no one bothered to argue. All they did was share the same panicked expression and one by one they started walking out of the room.
I stayed in the chair and watched them walk one behind the other with their shoulders hunched, I expected to give a speech or something, but I didn't think it would be that easy.
Soon the crowd thinned out and it was just me, John and the ring leader left in the room. The man approached John who was casually leaning against the wall, looking like he could kill.
He stopped a few feet away and said, "There's no way you could have acquired a huge amount of stock in a short time. You must have bought them illegally, right?"
I felt my heart rate increase, was it that easy to tell? Would I go to prison now that he's seen through our facade? I sincerely hope not.
John just laughed, he didn't seem shocked by the man's revelation. When he finished laughing, a serious look took over him.
"Say a word about this…" he began dangerously. "And the world would find out that you paid someone to tamper with my son's brakes and that's why he's in this mess now."
"Excuse me!" I jumped up. Did I just hear him correctly? If this man is the perpetrator, why isn't he behind bars?
They both ignored my outburst, too caught up in a staring contest.
"In exchange for what you have done, I want you to resign immediately and sell me your shares," Johh said.
What does he mean by that? That all of this would be swept under the rug? All this for a few damn stocks.
"Look, I'm sorry, John-"
"I don't need your apology," John interrupted abruptly. "I want you to leave this premises and never set foot here again. And if you ever see me outside, you better stay out of my way." His tone suggested anger, but it was nothing compared to the anger currently pounding through my veins.
Without saying another word to John, he walked towards the door with his head down and I watched him walk away, unable to do anything. I felt so weak, useless, and helpless as I struggled to understand why one would allow someone who brought harm to their child to walk free and believe that Pierce was still unconscious in the hospital.
As soon as the man left, I turned to John with visible irritation.
"Would you like to explain?"