CHAPTER 30
C HAPTER 30
ALLYN
“Allyn, you don’t need to help me. If someone from the King family sees you, they’ll kill me.”
“The King family can go to hell.”
And I meant it. Every single one of them.
If I want to help my friend, then damn right, I will. Lately, Lara’s been slowly opening up to me—talking more, even laughing. She’s the reason I’m still sane in this mansion. I can feel her eyes on me as I mop the floor in the vast, open space on the first floor.
“Why don’t you go to the place I told you about?” she asked. “I think you’d love it there. You look like you could use some quiet.”
Lara told me about a small, beautiful lake hidden in the mansion’s sprawling garden forgotten by the King family, tucked away among the trees on their property.
When I say the land around the residence is huge, I mean it’s like an entire forest in their backyard.
“Maddox would never let me go anywhere alone,” I said. “You know I’ve got a babysitter following me everywhere I go.”
Lara bit her lip. “That’s sad.”
I nodded. “It is.”
Lara’s the only person here I can have a real conversation with. Well and Lydia as well but she is not around that much.
I always look forward to our mornings together with Lara.
Life hasn’t been fair to her. She’s so kind, so young, but life’s already stolen her spark. Yet, I’ve never heard her complain.
She does her job with a smile and she’s been doing it for years.
She deserves so much more than this—mopping floors and serving breakfast. A future, dreams to chase, not to be locked in this place all day, doing whatever this family tells her to do.
“Lara, I have an idea,” I said out of nowhere, pausing my work to look at her. She turned, still holding a rag, giving me her full attention.
“Why don’t you come home with me sometime? Get away from all of this, even just for a little while?”
It would be good to take her out of this grey, monotonous life she’s stuck in here, even if only for a brief escape. A surprised expression crossed her face, blinking slowly—as if processing the idea.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said quickly, sighing. ‘‘The King Family-’’
“Why are you so concern about what they will think?’ I stopped her before she could even finish.
“They saved me. I owe them everything.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused, but she couldn’t meet my gaze.
In an instant, the entire mood shifted. Her smile vanished, and her eyes started to water. I panicked.
“Lara, I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”
She wiped her eyes, forcing a soft smile, just like she always does.
“No, it’s okay,” she whispered, shaking her head. There was a long pause before she spoke again.
“My family was killed. I had no one. I had nothing. And if it wasn’t for them… I’d probably be homeless or dead, like my parents.”
She was crying, but my heart shattered with her words.
I dropped the mop and pulled her into my arms, holding her as tightly as I could while she sobbed into my hands.
She is carrying so much pain, it’s unfair. My heart breaks for her and her family. This world has failed her.
She hugged me back just as tightly.
‘‘I’m so sorry, Lara,” I mumbled through teary eyes, holding her close. “I’m so deeply sorry.”
“You’re the first person I’ve ever told this to,” she sobbed into my shoulder, her voice trembling. “I miss them so much. They were all I had, and I watched them die in front of me. I couldn’t do anything.”
Oh My God.
My heart sank, a heavy weight settling in my chest. I couldn’t even begin to imagine the fear she felt, what it must have been like to watch her parents die helplessly.
“It’s not your fault, Lara. It’s not,” I whispered, gently stroking her hair. “It’s not your fault we live in such a cruel world.”
I pulled back to meet her tearful eyes, brushing her cheeks with my thumb. “I’m here, okay? You’ll never be alone again. I’m here for you.”
And I meant it.
“Thank you, Allyn.”
Even with all the pain she carried, she managed to smile—despite the tears.
“Go rest and I’ll finish here, okay?” I said, gesturing to the mess I was cleaning.
“No, I’m good. I’ll help you.”
“Lara, please, go and rest. Do it for me.”
A few seconds passed before she sighed in defeat, seeing I wouldn’t back down. I gently took the rag from her hands and hugged her once more before she headed to her room.
I went back to cleaning the hallway, but my thoughts were still tangled in the conversation I had with Lara.
And here I was, complaining about my miserable life.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
A cold, deep voice cut through my thoughts. Maddox stood in the doorway, glaring at me.
“Cleaning,” I said, gesturing to my dirty clothes. “Something you’ve probably never done in your life.”
“I don’t recall your duties as Angelo’s fiancée, including cleaning the house,” he muttered as he stepped closer. “Where’s Lara?”
“I don’t have any duties as Angelo’s fiancée, except to look pretty and do as I’m told, right?”
I forced a smile, but he stayed silent, acknowledging that I was right without saying a word.
“I gave Lara a rest day. She needs it.”
To my surprise, he didn’t argue, simply nodding with a faint, amused smile.
“If Angelo sees you like this, he’ll have my head,” he said, watching my every move like it was the first time he’d ever seen anyone clean a floor.
“He will have more than enough reason to kill you, don’t you think?”
His expression changed, and I knew he understood exactly what I was talking about. But he didn’t seem to care. He just shrugged.
“Now, can you leave?”
“Fine,” he said. “We’re leaving tonight. You remember, right?”
“How could I forget?” I replied sarcastically. “Can I at least take a walk to the nearby lake when I’m done here?”
I looked up to find Maddox visibly surprised.
“The lake? How do you know about this place?”
“Lara told me,” I said, shrugging. “I’d like to see it.”
He sighed, removing his coat.
“Very well. Looks like we’re going to see the lake after all.”
“We? Can’t I just go alone?”
“No.”
Maddox didn’t offer any further explanation, as if the idea wasn’t even up for discussion. Without waiting for me to respond, he turned and walked toward the kitchen.
*****
An hour later, I was done with my tasks, changed into a white bikini just in case, with a short white dress over it.
When I made my way downstairs, Maddox was already waiting, speaking on the phone. He gave me a once-over before walking out, and I followed him.
“Do you know the way to the lake?”
I asked as we walked down a tree-lined path.
It was peaceful and so beautiful.
The King’s estate became a mere speck in the distance.
“Yes. I used to come here a lot as a kid.”
“With Angelo?”
“Alone”
I nodded. He clearly didn’t want to share more, so I kept pace behind him in silence.
We didn’t walk much longer before we stopped, and he stepped aside to allow me to pass at the end of the trail. As I did, I gasped.
In front of me lay a small, pristine pond, its crystal-clear waters surrounded by trees draped in blossoms. It was as if I’d stepped into a fairy tale. A secret haven hidden behind the trees.
My eyes struggled to take it all in, trying to etch the beauty into my memory, hoping I could hold onto it forever.
“It’s so beautiful!” I exclaimed, rushing to the water and dipping my fingers into the cool surface.
When I was little, I dreamed of having a small, cozy house in a spot like this—far away from everything and everyone. I didn’t need much, just this, and a person to make it feel like home.
“How much time do we have before we leave?”
I turned to look at Maddox, catching him staring at me with an unreadable expression. But his eyes… his eyes were softer than usual.
“Two hours,” he muttered, watching me slip off my shoes. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m going in,” I said, raising an eyebrow as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He just stared at me. “Aren’t you coming?”
“Fuck no,” he said, his face scrunching up like the very idea was ridiculous. I nodded, too excited to care.
I forgot to remove my dress and just waded into the water with it still on. The cool water collided with my skin, soothing me, easing the tension I hadn’t even realized was there. For the first time in a long while, I felt like a little kid again. Carefree and happy.
A real smile spread across my face as I swam, enjoying the purity of the moment. Meanwhile, Maddox stood at the edge of the lake with his arms crossed, silently watching.
“You’re missing out,” I called to him, a playful grin on my face.
“I doubt it,” he responded flatly.
But he didn’t try to stop me. I swam for a while longer, soaking in the peace of the lake. It felt like a sanctuary, a place where the rest of the world couldn’t reach me. I could stay here forever.
When I felt my skin start to shrivel and exhaustion crept in, I decided to take a break. I swam to the far edge of the lake, then walked out, my feet sinking into the soft grass as I approached Maddox, who was sitting on a rock, waiting.
His eyes followed me, a sharp intensity in his gaze as it lingered over the wet fabric of my white dress, clinging to my body in all the wrong ways. The material outlined every curve, and underneath, my bathing suit clung just as tightly.
He stared at me as if he wanted me again, or maybe it was just that I wanted to believe it.
But as I neared him, his gaze snapped away, and he shook his head— almost like he was trying to shake off whatever thoughts had been flooding his mind.
I sat beside him on the grass, letting the warmth of the sun soak into my skin. I loved how the sunlight kissed my body, giving me a fleeting sense of peace.
“Do you want my shirt?”
I shook my head without opening my eyes, too content in the moment to respond.
“We should head back to the mansion.”
“I don’t want to,” I murmured, lying back on the grass and letting the warmth of the earth ground me.
He tilted his head down, his shadow falling over me.
“It’s not a matter of choice.’’
“Nothing about this family is a matter of choice,” I muttered, my voice tinged with frustration. He nodded slightly, acknowledging my words.
“One day, you’ll get used to it.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“You will have to,” he shrugged. “You’ll be Angelo’s wife soon.”
His voice deepened slightly on that last word, and for a second, I could have sworn I saw something flicker in his eyes.
I swallowed hard, a strange impulse to speak my mind rising within me. Maybe the serenity of this place was loosening my grip on caution.
“And how does that make you feel?”
Maddox’s gaze snapped to mine, his dark eyes burning with intensity, making me shiver despite the heat of the sun.
“What do you mean?” he asked, his voice genuinely puzzled, as though the question hadn’t even occurred to him.
“After everything that happened between us, I thought—” I faltered, trying to find the right words. He raised an eyebrow, waiting.
“I don’t know… that it must be strange for you,” I finally finished, though I knew I was only scratching the surface of what was actually going on inside me.
It’s strange to me. This whole situation is messed up.
“We just fucked, princess,” his words landed like a slap, cold and cutting. “Don’t make it sound so complicated.”
I froze, my mouth hanging open. I wasn’t prepared for how brutal he would be, or maybe I wasn’t ready to face the harsh truth he just threw at me.
It was clear—for Maddox, it was just a game.
I tried to match his energy, to stand my ground, but the truth is, I’m not like him. I’m not heartless. Somewhere along the way, between all the mess and the chaos, it became more than just a one-time fuck.
I don’t like him—god, no.
But I don’t hate him either. In some twisted, messed-up way, I care about him. The scarred, arrogant, messed-up brother who wouldn’t know kindness if it bit him in the ass.
“So it’s really that easy for you?”
“Why? Should it be harder than that, or am I missing something?”
I can’t even believe this man. I scoffed, disbelief mingling with fury.
“You slept with your brother’s future wife, and you don’t even feel a shred of remorse about it?”
My cheeks burned with the weight of my anger, my words stabbing at him like daggers.
“No, Allyn. I don’t feel any of that.”
I don’t feel any of that.
That was like another hard slap in my face. Enough to bring me to the reality and show me his true colors.
Why did I feel my heart dropping with his words?
I don’t even know why I felt this way. It’s not like I expected anything from him.
‘‘Okay then,’’ I clapped my hands together, getting up from the grass, patting myself to make my dress look more decent. ‘‘Let’s just forget about everything and carry on with our lives.’’
I saw Maddox raise his eyebrow in surprise— as he watched me.
‘‘Sure, princess,’’ his lips curled up into a cruel smile. It was like a dagger aimed at me. ‘’That way, you can go and play the sweet loving fiancée from now on.’’
I saw him clenching his jaw even though he was smiling my way.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”
I offered him the same cruel smile, matching his energy and as if that bugs him enough to make his amused face disappear.
“Let’s go back, I have to get ready.”
I was out of his way before he can response. I was walking the way back to the house with a storm raging inside me.
But the last thing I will do is show weakness in front of a man like Maddox King. That’s all he’s waiting for - for you to show weakness so he can use it against you, crush you to the ground.
I won’t allow it.
Not this time.