{TRIGGERING SUBJECTS, READ AT OWN RISK! IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE IT, DO NOT PROCEED- thank you <3}



'Show me the picture again.' Hunter groans, waiting for Isabelle to show him the picture again.

'How many times do I have-' 'Do you want me to ruin it for you?' He asks, pulling her phone out of her hand, before walking back to his chair.

Isabelle rolls her eyes and keeps her chest pressed against the chair she's lying on.

'That's what I thought.' Hunter chimes, moving a few things around.

I stay seated and look at the picture Isabelle drew.

Butterflies.

I'm getting butterflies tattooed today.

Don't ask me how Isabelle convinced me to get a tattoo with her either, because I have no clue.

I just want a tattoo.

One I actually want.

And Hunter was going to tattoo her today, so I decided to take one as well.

'If you mess it up, I'm going to kill you.' Hunter rolls his eyes and I can't help but chuckle softly. 'The only reason it will be crooked is if you keep moving like last time.'

'That shit hurt like a bitch!' She shouts dramatically, looking over her shoulder. 'I warned you, but you didn't want to listen.'

'You have more tattoos?' I ask, moving a bit closer. She nods and flinches at the sound of Hunter moving more stuff around.

'I have a few, but the one on my ankle hurts the most.' I look at Hunter who's mocking her as he moves a few lights around, shining them right on her back. 'You know that this is going to be a long one, right?'

'Just do it.' She sneers, holding onto the chair a little tighter. Hunter looks at me for a second, but I keep my eyes on Isabelle, who's keeping her eyes shut, waiting for him to start. 'She's waiting.'

'I think I should do you first.' Isabelle opens her eyes and looks at Hunter again. 'What?'

'Yours will take longer, hers is simple.' Hunter explains, looking at Isabelle as he waits for her to get off the chair. 'Just do her first, she's waiting.'

Hunter turns towards Isabelle and simply looks into her eyes for a few seconds, while I awkwardly stand on the other side of the room, waiting for them to move.

'Fine, she can go first.' Isabelle groans, standing up before quickly putting on a shirt. 'What, no. You were just-' 'Take a seat, little bee.' Hunter chimes, tapping on the chair with his hand.

I look at Isabelle who takes a seat on the couch I was just sitting on, and frown. 'Why aren't you going now?'

'Because Hunter wants to do you first and I don't mind waiting.' Hunter wants to do me first... Oh god.

This is probably a bad idea.

But I need him to think I like him.

'Fine.' I mumble as I take off my shirt and head to the chair.

Hunter looks at me with wide eyes for a few seconds, not even trying to hide the fact that he is staring at me.

'Where do you want it?' He mutters, forcing himself to look away. I look away and roll my eyes, before looking back at Hunter. 'Right here.' I point just underneath my bra, on the right side, and lean back.

'You want it underneath your bra?' I shake my head and point at the exact spot I want it before looking back at Hunter. 'I'm not taking off my bra if that's what you want.'

His cheeks flush red and he shakes his head. 'No- I just- That's not-' I can't help but smile as he starts rambling on about how that's not what he meant, and look at Isabelle, who's enjoying this just as much as I am.

'Can you do it, yes or no?' I ask after a while of listening to him. He nods and rolls his little table closer, before grabbing a marker.

'Just butterflies?' 'Just butterflies.' I answer, watching his every move as he moves closer to my chest. 'And don't you dare get any nasty thoughts in your head.'

I lean on my side and press my breast up a little so that he can draw the outline without touching me too much.

'I won't.' I watch as he draws an outline of the butterfly picture Isabelle printed earlier, barely touching me because he doesn't want to make me feel uncomfortable.

As soon as he's done, he leans back and looks at my face, waiting for me to react. I look at the outline he drew on the exact spot I told him to.

Two butterflies, one a bit smaller than the other, right underneath my bra. Just like the Curzio tattoo.

'And?' I look at Hunter's blue eyes and smile. 'Looks good.'

'Can I see?' Isabelle chimes, rushing over to us so she can look at the drawing. 'Why don't you draw the outlines like that when you do mine?' She asks, slowly heading back to the couch.

Hunter rolls his eyes and starts the tattoo machine, before looking at me. 'Ready?'

I nod and grab onto the chair, waiting for him to start.

And when he does, I try not to flinch too much, because this shit hurts.

It hurts less than the other one, but it hurts nonetheless.

I don't get why this one hurts less because it's at the exact same spot as the other one, but it does.

'You okay?' He asks, stopping after a few minutes. I nod and look at the tattoo so far. He's barely halfway done with the little butterfly, and I sigh.

I don't know why I agreed to do this. But I did.

'I'm continuing now.' 'You don't have to tell me, Hunter.' I say, watching as he presses the needle into my skin, going over the butterflies he just drew on my skin.

He does it so delicately, making me wonder how he can go to that beast he is when he's fighting, to this. Someone who barely touches me and outlines butterflies with a needle and ink.

When he finally finishes the tattoo, he leans back to look at it for a while, before looking at my face again. 'Do you like it?'

I stand up and move to the mirror in the room, staring at the details for a second.

How the fuck did he make it so detailed? 'It's amazing.' I admit, hating that I like it this much, before turning back to him. 'Really?' 'Mhm.' I nod and smile as Isabelle runs up to me to look at the tattoo as well.

'I love it!' She exclaims, staring at it as if she's completely in love with it. 'Would it be weird if I get it as well?' She asks, rushing to the chair.

'Why would it be-' 'Yes. You're not taking the same tattoo as her.' Hunter says, stretching his arms a bit. 'It's not like I own the design.'

Hunter looks at me for a second, debating if he should even go against me on this.

If Isabelle wants the butterfly tattoo, she can have the butterfly tattoo.

'She said she wanted the dragon tattoo, so that's what she's getting.' He says after a moment of silence, before moving to the side.

'I need to put some cream on it.' Hunter says as he moves closer with a bottle of cream in his hand. I can't read what it says, but I think it's supposed to heal the skin or something.

But I stumble back, not wanting him to apply the cream. 'I can do that myself, thank you.'

'You'll be too harsh.' I take another step back and wait for him to hand me the cream. 'I have another tattoo you know.' 'Little bee, let me just-'

I pull the bottle out of his hand and shake my head. 'Leya, please?'

He needs to like me. So I need to stop being so stubborn. 'Fine.' I mumble as I hand him the bottle again. 'But if you get any ideas into that head of yours, I swear I'll-' 'I won't.' He says, smiling from ear to ear.

He opens the bottle and squirts some of the cream on his hands, before looking at my face again. 'It might be a little cold.'

'Just do it, you idiot.' He chuckles and gently rubs it on the tattoo. It indeed is cold and I dramatically grasp onto Hunter to keep myself from moving too much.

I can feel him tense as I place my hand on his chest, feeling my stomach turn when he looks at me. He's enjoying this.

Sick asshole.

I'm starting to understand how his messed-up brain works. How he looks at things, people. I feel like I know Hunter Steel.

At least better than before.

But I don't like doing this. I don't like touching him, I don't like talking to him, I don't like him.

He didn't do anything to me, I know, and I wanted to see if he actually regretted doing all that shit to Veah, but he never did.

He does not give a single shit about any of it.

To him, this is all a game. A game where he's trying to win me over for some weird reason.

And in order to get out of here, I have to play along. I have to act as if I want all of this. As if I want him.

Because that's what he wants.

He wants me to like him.

'It burns.' I mumble, looking away as if I'm ashamed.

It's all an act.

But he seems to fall for it every time.

'Sorry.' He removes his hand and lets me lean on him for a few seconds before I step back, and smile at him. 'Now we only have to wrap it up.' He explains, holding some wrapping foil in the air.

I nod and allow him to tape some of it right on the tattoo, before smiling at him. 'Thank you.'

He's very caring and gentle when it comes to me.

'No problem.' He says, blushing like crazy.

'What's going on over here?' Noah chimes as he enters the room. Isabelle is already lying on the chair, with her chest pressed against the seating, and Noah does not hesitate to look.

'You sick fuck! Get out!' She shouts as he steps closer to her. 'Noah, boundaries.' Hunter says, making Noah sigh deeply, before looking at me. 'Look at you, taking another tattoo next to that hideous Curzio tattoo.'

I look in the mirror and feel something wash over me. It's not a nice feeling, but I brush it off and smile. 'I might cover it up one day.'

There's no way I'll do that, but they don't need to know that.

'Really?' Hunter asks as he moves back to his seat, so he can tattoo Isabelle. 'I don't see why not.' I reply, looking at the tattoos again.

They're both pretty. And I won't get rid of either of them.

'It's not like I'm going back to them anyway.' I mumble, waiting for Hunter's eyes to meet mine through the mirror.

And they do.

'You don't want to go back to them?' He asks, tilting his head a little. Noah looks at me with a frown and Isabelle simply presses her face into the chair, but I can tell she wants to hear my answer as well.

'I just want to tell Neveah that I'm fine staying with you.' Surprise flashes through Hunter's eyes and he lowers the marker he just grabbed, before tilting his head a little.

As if he's trying to study me again.

But I know what to do to convince him.

I look away, pretending to feel ashamed because of his gaze, and shrug. 'We'll talk about it later, go finish that tattoo for her.'

I don't have a story yet. I need a waterproof story so he won't slip through with his questions.

Because if something doesn't add up, he'll know. He always knows when the others lie to him, as if he can read them like a book.

'Cataleya, can I talk to you?' I look up at Noah and realize something in his eyes at well.

I've been focussing too much on getting into Hunter's head, that I haven't been spending that much time with Noah anymore, but he seems stressed.

I quickly put on a shirt and turn towards all of them.

'Sure, I'll be right back Isabelle.' She gives me a thumbs-up as Noah pulls me out of the room and closes the door behind me. 'What is it?'

'I just needed to get out of that room.' Noah sighs, leaning against the wall across the door. 'Why?'

'My crush on Isabelle is getting out of hand.' He admits, blushing like crazy again.

Right.

He has a crush on her.

'Have you talked to her about it yet?' I ask as I head over to the window next to him. 'I haven't.'

'Why not?' I look outside and watch as the leaves move with the wind. For some reason, even in July, it's kind of stormy in England.

'It's not that simple.' I look at Noah, who's looking at the ceiling as if he's silently praying for answers. 'I want to help you, but I don't know how.'

I can't tell him to just confess to her because I have no clue what's the right way to work this out.

The last time I had to deal with this, was with Rio. And look where that ended up.

'Let's talk about something else.' He says, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. 'Like what?'

'Your birthday is coming up, right?' I'm not even shocked that he knows about my birthday. 'Twenty-two days until I become twenty-two, why?'

'Maybe we can throw a big party?' A big party...

I planned on getting out of here before those twenty-two days, but I'm not sure about Hunter's trust in me just yet.

So maybe this will help?

'Or we could just celebrate it with the groups, since I don't know that many people, order food and just hang out.'

He thinks about it for a second and nods at me, before smiling. 'Sounds good to me.'

Noah really seems to like me. I mean, he trusts me with his secrets about Isabelle, so I think I'm allowed to think he likes me.

And I like him. As a friend.

He's kind and funny, and I wish we could've met under different circumstances.

He likes me. Let's see if he trusts me as well.

'Noah, can I use your phone?' His eyes meet mine and he frowns. 'Why would you need a phone?'

'I need to call someone.' I chime, waiting for something in his eyes to change.

Because right now, he seems on edge. I don't need him on edge.

'Who do you want to call, Leya?' It shouldn't matter to you... 'My mom.' I answer honestly. Maybe he'll give me his phone so I can call her and tell her I'm okay.

'I don't think it's a smart thing to do, especially now, with enemies invading England again. It's not safe Leya.' It's not safe... It never will be.

'I just need to tell her I'm okay.' He looks away and sighs deeply, debating if he should even consider it.

'Leya, I-' 'Everything alright?' We both turn to the door across the hall, and come eye to eye with Hunter. 'You're done already?'

He nods at my question and moves a bit closer. 'It didn't take that long after all.'

'I'm going to check on her and-' Just as I walk past Hunter, he grabs my arm and stops me from moving any closer to the door.

When I look at him, I see him pressing his finger against his lips. 'She fell asleep.' He whispers.

'While getting a tattoo?' He nods and smiles at me, before looking at Noah. 'Take her to her room.'

Noah looks at me for a second, before nodding and heading to the room Isabelle is lying in.

He's been leaving me alone when it comes to Hunter again. Not because of something Hunter said, but because I told him that I'll be fine being alone with Hunter.

And he's been keeping his distance ever since.

'Let's go for a walk, little bee.' Little bee. I've been acting as if his nickname is something I want to hear. 'Didn't you have that meeting with the council today?'

That meeting was last night, I heard them, but he told me that it was today.

'It was rescheduled.' He chimes, waiting for me to start walking. I smile at him and head to the front door, followed by Hunter. 'What did you want to talk about?'

Is he going to tell me about the murders?

Because people have been dying. That's what the council wanted to discuss with him. People have been dying left and right, by unknown enemies.

'Joshua Harrison, a distant cousin of mine, was found dead yesterday.' No fucking way... He's actually telling me about this shit?

'Really? What happened to him?' I ask as if I care. Because I don't. I already know what happened.

I heard them last night.

'He was shot in the head and stabbed multiple times, right in front of the British Museum.' No camera footage, no eyewitnesses. 'And nobody saw?'

'Somehow nobody saw. The security cameras got hacked, but they have no clue who did it.' And he knows all of this because the police work for the Steels.

'Do you have any suspects yet?' He looks at me and sighs deeply, before nodding. 'A lot, actually.' He mumbles as he opens the door for me, so we can take a walk around the field, 'I have lots of enemies that would do this.'

'I wonder why...' I can see him tense for just a second. 'You do?'

I stop walking and turn towards him, smiling a bit. 'I hate to admit it, but you're not as bad as they say you are.'

'Really?' He asks, smirking a little. I nod and continue to walk as he trails behind me. 'What did they tell you about me, little bee?'

Here we go...

'You basically eliminated every Curzio, except Leonardo and Rafael, because they killed your mother. All because of a stupid rumor.'

He scoffs and looks ahead as we continue to walk for a while. 'Why? Is that not it?'

'Do you truly believe that I would just kill them?' He asks, looking at me again. 'I don't know what to believe anymore, Hunter.'

We stop at a little bench near the flowers and take a seat in silence. 'I can tell you the truth, but I know you won't believe me.'

He sounds sincere. As if him convincing me that he's innocent means the world to him.

But I still don't trust it.

'If you're good at convincing, you will.' I can't give in that easily. I still have to make him work for my trust.

'I doubt it'll change your mind since they already told you their version.' Oh god...

'I always like to hear two sides of the story, so I can form my own opinion.'

He frowns for a second, before sighing deeply and leaning back against the bench. 'Are you sure? I don't want you thinking I'm just saying this shit to keep you here.'

'I'm curious, but if you don't want to tell me, that's fine as well.' I want to throw in his trust in me, but I can't just yet. 'No, I just- Cataleya, it's a lot.'

He places his hand on the side of the bench and looks at me.

I can't believe I'm doing this, but I place my hand on his and nod. 'I know.'

'Okay.' He takes a deep breath, looks at my hand on his, and looks back into my eyes. 'Well, it all started when Cecilio Curzio raped my grandmother.'

What? All I heard before was that they slept together. But raped? That's something different.

And I honestly don't know if I can even believe him.

'Who's Cecilio?' I ask as if I have no clue whatsoever.

I don't know for sure, but I think he's Leonardo's grandfather.

'Cecilio is their grandfather.' So I was right. 'He raped her and said that she wanted it.' Oh...

No. I don't- 'After that, my uncle and my dad decided to take revenge. They killed his wife, which is harsh, I know, but they raped my grandmother.'

His wife... 'Couldn't they have killed Cecilio instead?'

'I didn't get why they killed Lucrecia instead of Cecilio either, but it had something to do with honor or something. I don't know.' Honor...

I can't even imagine someone killing the person I love just to get to me.

God...

'Every time I ask why they wouldn't just kill Cecilio, they change their answer. Cataleya, I would never do something like that.'

'You would though.' The words slip out before I can even process it, and he frowns at me because of it. 'And you did.'

'I did not kill Neveah's family.' But you tortured her...

It almost slips out as well, but I take a deep breath and nod. 'Right, your father did, sorry.' I don't believe any of it.

I can't believe any of it.

'They killed my grandparents to get revenge so Martin and my father decided to kill Cecilio as well.' Revenge...

All because of revenge.

'After that, they killed my aunt, Olivia Steel.'

Olivia Steel. The mystery aunt the Curzio's didn't know about.

And they said they didn't kill her. 'How did she die?'

A car crash... 'A car crash, which the Curzio's had set up, to make it look like an accident.'

I nod and keep my eyes on him, even if he's still looking at our hands.

'In return, they murdered Esmeralda Curzio, Luciano's wife, because they knew how much he meant to her.' It drove him insane, leading to him abusing his own son.

'What happened after that?' I ask curiously, trying not to sound too salty about all of this.

Because if someone wouldn't have started the rumor, if it even is a rumor, in the first place, none of this would've happened.

'Luciano got married to Natasha just two months later, and my father wasn't so happy about him being somewhat happy again.' He continues, taking another deep breath, 'So he killed Luciano and Natasha.' In the same year...

'The Curzio's found my cousin Gregory, Martin's precious son, and killed him.'

Martin had a son? 'He had a son?' I ask as I look at the house in front of us. His house.

'They had lots of kids, but most of them died at an early age because of Anemia. Gregory and Jade seemed to be the only ones who weren't going to die because of the stupid disease.'

I nod and look at him again, realizing that he's not looking at our hands anymore, but at me.

'Where's their mother?' Martin had to sleep with someone in order to create Gregory and Jade, but so far I haven't heard him talk about her yet.

'Chloe Grant, she died two years after Jade was born. But ever since Gregory's death, she became suicidal and everyone thought she was going to kill herself at some point.' And no one helped her?

If something like this would happen in my family, not this deep, but if someone we love dies, we're all there for each other. We always have been.

And it helps that I have a big family. The only problem is that they live on the other side of the world.

'I was pretty close to Gregory, we grew up together you know.' Oh... 'So you were angry, right?'

He chuckles and looks at our hands again, trying to turn his hand around so he can touch mine.

I want to remove my hand, but I need to hear how this story ends.

'Angry is an understatement.' He mumbles, quickly looking at my face to catch a reaction, but all I can do is frown. 'I was enraged.'

He finally turns his hand around, keeping it flat out as my palm rests on his. And something creeps over my face.

Heat. If I don't pull my hand away now, I'll start blushing.

But maybe that's a good thing.

'My father knew how much Gregory meant to me and murdered Neveah's family. He wanted them to hurt as much as I was.' He mumbles, looking at our hands, waiting for me to pull away.

And I do.

Because I can't believe he's actually talking about it like it's nothing. 'That doesn't make any sense.'

'You and I both know that Leonardo would do anything for her.' He mumbles, looking away for a second. 'That doesn't make it right.'

'I never said it was, and I don't agree with the way things go, but they thought that hurting Neveah would hurt Leonardo, which would result in hurting the entire Curzio line. And it did.'

They made sure Neveah wouldn't want to go near him ever again, and it worked.

If they hadn't killed her family, none of this would've happened.

'Nathaniël and Alessia didn't deserve to die.' I say, looking at his hand still on the bench, his palm facing the air. 'You knew them?'

'They were like family to me.' I admit, hating that I'm even telling him. But it's the truth. And in order for him to think I'm enjoying my stay, I might as well tell him about me a bit. 'They took care of me when my mother had to work late when we were kids, and they always made me feel like I could come over as much as I wanted.'

Sadness washes over him as he realizes what I just said. They were my family.

'I'm sorry they had to die.' You shouldn't be telling me... 'If I could've done anything, I would've, but I didn't know until they took my mother.'

Right... That happened as well.

'How did that happen?' I ask curiously because so far I know they took her. But I don't get how it happened. 'My mother and Brooke lived in Europe, Norway to be exact because it would be safer. And somehow they found out.'

I can tell that he's having a hard time talking about this because his tone changed and he seems a lot tenser now.

Querido Dios... I place my hand on his and watch as he looks at me real quick, debating if it's real or not. But it is.

'They took her in the middle of the day and tortured her before killing her, sending footage of their evil doings, before sending it to us time and time again. My father thought it would be best if Brooke stayed with us for a while, which was the biggest mistake we could've ever made. Because as soon as she was with us again, they started sending her stuff to the US.'

'Her stuff?' All I can think about is clothes and jewelry, but he said something about her head before.

'At first, it was just clothes, keys, jewelry, even her shoes.' But after all of that, they decided to send her ring and her ears and in the end her head.' His grip on my hand tightens for a second, but it doesn't hurt.

Not at all.

And I kind of feel sad, because I can tell that this is the truth. And he did not deserve that.

I know that they murdered a lot of people over time, both of the families did, but this is his mother we're talking about.

And I can't even imagine something happening to my mother, all because of a stupid mistake.

'Brooke was there and she was the one who found the box.' He continues, having a hard time using the right words. 'She- God, she still has to go to therapy every month and she never wanted to speak to us again.'

Brooke Steel. The girl that had nothing to do with any of this. Just as much as Neveah had nothing to do with this.

And they both saw the death of loved ones up close. Simply because of a stupid mistake.

'This is insane...' I mumble, more to myself than him. 'I told you it was a lot, that's why I didn't want to tell you, because-' 'No. It just doesn't make any sense.' I continue, getting up and looking at him from a distance.

'Why would they- why did Cecilio rape your grandmother? And why did your father kill Neveah's family? She had nothing to do with any of this shit! And Brooke, I don't even know her but I feel so bad for her, and why the fuck do you people do this type of shit?!' I know he just told me everything, but it can't be true.

It just can't be.

'All of this has to be one big misunderstanding, there's no way-' 'Cataleya, you are not getting involved in this mess.' He says, getting up and moving closer to me.

'Am I not already right in the middle of it?' I ask, frowning a little.

First I was with the Curzio's, now I'm with the Steels. Two families that have been at war for a while.

'No, I won't let you.' He says, taking another step forward. His hand goes around my shoulders, making me look straight into his eyes. 'What are you-' 'I won't let anything happen to you, little bee. I would rather die.'

What? 'I know my family messed up, I know I did some messed up shit as well, but I won't mess up with you. I'll die if I mess it up with you, okay?' No.

Not okay. The exact opposite of okay.

But I nod nonetheless, ignoring the blush creeping up my face.

Because, as much as I hate to admit it, his words do hit the spot.

If I was a normal girl with no clue of what he did to Neveah, I would've melted. I just know I would.

I look away, not knowing what he wants me to say, and try to process everything.

He removes his hand from my shoulders and takes a step back, before sighing deeply.

'Ignore what I said,' He says, looking at me again, 'We should head back inside, dinner is about to be served.'

I nod and don't wait for him to head back inside first, quickly walking in through the back door, straight to my room.

What the fuck was that?

Jade is sitting in front of the door, playing with one of her dolls, but as soon as she hears me, she throws the doll to the side and jumps up. 'Cat! Can we play princess?!'

I look at her and take a deep breath, trying to calm down from everything that just happened. 'Leya?'

'Okay, go ask Isabelle if she wants to play as well.' I need a few minutes to process all of this. 'Okay!' She runs towards Isabelle's room and I head to my room as well.

I close the door behind me and take another deep breath.

There's no way this is the truth. There's no way this actually happened, right?

This has to be another trick because there's no way that- 'Cataleya?' My thoughts all disappear when I hear Noah's voice coming from down the hall, and I look at the door as it slowly opens.

'You ready for dinner?' 'I guess so.' I say as I follow him back into the hall. He turns around, not saying another word, as we head to the dining room. 'Do Jade and Isabelle know we're having dinner?'

'Isabelle's still sleeping and Hunter only told me to get you, I think Jade will eat later.' That happens sometimes.

Jade loves to hang out in the kitchen, and they give her food beforehand, so she'll eat a full meal later at night.

'Everything okay?' I ask, feeling the tension between us. Something's off and I want to know what it is. 'You wanted to use me to tell your friends you're okay.' What?

'Why did you ask me to do that, Leya?' He asks, quickly turning around to look at me. Shit.

'I needed to tell them I was okay.' I admit, not wanting to lie to him just yet. If he's going to continue, I'll have to though. 'And why is that?'

He looks straight into my eyes, searching for the answers there, but I keep my eyes as emotionless as I can. 'You know I should inform Hunter about this, right?'

Shit.

He continues his way to the dining room and I quickly walk after him, almost grabbing his arm to beg him not to tell Hunter.

But I can't ask that of him.

Then it will be suspicious and I don't want to be suspicious.

'Why would you tell him?' I ask instead, making him look over his shoulder, right at me. 'Why shouldn't I, you wanted to tell them-' 'That I'm okay and that I'm staying.'

Something cuts through my chest as the words come out as easy as air. As if lying became the easiest thing ever. As easy as breathing.

'You're staying?' He asks as he turns around to face me again.

I shrug and smile at him, 'I don't see why not.'

He looks me up and down for a second, debating if any of this is true, but it kind of is. I'll stay as long as necessary to get close to Hunter. And then I'll ruin him.

I'll work my way up and end all of this from the inside.

'You don't want to speak to your mother?' I shrug, hating every word coming out of my mouth next, 'It's not safe, remember?'

'I honestly don't think the bounty will last forever, but I'm glad you're staying Leya.' He chimes as we walk side by side, heading towards the dining room.

Everyone is already seated. All except for Jade and Isabelle of course.

'Took you long enough.' Jordan groans as I take a seat next to Hunter. 'We still have to wait for one person.' Hunter says, glaring at Jordan before turning to me. We do?

'Who are we waiting for?' Ben asks and everyone slowly turns to Hunter, awaiting his answer.

But he's looking at me.

'Martin is joining us tonight.' What? 'I thought you said he wasn't coming back for another two months?' Noah says, almost jumping up from his seat.

'That was supposed to happen, but he said he wanted to see his daughter.'

'He never cared about Jade.' Adam scoffs, staring at Hunter for some reason. 'It's an excuse and I have no clue why he's lying, but everything will be fine.'

'Hunter, we should just-' 'Glad to see some of you still have manners.' An old raspy voice echoes through the room, leaving all of us a little stunned.

At least, I am.

My body just freezes on the spot and I don't even have the energy to turn around.

Martin, his huge body, heads over to the only seat that's empty, right at the head of the table, and everyone stays silent for a while. 'I can see all of you waited for me to get here.'

'Of course.' Hunter answers, smiling at him. It's a fake smile. Even I can tell.

Martin looks at his nephew for a while, before slowly turning to me, his lips curling up to a small grin. 'You're still here?'

I nod and keep my eyes on his, wanting to drown because of the tension. I don't like it.

'Why did you come back so early, uncle?' Hunter asks, trying to get Martin's eyes away from me. But he keeps his eyes on mine, that disgusting grin still on his thin lips.

'I had nothing better to do.' He answers, his voice as cold as ice as his eyes still glued to mine. 'And I heard she was still around.' Shit...

'Who told you that?' Hunter asks, pouring himself some water. Everyone gets a silver platter with food in front of them, served by the servants before they disappear again. 'You're in my house, remember?'

'Then maybe we should move.' Hunter says, his voice almost as cold as Martin's. 'Maybe you should.'

'Trust me, uncle, we will.' I don't like the way they're talking to each other. If I would've talked to my uncle like this, my mom would've hit me on the spot for even raising my tone a bit.

'Good and take that brat with you.' Martin says, grabbing his spoon to start with his soup. Because that's apparently what we're eating today.

Soup.

I somehow manage to eat the entire bowl of soup without throwing up, and excuse myself so I can head to my room.

Noah quickly follows me and shuts the door behind us. 'I had no clue he was coming back today, I swear.' Is the first thing he says.

'I didn't think you did.' He looked pretty shocked when Hunter brought it up, and he's not as pleased with it either.

'Hunter said we're leaving,' I say as I take a seat on the bed, 'Where are we going?'

Noah sighs deeply, but stays by the door, keeping his eyes on me for some reason. 'I have no idea. It's the first time I'm hearing about this as well.'

Great. So we're moving again...

'I'll go ask him, you should go to bed.' Noah chimes, moving back towards the door. I nod and head to the closet, quickly grabbing something to wear, before heading to the bathroom to change.

I can hear Noah leave the room and quickly change, before brushing my teeth.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror and take a deep breath. Something washes over me and I don't know if I like it.

It's something that makes me feel powerful but weak at the same time.

I'm using Hunter's vulnerability against him, and that feels wrong, but at the same time, I feel like he used mine against me as well.

As soon as I'm done brushing my teeth, I head back to my room and head to bed.

After rolling around for a few hours, not able to fall asleep for some reason, I decide to go look if Isabelle finally woke up.

The halls of the mansion seem a lot spookier for some reason. It might be because Martin is back, but that would be ridiculous.

'What are you doing here?' I immediately come to a stop and turn to the voice coming from down the hall.

Martin stares at me, his button-up wrinklier than before, and slowly moves closer to me. 'I couldn't sleep.' I lie, feeling my heart pressing against my chest, ready to explode out of fear.

'Is that so?' He asks, moving even closer. I can feel his breath brush against my face as he takes a deep breath.

Is he smelling me? 'Sweet and honey-like.' He whispers, his hand moving closer to my face. I take a step back and frown at him, making him chuckle darkly. 'Addicting and intriguing.' Disgusting.

'You should head back to your room.' He mumbles, basically blocking my way forward. 'I wanted to talk to Hunter.'

His body tenses as his eyes roam over me, and I suddenly feel naked and sick to my stomach.

Martin Steel is a scary man, but I can't crawl back now. 'And why is that?'

'Because I need to tell him something.' I answer, wishing that he could stop asking questions.

Within the blink of an eye, he's close again, pressing me against a wall with his arms on either side of my face, caging me between his big body and the wall.

'What are you doing?' I ask, ready to kick him right where it hurts if he touches me again, but his hands stay on the wall.

'What do you need Hunter for?' He asks, his tone even colder than before. My stomach drops and I suddenly feel nauseous again. 'None of your concern.'

'I know you're playing games with him.' He sneers, suddenly sounding angrier than before. 'I'm not.' 'Do not lie to me, Cataleya.'

His face is so close that I can't even move my face in any way because our lips would touch. And that's the last thing I want right now. 'Because I can see right through your deceptions.'

'Good thing I'm not playing around.' I don't know why I keep lying, but I can't have him suspect anything. 'Why the sudden interest in him?'

'Because he's kind.' Something flashes through his eyes, and just as quick as he pressed me against the wall, he steps back again, pulling himself together before glaring at me for another second. 'I would watch my back if I were you, us Steels are not as kind as you think.'

And with those words, he leaves me against the wall.

My heart is beating like crazy and I need some time to process all of this, before I continue my way to Isabelle's room.

The door is wide open and I can hear groans coming from inside, so I rush inside to find her lying on the ground.

Her whole room is a mess, the sheets are all over the place, her desk has been thrown to the side of the room, and her bed... There's blood on her bed.

'Isabelle!' I rush over to her and pull her up so she can sit up, but she moves away from me, tears streaming down her face.

Someone hit her and there's a bruise on her left cheek. 'What happened?'

She shakes her head before moving even further away from me. 'He- I- He came in and- I just-'

'Who are you-' Wait... Martin came from this direction... Did he...

'Did Martin do this?' She nods as she presses herself against the wall, shaking like a crazy person. Her shirt is ripped a little and there's a red stain on her shorts. Wait...

'He raped me Leya...'

My stomach drops again and I look around the room again, thinking of all the shit she has gone through not so long ago. 'I'm going to tell the others, just wait-' 'No! Don't go!' She shouts, moving my way again.

She grabs my hand and looks at me with tears streaming down her face. 'I can't- I don't want to be alone right now... Please don't leave me alone, he might come back.'

Shit. She's right. 'We have to tell someone.'

She shakes her head and I drop down next to her, feeling her shaking hands wrap around me.

'What happened?' I didn't hear anything. How did I not hear anything? 'I don't remember, I just remember waking up in my room and feeling him touch me and then he- he-' She breaks down again, crying on my shoulder.

And all I can do is hold her. Because I don't know what to say.

I do know what to do.

Or at least what would feel right.

Martin Steel needs to die.

'Please don't go.'

'I'm not going anywhere, I promise.' I whisper, holding her a little tighter as she wraps her arms around me as tight as she can and just cries. 'I'm so sorry, Isabelle.'

I should've come by earlier, I should've seen if she was fine earlier, maybe Martin would've left her alone if he saw me with her. Maybe.

'It's not your fault, I just... I don't get why he would do this to me.' She cries, leaning back to look at me. 'Maybe we should tell Hunter?' I'm sure he'll do something about it.

Isabelle is his best friend after all. And if he still has any feelings for her, it might help even more.

'We'll tell him tomorrow, I just want to get the fuck out of this room.' She says, slowly standing up. I wrap her arm around my shoulder and help her up. 'Are you sure you can walk?'

'I need to get out of here Leya.' She repeats, trying to walk towards the door, but she needs my support, so I help her out of the room.

The halls are completely empty again, and I'm glad they are, because I don't think seeing Martin right now will help a lot.

'I'm going to kill him.' I mumble as I close my bedroom door, looking at Isabelle who's leaning against the wall. 'No, you're not.' She whispers, wiping her tears as new ones roll down immediately.

'He can't get away with this.' I say, feeling my anger rise again. I should just go and kill him right now, end his life, for what he did to her.

'Can you just help me change, please?' I nod and rush to my closet, searching for something she could wear.

After getting her to shower real quick and getting her into bed, I look at her for a while, watching as she slowly falls asleep.

The bruise on her face is already changing color and I think she'll feel it more tomorrow morning.

But we'll handle it in the morning.

There's one thing I do know for sure.

Martin Steel is going to fucking pay.

----

A/N: SOMETHING is going to happen soon and I hope all of you are ready for it! How will the others react when they hear about what happened with Isabelle? And will Leya get out of this place before she gets too attached?

Thank you for all the love and support, I hope you guys still enjoy the story! Don't forget to vote and comment on what you liked the most! It keeps me motivated!!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH and I hope you have a WONDERFUL day/night <3