* Extended chapter

~~~~~~~~~

"You've got to be kidding me..."

Ethan was slightly taken back by Thomas' reaction. Given all the times that the bodyguard tried to make things friendly and tolerable for each other, Ethan assumed Thomas would have taken the olive branch.

Thomas' silence spoke volume to Ethan, and he felt awkward because he didn't know what to do next.

"Tommy?" Thomas seethed out with disgust. "After all we went through tonight, you're still calling me that?"

Ethan's heartbeat began to calm down once he realised Thomas was joking around with him. He was relieved that after everything they went through, Thomas was stooping to his level of playfulness.

"Sure thing Tom, I like it!" Ethan grinned mischievously, "Take it or leave it."

Thomas mentally debated whether he would be able to stomach this for another week. The smile on Ethan's face gave him an answer, because this side of Ethan was better to deal with than the one who was fighting him with every decision, or every thing he said.

"I'll take it." Thomas laughed, "Come on, let's get out of here."

Ethan followed Thomas to his car, and because he couldn't drive, Ethan sat in the passenger seat.

As the engine turned on, Ethan continued to look at the Shelton building until it was eventually out of his sight.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas had called Javier and told him about everything that happened on floor 33. After telling his client about the attack on his son, Javier had ordered the both of them to come to the Shelton Manor.

Ethan had been on the phone with Kristen when Thomas was talking to his dad. After being summoned himself, Ethan had called Kristen so that she would meet them there too.

Javier had told them both that he had hired some people to help sort out the mess that was the 4 attackers. Thomas identified that Javier was deliberately being vague with it, and that the 4 attackers were going to be 'taken care of'.

Thomas had asked Javier multiples time about calling the police over the last week, but the older man just always dismissed it. Javier always said that a bodyguard would be more effective than police protection, but Thomas never really saw the connection.

"Call me dumb, but why not go to the police and report everything about tonight?" Thomas asked once they both ended their phone calls.

"You're dumb."

Thomas turned his head towards the passenger seat and silently stared at Ethan.

Ethan immediately regretted saying that as he hit himself on the head. "Sorry, force of habit."

Ethan saw Thomas' smirk as a result, so he felt comfortable continuing to explain. "My family don't go to the police because it could ruin our branding."

"For being attacked?" Thomas still didn't understand the issue when Ethan has been the clear victim for the entirety of the past week.

Ethan was rocking his head side to side as he knew he was guilty for being partly to blame for it. "The Golden Goose is known for some 'not so legal gambling'. That and I'm not exactly a golden child."

"Obviously."

"Anyway..." Ethan said loudly over Thomas's snide comment. "Mr Checkstone has some big ties with the police commissioner. With how corrupt the police force might be, it's just not worth the time or effort."

The ball of mystery started to unravel as Thomas was finally gaining on insight on the way the Shelton family dealt with their problems. "So you just throw money at it?"

"Don't judge us," Ethan glared at Thomas as he was defending his family. "You have your ways, and we have ours. We can only trust our own flesh and blood."

Thomas didn't have anything to go on as he had to take Ethan's words for what it was. Whilst he didn't necessarily see eye to eye with how his family runs things, Thomas knew he had no place to intervene - and no need to either.

~~~~~~~~~~

Both of them entered the Shelton Manor as they made their way to Javier's study. Thomas followed Ethan as they made their way up the grand staircase.

Thomas took the opportunity to use his eyes to explore the Manor. There were several paintings of the Shelton family dressed to the highest degree of class and elegance.

Several chandeliers were hanging off the ceiling as dozens of gorgeous flower bouquets were placed in crystal vases - giving the home some much needed colour.

They made it to the end of the corridor and there was a maid standing outside the study. Thomas was prevented from entering the study as they held her hand out to him.

Ethan only looked apologetic as he suggested for Thomas to go home instead. "Just get some rest, it's been a long day."

Hearing his son's voice outside the door, Javier immediately hugged Ethan after he saw the state of his injuries. Ethan had cleaned up a little whilst they were on their way to the Manor, but the arm sling and the cuts to the face painted the picture.

"Thank you Thomas." Javier was so grateful for Thomas being at the office to help his only son.

Javier then brought Ethan into the study as he closed the door on Thomas. Thomas felt like he had lots of input about everything that happened tonight, but he understood when Ethan told him earlier that they only trusted family.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan, Javier, and Camilla were waiting for Kristen to arrive so that they could start the emergency meeting. After Kristen did an obligatory check over on Ethan, she took her seat besides him as Ethan explained his night.

"There were 4 men that blocked our exits, and they were all threatening me with a 'chat'. We managed to fight our way out of it, but a lot of repairs need to be made on floor 33."

"How bad is the damage?" Kristen asked.

"I got thrown through my window," Ethan laughed.

Ethan had to get some humour out of tonight's event, otherwise it would permanently be a bad memory that he wouldn't be able to move on from.

"Ethan, this is serious." Javier warned.

"How can you joke around at a time like this?" Camilla jumped in. "This is why we wanted a bodyguard for you. You would have fought back with knock knock jokes if Thomas wasn't there to protect you."

After everything they both went through tonight, Ethan didn't want another lecture like this again. Ethan rationalised that joking around was a coping mechanism for him, because he didn't want to be scared and second guess every action he did.

Ethan felt like he had something caught in his throat, but he then went on to elaborate the damages the fight caused anyway. "Several computers. Loads of tables and chairs. Couple of windows. And some new carpet."

Camilla listed it all down in her head as she began to make mental preparations on how to fix everything.

Kristen offered a comforting hand to Ethan, but Ethan refused it as he didn't want to be touched at the moment.

Javier looked at his son with a loving and worrying gaze, but Ethan felt like he needed to look away from everybody.

Ethan was feeling extremely physically and mentally drained, with his past and previous actions coming back to haunt him. He just wanted to be alone to sort out his own thoughts - and away from everyone's prying eyes and thoughts.

Camilla thought of a temporary solution for those inconvenienced by the floor 33 catastrophe. "We can move everyone to floor 27 until we get floor 33 fixed. The office down there has been empty since the last layoffs, so that's all sorted until we hire some people for the clean up."

Kristen agreed with the plan as she thought diverting the workers to another floor was an excellent idea. "I'll send an email to everyone on floor 33 about the new temporary working place."

Ethan just nodded his head as he was achingly tired. He just wanted to clean himself up properly, and get some much needed rest.

"It's already pretty late, so we should all go to bed." Javier turned towards Ethan so that he could directly address his son. "Ethan, I want you to sleep here tonight - and I don't want any arguments from you."

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan left his parents to talk in the study as he closed the door behind him. He was still holding the golden brass knob as he rested his head on the dark oak door.

Ethan wanted to close his eyes for just a couple of seconds, but those seconds lasted longer than he planned. The sounds around him were drowned out as Ethan's vision was enveloped with darkness. He didn't move from his spot as his calming breath was consistent of someone who was sleeping.

With a shake to the shoulder, Ethan was dragging his head down the door as he turned around to the person who was disturbing him.

"Thomas?" Ethan asked out of disbelief. "What are you still doing here?"

Thomas laughed to himself at the rare event that just happened. "You called me by my name!"

"Don't flatter yourself, I'm just exhausted." A small smile was etched onto Ethan's face as he joined in on the laughter. Ethan then repeated, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to triple check on you and make sure you were okay before I actually left," Thomas admitted. "How's your head... And your arm... And your sides... Pretty much everything really."

"I've seen better days." Ethan told him honestly. Ethan then looked at Thomas and took into account the bodyguard's appearance. "What about you?"

Despite the pain, Thomas managed to shrug his shoulders as he didn't take his injuries too seriously. "Just part of my job really."

Thomas joined Ethan as he sat himself down on the leather bench seat near the study. Ethan rolled his neck back and rested his head on the wall, closing his eyes and bracing his hands on his legs.

"I take it this is the first time something like this has happened to you?" Thomas wondered.

Ethan continued to rest his eyes as he let out a low exhale. "Just a part of being me."

A comfortable silence filled the room as they both rested peacefully on the bench. A couple of minutes later and Thomas had to prod Ethan awake.

"Go to bed," Thomas whispered so that he wouldn't overwhelm Ethan's ears. "I'm sure a bed is a lot more comfortable."

Ethan let out a massive yawn as he told the bodyguard that he was sleeping in the Shelton Manor tonight. "I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Thomas nodded his head as he understood Javier wanting to know that his son was safe in his home. "Good night Ethan."

Ethan got up from the bench as Thomas soon followed suit. They both waved at each other as they went their separate ways, Ethan to his old room, and Thomas back to his apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ethan looked in the mirror the next morning to look at how much one night's sleep helped his recovery. It felt like a miracle that a doctor wasn't needed to check over his injuries, and Ethan thanked his lucky stars that nothing was permanent on his face.

Thomas popped his arm back in last night, and Ethan woke up to it being fully functional. His hands were still a little red and grazed however, while his sides were purplish blue.

Overall Ethan was happy with his appearance, so he got changed into the pressed suit one of the maids left on his door.

Ethan was hoping that today was the start of a partially new outlook on life. The only thing that changed for Ethan was that he aimed to try and bite back his tongue a little bit, and maybe that way, half the drama he was always involved in were cut down.

Javier opened the door to Ethan's bedroom, and the COO was startled when his dad entered his room whilst he was still putting his shirt on. "Knock much?"

Javier dismissed Ethan by waving his hand at him. "This is my house, and you're under my roof." Javier chuckled.

"Because you wanted it that way." Ethan laughed. The COO then finished putting his tie on as he grabbed his waistcoat in his hand. "Sorry I can't chat Dad, I'm already running late for work."

Javier stopped Ethan passing him near the door by blocking his path. "I'm sorry Ethan, but we really think you shouldn't go into work today."

Ethan looked at Javier confused as he tried and failed to pass by the older man. "We?"

Making an entrance, Camilla stood by her husband as they shared a united front. "We think you should just lay low for a day or two."

"We think it's best so that people won't be spreading gossip once they see the COO in such a state." Javier added.

Ethan gestured for his parents to take a good and clear look at his appearance. "Nobody is going to know a thing unless one of us spills the beans."

Ethan hid his hands behind his back so that they couldn't see how red his knuckles were. The suit was doing a great job on covering his bodily injuries, and Ethan applied a little bit of makeup to tone down the coloured bruises on his face.

"We just don't want to give those bad men an opportunity to attack you again, Ethan."

Ethan let out a small chuckle as he tried to leave again. "Then I will have Thomas with me again."

"Ethan, this isn't up for discussion." Camilla put her foot down as she forbid Ethan from leaving the Manor. "Stop finding a conflict and just stay here."

Camilla left the room to answer a phone call about replacing the carpet. Javier was left alone with Ethan as he brought his son to the bed, so that they could sit down and talk.

"I know you want to carry on and go with all guns blazing and everything Ethan, but I just want you to be careful and get some rest." Javier explained.

Ethan was backed into a corner, because he knew that several guards would stop him from leaving the Manor. Ethan felt like he was unlawfully trapped in the Manor, despite the earnest intention behind it.

Ethan tried to laugh it off as he set his coat down. "Not like I've got a choice, right?"

Javier knew that Ethan was going to resent him for this. Ethan was a free spirit that was being contained by the many walls he stared at whilst growing up. But Javier didn't regret his action, because he was willing to live with his son's hatred as long as he was safe.

Javier stroked Ethan on the head as he tried to show his son affection without needing to express words. He tried to acknowledge what Ethan was probably thinking, but Ethan walked away so that he could go into the bathroom and get changed out of his suit.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas found out the same morning that Ethan was in lockdown at the Shelton Manor - until the coast was cleared with the men trying to hunt Ethan down.

Knowing that Ethan was forbidden from leaving the Manor, Javier told Thomas that he practically had a day off.

It was a strange feeling for Thomas, because it was the exact opposite of what he was trained to do - to never let their targets leave their sight.

After checking in on his dad, Thomas began to drive to the Shelton manor to check on Ethan himself. Given that they both turned over a new leaf, Thomas wanted to try and make an effort to get along with him.

Thomas was let into the Manor after he gave the guards his credentials. On his way to see Ethan, Thomas was stopped by Javier in the living room. "Thomas, what are you doing here?"

Thomas quickly bowed his head at the older gentleman as he walked to stand in front of him. "I don't really like days off."

Javier ended up laughing with Thomas as he was seen with a large grin on his face. "I see you're very dedicated to your job."

Javier gestured for Thomas to take a seat with him. Thomas drank the cup of coffee that was handed to him, while Javier was finishing a phone call.

Javier eventually ended the call as Thomas witnessed someone being fired over the phone. Thomas thought it was slightly scary that someone who shows deep love for their family, could instantly switch to cold and intimidating when he needed to be.

Javier went on to explain, "Our financial advisor didn't remind us about the insurance in time, so we failed the grace period when the office was destroyed."

Javier went on to sign a cheque since the repairs would needed to be paid from his own pockets. One of the guards immediately came rushing in when he saw Javier sign the cheque, and Thomas could only assume that he took the cheque so that he could send it in.

Now clear of distractions, Javier was hoping to get more information from Thomas about the previous night. "Is there any chance you caught the names of the people who are after my son?"

Thomas took a while to think of answer. He tried his hardest to remember any names that he heard, but Thomas didn't know anything. "Ethan mentioned someone called Mr Checkstone. I've never met the guy, but his name was brought up yesterday."

Javier just nodded his head along as he heard the same story from Ethan. There's been a history with his son getting into legal and non-legal trouble, and the constant happening of these events made Javier concerned about Ethan's life choices.

There was only so much a father could do for their son, and Javier constantly felt like he never did enough to teach Ethan the better ways of life.

"I just wanted to thank you in person, for everything you've been doing so far."

Thomas dismissed the token of gratitude as he was fulfilling his purpose as a bodyguard. He tried to play it off as he couldn't accept it until he flew back home.

"From what I've been hearing for everybody, Ethan has made things difficult for you. So I'm thankful that you stuck around, because I know how petty Ethan can be when things don't go his way."

Thomas sensed that there was a joking tone in what Javier was saying, but Thomas felt a different undertone when Javier was speaking. "I'm sure Ethan isn't that bad."

"He's not!" Javier immediately defended his son. "It just takes a while for him to get used to new people - so it makes him more... rebellious."

Thomas felt like he knew this already - given the complete different side of the COO he has seen in the past 24 hours. He had told himself that he wasn't going to judge Ethan until he met him in person, but it was only recently where Thomas felt like he was truly meeting Ethan.

"If you don't mind, I would like to go upstairs and see Ethan." Thomas told Javier as he then chuckled, "I'm not doing my job if I'm not checking in on him every now and then."

Javier dismissed Thomas as he let the bodyguard find his son. "I think you'll probably find him near the sports compound on the bottom floor."

~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas stopped getting lost in the Shelton Manor when he was eventually guided to a room, where loud music was making the walls vibrate.

Thomas let himself into the room and found Ethan concentrating on beating up a worn out punching bag. Thomas silently watched for a couple of seconds as he was slightly impressed by Ethan's power and speed.

Ethan turned his head once the music stopped, and saw Thomas was responsible for unplugging his phone that was connected to the sound system.

"Hey," Ethan smiled as he dried the sweat on his forehead. "What are you doing here?"

"If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that question since last night..."

"Then what, you would be a millionaire?" Ethan smirked.

"I heard you were being held up in here, so I thought I should check to see if you did your own version of prison break." Thomas laughed as he walked over to Ethan, passing him the water bottle by his phone. "That and I wanted to see how you were recovering."

Thomas took a look at Ethan's body himself, and because he was shirtless, he could see how his sides were an ugly colour - compared to his normal skin tone.

"Do you really think should be boxing in that state?" Thomas asked out of consideration.

Ethan waved off Thomas' concern and laughed it away. "Just doing a bit of a stress reliever. It was between this, drinking, and sex."

Thomas let out a sound that made it like he understood Ethan's motivation. "At least two of those are healthy... Maybe only one - if you take into account all the diseases you may catch."

"Don't tell me you're a prude..." Ethan mocked. He loved his own lifestyle, so he was against anyone that was against his.

Thomas shrugged his shoulders as he remained modest like usual. "Not a prude, not a slut either."

"Wow..." Ethan faked significant shock as he clutched his chest. "Are you calling me a slut? My my... doesn't Tommy boy have a potty mouth..."

Thomas involuntarily twitched as he then saw the stupid grin on Ethan's face. "I still hate it when you call me that."

Ethan began to redo his hand wraps as he had finished his unplanned break. He stood in front of the punching bag as he took a couple of quick swings at it.

"You do this a lot?" Thomas wondered.

"I never liked team sports." Ethan continued to punch the bag as he talked to Thomas. "I've always been into more physical sports when I was young. People used to tell me that this was a great way to relieve my emotions - and back then I was too young to drink... Or have sex."

Ethan was already being more open with him in the last 24 hours, compared to the entire last week. Thomas was interested in learning more about Ethan, because it was adding colour to the mystery canvas that was Ethan Shelton.

Thomas began to take his jacket suit off as he threw it at some nearby chair. He then grabbed some nearby punching pads and put them on.

Ethan was too distracted to see Thomas approach him. He felt the impact of the punching pads as Thomas smacked him on the side of his head.

"What the fuck?" Ethan yelled.

Thomas grinned back at Ethan as he held his punching pads up. "It may not exactly be a team sport, but what do you say to me being your sparring partner?"

Thomas teased Ethan by smacking his head again. He then prepared himself by getting into position. "You'll probably enjoy punching me instead of the bag.

"Tru-"

Thomas did it again as he began to menacingly laugh at Ethan. Ethan began to get riled up as Thomas kept jabbing him every here and there.

Ethan's next punch deliberately missed the punching bag as it landed on Thomas' chest. As Thomas recoiled back with laughter, Ethan continued punching the pads as his mood became brighter.

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