Chapter 45
Yuna
“Let Love In”
The penthouse felt empty with Ares gone.
Business, he said. That was the only explanation I got before he slipped out earlier.
I sat at the dining table with my sketchbook open, lavender color pencil moving slowly across the page while my breakfast sat half-finished beside me.
Egg whites. Fruit. Toast. A couple of slices of bacon.
Healthy shit.
My doctor had been very clear about the importance of having a balanced breakfast.
I reached for the small pill holder beside my plate and swallowed my morning doses with a sip of water.
A medicine for my twitching hands, and an Anti-psychotic.
Only the doctor knew the real reason I needed it.
The voices.
They had been quieter lately.
Almost gone.
The medicine kept the rage down, too. The nightmares didn’t hit as hard when I slept.
I picked up my vape and took a slow pull.
No nicotine.
Ares made sure of that.
The vapor drifted away while I leaned back in my chair.
This morning had already been productive.
Breakfast.
Medication.
A full Zoom session with my counselor an hour ago.
She said I sounded clearer.
Stronger.
I guess I felt that way, too.
I had a small craving earlier.
Drugs had a way of whispering to you when things got quiet.
But it passed.
Especially knowing Ares had my back the way he did. I didn’t need drugs anymore to fill in the void.
I stared down at the sketch in front of me.
The lavender fields from yesterday were taking shape on the page.
Still though…
My mind kept circling back to last night.
It had been almost two years since I’d had sex without drugs or chaos attached to it.
And with Ares…
It felt different.
Sex was just sex to me most of the time.
But I could tell he was trying to make it something else.
Trying to make me feel him.
Feel something deeper.
Maybe even submit.
My brain didn’t like that idea.
Not at all.
But my heart kept whispering something else.
Let love in.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that.
I enjoyed last night.
He made me feel good.
Really good.
But enjoying something and giving yourself to it weren’t the same thing.
My pencil moved again across the page.
I was halfway through shading the lavender rows when I heard the elevator open behind me.
I looked up.
Vivi stepped in.
She looked elegant as always. Perfect hair. Tailored clothes. Calm eyes that looked like Ares’.
She walked over slowly.
“Well,” she said gently, “you look alive.”
I smirked slightly. “Morning to you, too.”
“Eating. Drawing. Taking your medicine. Sounds like you are on the road to queen status.”
I shrugged. “I’m trying.”
She sat across from me. I could tell she didn’t come all the way here just to check my breakfast habits.
After a moment, she sighed.
“Your mother and father keep calling me.”
I rolled my eyes immediately. “Why?”
“Because my son won’t answer them.” She continued, “They want to push forward with the public proposal.”
I froze slightly.
Public?
“I think they’re right, though,” she added carefully.
I leaned back in the chair. “Of course you do.”
She didn’t react to the sarcasm. “My father Marcel is dying. And everyone keeps forgetting this agreement has a timeline.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“This has to be locked in within nine months.” She looked at me carefully. “You only have seven left.”
I stared down at the table. “I don’t want to be known as a Laveau publicly.”
“That’s a part of showing the alliance.”
“I’ll do it,” I said after a moment. “But I don’t want to show my face.”
Vivi nodded immediately. “You won’t have to.”
Relief slipped through my chest.
I sighed and leaned back again. “Okay.”
I rubbed my temples. “I hate this.”
Vivi’s expression softened in a way that felt surprisingly genuine.
“I know.” She reached across the table briefly and squeezed my hand. “You didn’t ask for this life.”
“No,” I muttered. “I definitely didn’t.”
She stood up after that. “I have a condo in this same building,” she said as she walked toward the door. “I’ll be around Paris for a while.”
She paused.
“If you need anything, Tommy can call me.”
She added one last thing.
“Oh, and I’ll see to it that my son gets you a phone.”
I looked up at her.
That part alone felt like a victory.
She gave me a small knowing smile when the elevator doors closed behind her.
The penthouse went quiet again, and all I could think about was, “Is Vivi trying to be on my side sincerely?”
$$$$$
Later that afternoon, the quiet turned into something comfortable.
I moved out onto the balcony while the TV inside the living room played loudly so I could hear it.
American news.
Southern California news, to be exact.
I sat at the outdoor table eating a loaded turkey club sandwich stacked high with bacon and avocado.
A bowl of homemade chips sat beside it.
Sparkling strawberry water fizzed in the glass next to my plate.
The TV volume shifted slightly, and a news anchor’s voice sharpened.
“…breaking updates in an ongoing homicide investigation for entrepreneur and mayor in the running Micheal Vale, and celebrity palates instructor Lyric Banks …”
My hand paused halfway to my mouth.
On the screen were two photos.
A man.
And a woman.
The woman was pretty and had brown skin.
Blonde hair.
I didn’t recognize either of them.
“…authorities say the woman was reportedly one of billionaire Ares Delacroix-Jackson’s many girlfriends…”
I raised an eyebrow.
“…both victims were found deceased several weeks ago. The FBI has now entered the investigation and is actively searching for the killer…”
Right then, the elevator opened.
Ares stepped into the penthouse like the news had summoned him.
His eyes flicked toward the television for half a second before he walked straight out onto the balcony.
I leaned back in my chair.
“They just showed one of your girlfriends.”
He didn’t even blink.
“Said she’s dead.”
Instead of answering that, he looked down at my plate.
“That sandwich doing you good?”
I laughed.
“Yeah.”
He leaned against the railing casually. “I’m taking you out for a nice dinner tonight.”
I frowned slightly.
“To get you out of this house again.”
I hesitated.
He caught it immediately.
“Don’t worry.”
His tone softened just a little.
“I promise nobody will see you that matters.”
I studied him for a moment. “Okay.”
He walked over and sat across from me.
Took a slow pull from his vape.
Then casually reached across the table and stole a bite of my sandwich.
I smacked his hand lightly.
“That’s mine.”
He grinned. “And you’re beautiful.” He took another bite.