46. THE QUEEN'S TALE~STEPHAN DELMUNDOI saw where Liz got her beauty from. Her mother was stunning to behold at her age. I was pretty good at guessing people's age but the mother of Elizabeth seemed ageless.It was hard to believe that she was Elizabeth's mother. She wore a white Chanel gown that flowed behind her and flat pumps. She looked like the mature version of her daughter.The room fell silent as she walked into the living room in a regal manner. I spotted an expensive pearl necklace around her neck and knew that she came from old money.Frank being the gentleman stood up out of respect and decency. Pamela stood up also but I did not, last time I remembered, this bitch sent a death squad after me. Therefore, I remained seated.The queen sat across from us. Frank and Pamela sat down. The tension in the air was tight, so tight, a razor could cut it. The silence was even more intense. Just how I like it.The queen had a permanent condescending look on her face. It felt like she
47. ONE ON ONE WITH THE QUEEN~PAMELA I could not stand Elizabeth's pompous ass, that much was certain. We were never going to see eye to eye as long as Stephan was involved. What I did not understand was why he wanted me here on this island.What I felt for Lady Croft on the other hand was fear and uneasiness. She has this dangerous aura around her so I was cautious with the way I spoke with her.She led me up the ivory marble spiral stairs to one of the rooms in the manor. I took the liberty to look around for more details about the interior design. I wondered how much money she was worth."Pamela, is it? Tell me how you ended up with Delmundo," Her voice tore into my thoughts."It is kind of long and complicated," I said trying to avoid revealing anything else that might put me in more trouble than I already was."We have time, Pamela," Lady Croft firmly insisted.I already knew the kind of person she was, the kind that the word NO was not in their vocabulary. Women like her alway
48.TWO ON TWO WITH THE QUEEN AND HER PRINCESS I~PAMELAWithout much thought, I hugged Stephan and held on to him tightly. He stroked my hair and held me firmly but gently. I swooned into his body and held on in contentment.Then he shattered my bliss into pieces with his next words."Pamela, There is also a rumor about her," I groaned."She never gives up and trust me when I say that she will be back," He told me as he stroked my hair."And of course, I shall be busy fighting off crafty Elizabeth Croft," He jokingly said."That is not funny Stephan," I whined and hit him lightly and playfully."Let us go somewhere private, Show me our room," He said huskily and a hot tingle coursed through me and down my spine.I grabbed him by the arm and pulled him after me in a very eager manner. I was shameless in using him as my shield against the Lady. I was afraid that I would succumb to her."I can taste your fear Pamela and they can taste it too, and they will exploit that to get what they c
49.A GAME OF ULTIMATE DESIRE ~DELMUNDOEvery one of us on this planet has a mission no matter how big or small. My mission was to come out of my father's shadow but that was easier said than done.Every decision I made from the day I made Pamela mine was to be a different man from my father. He never loved my mother, he just wanted her womb.To date, I do not know where she went or disappeared. It was one of the reasons I kept a close watch on Pamela.I am not a good guy or a hero. I am a survivor who wants to stay at the top of the food chain for as long as I can or till I become slow and a bullet puts me out of my misery.I had purposely left Pamela with Lady Croft so I could ask her what transpired. I wanted to understand the kind of woman Croft was. Fortunately, Pamela told me what I needed to know without me saying a single word.The dining room also had large bookshelves filled with all types of editions of old manuscripts and maps. I spotted Dante Alighieri's inferno. It w
50. A GAME OF ULTIMATE DESIRES II.~DELMUNDO Whatever sick joke Lady Croft was playing did nothing to amuse me. What she said last caught me off guard and I was not one to be easily shocked or rattled.I turned back and returned to my seat."I am not sure what I heard so I am going to give you a chance to prove me wrong," I said in a serious tone while staring straight at them."I knew your mother, Stephan, before you were conceived," Lady Croft repeated. Sometimes, her confidence annoyed it but it was what made her who she was."And you chose to reveal this to me after I refused your proposal?" I asked, trying to calm myself."I am a businesswoman, Stephan. No hard feelings," Croft said coldly.She was right, my feelings were all over the place. I chuckled bitterly and shook my head. This whole thing caught me off guard.A question popped up in my head."What is the role of the Marquis in all these and why did he have to die?" I asked Croft."His role was exactly how he played it,
51. DISTANT ORIGINS. ~DELMUNDOFaintly, I could still remember her laughter, the way she tickled me anytime she read me bedtime stories. I could still recollect the early morning breakfasts, the cereal and omelets.Like yesterday, I could still remember that morning she had left. I was still eating my cereal when she told me she was going to get some groceries. Seconds turned to minutes, and the minutes turned to hours.My five- year- old brain suspected no foul play. My mother told me she was going to the mall and like every child I believed her. What choice did I have, she was my mother, and if I did not believe her, who would?Months had passed into years and I was still in denial, hoping that one day she would walk into the home she left with groceries in her hands with her lovely smile.Now, I had no idea what she looked like or even her name. My father took that memory from me through psychological torture. He would berate me for making my mother leave and I beli
52. LOVE OR LUST ~PAMELAWhen Circe— as she called herself— told me and her daughter to leave I could not help but feel worried for Stephan, he had shown me a part of himself that I did not think I would ever see.After I had spent a few days being his forced guest, I saw that he was a broken man with a complex psyche. He was the most complicated man I had ever come across. I knew that I was not supposed to be feeling bad for him after everything but I could not help it.His pain made him very attractive to me and I knew that it was not a healthy thing to feel. I left the dining room after Stephan assured me that all was well.Elizabeth at first refused to leave and I could not even blame her. From the moment I saw her, I knew that she wanted Stephan for herself and wanted to be around him always."Elizabeth, you have overstayed on this Island and have been nothing but a hindrance to me, Make yourself useful or leave my island," Circe said, exasperated.I had to admit
53. LOVE OR LUST II ~PAMELA "What did you do to him!?" I asked in utter disbelief."I am helping him, Pamela, and please lower your voice, I have had to listen to him scream his lungs out for the past two hours," Circe sternly said to me."Well, some help you are," I muttered."Pamela," Stephan said in a hoarse voice "It is alright, let us go to bed, I am exhausted," He said as walked up to the stairs.I glared at Circe who gave me her usual condescending look. Her eyes told me that she knew something that I didn't. I went after Stephan, glad that I was finally rid of Elizabeth and her sex-crazed slave.Stephan had walked far before I cleared the stairs. When I got to the room, he sat crossed leg by the foot of the bed looking at nothing in particular.I sat beside him and crossed my legs too. I had no idea what Circe did to him to make him so glum. For the first time, he looked so fragile, like he could shatter at any time into pieces.I said nothing to him and he said nothing to