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“That was before.” Cyrus hisses through gritted teeth.
Atlas scoffs. “Before what?” He asks, cocking his head. “Before we tainted someone? Before we ruined her fucking life and selfishly dragged her into our world? Have either of you even thought about her in any of this? What would she gain by being with us? Huh? A life filled with danger and an early grave? Some fucking life, right? You both need to accept that she’s better off without us and move the fuck on.”
Cyrus gets quiet, and it’s clear that everything Atlas is saying is getting to him.
“It wasn’t like that.” I say, trying to talk sense into both of them.
“It was always like that.” Atlas retorts, with a sad smile. “And I, for one, am happy she got out of this shit. She’s too good for us.All of us.” He says, glaring at me. “And it’s time we accept that.”
“You’re so f… full of shit.” I say, tilting my chin up. “You aren’t happy. Look at you. You’re d… drunk. You haven’t shaved in weeks. Your s… suit is fucking wrinkled. And you may act like you're fine, but everyone can s… see how fucked up you are. You miss her.”
Atlas clenches his jaw as he lets out an exasperated sigh. “Missing her and holding my fucking breath for her are two separate things, baby brother. She isn’t coming back.”
“You’re lying to yourself.” I hiss, shaking my head. “And you entertaining this f… fucking imposter,” I point out, glaring at the woman that still hasn’t taken the fucking hint, “proves it.”
Stevie isn’t some innocent girl we tainted for fun. She belongs with us and she’s so much stronger than any of us give her credit for. She’ll stop at nothing to protect the people she cares about and she loves the fuck out of us. She’s one of us, and just like I wouldn’t ever give up on any of my brothers, I’m not giving up on her.
Fuck this.It’s obvious the both of them are too wrapped up in their own guilt to see the truth. Trying to talk sense into them is a waste of my time. I’m about to storm off when Atlas speaks up and says something that catches me off guard.
“You’re right.” He says, letting out a heavy sigh. “Bringing her up here was a mistake.” He admits, running a hand through his hair. “And it’s time for me to remedy that.”
“Get out.” He mumbles, not even bothering to look at the woman as he returns to his seat behind his desk. There’s a tired look in his eyes that I didn’t notice until now. This has been just as hard on him as it’s been on any of us. “And change your hair back or you’re fired.”
“What?” The woman snaps back, shooting up from her seat. “That isn’t fair. You can’t force me to do that.” She says, cutting her eyes over to me and Cyrus. “He can’t make me do that.”
“Actually,” Cyrus retorts, cocking his head at her with a callous smirk, “he can. As part of your terms of employment, any physical changes to your image must be approved through management first. We are well within our rights to fire you. Be grateful Atlas decided to give you a second fucking chance, because if it were up to me, I’d throw your ass out without another thought.”
“Leave now,” I add, glaring at her, “before we have security drag you out.”
She heads for the door in a fit of rage, huffing and puffing as she stomps away. It’s clear she’s doing it to garner attention, but none of us bother to give her a second glance. She may be a replica of the only woman that ever made us give a fuck, but that doesn’t mean we need to give a fuck about her. She doesn’t come close to Stevie.No one does.
