Chapter 23 My shore
Lydia's Point of View
“Hmm, okay guys. I don't give a fuck about your argument, but I will have you know that I'm not property, nor do I have an owner. I'm a human being, and I deserve to be spoken to with respect!” I growled, my lips curling up in distaste.
“Did Justin really think I wasn’t listening to what he was saying, or did he do that on purpose?” my inner voice asked me as I processed what he whispered into Harridan's ear.
Harridan smiled broadly, thinking he could use this opportunity to get rid of Justin. “Don’t mind him, Lydia. Justin is dumb. He made it this far because of his parents’ wealth and the respect his sister earned. To him, women are property!” he said to me with a grimace, and I rolled my eyes at him.
Justin didn't defend himself; he stood still, but the look he gave Harridan was deadly.
I scoffed at Harridan's words and shrugged my shoulders. “I don't care, Harridan. I'm talking to both of you,” I replied, and suddenly, something flashed before my eyes, and it was like my brain reset. “Also, Harridan, forget about the kiss. It was a one-time thing,” I said, and I watched from the corner of my eye as Harridan's eyes dropped.
He turned to face me, but the shit he pulled and said earlier was no longer my concern.
“Also, when I'm ready to start remembering, I will contact you guys. Emm, Justin, about the suggestion for me to live in your house, I've thought about it. I will move in next week.” The two guys were shocked by my words, and they exchanged confused gazes. I didn't give them the answer they wanted; I left to join my aunt Yanni in the house.
Now, you might be wondering why I did this because I seemed to have an intimate connection with them. Well, it's simple: I came to my senses. Number one, Harridan was engaged; no matter how much I wanted him, he just couldn't be mine. Justin has also been acting strange, so instead of lusting, I can use this opportunity to my benefit and find out how my parents died and if I can take back their properties.
“I cannot be distracted by men. I have a mission to complete,” I reasoned as I climbed the stairs leading to the door.
Saturn and Venus were seated in the parlor, patiently waiting for me.
“So how did it go, lover girl? You've chosen your prince?” Venus asked with a sarcasm-filled voice, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“Who needs a prince when you can get a cheap gun?” I asked with a grin, and Saturn stood up to clap for me.
“Oh my goodness! I love this version of Lydia; she doesn't give a fuck!” Saturn squealed, and I watched as Venus cringed.
I didn't reply, but I had a rough idea of what they meant. “I must have been a coward, cock-pleaser in my past life! Fuck, I'm so embarrassed,” I cried out to my inner self and offered Saturn a smile.
“Where is Aunt Yanni?” I asked, changing the topic.
“She's in the kitchen, cooking for you and…” Venus paused, pointing at Justin and Harridan, who were still quarrelling outside. “...your guests.”
I pushed open the kitchen door, and the warm, rich scent of simmering stew wrapped around me like a hug. Aunt Yanni stood at the stove, her back to me, stirring a large pot with a slow rhythm.
“The shouting stopped,” she said without turning around, her voice filled with playfulness. “I suppose that means you either threw them out or agreed to marry one of them.”
A surprised laugh bubbled out of me. “Neither, Aunt. I just told them I wasn’t their property to fight over.”
Finally, she turned. Her eyes studied me with an intensity that saw past my facade of being alright. She wiped her hands on her apron and gestured to the small kitchen table. “Sit. The stew needs another twenty minutes. Time enough for you to tell your old aunt what’s really going on in that head of yours.” She giggled.
I sat down, the wooden chair creaking under me. “You are not old, and you know that,” I replied, even though I knew she was being sarcastic. I was still shaken from my confrontation with the two Alpha, and I kept wondering if I was right. But now, I was in a safe zone. The kitchen was safe. Aunt Yanni was safe.
“They’re… a lot to deal with,” I started, fumbling. “Justin is acting weird and demanding. Harridan acts like he owns my past life, and maybe my future, but he’s engaged to the woman who I guessed made my life hell. And I… I had a moment out there. A flash. Like a piece of my brain clicked back into place.”
Aunt Yanni poured two glasses of iced tea and slid one to me. “And what did this ‘click’ tell you?”
“That I’ve been an idiot all my life,” I said, the words bitter on my tongue. “That I’ve been staring at two complicated trees and missing the entire forest that’s on fire. My forest. My parents. What happened to them? Where is what they left for me? I can’t… I can’t waste time on a man who belongs to someone else, or on a man who sees me as a trophy to win against.”
She took a slow sip, her gaze fixed on me. “So you chose the practical path. You’re moving in with Justin. Why?” She asked, although I know she knows why.
“Because I need to know the truth,” I replied.
“About your family?”
“Yes.” I nodded at Yanni's question. “He has access to his father's club and power. If anyone can help me find the truth, it’s him.”
“Ah.” Aunt Yanni nodded, a sad, knowing smile touching her lips. “Just be sure you know what you're doing, your father would have wanted you to move on with your life and forget revenge. Especially since Justin doesn't seem like a villain.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? His father is evil?”
“I mean, that boy has been watching you since you were children. His sister hated you, so he kept his distance, but his eyes always followed you. Now he has found you within his reach and helped save your life. Do you really think he's the one using you?” She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a whisper. “The heart is the most cunning negotiator of all. It will make you believe you are being strategic, right up until the moment you realize you’ve surrendered.”
Her words hit a nerve, and I began to wonder. If perhaps she was right. “So, what should I do? Hide here forever? Forget about my parents' injustice?”
“No, child. You should go. You must find your truth.” She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers. “But go with your eyes open. Justin Magnus looks like he has been raised in a cage all his life. He looks as broken as you. He may not know how to love, only how to possess. And Harridan…” She sighed. “A man who makes a vow to one woman while his heart tugs him toward another is a man at war with himself. You do not want to be the battlefield, Lydia. You can't afford to be the center they both relapse. You’ve been doing that enough.”
Tears pricked the back of my eyes. This was the talk I never had. The motherly advice that was supposed to guide you through first crushes and heartbreaks. I was getting it a decade late, and for a situation impossibly tangled.
“What if… what if the flash I had means I’m starting to remember? What if I remember loving one of them?”
“Then you will have a choice,” she said firmly. “A real one. Not based on pity, or fate, or revenge, but on what you know and what you feel. But until those memories are yours again, build your life on what is solid. Be in control.” She gave my hand a final squeeze. “Let the boys be the background noise for a while. You tune into your own frequency.”
From the window, we could see Justin and Harridan finally parting ways, both getting into their expensive cars, the argument clearly unresolved.
Aunt Yanni stood and went back to the stove. “Now, you will eat. You will build your strength. And next week, you will walk into that mansion not as a lost girl, but as a woman on a mission. And remember,” she looked over her shoulder, a glint in her eye, “even when you’re searching for the past, you must always feed your future. Now, set the table.”
“Next week, it will be Justin and I,” I murmured under my breath.