Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Gigi:

As soon as Ragner finished his conversation with Jenna, he was supposed to head to Attic as well.

He needed to work on a few programs and use them to pull up some data and find certain information.

I already knew his schedule. Before I spoke to Verity, I had overheard Ragner telling someone that he was going upstairs to use the computer and retrieve some data.

That was why I had given Verity half an hour.

But I also knew that, during that time, I would have to get Ragner back downstairs.

If Verity went up while he was still there, the door would be locked.

More importantly, it would ruin the effect I wanted her to experience when she went upstairs and found that Ragner wasn’t there.

So I needed him out of the way.

After about five or ten minutes, I started calling Ragner and asking him to come downstairs.

Soon, the half hour would be up, and Verity would head upstairs.

I knew Ragner had only come down briefly, so he hadn’t locked the door behind him.

It was almost muscle memory by then.

He was so used to being in his own house, coming downstairs for a moment to pick up some files, that he didn’t lock the door every single time.

As far as he was concerned, there was no reason to. No one would go upstairs, because no one ever had.

"Yeah? Why did you call me?"

Ragnar stepped into his bedroom, where I had been waiting for him.

His tone was cold.

That morning, I had somehow managed to convince myself it was only because Jenna had been standing in front of him, crying, emotional and dramatic.

Maybe that was why he had been a little harsh with me.

But even throughout the day, Ragnar had barely paid me any attention.

In fact, every time I went over to talk to him, he dismissed me as if I barely existed anymore.

"So what are you angry with me about?" I asked, watching as he finally lifted his head and gave me brief eye contact.

"Am I angry with you?" he replied. "It’s just that what happened shouldn’t have happened, Gigi."

That was exactly what I expected from Ragnar. Either he said nothing at all, or he went completely harsh way.

"I agree. It shouldn’t have happened. But right now, how is any of this my fault?" I asked, moving an inch toward the window and standing in front of it while he looked around the room.

His expression made it obvious that something was wrong.

"I know Oliver did something terrible, but if you put that aside for one second and think about everything else, I lost my brother too. I found out that my own brother turned out to be this kind of person. Has anyone stopped to think about what that has done to me? To my parents?"

I poured my heart out, trying to make him understand.

He took a deep breath but still didn’t say anything.

"My parents and I haven’t even been given one chance to see him. Just let us see him once so we can talk to him. My father can arrange a lawyer for him. We should at least be allowed to do something. Right now, we’re not being allowed to do anything at all."

I was still speaking calmly when I noticed Ragnar latch onto one part of what I had said. He started shaking his finger slightly, signaling for me to stop.

"A lawyer?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. My father is obviously going to get him a lawyer. Everyone deserves a fair chance to defend themselves," I said, not trying to sound cocky or demanding. It was simply what anyone would do in this situation.

"Wait. Your brother confessed to everything. He was caught in the act. What exactly is there to defend?"

The way Ragnar narrowed his eyes at me made me swallow hard.

"I mean negotiating how severe his punishment should be," I corrected immediately, realizing I was unintentionally getting on his nerves.

"Gigi, for now, he’s in the hospital. Once he’s transferred to jail, you and your family will get a chance to speak to him. Until then, I don’t even want to hear that bastard’s name in my house."

The harshness in Ragnar’s voice sent a chill through me.

"Besides, we still have to decode the data on his phone and everything else that’s locked behind security," Ragnar said before heading toward the door.

He stopped briefly, then turned around and looked at me.

"Just pray, Gigi, that Oliver was the only one involved in all of this."

For some reason, those words made my spine straighten instantly.

"What do you mean? Who else are you suggesting was involved? What exactly are you implying?" I asked, making a visible effort to sound upset.

"You were very close to him. So you really knew nothing about any of this?"

Ragnar’s question made my eyes widen.

"What are you saying, Ragnar? Are you saying I knew about all of this and covered it up for him?" I raised my voice, pointing at my chest.

"I’m not saying that. I’m just asking. I have a lot going through my mind right now."

"No. You just..." I stared at him in disbelief. "Oh, I cannot believe this."

I covered my face with my hands before rubbing the back of my neck.

"You know what? I just..." I stopped.

My eyes shifted toward the clock, and I realized more than thirty minutes had passed.

As much as I would have loved to make him feel fucking ashamed and guilty for even suggesting that I could be involved in something so disgusting, I needed to let him go.

"I just want to be alone. You should go and finish whatever work you have left."

I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

For the next three minutes, I heard nothing. Then his footsteps receded, which meant he was probably on his way back to the attic.