THE HEIR'S WRATH

ADRIAN'S POV

A stepsister but a naive one.. or maybe the one whose body was fragile with little scars I had already mistakenly seen when I had walked into her room without knocking and found her shirtless.

“I have to go Adrain, graduation is in two weeks. I need my gown and cap." 

I looked at the dirt smeared across her skirt, then at the reddish mark on her cheek.

Her uniform was dirty, her hair was slightly dishevelled, and her eyes were swollen from crying. She stood in front of me with her head lowered, clutching her books against her chest as though they could somehow protect her from the world.

"Evelyn.”

Yet, when I asked who had done this, she shook her head…it's not the first time. It's been the same since I saw her.

“Nobody, Adrian. I just fell.”

She expected me to believe she had fallen hard enough to leave a handprint on her face?

Interesting.

“Look at me, Evelyn.”

She hesitated before slowly lifting her head.

“Who touched you?”

“No one.”

My jaw tightened.

“Evelyn.”

Her lips trembled. “Please, Adrian. I don't want any trouble.”

I took the books from her hands and handed them to the student standing nearby.

“Hold these.”

Then I turned back to her.

“Wait here.”

“Adrian, please…”

I didn't need to raise my voice to make people move. I had learned that a calm command could be far more effective than shouting, especially when people knew exactly who was giving it.

I found the girls near the cafeteria, laughing with their friends as if they hadn't spent the afternoon making another person's life miserable.

Three of them.

The moment they noticed me approaching, their conversation stopped.

One of them, a girl with perfectly styled hair and an expensive handbag hanging from her shoulder, smiled.

“Adrian! We didn't know you were coming over.”

“Which one of you touched Evelyn?” I asked,my fish clenched.

For a second, nobody spoke. Then the girl in front gave a small laugh.

“Evelyn? What are you talking about? We were just joking around with her.”

“Joking?”

I stepped closer.

“Is that what you call slapping someone, throwing their lunch around, and leaving them crying in a corridor?”

The smile disappeared from her face.

If they enjoyed humiliating Evelyn when they had an audience, they could explain themselves in front of one.

“We didn't do anything that serious,” another girl muttered. “She's just too sensitive.”

“Come closer.” I moved too.

“What?”

“You heard me.”

She glanced at her friends before reluctantly stepping forward.

I tilted my head slightly.

“Tell me again how funny it was. Go on. You seemed to have plenty to say when Evelyn was alone.”

Her cheeks reddened.

I turned towards the first girl.

“And you. I believe you were the one who slapped her.”

“It wasn't like that!” she protested. “She forgot something she was supposed to bring us, and we were only teaching her a lesson.”

I almost laughed.

A lesson.

 They had always bullied her for her timid nature and weakness. And now they were standing in front of me, trying to dress their cruelty up like Barbie.

“Let me make something clear,” I said, my voice low enough that they had to listen carefully. “You don't get to punish anyone because you think they're beneath you.”

“Adrian, you're making this a bigger issue than it is,” the girl said, attempting another smile. “You know how girls are. We fight sometimes, but it doesn't mean anything.”

I stared at her until the smile faltered…. wrapped my hands around her neck and raised her up slightly…this was best, enough moras from my late mum.

“Do I look like I'm joking?”

She swallowed.

“No.”

“Then stop speaking to me as if we're friends.”

The students around us had gone completely quiet.

I“Apologise,” I ordered.

The first girl stared at me. “What?”

“Apologise to Evelyn.”

“Here? In front of everybody?”

I gave her a cold look.

“You didn't seem concerned about embarrassing her when she couldn't defend herself. Why should I be concerned about embarrassing you now?”

Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

I took one step closer.

“I'm not going to repeat myself.”

One by one, they lowered their heads.

“I'm sorry,” the first girl muttered.

“Louder.”

“I'm sorry, Evelyn.”

“Not to me.”

I gestured towards the corridor, where Evelyn was standing with her books.

“Go and tell her yourself.”

They exchanged nervous glances, but none of them dared to argue again.

I watched as they walked towards her, their confidence gone. The crowd parted to let them through.

When they reached Evelyn, the first girl forced herself to speak.

“I'm sorry for what we did.”

Evelyn looked startled.

The other two apologised as well, their voices barely audible.

I remained where I was, watching Evelyn's face. She looked as if she didn't know what to do with the situation. 

★★

“Adrian!”

I barely had time to turn before a pair of arms wrapped around my neck.

Sienna.

Of course.

She smelled like tequila, roses and trouble, two things that had somehow become inseparable whenever she was around me.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking down at her.

“Is that how you welcome someone who travelled all the way here to see you?”

“You came from Denmark to see me?”

She smiled. “Maybe.”

 We had known each other for years, and our schools had competed against each other in academic contests, sports, and every other ridiculous event the administrations could think of.

She attended an elite school in Denmark, but that had never stopped her from finding reasons to visit whenever she was back in the country.

Unfortunately, she had also decided that I belonged to her.

I had never agreed to that arrangement.

Not that it stopped her.

“You could have called before coming,” I told her.

“And miss the pleasure of surprising you?” She pulled back, examining my face. “Besides, I have something important to discuss with you.”

“Then discuss it.”

She laughed, apparently amused by my lack of enthusiasm.

That was when I noticed Evelyn returning from the corridor…Her books pressed against her chest as she wrapped her arms around them.

“Anyway, the graduation ceremony is in two weeks,” she announced brightly. “And you still haven't asked me to be your prom date.” Sienna said, moving my attention.

I looked at her.

“Prom?”

“Yes, prom!” She gave my arm a playful tug. “Don't tell me you've forgotten. You promised we'd go together if I was here for graduation.”

“I don't remember promising that.”

“Adrian!”