Chapter 2

KIRA’S POV

“Give me your word and I'll make it look like an accident boss.” the guard growled, his gun still aimed at Dylan.

Adrain waved a dismissive hand, a smirk playing on his lips. “There is no need for all that Romaro. Sadly, he's family,” he replied and the guard, Romaro retracted his gun and stepped back behind Adrian.

I gulped nervously, my hands trembling under the table. Just how powerful was Adrain to have a guard so ready to do his bidding?

Adrain only spared a glance at Dylan before returning his gaze to me. Dylan narrowed his eyes, a death glare fixed on Adrian. Unfazed, Adrain dragged the documents toward him, taking the pen Dylan had offered earlier. Without so much as glancing at the contents, he signed them.

Dylan was about to say something else but Aidan stood up to leave. "Next time you might want to try sending a singing telegram, might get my attention quicker," he said before stepping out the door.

Dylan scoffed slightly after Adrian's departure, "I don't understand why he's so arrogant," he said before smiling as he looked down at the document in his hand. I was curious about what was in it and why it made Dylan so happy but decided to keep mute.

"Are we going somewhere else?" I asked as I didn't notice any sign of the Neel's estate after driving for some time.

"You said you wanted to visit your mom? Or was that a lie?" he glanced at me before returning his attention to the road.

"No, it wasn't. Thank you." I held his hand that was on the hand brake, grateful for him.

Dylan had forgotten the way to the cemetery, and we had to spend another hour trying to find our way back before agreeing to use G****e Maps and find our way to the grave.

I knew he was slightly embarrassed and I fought to keep in my laughter since it was funny to me. By the time we arrived at the cemetery, it was already evening.

I tried not to spend too much time with Mum and I had to agree that Dylan was very patient today, seeing how he followed me everywhere until we returned.

It was already dark by the time we got to the mansion.

"I'll head in now," I said, unbuckling my seat belt.

"Are you going to go in looking like that?" He asked.

I didn't immediately understand what he said until I felt his gaze on my cheeks. I quickly brought my hair to the front of my face, covering the bruise that seemed to have formed on my cheek.

"Good girl" he came forward, kissing me on the lips. "You should go in now." I nodded

"I love you," I murmured before breaking the kiss.

"I know." he smiled before leaving me to get into his car and drive off.

"Everything will be alright." I chanted inwardly as I entered the house.

My heart sank as I saw my stepmother and my stepsisters seated on the sofa seemingly waiting for someone -not someone, me.

"Where have you been, Kira?" my step-sister said, her voice dripped with venom. Compared to her mother, Kayla, my older step-sister, didn't know how to keep her hostility.

I kept quiet, not wanting to reveal that I had been with my fiance, Dylan.

She turned to her mother who continued to stare at me, her legs crossed.

"Mother, let it go. She probably doesn't want to tell us. She's still the Young miss of the house, remember? We should respect her privacy," Her words seemed nice on the surface but I knew she was just trying to make Sasha mad at me and it seemed to have worked.

As expected, Sasha erupted, jabbing her finger at me. "Young miss?! As long as you live under this roof everything you do goes through me!"

I pursed my lips and remained silent. If there was one thing I had learned from living with this mother-and-daughter duo, it was to stay quiet while they ranted.

Finally, she calmed down and returned to her seat on the couch. “The Vasillos family will be joining us for the pre-wedding party tomorrow, and everyone must be on their best behavior.”

Her eyes narrowed as they fixed on me. “We’ll be discussing important details about Kira’s marriage,” she said, her voice stiff as she uttered the last part.

They were all displeased that I would be the one marrying into the Vasillos family, but there was nothing they could do about it. Not even my father had a say in the matter.

Sasha was about to say another thing when there was suddenly a commotion in the main building.

A lot of guards walked in, arranging themselves in order.

I clenched my fist knowing what this meant.

Oh no!

Tius Neel, my father walked in, his suppressing and sophisticated aura commanding all of our attention and respect.

We all got up to greet him. I had always been afraid of him, even more than I was for my stepmother. Due to an incident that happened when I was younger, he had put down a rule that I was never to be allowed outside of the mansion.

“What are you all still doing here at this time?” he asked, his voice thick.

“We were waiting for Kira. She came back late from her mysterious outing, so we had to wait for her,” Sasha said bluntly, not bothering to beat around the bush.

“You left the mansion?” he asked angrily.

“I-”

“Didn't I forbid you from going out?! How dare you disobey my order?!” He roared. I shivered in fear of being rebuked by him.

"I'm sorry, father. I promise not to disobey you again." I began to plead, the tears already streaming down my face.

“Sasha, who had been quiet, suddenly took this moment to talk. “Saying sorry isn’t enough,” she snapped. “Remember the last time you apologized? It was after you got yourself kidnapped while wandering around.”

I stiffened at her words, she was going all out to make me suffer.

Four years ago, I was kidnapped by one of my father's rivals after sneaking out just days before my official engagement party to Dylan. The incident made my father very angry. It was also because of it that he had prohibited me from ever leaving the mansion and even pulled me out of school, opting to have me homeschooled Instead.

I couldn't remember much about it because I had suffered selective amnesia due to the harm inflicted on me when I was held hostage.

"Take her!" Father ordered.

I struggled as the guard took hold of me, ready to take me to the basement.

"Wait!" I heard someone say. The guards stopped, giving me a chance to look back at the person that said it. My stepmother stood before my father, her stance as rigid as his, but her eyes clearly showed the fear she had for him.

"You can't take her, Tius. Remember the dinner party is tomorrow, she can't show up there all bruised." her voice shook. My father stared at her, his eyes holding hers in a hard glare before he eventually looked at me.

My mouth released a sigh when he ordered the guards to release me. For the first time, I felt grateful to Sasha even though I knew she didn't do it for me but for the mafia appearance. They couldn't afford the embarrassment.

"Someone has to take the fall of your actions, right?" My father looked at me, my brows pinched together trying to figure out his intentions. "Take her maid!"

"No! You can't…please father!" I tried to plead but it all fell on deaf ears. "I was the one who broke the rules, Aunt Linda is innocent.” I tried to reason with him but he didn't even bat an eyelid as he replied.

"It doesn't matter if she is innocent or not she will be punished for your actions, next time you will remember this and not make the same mistake,” He said, strolling out of the room, his orders already being executed.

****

Later that night, a maid walked into my room, unfazed by my indifference as she pushed a food cart into the room.

“Here is your meal, miss,” she said. I hadn’t eaten all day, but my anxiety made it impossible to even think about food. Aunt Linda was being tortured because of me.

“Okay, you can leave,” I responded. She nodded but remained where she was.

“The master ordered that I ensure you eat your food,” she said and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at my father’s sudden display of concern.

“He couldn’t actually be worried about me, could he?” I asked mockingly. The servant stiffened slightly before replying.

“Master’s original order was to ensure you’re in good shape to attend the dinner tomorrow,” she said and I scoffed. Of course, it was about keeping appearances. God forbid he actually cared if his daughter starved to death.

I closed my eyes to calm myself down. No matter what, it was still Dylan who loved me most in this world.

With this thought, I picked up my spoon and started to eat. Each bite felt heavy, a stuffy feeling settling in my chest. Disappointment? Anxiety? Whatever it was, it became more suffocating with every swallow until breathing became a struggle.

"Young miss, are you okay?" I heard the servant's worried voice but I felt too choked up to reply.

I frowned, confused about what was happening to me. This wasn’t emotional—it was an allergic reaction!

I quickly raised my hands, already covered in red dots. Panic surged through me. How could this be happening now?

Damn it! An allergic reaction meant at least two weeks in the hospital, and my wedding was exactly two weeks away. It felt like the heavens were against me.

I took a shaky breath as my vision blurred, and my consciousness began to fade for the second time today.

Why was I so unlucky…