Iris POV
My friends have already left to settle down for the beginning of the semester. Vicky is the only one of us that has found her mate. Darius. He studied to be a doctor, and now he is doing a specialty at Central U. They decided to wait until they are married to Mate and Mark each other... He is older than her, and I believe he wants her to be a normal college student for a while.
“Are you all packed up, sweetie?” Dad knocked on my bedroom door.
“Yes… Well, at least what I think I will be needing… If I miss something, I can always come back to fetch it, or buy another, right?” I fanned my lashes and he chuckled.
“About that… you still have your card, and because you will be living alone and paying the bills, I increased your allowance…” He said and I beamed…
“Really?” I jumped into his arms… “Thank you, Daddy…”
Aside from being the demon King, my father has a social media company that has made him and Uncle Des, personally, filthy rich. Money has never been an issue in our family. When I made my decision to dig my heels and get away with living alone, I started worrying about money, because, with my current allowance, I would have been tight on my usual expenses and shopping.
And I wanted this so much, that I was willing to do it regardless of the sacrifice.
But as usual, Daddy was one step ahead, and he took matters into his own hands. “I just want you to be happy, sweetie…” He said and I felt a tear fall down my cheek. I have the best dad in the whole universe…
“So, tomorrow… I have a couple of things to do down at Central City, so would you allow your old man to give you a ride to your new place?” He asked me with a little smirk. Old man, my ass… he looks as young as a 30ish man and as handsome as ever.
“Of course… Is Mommy coming as well?” I was worried that she might change her mind at the last minute.
“Yes, but she has her regular Council meeting… she won´t be driving you to the Penthouse…” Dad said.
“I wonder if it was Dom, she would be moving her schedule around him…” I said, feeling a bit let down. I have always been aware that Mom has a stronger relationship with Dominic, my twin brother, but it hurts every time she feels there is something more important than me.
I don´t want her full and undivided attention… No, that would drive me crazy, but a little consideration from time to time would be nice, you know…
“Well, that is better than her canceling my dream at the last minute…” I mumbled and Dad looked at me in the eye.
“Iris… Sweetie… Your Mom loves you as much as I do… Heck! I am certain that she even loves you more than me… Give her a break, she has a lot on her plate, and you, my sweet girl, have been a handful from the get-go…” He kissed my forehead… “That you got it from me…” He laughed and I pouted. I know it, he is a sweetheart now, but I bet that back in the day he was a mischief machine.
“Alright, it is getting late, I will see you tomorrow morning… be ready at 7 am…” He patted my thigh and stood up, giving me a last good-night kiss. He left me alone.
I laid on my back, “I am doing this…” I mumbled and then smiled. I was proud of myself. I managed to get accepted into the most prestigious Art department in every realm… All by myself, with no help from my parents… and then with Daddy´s help, I managed to bend the iron will of the Central City Queen… my mom.
After tossing and turning on my bed for several minutes, I managed to fall asleep. The next morning, before my alarm clock went off, I was up and all excited about the new adventure.
By 6:30 am I was ready with my bags in the foyer. I went to the kitchen to fetch something to eat. I grabbed a sandwich and quickly ate it. I finished my sandwich and met Mom and Dad at the personal portal down in the castle. “Let´s go…” Daddy said and we all stepped into it.
As soon as we crossed, the air felt lighter and I knew that it was the scent of freedom. “Take care, sweetie…” Mom gave me a small hug, and I nodded at her. It was as if she didn´t want to hold me, like if she held me for a long time her arms would fall or something.
“See you, Mom…” I said and then walked with Dad towards the waiting car.
“Excited?” Dad asked me,
“Very…” I beamed. He nodded my way, and we parked in front of the skyscraper. It was a shiny building right in the middle of Central City. My family owned several properties in the city. This building was designed to have three Penthouses on the top floor.
We owned one, my Uncle Max and my Uncle Alex, the other two. When my family founded Central City, my dad and my uncles made sure to keep the family as close as possible. Dad handed me an access card and showed me how to work it around. We climbed on the elevator and arrived at the top floor. I opened the Penthouse and was greeted by Vicky, Aisling, and Auntie Aqua.
Dad took my things to my room and politely said goodbye. After all that, he had some meetings to attend at his office. I am sure Uncle Desmond was already there.
“Have fun, sweetie… and don´t forget to text…” He kissed my forehead one last time and left.
I stood there and then looked around. I took a deep breath and tears welled in my eyes… for the first time I was free from a burden I had been carrying inside my chest. The burden of being the ´not-so-good daughter´, the burden of being the troublemaker, the burden of not being perfect, and mainly the burden of having to pretend to be someone I am not…
After chatting a little with Auntie Aqua and my friends, I made my way into my room. I needed to settle in and unpack my things. I had to settle into my new life, and tomorrow I have to go to university to get a hold of things there…
By lunchtime, I managed to leave my room. I walked downstairs and Vicky was sitting on the couch with Darius. “Hey guys, where are Auntie Aqua and Aisling?” I asked them.
“Aisling went out to have lunch with her and then she would be back home. Arran Jr got in trouble again… so Auntie Aqua had to cut her visit short”. Vicky shrugged her shoulders.
“What did he burn this time?” I asked,
“Your Uncle Alexander´s car…” Vicky said, and I laughed hysterically. I could almost see my uncle royally pissed but at the same time losing it in laughter.
“Oh, I wish someone would record that one…” I mumbled and they both laughed.
I walked past those two lovebirds and made my way into the kitchen. Auntie Aqua had it all stocked, and we agreed to split the food between all of us. I pulled out a pot and prepared some spaghetti and meatballs. One thing I enjoyed back home was hanging around Betza, and the result of that was that I learned one or two tricks around the kitchen. Who am I kidding? I can cook. She taught me well.
I finished and by the time I was serving myself, Vicky and Darius showed up in the kitchen. “I hope you cook enough because I am starving…” Darius joked, and I nodded.
I served two more dishes and we all sat at the kitchen bar to have lunch. “So, I was telling Vicky that tomorrow I can take you to Central U and show you around…” Darius offered.
“That would be awesome…” I said and he nodded.
“Tomorrow is my day off and the guys have training and then work… After showing you around, we are going to the paintball field…” Darius said, “If you are not too tired, you can join us…” He said to Vicky and me.
“Guys?” I raised my eyebrows… He needed to provide more information about who was going…
“Well, the guys… my friends…” He scrunched his eyebrows, a bit confused. Is he really asking me to tag along with those big asshats… No, thank you… I would even find it fun to swim in fresh molten lava, before hanging out with any of them.
“Sorry, I am definitely going to be tired…” I said and Vick cleared her throat. She knew exactly how I felt about Darius´s friends. For a while, I felt the same for Darius, but I pushed my annoyance aside for her sake.
“They have all grown… I am the youngest and I am 25 years old…” Darius pointed out, as if their age meant something.
“And yet, you are going to play a child's game…” I rolled my eyes, making him chuckle.
I stood up and cleared the bar… and we kept talking about random things while I put the dishes away in the dishwasher. Those humans have very good ideas on how to make house chores easy.
“Alright, at what time are we leaving for Central U?” I asked Darius.
“I will knock around 9 am, is that good?” He said and I nodded.
“See you…” I said and he waved back.
“See you tomorrow, neighbor!”
At that word, my world stopped. What did he mean by that? I knew he was a roommate with his childhood friends, my cousin Matei D´Angelo included… Are they living in the penthouse opposite this one? I hope not, because I am certain that my mom has already called Aunt Ariel to ask her to ask him to look after me… and the last thing I want to do is see him…
I hated him, he hurt me when I was a kid… all of them did, and the last thing I want to be around is… them… any of them.
In the search for my freedom, I am going to be forced to face the person that hurts me the most… I was not expecting that, at least not this soon…
Matei POV
I am 26 years old and graduated two years ago from university. I have a Business degree and I am getting a master’s in Marketing. I managed to strike a deal with my father and prevent him from passing the realm to me. I am actually trying to buy time to see if my brother Stavros can take over. I love my life the way it is...
My friends and I remained close to each other, and when we moved to Central City, we all decided to become roomies. So we share a big penthouse my family owns in the city. My friends don´t come from privileged families, and my father has always been supportive of them. The only condition Dad gave me and my friends were that we had to keep training, no matter what, we had to show our asses at the training facility that he ran and train with the special Ops squad. And that we did... becoming the best of the best.
I know that my dad expects me to take over the Lycan realm, but I want to keep working on our business and the small projects on the side. I enjoy it so much and, truth be told, I hate politics...
I have 5 stepbrothers and sisters. Ariel and Dad kept having kids every year and a half a while ago. Thus, the small litter of pups. When I was 8, Mom had Stavros. He is now 18, about to come of age… then she had Greco, now 16… and then the three princesses: Angela, now 14, Elisa, now 12, and our baby sister Asteria. She is now 10 years old.
Yes, I am way older to get along with my younger siblings, but despite our age difference, I have managed to be part of their lives and a good friend to them. Even Asteria, when I go back home, I sit down and play tea with her or she paints my nails in colorful nail polish with glitter.
After training at 5 am, we followed our regular schedule and were back at the Penthouse by 8 am… with just enough time to shower and get to work. I am now the CEO of my father´s companies. He had a technology company, and when Central City was raised, he also founded a Real State and Urban Development Company. All of them are thriving under my care, and I am very proud of my accomplishments.
Cadmus worked for Uncle Alex in his financial company, Stephan was an architect and worked for our Urban Development Company. Angelo, he graduated with me from business school, so immediately I asked him to work with me… But he wanted to build something of his own, so he accepted money from me, to set up a restaurant chain, and we are partners in that one. And Darius, the younger of the lot. He graduated from medical school, and he is now doing some weird internship with Evangel… he will begin his specialization next semester… He wants to specialize in orthopedics and sports injuries.
We have all come a long way, but we keep our fun activities in place. Tonight we will go to the paintball court. Last time we were there, the Fae princes -the triple idiots- challenged us, and we are not a group to back from a challenge. Aeon, Alvar, and Archer were what we called top-notch assholes, and there is a not-so-subtle rivalry there. We keep it down to the paintball court and the paddle court… Our parents would flip if we fought openly. After all, they are all members of the council and expect us to be on our best behavior.
After my shower, I saw Mom´s name flashing on my screen… “Hey, mom…” I greeted her.
“Hey, Matty… How are you?” She asked and I chuckled. I am a 26-year-old Alpha and she still calls me Matty.
“Fine… how are you, Dad, and the litter doing?” I asked her and she laughed,
“Good… your father will be in town today… Stavros will be tagging along, they will go to the training facility… He asked your father to allow him to train with the special ops team…” She paused, and her voice cracked.
“Wow… he is brave…” I paused and then realized that mom was afraid for her pup, although her pup is now a grown man. “He is a tough cookie, Mom… after the first days, it gets easy… He will be fine…” I reassured her, and she chuckled.
She took a deep breath, “So, I was calling you about something else…” She paused,
“What is it, Mom? Do you need something? Anything ?” I asked her. She usually calls to check on me and barely asks for anything.
“No, not at all… everything here is fine… But yesterday, your aunt Charmaine called me, and she said that Iris would be using the penthouse across from yours… She got admitted to Central U, Art School… I have heard that is a thought one to get in…” She paused, “Anyways, Matty would you be a doll and keep an eye on her? Your aunt is really worried… you know how prone Iris is to trouble…” Mom finished, while my blood drained from my body.
“Do you think it is a good idea to have me as her watchdog when she definitely wants her freedom?” I asked her, trying to get around saying yes to what she and my aunt were asking.
“That´s why you will be subtle… it is not as if you will be her bodyguard… You give her space, but be there for her in case she needs a helpful hand…” Mom said, well that I can do, after all, Darius is around Vicky all the time.
“I will keep an eye… but I don´t promise full surveillance…” I said and Mom laughed,
“Thank you, Matty…” She said sweetly.
“You are welcome… I will stop by the training facility later to say hi to Dad and Stavros, and give the rest a kiss for me…” I said,
“I will… Kisses for you too, Matty…” And with that, she finished the call…
Goddess damn me… she is here, right across the hallway.
Waiting for the first comment……
Please log in to leave a comment.