Desmond and I were now on the same side and our plans were clearly aligned with each other. Bradon's silence made me feel like I had to keep on speaking before I would lose my courage. “Prince Desmond agreed to help me with my plan to remove the power of my family and also punish my parents for whatever that they have done wrong. This is probably going to be my only opportunity to right what is wrong,” I said while trying to sound calm. If he was in any way surprised with my decision, he showed no signs to betray his feelings. It was as if he had more than half expected that the outcome would turn out this way since the moment that I left the mansion to go see the prince. He looked straight at me but refused to comment, and that made me feel even more uneasy inside. After all, despite all of my bravery, I still haven't told him the main part of the prince’s plan to end the rule of the monarchy in the country. I could still recall Desmond's words and the absolute look of determinatio
“Do you know the prince? Forget that, how long have you known the prince? Are you two close?” I bombarded him with questions as I closed the distance between us as if I could prevent him from escaping.If he already knew about this, then he must have always known that Desmond would end up helping me. I wondered how long he had known the prince and if he was aware of my past relations with Desmond. “Have you ever thought about what will happen to this country when it no longer has a king?” Bradon asked to suddenly change the direction of our conversation. Even I had to admit that it was a very fair question and that I haven't had much time to put enough thought into it. I wasn't quite sure what changing the governance of a country entailed and what would be the impact to the various parties. “Desmond told me that the country will improve and move forward. He seemed very convinced that it is for the better, and I would like to believe in what he says,” I replied truthfully. “It's go
I felt quite lazy and it was still quite early in the morning, but I had no trouble figuring out who was standing on the other side of my door. “Good morning,” Jenna greeted me the moment that I opened the door. “Good morning,” I replied as I wondered what she wanted so early in the morning. “Did I wake you?” Jenna asked with a slightly worried look on her face. “Not at all, actually, I've been awake for a while now, I just haven't made my way downstairs yet,” I replied casually. “Oh, I was afraid that I had disturbed you. Anyways, I'm here to give you this,” she said. That was when I realized that she was holding something in her hand. I looked down as she extended what she wanted to give to me towards me. Flowers? More accurately, what she was about to give to me was a pot of flowers. “Dahlia flowers…” I murmured as I took the pot of plant from her hands. “Are these dahlia flowers?” Jenna asked curiously. “Yes, these are dahlia flowers. Didn't you know?” I asked in wonder
“Did you perhaps forget your own birthday?” Brandon guessed quite correctly.“That's not the point,” I snapped back at him. The fact that he had caught on so effortlessly that I have forgotten my birthday only added fuel to the fire that was burning inside of me. It felt like everything that he was doing and saying was mocking me. “Do you want to take a look around the garden? If not, we can go inside,” Brandon suggested. “I don't want to take a look at the garden and I also don't want to go inside. What I want to know is why you gave me these dahlia flowers for my birthday present?” I ask as I quickly came to the point.“What's wrong? I thought you would like them,” Bradon replied and I could tell that my reaction wasn't what he was expecting or hoping for. I narrowed my eyes at him as my jaws clenched. After taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, I managed to let out a scoff at the ridiculousness of the situation. “Did Anthony tell you to do this? Did you get this i
The day of our birthday party finally arrived, and it felt like a very close rerun of what happened the year previously except for the fact that we were wearing red instead of the light shade of purple that my sister fancied the year before.We greeted the guests, we accepted the presents, and we played all the games that my sister had planned. Our parents socialized with the guests that they invited while the piles of presents kept piling up higher and higher. Everything passed by in the blur of events as I didn't take note of much. “Diana, that fiancé of yours is late,” mother commented before scrunching her face in a look of disapproval. It was so like her to nitpick on even the smallest things regarding the Vulkan family. “Well…” Diana murmured before smiling like an angel to cover up for Anthony’s delayed arrival. I also did my best to smile as I resisted the urge to remind my mother that the Vulkans were precisely the ones who were funding the spectacular birthday celebratio
For a moment I was too stunned that I didn't know what to say or how to react. It was just so unexpected for him to give me something like this. “Is this for me?” I asked although he had just told me that he had something to give me. I still found it so hard to believe that this was actually happening. Nothing like this has ever happened before in all the years that I have celebrated my birthday along with my sister. “Yes, if you don't mind taking it, then I would like you to have it,” he replied as his beautiful blue eyes kept on staring directly at my face. I felt heat rushing to my cheeks and realized that I was blushing intensely. That was when I felt so thankful for the lack of proper lighting in the garden, otherwise he must have seen my flustered reaction so clearly. Even though I tried my best to tell myself that it was nothing but a pot of flowers and that there was no hidden secret meaning behind him offering it to me, I couldn't stop the way that my heart skipped danger
Anthony was silent for a moment, and I wondered if I had said too much or if I had made him suddenly uncomfortable. Just when I had started to regret my words, Anthony smiled at me and nodded his head slightly a couple of times as if in agreement. “Dahlia is indeed a beautiful name,” he commented casually. “Really? Sometimes I think that it sounds quite outdated,” I replied as I tried to sound natural. “If that's the case, have you asked your parents for a nickname?” Anthony asked with a hint of suggestion in his tone. “I'm not so sure…” I replied hesitantly because I wasn’t sure if that was a good idea at all. The idea of asking my parents for a nickname never occurred to me before, and I didn't think that they would give me one simply because I demanded it. On top of that, I had always thought that the concept of a nickname was to show adoration to the owner of the name. “Dahlia, what about Leya? It's like saying the second syllable of your name very slowly. Leya,” Anthony sug
“I guess it does make sense. So, do you have a name in mind?” Diana asked with a slightly teasing look on her face. I wondered at that moment if she had already caught on to what I was about to say. “Well, Anthony suggested that the name ‘Leya’ might be a good choice,”I confessed as if I was telling her the secret that was meant to be taken all the way to my grave. “Leya? I think it suits you perfectly. If you like it, then let's use it,” Diana said before beaming me a smile. We both burst out laughing at the same time and I was reminded of the very precious bond that we shared. It felt like the name that Anthony had given me was another precious birthday gift on top of the Dahlia flowers. I couldn't have foreseen back then that just a few days later I would end up breaking the promise that I had made to Anthony....I should have known that something was off when I returned to my bedroom to find that the flower that Anthony had given me was not where it was supposed to be. It wa
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.
Not having the experience of being a criminal before, I wasn't quite sure how one was supposed to be treated, but the experiences that I went through might have indeed been close. I thought that I was used to disappointing my parents and the people around me. I thought that I was used to seeing the look of disappointment and disapproval in their eyes before it became a look of resentment and then complete apathy and lack of care. I thought that I could deal with everything without getting my emotions involved because, after all, I was supposed to be used to this kind of treatment, and that was why I was caught utterly off guard by how quickly things escalated.Thinking back on it, my memories were quite blurry. Either it was simply too much for me to take in at the time for my brain to form any clear memories, or it was simply too shocking and too harsh for me to take. Either way, everything seemed to fly by me and over my head.Although every single teacher and the principal tried to
Just thinking that the fool right in front of me dared to say he was in love with my sister, while he couldn't even tell the two of us apart, made my blood boil. It took a lot of effort to repress the urge to reach out and strangle his neck right then and there. I reminded myself that I had a part to play and quite an audience to impress."No... this can't be..." Mr. Malton whispered hoarsely from a distance, stepping even further away from me. I stood up from the table, grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to my side as I glared up into his face."It's actually quite simple to fool you. All I had to do was dress up in my sister's clothes whenever I met you and talk a little more sweetly..." I said, letting out a hysterical laugh. I could still feel everyone's eyes on us as the attention in the room escalated even more than before.Mr. Malton was speechless as he tried to pull his arm away from my grip, but I wasn't about to let him get away so easily."Well, now I guess the secret is
I had no idea how Diana managed to keep the girls silent up until that point so that the news wouldn't spread; however, I knew that it wouldn't be too long before everyone in school knew about this illicit affair. We would be extremely lucky if this news did not spread beyond the school walls. Despite the gravity of the situation, Mr. Malton was already ready to make his retreat."What if they don't believe us? I feel so scared. I don't want to be alone, and I don't want you to leave me," I said pleadingly just to see his reaction."You know that I would never do that. It would just be temporary until everything blows over. I promise that I will never leave you. How could I possibly leave you? I love you so much," he declared his love for me boldly.The more dramatic things became, the more I felt that his act of adoration was completely fake. No matter how many times he claimed to be in love with my sister, it seemed like he couldn't even tell us apart. I wondered what kind of face h
"Leya, you need to help me find a way out of this. Diana simply cannot make this kind of mistake," my sister told me slowly and clearly as she stared directly into my eyes."You're right. You can't afford to make these kinds of mistakes," I agreed solemnly."No one else must find out about this. We have to do something before word gets out because word is definitely going to get out,," my sister stated calmly, and I could tell that she had returned to her calm and collected self."Can't we tell them that they simply misunderstood and that it's not true?" I asked, daring to harbor a little bit of hope."They probably won't believe what we tell them, but they might believe what we show them," Diana replied, and I could tell her mind was made up.Without using any more words, it seemed like an understanding had formed between us, and once again, it felt like it was us against the entire world....**The Next Day**As I pushed open the back door to the building that was supposed to be off