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Simon, Anthony, and Benedict watched their respective, wife, fiancée and girlfriend walk away from them. Kate’s warning still ringing in Benedict’s ears about not doing anything stupid.
He would very much like the pummel the shit out of Luke Twombley for bringing Cressida here, he would like to hit Cressida, but he knew that was just a one-way ticket to trouble and he had just promised Sophie that he wouldn’t get into trouble and she had been through enough today as it was, so he didn’t need to upset her.
“Let’s go get this over and done with” Simon said as the door to Anthony’s office had shut behind Kate.
Anthony nodded, “this is not how I planned to spend the night of my engagement, firing someone but the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can get back to our ladies” Anthony said, and the three men left the room.
All three men standing tall at around 6 they cut a menacing figure, or they would to anyone who didn’t know them well. Benedict was having a hard job to keep his anger from bubbling over as he spotted Cressida talking to a tall bloke with greasy slicked back hair looking rather smug as he had his hand around her waist.
Their spines stiffened slightly as they spotted the three men walking in, Benedict nudged Anthony, who nudged Simon who nodded and called out “Mr Twombley. A word!” he said, the authority and steadiness in his voice made Luke stiffen more and he made his way over to the three men, his direct boss, the owner of the business and the brother who randomly showed up at times.
“Yes Mr Basset sir, is there a problem?” Luke asked, his voice almost as oily as his hair as he tried to vein politeness, tried to sound like he didn’t realise he was in a lot of trouble.
“Follow us” he said “and bring your guest” Simon said as the three men turned around and escorted Luke and Cressida back to Anthony’s office, the door left open and once everyone was inside the three men turned to face Luke and Cressida.
“You are aware that you were told not to bring a guest this year are you not?” Simon said gesturing at Cressida who was loitering by the door.
Luke shook his head “No sir, it’s always been plus one…” he said trying to sound innocent.
Benedict clenched his fists and felt Anthony’s arm wrap around his wrist to steady him. “You were told both in person, and via the invite that there was to be no plus ones this year… and when you asked your line manager, who has the paper trail, you were explicitly told that no plus ones were allowed this year unless married spouses or invited directly by the board” Anthony said, his eyes narrowing on the younger man.
“I do not recall…” Luke started.
Simon cut him off “Don’t bother, I have the email chain to prove you asked, you have ignored a direct command from your line manager. You have 10 minutes to get upstairs and gather your things and meet us by the door, you are being relieved of your position”
“You can’t fire me!” Luke said indignantly “I haven’t done anything to breech my contract!” he said looking furious
“Actually, you’ll find you have” Benedict spat.
“You ignored a direct command from a senior manager, who is also a board member” Anthony said as Luke went pale, he had forgotten about Simon being on the board “and given that we have confidential and information being discussed this year that is not for the public, security was greater and everyone was checked and security checked when they arrived, as your guest seems to have slipped through all this… you have clearly aided in her late arrival… not only have your broken your contract which states you will protect Bridgerton Enterprises and all of its subsidiary’s which now include Penwood Designs, you have brought a trespasser onto my property so you have 10 minutes to get your things and get out of here, or I shall have you both arrested for trespassing”
The three men looked so menacing that Luke huffed and stalked out of the room, taking Cressida’s arm as she seemingly screeched at him “you said it was okay! I am not getting arrested because of you!”
“They took that a bit better than I expected” Benedict said “I was half expecting a fight” he said as he sat down to wait.
Simon nodded as Anthony looked suspicious “from what I know of his work ethics, this does surprise me a little… he had always been a hard worker but the last two months or so, since he started helping with the merger work… he’s been… off” Simon said
“Doesn’t matter now, he’ll be out of our hair in 15 minutes, I’ll have a word with Mrs Cowper on Monday and make it clear that her daughter is not to step within 50 meters of this building or a family member” Anthony said.
10 minutes came and went, and Luke and Cressida were nowhere to be seen. Simon groaned and marched off up to Luke’s assigned room and pounded on the door with Anthony and Benedict behind him on the stairs.
“Luke you have 30 seconds to get out here or the police and security are being called” Simon said, his voice full of rage and fury.
The door swung open, and Cressida was standing looking disgruntled “you can’t fire him!” she said again
“Watch me! And You shut up! You’re trespassing and you’re just lucky I don’t have you arrested” Anthony bellowed. “HR have approved it, and if you do not get off my property in the next 5 minutes I will make sure you never work in London again and we will get your accounting credentials revoked or have you forgotten who paid for your degrees Mr Twombley!”
Luke huffed, grabbed his bag, and started marching off down the stairs “HR only agreed because the head is your fucking sister and wife…” he spat angrily. Cressida following in their wake looking a little frightened.
“You are the one who breeched your contract, any HR staff member would have approved it, board member, family member or not!” Benedict said angrily as they followed the two down the stairs and into the night air.
Luke began a tirade of abuse as he walked down the lawn “Yeah right, just because she’s married and is a BASSET instead of Bridgerton doesn’t mean she’s not a tart like the rest of her fucking family. The baby probably isn’t even yours” he said turning around to face Simon as they reached the bottom of the lawn near the driveway.
“You’re all just with whores! People who want to sleep their way to the top” Anthony had to grab hold of Benedict who was ready to swing for Luke, he hadn’t even started getting into it, but the words were not nice
“And you, marrying some jumped up tart who is only interested in you for your surname and sleeping her way up the ladder” he said to Anthony who looked furious as he held back a struggling Benedict “I always knew you were a fucking pussy but didn’t think you were a pushover, that tart won’t stick around longer than it takes for the ink to dry before she bleeds you dry. A fucking gold-digger if I’ve ever seen one”
“As for you” he said turning to Benedict, glee and menace in his eyes “dating a fucking paid whore. You know Cavender used to brag about shagging his girls, how each of them was just a warm hole, you’re probably just the latest in a long line of…” what he was about to say had been stopped by Simon’s fist.
Simon had been shaking so violently, Benedict was practically wrestling with his brother to get free to punch Luke and Simon had planted his fist on the younger man’s jaw.
Luke roared in indignation as he spat the blood out on the ground and swung as Anthony’s grip in Benedict slipped and Simon being the experienced boxer he was dodged the thrown punch it managed to land on Benedict’s eyes, causing him to howl in pain and Anthony dropped Benedict who then planted his first in Luke’s nose, breaking it cleanly as Anthony took a knock and fell to the floor, Simon a bloodied lip whilst Cressida screamed and called the police.
Given that it was at Aubrey Hall, the police arrived within minutes. The fight was broken up, Benedict’s eyes practically swelling shut, the cut on Simon’s lip bleeding and Anthony dizzy and disorientated and Luke’s nose gushing blood all over.
“It was in self-defence!” Simon said as they were handcuffed.
Benedict was trying to wriggle and protest and agreeing that he was punched first.
“Officer that woman is on my property without our permission, we have strict security in place this year! I want her arrested!” Anthony said as he was being bumbled into the car
Cressida’s mouth fell open and screamed “I’m not! I’m not! We were leaving when they just attacked him!”
“But you’re still on my property, you conniving bitch!” Anthony bellowed as his own handcuffs were put on him.
The officer looked around “he has a point ma’am and if you’re allowed to be here I’m going to need to see your security pass that was issued” he said, and Cressida began to gasp and blink like a fish.
She was dutifully arrested and whilst the three men, knew they were in for a world of pain when the girls found out, they couldn’t help but feel a little vindicated that at least they had caused a broken nose and Cressida Cowper has been arrested.
The officer took their statement and Anthony knew they had to call Kate to get the security, to get the evidence to support them and get them released. He had every intention of pressing charges against both Luke and Cressida but first they had to get out of trouble with the law and then their girlfriends and wives…