Chapter 158

A few days later, Andrew and I were eating sausage, bacon, and eggs at the mansion when we started to discuss the protests by Bob supporters. Overall, reactions to Andrew’s re-election had been positive. Nevertheless, the vandalism of Ever After Weddings had only been the first of several negative demonstrations.

“Did you ever find out who was keying your staff’s cars?” I asked as I cut up my sausage.

Andrew shook his head.

“Security saw someone on the cameras, but they were wearing hoodies and masks, so they’re hard to identify,” he said after swallowing a mouthful of bacon. “They appear to be young adults, like the people who vandalized Ever After Weddings, so the incidents could be related.”

“Did they bear any resemblance to the protestors outside your office?”

Again, Andrew shook his head.

“No. Those protestors have mostly been middle aged, a completely different demographic.”

I shoveled some scrambled eggs into my mouth.

Silence fell between us as we ate. It was peaceful, comfortable. I could get used to living like this, discussing the issues of the day and then falling quiet as quickly as the conversation started.

“I haven’t heard about any protests the past couple days,” I mentioned as I took a drink of my coffee.

“No, not that I’ve heard of,” Andrew agreed.

“Do you think that means things will be settling down now?”

Andrew shrugged and sipped his coffee.

“Probably not. I more think that we’re in the eye of the storm. Things are quiet for now, but soon, they’re going to pick back up again.”

I arched a brow at him.

“That’s a bit pessimistic, don’t you think?”

“I just know how the political world works.”

“Well, I think that—”

My phone buzzed.

“I think that—”

My phone buzzed again.

Andrew smirked at me.

“Are you going to get that?”

I picked my phone up off the table and looked at the caller ID.

Eliza.

I put her on speakerphone.

“Hi, Eliza,” I answered. “I have you on speakerphone with Andrew. What’s going on?”

“Crystal, Andrew, it’s…it’s terrible.”

I could hear the tears in Eliza’s voice. I exchanged a look with Andrew before turning my attention back to the phone.

“What is it?” I asked again. “Whatever’s going on, I’m sure that Andrew and I can help—”

“It’s Nikolas,” Eliza interrupted me, sniffling. “A couple monsters in ‘Vote for Bob’ shirts and ski masks burned down his factory.”

My eyes widened.

“Oh my Goddess. Is everyone okay?”

Eliza’s voice trembled as she spoke.

“N-no. The stress, it gave Nikolas another heart attack. He’s in the hospital.”

I gasped. Andrew grabbed my hand and held it tightly.

“Don’t worry, Eliza,” Andrew said, trying to comfort me as much as Eliza. “We’ll be there as quickly as possible.”

Andrew and I rushed to Nikolas’s town and arrived at the hospital within a few hours. As soon as Andrew introduced himself as the Alpha King, a nurse took us to Nikolas’s room. We were relieved to see Nikolas awake and talking to Eliza when we entered.

Andrew cleared his throat to get their attention.

Eliza turned to face us and smiled, though it wavered. She patted Nikolas on the hand before walking towards us.

“Hello, you two,” she said, pulling us each into a hug. My heart broke at the tears streaking her cheeks and the dark circles under her eyes.

“How is he?” Andrew asked, holding Eliza’s hand gently.

Eliza glanced back at Nikolas, who seemed to be struggling to stay awake, then looked back at us.

“He’s hanging in there,” she replied. “The doctors want to keep him in the hospital for a few days under observation, but they say that he should recover.”

“That’s good news, at least,” I said. “What about the factory? Anything that can be scrounged up?”

Eliza shook her head.

“The only part of his inventory that survived were the dresses that he had kept in my basement.”

“Won’t the insurance company cover it?” Andrew asked.

Again, Eliza shook her head, covering her eyes with her hand.

“They said that they won’t cover any of it because it was arson.”

Andrew’s eyes darkened for a moment, then he charged over to Nikolas’s bed. He took Eliza’s seat and grabbed Nikolas’s hand. The elderly man’s eyes fluttered open, and he smiled at Andrew.

“Andrew, it’s so great to see you.” Nikolas turned his head and watched Eliza and me as we approached. “You too, Crystal.”

I smiled and waved slightly at Nikolas. It pained me to see him so fragile. I didn’t like the reminder that he could be gone any day.

“Nikolas, Eliza told me that the insurance company is not going to cover your losses,” Andrew said.

Nikolas chuckled weakly.

“Cutting right to the chase as always, I see.” He sighed. “Yes, because it was arson, the insurance company won’t cover a thing.”

“Then I will pay for everything,” Andrew said, his firm voice leaving no room for argument.

And yet, Nikolas shook his head.

“I couldn’t ask you for that kind of money,” he said. “It’s far too much.”

“I insist,” Andrew replied. “You have done so much for Crystal and me by recreating Lisa’s wedding dress. Let me repay you for that.”

“It’d be far too much—”

“Then how about this,” Andrew interrupted. “How about I loan you the money? You can repay me at your pace, no pressure.”

I knew what Andrew was thinking: at his age, Nikolas would never repay that debt, and Andrew would never go after Eliza or anyone else for the remainder if Nikolas should die, so it would be as though Andrew had given him the money. This way, though, Nikolas could feel free to pay back whatever amount of it he could and feel as though he had not leeched off Andrew.

After a couple minutes of thought, Nikolas nodded.

“It’s a deal.”

Nikolas held out his hand, and the two men shook on it.

“So, what exactly happened?” I asked. “Eliza told us that two people in ‘Vote for Bob’ shirts and ski masks burned down your factory, but that’s it.”

Nikolas sighed and rubbed his hand down his face.

“I was working late when someone broke in through the backdoor,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding defeated. “I ran back to check it out, and I saw these masked figures spraying gasoline on the dresses and setting them on fire. I only had enough time to save myself before the fire spread and…”

His eyes cast downward, but Andrew and I could fill in the blanks. Nikolas must have had his heart attack at that point, right after getting himself away from the flames. He was lucky to be alive.

“Did you see anything that could distinguish the arsonists beyond their clothing?” Andrew asked.

“They were squat, and at least one of them seemed to have pit stains on their shirt,” Nikolas replied. “They also smelled strongly of sweat and beer.”

I glanced over at Andrew, and his eyes met mine. His body language and facial expression did not change otherwise, but I knew that he was thinking the same thing that I was.

Pete and Chuck. Nikolas’s sons.