The Enemy's Puppet

Chapter Two

"Baby boo!" Came a voice, as soon as Leon entered the Martin Mansion on the outskirts of Paris, looking extremely gorgeous in his black tuxedo, beneath his trench coat.

The snow-covered villa stood alone in what seemed like a little forest end of the city, grabbing every eyeball that wandered in the natural beauty of the surroundings.

"Mum" Leon greeted her back as he bent down to reach her height and hugged her back, kissing her forehead lightly. Sofia Martin, the most humble and down-to-earth lady, is a brilliant interior designer alongside being a brilliant wife and mother.

In a fuchsia red evening dress, and hair placed neatly in a high bun with a few hair strands curled on the sides to give an edgy look. Her make-up was minimal with nude lips and lightly contoured her well-structured face. Her blue orbs are covered by hazel lenses and shimmery eyeshadow.

"How are you, honey pie?" she asked as they broke the hug, and helped him out of his trench coat, before handing it to the butler who hung the coat on the hanger.

"I'm doing great, my queen" Leon answered, adding a little endearment that stayed true at his heart, making his beautiful mother blush and shove him slyly at his biceps.

"Let's go and see your father?" Leon nodded and whispered a little, "After you" and followed his mother, just a step behind her, to meet his father, who stood by the bar sipping vodka, with a couple of his friends and clients from the industry.

"There he is, my pride, my son; Leon," Michael announced as soon as he saw Leon appearing closer with his mother. Leon smiled at the guest as Michael walked towards him and patted his back when he hugged him quickly.

"Hey Leon, I hope you are doing fine after the very heartbreaking loss against your biggest competitors," asked a man in his late fifties with a fake sweet smile, and Leon clenched his fist and gritted his teeth before giving a fake smile and replying, "I'm fine actually. I wish them congratulations on their win as I am pretty sure that it's a big thing for them since they couldn't get a win for decades. And not only for them, I am also happy for people who actually enjoyed seeing the Martins loose, since it was something that they were eagerly waiting for."

Looking at the bad face of the man, Leon continued, "It's good to stay grounded and face loss sometimes. It's even better to let others have a chance sometimes so that they'll feel better. It's called being generous, you know."

Putting a fake concerning face, Leon added, "But don't you worry yourself, Mr.Black" He continued with a confident tone and dead eyes, "We will rise again. We are the Martins, and we have it in our blood to get over losses quickly and regain our position no matter what."

Mr. Black smiled a tight smile and gave a quick look at everyone else before excusing himself from the group. Even the others left, leaving the Martins by themselves by the bar.

Leon sighed, shaking his head, and felt someone pat his back, which made him realize his parents had stood there the whole time while he spoke to their 'Friend'.

"I'm sorry dad. I didn't mean to be that mean to him, and it was out of turn, but he-" Leon was stopped by Michael, who completed his sentence with a questioning tone, "He had it coming?"

Leon nodded slightly and bit his lip sheepishly and frowned when his parents gave each other adoring smiles before looking at him with the same.

"If anyone tries to mock you when you're down, then you shouldn't be embarrassed about standing up for yourself" Sofia gave her piece of advice with the exact same adoring smile as before and Michael nodded, agreeing to his wife, which made Leon smile too.

"Now, go and have fun with your friends, they're waiting for you in the backyard" Leon nodded, and giving a quick peck to his mother's cheek, he walked straight out of the mansion, to the backyard.

Greeting his friends and classmates, Leon excused himself and joined Scott by the poolside bar. Ordering himself a vodka shot, he raised an eyebrow at Scott, who nodded in return, gesturing to a room upstairs through his eyes. Gulping down the shot in a go, Leon walked away, followed by Scott.

-

"What exactly are we looking for?" Asked Scott after skimming through the detailed document that read 'Lucas Styles' as its title.

Leon, ignoring his friend, kept scrolling through the file, understanding his competitor's personal life and relations, as it is better to know your enemy thoroughly before pulling any tricks on them.

Sighing, Scott settled himself comfortably on the couch as he grabbed the food tray from the coffee table in the middle of the room and pulled out his cell phone to go through his social media accounts.

"Let me know when you're done going through some petty files that you think will help you take your enemies down" sarcastically mocked Scott, but didn't get a comeback to this either.

After a good half hour, Leon wrapped up his skimming session and mailed himself the data from his friend's laptop, and stood up, tucking his coat again.

Looking around, he smiled, seeing the messy, almost empty tray lying on the couch beside his sleeping friend, who had his phone hugged right at his chest. His mouth was so wide open that he could even catch a fly, if there was one in the room.

He had been the immature kiddish one of the duo, since childhood. Leon was always in charge of him, as he was of the situations, whenever the duo would hang out together.

"Scotty boy," Leon called out, as he placed the tray back on the table and shook his friend by his shoulder, who opened his eyes, frowning a little.

"I'm sorry, I had a late night yesterday," Scott said, as he stood up, realizing he was sleeping on the couch itself.

Leon raised an eyebrow at him, folding his arms at his chest, "Late Night, huh? I see"

Scott scowled and picked up the couch pillow only to aim it at his friend who just mocked him. "Wasn't groping some beauty, you pervert"

Leon laughed, as he crouched down to dodge the pillow and asked, "Oh really? Then who did you snog?"

Passing him a sarcastic smile, Scott threw another pillow before answering the question, "I was snogging the data of Lucas Styles, you motherfucker, and for you might I add"

Laughing, Leon caught the pillow before it hit him and threw it back at Scott, whose reflexes worked a little slowly, resulting in the pillow hitting him right in his face. The little banter transferred into a fun, chaotic pillow fight-war between the two.

A knock on the door stopped the two man-children, heaving a little as they stared at the door open slowly, to Leon's beautiful mother, who walked in and frowned at the mess the room had to offer.

"Lee, Scott, what is this, young men? Why is the room such a mess?" the boys looked at each other hiding their smiles, as they realized their childish fight and just shrugged their shoulders at her, letting her be the judge of the situation's probability.

"Anyway, I was here to call you both downstairs. The dinner is going to be served soon, and Lee, your father wants you to conduct the new year's speech this year." Leon nodded at his mother's demand and walked out, followed by the two children.

-

The dinner was a pretty eventful time, as all the guests kept murmuring and laughing at their tables. The Martin family, alongside the Harrison family, were seated at the main dining table in the middle of the dining room.

After dinner, everyone was escorted back to the living room, where the subtle white flower decor made the ambiance softer. The guests were served drinks and a mic was set on the podium on the platform, which was beautifully decorated with black roses and off-white curtains as the backdrop.

With barely 30 minutes to go for them to welcome the new exciting year, Leon steps on the platform, fixing his tuxedo. The lights turned dim, as the spotlight was thrown on the stage, gaining the attention of the audience on him.

Taking the mic, he clears his throat and starts off, "Good evening, strong, intelligent, and beautiful people, and thank you for being kind enough to join us today, as we step into the new year together."

A lot of faces turned bright with the adjectives being used instead of the same old Ladies and Gentlemen.

"As we await a new mysterious year to unlock, I, Leon Nicolas Martin, would like to take a moment of your time to say a few words"

"Firstly, I'd like to thank my mama, Sofia Martin, and papa, Michael Martin for being so generous to give me the opportunity to address y'all tonight." Everyone applauded at the acknowledgment. Sofia and Michael waved with proud smiles as the spotlight fell on them, before going back to Leon.

"Today, we're here to bid adieu to the very eventful but generous year, and before doing so, I'd like to thank each one of you for being so compassionate towards the Martin family, and being our well-wishers this entire year" Leon paused to spare a look of gratitude to the crowd.

Continuing, "On behalf of the entire Martin family, I, Leon Martin, express our sincere gratitude to each one of you, hoping and believing that we've only done good to you and your family in return for your support"

Fixing the mic a little, Leon continued, "And as we step into the new year together, we hope this association will be the same on both ends."

"With that being said, I, Leon Martin, will take your leave. Do enjoy the night fellas, and thank you once again." Leon ended the speech and walked off the stage, back to his family and friends.

The lights turned back on, and the party went on, and Michael patted Leon's back, "fier de toi, fils." Leon smiled at his father and reciprocated the hug his mother initiated.

"Go and enjoy yourself with your friends my love, you did great," said Sofia, and Leon smiled at her, before bidding adieu to Harrison's family and leaving with Scott to his group of friends.

-

"Hazel!" Exclaimed a very excited young man; Lucas Jonathan Styles, as the front door of the huge Styles' mansion opens up, revealing an extremely gorgeous woman, all dolled up; Hazel Ann Styles.

The one girl who is the center of Styles' affection, the youngest and the only daughter. Treated like a princess, but brought up to be morally correct all the time. Loved and pampered to no limits.

"Lucaa!" She let out a cheerful scream as she jumped into his arms, immediately being lifted off the ground and twirled around.

"Welcome home, babygirl!" Their parents greeted her with hugs and kisses, and soon were all found settled on the living room couch, having a little chat before going to get ready for New year's eve.

"I'm so glad you're a home angel." Lucas exclaimed, sipping his black coffee, which was served to him along with other beverages for the entire family, by the servants.

"Believe me, Lukey, I'm glad to be home too! And it's only great that I am completing my last semester here in Paris since the previous university is shutting down. I'll be here with y'all now" everyone smiled at her excitement, and after a little chat, drifted to their rooms to get ready.

If only they had known the shift of her universities was going to bring a big storm in their lives before they could even see it coming. It would either make them stronger together or be the reason they drift away from each other.

And that.. with time, we'll see...