Allison Argent was many things - spoiled, entitled, selfish, and mean - but she wasn’t stupid. Allison knew how to get what she wanted very easily and better yet, she knew exactly how the people around her reacted to her ways. Despite how her father had done his best to coax her into believing nothing was happening tonight, the young heiress was well aware of all the commotion going on. The whispers were heard everywhere but Allison chose to ignore, wearing the tiniest smirk of self-satisfaction. It seemed her father, as expected, had wasted no time in acting out after their meeting. What Allison hadn’t expected was the way she had suddenly been wracked by guilt. Neal wouldn’t be the first person to suffer her father’s wrath because of her and he probably wouldn’t be the last. But as the night wore on and the more whispers she heard, the more nauseated she became. The thought of not seeing him again and dealing with his irksome ways bothered her more than she thought it would. So, in another classically badly thought out decision, Allison had ordered one of her father’s lackey’s to take her to the meeting. She had to stop Neal’s execution.
There was a clamor that could be heard coming from the familiar warehouse and despite the protest of some of her family members, Allison clawed her way into the building. The sight that met her wasn’t one she didn’t expect but it was one that made her feel sick to her stomach. She had caused this. “Ms. Argent, stop! Your father didn’t want you here” Diana’s voice rang from behind her and hse felt the female’s firm grip on her bicep. “The hell with what my father wants!” Diana tightened her grip but that didn’t deter the young woman. “Let me go!” She hissed and whether it was due to the venom of her voice or Diana recognizing that she couldn’t and shouldn’t try to control her boss’ daughter, the grip on her arm was gone. Within seconds, she had pushed her way through the crowd and was standing between her father’s cocked gun and Neal’s body on the ground. She didn’t spare much of a glance at Neal, her mind only directing her to stand between the two men but the blood that surround her guard was enough to tell her that Chris had taken his time in dealing his punishments for a while now.
There was a shock in Chris’ expression that quickly morphed into anger. Allison had crossed a line. She had stood up against her father’s authority in front of their family. It was something even she couldn’t get away with. Slowly, he lowered the gun a few inches before speaking. “Allison...” he began, his voice low and calculating. “Get out of the way.” The brunette shook momentarily, knowing full well that it would be in her best interest to move. Allison adverted her gaze and turn to look at Neal fully for the first time since she had stormed the building and her stomach clenched at the sight. He was bloodied and battered, his breath shallowed. Neal looked ready to die but the thought of him dead made her nauseous. She couldn’t let it happen. With a deep and shaky breath in, Allison turned her dark gaze back to her father, meeting his pale blues unwaveringly, challengingly. “No.” The single word brought a wave of tension around the entire area and she could hear the scattered noises of shock and the whispers that floated around. Chris heard them too and she watched as his jaw clenched, his eyes communicating very clearly that she had about three seconds to step away. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it?” It was another way of offering her a warning to move but she stayed firm and shook her head defiantly. The strike shouldn’t have surprised her as much as it did but still, a loud and pained gasp tore through her at the powerful impact of her father’s hand against her cheek, forceful enough to turn her head. Chris had never struck her before and that’s when Allison knew exactly how much she had crossed over the line. Her cheek burned and ached and Allison had to take a second to regain her composure before she gathered enough dignity and courage to lift her gaze up again. “I said get out of the way; I won’t repeat myself again.,” Chris warned her one last time, but despite how her eyes watered from the blow and how her cheek burned. Allison did not budge. Neal would not die because of her. “And I said no.” As the final word slipped from her mouth, Allison shut her eyes and clenched her fists at her side, knowing full well that a second blow was coming. One didn’t get away with disobeying her father publicly and not reap some sort of consequence. @thecaffrey