ONYX'S POV: When I heard that Selah had visited again, I didn't even know how to react. I was mad and curious at the same time. I had asked the guard to make her wait outside. I was afraid of letting her into the house. Even without her presence here, she had caused a lot of havoc. Imagine having her in here. Maybe she'd kill everyone in the palace. One of the maids had reported that Cherry was awake but I decided that I was going to see her after attending to the situation at hand. Selah was standing behind one of the porches that lined the palace entrance. She leaned against the wall and as soon as she saw me, she straightened. I made sure to look as nonchalant as ever. Infact, her presence alone made me annoyed and it was just enough for me to speak to her without caring about her stupid emotions. "Hey,".she said and smiled at me. I honestly had no idea what she found funny. "Why are you here?" I asked, slipping my hands into my pocket. She
ONYX'S POV: The drive to the temple was quiet. I was brooding throughout the whole ride and wondering what I was going to say to the priest. I wasn't afraid of the man but he had a way of making me nervous. I was also feeling extremely guilty. I mean, I hadn't seen my parents since they had been taken away from the palace two weeks ago. I was a terrible son and there was nothing I could do about it. But I could still redeem myself today. My mother would forgive me and as for my father, he would come around it. The car drove through the gates that had been opened by one of the guards standing at the gate. He bowed and I nodded in acknowledgment. Once the car cruised to a halt in one of the parking spaces, the driver killed the engine and he hurried out of the car to open the door to me. I stepped out and looked up to the temple. It was built like a castle with triangular pinnacles and pillars running around it. The stained glass windows let the sun in a
ONYX'S POV: My father was staring at me like he was waiting for me to give him answers. I felt my heart beat increase as moments passed. My mother seemed to be hearing this for the first time because she was staring at me in shock. "Mind telling me, Onyx?" She asked as she stood to her feet. The gods knew I wasn't going to give her any reply. I wasn't here to talk about anything related to that. I was here to see how they were faring and now that I saw that they were good, I felt it was time to either change topics or get the hell out of here. "That's not relevant now. I want to know when you both will be returning to the palace. I—" "Will you tell me what you know or just wave it off like it doesn't matter?!" My mother yelled at the top of my voice and grabbed my shirt. She was shaking with anger and her glare was enough to eliminate me at the spot. I looked to my father for help but he turned his wheelchair and went into the adjoining room. Turning to loo
HAZEL'S POV; I knew when Onyx returned. I was seated in the garden, my usual spot when a car zoomed in through the palace gates.. My anxiety returned. Whenever I knew he was around, I always felt anxious as I didn't know what was going to come next for me. I felt bad after I had seen him talking to Selah again. Wasn't he seeing all that she was doing? He had slept beside me on my bed throughout the night but he could still stand with the woman who had put me in the same position with his parents. Thinking about it was even getting me angry. I scoffed and looked down at my hand. It was trembling. What was going on? What exactly was I doing here? I mean, I could just run far away from here and tell my brother and friends that I would be leaving before going anywhere. I'd make sure I stayed far away for a long time before returning back to this place. Maybe by then, he'd have forgotten about me and everyone would have moved on with their lives. Just then, a
CHAPTER 69 HAZEL'S POV: I felt really stupid after Onyx asked me to get out of his room. What had come over me? I hated him to the core but back there, I acted like something else. The more I replayed this memory in my head, the more I wanted to pull out my hair from my head. I was in my room when I heard the maids whispering about Cherry being awake and immediately, my anxiety returned. Was there never a moment of rest for me in this place? Did I always have to be in a constant state of fear? I felt suffocated in here and everywhere around this palace but I knew there was no escape for me. I was stuck here for as long as I gained back my freedom. The idea of Cherry being awake made me sick in the stomach. I was taken back to the events that had led her to falling sick for the second time and it made me shaken to the marrow. I blew out a hot breath and lay back on the bed as I got lost in thought. I fell asleep from there. About an hour later
CHAPTER 70 SELAH'S POV: Today was quiet. I had stayed in my room all day and in the morning, I watched both of my parents arguing about decisions and priorities. When I got tired of their arguments, I went up to my room and decided to clear my head there. I thought back to the arguments they were having and I saw how my father fought back tears. My mother wasn't even shaken by the arguments they were having. She stood, saying whatever she wanted to say in the firmest of voice she could muster. I saw the hurt in my father's eyes and immediately felt sorry for him. But I had a purpose and it had to work. I knew what I was doing was extreme but as my mother said, everything is a risk and if I was going to take it to be able to get my Onyx back, I was going to do it. I hadn't stayed in my room for up to one hour when I heard a knock on the door. Sighing, I climbed out of bed and lazily walked to my door. Opening it, I found my mother standing there, looking lik
ONYX'S POV: The day had arrived and I knew it was going to be busy for me as I had invited a lot of people to the party tonight. I had instructed Guetta to add a warning note in every invitation card, warning people not to speak of my parents and how they were poisoned. I was still hiding it from Cherry. Luckily, the medication had worked and her memories had been successfully wiped out. I was in my study, talking about the cost of food with Tiffany when a knock sounded on the door. "Come in!" I called out at the top of my voice and when I realized that I sounded more cheerful than before, I frowned and cleared my throat. The door opened and Nykon came into the room. When I saw him, my face lit up. At least, he wasn't with Earl who'd always remind me in one way or the other that Hazel deserved better than being maltreated by me. On some days, I wished I could tell him to fuck off and get married to Hazel instead. But I was scared to say it. I knew
CHAPTER 72 ONYX'S POV; Two hours ago, I went to speak with guards, telling them to work twice as hard today. I informed them of Joanna's return and how she had been seen going to Tuchel's home. "I have no idea why she would be going to see him just immediately when she's back but I know she's up to no good," I said, looking at every one of my guards that were assembled before me in the barely used armory. I had instructed them to kill Joana on sight and arrest Tuchel if he was eventually caught and as soon as I had finished dishing out instructions to them, I left the armory and went back to my room. Almost half of the guests had arrived and I wasn't yet prepared. Well, the party was starting in an hour so I had nothing to bother about. Only women took time dressing up and all I had to wear were slacks and a shirt. Walking through the eastern wing towards my wing, I decided to stop by Cherry's room. I knocked and when she opened, she was all smiles. She