NIRELLE - Chapter 35: Chapter 35

I knew it was no use trying to figure out what I had done to Lucien last night that was so evil, so I just ignored it and decided to carry on with my day. I was yet to decide if drinking alcohol was something I was going to do again, but my list still had plenty of things on it that I was yet to do as well, so maybe I'll put off drinking until there is no option but to do it again.
I look down at my phone and notice it is almost time for lunch. Lucien had graciously allowed me to skip breakfast because of how hungover I was; I doubt he would let me skip lunch and dinner. I sit by the mirror and begin to use the powder brush to dust my face, as I had seen the staff do the other day.
Why was I suddenly interested and concerned about what I look like? There was a time in my life when I wanted to look even a tiny bit like a monster so that Enoch and Cory would no longer look my way, but then I soon learnt that they were not attracted to my beauty; they were just monsters, terrible monsters who all they wanted to do was satisfy their insatiable needs.
Even if I was limping with a broken leg from tumbling down the stairs, Enoch still wanted to place his hands on my thigh and slam himself into me. I close my eyes and try to suppress the memory. "It is over now," I whisper, even though I barely believe it.
For years, I had tried to escape that family, that house, that life. I don't know if they would let me go so easily. A knock at the door drew my attention back. I turn to the door and stare at it, but no answer; instead, another knock rumbles through the door.
"?" Lucien's voice comes after this time. I panic almost immediately. Why was he there? Lunch was not for at least another thirty minutes. Did something happen? Instead of spiralling, I stand up and take a double look at myself in the mirror, and quite frankly, I am not impressed by what I see, but I can't wait to fix it, so I walk over to the door, take a deep breath, and pull it open, hoping that I would react and remain like a normal person.
"Hi," I say, tightly gripping the handle of the door. "Why are you here?"
"Can I come in?" he asked, and I wanted to ask if we couldn't speak like this or maybe go somewhere else, but I didn't want to be weird. He did not bring it up, and I did not remember why I should be the one self-conscious about it. His being by the door made me think of this morning, and I did not want to bring it up. I had no need to bring it up; that was what I wanted to hop on. "It's urgent," he adds, and I take a step back, my knuckles turning white as I grip the handle tighter. He steps into the room and surveys the room before taking out a piece of paper from his pocket and handing it over to me.
I close the door and reach out to take it from him. Scribbled on it were the Thamore family's numbers. "What is this?" I asked admiringly how beautiful his handwriting was. Almost like a calligrapher.
"I know you don't have your family's numbers, so have this so you can reach them if you want." He stares at me as if he is waiting to see my reaction.
"Thank you," I say as I put the paper onto the table. These are people I had tried to get away from. Why would I go back so easily? Did he think I was that easy to play around with? "I will reach out," I add, turning to him, trying to pull a smile on my face and failing ever so horribly.
"I did not ask you to call them," he responds, blinking rapidly at me. "You might want to call them later today."
"Why would I want to do that?" I asked with a frown, as I was not catching up with what he was trying to say.
"They might be in some kind of trouble by the end of the day, and I think that their hearing from you might be a good thing."
"Is this about the revenge? Is it already in motion?" The thought of that alone excites me, and I feel blood pumping through my body.
"This is not about the revenge; I just have intel that your family might need some consoling today. I would suggest that you act as if you didn't know, say you were calling to check up on them, and check to see if they would tell you." He sounded crazy; that was all I could say.
"What is this about? Did something happen?"
"Just do as I said."
"I told you that I would refuse to be manipulated, so if you want me to do something, you might as well explain it, because if you don't, then you can count on the fact that I will not be doing it," I say before allowing myself to breathe. I am excited for whatever he was about to do to them, especially since they had been on my mind all morning, but I refuse to be a tool once again.
"I sent a little message to them, and I was thinking that we could throw the scent off us."
“How?”
"Tell them that you've seduced me, that we are in our honeymoon phase. If I were busy with you, then how could they think I would have time to do anything?" He sounds sinister, and it's scary. His seemingly simple explanation caught me off guard and made me flustered.
"But..." I stuttered because I did not expect him to say something like that. “How would they believe me? They think you are a beast, a monster.”
"Just tell them that I would make sure they get something that would make them believe it; just console them."
"Everything about this sounds too weird; can I just skip it?"
"I would really like it if you could do it, but if you don't want to, then I guess I can't force you," he said with his shoulders going up, and something about the way he said it made me want to do it now.
"I still think it’s stupid... but fine. Just this once.” I say, looking away.
"Good, it will be on the news; only reach out when the news is out. That way the plan can work." I take a deep breath as I wonder what this nonsense plan is, but I still carry along with it, and I couldn't even tell why yet.
"Well, we have something off my list to do today."
"What is it?" he groans. I wonder if he is truly uninterested in doing my list with me or if this is an act. I still can't read him properly yet, but somehow, hope flickered that I was going to be able to do it.
"Movie marathon—we have to go see the movies. I want to watch as many as I can in a day." I see him smirk, but I don't like the feeling it gives me at all.