Malea’s POV
“We leave in 30 minutes. Make sure you have everything packed because I don’t plan on ever coming back here again.” Lucian threw a tshirt into his suitcase and zipped it up before turning to look at me.
Even two days later, I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Isabelle made me and Lucian seem like monsters in front of my parents. I let my head fall in my hands and let out a soft groan of frustration.
I felt Lucian’s hand fall onto my shoulder and I looked up to find him sitting next to me, a look of remorsefulness in his face. “Everything’s going to be alright, love.” I love how he calls me that. He cupped my chin in his hand and tilted my face so I was staring straight into his chilling yet welcoming gray eyes.
“Are you sure? Because anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” I frowned at my own pessimistic words.
Lucian threw his head back and laughed. “Very original, Malea. Quoting Murphy’s Law.” I giggled and leaned my head against his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around my shoulders and bring me closer.
I relished in the feel of his touch and I realized something. What I said to Isabelle was one hundred percent true. I do love Lucian and I wouldn’t trade him for the world. And I’m not going to let one mistake that we can work through, ruin our relationship.
“Lucian?” I turned to look at him.
“Hmm..?” He asked, his eyes drifting to my lips.
“I love you.” Lucian sucked in a harsh breath. “And I don’t know if you feel the same way about me—” I fumbled.
Lucian took my hand in his, our faces so close. “Malea. I don’t think you understand. I never stopped loving you.”
I didn’t hesitate and pressed my lips on his. He immediately responded and moved his lips against mine, his strong hands trailing down my body.
Lucian hooked his arm around the back of my knees and stood up, carrying me with him, all the while without breaking the kiss. Suddenly he dropped me gently onto the bed and aligned his body on top of mine, his warmth radiating off him and on to me.
He wasn’t kissing me now but was instead staring at me, awe and adoration glinting in his eyes. And then his lips were pressed onto my neck, sending shivers racing up and down my spine. And then his lips were back on mine, the familiar feel welcoming me. He nipped gently at my bottom lip and I pulled him closer.
His hands trailed down my body and stopped at the hem of my tshirt. He tugged at it in an attempt to pull it off. He’d successfully gotten my shirt halfway off me before a loud alarm started blaring. Lucian groaned before rolling off me to turn off the alarm on his phone. “We have 10 minutes.”
I sighed in irritation before hopping off the bed and adjusting my shirt. Then I headed over to my open suitcase. I rifled through the dresser drawers and dropped my things into the suitcase messily.
“Does it mean you and I are now together again?” I heard him ask from behind me.
I smiled to myself. “Yes.” And then I paused and turned to face Lucian who had been staring at me. “I don’t think we should leave.”
He sat up straighter and cocked an eyebrow. “What? Why?”
“I can’t allow something like this to put a rift between my family and I. And I can’t allow Isabelle to turn my family against me like that.” I begun pacing the room. “I need an idea. A way to expose her for who she really is and what she’s capable of.”
And suddenly I had an idea. “In 3 days it’s going to be my mother’s birthday. That’s part of the reason why I came to California. She told me beforehand that she’s going to throw a party. Isabelle is going to get a taste of her own medicine in 3 days.”
***
Malea’s POV (3 days later)
Planning out everything for tonight was incredibly tasking and sometimes I wondered if I wanted to go through with it, but soon realized that this was the best chance I could ever get to expose Isabelle.
Lucian and I did nothing but make sure we were getting everything right for tonight and now that it’s time, I felt nervous more than ever. I turned to look at Lucian before we entered the building that the party was hosted in.
Obviously, being part of the family automatically earned me an invitation to the party but once I walked in, the eyes on me were more than annoying.
“I didn’t know you would be coming.” I heard a voice from behind me. I spun around to see my sister, Vera. She had her hair wound in an elaborate bun and had on a slimming black dress that pooled around her feet.
I almost rolled my eyes at her statement.”Of course I would come. Why would I miss my mother’s birthday party?”
Vera glanced at Lucian for a second before turning her attention to me. “I’m glad you’re here. Things have been a little weird at home. Everyone still can’t believe what you did.”
I clenched my fists at my side and unclenched them. I nodded with a tight lipped smile.
“Well I better be off and continue meeting the other guests. You two enjoy yourselves.” She smiled before walking off.
Time to find Isabelle. I scanned the room. My gaze fell on the blonde with the rediculously slim fitting bodycon dress. She was talking to Adam.
“I’ll see you in a bit.” I told Lucian before heading over to Isabelle. As soon as she saw me she froze and then scowled. Her bruises were ‘magically’ gone.
“What are you doing here?” She sneered.
“I’m here to celebrate my mom’s birthday.” I replied matter of factly. I turned to Adam. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to borrow Isabelle for a quick minute.”
Adam shrugged. “Please take her and I’d prefer if you didn’t return her.”
Isabelle stuck her tongue out at him just as I pulled her away from the main hall and into a secluded hallway.
“Let me go.” She whined before snatching her hand away from mine. Isabelle crossed her arms over her overly exposed top half. “Why did you bring me here?”
“I wanted to talk.” I used the dim hallway lights to my advantage and slipped my hand inside my clutch to press record without Isabelle noticing.
She grinned wickedly. “What did you want to talk about? The fact that I did to you what I promised?”
I feigned shock. “What do you mean?”
Isabelle stepped closer to me, her heels giving her extra height compared to me. “Don’t play dumb, you bitch. I ruined you.”
I tilted my head to the side innocently. “How?”
She was getting angry now, red rising up her chest and into her face. “I turned your family against you. To think that they would even believe what I told them shows how little trust they have in you. A little makeup to fake the bruising and a convincing sob story was enough to have them blubbering. And we can’t forget the crying I did. All those years of acting classes came in handy.”
“You faked everything and turned them against me. It was my word against yours and they chose you.” I repeated back to her.
She nodded, a devilish glint in her eyes. “Ive never met anyone so gullible. Ever since I laid eyes on Lucian, I wanted him for myself. No one else could have him and you were in the way. I thought kissing him would be enough for you to break up with him and when I saw that you two wouldn’t budge, I went a different route.
And when you broke up with Lucian, I couldn’t have been any happier but now I see that you two have reconciled and I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me.”
I stepped back in actual shock. “In what way have I ever hurt you?”
Isabelle shook her head. “That doesn’t matter.”
My eyebrows collided in confusion. This bitch is insane. “What do you mean by ‘it doesn’t matter?’ You obviously have no reason—”
“You have everything, Malea. A large amazing family, an incredible boyfriend who would go through hell and back for you, and everyone loves you.” She allowed tears to flow from her eyes and sniffed dramatically. “I have nothing. My parents hate me, I have no siblings, and I can’t even get a boyfriend even if I tried. I’m jealous of you, Malea. I admit it.”
I stood there, unsure of what I had just heard. Suddenly I felt like a horrific person. “I’m so sorry—” Before I could let the rest of the words out of my mouth, Isabelle threw her head back and begun laughing. She wiped away the tears on her face after she regained her composure.
“Every one of your family is gullible. Including you. And that fake story I just told, is enough to prove that.” She grinned sadistically as she turned around to make her way out of the hallway. This bitch. I wasn’t planning on telling Isabelle that I was recording, but why the hell not.
“I guess you’re just as gullible as I am then.” I said loudly. Isabelle froze and spun around.
“What do you mean?” Her words died on her lips when she saw me pull out the voice recorder from my clutch.
“I recorded every word you just said and cannot wait to share this with the world.” I said the last bit out of pure enjoyment of watching Isabelle squirm. I wasn’t planning on sharing it with the world. Just my family.
“You bitch!” She roared and reached out to snatch the recorder form my hand, but before she could, I pulled it away from her reach and dropped it inside my purse.
Before she could attempt to touch me or reach for my purse, I side-swept her and left the hallway, and exited into the main hall to enjoy the rest of the party. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Isabelle walk out of the hallway, defeated. She caught my eye and sneered before storming out of the building.
Malea: 1
Isabelle: 0