FELICITY'S QUARTERS***EARLIER"She has awoken and got sent back to the servant's quarters to recuperate properly." Milia, Felicity's personal maid, reported dutifully. Her hands tightened suspiciously behind her back."So quickly?" Felicity reasoned, a little surprised. With the amount of trauma she had seen Isadora's body suffer, she must have to be knocked out cold for at least three days… It's been barely two days.However, the lingering relief Felicity felt from this news quickly superseded any other thoughts.Back at the division grounds, her heart ached whilst she watched Isadora get hit over and over again. At that moment it didn't matter if Isadora won or lost, the only thing she cared about was Isadora making it through it all in one piece.Her hopes picked up greatly when it seemed that Isadora was starting to gain the upperhand in the duel, it gave her the illusion that maybe… just maybe everything might end well.… nothing ever ends well when Sienna's involved.That li
The next five days flowed rather smoothly.Smooth isn't normal.Lord Vincent had really meant it with his intent and threats that her health improved.Soon after escaping his chambers, the adrenaline dissipated and Isadora was hit hard with the pain of her flesh wounds and high fever. She found it hard to stand or move about the room and once she got on the bed she felt married to it.Luckily a doctor had visited her some hours later and was very thorough with the checkups and nutrition in the following days. Even the maids that were instructed to attend to her had become much nicer than before.However, Isadora didn't let this temporary good time cloud her mind. This rather gave her a lot of time to digest the recent happenings.She replayed the duel over and over again in her mind but couldn't seem to come to a conclusion for her most profound question. How was Sienna suddenly able to get the upper hand?At the beginning of the fight, she had taken the time to properly assess her op
The crowd exploded with murmurs. Some of which Isadora could easily guess."What did she just say?!""She dares to refute the Don's orders. Does she have a death wish?!""Who knew the daughter of Lance was such a spineless bastard!"- - - SOME MINUTES AGOThe entire Division was in an uproar.Hundreds of men lined up in several columns shook in their boots as they thought worse and worse of their fates. If not as a result of an incredibly bad omen, why would the 'bloodthirsty Don' mobilize all the men on the B- Division to a spot?Every single man was summoned, on or off duty, injured or healthy, even spies and assassins sent on duty were made to return to the home grounds irrespective of whether their assignments had been finished or not. Not one tier of personnel was spared.Isadora stood beside Felicity, a few feet in front of the crowd. They had responded to Vincent's commands as soon as the guard had informed them, and Lucas was left in a maid's care.Isadora felt very nervous a
The crowd exploded with murmurs. Some of which Isadora could easily guess."What did she just say?!""She dares to refute the Don's orders. Does she have a death wish?!""Who knew the daughter of Lance was such a spineless bastard!"Isadora nearly bit off her tongue in annoyance.Just how naive do they think she is to not understand this game. If she kills Dante, even if he has lost all respect for his comrades it's synonymous with officially attracting loathe from the entire B division and if she doesn't they curse at her?She is going to be in the Black Saints for a while, making so many enemies at once will be a foolish move.Isadora backed away from Dante and let the gun drop to the ground."What are you doing, Isadora?" Felicity's voice rang out in concernSienna smirked bearing the most satisfied thoughts of all, 'A dumb bitch is a dumb bitch after all. It looks like she has been worried for nothing. The problem is on the road of eliminating itself.'In all the hubbub, Isadora r
Isadora shivered from the cold of the early morning. She felt the dryness in her throat as she trudged up the many stairs and passages up to Vincent's chambers.When she had pulled that stunt on the B Division's grounds, she had thought of a thousand outcomes; practice with her captor wasn't one of them. Either way, she is neck deep in this ruse and there is no way out of it.Upon seeing Isadora, the guards made way for her, neither speaking to her nor directly letting her in themselves.Standing in front of Vincent's doors, Isadora gulped. That motion reintroduced her to the metal choker on her neck and suddenly all the confidence she managed to gather on her way up, flew out to the wind. She took a deep breath in and out… slowly her right hand raised forming a fist to come in contact with the door,It barely grazed the door before it swung open, Isadora's hair moved with the breeze from the sharp door swing.Her body moved aside and automatically put itself in a low bow, and her ey
Isadora's pupils constrict into a smaller circle, filled with loathe. "Kill you? Gee, I thought assassination moves don't work on you, master?"Vincent felt peeved, "They don't.""Huh!" Isadora moans in surprise as Vincent easily rolls over and pins her down instead.She squirms around but isn't able to budge from Vincent's hold. She bites her lips nervously.Gosh, she got carried away and made a mistake. The weight of the collar suddenly felt heavier… would he punish her?"You aren't capable of killing me, Flavia or anyone else." Vincent says matter-of-factly as he towers over Isadora.She grits her teeth, "What makes you so sure about that?""I see it in your eyes. You have no will." Vincent gets off Isadora and sits on the ground beside her.Isadora sits up too and they both stay quiet for a few seconds."Spit out your thoughts, Flavia. We can't continue if you are so distracted." Vincent speaks dryly.Isadora hesitates."And don't you dare lie to me." He adds."Why did you help me
Vincent appeared in the dining room in his full might; no longer sweaty or as distracted as he was on the field.Right behind him was Sienna who looked as elegant as always but with all on her mind lately, she seems to have aged a little."Good morning, Lord Vincent.""Good morning brother."Mateo and Felicity greeted Vincent respectively with obvious sparks and their eyes. They had not quite gotten used to Vincent trying to eat despite his condition.Vincent takes his seat at the head of the table before saying, "You may all sit."His eyes wandered about while Imelda and Lucy came in and out of the kitchen in turns, setting the last variety of dishes on the table."Why isn't Flavia here, yet?"He asks no one in particular but his tone was enough to set off the stress in all who heard.One person in particular looked the most guilty as she placed a tray of a small batch of muffins on Vincent's side of the table."I'm sure she will be here soon." Imelda tries to answer without stutterin
Isadora steps out of the kitchen, a bit exhausted, finally done with the dishes. She begins her journey back to the servants' quarters for a quick rest.The passages are quiet at this time of the day because everyone is out working; this makes it all stranger as there is a black figure at the far end of the passage when natural light fails to reach.Isadora moves forward fearlessly but cautiously, when she became near enough to tell who it was, she almost cursed out loud.She ignored the person and attempted to walk right past before she hears a voice akin to scratching on a chalkboard."Stop right there maid Isadora," Sienna commands haughtily.To her surprise, Isadora obeys without fuss. The bitch is finally learning to know her place. She crosses her arms under her bust and wears an ugly frown."Did you not see me standing here or were you going to pass without acknowledging my presence?"Isadora smirks and maintains eye contact with Sienna, the type that makes one uncomfortable."
On the hospital bed, Sienna’s eyes weakly fluttered open and her blurry vision took a moment to clear up. Her mind felt heavy and foggy, and it took a while to get her bearings.She emitted a deep, weary moan as she attempted sitting up, overcome by the fatigue that washed over her.“I wouldn’t move too much if I were you,” Mateo advised.Sienna’s gaze snapped to the source of his voice. Mateo was sitting on a chair right beside the edge of the bed with an unwavering gaze on her. She hadn’t noticed him before.“W-what’s going on?” She struggled to form words, still feeling groggy.“You fainted yesterday. You are in the infirmary now.”“Why would I be –“ Sienna’s mind recovered its sharpness in an instant. She finally remembered.“Oh no…. I need… I need to see lord Vincent now….I need…” Ignoring her deathly aching body, Sienna hastily hurried onto her feet, almost tripping in the process.“Sit the fuck down, now, Sienna!” Mateo commanded with striking authority, yet his voice remained
At the entrance of the Green Viper’s Mansion, a number of maids carefully but quickly stowed Sienna’s suitcases into her ride. They didn’t want to be present when she showed up, the past week plus had already put them through enough hell.The signature click-clack of Sienna’s heels could be heard as she walked towards the entrance from within. She moved with urgency in her steps and an impatient look on her face as she checked for the time on her smartphone.“Ugh, it’s almost noon and these imbeciles aren’t done loading up yet. Just like the system here, its people are also slow. How I miss Zeta!’ she groused under her breath.“Don’t tell me you’re going back to the Black Saints after you were clearly banned. It’s barely been two weeks already, do you have a death wish?” Neomi scoffed.Her voice scraped Sienna’s nerves like nails on a chalkboard, forcing her to stop in her tracks.Turning just her torso, Sienna glared at Neomi who met her gaze from the staircase landing. “Unlike you,
"Woah," Gianna sat up and cupped Isadora's face in her hands, "Is there anything wrong?" She asked worriedly, unused to Isadora being so affectionate.Isadora let out a small giggle, "No, I've just missed you.""Hmm" Gianna examined her body, "Are you sure? You've lost a bit of weight. Where have you been all these while? Your friend said you went on vacation. Is that true?""Slow down mom, one question at a time."Isadora shook her head."Yes, I'm fine and it's true, the stress was getting to me and I thought I should take advantage of the break and relax properly before school resumed." She lied.Only after her explanation did Gianna finally calm down, sighing in relief.Isadora dragged a chair and sat by her mother's bedside, smiling.Vincent really kept his word to keep Gianna out of their affairs if she complied. That, she was thankful for. She couldn't put Gianna through the stress of worrying about her, in her condition… she couldn't drag her back to that life.Gianna noticed th
Isadora had her back to Victor while he left. She gazed at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand and tossed it into the trash in an instant.Federigo saw this and sighed, "Don't be too upset Isadora, this is for your own good.""And who are you to tell me how to feel?" Isadora said hotly."I'm just following your father's wishes." He explained.Isadora scoffed, "If you haven't noticed, following that low life's commands isn't exactly my forte, is it?"Federigo didn't know what to say. He could see hatred blaze in the child's eyes each time his master, Lance was mentioned. If Lance could see this right now, he would be destroyed within.He couldn't tell her the truth now. He couldn't possibly explain how much her father loved her and never wished for things to play out like this. No… that would be too much to hear after all these years of pain.He could only say bitterly, "This isn't the way Lance wanted it to end.""Of course, it isn't." Isadora agreed sarcastically.Federigo led her
Isadora smoothly settled down at the new dorm. For dinner, she ordered takeout for all and left Echo and Nirvana in each other's company before retiring to her room. She spent the rest of the night researching and filling up updates on what she's missed in the past few months and her class schedule.The next morning, Isadora rose quite early with an ominous inkling for the day and boarded a cab out of the University's premises. It was a silent ride downtown.She had mixed feelings, willingly coming back to the one place she detested the most, somewhere that was supposed to be her home. Despite knowing that the sole cause of her hatred was dead, it didn't give her much peace.She's never really got to think about Lance's death and what it meant to her. He was gone, but it didn't feel like it. Even when she strove so much to be completely dissociated from him, his bloody legacy still found ways to influence her life, in some way or another.Somehow he's managed to make himself a major ch
"Great, you are here already!" Nirvana opened the door to the dorm, ushering Isadora in."You own quite the apartment, don't you?" Isadora commented, looking around the beautiful living space.Consisting of multiple private rooms sharing one living room, It was a place located in one of the most well-off housing areas in the school. She didn't expect to be placed in the same dorm as Nirvana. It seems she had become Nirvana's official bodyguard.Nirvana chuckled, "Just as much as the insufferable problems, there are perks that come with being born in a wealthy Famiglia," She hopped over to the mini bar at the corner and poured Isadora a glass of chilled water."Thanks," Isadora took a sip from the glass. The feel of the cold liquid in her mouth instantly melted all the tension that built up in her mind while coming here. Back to a place that she'd lost all hope on.After she received Vincent's orders yesterday, she proceeded to inform Felicity and Imelda about her pending departure. Th
After two days of rest, Vincent summoned Isadora to his side quite early in the morning.He made her stand beside his desk, which exposed a clear view of his confidential work while he penned down some words.Isadora took liberty to peer over his shoulders while he worked. She subconsciously thought he was very attractive in his serious working state.There was a soft knock at the door."Come in." Vincent permitted, routinely.The door opened, revealing Imelda's gentle figure."Good morning Lord Vincent. I want to know if you are in the mood to try anything today." She said with a tone of anticipation."No need." Came Vincent's firm voice. Not once did he take his eyes off his desk."Alright." Imelda released a sigh of defeat and proceeded to leave the room.One day he was alright and the next he wasn't. Vincent hadn't tasted a thing since the last time he ate. She was starting to get worried."Wait." Vincent's casual word made Imelda halt immediately.For the first time since she arr
Felicity looked crestfallen, facing Isadora's rejection. Her tone considerably lowered, "I thought you also felt it. Did I read it wrong? I'm sorry I shouldn't have -" "No! It's not you." Isadora grabbed Felicity's hands in hers, preventing her from saying anything else. She spoke, raw from her heart, "You are the most wonderful person I've ever met, Felicity." She glanced at Felicity's body, feeling a rush of desire, "Just… Wonderful." She looked Felicity in the eye, "And I do feel something for you - something I don't understand. I'm just not ready for all of this yet." Isadora explained, a bit overwhelmed. Felicity's doleful expression softened into a small smile. She looked very relieved, her eyes glued to the floor in embarrassment, "I was going crazy not acting on my feelings for a long time. I thought it would ruin our friendship." "Hey," Isadora held up Felicity's chin to meet her gaze. "Nothing can ever come between us. I won't let that happen." Felicity's heart raced at
"Mateo doesn't mind if you hang out with me in broad daylight?" Isadora was much more patient with Felicity now that she understood their dynamic.Felicity's smile instantly fell flat with a frown. Isadora perceived she had said something wrong. Did the two get into a fight?"He's too busy to notice." She replied curtly.Felicity brought Isadora down to her quarters, where Milia sat in the living room, holding an adorable toddler.She stood up to acknowledge them, "Mistress Felicity… Mi-miss Isadora?..."Milia looked very surprised. She never expected the maids' hot gossip this morning, that Isadora had survived the monster was indeed true."Can I have him?" Isadora reached for Lucas with a smile."Sure." Milia passed him to her.Lucas, who was usually very picky about who held him, readily bent his torso towards her.Once he settled in Isadora's arms, Milia stepped aside.Isadora sat beside Felicity on the couch and sat Lucas on her thighs.His bright blue eyes stared at Isadora with