In Love and Hate With My Stepbrothers

{ Lily }

"Wake up, dear. The day has finally come," my mother says, out of nowhere.

Literally, out of nowhere.

I haven't seen this woman in TWO years. I haven't spoken to her in... months. I almost don't understand what she means because I'm hangover and she just woke me up, but then I realize what she means.

The day.

I think she means 'the day' she promised me ten fucking years ago. The day when my revenge against my stepbrothers will begin.

I guess we’re powerful enough to actually take them down now.

"How did you find me?" I ask, groaning as I get up. Then I look down at the guy in my bed… I don't know who he is, "How did you get inside my house?”

"This is my house, smartypants," she laughs, looking momentarily at my naked form before I grab my robe and cover myself up, "I can explain later. The day has come, just like I promised. Today, we will start the downfall of those sick boys."

"How?" I ask, blinking and trying to keep up. My mother is not a jokester and she doesn't waste her time. Ever.

If she's here, telling me this, I know for sure she fucking means it.

"Your daddy wants to bring you into the family business to help me clean you up," she says and smiles, lifting a hand to caress my hair, "You played your part perfectly, Lily."

"Harry is not my daddy," I spit out and I close my eyes to try and make some sense of what's going on, "Is this why you told me to keep my lifestyle exactly the sam..."

"Everything I do and say is for a specific reason. And yes, everything I've done to you was for THIS reason. I promised you I would get your payback, didn't I?"

"Ten years ago. I don't even care anymore," I mumble, but even I can hear the lie in my voice, "Mom, I haven't been playing a part. This is my life."

"It was your life because I let it be your life. Now it has served the purpose, so you will stop," she says, looking around my trashed room, "Put on some decent clothes and meet me outside. The helicopter is waiting for us, we're going back to Altamira."

I start shaking my head immediately, an involuntary reaction to that word: Altamira. That's the city I'm from... the city I've been away from since I was seventeen, when everything happened.

"No, mom. I can't," I whisper, my eyes getting wet and my heart pumping with fear, "I'll have to see them."

"Of course, they're your brothers and you will treat them as such. With respect and care," she says, making me want to throw up, but she grabs my face and forces me to look at her again. Her nails in my face feel sharp and painful, "You are not a weak woman, Lilian. You're my daughter."

I think I am weak, actually. I'm nothing like her. I'm not smart or powerful or brave. But I am resentful as fuck and I still hate them, even ten years later.

I still want to fuck them over... I'm just scared.

"We will take them all down, one by one, but for that to happen we have to keep being smart," she says, repeating the same shit she's been saying for ten years, "The scene is set perfectly for you, dear. Everything is going according to plan."

"What do I even have to do?"

"Right now, not much. Just come with me to Altamira and be yourself. Treat daddy respectfully and your brothers even more so. The last thing we want is to raise suspicions," she says, touching my face with tenderness, "You'll understand my plan once we're there, but I can't tell you much right now because I need your genuine reaction. Just know that I have your back, always. The only real team here is you and I. They can all go to hell for all I care, no matter what I might do or say in front of them."

I close my eyes and nod.

"Okay. I'll get dressed," I whisper and she walks out of my room. The only noise I hear is the one of her Louboutins until she closes the door, "Holy fucking shit."

"What the fuck was that?" The guy in the bed asks all of a sudden, making me gasp as he sits up in bed, "Is that really your mom?"

"Who even are you, dude?" I spit out at him and shake my head, walking to my closet to get some clothes, "Did we fuck?"

"Yes. We've been fucking for like two months," he says from the bed and gets up to walk to my closet too. He’s naked, "I'm Brian. I've been sleeping here almost every weekend since may. I thought we were in a relationship.”

"Oh," I say awkwardly, looking up and down at him. He's attractive, which is nice. I don't always have the best taste when I'm under the influence, "Well, I guess we're breaking up now. I'm moving away."

"Yeah, I heard. I know where Altamira is... like five hours away from here, right? I could go visit you," he says, still standing over there fully naked as I grab the most decent clothes I can find, "That shit sounded very creepy with the whole Daddy thing. It's not a sexual thing, right?"

"No," I roll my eyes, "Daddy is Harry, my stepdad. I used to call him that when I was younger. It's all very complicated, Brian. I'm sure you already know this… but I'm a mess."

"That's what they say, but I've had a lot of fun with you," he says, sounding sincere, which is surprising, "I could drive to Altamira sometime. Link up there? You have my number under Lannister.”

"Oh, Lannister! That's you?" I finally connect more than two brain cells. Of course, Brian Lannister, who looks a tiny little bit like Jamie Lannister, from Game of Thrones. Or a lot, depending on how drunk I am, "Yeah, we can link up there. But you should leave now. I really have to go."

"Okay," he sighs, "See you later. And, you know, you can text me sometimes if you want. If you need a friend, I mean.”

I stop and look at him, surprised. I've never had a fuck-buddy that wants to be my friend too. That's sweet.

I nod and smile at him as he walks back to the bed. And I will maybe take him on his offer because I do need friends, especially if I'm going back to Hell, best known as Altamira.

I have absolutely no idea what my mother's plan is and to be fully honest, I don't like her very much, but I do trust her. With my life.

Because she might not be the most nurturing or caring mother out there, but I know she loves me as much as she loves herself. And I know she has been working nonstop for this day.

So, I get on that helicopter.

"Remember to play dumb, that's your best asset at the moment," my mom says, putting down her phone after ten minutes of ignoring me because of it. She looks at me as if she’s studying me, "Dumb Lily with alcohol issues and a minor drug addiction, promiscuous and unfocused. You need our help and that's why you're here. You have to remember to always be respectful and sweet because that's why Harry loves you so much... also, Damon and Aiden are powerful now, but that will stop soon enough, so don't worry."

Damon and Aiden have always been powerful. They were born powerful.

I swallow down a lump in my throat.

I've seen them a few times since I left Altamira, but I haven't been sitting down in the same table as them in ten years. And we haven't had a conversation in just as long.

That ends today.

The helicopter lands on the Carrington building and my legs start shaking when we have to step down.

I'm scared and this got me by surprise, but I have been waiting for this opportunity.

I will savor it and I will do my best to make sure both Damon and Aiden are over.

I want them down on their knees. I want them beaten down, humiliated, defeated.

Only then I'll be able to move on.

For a long time, I was a victim. Victim of my circumstances, victim of my parents and their egos, victim of my stepbrothers and their depravity.

Victim of myself and my self-hatred.

But today, I will start the process to become the abuser. Because I deserve it.

And because there's no other form of justice out there.