Chapter 30 A Not So Sweet Homecoming
A Not So Sweet Homecoming
LUKE
EIGHT YEARS AGO:
Alpha Kings Mansion
Aunt Tater has outdone herself. The aroma of roast beef fills the air.
The dining room looks like a photo in one of those fancy living magazines.
I can’t believe it. I’ve never seen the room look so professionally and elegantly decorated.
Hell, it doesn’t ever look like this when we have a special guest over.
I hug and greet everyone. Being with my family takes me out of my foul mood.
Despite the little feud between Jessica and me, I think I can ignore her for the rest of the night. Or, well, try to.
My mind keeps replaying her little speech in the hall, where her raspy voice magically cleared.
Yeah, right, she’ll leave. She has too much to lose.
Who the hell would give up being a princess, not to mention free money, a luxury home, and an elite education?
I know she won’t leave. I know it. She knows it.
All her brave talk is just that—talk. I’m onto her.
She isn’t the first woman to use me to become the future Luna Queen or, in her case, a princess.
I won’t let that happen, especially not after Sherise.
A sharp pain in the back of my arm brings me back to the present. Spinning around to face my attacker, I find Emily—all five foot nine, long, glossy black hair, and dark piercing eyes that gleam with the promise of murder in them.
“Ouch! What the hell was that for?” I whine, rubbing my arm.
“For being a douche canoe! I hope you can live with yourself after what you did.”
Great. Jessica must have told her or Sixes about earlier.
The twins mentioned that Emily and Sixes are friends with her.
Their girl trio has apparently been inseparable since she moved in.
Why am I surprised that she’d sic Emily on me?
Emily’s like a bulldog, overly protective and loyal to a fault.
Fuck with her or those she cares about, and she attacks first, asks questions later.
Now she’s using Emily to fight her battles.
I grab Emily by the elbow and pull her to the side so no one can overhear our conversation.
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean for her to fall off the balcony.
She just made me so angry, I lost control of my magic. ”
Emily’s expression transforms from a murderous glare to… shock? She raises a hand. “Wait. Who the hell did you push off a balcony? Elaine? Damn. I wish I was there to see that.”
What the…? I frown. She’s not mad because of Jessica? “Wait. What the hell are you mad at me for, then?”
“You ignored my phone calls and texts for the past few weeks. I hope your insides rot from guilt and… No, don’t change the subject.
Who did you push off a balcony?” I glance around the room, avoiding her direct gaze, when she grabs my face.
“Who did you push off the balcony?” she repeats slowly, like I’m a child who can’t follow directions.
I swallow. In my peripheral vision, the spiky platinum blonde hair flits around the dining room, mingling with my family. I shift my gaze for a millisecond before focusing on Emily, but she figures it out.
Her jaw drops, and she hisses, “You didn’t.”
“It was an accident,” I hiss back.
“Lucretius Jacob Langhlam, I am so going to kick your fucking ass, and then when I am done with you, I will tell Liam so he can finish you off, cut you up into pieces, and feed your body parts to the pigs!”
I desperately glance around the room. Everyone is so busy talking to each other, they don’t mind Emily’s outburst. “Keep it down! Like I said, it was an accident!” I whisper harshly.
“You! You of all people should know better. After everything she’s been through, how could you?”
Her words hit me like a knife in the back. “You’re not even going to listen to my side? Am I the only one who thinks her being here is a bit suspicious?”
“You know what, Luke? Not everyone is Sherise or Elaine.” She folds her arms in front of her. “I’m so mad at you right now—I can’t even look at your face!” She spins around, whipping me with her long hair as she stalks away.
I want to follow her to plead my case when Joe whistles for everyone’s attention.
He announces that everyone has arrived and asks us all to take our seats.
Usually, family dinners are held in the music room, and food is set up on a table against the wall in warmers.
I wonder why tonight is so different, so formal.
It can’t be just because I returned home.
The staff serve us first with a soup. Jessica sits next to Anders. Nothing is placed in front of her, though. She stands and walks over to Joe. She inclines her head for him to sit at the table.
Justin, on the other side of her, says, “Come on, Joe. Join us.”
He blushes and shakes his head. Anders motions for Joe to take the chair that Jessica vacated. She pulls Joe by the hand, and he finally concedes. Jessica pats his shoulder and kisses his cheek, making him blush even more.
“You will always be family, Joe.” I raise my glass to him, and everyone follows suit. I glance in Jessica’s direction. I want her to hear so she understands I accept staff as family over her any day. I quickly glance toward Emily and tense from her immediate scowl. A heaviness weighs down my chest.
My father clears his throat and stands from his seat.
“I know we usually have a more casual get-together. But tonight, Jessica asked if she could make a special dinner. She worked hard these past weeks, doing chores to earn money to pay for all the food and decorations. She kicked Tater and Joe out of the kitchen to prepare everything all on her own. It was important to her to welcome you home, Luke. She wanted to make a good impression. At the same time, she wanted to thank everyone for accepting, loving, and welcoming her into our family.”
I look around at the table. Everyone smiles, eyes brimming with emotion. Was I wrong to assume that she was some gold-digging, manipulative person? No. No, this is part of the scam. I know it! How can every single person at this table not see what she’s doing?
My father’s eyes shine with pride. Gazing at my mother, she wipes at her tears. He places a hand on her shoulder. “Before the soup gets cold, how about we eat?” he encourages us with a nod.
I almost issue a snarky comment, warning everyone that we might get poisoned.
Then, I think better of it. It seems everyone except me genuinely loves her.
She must be a very good actress, pretending to be shy and to hate being in the center of attention.
No one comments on the fact that she hasn’t returned to join the rest of us.
I can’t stifle my curiosity so I finally ask, “Why isn’t Jessica eating with the rest of us, especially since she went to all the trouble of making dinner?”
Justin looks at me from across the table, but Jeremy answers, “She doesn’t eat in front of anyone. She’s a little self-conscious about her teeth. It’s also why she doesn’t talk much.”
I frown. She spoke to me. I hadn’t really paid attention to her teeth.
Emily elbows Jeremy. “That’s not why she doesn’t talk. Her voice is still hoarse from the tracheostomy. The initial cut damaged her vocal cords. She’s been working with a speech therapist to strengthen her voice.”
Bile rises in my throat. The hole in her throat makes her unable to speak?
Jeremy adamantly shakes his head. “She won’t eat in front of others or talk because of her teeth.”
I snort. “A little vain, don’t you think?”
Justin retorts, “It’s more than that. You weren’t here when she finally saw what she looked like, after she woke up from being in a coma. That beating she took damaged her teeth. When she looks in the mirror, she thinks… she thinks she’s ugly,” he admits with a blush.
I have to admit that when I first saw her with the large glasses and the baseball cap hiding her face.
I didn’t see past the camouflage, but when she removed her glasses and glared at me with those pale blue eyes, striking dark brows, and thick dark lashes.
I nearly forgot what I was saying, which made me angrier.
I assumed she deliberately used her looks to manipulate me.
The staff brings in the main course, removing our soup bowls.
Jessica is among them. For the first time since being home, I study her.
She doesn’t fully smile, careful not to show teeth.
She gestures a lot with her head or hands, like she’s mute.
She covers her mouth when she laughs. Silver glints in the light.
She wears braces. Big deal. The glasses cover up most of her face, partially hiding the long scar down the left side of her face.
If I look carefully, I notice bald spots where hair hasn’t fully grown in yet.
She seems comfortable with everyone here, but she still hesitates, keeping her distance.
Charlie flirts with her, and I roll my eyes.
He flirts with everyone. But she doesn’t blush or drop the plate she holds, as some women do around Charlie when he cranks up the charm.
She murmurs something that makes Ean roar with laughter and Liam chuckle.
Then, she just walks away without looking back.
Emily reaches for her arm and whispers into her ear. Jessica presses her lips together. Why? To stop a smile? Emily wraps her arms around Jessica’s waist in a hug before releasing her. Jessica kisses the top of Emily’s head before leaving the room.
Elias leans forward to speak to my parents. “Those two are inseparable. I hope Emily’s not being a pest. She never comes home anymore.”
My mother scoffs. “Elias, you know your kids are more than welcome here any time.”
“Yeah, except Emily’s a bit of a—well, for a girl, she’s not the tidiest person.”
“Hey, I heard that!” Emily grumbles. Ean, Elijah, and Liam laugh. Emily throws a roll at Liam, but he catches it and takes a big bite. My parents chuckle as well.