UNGRATEFUL ❤

2. FAMILY ALBUM

After a long time did everyone in family gathered for Brunch. All thanks to Niomi who wanted Lucius to have grand welcome. She made sure everything was perfect.

It had been almost 2 months. Aron wanted to spend all his time with Lucius. So he postponed all gatherings, although they video chatted with everyone.

Everyone in family was excited to meet him."Charles! Is everything ready?"She asked their butler.

'Yes mam' She paused for a second and faced him" Don't let him know of your relation to him, not that he will ever accept the kind of you as his grandfather but still I don't want him to get bothered ". She didn't wait for his reply, as she went to look for Aron.

Leila was observing everything quietly .

How her emotionless friend's eyes contorted in pain.

She restrained herself from beating her vile daughter straight on speaking in such manner with the same person who once roamed all around the mansion with her tiny self on shoulders, leaving his own daughter to herself.

But, she couldn't disregard the fact that Charles also played a huge role in destroying his daughter's life.

He was a good human being.

He was a good butler.

He was a good friend.

But, unfortunately he wasn't a good father.

Charles came out of his reverie by Leila, who stood in front of him with poker face.

He waited for her orders, when all of a sudden she came close to him and whispered softly.

"Always remember YOU threw him out of your life, with him being in his mother's womb. So, no need to weep internally Charles"

It was the first time after Misty's departure from their lives, when Leila spoke to him or kept any contacts as such as, from then on she treated him like invisible object.

Leila hated him.

She hated everyone who did wrong with Misty.

But the one who she hated the most was herself.

If only she supported the truth at that time, instead of lies.

She betrayed her promise to Misty's mother, to take care of her as her own.

She loathed herself, for every night she saw Selma blaming her for all the injustice to her daughter, crying over her broken promise and cursing her entire family, for her daughter's pain.

DOOM TOTAL DOOM to her family. That's how she woke up everyday.

"Grandmaa! " she turned to her little man rushing towards her with Robot of iron man custom made for him.

"Careful Lucius...don't rush around. You may hurt yourself." Once she held him in her arms, she inspected him for any injuries.

" Okay" But his whole attention was on the toy.

"Why are there so many people at our house!" He asked her all the while going through manual in his tiny hand on how to operate the toy.

She was quite amused by his actions and why not!

When Aron was of his age he used to do the same, saying he wasn't among other kids to use something without having full knowledge of its features.

"Your father is giving a winning party" and this brought his full attention to her.

"Why?" He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Don't you remember! He won the case of your full custody from Misty right. Now you are no longer Ray, you are our Lucius."

She observed his expressions and found it strange that he eyes were no longer shining with happiness.

"Hmm" he replied softly.

"Why! Aren't you happy to be free from your bad mother, who used to beat you. I am so happy that finally you are free from her." She tried to test how he will react and she was right, as he clenched his little fists.

"And it's all because of your statement that you gave at court. How dare she. What did she think, that she would fulfill all your needs with a petty job that earned so little. I wonder with that little salary how she took care of you." She riled him up some more.

" I am sure she used to spend all her salary on parties and pampering herself, leaving you to starve. "

"I am going to washroom grandmaa" he didn't wait for any reply as he rushed away from her.

***************************

Charles

Heaviness was what he felt with every step he took. He hated himself. No, he loathed himself.

Definitely, it was karma only, which showed him how it felt to be invisible to your family.

How it feels to be alone even in crowd.

He chuckled humourlessly as he thought of the million times he wished for her to vanish from his life.

But then, why each and every moment of his life after her became lifeless?

Why his each sleep invited flashes of Misty trying to gain his attention,  doing almost anything for him to acknowledge her?

Why was he angry for her to leave, when it was the only thing he ever wished ?

FLASHBACK

"You disgust me." He spitted viciously to his so called daughter.

"Papa.." she whispered completely shattered.

"You know why I tolerated you in my life for so long even after hating you from the core of my heart for causing my wife's death!!" Heavy whimpers left her mouth as he grabbed her shoulders tightly.

"Because of Leila and society. I should have thrown your pathetic self that day only when you cursed my life with your birth " he yelled at her.

Anger and disgust was what he felt.

"And just when everything was going good with my and my son's life, you had to make a bloody joke out of me by w*****g yourself out!

And whom do you blame for this thing, Aron.

My darling daughter,  he hates your existence. So he would rather eat s**t than to touch you." Her eyes showed nothing but pain at her drunk father's choice of words, as he pointed at her stomach.

"Why don't you leave me?

Why don't you leave us?" He exposed all his anger, that he had been carrying from years ago.

Afterall, this was the first time he actually spoke to her rather than ignoring her presence.

All he could remember before losing consciousness was the broken look on his daughter's face, who prayed to God for her Papa to speak to her atleast once.

A daughter who followed his every restriction and rules just so he would show her the same affection as he showed to his son.

And finally, he got rid of Misty before welcoming sleep.

                                   ........................................

Leila

Family Album, Leila and Selma decided from the day after Leila's pregnancy to capture every moment and day of their lives in it.

Even after Selma's departure she continued it, till everything went wrong.

With each and every picture she was reliving her past.

She got married to Fin through an arrangement of their parents. Where there was no love and respect. Ohh! How she went through the rough patch of their relationship?

All the time Selma and Charles supported her and eventually became her backbone.

Selma had 5 years old Jared at that time, who loved Leila as his own mother.

By the time Fin realised his mistake, Leila's patience broke. But God had other plans when she got pregnant with Aron.

They were all like a family.

Everything went downhill, with Selma's pregnancy which had many complications. A month after Leila also got pregnant with Niomi.

Aron was soo excited. Almost everyday Aron, Fin and Charles used to buy a new toy for babies.

But, she refused to abort and didn't share any of her problems with Charles who was over the cloud to finally have a babygirl.

Yes, Charles always wanted a girl. Even when Selma and Charles were dating, he always used to dream of all the things he would do for his daughter.

Ohh..how could she forget the day Selma was 8 months pregnant when he got to know of all her complications. She never saw him so devastated. How he became numb with the thought of his Selma leaving him.

The very next day he dragged her to the Doctor only to announce that she will abort immediately.

She slapped him hard.

"Charles, I don't know whether I will survive this childbirth, but one thing is sure. If anything happens to my baby I will kill myself and I mean it."

The remaining one month went with Charles taking care of his wife like a fragile Chinaware. But what was alarming than the fact that not for once he spoke of the baby. He just worried about Selma.

But everything went wrong when all of a sudden she went to bathroom without waking up Charles at midnight and slipped accidentally.

They immediately took her to hospital, all the while she was pleading him to save her Misty, the name both of them decided together for their princess.

Just before she entered the operation theatre, she held Leila's hand tightly and asked her " Promise me to love her as your own Leila!!Promise me to take care of my daughter "

"I promise " she cried to her as they took her in.

That was the last time she heard her friend's voice as her labour pain started all of a sudden.

She opened her eyes to her tiny Niomi who looked identical as her father apart from her eyes. She shed happy tears for her daughter and kissed her soft cheeks. All the while Aron held onto her waist

"Aron..baby"

"Mama, I missed you. I don't ever want us to come to hospital." Aron spoke to her with tear filled eyes.

"No love, mama is going nowhere. See mama is fine, now we all will go home happy hmm. You, me, dad, Sister, Charles,Selma, Jared and Misty okay." She spoke softly to her son.

"No mama, not that Misty. I hate her she is bad luck.." he told her clenching his tiny fist.

"Aron, it's no way to speak about someone and who told you such bad things "She yelled at him.

"No mama, I heard before from workers how Misty will kill Aunt Selma when she comes into this world and she will make everyone sad and now Aunt is not waking up since she brought that Misty into world, making uncle and Jared cry. I am never gonna let her come near my sister" he declared all the while her heart broke for Selma.

"Leila! You have to be strong for all of us. For Misty." Only Fin understood her at that time as he himself faced a lot of hatred in his childhood from his step mother and father for something he never did.

After putting both Aron and Niomi to sleep. She went with her husband to the room where they kept Misty as she was a delicate issue they kept her under observation.

Her tiny Misty was all alone in the room, attached to machines.

Fin was afraid to even touch her with the fear that he might break her.

It pained her a lot to hear that both Charles left with Selma's body taking Jared forcefully with him to prepare for funeral leaving his small daughter all on her own.

"How could he?"she cried in her husband's chest as he rubbed her back to soothe her.

"He is in pain." She looked at him as both of them knew after past month that Charles will not care for his daughter.

"And we are here now right! We will take care of her. Her uncle Fin will love and treasure her as his own and I mean it Leila." He vowed to his wife.

Since that day she took care of Misty as if she was her own. She even convinced Aron that there is no such thing as bad luck and eventually he got along, maybe that's what she thought.

She overlooked all that glares that Aron projected to Misty.

All the jealous acts of Niomi.

All the advantages that Jared took of Misty's innocence.

And all the hatred that Charles had towards her.

At the end even Fin chooses his culprit daughter over truth.

Maybe, she bowed down to their wrong demands but she could never forgive herself and her so called family for injustice that they did to Misty.

And the stubbornness that they still pose to accept their faults.

She looked down at the picture of her and Misty.

How much love she had in her eyes for Leila.

And slowly the image of Misty's red eyes appeared on the picture looking at her for the last time with hatred and betrayal.

It was her backstabbing only that broke even the remaining pieces of Misty's heart.

And now she just waited when the karma will bite them hard for their deeds.

And she can't do anything.

__________________________

Gallantia Tower

Looking out at the fast moving city from his Office, Aron clenched his fist.

" She moved in a rental women dormitory and took a job of waitress at local restaurant ROAST.

She seems the same as before healthwise, exhausted.

We are looking forward to further information of, if she is having medicines regularly.

As for Miss Lorraine Bright asked her to start coming for her shows practice every Sunday for next one month.

We have already put security behind her.

That's all sir" his assistant placed her recent photos on his desk.

"Leave" Aron waved him off, before holding her photographs. His intense gaze almost fired with anger as they witness her vulnerable state. 

When a friend is venting to you, sometimes it's better to stay silent instead of trying to give advice.

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