Chapter 15: Ending Things With Her Ex
By the time Ethan returned, everyone in the house was in the middle of fawning over Cassie's invite to the Grayson mansion. When Ethan heard the good news, he immediately suggested to go with her.
"You're my company's ambassador, of course I'll have to go with you." He said, finding a reason to finally meet the Grayson heir.
He had had his assistant try and make an appointment, but she got turned down everytime. Seeing the golden chance in front of him, Ethan would not turn it down.
But, when Cassie called the number on the invite to inform them that she would be chaperoned, the response was aggravating.
"If we wanted another guest, we would've sent a seperate invite. But the young master has specially asked to see you, no chaperone is required." Gilbert's voice explained over the phone.
Ethan snatched the phone out of Cassie's hands, "Oh? And why would Grayson want her to come see him alone? Does he not know the implication of his actions?" Ethan hissed, under the impression that the Grayson heir simply wanted a chance to hit on Cassie in private.
"Ethan!" Cassie whined, struggling to reach and snatch the phone out of his hands.
Gilbert calmly responded, "Miss Cassie is under no obligation to attend, our young master simply wants to meet with her. And as for your unethical question, please refrain from spreading gossip about the young master. Especially when you're with your company's ambassador at late hours outside of work." Before Ethan could get a word in, Gilbert disconnected the call.
"Damn it!" Ethan threw the phone, smashing it against the wall.
"My phone!" Cassie screamed in shock, it's screen had been shattered to pieces. She turned to Ethan to scold him, but he forcefully grabbed her by the shoulders, and glared strictly at her.
"You're not allowed to go meet that man. I forbid you from seeing him!" He raised his voice, violently shaking her shoulders.
Cassie was dumbfounded, and so was the rest of her family.
"Ethan, please calm down and listen-" Serena tried to speak to him, but Ethan shot her a nasty glare.
"Who gave you permission to talk while I'm speaking?" He demanded in a loud voice, stunning Serena so much her jaw dropped to the ground.
Wasn't this the same Ethan who'd shower her with gifts to make sure she kept an eye on Brooke? Why was he suddenly so angry towards her?
Turning his attention back to Cassie, he gave her one final warning, "Disobey my orders and you won't like what I do to you." He announced, then locked himself in his bedroom the entire night.
Grayson Mansion
Brooke was astonished when she saw the grade of medical equipment that would be used to conduct her tests. She was sure some of them weren't even in their country's leading hospitals yet.
"Are you scared?" Thane's voice asked from behind her. She looked over her shoulder, to see him in casual wear, holding two mugs of what smelled like tea.
He passed her a mug, "You have nothing to fear, I have only the best of the best conducting these tests."
Brooke drew circles on the mug, she was nervous, this was all so new to her. Thane noticed she was still feeling nervous, so he lowered himself into a squat in front of her and sent her a warm smile.
"If it helps, I'll be here with you the entire process."
Brooke shook her head, "No, you don't need to, you're obviously a busy man-"
He interrupted, "I'm never too busy for you." The sincerity in his tone and the passion in his eyes somehow swayed Brooke into believing him. She nodded in agreement, and mouthed a small thank you to him.
Just as he promised, Thane stayed with her through all of the tests, and after she was through, he brought her to her.
"Hold on, you should've told me to come down for dinner. There was no need to bring it up for me." Brooke said, struggling to get off the bed and into her wheelchair.
Thane quickly set the tray on the dresser and helped her back into the bed. "Take it easy. I want to help you."
Brooke seemed uneasy. She hadn't done anything to earn her keep around the place, and yet he was treating her so nicely.
Ethan was her husband but he never did any of these things for her.
While setting the plates on the eating table he said, "We'll get the results back in three days, but the doctors said to report if you feel any discomfort."
"I don't, I'm really fine." She insisted.
Thane sighed, he could tell that she was downplaying her pains just to not come across as a 'bother' to anyone.
A trait he could well thank her 'husband' for.
"Now that we're alone, there's something I wanted to ask you." Thane casually remarked, making Brooke tensed.
Was he going to bring up the marriage deal again? She hadn't made her mind up about that yet, and she didn't want to be forced into marrying another man.
"W-What is it?" She sheepishly inquired, setting the fork down.
Thane replied, "If the tests come back, and there's even the slightest chance that you can regain use of your leg, what do you say to starting therapy for it?"
Thane's question was far from what Brooke could've imagined. She placed her hand on the leg, "My leg?" Her voice came out in a whisper.
She had never thought about getting it back. "I don't know, it's been years since it happened. There probably won't be any good news-" the light in her eyes dwindled as she spoke about her condition.
Had her mother only taken action when she was younger? Even though the chances were slim then, they were far better than now.
She gripped the sheets, relishing the pain and regret.
However, Thane wasn't easily dissuaded, "I'm serious. But I need to know if you're serious about it too. This is something I can't force you into doing, you have to tell me you want it."
Brooke raised her gaze to him, "But, it's been over ten years," In a quieter voice she confessed in a soft whisper, "I'm scared they can't fix me."
Thane wanted to say something but decided against it. Brooke already looked scared enough, he did not want to force her into doing it.
"Alright." He said getting off the bed, "But just promise me that you'll think about it."
She nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Uhn." She hadn't meant to cry, the tears had just fallen without her knowing it.
Thane sighed in defeat, he wanted to push her a bit, but seeing her cry made him give in.
Right before he left the room, he turned around and announced. "I forgot to mention, you're going out tomorrow."
Brooke blinked twice, "Going out?" The first thing that came to mind was the thousands of fans bashing her on the Internet.
Just because she was safe behind these walls didn't mean that she was in the clear.
Thane shot her a reckless look when he told her. "You're going to officially end things with your ex."