“I take it she signed the non-disclosure form then?” Armand asked, his eyebrows touching his hairline as he awaited his son’s response.A smirk graced Raphael’s face as he pulled out a hefty document and handed it over to his Father.“She was a bit reluctant but she couldn't risk her sick father finding such incriminating photos of her,” Raphael murmured.“Well done son, now we must get to her house before her shift is over,” Armand said flippantly as the car reared to life.Raphael felt pride swell in his chest at his Father's appraisal and he faced the window so Armand wouldn't notice the over-joyous expression on his face.No sooner after they arrived at the small townhouse, a petite red-haired nurse on duty stood by the door entrance, awaiting their arrival.“Get in and get out in ten minutes,” Armand said sternly as his gaze roamed the block, a perturbed look on his face.The nurse directed Raphael into William Dalton’s bedroom where he lay fast asleep.“Have you found a good spo
Elsida’s breath got caught in her throat, she risked a look at him observing the silver flecks dancing in his eyes, his gaze zoomed in on her lips before flicking back to her eyes.From the way her heart thudded wildly in her chest from his proximity and the way he gripped her arm tightly as though he was scared she would slip away, it all felt too real.She suddenly remembered the last time it felt this real, once upon a time as a teenager she would have given everything to have him look at her this way.She couldn't let him get any closer, they had too many damaged goods.It would never work.“I don't know what you mean,” she rasped and looked away from him, her gaze rooted to the spot on the wall above his head.“Stop it El, don’t say that,” Julien rasped, almost desperately gripping her chin so she could meet his eyes.Elsida didn’t bulge; her gaze remained rooted to the spot on the wall.“Let’s not do this Julien,” she murmured, her voice cracking mid-sentence.Julien’s eyes hard
LUTON PREP, MANHATTAN, 10 YEARS AGO“What do you want, Julien? It’s past midnight,” Elsida asks as she eyes him curiously, her half-awake brain spinning as she tries to grasp why he’s standing in front of her dorm room at 2. a.m. suggesting they go for a ride.The same Julien who locked her up in the bathroom at the cabin and found ways to make her life at Luton Prep hell was casually standing on her doorstep like they were pals again?“It’s twelve degrees and my ass is freezing. El, get dressed, I’ll explain in the car.”“I have very little Faith in you Julien so Pardon me if I’m not jumping at the opportunity to spend time with you.”Julien cast her a wry look, his hands running through his curly tendrils, he let out a heavy sigh.“Give me one hour and then you’ll be back to your lovely confines El,” he rasps his gaze resting on hers, almost pleading.Elsida’s gaze roams his face trying to read him, she senses the nervousness radiating from him as his hands venture into his hair aga
Julien tapped his left foot lightly against the floor as he waited for Cressida’s charity ball to commence. The suit he had on was starting to feel stiff from wear along the neck and he regretted his decision to leave the office so soon. His regret fiddled away when he spotted Elsida scurrying across the ballroom a frazzled mess as she gave the staff directions on where to place the artwork.How she managed to still look elegant he had no clue.Julien was in a predicament and he was utterly fucked, to say the least.Memories of the conversation they had two nights ago and Elsida’s reluctant rejection rolled through his mind and a pang of hurt settled in his chest.The most diring part was that Julien couldn’t regret his actions, he was notably selfish and probably damaged a part of his brain because he wanted her all to himself and he would stop at nothing until he got what he wanted.Including ruining her Father. he would stop at nothing until he ended him, consequences be darned.
Elsida felt Julien’s hot breath fan her face, pungent with expensive cigars and smoke, his lips mere inches apart from hers.The curly hair at the nape of his neck tickled her cheek as he stood unmoving, their bodies flushed together.If he moved his face just a bit, their lips would meet and her heart thrummed wildly in her chest from the mere thought.“Julien.. we can’t,” she rasped as her hands trembled, her fists curling as she fought the urge to hold on to him.“Bull shit,” he drawled, throwing her words back at her.Julien tipped her chin up so they were mere inches apart, he gazed into her emerald depths and the determination Elsida saw in them made her skin flush.“Here’s what’s going to happen El, you’re going to forget the past and I’m going to kiss you until your lips quiver and you beg me to take you here.”“Understood?” he drawled as their breaths mingled as one.Elsida let out a gasp and her hands developed a mind of their own as they perched on Julien’s suit, holding on
The image was taken as though there was a third party with them when they were at it. It was simply a conundrum because no one had been inside the bedroom apart from the two of them.‘It seems you and J are getting comfortable, perhaps a bit too comfy?’ was the message that accompanied the picture.Elsida’s gaze roamed the room hysterically as she searched for any telltale sign of the culprit, she was convinced there was a camera somewhere and her heart palpitated against her ribcage from the thought of being watched.The door to the room clicked open and Elsida’s body met with the headboard as she inched backward, piling the duvet over her naked body as fear coursed through her bones.She let out a heavy sigh of relief when she realized it was Julien.Julien stalks into the bedroom, a sweaty mess clad in sports shorts and a white t-shirt that hits his muscles tightly.He stops in his tracks as he takes in Elsida’s frazzled state, “What happened to you El?” he asks his gaze making a c
Natasha storms into her Father’s room and is greeted by the sight of blood pooling on the floor and she treads carefully doing her best to mask the horror plunging through her veins.“Dad, wha- what happened, you were doing so good,” she croaks.“It was just a tummy pain, Nat,” William Dalton murmured, his eyes watery and face contorted in pain.“I’ll call the doctor Dad, you’ll be fine,” she murmurs as she strokes his damp hair with her trembling hands.From where she was perched, she could hear the fervent palpitations of her Father’s heart and she was certain it wasn’t just a stomach ache.“How did this happen? He’s supposed to be feeling better. I mean he’s scheduled for surgery next month.” Natasha asked the nurse who appeared clueless with a hint of pity etched on her face.“I’m not sure Miss, this is very unusual, we have to wait for the doctor to arrive to know what’s wrong.”“Alright thanks for all your help,” Natasha said as she exited her Father’s room with one last glance
Elsida stretches across the bed, her palm feeling for the other side of the bed on its own accord only to find it empty.Her eyes open up groggily and they adjust to the morning light streaming in through the windows. As she sits up, her gaze zooms in on a folded up paper situated next to Julien’s pillow, Elsida picks it up, her curious gaze dancing around it as she unfolds it.“Happy birthday El,” is what is written in the note. A slight blush rouses her cheekbones and her heart thuds wildly in her chest from Julien’s familiar scribble.“It’s a note Elsida, not a proposal!” She says chastising herself as her palms cover her overheated cheeks.Trust Julien to be the one who reminds her of the day she was forced to loathe when she was younger, as she recalls dreamily, memories of Julien going out of his way to make her Childhood birthdays worthwhile.A sharp pang invades her chest when she remembers how her birthdays got better when her Father lost everything.She makes a mental note t
ELSIDA “Tell me El, did you run from the peony garden to get to me?” My cheeks flush impossibly redder as I try and fail to glare at him. The moment I stepped into Julien’s limo his eyes started to twinkle and his lips drew into a large grin before he took in my disheveled expression. “Fine,” I huffed. “I won’t tell you.” His gaze grew serious as he closed the gap between us with one arm reaching for the curve of my neck. “I’m never letting you out of my sight El. Never, nothing is going to stop us from being together. Morals be damned.” I let out a bated breath as his lips hovered over mine. I try to speak but my mouth opens and closes like a fish. My head swarms with so many thoughts all at once but one stands out the most. I have him now and I don't plan on ever letting go. He robs me of breath with a light peck on the mouth that starts first as light, almost tender before it picks up. All at once, he’s everywhere. I’m clutching onto his shirt like a lifeline
ELSIDACORONATION MORNING 5:45 AMThe last thing I remember is Adrian joining me on the bed in the earlier hours of the morning, pulling me softly to him, his grip almost fervent as he whispered sweet nothings to me.“I love you El, I hope you know that,” I recall him whispering and now at about 5 AM I feel nothing but guilt stretching me into four equilateral pieces.I stifle a yawn and stretch to his side of the bed. Noticing the emptiness, I sit up and my eyes quickly adjust to the brightness of the day.Where could he be so early?Adrian never got up until at least 6:10 so this was a tad bit too early for him to be up.I wrap my silk night robe around my body, place my feet in my slippers, and make my way through the castle in search of him.I needed to see him this morning before it was too late.I needed to tell him how I felt about everything and what I wanted to do even if he’d hate me for it.I search almost every living space of the bustling castle where servants and maids
ELSIDA My little surprise meet cute with Beatrice turns into a sob session I had no clue I needed.Scratch that, it’s exactly what I needed, it was like the universe positioned us in the same place when I needed her the most cause what were the odds that I would find the only female friend I ever made in high school in Spain?“I know I shouldn’t love him but I just-“ I croak, trailing off as I wipe my tears hastily.“Oh please Elsida, don’t say that. We cannot control who we love. If we were able to do that, I don’t think love would have had such value.”“Not helping,” I murmur. “You’re supposed to be telling me that it’s entirely wrong and I shouldn’t be thinking about Julien in such a way when we share a sibling.”Beatrice blows a raspberry and moves closer to me, she rubs my arm softly. Luckily, the peony garden shields us from my guards and over-curious maids.“You know I can’t do that, this isn’t the first time something like this is happening in the universe. Shit happens, our
ELSIDA PRESENTWith Adrian in Cartagena carrying out the coronation tradition and the bustle of the castle, I needed a freaking reprieve from everything.A reprieve from work, a reprieve from work, Fae’s incessant disturbance due to boredom of not having her brother around to pester, Natasha’s nagging over what she was going to wear on the coronation, and my father’s constant “Are you okay?” I didn’t think twice before I slipped past the castle doors, packing a picnic basket alongside my laptop and other drawing essentials.It was just 9 am. Two hours after the sun had risen but it seemed as though the sun had been up for over eight hours.It was all too stimulating.I let out a sigh as I chew on a strawberry and my free hand doodles nonentities on my sketchbook.“Hi El.”Julien’s voice slides into my ear and my hand flies to my chest as I stare at him with wide eyes, my heart thuds at a rapid pace as I take in casual yet classy attire.“What the hell Julien, you’re not supposed to b
CONTINUATION OF FLASHBACKELSIDA“Can I turn around now Beatrice?” I huff as I cross my arms around my chest and feel the shimmery fabric of the red Dior dress my mother dearest purchased for me.“One more minute, patience is a virtue dear!” I snort. If I were allowed to have my eyes opened, they would have rolled to the back of my skull by now at her overzealousness for high school events.“Okay, you can open them now. Tada!” Beatrice Bellows just as I blink at the 2.0 version of me in the mirror.A smile tugs at my lips and for a split second, I let it slip through. “I look…”“Magnificent!” Beatrice completes.“Don’t you think it’s too much though?” I ask uncertainty clawing my thoughts. I looked like I was going to draw a lot of attention, attention that I could certainly do without.“Oh please Elsida, who cares? There’s no going back now. Give me a minute, let me slip into my dress and we can get going!” She bellows as she scurries across the room with her perfect-as-ever makeup
ELSIDATWO MONTHS LATER “Are you ready?” I peer up at Adrian from my position on the bed. He sent all his assistants away who tried to pamper him with traditional powders and help him complete tasks he considered too menial to not get done by himself.He gave me a small smile through the mirror but I could see the slight frown forming on his forehead.“I’m okay Elsida,” he mutters and I have my answer confirmed.Adrian was far from okay I was one hundred percent certain that beads of sweat were lining his forehead even before I rose to my feet and clasped my hands around his shoulders.“You’re going to be a great King Adrian,” I whispered into his ear and drew soothing circles on his shoulders, the exact thing he did whenever I was nervous.I don’t blame him. If I were him, at this very moment I’d be shitting my panties.It’s not every day one got to partake in a reversal coronation.His shoulders visibly unclench. “Thank you Princessa,” he murmurs and places a soft kiss on the back
JULIEN Two months later.It’s been exactly two months, three weeks, and four days since I last had a meaningful conversation with Elsida. She’d done her best to make sure our interactions were curt and cordial at best but whenever the opportunity came for us to be alone or have a casual conversation, she would immediately dismiss me and not spare me a further glance.However, I could tell from the longing in her eyes, that it wasn’t what she wanted, we both knew what she wanted but it wasn’t the right thing hence, at least one of us had to be mature and leave it to Elsida to be the bigger person.“Mr Benoit,” are you listening?” A business associate’s voice filters into my mind putting a pause on my mental spiral.“Of course, yes go on,” I rasp, zooming in on a recent photo of Elsida attending a ball with none other than her lovely husband.I turn my laptop off and fight the urge to throw my phone on the floor, I don’t think I can stand another minute of listening to any talk of bus
ELSIDA“Are you ready?” Julien asks while I readjust my lipstick in my compact mirror.“Just a second, Mr Benoit.”Julien’s glare is scathing when his gaze flicks away from his phone to mine. “I told you to stop calling me that.”I ignore him and return my compact in my Chanel purse, I place my hand on the door to make my exit when his warm palm snakes around my ankle.“Are you good El?” He calls me by the nickname even though I’ve warned him several times not to use that title on me and I roll my eyes at him.“You know, this is a very important meeting for this project, we cannot let our emotions get the best of us.”As if I wasn’t aware?I knew how important this meeting was, this company was my baby and Mr Gonzalo’s investment wasn’t something I planned to play around with.He was a very successful business tycoon in Spain who liked to give nouvelle companies and empires of the sort a chance with his hefty investments and today might just be my lucky day. So, to answer his questio
ELSIDA I swallow. “Yes your majesty, that’s the name, Julien Benoit.”“Hmm,” she mumbles before taking a sip of her tea. “And your company for J, tell me, what inspired the name?” She asks in an all too curious voice.Holy shit, I muse.The Queen knows, there’s no way she’d be asking this question if she didn’t.My heart thuds faster against my rib cage and I do my best not to fidget.“Could you rephrase your question, I’m not quite sure what you mean Your Majesty,” I add the last part with a bow.The clang of her tea cup against the plate is resounding and her eyes narrow to stilts in my direction.I’m so fucked.“Let’s not pretend Elsida, I tried sugarcoating this to see if you would come clean but since you insist on me being blunt, I have no choice but to cut to the chase then.”“Your majesty I-““I know about your past with Julien dear. I know everything,” she says, her voice soft.How her tone switches gives me a whiplash and I’m left staring at this formidable woman with my