Hey everyone. I thought this song was perfect for the chapter. Hope you're all having a wonderful day. (: remember to stay safe
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I couldn't believe what I'd just seen. As their contact continued on for the next few minutes, it was disturbing, to say the least. Deidre held Hero's gaze like she was speaking to him mentally.
Almost like he'd been trained to act meek. I had never seen him this way. 

I now saw the small brown-haired boy, who suffered such a terrible fate. 

Maybe I was overthinking this. His grandmother had to be at least eighty. This woman looked much younger. Maybe they weren't related. Perhaps she had been adopted into the family. She had seemed harmless only ten minutes ago.

Then again, I didn't think Hero would lie about this. 

As Deidre and Hero took their seats next to each other, she didn't refrain from wrapping an arm around his neck. The effort of her brushing his hair out of his face should have been a normal exchange between a grandchild, but it made me uneasy.

Knowing what I did, I wanted to tell her to get the fuck off of him. I wanted to protect him from any pain that she could inflict on him. 

But what could I do?

"Mom," 

I turned to see Dorinda eyeing her mother with disdain. She was resting her elbows on the table, gripping the cloth with both of her fists. I could tell she was a bit put off and it was obvious. 

Deidre, however, ignored her plea. She went on tending to Hero.

"What has my grandson been up to lately?" She asked strictly.

I caught Hero attempting to shove her hand away slightly, though this had no effect. "I don't want to talk about it."

What was going on here? Where was the boy that wasn't afraid to tell the wrong person to fuck off? I knew him well enough to know that by now, he'd be pushing her away from him entirely. 

"Come on, mom," Dorinda continued begging, "Can you please just leave it be?"

"I think," Diedre went on with a hard edge to her voice, "I'd like to get to know my grandson for more than a minute."

As she continued berating Hero with her meaningless questions, I could see the worry in Dorinda's eyes. She wanted to say something, but she became tight-lipped, sitting back in her chair. It was like her mother had just whipped her into submission. 

Hero went on, sitting idly by as he put up with what his grandmother was forcing upon him. I eyed Niall's parents across the way hoping for them to send a silent signal about the situation, but they didn't. They seemed oblivious to the inappropriate display, poking at their food. 

"Hero, sweety?" Dorinda interrupted, making me do a double-take. "I have an empty chair next to me you can sit in."

I saw Diedre send her daggers, keeping a more firm grip on Hero's shoulder. 

Hero shook his head. "No, I'm f-fine." His voice shook. 

Deidre grinned in satisfaction. "You heard the boy."

"Come on," Dorinda tried again, "I just want to talk about something-"

"I SAID NO!" Hero screamed, jumping to his feet. "Why can't you just stay the fuck out of my life?"

Without another word, he ran across the ballroom, with many pairs of eyes on his back. Seeing him disappear through the set of doors, I felt eyes running dry. God, I had to pull myself together.

That wretched woman really had ruined him, hadn't she? 

Staring across the table, I saw Deidre look offended by the drama ensuing. 

"My, my," She gasped, standing up from the table, "The night is ruined already. Dorinda, sweety, please tell my grandson that we're not finished. I must leave."

As soon as Deidre left, I planned on going after Hero to try to calm him down. Unfortunately, Tawnee slammed down on the table, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

"Kristina, love! Before I forget. I need to pass you the paperwork for the job!"

I nearly slapped my hand to my forehead, feeling stupid. How could I forget?

"Oh, um, about the job..." I trailed off not quite knowing what to reply with. What was I going to tell them? Sorry, I can't do it because this was out of the blue? Thanks for your generosity, but I'm good on my own? 

"I know this is last minute," Tawnee began.

"But you are the only person we'd consider working for us." Garrick finished, smiling behind a milk mustache. 

Again, they barely knew me. Why was I suddenly the golden girl?

"I don't even know who I'd be working for," I said trying to come up with a quick excuse, "My parents are really strict. I already have a job and I have college classes every day-"

"We understand," Tawnee said, "Please, just think this through. I know you've probably put a lot of money into your education, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. You'd have full-time benefits and the position is right up your alley, so you'd have a promised career. There's room for improvement."

 "Besides," Garrick laughed, wiping his mouth, "You'd be working closely with us. It is the Horan Foundation for a reason."

I nearly slapped myself again. Of course.

As Tawnee slid the paperwork closer to me, I took it eyeing the information slots. 

"Okay," I smiled, "I'll take a look."

When I saw Dorinda heading straight for the double doors, I stood up, unwilling to let her out of my sight.

Hero may have told me a portion of what had happened, but I had a feeling there was a lot that I was being left out of. Was Hero still being molested? Were he and Diedre still having visits regularly? 

I needed answers and I needed them now.

"Would you excuse me?" I asked, before sprinting.

As I saw Dorinda rushing down a nearby hall towards an emergency exit, I screamed for her before she could get far. 

She turned a one-eighty before rolling her eyes in disinterest. "My dear Kristina, as much as I loved getting to know you tonight, I have better things to get to-"

"I know what happened to Hero!" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

This seemed to have caught her attention. Dorinda's eyes went glassy.
 
"What on earth are you spouting about?"

"I said," I continued, walking closer, "I know what happened. Hero told me everything. You know that he was molested by your mother, I know you do. I could see the desperation in your eyes tonight."

"How dare you," Dorinda replied, her voice whipping out fiercely, "Accusing my family of such heinous acts! You're nothing but a liar and a gold digger! My son would never talk this badly about his family."

"He did tell me," I insisted, "On another note, I would have no reason to go after your money. As I'm sure you know after stalking them, my parents have money. Look, I know tonight was hard for you."

Dorinda rushed forward. "One more word." She threatened. 

"Look," I said, "I know you and I didn't get off on the right foot. I don't know what I did to offend you, but I don't want this to be an ongoing thing. On the contrary, I think you're a wonderful mother. I think we should bury the hatchet and stick together on this. What she did to him was unforgivable and she needs to be locked up for what she did-"

I didn't get to finish what I was saying before I felt the harsh slap from Dorinda's hand. I cupped my cheek feeling the sting intensify, leaving a lasting burn. Dorinda's eye-lids began to redden, showing her tough mask finally slipping. She pointed a perfectly manicured finger at me. 

"Do not ever speak of what you don't know... I have to go..."

With one last look at me, Dorinda rushed out the exit door.

Hope you all liked the chapter despite the depressing theme.

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