10. They Are Coming
1266 Words
Raine POV
“There’s no deal, Liam! It’s been cut off!” Grandpa’s voice thundered across the room.
I smirked. There was never a deal in the first place. Grandpa only came here because of the secret code.
“Father,” Liam stammered, his face pale. “If there’s any way I have offended you, I promise I’ll correct it—”
“Like I said, the deal is off!” Grandpa cut him short. “A skilled doctor is already on his way. When he arrives, your doctors will cease treating my granddaughter. And until she leaves for the academy, I’ll be assigning my most trusted bodyguard to her.” His voice dropped low, sharp as a blade. “You will handle her entry properly, Liam. Else…”
The old man’s eyes glowed like fire, and my dear father nearly pissed himself.
“O-of course, Father. Is that all?” Liam’s voice shook.
Grandpa’s gaze hardened. “Not even close. Get Raine out of that dog hole you call a room and put her where she belongs. If I hear one single complaint from her…” His lips curved into something deadly. “I will destroy you, Liam Evernight.”
For a second, I swear Grandpa didn’t look like a pack elder. He looked like the head of a Mafia clan.
And just like that, he left.
Liam’s face went from white to blood red.
“You unfilial daughter!” he roared, storming toward me. “After all I’ve done for you, you dare badmouth me—”
I caught his wrist midair, twisting it hard enough to make his bones crack. Gasps echoed around us.
“If you touch a strand of my hair,” I hissed, staring straight into his eyes, “I’ll expose your dirty little secret to the whole world. A sweet little tale about how you turned your college sweetheart into a mistress. You cheating bastard.”
He staggered back like I’d slapped him. Elaris rushed to his side, glaring daggers at me.
“How dare you speak to Father that way! Do you think you’re untouchable because of the visit—”
“Raine!” Bella shrieked, her face twisted with rage. She charged at me.
Before she could lay a finger, the new security guard—broad, silent, dangerous—snatched her back like she weighed nothing.
The whole room froze.
I tilted my head and smiled sweetly. “I’m going shopping. You have two hours to pack your filthy things out of that room, Bella. Or I’ll have them burned.”
Her face went purple as she thrashed against the guard’s grip.
“Father! Mother! You can’t let her do this to me!” she wailed.
I didn’t wait for their excuses. I brushed past them all, my heels clicking against the marble floor like gunshots.
Game over.
“There’s nothing I can do about it, Elaris,” Liam muttered, his shoulders slumping like a beaten dog. “You heard what the old man said. My life is dangling on her hands.”
Elaris clenched her jaw, eyes darting between me and him like she wanted to spit venom but knew better.
“But Dad…” Bella’s whine dragged on, nails digging into his sleeve. “I love that room! I poured my heart into decorating it!”
Her face scrunched up like she was about to cry over wallpaper.
“Don’t worry about this,” Liam cooed, stroking her hair as if she was still five. “You’ll be going to college soon anyway. And the other room isn’t bad. It’s… cozy.”
I snorted loud enough for everyone to hear. Simp. He was simping for his own daughter’s tantrum. Disgusting.
Bella’s lower lip trembled. “But it’s not what I want, Dad! It doesn’t suit my standards of living.” Her voice cracked as she faded into self-pity.
Standards? Please. If her “standards” were so high, she wouldn’t be clinging to a stolen room.
“Raine, I can’t believe that brilliant idea worked out for us!” Zariah whispered excitedly as we stepped away. Her eyes were glowing like a child in a candy shop.
I smirked. “Yes, it did. Now the only thing we should be worrying about is shopping.”
I turned to the guard Grandpa left me with. He stood like a statue, tall and broad-shouldered, his dark eyes scanning every corner of the room like danger lived in the air itself.
“New boy,” I said, tilting my head. “What’s your name?”
His jaw flexed. “Call me Leon.”
I let my eyes sweep over him slowly, deliberately. “Such a fine name… for a fine man.”
Zariah elbowed me with a giggle, and for once, I didn’t bother hiding my grin.
First stop: the salon.
The moment I walked in, every head turned. Good. That’s how it should be. I slid into the plush chair, and the stylists scrambled around me like bees.
“Straighten it. Sleek. Glossy. I want every curl gone,” I instructed, running my fingers through my wild black curls.
“Yes, Miss,” the stylist stammered, already firing up her tools.
Beside me, Zariah was already being pampered, soaking her hands in a rose bath as another worker polished her nails. I snapped my fingers at her. “Make sure she gets the full treatment too. She’s with me.”
“Yes, Miss,” they chorused.
An hour later, I barely recognized myself. My hair was silk, falling straight like a waterfall down my back, catching the light with every turn of my head. My skin glowed from the spa facial, and my body hummed with relaxation.
“Perfect,” I murmured, catching my reflection. “As it should be.”
Next stop: the boutique.
Rows upon rows of clothes stretched in front of me, shimmering fabrics and glittering heels calling my name.
“Leon,” I called, holding up a black dress. “Yes or no?”
His face didn’t move, but his eyes flicked over me once. “Yes.”
Zariah snorted. “He didn’t even hesitate. That’s suspicious.”
“Don’t get jealous, Z.” I winked, switching to a crimson gown with a slit high enough to make Bella faint. I posed in front of them both. “And this?”
Zariah clapped. “That’s the one!”
Leon’s gaze lingered. He didn’t say a word, but the answer was in his silence.
I grinned. “I’ll take it. And these heels. And this bag. Actually ring everything up.”
The poor saleswoman’s arms nearly broke under the mountain of clothes I kept shoving at her.
Zariah kept squealing and giving opinions on colors, while Leon became my silent judge for every piece. It was like a fashion interrogation, and I was loving every second of it.
Finally, I stepped into the dressing room with a pile of clothes, humming to myself. I slipped into the crimson dress, checked the mirror, and damn. I looked untouchable.
That’s when the curtain ripped open.
A man stumbled in, his eyes wild, sweat dripping down his forehead. Even with sweat running down his face, he looked striking. Blonde hair messy, hazel eyes burning into mine. His lips parted like he could barely hold himself up.
“Help me, Miss,” he gasped, his voice ragged, desperate.
I froze, my heart lurching.
He looked like he’d been running for his life.
And then he whispered words that made my blood run cold.
“They Are Coming.”
- Writer
