Chapter 2.01: 3 Months Later
Things changed a lot after Leila arrived back at Cleo's family estate. The place was a mess, with Alek claiming the Bryants were gone. The family managed to get them back through the legal system and would have them until the court date. This left her frustrated beyond belief, but her injuries were the focus at the moment. Alek hurried to grab her as she was covered in bruises with blood having dried on her skin. The older man's expression turned feral when he saw Ezekiel, clearly blaming him for what happened. After that day, the relationship between the two men was more sour than cordial.
Leila wasn't too sure what her relationship was with the blonde anymore, either. For the following three months, she struggled to speak with him. The man was being blamed heavily by both Alek and her father for her state. Their shared anger helped the two repair their broken bond, which sucked. She tried to fight for his reputation, but her father said that Ezekiel was a trained soldier. There should have been no scenario she nearly drowned while under his protection. And no matter what she said, nothing would change his opinion of the situation. So not only had she broken Ezekiel's trust, but she had destroyed his connection to her family.
This left her with only Alek by her side. Cleo's brother was still addicted, but he was putting to heal. She got a nurse that understood the relationship the two had and kept her comments to herself. All the middle-aged woman cared about was getting her paycheck and leaving on time. Leila offered her a room in the servants' section of the estate, but she declined. Stating that she lived with her son and that the commute could just be added to her paycheck. This was fine for the dark-haired woman, who was glad to not have a busy body. This helped her grow a stronger bond with Alek. He was desperate for someone to cling to, and she was there.
It was immoral to feel this way, but she enjoyed it. The heiress needed allies, and she didn't want to depend on mind control to have them. Doing that in the first place got her into her current position. It felt wrong to feed into Alek's incestuous desires toward her, but she had no other choice. She knew what and what not to do. They hadn't been intimate beyond touching yet. She couldn't stomach tucking the man, and he was too afraid of hurting her to try. Instead, they trained together. Three times a week, twelve times a month, they would spar and hunt wildlife. Alek had to rebuild his muscle, and she had to just get better.
The sparring sessions made them get closer. Leila realized that she loved fighting. The feeling of riding horseback and hitting a target with a bow gave her a rush of adrenaline. Sinking a knife into a sandbag and digging in deep was thrilling. She wasn't too sure if this was from Cleo or just herself adapting to her new life. But either way, the teen was preparing to end the royals by her hand. Alek was keeping her on her toes with every new session they had with each other. The pure joy that thrummed through her body was exhilarating. He saw it every single time their fists met, and it started to excite him, too. A bond based on violence and lust was better than anything she could have gotten.
By the time three months passed, so much had changed. It was hard to recognize herself in the mirror with scars and those vacant green eyes. It wasn't herself she was seeing Cleo. No, it was a new person who was set on getting payback. Her memories were getting muddled with both sides, emotionally charged. These feelings kept her focused on who had been in the real world. And who she would be if she failed. Now she stood in her room, preparing for a new adversary. An enemy that had been obvious since the very beginning. Someone that angered her so much she wanted to snap his neck. Leila tried to smile, but it was too fake for her comfort as her bedroom door swung open.
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Standing by the door, stood Cleo's mother. Even though the woman chose to dress today, her beauty was too powerful to be quenched. "Your brother has arrived. With his bride-to-be." There was a knowing twinkle in her eyes when she caught Leila’s brief expression. It was of pure disgust.
It was no secret that Leila had a distaste for all of Cleo's brothers besides Alek. They were all a bunch of bastards who mistreated their lovers. Her oldest brother seduced some poor girl who was ready to marry him. Only after six months of knowing one another and four spent dating. The family wasn't told much about her, just that she never worked and was very sweet. All that told her was that the bastard was taking advantage of her. Meaning she would be forced to watch some girl become a victim of an abusive asshole. It sickened her beyond belief, and she wouldn't play fake.
Her disdain would be blatant the entire time the monster was here. And she would observe this naive girl from the sidelines. Living with a trained killer wasn't a fairytale, and she needed to understand that. The teenager sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes as her mother walked over. The imposing woman reached over to touch her dress strap. She readjusted it with a simple smile that said a thousand words with one glance. Leila knew she had a lot on her mind that went unsaid. Not that she cared about her son's fiance. The woman saw her as just another investment. But she didn't want their public image souring from the wedding. The leash was tight around Leila’s neck with her.
"I know you don't approve of their arrangement, but you can pretend to be happy for him. Your brother will be giving you a niece, after all." The mention of the poor girl being pregnant made her feel dizzy.
This was something new that made her eyebrow raise in surprise. The dark-haired heiress swallowed thickly before responding. It was a dry swallow that didn't help. "He got her pregnant? Is that why the wedding is happening so suddenly? That's nice."
Her mother covered her mouth to laugh with her hand. Rings and encrusted jewelry decorated it as she looked off to the side with amusement. "The situation isn't ideal, but I would like you to play nice. Use Alek as stress relief for the time being."
The woman spoke about her other son, whom no mother should have. She saw him as nothing more than a failed experiment. Leila was given full rein over him. But her mother made it very clear that no funny business should go on. He could get clean from his drug addiction but had to be attached to Leila’s hip afterward. Just thinking about it was gross for the teenager. The man needed to be loyal to the family and loyal to his sister. The older woman hinted that sexual favors would be a good idea to make this happen. Along with abusing the fragile mental state the man was in. Leila knew that she was abusing him already and had zero intentions to make that abuse become sex driven.
It was hard to deal with the knowledge that Cleo's mother was so cruel. The teenager believed a true villain was someone like her. Someone who treated their children like pawns who had to be grateful for her sacrifices or else. It was wrong. It made it very clear to her that not everyone should be a parent. Not every woman should be permitted to give birth to a child or to become a mother. She let out a shudder, thinking about the reason she was this way. Then she stopped herself with a brief sigh. There was no excuse for her actions. No matter what happened to the older woman in the past could provide a valid reason for abusing a child.
With a fake grin, she nodded and held her hands together in a tight grasp. "Your right, mother. I have to apologize for my behavior." The look the woman gave her wasn't very comforting, but she accepted it.