Chapter 38 Awkward Dinner
I walked to the balcony ignoring the rumbling of my stomach. I looked at the digital clock by the bed and wondered why dinner was not yet delivered. After our moment in the bathroom Darius had left for a meeting he had.
As I stood on the balcony, staring at the endless expanse of the sea, Darius’s words from earlier reverberated in my mind. “You are mine.” I hated the truth of it. I hated that despite everything, a part of me was bound to him, no matter how hard I tried to deny it. Bound to the man that ruined my life and took everything from me.
The door opened again. Why was he back? Darius stepped out onto the balcony, interrupting my thoughts. I didn’t look at him. I kept my eyes on the horizon, trying to ignore the weight of his gaze on me.
“I'm guessing you've gotten over your embarrassment by now”, he said and I felt my face heat up from embarrassment.
“What do you want, Darius?” I asked, my voice cold. “Because if you’ve come to remind me about me walking in on your brother, I don’t want to hear it.”
He didn’t answer right away. Instead, he moved closer, his footsteps soft on the marble floor. “We have some guest over and so, you're be having dinner with everyone” ,
I was hungry but Faruk was the last person I wanted to see.
“Alright but first you promised to give me news on Fred”, I said and whipped my head around to face him and I saw his gaze darken.
Darius moved to stand beside me, his tall frame casting a shadow over mine. “He’s safe,” he said simply, his tone devoid of emotion.
my heart jumped at his words. “What?”
Darius’s jaw clenched, his dark eyes boring into mine as he continued with a steady voice. “You’ll never see him again if you keep asking about him.”
The weight of his words hit me like a punch to the gut. Never see him again? The room spun slightly as the reality of my situation settled over me like a suffocating blanket.
“You’re a monster,” I spat, my voice trembling with rage. “You think you can control everything, don’t you? You think you can take everything from me and then pretend like it’s fine.”
Darius didn’t flinch. His gaze remained steady, unyielding. “I don’t want to hurt him, Lyra. But if you keep pushing, I won’t have a choice.”
His words were like a knife twisting in my chest. He had me trapped. Every time I tried to break free, he tightened the chains, reminding me that my actions had consequences. Fred’s life hung in the balance, and I was the one holding the thread that could snap at any moment.
“So this is it?” I asked bitterly. “This is your game now? Keep Fred alive as long as I behave?”
Darius’ face remained impassive, but I saw a flicker of something in his eyes, guilt, perhaps? Regret? But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the cold, unfeeling mask he wore so well.
“I’m telling you that he’s safe,” he repeated. “Isn’t that enough?”
“No,” I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. “It’s not enough. It will never be enough. I need to see him”
But Darius shook his head. “You’ll never see him again! You need to understand Lyra that you're my mate! You're mine! And I will not tolerate you speaking or even asking about a useless mutt like Fred”
I turned away from him, tears burning at the corners of my eyes. I couldn’t let him see me break, couldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing how much power he had over me. But the truth was, I was already broken. I had been ever since that night when he had stormed into my life and shattered everything.
Darius took a step closer, his hand brushing against mine as if he wanted to comfort me. But I recoiled from his touch, disgusted by the very idea. How could he think for a second that I would ever accept him after what he had done?
Darius stepped closer to me, his gaze softening slightly. “I don’t want to hurt him, Lyra. But I need you to understand that you’re mine now. Asking about him, thinking about him, it has to stop.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I turned away from him, feeling the weight of his words crash down on me. Fred’s face flashed before my eyes—his gentle smile, his warm eyes, the way he had always been there for me. A lump formed in my throat, but I forced myself to speak.
“I’ll stop asking,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Just... don’t hurt him.”
Darius didn’t respond immediately. He stood there for a long moment, the silence between us thick and heavy. Finally, he spoke, his voice low. “I don’t want to hurt you either, Lyra. But know you will never leave my side.”
I scoffed, wiping away the tear that had slipped down my cheek. “Too late for that.” I said and began walking to the door. We walked down the familiar hallway and the stairs and were led to a grand dining hall by servants.
The dining hall overlooked the sea. There were only two seats remaining, the seat at the head of the table and the one on its right, Darius helped me into my sit and sat down. Farouk sat on Darius’s left. We were sitting face to face.
He caught my eye, his lips curling into a smirk I knew what was coming before he even spoke.. “Lyra, darling,” he said, his voice dripping with amusement, “how are you finding this little slice of paradise? Enjoying the... sights?”
My stomach churned and I felt my face flush. I knew exactly what he was referring to,the intimate scene I had stumbled upon earlier that morning, when I had found him with one of the women from the party on the beach.
“I didn’t—” I started, but Lucien interrupted with a chuckle.
“Oh, don’t be modest,” he said, waving a hand. “You’re quite the little peeping tom, aren’t you?Caught me in quite the compromising position.”
Heat rushed to my face as the other guests chuckled softly. I wanted to crawl under the table and disappear. Darius, however, didn’t seem amused. He shot his brother a sharp look, his eyes narrowing.
“Enough, Faruk,” Darius said, his voice low and dangerous.
ButFaruk, ever the provocateur, simply raised his glass in a mock toast. “I’m just having a bit of fun. No harm done.”
I clenched my fists under the table, my nails digging into my palms. I hated him. I hated both of them. I wanted nothing more than to escape this room, to leave behind the humiliation I felt every timeFaruk spoke.
Darius’s hand found mine under the table, and I stiffened at the contact. His grip was firm, as if trying to reassure me. I pulled my hand away.
The gesture didn’t comfort me. If anything, it made me right sent them both.
Faruk , ever the observer, didn’t miss the exchange. His smirk widened, as he spoke“You know, Lyra,” he said, leaning back in his chair, “you really do look stunning today. The dress I had my stylist pick out for you suits you perfectly, in fact I helped pick out all your clothes without even seeing you I must say I do have good taste. Don’t you agree, brother?”
Darius’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening. “Don’t push me, Faruk.”
“Oh, come now,” Faruk said with a lazy grin. “Can’t a king compliment his brother’s... what’s the word? Mate?”
Darius’s hand tightened into a fist, but he said nothing. I could feel the tension between them growing, the air thick with unspoken words.
Faruk laughed softly, clearly enjoying himself. “To Lyra ,” he said, raising his glass again in a mock toast, “and her impeccable taste in... everything.”
The other guests chuckled again, though I barely heard them.
I forced a smile, though my heart felt heavy. I had to play along. For now, at least. I don't know what Faruk was up to or why he was showing so much interest in me but it made me uncomfortable.
After breakfast I excused myself from the table, needing a moment alone to clear my head. The pressure of everything, Fred , Faruk, Darius, it was all becoming too much. I made my way to a secluded part of the garden, the sound of the waves soothing me as I sat on a bench overlooking the water.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. For a brief moment, I allowed myself to imagine a different life,a life where I was free, where my father was alive,Fred was safe, and where Darius didn’t exist.