Chapter Eighteen

Drake let out a heavy exasperated sigh at the sound of his mother's shrill voice carrying up the stairs. Lydia's body tightened in on itself when she heard Diane's loud obnoxious stomps headed their way.

"Drake," Lydia groaned in defeat as she grabbed his head by his ears and tried to pull his face from between her legs.

"What, Princess?" Drake laughed, looking up at her mischevously, "You don't want to give Mother Dearest a show? You know, it would be her own fault for walking in unannounced."

Lydia's thighs tightened around Drake's face as he tried to dive in further, and she couldn't contain her giggles at his antics. "As much as I would enjoy the look on your mother's face if she were to catch us in such a disgraceful act, they very thought of her approaching has turned me completely off."

"Oh, fine." Drake sulked as he pulled his face from between her legs, placing one last kiss on her silky thighs, before standing up.

Drake grabbed Lydia's skirt and shirt, tossing it to her, and she made quick work of redressing herself. Lydia's hands trembled slightly as she tried to rebutton her shirt, the fabric slipping under her fingers as her eyes darted nervously towards the door. She knew Diane was only seconds away from bursting through that door. Luckily, she'd managed to slightly fix his disheveled appearance by the time Diane burst through the door, a scowl on her face as her gaze roamed over Lydia and Drake.

"Can't even be bothered to knock on the door anymore, Diane?" Drake asked with a snarl.

"This is my home," Diane hissed at Drake, "I'll be damned if I allow you to speak to me this way."

"I could always leave," Drake suggested, causally striding across the bedroom, and making to grab his wallet he'd set on the dresser.

"We have company," Diane snarled, choosing to ignore Drake, "I expect you to be down within the hour."

Drake looked like he wanted to argue further with Diane, but Lydia stepped forward, interrupting their conversation, "Of course, Diane." She replied her tone dripping with kindness, "We will see you within the hour."

Diane's piercing blue eyes scanned Lydia from head to toe, taking in her wrinkled shirt and messy hair. "I expect you to be wearing formal evening wear for tonight's event, my dear," she sneered with disdain. Without another word, she spun on her heel and marched out of the room, leaving the door ajar in her wake.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" Drake asked, turning to face Lydia, a quizzical expression on his face.

"The quicker you appease Diane, the sooner she'll be out of your hair," Lydia smirked, "I just wanted her gone, Drake. We don't have to go down to dinner."

"You little deviant," Drake grinned, striding across the room and pulling Lydia into his embrace, "Remind me, never to get on your bad side." He murmured against her lips as he leaned down for a kiss.

"You might like my bad side," Lydia teased, rubbing her body against his.

"Oh, really now?"

"I've always heard that being bad is more fun." Lydia replied suggestively, trailing her hands down Drake's broad chest, and letting her fingers linger, teasingly on his waistband.

A quiet knock on Drake's bedroom door, caused Lydia to pull her hand away, and Drake sighed in defeat. This, this right here was why one didn't have sex in their childhood bedroom. The disturbances were countless.

"Dray, it's Kev." His brother called through the door.

Drake out let another heavy sigh, before pulling away from Lydia and walking to his door, opening it for his brother. "What's up Kev?"

"Err... I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Kevin replied, taking in Drake's disheveled appearance and Lydia's flushed face.

Drake couldn't hold back the annoyance in his voice as he snapped, letting out a sharp bite of words, "Nope, not at all."

"Err... yeah. Anyway," Kevin stated, feeling awkward as he ran his hands through his silky blond locks, "I was going through the attic with Maddie, trying to find only family albums for the reporter, and I ummm... well I came across this." He replied, pulling a small ruby encrusted bracelet from his pocket.

Drake's eyes widened in shock and his face drained of all color. It was as if he had just come face to face with a ghost from his past, sending shivers down his spine and making him question reality itself. The bracelet had belonged to Amelia. She never went anywhere without it. It was one of her most prized possession. Drake could recall asking Amelia about it when he was younger. She'd told him it was an old family heirloom, passed down each generation by the woman in her family.

"It was tossed in a box, along with some clothes. And also this." Kevin stated, pulling an old crinkled envelop from his pocket and handing it over to Drake. "It's a letter addressed to you. The envelop was already opened, and that's where the bracelet came out of. I didn't read the letter inside though. I didn't want to pry." Kevin replied, staring at his brother a questioning look on his face.

Drake's tongue darted out to moisten his parched lips, but they remained dry. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The memories of his darkest nightmares flooded back, threatening to consume him once again. "Th...Thanks Kevin," He managed to get out as he took the letter from his brother's hand.

"Okay, well I'll see you downstairs then? We are discussing the plans for the trip.

Drake cleared his throat and straightened his posture. His face was stoic as he pushed back all the fears that had begun creeping forward. "Yes." He answered his voice stilted, "We will be there."

"Okay, Awesome!" Kevin replied enthusiastically, excited to be around his older brother, "Well I'll see you there then." He smiled, turning and closing the door quietly behind him as he left the room.

"What's wrong?" Lydia asked, the moment Kevin left, stepping forward and grasping Drake's arm.

"Amelia." Drake whispered, the one word sentence his only response, as he opened the letter.

**"Drake,**

**If you are reading this letter, it means that I am no longer here. I wanted to let you know, Drake, that I never abandoned you. I didn't leave this house by choice. I had to protect myself and my child. Many things happen in this house behind closed doors, Drake. Many things that a child of fourteen wouldn't be able to understand. Please stay safe, Drake. Don't anger your father, behave with your mother, and shield Kevin from any danger that's lurking around the corner. Take my bracelet Drake. Take it and use it when you turn eighteen. Let it help you start a new life. Leave behind the Alston fortune and fame. Leave society behind. Just take your brother, and run Drake. Run away from it all. Please stay safe. And always remember, that I will always love you, Drake. No matter what.**

**Love Always,**

**Amelia."**

*A sharp scream pierces the silence of Drake's room, causing him to immediately jump up and rush downstairs. He moves quickly but cautiously, trying to locate the source of the scream. As he reaches the bottom of the stairs, he approaches the foyer with trepidation, peeking his head around the corner. His eyes widen as he notices that the plush runner, usually lining the floor, is missing and there is a large red stain in its place. He assumes it must have been wine spilled by his mother and Alfred has likely taken the runner for cleaning after being scolded by her. Drake stands still, holding his breath and listening for any other signs of disturbance. When he doesn't hear anything else, he decides to quietly make his way back upstairs. But just as he nears his bedroom door, he hears voices coming from downstairs and can't resist listening in, even though he fears getting caught by his father.*

*"Boss, where should I put the body?"* *A raspy voice inquired.* *While Drake didn't recognize the speaker, their voice and question still sent chills down his spine. What body were they talking about?*

*"Leave it in the forest. South of the estate."* *His father replied, making Drake's stomach churn.*