Taking brisk steps into my house, I continued right past everyone, ignoring their calls and greetings as I stomped my way up to my room and slammed my door so loudly that the frames on the walls rattled.
I could hear my family talking to themselves about what could have happened to put me in such a rotten mood.
“Hermione. Are you okay, my darling girl?” My mom’s quiet voice came from the other side of my door.
I wanted to ignore her, but I knew she would not leave there until I answered her.
“I am fine, mom. I just want to be left alone for now. Do you think maybe everyone could do that?” I asked, the frustration and irritation evident greatly in my voice.
“If something is wrong, Hermione, you can always talk to me. Mama is here to always make everything alright.” She assured me calmly.
I smiled on my bed, I always counted myself lucky to have my mother. My father wasn’t so doting, and he barely paid attention to us, his female children. I know that if I am able to marry Derrick and become Luna, maybe, he will look at me like his child who has some sort of value to him.
“I will give you some time now. The servants will pack up your dinner and freeze it for you until whenever you are ready to eat. If you need anything, you can also come to me. I know everything is not fine but, be fine for me, my sweet girl. Is that okay?” She asked me, her voice filled with concern for my well being.
“Yes, mother,” I answered sharply, ready to continue being on my own.
I heard the soft clinks of her heels walking down the hallway and down the stairs. I angrily removed my clothes and flung them everywhere around my room. I wanted to break stuff in my room, but I knew that would only drag the attention of everyone in the family to me.
“Pandora Miller, you wouldn’t even know what hit you. Bold of you to think you can bribe the person to call you and Derrick mates. Derrick is mine! He is mine and mine alone!” I said, staring at my reflection in the mirror.
I was very upset that he had disrespected me because of a woman that he claimed he didn’t like.
He also told me that he went to her place, and she realized that he was rejecting her as his mate. I felt like he was not being totally honest about how he felt about Pandora.
His disgust for people of her class was not enough to dampen the flames of them being mates.
I shook the thought of them ever being with each other out of my mind. I knew that I needed to find a way to put a wedge between them completely.
Thinking about a million ways to drive the wedge between them, I finally concluded on trapping Derrick with a baby and then having my family force him to hastily settle down with me.
I picked up my cell phone to dial a number. I paused just before I hit the send button to think about how bad my choice to reach out to this person was.
I had left that part of my life and making this phone call would reconnect me to that life, but I was willing to do anything to get my father to look at me and recognize my worth as his child. I sighed sadly and hit send. The phone vibrated at intervals in my hand.
“Hello,” the voice at the other end of the phone came in.
“It’s Hermione. Please do not end the call. I am sorry about how I walked out on you. I was running away from that life, and I thought that it would help me feel better and worthy as a person.” I quickly apologized.
The voice at the other end of the phone was quiet, I could only hear the sharp inhale and exhale of their breathing.
“I need you. I would not have chosen to bother you at a time like this. I know how you feel about me. I do not take it for granted” I said and prayed to the moon goddess that my little manipulative plan pulled through.
He cleared his throat and I made sounds as if I was drawing in mucus in between tears. I knew that he could not bear to see or hear me cry.
“It is fine. What do you want, Hermione? I am not moved or deceived by your crocodile tears. I will help you, but I want something in return for it.” He said.
I thought for some time about what it could be that this man would want from me. He was called the king of the dark underworld. I had met him briefly abroad during high school, and we had even dated for a while when we went to the same school.
“Fine. What do you want?” I asked him.
“A night with you. Nothing much. Just be my whore one last time. I’ll do whatever you want after that.” He said.
I hesitated. I thought about how everything in our relationship had been and how toxic it was throughout.
“Why?” I asked, shocked at his odd request.
“I miss what I used to eat. They do not make women like you anymore. I will be giving you a time and date for us to meet.” He said to me, his voice gentle and persuasive.
“You haven’t even listened to what I want you to do for me. You are making demands when you haven’t executed what I want.” I snapped at him, irritated that he thought of me only as his whore and nothing else.
“Don’t be angry, little bird…”
“Don’t you ever call me that? I am not that person anymore, and I called you because I need you to take care of someone for me. Will you do that or not.” I snapped at him, furious that he had called me my nickname from my past.
“Tell me what you want me to take care of” his husky voice finally came in after some minutes of silence.