51. Delilah
Chapter fifty-one
Delilah
S tanding in front of the bathroom mirror, I tried breathing regularly once again. Michael is dead.
Seeing a dead body was probably one of the most horrific things I have ever faced. I obviously was still in some sort of shock or panic because I wanted to cry out of fear and horror, but I couldn’t anymore. Maybe I was numb, or maybe I was just scared. Scared of what would happen to me, my family… Uncle Eugene.
Still, the only people who know are Benjamin and Nathan, as I haven’t told anyone. How could I? I couldn’t go home afterward as I knew my mother and father would force it out of me, so I hid in my room at Kimi’s place. They call me daily, and I have to force myself to act like everything is fine.
Kimi asked me what happened, but I couldn’t speak without wanting to vomit. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her either. Her parents were out of town for the week, and she didn’t question me when I told her I wanted to stay for a little while. Other than trying to get the image of the dead man out of my mind, I’ve tried to busy myself with my online classes for the last few days.
I also haven’t been entirely ignoring Archer, but my one-word text responses are definitely not enough. He knows I’m at Kimi’s house, and even though he’s worried, he’s giving me space.
Deciding that I had sulked enough, I showered and got dressed in a grey long-sleeve shirt and black leggings. I took my hair out of its ponytail and ran my fingers through it slowly as I left the bathroom. Turning off the light, I looked over to my bed to see Archer rubbing his head in distress. I guess he felt like three days was enough.
Hearing the door open, his eyes shot over to me, and he stood up abruptly, making his way over to me. Wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me into him, and I rested my arms around his neck. We stayed silent as we embraced, and I loved every moment of it.
“Princess, are you okay?” he asked, and I sighed. Do people not know the sheer panic and distress that those three words can cause?
I didn’t respond at first, but I needed to let him know what happened. Someone else needed to help me tolerate this burden.
“Michael is dead,” I said softly, and he didn’t say anything. “Uncle Eugene killed him,” I whispered, my arms unconsciously tightening around his neck.
He remained silent as he rubbed patterns on my back softly.
Tears came to my eyes, and he shushed me softly as a sob broke through. I was on a twelve-hour no crying streak, and here he comes, messing it up.
“Uncle Eugene told me Michael had planned to kidnap me and torture me… my own father,” I whispered again.
“...Answer my question, baby,” he muttered.
I looked up at him as I tilted my head. Wiping my tears away with his thumbs softly, he kissed my lips before asking his question again. “Are you okay?”
I took a deep breath as I shrugged. “I’m scared,” I whispered, and he nodded.
“You have every right to be.”
I wiped my tears as he grabbed my hand, and we sat at my window seat.
“It all just happened so fast. One minute we talked, and the next, he was holding me hostage. The look in his eyes changed almost instantly. I wasn’t his daughter… I was his ticket to millions of dollars. He didn’t care what would happen to me. If Uncle Eugene wasn’t there—” I said, choking up at the end.
Archer simply listened as he rubbed the back of my hand, attempting to calm my nerves.
“Should I be afraid of him? Of Uncle Eugene?” I asked him.
He didn’t say anything for a moment.
“I think we should be cautious of him, but it’s clear he cares for you and would do anything to protect you—even if he’s shady and working with my father.”
I nodded; however, we still didn’t know for sure if that was the case. I didn’t want to explicitly say it, but it seemed as though all signs pointed to Eugene still working for Calvin. Part of me wanted to know why. Why did he know I would be in the alley? Why is he so secretive, still having connections to my father’s rival? Why did he not even hesitate to pull the trigger like this came naturally to him?
We stayed in silence for some time, and I shifted positions as I laid my head on his chest. Archer’s phone unfortunately rang, and he gazed over at it in anger. Picking it up, he sighed as he spoke.
“Yes, Father,” he muttered, and my mind drifted elsewhere as I let him finish his conversation.
Hanging up the phone, he placed his head in the crook of my neck and sighed.
“I don’t want to go to the office.” He pouted, and I giggled for the first time in a few days. He smiled, hearing my laugh, and I kissed his forehead.
“You’ll be fine without me for a few hours, Lockwood,” I muttered.
He groaned as I wrapped my arm around his neck. “Wipe that smile off your face, Princess,” he muttered childishly, and I giggled as he reluctantly smiled and placed a kiss on my lips.
Hearing a knock at the door, I slowly turned away from my reading and closed my book.
“Come in,” I said, and my mother entered the room as Kimi stood in the hall angrily.
“She doesn’t want to spend time with me, Bribri. Force her to!” she yelled and walked away, stomping her feet in the process.
My mother sat on the bed beside me and sighed. “As crazy as that girl is, I can’t help but feel like she’s right.”
I remained silent as she rubbed my knee.
“What happened, baby?” Mom asked, and I looked into her eyes, which held so much concern. I wanted to pour my heart out to her, but I couldn’t. As much as she hated Uncle Eugene, she loved him even more, and being pregnant, I don’t know how she would react to the news that her brother killed my father, her “brother-in-law.”
“I’m fine. I’m just confused, is all.”
Although she knew it wasn’t the entire truth, she didn’t push too hard for an answer.
“Mom,” I said softly, and she hummed as I thought for a moment about my choice of words. I didn’t want to share what happened with Michael, but there was something that had been on my mind about a certain someone, and she is one of the first people I want to ask for advice. Ever since he’s helped me come to terms with having Michael both in and out of my life, my feelings towards him have grown. I look forward to hearing his stupid voice in the morning and reading his sensual and impulsive text messages in the evening... even right now, I miss him, and he was just here a few hours ago.
“I... I think I’m falling in love with Archer.”
She smiled as I continued. “He’s just so affectionate, caring, and protective, and I am slowly growing to love everything about him,” I said truthfully as my heartbeat went a little faster, simply thinking about him.
“Falling in love with men like your father or Archer isn’t easy... But once you fall, you sink, and their flaws become meaningless. At that moment, you love them for who they are when they’re with you and who they can potentially be too,” Mom explained.
“When do you think I should tell him?” I asked genuinely, and she shrugged.
“Whenever you feel ready, honey. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when to tell him.”
I nodded my head, and for some reason, both of our phones rang, directing our attention to them. We picked both up, and lo and behold, Calvin had sent the two of us a message.
Calvin: Good evening, Kitten and Brielle. It’s been a while. Blaine has so graciously invited you all to dinner once again, and I took the liberty of hosting it in my home. The younger ones do not need to come as business matters will be discussed, but Kitten and Masahiko’s angry clone are welcome to join. Details about the dinner will soon be provided. Ta-ta for now.
“Blaine already told your father and me, and hearing this again... I don’t think my blood pressure will benefit from it,” Mom muttered.
I smiled. “I agree with you on that... But going wouldn’t be the worst.”
She sighed as she rubbed her temples. “I’ll have to think about it,” she muttered, and I nodded, understanding.
We talked for another fifteen to twenty minutes, and then the door opened. We both looked over to see Kimi standing with the twins in her arms, who seemed to be having a blast with her.
“Take them back,” she growled, and my mother smiled as she grabbed the babbling children and bid me goodbye. Kimi then closed the door and glared at me.
“I am your one and only best friend. Why won’t you tell me anything!” She pouted, and I sighed, knowing in full why I didn’t want to tell her everything because, well… Kimi is Kimi, and she tends to take things out of proportion at times.
Even so, I had to tell her. I couldn’t hold such a big secret from my other half.
I patted the spot beside me, and she sat down with her arms crossed.
“So, Kim-Kim... to sum it up… Uncle Eugene killed Michael, and I think I’m in love with Archer.”
Her eyes widened, and she blankly stared at me for about a minute or so in silence. I didn’t say anything, letting her process the information.
Eventually, she sighed.
“You should’ve kept it a secret,” she muttered, and I rolled my eyes while she sat motionless as I opened my book to continue reading.
Luca
“Wow... that happened faster than I anticipated it would,” I muttered, looking at the security footage of Eugene killing Michael.
Everything is going according to plan. Michael is dead, I have evidence of Eugene being a murderer, and Delilah is falling harder for Archer.
Only a matter of time before Eugene is convicted in front of the family and Killian finds out about his daughter. And what better time to reveal all of this than at the dinner Blaine planned for everyone once again?
What is it with these families and having dinners all the damn time? It’s almost like they can’t fight the urge to gather and create more chaos. Regardless, I only had them to thank as my plans fell into place.
However, I still needed to be cautious. Ivory seemed to be pacified for the time being, as my threats should have scared her enough... but I still have another—
“Oh gosh, he’s gonna kill us all!” Stephan screamed from his room, and I sighed.
—problem.
Standing, I walked over to his doorway and leaned against the frame. “Stop whining,” I said.
He glared at me. “This is all your fault, you know! You’re trying to tear this family apart.”
I tilted my head at his revelation. “That is the goal, yes. Now do me a favor: Put on your big boy pants and shut up.”
He threw his hands in the air angrily and yelled, “What even is the point of this? You have no reason to hate the Russels so much.”
I scoffed. “No reason? And just the Russels? Stephan... I’m not that shallow or desperate. I have every reason to hate that family, along with the Masahikos, your family, and sometimes even the Porters... but Blaine is too idiotic to be anyone that poses a real threat.”
I fully entered the room and leaned against the wall.
“Do you want to know the real reason why I despise them? Hmm? Well, for starters, Delilah is too fucking perfect, and oddly enough, I wanted to be with her initially. Feisty though soft and delicate, but lo and behold, Archer made her give in to his desperation, so now I can’t have her. Kimiko and that idiot boyfriend of hers have essentially tarnished my name in the academy, and I no longer hold any power there. Some could say in my father’s business, I could thrive, but I’ll be damned if I follow in his footsteps and kiss Archer’s ass just like he does with Calvin. So, am I angry and bitter? Yes, because, for lack of better words, I can no longer get what I want anymore because of them,” I finished.
He stared at me in silence.
My phone rang in my pocket, and I looked at the caller ID.
“Speak of the devil,” I muttered as I answered the phone and spoke. “Father.”
He sighed into the phone. “Whatever you are doing, Luca… you need to stop,” he muttered, and I furrowed my eyebrows.
“I’m not following.”
“You’re starting to become a bit of a problem, a distraction, if you will, to Archer and Calvin.”
My jaw clenched as I ignored Stephan’s gaze. “I think you and the Lockwoods have more pressing matters to be concerned about. I’m sure we can both agree on that.”
“Luca… I know you, son. I know you’re digging yourself far too deep into their affairs.”
I chuckled as I placed my hand in my pocket and walked to the living room.
“You don’t know anything, Father. I’ve done nothing wrong. If anything… the Lockwoods, Masahikos, Porters, and Russels are just getting a taste of reality after comfortably living their lives filled with deceit... Everyone around them worships the ground they walk upon, and we’re supposed to act as if they’re latter-day saints? If the truth is supposed to set us free, why must everything be kept in discretion ?” I asked.
My father remained silent.
I grinned as I spoke into the phone one last time. “Have a good rest of your day, Father… I’ll see you at the dinner.”
Without waiting for him to respond, I ended the phone call and sighed as I looked around the room. Michael’s belongings were still here, and I needed to dispose of them quickly.
“Stephan, get your ass in here,” I yelled, and he trudged his way back in, looking as miserable as ever. “Get rid of Michael’s things,” I muttered.
His eyes widened. “No! You brought him in here. He’s your fucking responsibility!”
I groaned in annoyance. “You need to clean up the place, Stephan... If anyone finds out he stayed here, it’ll all be traced back to you. I mean, he lived with you for his entire time here in the city. If you don’t want to be responsible for housing and feeding Delilah’s unhinged father, then get to work,” I muttered as I grabbed my jacket.
Stephan remained silent, processing my words. Then, for the first time in a few months, he smiled.
“What’s got you so excited? Did you find a nickel or something?” I asked, picking up my keys.
He chuckled. “If I know one thing I despise about the Russels, it’s that they talk... a lot. You may have a shot at bringing them down, but if I know Ivory like I know I do, she’s probably already told Delilah. So frame me all you want... but this shitstorm may just have a fucked-up way of coming right back to you.” He finished with a wave goodbye, and I left without saying another word.
Closing the door behind me, I smirked internally as I walked to the elevator.
It would be unfortunate if that little girl actually said something about my conversation with Stephan the other day. If this all goes down the drain because of a fucking kid... then who knows. Michael wasn’t technically the only person I knew who had nothing to lose. And if I lost it all and soon had nothing to lose... then I’d be added to the list.