One Wild Night

Once Evelyn and Desmond got to the airport, they found a comfortable spot where they could sit until it was time for their flight while also waiting for Andrew and Janet to join them.

"Maybe we shouldn't have let Sonia leave on her own. Do you think she will be fine?" Evelyn asked with a worried frown after they had sat in silence for some time since Desmond was busy on his phone.

"Of course, she will be okay. Lucy would arrive in a couple of hours to cheer her up. Although she is hurt, don't forget that things like this happen all the time between lovers. It's not something out of the ordinary, so let's not make a big deal out of it more than we have already. She said she wanted to return to her apartment and be alone for some time before her meeting with her editor, and that's okay," Desmond said reasonably, and Evelyn sighed.

"I know you are right. I just can't help being worried," Evelyn said as she glanced at her wristwatch.

"Janet and Andrew are supposed to have gotten here by now. What's keeping them?" she asked as she took out her phone from her handbag to give Janet a call.

"Andrew is most likely ready, but Janet is delaying him with her makeup the way you always do to me," Desmond joked, and Evelyn scowled at him, but before she could say anything, his phone rang.

"It's Andrew," he informed her as he received the call.

"Hey, what's keeping you?" Desmond asked immediately after he received the call.

"You will have to leave without us. Some police officers just came to our house and took Janet to the station," Andrew said, and Desmond immediately sat up.

"The police? Why? What did she do?" Desmond asked, and hearing the alarm in his voice, Evelyn looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Rachel, Lucas's ex-fiancee, reported her to the police for destroying her property. I'm on my way to the police station right now. I'm driving behind them. I have already asked our lawyer to meet us at the station. You can travel ahead of us," Andrew said, and Desmond sighed.

"I will find a way to have them sell our tickets to someone else, that way; we can take the next flight together. We will meet you at the station once you let us know the location," Desmond said before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Evelyn asked, and she raised a brow when Desmond told her what had happened.

"She reported to the police? Does she not realize the kind of people who would get involved in this?"

"We can't leave without them. I hope you don't mind?" Desmond asked, and she shook her head.

"Of course, I don't mind. I was the one who advised Janet to do that after all," Evelyn said with mild annoyance.

"It's not time to blame yourself. Let's fix it."

"You can speak to them about changing the time of our flight if it's not too late to do that. I will talk with the chief of police," Evelyn said, and Desmond gave her a nod as he rose to do so while she dialed Tom's line first. Choosing to talk to him before calling the chief of police.

"If you're calling to ask me about Bryan, I have nothing to say," Tom who had just walked into his bedroom after his exchange with Bryan, responded tersely immediately after he received the call, and Evelyn paused.

"Did you both get into a fight?" Evelyn asked with a concerned frown.

"I'm much too busy to get into a fight with him. I don't know what has gotten over him, but he is acting like an idiot right now, and I can't stand him," Tom said, and Evelyn sighed.

"Let's talk about that later. Lucy has gotten on the plane, I suppose?" She asked since Janet's situation required more urgency.

"Yes, she has. Your flight should be leaving soon," Tom said as he glanced at his wristwatch.

He needed to get dressed and leave for the hospital with Candace and Jamal.

"There is a little problem. Although we can handle it, I thought you should know. Janet was picked up by the police a short while ago. According to Andrew Lucas's ex-fiancee laid a complaint against her to the police for damaging her property. I plan to give the chief of police a call after I hang up," Evelyn explained, and Tom scoffed.

"She did that?" Tom asked, thinking about all the things they had against her already.

"Yes. I could call them to release Janet, but if the girl stubbornly decides to press charges...."

"She won't. You can call the chief of police. I will give her father a call," Tom said, and Evelyn nodded.

"Alright. Please be patient with Bryan. I don't know exactly what is going on with him, but try to exercise a little patience," Evelyn said before hanging up.

While Evelyn placed the call across to the chief of police, Tom picked up Rachel's phone from the bedside drawer where Lucy had left it, and he dialed Wilson Peterson's line.

"Rachel?" Wilson asked in confusion as he received the call since he couldn't understand why Rachel was calling him when they were under the same roof, especially with a line she claimed to have lost.

"This is Thomas Hank, CEO of I-Global," Tom said in a cool tone, and Wilson sat up immediately while his wife, who had been on the bed with him, looked at him with interest.

"Mr. Hank?" Wilson asked with a frown, wondering why Tom was calling him, especially with his daughter's line.

"We are both busy men, so I won't waste my time or yours. Your daughter had Janet Perry arrested. You have ten minutes to clear it up, or I will not only jeopardize your political ambition but also have you thrown in jail. I believe you wouldn't want the demise of your brother and his family looked into," Tom said, and without wasting another breath, he hung up, leaving a stunned Wilson holding his phone to his ear speechlessly. pan(da-n0vel.c)om

Some moments later, away from there, in Rachel's bedroom, where she sat in front of the dressing mirror getting dolled up to leave for the police station, her father barged into her bedroom.

"What did you do?" He roared at her angrily, and she jolted out of her seat in shock.

"Dad?" She asked, looking from her father to her mother, who was standing behind him in confusion.

"I asked you a question. What did you do?" He barked at her once again, and she flinched.

From the way his hands were balled in a fist, she could tell he was doing his best not to lose his temper and hit her.

"I didn't do anything wrong, I swear it...."

"Then why did I receive a call from Thomas Hank and the chief of police?" He asked angrily, causing panic to flash through Rachel's eyes as she looked at her mother.

Her mother looked both mad at her and afraid for her at the same time as she shook her head for Rachel to leave her out of what was happening.

"She ruined my clothes! She went into the apartment I share with Lucas, and she ruined all my expensive belongings," Rachel cried.

"And you thought it best to have her arrested without telling me? Do you have any idea what you have caused?" He asked angrily while Rachel cried.

"I was angry, and I thought maybe if I did that, they would want to reconcile and call it even, and then Lucas would...."

"Reconcile?" His father barked at her before facing his wife.

"Can you hear your daughter?"

"What family would want to reconcile with a person that arrests her mother-in-law? What were you thinking?" Rachel's mom asked in annoyance.

"I don't know," Rachel cried in frustration.

"You don't know? Did you forget that the Perrys are going to be in-laws with the Hanks? You made Lucas call off your engagement, and instead of trying to win him back and unite the families, you have the guts to have his mother arrested? Do you know how much embarrassment you are causing me? Do you have any idea what going against the Hanks means?" He continued angrily.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think things through," Rachel cried apologetically.

"I have told the chief of police to dismiss the case that it was an error. If you do anything silly that affects my political ambitions, I'm not going to forgive you. Call them and apologize!" He snapped at her as he headed for the door, and then he paused when he remembered something.

"And why does Thomas Hank have your phone? Didn't you say you lost it some days ago?" He asked, and Rachel's eyes widened in surprise.

"M--y phone?" She stuttered, and when her parents kept staring at her, she looked down.

"Lucas seized it," she confessed, and her father shook his head.

"You better get your act together! One more strike, and I will send you far away from here," he threatened before walking away. 𝗯𝐞𝗱𝐧𝐨𝐯𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝗺

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" Her mother asked from the doorway.

"It's all Anita's fault! If she didn't do that, none of this would have happened," Rachel cried, and her mother raised a brow.

"Anita? Your cousin? What has she got to do with this?" She asked as she walked further into the room.

She listened as Rachel told her how Anita had used the information she gave her to stir the scandal that tore her and Lucas apart.

"Your cousin was smarter than you. I know Rebekah. She is going to stop at nothing to make Thomas Hank her son-in-law," Rachel's mother said with displeasure.

"I guess we lost this one to them. And maybe Lucas was also looking for an excuse to end things with you," she said with a sigh.

"It's Miley. That bitch!" Rachel cried, and her mother shook her head with disapproval.

"Who is Miley? And I suggest you mind your language," her mother cautioned.

"I caught them together at the hotel. She is the one making Lucas act this way! I'm not going to let her go! I won't forgive her for this!"

"You are becoming pathetic. If Lucas doesn't want you, let him go. You heard your father; you better don't pull any more silly stunts. You've ruined your chances with that family. Have some pride and move on," her mother advised before walking away while Rachel collapsed on the bed and broke into a sob.

She had thought doing this would at least make Lucas talk to her, but once again, her plan was ruined. She had no idea what to do anymore.