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alextaym · 7 months

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OMG

As much as I like Croía I think at this point it is just pointless and stupid to still expect her parents to change.

Like, she has amazing siblings (not all of them lol), boyfriend and good friends around her who actually care about her. She has built a good support system. Yet she still seeks her horrible cockroach of a mother's approval. Why? Get some therapy girl and move on already.

As soon as everyone started to repeat "it's only one week" all the time I knew something fishy was going on

Poor Liam is worrying about her, hopefully she is ok. You are not going to unalive main character, are you? 😂👀

Are you? 😭

Vancross

Vancross - As Long As There’s You At My Side (Chapter 19)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: A group of friends embark on their final year at Vancross Institute with the hopes of making it their best year yet. When a new face with a complicated family plagued by secrets and rumors arrives on campus, new friendships are formed, a new relationship blossoms, and threatening challenges arise.

Title inspiration: Golden - Scars On 45

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

Leaning back against his headboard on a Friday afternoon, Liam typed away on his laptop, finishing up the last couple of paragraphs of a paper he had due for one of his classes. His eyes flickered up from the screen and he smiled when they fell on Croía; she was lying horizontally across his bed with one of his legs draped over the backs of her knees as she, too, worked on a paper for another class.

It had been a month since Vancross closed its campus to students and they started virtual classes. Hour-long meetings with the professors from each of their classes were held Monday through Thursday, leaving them with three-day weekends to work on assignments and study for exams while the investigation into the attack remained ongoing. From what they were told through weekly updates from the Dean, they still had no evidence as to who was behind it.

Liam wasn’t sure how to feel about the situation. On one hand, it was nice being home and with his family which he typically wouldn’t see much of during the school year. On the other hand, it was his final year, one they were midway through, and he didn’t know if he’d ever be returning. He was thankful, however, that Croía chose to stay with him in Cordonia.

When they learned that the campus would be closing, Constantine and Eleanor didn’t hesitate to invite Croía to stay, and she didn’t hesitate when she accepted the offer. A week later, Blaine and Alia arrived in Cordonia after the same offer was extended to them. The four of them were staying in Liam’s wing, working on assignments and studying together along with Rashad and Olivia, who would come from their duchies a couple times a week.

Liam knew his mother was trying to make their time away from campus feel as close to normal as she could.

After finishing the last of his paper, Liam closed his laptop and set it on the bed before moving next to Croía. “How is yours coming along?” he asked before dropping a kiss on her shoulder.

“Done,” Croía smiled as she scanned over the document. “Just looking it over.”

“Do you have anything else to work on?”

“I have to study for my IRT exam.”

“Good ol’ International Relations Theory.”

Croía looked at him. “How did you manage to get out of taking that class anyway?”

“Because I took it last year,” Liam chuckled. “I got put in it by some glitch in the system and they were going to take me out, but I asked my advisor if I could just get it over with, and he said it was fine as long as I thought I could handle it with my other classes.”

“And … how’d you do?”

“Aced it, of course,” Liam smiled.

Croía playfully rolled her eyes with a good-natured grin. “Overachiever.”

“Think of it this way … that means that I’m the perfect person to help you study.”

“Oh?” Croía chuckled.

“Mmhmm,” Liam nodded as he leaned in, pressing his lips to hers. He felt her smile before parting her lips, allowing his tongue to find hers.

As the kiss deepened, Liam lifted his hand, closing her laptop and pushing it off to the side; he rolled to his back and pulled her over until she was straddling him. He combed her hair back from her face, becoming more consumed in the kiss with each slow curl of her tongue against his. With his legs dangling off the edge of the bed, he sat up; one hand dropped and splayed against her back to press her body flush against his own as he wrapped her long hair around his other. He gave a gentle tug, causing her to break the kiss as her head tilted back before his lips found her neck.

Over the past month, Liam found himself lost in Croía any free moment they had. He couldn’t get enough. Since that first night in the safe house, she couldn’t seem to get enough either. He’d always found her innocence and shy-by-nature personality endearing, but he also loved watching this more sensual side of her unfurl and come alive. Each time was more perfervid than the one before as she became more attuned with not only this never-explored side of herself but him as well. And while she was still the same kind-hearted, sweet, and coy woman he first met, the confidence that this newfound side gave her was, if he was being honest, sexy as hell and a turn-on all by itself.

Just as Liam’s hands slid up underneath Croía’s shirt, planning to pull it off of her, a knock sounded on his bedroom door. He paused his movements, slowly lifting his head as she looked at him.

“Li?” Blaine called out on the other side of the door. “Your dad is downstairs.”

Liam dropped his head back with a sigh. “Tell him I’ll be down in a minute.” He looked back at her, smiling ruefully. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok,” Croía chuckled as she maneuvered off his lap.

Liam stared at her longingly as she adjusted her clothes back into place and he let out a grumble as he flopped back and rolled to his stomach, burying his face in his arms. “I need you to describe to me, in detail, Rocky Mountain oysters.”

A laugh escaped Croía as she walked by the bed. “I’ll give you a second.” She opened the bedroom door and stepped out, closing it behind her as she met Blaine. “He’s coming.”

Blaine flashed a knowing smirk having heard Liam grumble a moment before. “Not the way he wants to be, I’m guessing?” He let out a rumble of laughter when her cheeks flushed as she walked past him.

Croía headed downstairs, and when she reached the bottom, Constantine was waiting near the door, smiling. “Hello, Croía,” he nodded.

“Hello, sir,” Croía smiled in return, then waved to Eleanor who stood behind him.

A few moments later, Liam appeared at the bottom of the stairs. “Hello,” he greeted his father. “Everything ok?”

“Yes,” Constantine nodded. “I was stopping by to see if you were busy.”

“Not at the moment,” Liam replied. “I just finished up a paper. Why, what’s up?”

“I have a meeting I need to attend with Landon regarding trading coming into Portavira’s entrepôt that I thought would be good for you to sit in on.”

“Oh … yeah, sure,” Liam nodded.

“It shouldn’t take too long,” Constantine said.

Eleanor stepped forward. “Croía, I have some preparation planning for the Peace Summit to do and wondered if you might like to join me?” she smiled. “Please don’t feel like you have to say yes, I just thought I’d extend the offer while Constantine stole Liam away.”

“Sure,” Croía smiled. She’d heard the summit mentioned a few times in the time she’d been there and, truthfully, she found herself a tad curious about it.

“You’re not busy with any classwork?” Eleanor asked.

“No, ma’am,” Croía shook her head. “I have an exam I was going to study for, but Liam was going to help me, so I’d be waiting until he finished up anyway.”

Eleanor smiled. “As long as you’re sure … and you want to. Again, please don’t feel like you have to.”

“I’m sure,” Croía smiled.

“Alia and I will hold down the fort while you’re gone,” Blaine said from the top of the stairs where he leaned against the railing.

Liam glanced over his shoulder, shaking his head with a knowing smile before looking back at his parents. “We’re ready when you are,” he said as he gestured toward the door. He slipped his hand into Croía’s as they followed him into the hall.

Constantine and Eleanor fell into step on either side of the pair as they walked down the corridor; while Liam talked quietly with his father about the meeting, Eleanor looked at Croía. “It’s nothing arduous that we’re going to be doing,” she said. “Just going over the current guest list from those that have responded and some plans for the event.”

“Well … full disclosure,” Croía began, “I haven’t … I mean, I’ve never helped with anything like this before,” she smiled sheepishly. “So, if I get in your way, feel free to tell me.”

Eleanor smiled and patted her shoulder. “You’ll be fine.”

When they came to a split in the corridor, Liam slowed his steps as his father turned one way and his mother the other, both pausing to wait. He looked down at Croía and smiled. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

“I won’t keep her away from you for too long,” Eleanor said. “Promise.”

Liam kissed Croía’s cheek before turning and heading down the corridor with his father toward the King’s study while Croía joined Eleanor on the walk to hers.

****

Sitting inside the Queen’s study, Croía flipped through a list of names. “They’re broken down by country and kingdom,” Eleanor explained. “It’s just easier to keep track that way, and then, when the time comes for the seating arrangements, we can keep them all together.”

“It looks like you’ll have a decent turnout,” Croía noted as she looked at the list.

“Yes,” Eleanor smiled. “It’s the first time we’ve held a Peace Summit here, so I’m glad we’ve gotten such a good response so far.”

Members of royalty from various kingdoms such as Monterisso, Pavedena, Naporvie, Ulmeria, Monterre, and Ismar, to name a few, were all planning to attend as well as members of government from Ardona, Rutherland, Esherstein, Ithanstan, and Drivosa.

The families of all of her and Liam’s friends, Croía noticed, and their friends were all on the list to attend alongside them.

There was one country and kingdom noticeably not included.

“Did … did you extend an invite to Drakovia?” Croía asked, immediately wishing she hadn’t as soon as the words left her mouth.

“We did,” Eleanor answered. “We haven’t heard back from them yet. But there’s still time.”

“No offense, but I wouldn’t get your hopes up.”

Eleanor looked at her, smiling sadly; she’d heard the same thing from Trystan. “We’ve extended invites to them in the past for various events, but they don’t usually respond. So, while I know they’re likely not to attend, I hope they do.”

It was the truth. Eleanor did hope the King and Queen of Drakovia would attend, but not for the reasons Croía probably thought. The attendance of the Drakovian monarchs could bring a different kind of peace. And at the thought, a pang of guilt shot through the Cordonian Queen, knowing both her words and motives were deceptive, but just as they were trying to protect Liam, they wanted to protect Croía as well.

“Have you spoken to your parents?” Eleanor asked as casually as she could.

“Oh, uh … no,” Croía answered. She let out a breath and dropped her gaze back to the list in her hands. “I’ve called a couple of times, but I … I haven’t heard anything back. I’m sure they’re busy.”

Eleanor stared at her; she’d heard Croía make that same excuse before as to why she hadn’t been in contact with her parents. She knew she didn’t believe her own words, able to hear the disappointment and hurt in the lie even though she tried to mask it. She’d heard from Liam how Croía was treated, but heard even more unsettling details about it from Trystan. And her heart broke for the young woman sitting before her, the one who still held onto hope that her family would someday show her love and affection despite being made to believe all her life that she was nothing to them … the same young woman who had become an integral and special part of her son’s life, and because of that, her own. She’d taken a liking to Croía, more so over the last month and seeing firsthand how happy she made Liam. Perhaps it was her natural motherly instinct, but she wanted to protect Croía from all of the same things she wanted to protect her own children from. And she wanted to help her, to see her thrive and succeed; it was part of the reason she’d asked if she wanted to join her that afternoon.

Eleanor knew Croía didn’t have the experience that others in her position typically would, and not all of those kinds of lessons could be learned from a class or a book. And while guest lists and event planning were the more frivolous sides of her role, Eleanor had a few reasons for spending this time with Croía; she had a purpose for it all.

“Well, why don’t we see how many from each country and kingdom are coming so far,” Eleanor said, changing the subject. She smiled as she sat next to her on the small sofa. “That way, we can start to figure out how we’re going to do the seating.”

****

That evening, Constantine and Eleanor sat inside the King’s study, unwinding from their day with drinks. When Constantine’s phone rang, he stood from the sofa and walked to his desk, lifting the receiver to his ear. “Yes?”

“Hello, Constantine,” Trystan greeted him.

“Trystan,” Constantine said as he glanced over his shoulder at his wife; she rose from the sofa and came beside him as he put the call on speaker. “How are you?”

“I’m well. I hope you and Eleanor are the same.”

“We’re good,” Eleanor answered, letting him know she was there.

“I’m here with Cameron,” Trystan said. “We just wanted to give you a little update.”

Constantine and Eleanor shared a look. “We’re listening.”

“It’s not much of an update,” Cameron chimed in. “We’re still looking for the proof we need. We just need some more time to find that smoking gun.”

“What we’ve found so far is better than nothing,” Eleanor replied. “It has to lead somewhere.”

“Unfortunately, these people are very good at keeping things hidden,” Cameron said.

“I can imagine, considering they’ve flown under the radar for as long as they have,” Constantine scoffed. “But at least we’re getting somewhere.”

In the time since they started their undercover investigation, the Cordonian monarchs along with Trystan and Cameron had uncovered more than they bargained for with the help of Damien and his Interpol connection. They’d come to learn that things were far more complicated and complex than they initially thought. And despite how much they’d found — and because of it — they needed more. What they had was only enough to drum up more suspicion and speculation. Both the delicacy and complexity of the situation called for more conclusive evidence because they couldn’t take any chances or risk any slip-ups based on technicalities. They needed a surefire smoking gun before they could make any moves, and they had yet to find it.

“How’s Croía?” Trystan asked.

“She’s doing good,” Eleanor answered. “She was with me earlier, actually, helping me with some things regarding the Peace Summit.”

“Taking her under your wing, are you?” Trystan quipped.

Eleanor chuckled. “I simply extended the offer to keep her occupied while Constantine had Liam sit in on a meeting with him.”

“She likes to learn, but was never given the chance back home,” Trystan said. “So I’m glad she’s got you there.”

“Speaking of the summit,” Eleanor began. “Are you still aiming to have enough evidence by then?”

“Yes,” Cameron answered. “Damien still thinks it would be easier to have Interpol be there than it would be for them to get into Drakovia. I’m hoping we’ll have what we need, and that’s the goal, but I don’t want to make any promises.”

“And I still wouldn’t put too much faith in them attending,” Trystan interjected. “I know Damien thinks that’ll be the easiest way, but it’d be a damn miracle if they accepted. And if they do, be on alert because it wouldn’t be because they’re actually looking for peace. If they accept, they’ll have an ulterior motive for doing so.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Constantine replied.

“And Liam and Croía … they still don’t know anything about it?” Trystan asked.

“No,” Eleanor and Constantine answered in unison.

“We’ve only been giving them the updates from the Dean and the University’s investigation, not our own,” Constantine added. He shared a look with his wife. “We’ll tell them when we need to …”

****

After having dinner with Blaine and Alia, Liam and Croía headed up to his room while the other two decided to venture down into the capitol in search of dessert. They’d offered for them to tag along, but Liam knew they hadn’t spent much time alone since their arrival in Cordonia; he’d told Blaine about one of his favorite local spots to take her.

Croía sat on the bed and let out a breath, glancing at Liam when he sat down beside her. “How did that meeting with your dad go?”

“Fine,” Liam shrugged. “Just some trade stuff he wanted me to overhear.” He glanced over at her with a chuckle. “How was planning with my mom?”

“It was fine,” Croía smiled. “Everyone is coming to that summit. Alia and her parents and sister. Blaine and his parents. Kennedy and her mom. Dionne and her parents. Peter and his parents and brother … to name a few.”

“Yeah, I knew Blaine and Alia were coming, only because they told me,” Liam said. “I figured the others would more than likely tag along … or be dragged along,” he chuckled.

“I noticed Drakovia wasn’t on the list,” Croía said. “I asked your mom about it … she said they invited them, but in a surprising turn of events, they haven’t heard back,” she quipped.

Liam shifted to sit in front of her. “Maybe they’ll come.” He knew they wouldn’t.

“Doubtful,” Croía replied. Liam smiled sadly before lifting a hand to her cheek; he drew her to him and pressed his lips to hers as his other hand settled on her waist. Before they could get too lost in the moment, she gently broke the kiss. “I have to study for my IRT exam.”

“You have all weekend,” Liam whispered.

Croía chuckled as he kissed her again. “I need to get some studying done tonight. And you said you’d help me.”

“I will help,” Liam said as he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip before kissing her once more.

“I think we have two different definitions of help at the moment.”

A rumble of impish laughter escaped Liam as he drew back to meet her gaze. “Ok, I’ll help you study. But how about we make it a little more … interesting?”

Croía couldn’t help but chuckle at the mischievous smile he wore. “How so?”

“I’ll quiz you …” Liam smirked, leaning forward and pressing another lingering kiss to her lips. “And reward you for every right answer you get.”

Arching a curious brow, Croía smiled. “Reward me how?”

“Guess you’ll have to agree to play to find out.”

“Ok,” Croía laughed. She reached for her book on the nightstand, but he stopped her. “The questions are in the book.”

Liam tapped a finger to his temple. “It’s all up here.” He grinned when she laughed, then kissed her again as he guided her back on the bed, stopping once he was hovering over her. “First question,” he murmured against her lips. “Which theoretical perspective views globalization as a new form of imperialism?”

Croía smiled. “Neo-Marxism.”

“Good,” Liam said before finding her lips again; he kissed her slow and deep, curling his tongue against hers before shifting a moment later, kissing along her jaw to her ear. “Next question,” he whispered. “Globalization is most associated with which theory of world politics?”

“Liberalism.”

“Uh-huh,” Liam hummed as his lips lingered on her neck. He slipped his hand beneath the hem of her shirt and pushed it up, revealing her lace-covered chest; he gently dragged his hand from her neck down between the valley of her breasts and his lips followed their path before shifting off course and trailing over the swell, stopping when they met the seam of fabric. “What is the economic theory and ideology that serves as the backdrop to what is commonly referred to as globalization?”

Croía shuddered as his lips brushed over her covered peak, feeling his warm breath through the thin lace; her thoughts jumbled when the tip of his finger dipped beneath the scalloped seam and began to pull it down. “Neo-stru—” He paused, arching a brow as his gaze flickered to hers, and she shook her head. “Neoliberalism.”

A wolfish smirk curled on Liam’s lips as he slid the rest of the fabric out of his way and lowered his mouth down to her pebbled nipple; he slowly swirled his tongue before pulling away and blowing a stream of cold air against her, drawing out a soft gasp. “Name two contributing factors to global integration,” he murmured against her as his lips moved to her stomach.

“Transportation and Communication …”

“Mmhm,” Liam hummed, continuing his slow descent as his hand slid up to caress her.

“And European Colonization.”

“Very good.” Liam shifted himself lower, placing a kiss just below her navel; his hands slowly pushed up the hem of her pleated knit tennis skirt before he hooked a strong arm around one of her thighs and draped it across her hips. “What is the type of exchange rate that is based on its expected value in the international market and is considered to be self-correcting?”

Croía bit her lip, fixated on him as his lips made a path along her inner thigh, all while holding her gaze. “It’s … it’s fixed—” He paused, and she swallowed thickly. “Floating. Floating exchange rate.”

“Nice save.” Liam ghosted his lips over the thin piece of lace that covered her and he smirked when just that light touch drew a soft yet needy whimper from her. “Name one revolutionary approach to International Relations.”

When he placed another teasing kiss over the lace, Croía’s eyes fell shut as a tingle shot up her spine; she instinctively tried to arch her hips for more but was stopped by his arm holding her in place. “F-Focus on — focus on North — North and South relations,” she stuttered through a breath.

Liam chuckled, dragging a finger along the seam. “I think I might prefer to focus on the south right now,” he said before he pulled the lace aside and dropped his mouth down on her.

When she felt his velvet tongue swirl against her, Croía’s lips parted with a moan as her hand slid into his hair.

*******

A couple of days later, Liam, Croía, Blaine, and Alia sat in the living room of the south wing, all working on assignments and studying for upcoming exams.

“I wonder how much of this shit I’m actually going to use in the real world,” Blaine scoffed.

Liam chuckled just as the door to his wing flew open; they all glanced over as Leo strode into view. “Hello,” he grinned. He walked further inside and sat beside Croía on the sofa, slinging an arm over her shoulders. “Hi, Cocoa Bean.”

Liam shook his head as the others laughed, including Croía.

One night while they all hung out in the game room, Leo had caught a glimpse of Liam’s phone, seeing Croía listed in his contacts under ‘Cocoa’. He’d laughed himself hoarse, despite there being a story behind the nickname, one Liam tried to explain. Leo ignored him and the story entirely and had been calling her Cocoa Bean for the last few weeks anytime he saw her. She didn’t seem to mind, however, so neither did Liam.

“What are you up to?” Liam asked.

“I want to go golfing,” Leo said, “but I have no one to go with. So I thought you all might like to join me.”

Blaine threw his book down. “I’m in.”

Liam’s brows furrowed. “I thought you hated golf?”

“I don’t hate it, but it’s not my favorite thing either,” Blaine replied. “But I’ll do anything to get away from this shit for a while,” he said, gesturing toward the book and his laptop.

“I’m game,” Alia said.

Liam and Croía shared a look, both shrugging. “Ok.”

****

A while later, after changing into appropriate attire while Leo filled a cooler with beers and White Claws, the five of them headed out to Cormery Isle’s golf course.

They laughed and joked as they made their way through the course, all in much need of the little reprieve.

Liam, Croía, and Leo pulled up in a golf cart to where their balls landed on the seventh hole; Blaine and Alia pulled up in a second cart behind them.

After taking their shots, Leo, Blaine, and Croía sat on one of the carts after grabbing a drink from the cooler, waiting while Liam and Alia made their shots.

Leo glanced back at Blaine from the driver’s seat, chuckling. “Remember last year when we were shotgunning beers for every shot we took?”

Blaine snorted, nodding before he tipped his head back to take a sip of his beer. “And we were all shitfaced drunk by the time we got back to the palace and your mom made us all her infamous hangover remedy.”

“I swear, her spiced apple tea hangover cure is fucking gold,” Leo said. “They’ve made me functional for so many events.”

“What’s a shotgun?” Croía asked.

Leo’s brows rose in surprise and he glanced over at her in the passenger seat. “Cocoa Bean! You’ve never done a shotgun?”

“No,” Croía chuckled, shaking her head.

“Oh, we’ll need to fix that,” Leo said. “Blaine, grab me a drink.”

Blaine reached back, grabbed a can of White Claw from the cooler, and handed it to Leo. “So, the first thing you’re gonna do is make a hole down here,” he said as he tapped his finger near the bottom of the can. He grabbed the pen they were keeping score with and carefully poked through the can, maneuvering it around. “Ok,” Leo said as he finished making the hole wide enough; Blaine leaned forward from the backseat of the cart to both inspect and watch. “Take this, put your thumb over the hole, and position your other hand so you can open the tab.” He handed her the can, and she did as instructed. “Good. Ok, now, put your mouth there,” he pointed to the hole, and she leaned forward and replaced her thumb with her mouth. “Now open it and then suck.”

“Tilt it slightly,” Blaine added.

Croía tilted the can slightly as her nail flipped up the tab, but she was met with a rush of unexpected carbonation, causing her to cough into the can.

Suddenly, the liquid shot out from the opening, spraying Leo directly in the face.

Croía slowly looked over at Leo with wide eyes as what little she managed to get into her mouth dribbled out; liquid and foam dripped from his face.

In the back seat, Blaine let out a loud bark of laughter as he threw his head back. When he heard her wheeze, he looked at Croía and started to laugh even harder at seeing how hard she was now laughing; her face was bright red and her hand covered her mouth, which was open in shock as her body shook.

When Croía took a breath, she squealed out a laugh as her foot kicked the panel under the seat and she doubled forward. Both the sight and sound sent Blaine over the edge; he tipped sideways, rolling out of the cart into the grass as he clutched his stomach.

Alia and Liam approached after taking their shots, and Alia started to laugh just at the sight of Blaine rolling around on the ground.

“What the hell happened?” Liam asked, seeing a substance dripping from his brother’s face; he wore a grin despite whatever just occurred.

A loud guffaw erupted from Blaine as he started to try and tell them the story; he rolled to his side with a wheeze as he slapped the ground, unable to continue.

“I was trying to teach Cocoa Bean how to do a shotgun,” Leo began to explain through a laugh of his own as he wiped his face down with his golf towel. “But I somehow managed to get a face full of White Claw instead.”

Alia couldn’t contain her laughter at the imagery.

“I-I’m sorry … I-I got a …” Croía trailed off, unable to speak as another shriek of laughter bubbled out of her.

Liam looked at her and he couldn’t help but chuckle as she gripped his arm; tears glistened in the corners of her eyes as the melodious sound of her contagious laughter filled the air. He’d seen her laugh plenty of times, but never that hard … and he never wanted to go another day without seeing or hearing it again, without seeing her so utterly happy and carefree.

“Holy fuck,” Blaine chortled. He slowly rolled onto all fours, trying to catch his breath. “My abs hurt. That …” He trailed off, snorting. “That was the funniest fucking thing. His face …” He howled, dropping his head onto the ground between his arms as he continued to laugh. “Shit, Croía.”

Leo gripped Croía’s shoulder. “We’ll need to work on your execution, Cocoa Bean,” he chuckled.

*******

The following Friday, Liam, Croía, Blaine, and Alia sat in the living room of the south wing, watching a movie; they’d spent all week working on assignments, had gone out to the beer garden with Leo, Rashad, and Olivia the night before, and were taking that night to relax.

Midway through the film, a knock sounded on the door; Liam paused the movie and shouted for them to come in. A moment later, Constantine and Eleanor appeared. “Sorry to interrupt,” Constantine smiled apologetically at the group as they all sat up.

“No worries,” Liam said. “What’s up?”

Constantine and Eleanor walked into the living area and took the two empty seats on either end of the sectional. “We just received a call from the Dean. Vancross is opening campus back up.”

They all smiled. “When?” Blaine questioned.

“One week,” Eleanor answered. “They’re giving you next week free of classes to allow you to get yourselves situated before returning.”

“So they finished the investigation?” Croía asked.

“They closed it,” Constantine said. “They couldn’t find any evidence pointing to who was behind the attack. Being that it’s been over a month, they didn’t have much of a choice. I’m sure they’ll still be looking into it, but they think it’s time for the students to return.”

“Your parents are aware,” Eleanor said to Blaine and Alia. “They’re leaving it up to you whether or not you want to go right from here or go home for the week before returning.”

The pair shared a look. “We should probably go see them before going back,” Alia said. “We won’t see them again until graduation.”

“Yeah,” Blaine nodded.

As they began to discuss leaving the following morning, Croía took in Alia’s words. We won’t see them again until graduation. She hadn’t seen her mother since her impromptu visit, and she hadn’t seen her father since she left to attend Vancross. She hadn’t been home at all. They hadn’t tried to reach out to her and hadn’t returned any of her calls. And while a part of her knew it was foolish to even want to see them or to think they cared about seeing her, another part of her couldn’t let go of the notion that she had a home and family of her own.

Alia and Blaine excused themselves to go call their parents and make their arrangements to leave, leaving Liam and Croía alone with Constantine and Eleanor.

“I … I should go home, too,” Croía said.

Liam furrowed his brows as he snapped his gaze in her direction. “What?”

“Alia’s right,” Croía said quietly as she looked at him. “We won’t have another chance to go home again before graduation, and that’s a few months away. And I haven’t … I haven’t been home at all since school started.” She could see the wariness in his eyes. “I know I haven’t talked to them … but maybe I should try to see them.”

Liam knew why she wanted to go — or rather, felt like she had to. She didn’t want to give up on believing that maybe one day they’d see her for more than the mistake they told her she was. She wanted their love and acceptance so badly that she was willing to risk her emotional well-being on the off chance she might get it. Every instinct inside him wanted to tell her not to go, to beg her not to go and to stay with him. He’d seen firsthand what being around just her mother did to her, and he didn’t want to see her fall back into that headspace she was so easily put in before. He didn’t want to see her hurt and defeated if this trip home didn’t go the way she hoped it would … and he was almost certain that’s what would happen.

Liam let out a breath. “But Croía—”

“It’s just a week,” Croía interrupted, seeing more trepidation fill his expression as he stared at her. “And then we’ll be back at campus.”

Constantine looked at his wife the same moment Eleanor looked at him; he recognized the question in her eyes. He knew she didn’t want Croía to go either and that look told him exactly what she was thinking: She doesn’t know what we know. But he subtly shook his head at her silent request. They couldn’t risk telling anyone, including Liam and Croía. Not yet.

“Are you sure, Croía?” Eleanor asked, hoping she might reconsider.

“I’m sure,” Croía nodded with a halfhearted smile. “And while I’m there … maybe I can bring up the Peace Summit and gauge their interest in possibly attending.”

“Well, how about I go with you,” Liam said.

Constantine and Eleanor both stiffened at his words.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think it might be best if I go by myself,” Croía said, much to his parents’ relief. “I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

Liam continued to stare at her. “When … when are you going to leave?”

“Blaine and Alia seem to be leaving in the morning,” Croía noted. “So maybe sometime tomorrow afternoon. I’ll have to have Jonas call to have the jet prepared and sent.”

“No need to call for the jet. You’re more than welcome to use ours,” Constantine offered, although his motives weren’t entirely selfless; he didn’t trust a Drakovian jet landing on Cordonian soil.

Liam heaved a sigh as he finally dropped Croía’s gaze. He didn’t like the idea of her leaving. He didn’t like it at all.

****

The movie night had been cut short so Blaine, Alia, and — much to Liam’s dismay — Croía could pack their bags.

Liam sat on the edge of his bed, watching Croía stuff the final pieces of her clothing into her suitcase before zipping it shut. She set her bag over by the door and turned to face him; the look he gave her had her seriously contemplating her decision.

When Croía approached him, she rested her hands on his shoulders, and Liam pulled her down so she was straddling his lap. He searched her icy blue eyes as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t want you to go,” he said just above a whisper.

“I’ll be ok,” Croía said, not sure whether she was trying to convince him or herself.

“Does Trystan know you’re going?”

“No,” Croía chuckled, knowing he was hoping her brother would change her mind. “I haven’t called to tell him, but I will.” He shook his head, dropping her gaze. “If I come back disappointed … it’s no one’s fault but my own.”

Liam looked at her again. “If that’s even a possibility, why go?” he asked. “Why risk making yourself feel like that?”

“Because I … I just feel like I need to do this,” Croía replied. “For myself.” Liam sighed, dropping his head on her shoulder. “Listen …” She forced his gaze back to hers. “If this trip goes badly … I promise, it’ll be the last time I try.”

“You won’t go back again?”

“No,” Croía shook her head. “I think this trip will tell me everything I need to know.”

Liam chewed the inside of his cheek as his hold around her tightened. “I still don’t like the idea of you going … especially by yourself.”

“I’ll be ok.”

Knowing he wasn’t going to change her mind, Liam heaved a defeated sigh as he dropped his head on her shoulder. “I’ve gotten used to you being here with me,” he murmured. “I don’t want to wake up without you.”

Croía chuckled. “It’s only a week.”

“Too long.” Liam lifted his gaze back to hers, holding it for a moment before he closed the small space between them and pressed his lips to hers.

When they parted, Croía rested her forehead against his. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Liam kissed her again, this time more ardently; he turned, laying her back on the bed, planning to make the most of that night. And she eagerly returned the kiss with the very same intention.

*******

The following morning, Liam and Croía said their goodbyes to Blaine and Alia before they left, and that afternoon, they rode in silence and hand-in-hand in the back of an SUV to the airport for Croía’s flight.

Anthony drove the pair with Jonas riding beside him in the passenger seat; knowing they were in cahoots, she had instructed her guard not to call Trystan, telling him she would do so herself. In the third row behind them sat Leo, who offered to tag along, knowing his brother might need a distraction on the way back.

Liam tossed and turned all night, trying to come up with some way of changing Croía’s mind, but he fell short. Despite her assuring him she would be fine and that it would only be a week before she saw him again, he still couldn’t bring himself to get on board with the idea. He didn’t push, however, because he didn’t want her to think he was being overbearing.

When the SUV pulled up to the tarmac alongside the waiting jet, the two guards exited the vehicle first; Anthony went to do a cursory check of the aircraft while Jonas grabbed Croía’s suitcase.

When Liam’s guard reappeared a few moments later, giving the all-clear, Liam sighed as he opened the door and stepped out, turning to offer a hand to Croía; she said goodbye to Leo, who gave her a quick hug, before taking Liam’s hand and allowing him to help her out.

The pair walked slowly toward the stairs; Jonas shook Anthony’s hand before stepping onto the jet while the latter headed back to the SUV, giving Liam and Croía some privacy.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Liam asked, forcing a small smile.

“I’ll be fine,” Croía reiterated with a sad smile as she looked up at him. “Remember, it’s only a week.”

Liam wrapped his arms around her as hers looped around his neck. “I know …” He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers.

“We’ll talk every day.”

“Promise?”

“Promise,” Croía assured him, and he kissed her again.

Croía cupped his face in her hands. “I love you,” she whispered against his lips as he rested his forehead against hers.

“I love you, too.”

After drawing back from another kiss, Croía stepped back, knowing she wouldn’t get on that jet if she lingered there any longer. “I’ll call you as soon as I land.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Liam watched her turn and head up the stairs; she gave him a wave and one last smile over her shoulder before disappearing into the cabin. He walked backward, watching Jonas secure the door, and when he reached the SUV, he leaned against it, waiting to see her take off.

A moment later, Leo appeared beside him. “Relax. She’ll only be gone a week.”

Liam didn’t take his eyes off the jet as it turned toward the open airstrip. Yes, he knew it was only a week, but he had an odd feeling that he couldn’t seem to shake, one that grew in intensity as he watched the aircraft pick up speed down the runway before lifting into the air.

*******

The following Thursday, Liam sat out on the balcony of his bedroom, eating breakfast as he scanned a newspaper. His eyes kept flickering to his phone, waiting for Croía’s morning call.

As promised, Croía had called him twice a day every day since she left. They messaged each other throughout each day as well.

That first night, when Liam asked how her return was received, all Croía said was, “as expected.” Each night since, she told him how her parents had been in closed-door meetings all day and she had yet to see either of them. That was until yesterday afternoon when she sent a message to tell him she was having dinner with them that evening; she said she would call him later to tell him how it went.

Croía never called.

Liam had sent a couple of messages to see if everything was ok and to ask how the dinner went, but he never got a response.

As he looked at his phone again, Liam told himself not to panic, that she had probably just fallen asleep and wasn’t awake yet. He still couldn’t shake that odd feeling he had, though, and it was doing him no favors in staying optimistic.

When his phone chimed with an incoming call, Liam threw the paper down and snatched his phone up; he let out a breath when he saw the name flash across the screen. “Hi,” he answered.

“Well, don’t you sound chipper this morning,” Blaine chuckled.

“Sorry,” Liam sighed. “What’s up?”

“Nothing. I just wanted to let you know I’ll be heading out tomorrow morning.”

Blaine was flying back to Cordonia tomorrow so he and Liam could head back to Vancross together Saturday morning; they wanted to give themselves time to get resituated in their suite and relax before classes started up again on Monday. Rashad and Olivia were taking the Domavlliers jet but weren’t planning to return to campus until Sunday.

“Is Alia coming too?” Liam asked.

“No,” Blaine answered. “She has an event she’s attending with her family tomorrow evening, so she’s just going to meet us back at Vancross Saturday morning.”

“Ok …”

“Are you alright?” Blaine asked.

“I’m just waiting for Croía to call.”

“What’s wrong?”

Liam sighed. “She was supposed to call me last night but never did. And she hasn’t called or answered my messages this morning.”

“Calm down,” Blaine chuckled. “She’s probably still sleeping. Don’t get yourself all worked up over nothing.”

“Right …” Liam drummed his fingers against the table.

Something told him it wasn’t “nothing.”

*******

The next afternoon, Liam sat inside the living area of his wing after he’d returned to the palace from picking Blaine up at the airport. Liam held his phone to his ear, listening to it ring and ring and ring before Croía’s voicemail picked up. He sighed, ending the call and tossing his phone on the table in front of him before running his hand down his face.

“Still nothing?” Blaine asked, and Liam shook his head. “Let me try.” He scrolled through his contacts before tapping his finger against Croía’s name. It rang … and rang and rang and rang … until her voicemail picked up. “Nothing …”

“Has Alia heard from her?” Liam asked.

“She said the last time she talked to her was Wednesday.”

“Same as me …” Liam let out a breath, running his hand through his hair.

“We’ll keep trying,” Blaine said.

****

That night, Liam tapped his foot anxiously against the carpeted floor of his bedroom as he tried calling Croía again. He still hadn’t heard back from her. When he reached her voicemail for the umpteenth time that day, he let out a frustrated breath as he rubbed his eyes, waiting for the cue to leave a message. When he heard the beep, he lifted his head.

“Croía … it’s me again. I’m really worried. I just want to know you’re ok. Please … please call me back.”

Liam sighed as he dropped the phone away from his ear and ended the call. He thought about calling Trystan, but another part of him thought maybe he should wait. Like him, Blaine, and Alia, Croía was supposed to be returning to campus tomorrow and he didn’t want to worry her brother for no reason if there truly was an explanation as to why she hadn’t returned any of their calls or messages. He couldn’t figure out what the hell that explanation could be, but he was holding onto that small sliver of hope like a lifeline.

*******

The following morning, Liam drummed his fingers across his thigh from his seat on the jet; through the clouds, he could see Vancross University’s campus as they flew overhead, headed for the airport.

“Alia just landed and is headed back to campus now,” Blaine said, reading a message from her. Liam looked at him. “I told her we’re about five minutes behind her. She said she’ll let us know if Croía is there.”

They had yet to hear anything from Croía; their calls were now going straight to voicemail, and messages were still left unanswered.

It had been three days since Liam last spoke to Croía and that odd feeling he had when she first left had now grown into full-on panic. When he said his goodbyes to his family that morning, his mother asked if he was ok, able to tell something was bothering him; he didn’t tell her what was going on because he didn’t have any answers to explain it.

Liam’s only focus that morning was getting back to campus and seeing if Croía had arrived yet.

****

When Liam and Blaine arrived back at their suite, they dropped their bags in their rooms and met back in the living area, both with their phones in hand. Liam tapped his finger against the screen on Croía’s name and put the phone to his ear; it went straight to voicemail again.

Blaine could see the concern etched in his friend’s expression. “Maybe her phone broke or something.”

Liam merely nodded at Blaine’s attempt to settle his nerves, but he didn’t believe it. Something was wrong. He could feel it.

Suddenly, the door to their suite flung open and a frantic Alia rushed inside; she was out of breath, clearly having run from her building to theirs.

Blaine turned toward her. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Croía’s stuff … it’s not there,” Alia breathed as she pressed a palm to her chest.

Liam’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“Her room is empty. All of her stuff … it’s gone.”

The color drained from Liam’s face as his heart plummeted into his stomach. “No.” In the next moment, he was rushing out the door, and Blaine and Alia followed behind him.

Liam ran along the campus path from his building towards the other. When he entered through the front doors, he bound up the steps two at a time until he came to the correct floor; he flew down the hall and pushed the door to the suite open, making a beeline for Croía’s room.

When Liam stepped inside, he froze. Just as Alia had said, the room was empty save for the bare bed and the desk and chair.

There was nothing but empty hangers in the closet.

The drawers of the dresser were pulled open and bare.

The books that once lined the built-in bookshelf were gone.

The only thing that remained to show Croía had ever been there at all was the pictures still pinned to the corkboard above the desk she once occupied. A photo of their whole group together from a night they had a bonfire on the beach, several photos of her and Alia, her and Liam, and a few of the four of them together on the many nights they hung out.

Liam looked around the empty room, blinking as if her stuff would suddenly reappear … along with her. His eyes fell on a crumpled article of clothing he spotted on the floor of the closet. He walked over and picked it up; when he held it in front of him, he saw the ‘Rys’ stitched across the top of the back. It was the mock jersey she had worn to his final polo match. He sat in the chair and leaned forward, burying his face in the shirt; the scent of vanilla and sandalwood still lingered in the fabric.

Fisting the shirt in his hands, a wave of worry, guilt, and anger washed over Liam. He didn’t trust the idea of her going home, but he didn’t try hard enough to convince her not to. He knew in his gut something was wrong when he didn’t hear from her, but he didn’t try to figure out what it was.

Blaine took a tentative step toward his friend, seeing his hands start to shake. Suddenly, Liam stood, grabbing the chair by its back and hurling it across the room with a growl; the sound of it slamming against the wall caused Alia to yelp.

Liam ran his fingers through his hair, lacing his trembling hands behind his head. The stress of the past few days had finally gotten the better of him. His chest was rising and falling heavily, his breaths shuddered and quick as he tried to wrap his mind around what the hell was happening. But he couldn’t. He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t know anything.

Blaine approached him, resting a hand on his shoulder. After a few quiet moments, Alia broke the deafening silence. “What … what do you think happened?” Blaine glanced over his shoulder at hearing the worry laced in her words.

Liam dropped his arms to his sides, looking around the room again as his jaw tensed. “I … I don’t know,” he said. He stormed out of the room, unable to stand inside the emptiness any longer, stopping once he was in the living area. He pulled his phone from his pocket and went to his contacts, tapping a name on the screen before lifting it to his ear.

“Liam?”

“Have you heard from Croía?” The question tumbled out of Liam, who didn’t care about a polite greeting at the moment.

“No …” Trystan paused for a moment. “She’s supposed to be returning to campus today.”

“Yeah, but she’s not here. I haven’t talked to her since Wednesday morning; she hasn’t answered any of my calls or messages. Any calls to her started going straight to voicemail this morning. We just got back to campus, and Alia found all of her stuff from their suite gone. Her room is completely empty, Trystan.”

Trystan could hear the worry in his voice; his own anxiety spiked at what he’d just been told, but he hid it, trying to remain calm. “Let me try to call her phone for me. I’ll call you right back.” He didn’t wait for a response before hanging up.

Liam dropped his arm, gripping his phone tightly in his hand. The few seconds that went by felt like hours until his phone rang; he answered before it made half a ring. “Anything?”

“No … right to voicemail.” Trystan heard Liam let out an exasperated breath. “Listen, let me make some calls … see what I can find out. I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.”

*******

In the living area of his suite the following afternoon, Liam sat slumped on the sofa; his fist was pressed against his mouth as he stared off in a daze with his phone clutched tightly in his other hand. Blaine and Alia sat in silence across from him on the other end of the sectional.

It had been over 24 hours since Liam had spoken to Trystan, and every minute that passed that he didn’t hear from him only caused both his concern and irritation to heighten. He’d tried calling and messaging Croía several more times after his conversation with Trystan but to no avail. He’d gotten a mere couple of hours of sleep last night, and that was only because he dozed off at the kitchen counter while waiting to hear from Trystan or Croía herself. Blaine found him at 2 a.m. when he exited his room to get a bottle of water; he was slumped on the stool with his head on his arms and his hand curled around his phone. He woke him up, telling him to go get some sleep, but when he entered his room, sleep was the last thing on his mind.

When Liam’s phone chimed with an alert, his head snapped to the screen; he sank back with a heavy sigh at seeing the message from his mother, telling him she hoped they all got settled in ok and to enjoy his last day before starting classes back up tomorrow. He sent back a quick response before tossing his phone onto the table and laying back, covering his face with his hands.

Blaine looked at him. “Who was—”

“My mom,” Liam interrupted.

Alia and Blaine shared a look; Liam’s stress over the situation was palpable. Alia glanced back in Liam’s direction. “Why don’t we go get something to eat while we wait.”

Liam dropped his hands away from his face and met their gazes; his expression was a silent declination. “Come on, Li,” Blaine sighed. “I’ve been with you since yesterday afternoon and you haven’t eaten anything. You’re not doing anyone any favors by starving your damn self.”

“We don’t have to go far,” Alia said. “We can go to that Greek place right across the street from campus.”

As Liam sat there and contemplated their suggestion, a knock came on the door of the suite; he sprung up and rushed over, flinging it open.

Liam swallowed thickly when he saw none other than Trystan standing on the other side, and the look on his face immediately filled him with dread.

***************************************

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123 notes · View notes

alextaym · 1 year

Text

Oh man

I am sad for Liam and Reyna

But I am also sad for Luca. He has been so good and patient, loving and respectfull and he is going to end up heartbroken 🥲💔

Your writing is so good that I felt Reyna's pain

Why did she have to watch the wedding? 😂

I know Connie was good in this AU, but I hope he feels guilty for prioritizing shitty tradition over his son's happiness and destroying their relationship in the process

…Sometimes Not

Left To Chance (Part 2)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #1, “I don’t have a date, so would you … maybe want to be my plus one?”

Song inspo: Chasing All The Stars - Fleurie

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Always You series. This part is a flashback to the first half of the three years apart from Reyna’s POV. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x OC (Reyna)

Rating: T • Warnings: None but some mild language.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Czytaj dalej

170 notes · View notes

alextaym · 1 year

Text

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

Why do I have the feeling that Croía's parent are planning to murder someone?

Why do I have the feeling that you wrote an AU where Liam mother is alive just so Viktoria can unalive her?

Why am I getting second hand anxiety?

So many questions

And as far as Croía … I understand, as I’m sure she does, that your heart was in the right place … but she’s right. You don’t get it. You were lucky enough to not grow up being treated the way she obviously has, so you don’t know what it’s like.

Mama E is right, people who did not experience it, do not get it.

It is hard to free yourself from the hold that the toxic person had over you, especially toxic parent

That is why so many people who were abused as children are still afraid of their parents even when they are years into adulthood and independent

But damn I am proud of Croía for finally standing up for herself

And Trystan thinking about Liam and Croía spending the night together had me 😂

I want to know what happens next but at the same time I am scared 😭

Vancross

Vancross - They Never Showed You Love (Chapter 12)

Most of the characters belong to Pixelberry.

Title inspiration: Matilda - Harry Styles

Main Pairing: Liam x F!OC

A/N: Multiple crossover series. There will be random sprinkles of canon throughout this story, but for the most part, it’s pretty much out the window.Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain nsfw material, language, some alcohol and drug use, and is not suitable for minors. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

Catch up here

“Mom …”

Inside her room, Liam’s eyes snapped open when he heard Croía’s voice. He slowly lifted his head from the pillow. Did I just hear her right? Surely not, he thought. Croía’s mother couldn’t even bother returning a phone call to her daughter. Why the hell would she just show up on campus?

“Stop being rude and invite your mother in. I know I raised you better than that.”

Holy fuck. Liam scrambled up in the bed, looking around for his shirt; he got up and grabbed it from the floor, quickly pulling it on over his head before creeping towards the doorway. He discreetly peered around the door just as Croía stepped aside to allow someone in.

Standing as straight as a statue with her nose in the air — literally and figuratively — Viktoria Thorne came striding into Liam’s line of vision. She was tall and slightly aged with long brown hair and was dressed impeccably in an all-black ensemble. She looked … frigid. Her heels clicked on the wooden floor as she slowly walked further inside, glancing around the room with what seemed to be a very critical eye.

Liam’s gaze shifted to Croía when she shut the door; when she turned to face her mother, the look on her face could only be described as panic-stricken. She stood slightly slouched yet she was tense at the same time. He then noticed her hands; she gripped her thumb with one hand, pressing her other thumb over the knuckle, brushing it back and forth, back and forth, over and over. It was a telltale sign of her anxiety.

“Wh-What … what are you doing here?” Croía asked.

“Pit stop,” Viktoria replied coldly.

Croía’s brows furrowed. “For what?”

Viktoria turned to look at her; the uneasiness and trepidation were rolling off Croía in waves. It brought her some gratification knowing she still had that effect on her; that was the entire purpose of this godforsaken visit after all. “I was on my way back from a trip and decided to drop in.”

“Oh …” Croía slowly nodded. She felt sick to her stomach with nerves. Her mother didn’t make pit stops, especially not on her behalf. “Where … where were you coming from?” she asked.

“Nowhere that concerns you,” Viktoria spat. “Where is your suitemate?”

“She’s, uh … Alia isn’t here. She went home for the weekend for her sister’s—”

“Birthday, yes,” Viktoria hummed as she looked her over; Croía was dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and her long hair was tousled. “Were you just getting out of bed?”

“Uh, I … yes,” Croia answered. Liam watched her run her fingers through her hair, swaying self-consciously. “Classes this week were … they were kind of busy, and I had papers and … I just … I slept in …”

“Hm.” Viktoria eyed her coolly. “And you expect me to believe that you didn’t have some late night with this apparent boyfriend of yours and that’s why you slept in?”

Croía stiffened at her words, and Liam noticed from his spot behind the door. They didn’t have a late night … at least not for the exact reason Viktoria was assuming. And it wasn’t that late in the morning anyway. It’s barely 9 am, he scoffed to himself. He took a step back, thinking for a moment, wondering if he should just go out there. What was the worst that could happen? They were both adults and it wasn’t as though they were doing anything wrong; anything they were doing was none of her business anyway. And he hated the thought of leaving Croía out there while he skulked in her room; she had only told him bits and pieces about her family, but one thing he knew for certain was that her relationship with her mother was rocky at best.

Taking in a breath, Liam slowly let it out before pulling open the door and stepping out of Croía’s room; both women glanced over at the same time. Croía’s eyes were a mixture of surprise, worry, and relief. Viktoria’s expression was inscrutable as she stared at him.

Croía’s eyes darted between Liam and her mother, feeling her heart start to race faster than it already was; when he came to stand beside her, she swallowed thickly as she looked up at her mother. “Uh, this … Mom, this is Liam. Liam, this is my mother … Queen Viktoria …”

Without hesitation, Liam bowed before meeting her gaze with a polite smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.” No, he technically didn’t have to bow or use her title there on neutral stomping ground, but his parents always told him to respect other monarchs no matter where he was.

“Charmed, I’m sure …” Viktoria eyed him up and down with a steely glare.

“Liam was, uh, he was just — he was — he was here — I mean, he stayed here last night, but he … he’s getting ready to leave,” Croía said, and her voice slightly cracked.

Viktoria snapped her eyes back to Croía. “Stop stuttering,” she admonished. “How many times have I told you how utterly obnoxious and unbecoming that is?”

Liam fought the urge not to react to her insult as he slid his eyes from her to Croía, watching her cast her gaze downward as her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. “Sorry,” she said just above a whisper. He then watched her hand grip her thumb again, doing the same pattern as before, just slightly harder this time.

Viktoria looked back at Liam at the same moment he looked at her and the two locked eyes. The fact that there was a Rys standing in front of her was irritating. The fact that one of her children was having a dalliance with one made her blood boil. She needed to keep her cool, however, remembering the task at hand. “So you’re the one who’s been splashed across the tabloids with my daughter for the last couple of months?”

“I don’t usually have stunt doubles, so I guess so,” Liam joked with a quiet chuckle. When Viktoria didn’t so much as crack a smile, his expression fell; he puffed out his lips with a small breath. Tough crowd. “Uh … yes, ma’am,” he nodded. “That’s me.”

Viktoria continued to stare at him as her lip slightly curled; she was unimpressed. “Don’t let me keep you from running along on your way.”

Croía let out a quiet breath at her mother’s words; why she felt the need to be so rude was beyond her, but at the same time, she wasn’t surprised. Not at all. When Liam nodded and turned, walking back toward Croía’s room to grab his bag, she glanced up at her. “I … I’m going to shower once he leaves …”

“I’ll wait.” Viktoria walked to the living area of the suite and lowered herself down on the edge of the sofa, scrunching her nose as she looked around.

Croía turned and hurried toward her room; when she stepped inside, Liam looked up from his bag, raising his brows as she met his gaze. “I take it you didn’t know she was coming …” he whispered. She shook her head in silent response. He stood upright, studying her for a moment; she was gripping her thumb again as her eyes darted around, clearly on edge. He walked up to her and reached out, gently grabbing her hands to stop them from fidgeting. “Hey …” She looked up at him and he could see the consternation in her eyes. “Are you ok?”

Croía shook her head. “I don’t know why she’s here,” she whispered, but he could still hear a hint of worry in her voice. Liam pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her; she closed her eyes, relishing in the comfort his embrace gave her, even if it was fleeting.

“Do you want me to stay?” Liam asked.

“No.” Croía stepped back.

Liam nodded. “If you’re sure …” He turned back to the bed, zipped up his bag, and slung it over his shoulder before turning back to her, cupping her face in his hands. “It’s gonna be ok …” He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers in a lingering kiss before drawing back. “If you need me, just shoot me a text.”

At his words, a thought came to her. “Wait …” Croía rushed over to her purse, digging through it for a moment before pulling out her phone that was for Trystan. “Can you take this? She can’t see it …”

“Yeah,” Liam nodded, taking it from her and slipping it into his bag. He looked at her once more. “You sure you don’t want me to stay?”

Croia nodded, “I’m sure.” She wasn’t going to subject him to her mother.

Liam kissed her once more before slipping out of her room. When he stepped back into the living area, Viktoria was eyeing him from her place on the sofa. “It was nice meeting you,” he nodded. When she didn’t respond, Liam pursed his lips with a small wave before heading for the door.

****

After taking a shower, Croía stepped out of her room, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cream-colored sweater; her mother was still seated on the sofa when she entered the living area. “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry …” Croía finished the braid in her hair, securing it with a small elastic as she stared at her. “How, uh … how long are you staying?”

“In a hurry to get rid of me?” Viktoria asked derisively.

Yes. “No,” Croía shook her head. “I was only curious. Dad didn’t go on this trip with you?”

“No,” Viktoria scoffed. “He and Lydea stayed behind … handling some things for me.” An uncomfortable silence settled between them — uncomfortable for Croía, anyway. Knowing her mother, she was probably relishing in it. Viktoria stood from the sofa. “I hope you have something to drink in this place …”

“Uh, yeah …” Croía turned and hurried to the kitchen as her mother followed; she opened the refrigerator, pulling out two bottles of water. When she turned and handed her one, she noticed her mother eyeing the sink and the dishes from last night. “I … didn’t get a chance to clean up from dinner last night.”

“You cooked?” Viktoria asked before taking a sip of her water.

“No … Liam … he cooked me dinner …”

Viktoria slowly lowered the bottle from her lips. “What you could possibly see in him is beyond me.”

Croía looked at her. “He’s kind and sweet. And he makes me laugh. And he … he cares about me …”

“Please, Croía,” Viktoria scoffed with a dry laugh. “You sound like a puppy, clinging to the first person that shows you any sort of attention. It’s rather pathetic.” Croía dropped her gaze, chewing the inside of her cheek. “And the attention this is drawing from the press is not something I wanted to deal with.”

Croía sighed. “I called … to ask you how to handle the press because I-I’m not … I wasn’t sure … but you never answered or returned those calls.”

“I’ve got more important things to do than to tell you which side of your face looks better for the cameras,” Viktoria snapped. “And the last thing you should be focused on right now is finding someone to hold your damn hand. You should be focused on your lessons.”

“I am focused,” Croía said. “I have high remarks in all my classes.”

“Well, hopefully, they’ll be of some kind of use to you when you leave this place.”

The tone of her voice caused Croía’s brows to furrow. “What do you mean?”

Viktoria shook her head, clearly vexed over what she was about to say. “Out of your siblings, you’re the only one left who hasn’t destroyed their own reputation. At least not yet.”

“Lydea didn’t …”

“Lydea is weak,” Viktoria spat. “She gave up her entitlement to the throne to play dress-up as a guard, which was only agreed to so she didn’t turn out to be a complete embarrassment. Had I known all of what was to come, I never would have allowed it. Your other siblings are nothing but sorry excuses, especially your older brother.” Croía imperceptibly tensed her jaw at her dig at Trystan. “And then there’s you.” She looked at Croía disapprovingly. “While still a sorry excuse and bordering on being a complete lost cause … there’s room for potential … very little room, but it’s there.”

Croía dropped her gaze, not wanting her to see the flash of hurt in her eyes that would be sure to bring her joy. The words were nothing new, but it didn’t make them sting any less. It felt like reopening a wound that had only just begun to heal. She’d gone the last few months without having to hear her mother disparage her daily, and then she showed up out of the blue and had done nothing but degrade her since she opened the door.

“Who would have thought that out of nine children, the mistake would end up being one of my last hopes for keeping our bloodline on the throne? But you have a long way to go and much to prove to me first …”

Croía lifted her gaze to her again, unable to hide both the surprise and uneasiness in her eyes at what she was hinting.

****

After a hot shower, Liam stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His mind was still on Croía; it had only been an hour since he left her suite, but he wondered how she was faring with her mother.

As he made his way to his dresser, the phone Croía had given him started to ring on his desk. There was only one person who would be calling. Liam glanced at it, hesitating, unsure if he should answer; from what he knew, if it went unanswered, he would just call again.

Not knowing how long he’d have the phone in his possession, Liam turned, grabbing it from his desk to answer it. “Uh … hey, Trystan.”

“Liam?” Trystan questioned on the other end.

“Yeah …”

“Why are you answering Croía’s phone?”

Liam cleared his throat. “She, um … asked me to hold onto it.”

“Why?”

“Your mom showed up at her suite this morning …”

“Wait, what?”

“Yeah,” Liam sighed, running his hand through his damp hair. “She was banging on the door bright and early.”

“Shit,” Trystan grumbled, trying to ignore the fact that he was pretty certain Liam had just inadvertently admitted to sleeping at Croía’s place considering he was with her ‘bright and early.’ There were more pressing matters at hand and he really didn’t want to think about that at the moment. “Did she say why she was there?”

“No,” Liam answered. “And she didn’t look … pleasant.”

“She never does,” Trystan scoffed.

“Croía gave me the phone before I left and asked me to keep it so your mom didn’t see it.”

He definitely stayed the night. Trystan shook his head, forcing himself to focus. “That was a smart move on her end.” He sighed. “How did Croía seem when you left?”

“Honestly? She looked … terrified.” Liam rubbed his hand over his mouth. “I don’t mean any disrespect, but is, uh … is your mom as mean as she looks?”

“No disrespect taken. And no, she’s not as mean as she looks,” Trystan answered, falling quiet for a moment. “She’s worse.”

Liam’s brows knitted at his answer. “What?”

“You think I’m kidding …”

“No,” Liam said. “Not based on Croía’s reaction to seeing her. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else.”

“Look …” Trystan sighed. “I can tell since being there at Vancross that probably for the first time in her life, Croía is genuinely happy. But if our mom senses that, she’s going to do anything she can to strip it away from her.”

“Why? Why would she do that?”

“Because she takes joy in making others just as miserable as she is,” Trystan scoffed. “Myself and my other siblings, while we certainly took our fair share from her, knew how to stand our ground. Croía doesn’t. And because of that, our mom has the ability to very easily get inside her head.”

“Inside her head, how?”

“By making her feel as unworthy and useless as possible.”

Liam sighed as he thought back to when he first met Croía; she was extremely shy and quiet, she didn’t speak unless spoken to, and she was unsure of herself even when it came to making the most basic of decisions. And while she was still a little shy and quiet, she had started to come out of that shell she hid inside when she first arrived. She smiled and laughed more, she was a little more outgoing, and every day Liam felt like he was seeing more and more of the person she really was. He didn’t want to see that disappear.

“What … what can I do?”

“Unfortunately … nothing.”

“What do you mean?” Liam scoffed.

“I mean that it would probably be best for both your sakes if you just kept your distance until she leaves,” Trystan answered. “Trust me when I tell you that my mother’s bad side is not one you want to get on, Liam. You have no idea what she’s capable of …”

****

In the living area of her suite, Croía stared in a daze as she sat across from her mother on the sofa. This is how it had been all day; bouts of uncomfortable silence in between harsh and critical words.

Pulled from her thoughts by a ring, Croía’s eyes subtly shifted up to watch her mother glance at her phone. “I need to take this,” she said before standing; she walked to the door, stepping out of the suite into the hallway for privacy.

Croía took the welcomed moment alone to head to her room; she shut the door and leaned against it, looking up at the ceiling as her eyes began to blur with tears. Her anxiety had spiked. She attempted to take in a deep breath, but it hitched in her throat instead; she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as the tears began to fall.

Having a break from the barrage of criticism and insults, while good at the time, had somehow made this time feel even worse for Croía than it ever had before. She was still unsure why her mother was even there but was informed that she planned to stay the remainder of the weekend. If the sole purpose of her visit was to drag Croía down, she’d already succeeded, and there was no need for the extra two-day stay. She didn’t know if she would be able to take two more days of it.

Croía lifted her trembling hand to her cheek, wiping the tears only for them to be replaced by more. She knew she needed to calm down, however. Her mother took joy in seeing her that way and she didn’t want to give her that satisfaction. She took in a few shuddered breaths, letting each one out slowly as she attempted to compose herself.

Pushing herself off the door, Croía walked into her bathroom; she splashed some cool water on her face and patted it dry before covering up the redness with some powder. She glanced at her watch; it was almost 4 pm, and she supposed she should find out exactly what her mother wanted to do for dinner so they had time to make arrangements.

When Croía opened her bedroom door, she paused in the doorway when she saw her mother standing in the living area. “Who was on the phone?” she asked.

“None of your business,” Viktoria chided.

Croía let out a quiet breath. “It seemed urgent,” she said, earning a look from her. “Sorry, I … I was just making sure everything was ok. I thought perhaps you were needed back at home.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Viktoria smirked.

You have no idea. “No, I … I was just …” Croía trailed off with a sigh. “Actually, I was wondering what you wanted to do for dinner …”

“If lunch was any indication, I doubt they have anything halfway decent around here, but I should eat …”

“Whatever you’re in the mood for is fine with me,” Croía said. “If you want fine dining … there’s a place I’ve heard others say great things about, but I haven’t personally been there myself.”

“Oh? I guess that means Liam doesn’t think he can take you anywhere nice,” Viktoria scoffed. “Not that I can say that I blame him.”

Croía bit down on the inside of her cheek hard to keep her expression neutral and not show the sting her words caused as she gripped her thumb with her hand. “I’ll call … and make a reservation.” She turned and walked toward the kitchen to grab her phone from the counter.

“Speaking of Liam,” Viktoria smiled sinisterly as Croía looked back at her. “Why don’t you give him a call and invite him to join us …”

****

Sitting in the back of the SUV, Liam drummed his fingers against his thigh as his guard drove him to Blue Chandelier, a swanky restaurant just off campus where he was meeting Croía and her mother for dinner.

When Croía called him a couple of hours ago, Liam was surprised by the invitation to join them, but he wasn’t going to turn it down. Despite Trystan’s earlier warning to keep his distance, when he spoke to her, Croía didn’t seem like herself; he both needed and wanted to see her to make sure she was ok.

The SUV pulled up along the curb outside of the restaurant; Liam shot Croía a quick text to see if they were there yet, and she responded, saying they were about to pull up. He slipped out of the vehicle onto the sidewalk, standing away from the doors, waiting.

When another SUV pulled up behind his, Liam watched Croía’s guard get out of the driver’s side and open the back door. Viktoria slipped out first; she traded her earlier black ensemble for a black knee-length dress. Croía followed behind her, and he smiled when she looked up and met his gaze, but that smile slightly fell when he realized hers wasn’t as genuine as she was trying to make it appear.

When they approached, Liam nodded in acknowledgment to Viktoria. “Ma’am …”

“Hm,” Viktoria hummed before brushing by him and walking inside.

Liam watched her for a moment; her response made him question why she even invited him along. He then looked at Croía, who still had her gaze down. “Hey,” he said before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“Hi …”

“Are you alright?” Liam asked.

Croía finally looked at him; her eyes were heavy, and he didn’t need to guess why. “Yeah …”

“You don’t have to save face for me,” Liam said quietly, reaching out and taking her hand in his.

“Croía!” Viktoria barked from the entrance.

Liam watched her stiffen. “I’m ok,” Croía nodded. “Let’s go …” She went to walk by him, but Liam’s hand remained wrapped around hers; she glanced over her shoulder at him, feeling him give it a squeeze before they walked inside together.

****

Liam’s jaw imperceptibly ticked as he stared across the table at Viktoria, watching as she casually sipped her glass of wine while waiting for her dessert. His exasperation was at an all-time high, simmering just below the surface as he struggled to keep himself from saying something he might regret … though he doubted he would truly regret it.

The entire dinner Liam had listened to Viktoria do nothing but condemn Croía, making one snide remark after the next. When Viktoria wasn’t nitpicking everything Croía did from the way she was sitting to how she was holding her fork, she made personal attacks about how inept she thought she was. Everything Croía had told him about her mother and their relationship was clearly dumbed down; she was far worse than he could have imagined.

What shocked Liam even more is how Croía just sat there and took it. She didn’t speak up about any of what Viktoria was saying to her. In fact, she hadn’t spoken at all unless asked a question.

“So, Liam … how are your parents?” Viktoria questioned.

Liam stared at her, keeping his expression inscrutable. “They’re fine … why do you ask?”

“Just curious,” Viktoria shrugged. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen them.”

“I didn’t realize you knew them …”

Viktoria offered a smile, one that made him feel wary. “We have a bit of history. Nothing you need to concern yourself with, however.” She took another sip of her wine, holding his gaze over the rim of the glass. “And what do they think of … whatever this is between you and her?” she asked, gesturing between him and Croía.

“Of our relationship?” Liam asked, emphasizing the last word with a small bite in his tone before his eyes shifted to Croía next to him. He noticed her hands fidgeting in her lap as she gripped her thumb, rubbing her knuckle like she had been earlier. He reached out, resting his hand on top of hers to get her to stop, offering reassurance and a genuine smile when she met his gaze. “They think she’s wonderful.”

“They clearly don’t know her very well then,” Viktoria scoffed. “But then again, they did always strike me as a bit charitable.” Liam snapped his gaze back to her, biting his tongue as he narrowed his eyes. “You know, I’d have thought someone like you, especially considering you’re now the future King, would have gone for someone a little more … polished,” Viktoria added. Liam furrowed his brows at her words before his gaze shifted to Croía; she remained silent, staring down at her plate with a dejected look in her eyes. “Someone a little more poised, smarter, perhaps more experienced in life and capable of standing on their own. None of those things describe Croía.”

“Enough is enough,” Liam said calmly yet with a thundering command in his tone as he looked back at Viktoria. He couldn’t take it anymore, unable to bite his tongue any longer. Croía’s eyes widened when she looked at him, and his expression was full of indignation. “I listened to you belittle her this morning, and now, the entire dinner you’ve done the same. You’ve done nothing since you’ve been here but tear her down and go out of your way to purposely demoralize her. What the hell is wrong with you?”

Croía’s heart was racing as she stared at him, stunned. “Liam, please—”

“Let’s not interrupt his little rant, Croía,” Viktoria admonished. Now she’d be able to truly see exactly how far gone from under her control Croía was, so she wanted him to keep going. She needed to ensure Croía was in thrall to her still, knowing that any future plans she had depended on it.

“It’s not a rant,” Liam spit back. “It’s the truth. You’ve treated her like garbage, and I’m sick of listening to it.”

“I allowed you out to dinner with us only as a courtesy—”

“A courtesy for who, exactly?” Liam bit back.

“You will not sit here and tell me how to speak to my daughter. If you don’t like it, then leave,” Victoria chided. “And may I remind you of our difference in rank—”

“Someone needs to tell you how to speak to her,” Liam interrupted, “because everything that has come out of your mouth has been one malicious comment after the next, each one solely intended to cut her down and humiliate her! And as far as your rank versus mine, we’re not in Drakovia, Viktoria. We’re here on neutral ground. And me treating you with respect to your title earlier? That was a courtesy.”

“Liam,” Croía ground out, finally pulling his attention to her. “Stop, please.” Her words earned an unseen smirk from her mother.

“No, I’m not going to sit here and listen to her lambasting you anymore, Croía. And you shouldn’t either.” She let out a breath as she stared at him, her expression pleading, and his brows knitted in confusion. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” He watched her glance in her mother’s direction, almost as if she were seeking permission.

Croía looked back at him when she heard the sound of his chair against the floor as he pushed himself away from the table. He stood, looking down as he waited, and she could feel her mother’s eyes boring into her from her other side; they were both staring at her expectantly. She turned to her mother, but wouldn’t meet her stone-cold gaze. “I-I’ll be … I’ll be right back.”

Liam walked away from the table, and Croía followed him. They stepped outside and he moved away from the door before he turned to look at her.

“What was that?” Croía asked.

Liam shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know how you can sit there and listen to that!”

“Liam, you—”

“And then you tell me to stop when I’m trying to defend you?”

“Because you’re only making it worse!” Croía retorted.

“I’m making it worse? Me? Not her and the constant barrage of insults she’s been slinging at you all damn evening? You don’t deserve to be treated that way, Croía! By anyone! Least of all, your own mother!”

“Liam, please … just let me handle my mom.”

“But you’re not handling her! You’re just sitting there taking it when you don’t need to!” When he saw her wince at the raise in his voice, Liam stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. “I’m sorry, but you’re a human being, Croía. No one deserves to be treated the way she has treated you.”

Liam didn’t get it; he never would, but Croía understood that. He didn’t grow up the way she did, so he couldn’t possibly understand why she would just sit there and take it. She bore the brunt of her mother’s vitriol for as long as she could remember. Unfortunately, this was nothing new, and she was very much used to it. And simply taking it is what Croía did; she sat quietly and let her mother say whatever it was she needed or wanted while trying — and usually failing — to not let her words get to her. It was easier that way; if she rebuked anything, the onslaught would only worsen until Croía was reduced to tears in front of her because that was the only thing that brought her mother enough gratification to stop. There was no sense in trying to reason with the woman about anything.

“I know you were trying to help me, but it … it’s not helping. I just … need to get through the rest of her visit, and then she’ll be gone.”

Liam’s brows furrowed as his hands fell away from her face. “You’re really just going to take more of her … abuse?”

“Liam, you don’t get it. And that’s ok. I just … please, let me handle this on my own … by myself …”

“Croía—”

“I have to go back in.”

“No, you don’t!” Liam threw his hands up in frustration. “Why are you so afraid of standing up to her?”

Croía took a step back, casting her gaze downward, and Liam’s brows raised in surprise. He couldn’t help but notice that her mother’s arrival had done nothing but pull her back into that shell she’d spent the last few months breaking out of. She was despondent, her confidence shaken, standing before him like some scolded child.

“I’ll talk to you later,” Croía said just above a whisper, not looking at him. Without another word, she turned and headed back inside.

****

Liam was still seething as he stepped through the gates and back on campus; he opted to walk back, needing to clear his head. He still couldn’t wrap his mind around the way Viktoria spoke to Croía. No, perhaps he should have just kept his mouth shut, but he couldn’t sit there and listen to Viktoria anymore, and it was clear Croía wasn’t going to say anything.

Thinking back on his talk with Croía caused a flood of even more irritation to course through Liam as he walked down the pathway back toward his building; he never expected them to end up in a tiff over him speaking up, on her behalf nonetheless.

As his temper flared, Liam let out a loud growl and flung his leg out, kicking a metal garbage can that sat underneath the lamppost before continuing down the path. When he glanced over his shoulder upon hearing the clunk it made when it hit the ground, he watched wads of garbage roll out of it onto the grass. He looked straight ahead again, but slowed his pace with a heavy sigh; he looked up at the night sky when he came to a stop and shook his head, mumbling obscenities under his breath before turning back.

Liam bent down, picking up the garbage and tossing it into the can before pulling it upright and shifting it back into its position under the lamppost. As he started back down the path, his phone rang; he quickly pulled it from his pocket, hoping to see Croía’s name on the screen … but it wasn’t her. He wasn’t in the mood to talk at the moment, but he hadn’t spoken to them all week and knew they’d just try again. He slid his thumb across the screen before lifting it to his ear.

“Yeah,” Liam answered, not pleasantly.

“Hello to you too,” Eleanor replied, glancing at Constantine beside her, who furrowed his brows at his son’s more than unusual greeting.

Liam let out a breath. “Hi, Mom …”

“That’s better,” Eleanor quipped. “What are you up to?”

“Walking.”

“To?”

“Back to my building.”

“From?”

“Dinner.”

Eleanor took note of the way Liam not only sounded upset but how short he was being with her as well; that wasn’t like him. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.”

“Liam …”

With a sigh, Liam closed his eyes; his mother always knew when something was bothering him, no matter how big or small or how hard he tried to hide it, not that he was trying to hide it now. “I just … had a little disagreement with Croía … it’s nothing.”

Eleanor hesitated for a moment, not wanting him to feel like she was trying to pry, but her curiosity got the better of her. “What about?”

“Her mom is here …”

Eleanor stiffened, meeting Constanine’s gaze as he sat forward with a tense look in his eyes. “Oh?”

“Yeah …”

“And … why would her mother being there cause you and Croía to have a disagreement?” Eleanor asked, trying to keep her voice as casual as possible.

“I know I shouldn’t be speaking ill of anyone, but, Mom, she is … she’s awful,” Liam said. “I have never met someone so cold-hearted in my entire damn life.”

“What happened?”

“She showed up at Croía’s suite this morning, completely out of the blue, and as soon as she arrived, she started in on Croía, making these snide comments,” Liam explained. “She didn’t seem to like me at all, though I was nothing but polite to her. I asked Croía if she wanted me to stay because she seemed really on edge by her being there, but she said no, so I left. She called later on, though, and said her mom invited me to join them for dinner …” Eleanor and Constantine shared a look. “So I met up with them at the restaurant. And the whole damn time, she did nothing but berate and belittle Croía, saying the most awful things to her … and I just … Mom, I snapped …”

Eleanor let out a quiet breath. “What do you mean? What did you do?”

Liam sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “She made a comment, basically saying that she figured someone like me would want someone better than Croía, and she says it like Croía isn’t sitting right there!” He started to get worked up again just thinking about it. “And I just said enough was enough, that I was sick of listening to her humiliate Croía. She said that I didn’t get to tell her how to talk to her daughter and that if I didn’t like it then I could leave, and then reminded me of our difference in rank, to which I politely reminded her that her rank didn’t matter here. Croía finally jumped in, but she told me to stop … so I asked if I could talk to her. We went outside and she said that I wasn’t helping by sticking up for her, but that I was making it worse. Which makes no sense! How is my trying to defend her against her mom’s barrage of damn insults making it worse?” He tensed his jaw, shaking his head. “She told me that I didn’t ‘get it’ and I just needed to let her handle her mom … by herself … and then she walked away and went back inside …”

“Liam …” Eleanor sighed, sharing another look with Constantine. “You need to be careful. You can’t just lose your temper with people … especially people like Viktoria Thorne …”

“She doesn’t scare me,” Liam scoffed. “She’s a piss poor excuse for a human being. The things she said were completely out of line and—”

“Liam,” Eleanor admonished. “I’m just saying that …” She trailed off, trying to make sure she worded what she wanted to say properly without saying too much. “I’m saying that you will someday be sitting upon the throne, and if you let your emotions get the better of you the way you did tonight, that’s something others are going to remember. You’re the future King and you need to act as such. And as far as Croía … I understand, as I’m sure she does, that your heart was in the right place … but she’s right. You don’t get it. You were lucky enough to not grow up being treated the way she obviously has, so you don’t know what it’s like. You don’t know how to handle something like that because you’ve never been through it.”

“But she’s not handling it, Mom! And that’s exactly what I told her! She just sits there and lets her talk to her that way, and I can see how much it was hurting her, but she didn’t say anything to stop it!”

“You don’t get to judge how she chooses to handle it, Liam,” Eleanor chided. She let out a breath, softening her tone. “That is not your place. And you certainly don’t get to tell her how she should handle it or that she’s doing it wrong because it’s not the way you would do it because, again, you don’t know what it’s like. The last thing she needs is you criticizing her on top of what she’s already getting from her mother. What she needs from you is for you to just be understanding … and to be there when she needs that shoulder to lean on.”

Liam’s irritation slowly ebbed away as his mother’s words sunk in. She was right, of course, like always. He let his emotions get the better of him and didn’t think about how he could be adding to what Croía was already feeling and going through. “Well, great,” he dropped his head back. “Now I just feel like an asshole …”

“I doubt she thinks that way about you,” Eleanor replied. “As I said, I’m sure she knows you meant well and she’s not going to hold it against you. Maybe you can reach out to her in a little bit …”

“She said she would talk to me later before she went back inside the restaurant …”

“And when she does, you need to apologize,” Eleanor said.

Liam sighed. “I know … I just … I hated seeing her sitting there looking so dejected. She just … she’s come so far out of her shell only to be sucked right back into it by Viktoria.”

“Again, I’m sure she knows your heart was in the right place. And just … remember what I said about being careful, Liam. We don’t know much about Drakovia or the Thornes … only that they’re not exactly the friendliest bunch …”

Liam’s brows furrowed, remembering what Croía’s mom had mentioned at dinner. “Well, Viktoria made it sound like you guys have some kind of history …”

Eleanor and Constantine looked at one another. “Not so much history, just … correlating affairs, so to speak …” Liam found the answer odd, but he didn’t question it further. “So … are you calmer now?”

“For the most part … I guess,” Liam replied. “I still think her mom is a fuc—”

“Liam,” Constantine warned before he could finish.

Liam’s eyes slightly widened. “Oh, uh … hey, Dad …”

Eleanor tittered as Constantine shook his head. “Well … tell us how your week went …”

****

That night, after her mother had gone to her hotel, Croía lay in bed inside her suite, staring out the window. Her breath hitched as a tear rolled from the corner of her eye, down over the bridge of her nose.

Just last night, Croía had been on cloud nine, but one day with her mother had made that cloud dissipate.

When she had gone back inside after speaking to Liam, her mother had laid into her about what she called his “disrespect” to her. Croía didn’t see it that way, but she couldn’t tell her that; she wouldn’t take lightly to disagreement.

Croía knew Liam’s intentions were good, and despite asking him to stop so she could avoid any further revilement from her mother, she did appreciate what he was trying to do, more than he knew. Standing up for her was something no one had ever done before.

After their conversation, however, and seeing how worked up and angry with her Liam had gotten over her inability to defend not only herself but him as well, Croía wasn’t sure he’d even want to talk to her. It’s why she didn’t reach out when she returned to her suite. She wouldn’t blame him. Seeing how her mother was, she fully expected Liam to run in the other direction, as far away from her as possible.

*******

Late the following morning, Liam’s feet thudded against the pavement as he ran along the pathways across campus grounds, still trying to clear his head. He had waited up the night before to see if Croía was going to call or send a message, but he hadn’t heard from her. He figured she was still upset with him and decided not to reach out himself in order to give her some space.

As he rounded the corner on the pathway that bordered the entrance gates of the university, Liam spotted Croía; she was coming up the path from the opposite direction.

“Croía!” Liam called out.

Glancing over when she heard her name, Croía slowed to a stop in front of the gates as Liam jogged towards her. He stopped in front of her, catching his breath as the two stared at one another. “Hi,” she finally said.

“Hi …” As they continued to stare, Liam couldn’t help but notice how downhearted she appeared. He glanced down at her hands, seeing them start to fidget the same way they were yesterday as she gripped her thumb with her hand. His brows furrowed when he noticed the red mark on the knuckle of her one thumb; she had been so anxious, she had rubbed the spot raw. He sighed, glancing up to meet her gaze again as he reached out and took her hands in his. “Croía, I’m sorry about last night.”

“You don’t have—”

“I do have to apologize,” Liam interrupted, knowing what she was going to say. “You were right … I don’t get it. I never meant to pile on to what you were already going through and I didn’t mean to make things worse.” He watched her eyes begin to glisten as she stared up at him. “I just … I hated seeing you hurt …” Her lip began to tremble and her breath hitched before she dropped his gaze. “Hey …” Liam sighed, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her as she cried.

“I’m sorry,” Croía choked out.

Liam drew back enough to cup her face in his hands; he tilted her head so her eyes met his, brushing his thumbs gently across her cheeks to wipe her tears away. “You don’t have to be sorry … and you also don’t have to allow someone to make you feel this way. I’m not trying to tell you how to handle it,” he shook his head. “All I’m saying is that you’re here now. You’ve been away from that … and you’ve been better for it. Everything she is saying to you and filling your head with is wrong. And I just want you to see how amazing you are, Croía. Because you are.”

Croía’s brows furrowed as more tears began to fall, and he pulled her back to him as she allowed his words to sink in. And then, Trystan’s words started to mingle with his. “You got away, Croía. And you can stay away … if you choose.” And Liam was right … she had been better since being there, away from her mother and her constant degradation. She’d been more relaxed and carefree. She’d made friends. She’d been happier than she had ever been before.

“Croía!” At the sound of her mother’s voice, Croía stiffened; she was supposed to be heading to breakfast with her. “Let’s go!” she barked.

Croía slowly drew back away from Liam’s embrace and looked up at him; he looked at her with understanding and encouragement in his eyes. And suddenly, both his and Trystan’s words became louder in her mind.

They were right.

Perhaps it was being away from it and surrounded by people who treated her with kindness and empathy for the first time in her life. Maybe it was the strength that Liam gave her and the solace she found with him. Whatever the reason, something finally clicked inside. Croía realized at that moment that the way she had been treated wasn’t something she deserved or had to put up with, regardless of who it was coming from.

Turning to see her mother standing near the SUV on the other side of the gates with her usual scowl, Croía shook her head. “No …”

Viktoria’s brow arched as she approached the gates. “Excuse me?”

“Why did you even come here?” Croía’s voice trembled as she wiped her cheeks. “Because it wasn’t for me …”

“Croía, get out here and in the car.” Viktoria’s gaze flickered up to Liam behind her. “We can talk about whatever this is alone.”

“No,” Croía said, standing her ground. “I-I’m not … I’m not going with you. I don’t want to be your verbal punching bag anymore. I won’t be,” her breath hitched. “I just want you to leave.”

Viktoria’s jaw visibly tensed as her eyes narrowed. “Croía—”

“Go home, Mom.”

Croía stared at her mother for a tense moment before, for the first time, she turned her back to her. Without hesitation, Liam slipped his hand into hers, and the two walked down the pathway, away from the gates. He couldn’t help but throw one last glance over his shoulder, seeing Viktoria rooted in place with her arms crossed, clearly seething as she watched them. He turned back, shifting his eyes to Croía; a small smile played on his lips as a swell of pride filled his chest.

When they rounded a bend in the pathway, finally out of view from the gates, what just happened hit Croía. “Oh my god …” She slowed her steps as her hands palmed her temples. “What did I just do?”

Liam looked at her, seeing the panic in her eyes. “Hey,” he said, gently pulling her hands away from her head. “You did what you needed to do for yourself. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“She’s going to be furious, Liam. And she-she’s—”

“Croía,” Liam said, and she looked up at him. “It’s going to be ok. She’s going to go home and you’re going to be here, and you’re not going to have to deal with it.”

Croía dropped his gaze as she took in a few breaths, slowly nodding. He was right. “Ok …”

“And, hey …” Liam said, and she looked back up at him. “I’m proud of you,” he smiled. “I know that wasn’t easy for you … but you did it.” His words earned a small smile from her, and he leaned down pressing his lips to hers in a lingering kiss. “Come on,” he said as he drew back and slung his arm over her shoulders. “I’ll make you breakfast, and then we can spend the rest of the day doing whatever you want.”

****

Viktoria slammed the door of the SUV shut when she slipped out, stepping onto the tarmac of the airport where her jet was waiting. She pulled up a name in the contact list of her phone and tapped her finger to the screen before lifting it to her ear as she made her way toward the aircraft.

“How’s the visit?” a voice answered a moment later.

“I’m getting on the jet. Does that tell you anything?”

“I take it that it didn’t produce the results you were hoping …”

“No,” Viktoria spat. “I told you her being around him was going to be a problem, but you didn’t listen.”

“Around him, yes, perhaps, but how was she when she was alone with you?”

“The same piddling girl she’s always been,” Viktoria grumbled. “But we’re never going to be able to use her for our bidding. Any hope that you had that the two of them being together would be a way in for us, you can forget it.”

“Well,” the person scoffed. “I guess we don’t have a choice but to go the other route then …”

Viktoria smirked triumphantly. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

***************************************

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alextaym · 1 year

Text

“I wonder what Liam and Drake would think if they knew some hot beach boys had their hands all over us, Lea,” Jacqueline tittered.

So they did not push her out of the plane

Shame

Ooops

There was Jacqueline … with Leo.

Hmm I wonder what were they doing 😶‍🌫️

“Pretty sure you were invited for him,” Leo replied.

And yet here we are

Wtf Leo

How could you 😒

Aria stepped back; her wide eyes darted around as she tried to wrap her head around catching Liam’s girlfriend with his brother.

I would start recording the shit out of them but I am petty, Aria is far better

"And if I really wanted to sabotage your relationship, why would I have spent the last three months avoiding you?”

Yes, you are almost there, Aria, tell him

...

Or not I guess :v

Liam, go after her

Ughhhh I want to know what happens next 🥹

The Pact (Part 8)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2, “You promised you wouldn’t do this anymore.” and prompt #3, “Well, well. My night just got better.”

Song inspo: Lost The Game - Two Feet

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Hopeless Hearts story. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading (and helping me to do some serious ✂️ because I’m a wordy bitch). Please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Liam x OC (Aria)

Rating: M • Warnings: None but some mild language and innuendos.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Keep reading

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alextaym · 1 year

Text

OMG

Liam glanced over his shoulder at Jacqueline, who was sitting up in bed, scrolling through her phone; she didn’t appear to be as tired as she claimed earlier.

You don't say 😒

Liam couldn’t help but feel like Aria was purposely avoiding him. In retrospect, he shouldn’t be surprised. They had a three-year-long antagonistic relationship that only seemed to cease when they fell into bed. With that perk gone, so was she, which only led him to embrace the conclusion that they were on different pages even more.

Liam, are you trying to convince me or yourself? 😂

Ditch the bitch and talk to Aria, dude

You will love the result

But then we wouldn't have the pinning and the drama and I need drama to live, lol

“I believe she told you she wasn’t interested!”

Kick his ass Liam, you got this 😎

Major swoon btw

Lea smiled halfheartedly as she linked her arm through Aria’s and guided her up the stairs. “Well … we had a last minute addition …”

It is not that bad, they can just push Jacqueline out of the jet and tell everyone she was tired and went to sleep 😴

She won't be waking up anytime soon

I am going to hell

The Pact (Part 7)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #3, “What’s it going to take to convince you?”

Song inspo: Over You - Jamie Miller

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Hopeless Hearts story. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Liam x OC (Aria)

Rating: M • Warnings: None but some mild language and innuendos.

Word count: 2473

Catch up here

Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 1 year

Text

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I feel for both of them but especially Aria

She got the courage to tell him and got crushed

When Jacqueline’s turn arose, she hesitated for a moment. “Never have I ever … had a one-night stand.”

Of course you had

With a certain prince

And it is not with the one everyone in the group assumed it was

Did she wanted to check if Liam had something going on between him and Aria? If yes, she caught on fairly quickly. Much quicker than the rest of the group 🤣

Aaaand she got her answer alright

Liam stared at her; he decided to make one last subtle attempt. “I mean, maybe … maybe if we were on the same page, things could be different, but …” He continued to look at her, almost hopeful.

Liam, my sweet summer child

You could try this attempt a little bit earlier, preferably before Aria saw you with your brand new girlfriend

Did you really think that after seeing you together, Aria would just confess that she wanted the same with you? 😮‍💨

“I was going to tell him how I felt tonight … but that was dumb of me to think … because we weren’t … we never … we were just … really, I’m fine …”

They were so close

I am fine

I going to eat more cake

Happy Holidays 🥰

The Pact (Part 6)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2, “You can’t possibly end something that never had a beginning.”

Song inspo: Forget Me - Lewis Capaldi

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Hopeless Hearts story. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading and helping me chop (even though docs was being the devil). Please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Liam x OC (Aria)

Rating: M • Warnings: None but some mild language and innuendos.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 1 year

Text

Ooof

I've played TRR/TRH so many times, but I had never fully realized how much both MC and Liam have been through untill I've read this story

They suffered so much 😞

And I agree that Liam sometimes seemed more as if he was a robot that a human, lol

But weirdly enough I like to read how Liam deals with all of the emotions here (I love him I promise 🤣), it makes him more complex

Anyway 🙃

The King rises to his feet, stepping in front of Riley to shield her; he squares his shoulders, his jaw clenching as his hands ball into fists. “This has gone too far! YOU’VE gone too far!” he bellows, his voice echoing in the wooded night air. “You endangered my wife? My CHILD? What the HELL is wrong with you?”

Swoon 🥰

Also can people of Cordonia (and in general) stop sticking their nose into someone else's buisness? I get that Riley is a queen of their country, but they are still being overdramatic with the pregnancy 😮‍💨 get a life

Connie and Godfrey as usual 🤢

And do not worry with it being 84 years since the last chapter, it was worth the wait 😊

At least you did not vanish from Tumblr for almost a year 🥲

Sending love 🥰

Breaking Point

Breaking Point - I Need Your Hand But I Don’t Want To Burn It (Part 9)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Series Song Inspiration: Broken - Jonah Kagen

Chapter Song: I’m Doing Fine - Mike Waters

Summary: A person can only repress so much before they reach their limit.

A/N: *Insert the ‘it’s been 84 years’ gif here.* I’m sorry this part took so long to get out! Hopefully the next part won’t take as long 🫣 This stems from a few conversations about PB’s inability to let Liam acknowledge anything that he’s gone through. I wanted to let him be human. It’s set in the beginning of the two year time jump at the end of TRH3, prior to any knowledge of the Via Imperii. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Liam x MC (Riley)

Rating: M • Warnings: This series will contain some sensitive topics of discussion.

Catch Up Here

Keep reading

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alextaym · 1 year

Text

Finally I am back to rebloging after long time and holy shit

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Liam

Couldn't you wait a little longer? 🥲

Even though it is different AU and I don't know if JaCQuEliNe is a good person here I still hate her

Don't worry Aria, we will buy some 🍨 and will eat it all and cry together

And how did no one noticed they like each other? 🤣

Cannot wait for what happens next ♥️

The Pact (Part 5)

This is a submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #3, “I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.”

Song inspo: Ruin My Life - Zara Larson

A/N: This is an au mini series to my Hopeless Hearts story. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading! Please excuse any errors.

Pairing: Liam x OC (Aria)

Rating: M • Warnings: None but some mild language and innuendos.

Word count: 2500

Catch up here

Laying on her bed inside the pool house she occupied at her aunt and uncle’s, Aria stared up at the ceiling. It was a Saturday night and she was staying in.

Maia and Korinna were in Cordonia; Aria had been unable to join them because she had been in Santorini, attending a conference. They invited her to meet up with them for the tail end of their visit instead of going straight home, but she politely declined. She’d found herself doing that a lot lately.

A certain Prince had left for military training two months ago. Liam didn’t tell Aria he was leaving, not that she would have expected him to. She came to visit Lea shortly after her big move; when they all went out that night and she asked where Liam was, assuming he was on a date she could sneak out to sabotage, that’s when she was told he was gone. No one mentioned it to her before because no one thought she would even care.

And that’s how she played it off.

Aria hadn’t personally spoken to Liam since he left either. She’d been around a couple of times when he had called one of the guys; they’d put the call on speaker so the group could yell a collective “hello.” Outside of that, they had no contact.

In the time since Liam left, Aria had become the seventh wheel. It wasn’t a great feeling. And not because she cared about tagging along with three couples … but because it made her realize how much she actually missed Liam. She missed their banter. She missed getting under his skin for no reason other than her own amusement. She missed his slightly infuriating yet equally as sexy smirk. She missed his laugh. She missed his kiss … his touch.

Needless to say, after knowing each other — and secretly hooking up — for three years, Liam’s absence had forced Aria to finally acknowledge that, ok, yes … perhaps she did like him … a little.

Aria found herself thinking about Liam a lot. She wondered how he was faring away from home. She wondered how his training was going and if it was as rigorous as the guys had made it sound. She wondered if he was safe. She wondered what he was up to during any downtime he had.

And she wondered if he thought about her at all.

Probably not.

Aria was pulled from her thoughts when her phone chimed with a notification; she grabbed it, looking at the screen. Her brows furrowed as she sat up, tapping the notification for Pictagram; Liam had just liked one of her photos. It was a picture of her from a couple of weeks ago when she was out to dinner with the girls. It was probably a mistake, she thought. They didn’t even follow one another, but she chuckled, knowing that even if it was a slip, he was lurking. She waited for the “like” to disappear … but a few moments later, another popped up. This time, it was a picture of her in a bikini on the beach in Santorini.

Aria shook her head with a smile; she pulled up his profile and tapped the message button.

Stalker.

Within seconds, Liam had read her message.

****

Rubbing his chin with a chuckle, Liam stared at Aria’s message. He figured she would see that he had liked her photos, but not right away; it was a Saturday night and he assumed she was out. And he didn’t think she would message him about it.

Liam had found himself lurking on Aria’s profile quite a bit recently, but hadn’t been bold enough to let her know until tonight.

The past couple of weeks was the first time since he’d been away that Liam was feeling homesick, so he found himself scanning all of his friends’ profiles to see for himself what everyone was up to; Aria took the most photos, so even though they didn’t follow one another, it made sense to check hers out. He kept going back, however, unable to stop looking at pictures of her. He missed talking to her, even if it was through pointless bickering. He missed riling her up. He missed the sound of her laugh. He missed her impish little grins. He missed touching her … kissing her.

Liam’s fingers hovered over his keyboard for a moment.

Don’t act like you didn’t get some form of gratification from knowing I was lurking.

What makes you think that?

Why else would you message me at this hour about something so trivial?

Why are you on my profile?

Curiosity.

You know what they say about what that did to the cat …

Is that your way of saying your kitty misses me?

Liam stared at the screen, laughing as Aria read his message. Typing bubbles popped up, then disappeared … then popped up again before disappearing again.

Five minutes passed; Aria left him on “seen.” So Liam grew a little bolder. He hit the video button in the top right corner of the message thread. It rang, and a moment later, her face popped up on the screen.

“You jumped from stalking my pictures to video calling me awfully quick.”

“And you answered,” Liam chuckled.

“What do you want?”

“You left me on ‘seen.’ Cat got your tongue?” Liam smirked. He chuckled when she shook her head, but he saw the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Long time no chat, Princess. What’ve you been up to?”

Aria scoffed, trying not to grin at that godforsaken nickname. “Working.”

“Why aren’t you out tonight?”

“I just got back today from a conference in Santorini. Maia and Korinna are in Cordonia.” Aria watched him nod, staring at the screen for a moment before she settled back in her bed. “How’s your training?”

“Whoa, don’t tell me you actually care …” When she rolled her eyes, Liam chuckled. “It’s … going. Rather slowly, but …” He clicked his tongue. “I’m sure you’re enjoying my absence, though. How many dates have you been on?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?”

“Obviously. I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.”

Liam turned to his side, moving the phone away from his face as he set it on his nightstand and settled back on his bed, propping his head up on his hand. Now angled to see a little more of him, Aria noticed he was shirtless; her breath quietly hitched. It had been two months; the last person she was with was him. She had gone on dates since he left, but they never made it beyond dinner … In Liam’s absence, she had sabotaged them herself.

“Quite a few,” Aria lied. She wasn’t about to let him know the truth.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Aria shrugged.

“And?”

“And what?”

“Come on,” Liam chuckled. “At least one of us is having some fun. Let me live vicariously through you.”

“What? You’re telling me you haven’t had any fun yourself?”

“No, I haven’t. I’m at a goddamn military academy, Aria,” Liam chuckled.

“Poor thing,” Aria feigned sadness. “In a bit of a dry spell?” I say as if I’m not in my own.

“Unlike you …”

Aria continued to stare as Liam shifted in his bed again; she rolled her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger as she looked him over. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t seen him in person in two months, but she noticed that he looked more … muscular than she remembered.

Liam noticed what she was doing, and he couldn’t contain the laugh that rumbled out. “You are a dirty little liar!”

Aria’s hand fell away from her mouth. “What?”

“You’re doing that thing with your lip that you do when you’re … hungry.”

“I don’t do a thing …”

“You haven’t gotten any,” Liam chuckled. “At least not recently.” When Aria scoffed with a roll of her eyes, Liam smirked. “How long, Aria?”

“Why does it matter?”

Liam chewed the inside of his cheek in thought, wondering if he was her last … just like she was his. “We could always help each other out via video chat,” he snorted.

It was initially a joke. Liam didn’t think for one second that Aria would ever entertain something like that, especially with him, but when she met his eyes through the screen, they held nothing but intrigue.

“You mean like …?”

“Oh?” Liam chuckled as his eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you’d actually consider … well, no, tell me you would.”

“I—” Aria paused, knitting her brows. “No.”

“You were thinking about it!” Liam laughed.

“I was not.”

“Yeah, you were,” Liam smirked. “I’d make it worth your while,” he singsonged.

“It’s not like it would be anywhere near as go—” Aria caught herself “—adequate as the real thing. What would even be the point?”

“The point is to relieve some tension, and let me tell you … I have a lot of it.”

“And that’s something you can do all by yourself.”

“True, but this would make it far more fun,” Liam winked. “I bet it would be the best solo session you ever had.” He watched her subtly bite her bottom lip in thought and curiosity. “We’ve tried everything else together. Might as well give this a go,” he chuckled.

“We haven’t tried everything.”

“We can tick this off the list.”

Aria stared at him, contemplating. It would make it more interesting, and she supposed it was better than nothing. “Ok.”

Liam perked up. “Wait, really?” Aria gave him a look, shaking her head with a grin. “You know, when I called you, I don’t know what I thought was going to happen, but this was definitely not it.”

“Do you want me to change my mind?”

“Fuck no,” Liam chuckled. “I think we should level the playing field to start. I’m already shirtless, so …”

Aria smirked as she leaned forward, propping her phone up against a throw pillow before sitting back, giving Liam a full view of herself. Liam stared at the screen, licking his lips when he watched her hands grab the hem of her shirt. She slowly started to lift it, inch by inch revealing herself, but just before she could take it completely off, the door to Liam’s room burst open.

“Li! You should have come out with us!”

Aria heard a group of men talking to Liam as he grabbed his phone and scrambled to sit up. His gaze kept flickering between the screen and the friends in front of him.

“Uh, yeah, I’m kind of on a call. Can you guys give me a minute?”

“Who you talking to?” one man asked.

“It … a friend.”

Aria chuckled when Liam looked at his screen again; she pulled off her shirt, revealing the see-through lace black bra she had on. Liam’s eyes widened when he watched her reach back to unclasp it.

“A lady friend?” another man questioned. “Let us say hello.”

“What?” Liam’s eyes snapped up to them before immediately dropping back down to the screen just as Aria peeled the bra away from her body. “Jesus Christ.” He looked up just as one of the guys tried catching a glimpse. “Back up!”

The guys started to jokingly scuffle, trying to grab Liam’s phone. In the next moment, the screen went black on Aria’s end when Liam abruptly ended the call.

“Well, that was anticlimactic,” Aria huffed as she grabbed her shirt and pulled it back on.

*******

After a long day on an assault course, Liam lay in his bed after showering, tired and sore, scrolling through Pictagram as he wound down. A photo that Lea had posted caught his attention; it was her and Aria on the beach during her latest visit to Cordonia. He clicked on Aria’s tag, taking him to her profile, and started scrolling through her photos.

It had been two weeks since their impromptu video call plan had been thwarted by his training pals; they hadn’t spoken since. And it appeared from her most recent photos that in those two weeks, Aria had been on a few dates.

Liam didn’t continue to lurk; he closed out the app and tossed his phone onto his nightstand with a sigh.

Since starting his training, Liam found certain mindsets of his slowly changing. One of those included his dating life. Being away — and unable to carry on with his usual antics — started to shift things into a different perspective. He found himself suddenly being drawn to the idea of potentially having something serious with someone.

A part of him wondered if Aria was close to that same place he was. And if so, he wished that she felt the same as he did when it came to their … situationship. He knew she didn’t, however.

She never would.

*******

Inside her hotel room, Aria ran her fingers through her loosely curled hair, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She stood straight, smoothing her hands down the front of her form-fitting strapless black jumper, giving herself one last look over as she let out a breath.

Aria was nervous.

Liam had returned home; he’d been back for just over a month, but tonight was the first time in three months Aria would talk to him, and the first time in five she would see him face-to-face. She was excited but anxious.

Aria had spent the last five months missing Liam, pining for this man she once despised, and forcing herself to acknowledge her feelings. For three years they had a covert relationship that she masked as nothing more than scratching an itch.

Then, she admitted to herself what it really was.

At least on her end. Which is where her nerves stemmed from.

Aria had no idea how Liam felt about her or whatever it was they shared prior to him leaving. All she knew was that when she was told by Lea last month that he was home, she felt a happiness that she hadn’t in a long time.

Aria had spent the last month leading up to this visit talking herself into telling him how she felt. And tonight, she decided that she wanted to talk to Liam … about them.

****

When they stepped inside the beer garden, Aria, Maia, and Korinna started toward the private patio; they planned to meet the others there since the hotel was just up the street.

They saw Lea, Drake, Rashad, and Maxwell as they neared the door; Liam was nowhere in sight.

Lea looked over, spotting them and grinning as she rushed to greet them. “I’ve missed you guys!” she squealed as she threw her arms around the three of them.

“We’ve missed you too,” Aria chuckled.

“Come on, everyone’s out on the patio.”

Not everyone, Aria thought.

“I need to get a drink first,” Korinna said.

“Liam’s grabbing drinks as we speak,” Lea smiled.

Aria’s heart thumped. He is here. When she looked up, she saw Rashad making conversation with a blonde woman she didn’t recognize. “Who’s that?”

“Oh,” Lea dropped her voice. “That would be Jacqueline, Liam’s girlfriend …”

***************************************

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

I got to see National Library of the Czech Republic in Prague aka Cordonian palace library 😍

Unfortunately did not meet Liam there 😂

#prague #national library #cordonia #choices #palace #Národní knihovna České republiky #czech republic

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

TO UKRAINIAN FRIENDS

If you are looking for an emergency exit from Ukraine, Poland will open EIGHT safety points on the border with Ukraine (you will get warm food, medical help and from there you will be guided to safety) in two of our voivodeships: lubelskie and podkarpackie. It is confirmed by the Polish Secretary of State in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Paweł Szefernaker.

SOURCES:

https://www.rp.pl/konflikty-zbrojne/art35748991-szefernaker-na-granicy-z-ukraina-powstaja-punkty-recepcyjne-dla-uchodzcow

https://www.wprost.pl/polityka/10633681/polska-reaguje-na-agresje-rosji-na-ukraine-powstana-punkty-dla-uchodzcow.html

I've marked those voivodeships on the map!

Please share because it can save lives!!!!!!

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

*me going home after work, sitting in a tram full of people

*gets notification

*starts reading, smiling to myself earning weird looks from others (people usually don't smile in my country to the point it became a meme)

Lol

But seriously I hope no one was looking at my phone becuase I didn't want to wait until I get home to read that smut 🍋

They finally admitted their feelings and I am so happyyyy

But that cliffhanger scared me

Last chapter we got a good cliffhanger but I knew they were going to talk so I was fine

(mostly)

But this one is killing meeee

Why is Aria hesitant? Just get that ring already and ride into the sunset

I was supposed to stay away from freaking sugar 🍫

I can't wait for the next chapter

Happy Friday 😊❤

Hopeless Hearts

Hopeless Hearts - Like You Wanna Be Loved (Chapter 21)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Two people from two different worlds, both with a grudge against relationships, cross paths and discover an opportunity to get something they both want.

Title Inspiration: Kiss Me - Ed Sheeran

Warning: This series will contain NSFW material and crude language and conversations. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

A/N: 🍋 Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.

Catch Up Here

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

Well finally Liam pulled his head out of his ass

Go get your girl pixel-king

It must have looked ridiculous when they were jumping between botes lol

I would probably fall off the boat like at least three times and Aria managed to yell at Liam take his keys and weigh the anchor, I wish I was this good at multitasking 😂

Can they banish Jackie from Cordonia please?

Damon, be a good friend and pretend to be Aria's date, get Liam a little more jealous

He told her he loves her

Now I am proud of him

OMG

I need more chocolate

I am going to eat my feelings

And you warned me about cliffhanger but ma'am I am still like

Loved every word ❤

Hopeless Hearts

Hopeless Hearts - Someone’s Bound To Get Burned (Chapter 20)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Two people from two different worlds, both with a grudge against relationships, cross paths and discover an opportunity to get something they both want.

Title Inspiration: Try - Tyler Ward

Warning: This series will contain NSFW material and crude language and conversations. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.

Catch Up Here

Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

It is soo good that Liam and Aria both have people in their corner and I very much like supportive Constantine and Madeleine

I know you wrote good Connie and Maddie in previous fics but it feels different here. Both of them gave Liam good advice, called him out on his bs and helped him realize that he is the one standing in the way of his own happiness.

I hate Leo here (Jackie too). What did he expect? To just be welcomed with open arms and a 'thank you' because Liam met Aria? 😂

I am so proud of Aria. She faced her worst fears and allowed herself to feel all the greif, which wasn't easy but in the long run, it will help her heal from the trauma

And now after reading this chapter I need some chocolate

Hopeless Hearts

Hopeless Hearts - Reminisce It (Chapter 19)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Two people from two different worlds, both with a grudge against relationships, cross paths and discover an opportunity to get something they both want.

Title Inspiration: What A Time - Landon Austin ft. Bailey Rushlow

Chapter song: Always - Gavin James

Warning: This series will contain NSFW material and crude language and conversations. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

A/N: I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter; I had to scrap it and start over once because I needed to combine what was supposed to be two separate chapters. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading most of this. Please excuse any errors.

Catch Up Here

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Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

I am finally catching up with reading and rebbloging, sorry for being late 😥

Aria is very strong, I wouldn't be able to even look at Liam and keep it together. I would just run away from the palace and never look back lol

And even after getting hurt by Liam she still remebered how important his mother's ring was to him and didn't just leave it in wherever

I forgot about the island 😂

Hopeless Hearts

Hopeless Hearts- Losing Game (Chapter 18)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Two people from two different worlds, both with a grudge against relationships, cross paths and discover an opportunity to get something they both want.

Title Inspiration: Arcade - Duncan Laurence

Warning: This series will contain NSFW material and crude language and conversations. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.

Catch Up Here

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Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

I can't comprehend how could someone possibly do something like that to another person (and to their own family nonetheless). To purposely humiliate an innocent person to achieve whatever goal thay wanted. I think Constantine reasoning to keep Liam and Cordonia save was just a really poor excuse to stick his ugly nose into Liams buisness. He never gave Liam a chance to make decisions on his own.

And I wonder if he even took into consideration that he possibly may have a hand in Riley being r*ped and traumatized for the rest of her life. Like what was he thinking?

And then fucking slimy Tariq

You got the information about room being changed. You go to your new room and then you see a half naked woman who is clearly shocked and starts screaming. What do you do?

a. Realize there has to be a mistake, apologize, exit this room and try to find explanation of what the fuck just happened

b. corner her and ignore her when she tells you to leave her room and try to kiss her

I don't care he got the "love letter" from Riley earlier. He still should have realize that something was very wrong when she started to scream and he still should have had enough respect for Liam (and Riley) to leave her alone

And I am sure, when the scandal broke, he knew Riley was shamed for something she didn't do and instead of coming back and clarify what happend (since he wasn't working with Constantine) he just let her be dragged through the mud so he could avoid responsibility for what he's done

Liam shouldn't feel guilty, it was very difficult situation with a lot of factors and unknowns

He has done everything in his power to ensure Riley is safe even if it could have cost him the only woman he loved.

I only didn't like when he said "I couldn't imagine being with anyone else" at the barn rising, it was a little too much to say

And Riley

I know it was done this way for the sake of the plot, but she should have told Liam about what happened the first chance she got.

Anyway

Sorry for long reblog and for any mistakes

I love this story, and I am happy I got the chance to see everything from Liams perspective

❤

Breaking Point - I'm Not Friends With My Reflection (Part 5)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Series Song Inspiration: Broken - Jonah Kagen

Chapter Song: Safe & Sound - Hayd

Summary: A person can only repress so much before they reach their limit.

A/N: This stems from a few conversations about PB’s inability to let Liam acknowledge anything that he’s gone through. I wanted to let him be human. It’s set in the beginning of the two year time jump at the end of TRH3, prior to any knowledge of the Via Imperii. Thank you to @burnsoslow for looking over almost all of this.

A/N 2: I ended up having to break this chapter up because it would have been so ridiculously long. So, if there’s wip snippets you saw that aren’t in here, that’s why, and just ignore them for now, lol.

Catch Up Here

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Czytaj dalej

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

The moment they got interupted right after Aria's confession I had a feeling that everything would go downhill from there

I have so much words for Jackie but at the same time I don't have any. I just hate her

I get that Liam is afraid of being hurt, but in order to protect himself he is hurting Aria?

Like he knew she felt the same and was aware of Aria's past and how hard it must have been for her to admit her feelings. And yet just when she puts her heart in his hand he is throwing it away because he lets that snake get in his head. And the "I need to protect her from myself" thing is just bs

Aria can decide for herself what she deserves, but yeah, after what Liam said and (from her point of view) done she really deserves better

After all of that I wouldn't be surprised if Aria wouldn't want to deal with Liam ever again, still want them to end up together though

And really Leo? Showing up out of nowhere at coronation (which itself is stressful enough) and just expecting Liam to listen is very good idea. Probably as good as fucking his girlfriend

Sorry for rambling

And for being to hard on Liam here

Fix them pleeeease

Hopeless Hearts

Hopeless Hearts - Our Final Bow (Chapter 17)

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

Summary: Two people from two different worlds, both with a grudge against relationships, cross paths and discover an opportunity to get something they both want.

Title Inspiration: Stole the Show - Parson James

Warning: This series will contain NSFW material and crude language and conversations. If you read, you acknowledge you are 18+

A/N: Thank you to @burnsoslow for looking over this. Please excuse any errors.

Catch Up Here

Perma Tags (if you’d like to be added or removed for this story, please let me know): @zaffrenotes @cocomaxley @gardeningourmet @gibbles82 @annekebbphotography @sweetest-marbear @indiacater @liamxs-world @classylady1234 @texaskitten30 @the-soot-sprite @ladyangel70 @esmckenzie @emichelle @dcbbw @burnsoslow @bbrandy2002 @sirbeepsalot @debramcg1106 @gnatbrain @ofpixelsandscribbles @openheart12 @sincerelyella @superharriet @aestheticartsx @forthebrokenheartedthings @kingliam2019 @indiana-jr @bascmve01 @rainbowsinthestorm @darley1101 @charlotteg234 @alyssalauren @txemrn @neotericthemis @queenrileyrose @emkay512 @kat-tia801 @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @gkittylove99 @choiceskatie @forallthatitsworth @queenjilian @walker7519 @hopelessromanticmonie @iaminlovewithtrr @amandablink @mainstreetreader @mom2000aggie @foreverethereal123

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alextaym · 2 years

Text

Max and his stress dancing 😂

While playing TRH I wanted just kill Bradshaw and Isabella, after all they were in Cordonia, threatening the King and Queen and endangering Queen and Heirs life. That is enough reason to just send them to afterlife, lol.

And everything would be fine, but.. Bastien calls the police 🤦‍♀️

As stupid as in canon when he ratted Jackson out to Via Imperi.

Omg I would have never thought that Drake would make me feel uncomfortable

And she was left alone with him, yikes

Shortcut Chapter One: Sweet Disaster

Series Premise: The night of the last Apple Ball, one life comes into the world and two other lives leave it. A murder investigation begins, and no one is safe.

Not canon Drake.

Chapter Warnings: Dark humor, Drake being a creep, pregnancy and labor mentions, tiny amount of blood, violence mention, cursing.

Chapter Summary: Hana reveals the identities of the murder victims. Marena switches rooms and Bastien makes a mistake.

Catch up Here!

A/N: It’s been a long time since I updated this one, sorry!

Music Inspo: Sweet Disaster-Dreamers

Word Count: 3903

Maxwell Beaumont interview recording

Det: “Sir, are you…stress dancing?”

MB: “No, you’re stress dancing!”

Det: “Please sit.”

Sound of chair scooting across floor

Det: “You and Lady Hana Lee left the room the queen was in at her insistence?”

MB: “Sure did! She came to pretty quick. She wanted her baby daddy, so we skedaddled.”

Det: “How long did she wake up after King Liam and Prince Leo left?”

MB: “Leo hates being called a prince. He abdicated, renounced all that stuff.”

Det: “I’ll make a note of that. Back to my original question.”

MB: “I was counting and had just gotten to one hundred twenty Mississippi.”

Det: “Lady Hana and yourself left the room?”

MB: “Yes! Hana went toward the ballroom. I went to the kitchen.”

Det: “Why the kitchen?”

MB: “It was the least likely spot; who’s gonna look there? Nobody but the cook was in the food room, and she didn’t know what an Elvis sandwich was. Then I went to the ballroom.”

Det: “What did you see when you arrived?”

MB: “Liam yelling at Bradshaw. Leo was showing some princess baby pictures on his phone.”

Det: “What was King Liam yelling?”

MB: “Uh. First, Liam is the best guy ever. He was under all that stress; Blossom wasn’t doing so good. It’s enough to make anyone snap.”

Det: “What did he say to King Bradshaw?”

MB: “He called him a limp dicked wannabe who can only get off if someone was stomping on his balls.”

Det: “How did King Bradshaw respond?”

MB: ‘Bradshaw laughed, but it was a fake one. He said maybe if he found someone like Blossom before he met Isabella, Liam wouldn’t be the only brave one. He winked and said Blossom must be a fireball in bed.’

Det: “What did King Liam do next?”

MB: “That is when he punched him in the nose. Liam also said he wouldn’t marry his child to one of theirs because that line should not continue. He stomped off. I didn’t even get to tell him Blossom was awake.”

Det: “Did you see Mr. Walker?”

MB: “No! Wait. Yeah, I did. He was coming down the hall from where Blossom was after I got to the ballroom.”

Det: “How did he seem?”

MB: “Drake is an onion. Like Shrek. He’s got layers, but he never takes ‘em off. He was smiling, though. It wasn’t a happy smile.”

Det: “What happened after Mr. Walker came into the ballroom?”

MB: “Drake talked to Bradshaw. I don’t know what he said, but it wasn’t good.”

Det: “What makes you say that?”

MB: “Bradshaw doesn’t get intimidated. He gives no fucks about anyone or anything but himself. Drake said something that made him scared. I saw it.”

Det: What happened next?”

MB: “Kiki, I mean Kiara, took Isabella and Bradshaw to another wing and booked it to the kitchen. I heard Bertrand and Savannah arguing, so I tried to help.”

Det: “You haven’t mentioned Lady Hana. You entered with her.”

MB: “I didn’t see her. Not until later. With all the blood.”

End of interview

———

“Hana?” Marena peers around Liam, her eyes widening at the steaks of red covering the gown's train. “What happened?”

“I fell.” Hana’s voice is eerily calm. “I’m all right. I never hit the floor.”

Leo steps back from Hana, putting distance between his regalia and the blood. “Whose is that?”

“Oh.” Hana walks further into the room, sitting primly in an upholstered chair near the end of the bed. Liam motions to Leo to close the door. Leo obeys.

Maxwell opens the door seconds after Leo shuts it. “Baby blossom is here?” He starts to clap, then decides to snap his fingers instead.

Marena grins at him, his exuberance no longer irritating. “She is. Eleanor.”

Maxwell peers at the infant. “She kind of looks like a peeled potato. A beautiful potato.”

Leo snickers and Liam shakes his head in amusement.

Marena rocks Eleanor, deciding to ignore Maxwell. “Hana, did you see who it was?”

“I recognized their clothing before I saw their faces.” Hana smiles at the infant. “The baby was a girl? How lovely.”

Liam can’t help but smile at the vision of his wife and daughter. “Our Eleanor.”

“Wonderful,” Hana’s smile drops almost as quickly as it crosses her face. “Oh, the clothes, of course. It was Isabella and Bradshaw.”

Marena gasps while Leo claps a hand over his mouth to stop the bark of laughter from escaping.

Liam’s lips set in a hard line as he pushes a hand through his hair. “I can’t say I’ll miss their company, but the implications are going to be awful.”

“Because two foreign dignitaries were murdered here?” Marena asks, a shiver running down her spine.

Marena thinks of all they’ve done to prove to Cordonians that they were safe, that Liam’s reign would be better than Constantine’s. Bradshaw and Isabella were not well liked in Cordonia, but their deaths may cause panic.

“Exactly.” Liam puts a reassuring arm around his wife’s shoulders. He knows he should feel pity for the Auvernal royals. Bradshaw’s words about Marena, his attempt at blackmail have left Liam apathetic.

“Wait, who offed them?” Leo rubs his hands together gleefully. “It was someone at the ball! Whose hand do I shake?”

The door flies open, and Drake saunters in. He glances around the room, inching closer to the bed Marena is in. He can barely see her from the door.

Liam frowns at Leo. “Lock the door this time.”

Drake’s eyes travel from Marena’s legs to her chest. Her robe is loosely tied, her full breasts strain against the fabric. Drake has quite a view from his vantage point.

Drake grins, his tongue poking out from between his teeth. “Finally made an appearance, did they?”

“This is Eleanor,” Liam can’t help but beam proudly. Marena transfers the baby to Liam’s waiting arms, hiding her reluctance.

Drake cradles Eleanor gently. “Hey, Eleanor. You’re going to be a knockout like your mama.” He turns his gaze back to Marena. She suppresses a shudder as his eyes travel back down her body.

Leo crosses the room and stands next to Drake. “Give her to Uncle Leo.”

Marena has never been more grateful for her brother-in-law. “You can get attached to this egg, Leo.”

Leo grins at Marena as he easily holds his niece. “I’ve been attached since you told me she was on board.”

Leo walks around with Eleanor, murmuring words Marena can’t discern.

“Bradshaw and Isabella?” Hana says, reminding everyone of what happened.

“Where’s Olivia?” Liam frowns. “I haven’t seen her since the dynamite question.”

“She’s studying the door.” Maxwell pipes up. “Says she’ll be ready next time.”

“We need their bodies out of the hallway.” Marena says decisively. “Put them in the giant freezer off the kitchen. We can’t breathe a word of this until we know what happened.”

Liam nods in agreement. “I don’t like secrecy, but you’re right. It’s for the best. I’ll lock down the grounds; no one leaves.”

“Get Bastien to do it.” Marena takes Liam’s hand in hers. “He’s good at covering things up.”

“Unless someone asks him about it.” Liam agrees, squeezing Marena’s fingers gently. “He's the only option right now.”

Five sets of eyes turn to Drake.

“Why do I have to get him?” Drake whines. “I didn’t kill anyone.”

“You’re the closest,” Liam explains. “And if I speak to him, that negates my last words to him on the engagement tour.”

Marena remembers. Liam told Bastien they’d speak again over his dead body. Despite Bastien’s role in the plot against Marena, he’d been following orders. It made firing him difficult.

“Fine,” Drake grumbles. He leaves the room, not before one last lingering glance at Marena.

Marena breathes a sigh of relief. Liam grasps her hand a little tighter. She lifts her chin, studying his expression.

Liam appears to be nervous.

Marena mentally shakes herself. Of course, he’s anxious. They have a new baby, and there’s been a double murder. She’s on edge, too. Marena watches a nerve in his jaw twitch.

“Are you all right?” Liam sits beside her carefully. “Do you need Dr. Ramirez to check on you again?”

“I feel like I just had a baby, Liam,” Marena massages her husband's hand with her thumb. “I’m sore and tired, but I’m okay.”

“I’ve never felt so out of control,” Liam admits, lowering his voice so only Marena can hear him. She leans in, making sure she catches every word. “You did the heavy lifting, I wished so much I could help more. I tried my best tonight, with you in labor, having to deal with Auvernal. It still doesn’t feel like enough.”

Marena shushes him with a finger to his lips. “It was more than enough. You had to be a king, a husband, and a father all at once, and I couldn’t be prouder of you. Do you know how much I love you? How I never worry about what’s going to happen next, because I know you have my back, and I have yours?”

“You give me strength,” Liam kisses the tip of Marena’s finger before moving it from his lips. “You’re amazing.”

“Those feelings are very mutual,” Marena presses a kiss to Liam’s lips. He deepens it, and everything seems to fade away.

“We all know how babies get made, you two,” Leo’s voice startles them, each swiveling their head to see his smirk.

Leo wrinkles his nose and nods his head at Eleanor. “That’s my cue.”

Liam takes the newborn from her uncle, and Leo leaves the room, followed by Maxwell. Hana stares into nothing from her chair.

“All the baby supplies are at Valtoria,” Liam realizes. “Diapers would be helpful.”

“Check my bag,” Marena points to the suitcase just inside the door. “I put some in there.”

“You think of everything, my love.” Liam unzips the small case, plucking a diaper and a package of wipes from underneath the three different baby outfits Marena packed. He gently lays Eleanor on the end of the bed and freezes.

“What is it?” Marena looks at him worriedly.

“I just realized I’ve never done this.” Liam shoots his wife a nervous smile.

“You have successfully diapered cantaloupes and loaves of bread for months.” Marena eases herself off the mattress, standing beside him.

“At least you won’t eat the baby after,” Liam jokes.

“Very funny.” Marena unsnaps the pink onesie the doctor slipped on the baby. “Here, we can figure it out together.”

Marena winces as Eleanor wails, she’s not a fan of the diaper change. They’d better get used to that.

“Eleanor moves more than food,” Liam refastens his daughter’s clothing and gently lifts the baby in his arms, cradling her head. “But, that wasn’t difficult.”

Marena presses a gentle kiss to his jaw. “See? We can do this.”

“Are you hungry?” Liam gently sways from side to side, soothing Eleanor’s fading cries at being disturbed. “You just ran a marathon. A few of them.”

“I am,” The mention of food makes Marena realize she’s starving. “I would kill for pasta right now.”

“Your wish is my command,” Liam starts to help Marena back into bed, but changes his mind. “Let’s go down the hall. This bed needs to be cleaned.”

“My insides are all over it, in a gross way,” Marena agrees as Liam chuckles.

“This is the happiest day of my life, Ren,” Liam’s expression is tender as he cups Marena’s cheek. “Along with the day I met you, the night you accepted my proposal, and our wedding day. You’ve given me so much. I love you endlessly.”

“Liam,” Marena kisses his palm. “It’s the happiest of mine too, next to all the other times. You have given me so much. I love you the most of anything and everyone in this world.”

“There’s three of us,” Liam drops a kiss on Marena’s crown. “It feels surreal, yet as if it’s always been this way.”

Marena smiles. “I know exactly what you mean.”

Liam transfers Eleanor to Marena’s arms, grabbing her suitcase. Marena holds onto Liam’s arm as he walks slowly down the hallway.

Marena glimpses Madeleine from an open door and quickly averts her gaze to avoid eye contact.

“This room should do for now,” Liam leads Marena into another luxurious bedroom; the plush bed is covered by a green silk blanket. He hovers his hands near Eleanor as Marena props herself up against the pillows. “I’m in awe of you.”

“That’s me, awesome.” Marena smiles into the kiss Liam presses to her lips. “I didn’t think this is how I’d give birth, but it ended well. We’re healthy. Everything will be okay, won’t it?”

“Yes,” Liam kisses her again. “Everything will be fine.”

“Wait!” Marena calls as Liam crosses the room. “What if I accidentally smush the baby? Should I really be left alone with her?”

Liam gives her an encouraging smile. “I won’t be gone long. I am sure Ellie will be quite safe with you.”

“Okay,” Marena exhales. “I’m okay.”

Liam blows a kiss and slips through the open door.

Hana reappears in the doorway, and Marena realizes they left her in the other room. “Sorry, Hana. How are you?”

Hana twists her fingers together. “I think I’m in shock. It may all hit me later.”

“You’re probably right,” Marena pauses. “Hana, you didn’t…kill them?”

Marena isn’t sure who killed the obnoxious pair. Hana could definitely take them out; she’s capable.

Marena keeps trying to feel sorry for the now deceased king and queen, but the emotion never comes. She’s going to have to fake it in public.

“Of course not,” Hana shakes her head violently. “I think I know who did.”

“You do?” Marena lowers her voice. “How?”

“Liam hit Bradshaw and left,” Hana whispers, leaning in so Marena can hear her. “I saw him go in the opposite direction of the hall they were..the hall I found them.”

“He was probably trying to cool off,” Marena explains. They often snuck out to take a breath. Marena is pretty sure Ellie was conceived during one of those breaths.

“I followed him,” Hana bites her lip nervously. “He went to the courtyard. I waited until he came back in and told him you were awake.”

“Right, then he came back to the bedroom.” Marena furrows a brow.

“I never saw him actually come this way,” Hana straightens her shoulders. “We can’t rule him out.”

“Did anyone see you before you found them?” Marena’s had enough. Hana is trying, badly, to move her focus to Liam as a possibility and Marena doesn’t know why. “You could have.”

“I’d have blood on more than the bottom of my dress!” Hana’s nostrils flare.

“It wasn’t Liam.” Marena says firmly.

“We can’t be sure,” Hana delicately traces a finger through Eleanor’s soft hair. “I know that before I went down the hallway, I noticed four people missing.”

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense.”

“Liam, Drake, Kiara, and Leo.” Hana finally reveals. “I think Leo helped.”

“Leo and Liam?” A peal of laughter escapes Marena’s throat. It’s just so ridiculous. “Hana, it wasn’t either of them.”

Something occurs to Marena. “What did Isabella do after Liam hit Bradshaw?”

Hana is silent as she remembers. “Isabella was trying to goad him on; I heard her say something about birth being dangerous.”

“Jesus.” Marena inhales sharply. Liam protected her and Eleanor even after listening to that. He must have been terrified. “What about the punch?”

“She screamed,” Hana smiles at the quiet grunt Eleanor makes. “But she didn’t offer to help him, no handkerchief or running to get ice. Kiara gave him a damp cloth before convincing them to take a walk.”

The door swings open, and Leo strides in. Marena is surprised, he’s usually left by now. “Max showed me this app; you swipe to meet women. It’s awesome!”

Marena giggles. “Definitely not Leo.”

Leo frowns and collapses into a tufted emerald chair beside Marena’s bed. “Not Leo what?”

“Did you kill Isabella and Bradshaw?” Marena asks, watching Leo’s expression. Something crosses his face, but it isn’t guilt. It’s gone before Marena can figure out what emotion it was.

“Nope!” Leo smiles wide, showing all his teeth. “Wish I did. How were they whacked anyway?”

Hana shakes her head in disgust, and Marena shrugs. “Once Bastien gets them into the walk-in, I guess Liam will look? I’m not sure.”

Leo nods and pulls his phone out. He slides his finger across the screen several times. “Real talk, Rena. Should I say I’m a dad on the app?”

Marena scrunches her nose, choosing her words carefully. “Because you see the twins once a month? I say wait until you know the person better. It’s a complicated story.”

Leo nods slowly. He puts the phone away. “We all think it was Drake, right?”

Hana gasps, and Marena’s smile freezes. “What makes you say that?”

Leo looks at Hana’s back pointedly, and Marena understands. “Han, can you check on Liam? He should be back by now.”

“Oh, of course,” Hana looks at her ruined dress. “I’ll change too.”

“Thanks, Hana.” Marena waits until her friend leaves the room to turn back to Leo. “What?”

“I saw Drake eye fucking your tits,” Leo says in a loud whisper. “How long has that been going on?”

“Nothing is going on!” Marena blushes angrily. “How can you even-”

“I know you aren’t riding that cowboy,” Leo cuts her off. “He wouldn’t be looking at you like that if you were. But, a chance to get on your good side and take out an enemy? It’s Drake.”

“He says he’s loved me since the night we met,” Marena sighs. “The number of people around here that love me, you’d think they’d never seen a woman before.”

“Who else?” Leo raises his eyebrows.

Marena ticks them off on her fingers, explaining each declaration from Hana, Drake, and Maxwell. “The only one who hasn’t moved on is Drake.”

“Aren’t you popular,” Leo guffaws. “You haven’t told Liam?”

“I can’t break his heart like that,” Marena’s eyes burn with tears. “What can I say? ‘Love, your friend who’s basically your brother makes me uncomfortable with his suggestive comments and slow winks.’”

“Li probably already knows, just waiting on you to spill it,” Leo insists. “Drake isn’t his friend, acting like that. Fucking gross.”

“How would he know?” Marena frets.

“If I noticed Drake, Liam definitely has,” Leo shrugs. “I saw earlier; he put his body between yours and that creep’s.”

“Before I handed Eleanor to him?”

“Yep! Liam’s probably keeping him close,” Leo softly touches Eleanor’s silken cheek. “You’re never alone with Walker wanna be Texas Ranger, right?”

“Once in a while, never for long,” Marena admits. “He likes to remind me that he took a bullet for me.”

“I’m sure that’s part of his spank bank too,” Leo curls his lip in disgust. “Him, definitely.”

“Why would we all go to Walker Ranch for so long, if Liam knew?” Marena wonders aloud. “Drake was nearby almost the entire time.”

“Liam knows how much Drake hates his mom and aunt,” Leo strokes his chin. “Attending Savannah’s wedding to a noble? That’s all just torture for the denim douche. You found out you were pregnant there, too. Bonus.”

Eleanor’s lip quivers, and Marena waits breathlessly for the cry. Eleanor pouts but doesn’t make a noise. Marena lets out a relieved sigh.

Leo presses his nose gently to Ellie’s head. “Babies are a puzzle, Rena. The faces, the weird noises. You’ll figure it out. But that head smell, you’ll never get enough.”

Leo leans back, and Marena inhales the scent of milk and powder. “Oh, yeah. That’s good.”

“At least I got it every day for six weeks,” Leo’s face falls. “Before the test came back.”

“I’m sorry, Leo.” Marena wants to pat his arm, but Eleanor is in hers, limiting her movement. “If Katie ever comes here, I’ll throw her in the cells.”

Leo grins.

Footsteps thud across the polished floor, and Marena looks up. Drake carries a large plate of spaghetti and a steaming mug. He sets the plate on the nightstand. “Thought you might be hungry, Blair.”

“Rys,” Marena snaps. “I hate spaghetti. Liam’s getting me the good stuff.” She puts the emphasis on the last two words, making sure Drake hears that his offering will never be good enough.

“You seemed to like it just fine in Italy,” Drake drags his tongue across his lower lip. “That was the night you christened me Marshmallow.”

Marena hasn’t called him the nickname since she accepted Liam’s proposal. Drake was waiting for her on the balcony that night. He made a proposal, and she turned him down.

Leo grabs the plate and twirls the spaghetti around the fork, slurping a noodle. “This is kinda salty, Drake.”

Drake frowns, and Leo takes another bite.

“I heated some cider for you,” Drake holds the mug toward Marena. “I know how you like it hot.”

Leo plucks the glass from Drake's hand and downs it. He makes a disgusted face. “Dude, you just microwaved apple juice. That’s not even cider.”

Marena coughs to hide a laugh. Drake slides his eyes to hers, the slower than necessary wink again.

“Did Bastien handle it?” Marena asks, needing the man to leave already.

“Right,” Drake shoves his hands in his pockets, angling his hips forward. “Liam got held up talking to him.”

Marena sees the slight figure of Madeleine in the doorway. She doesn’t make eye contact again, and Madeleine doesn’t enter.

“We have a slight problem,” Bertrand bursts in, a large bowl in hand. He freezes as Eleanor comes into his eye line. “Is this the new heir?”

“You can call her Eleanor,” Marena beams. “Ellie, this is your uncle Bertrand. He loves messes.”

Eleanor’s blue eyes land on Bertrand, closing after several flutterings of her long lashes.

Marena laughs softly. “Baby love, I do the same thing.”

“Charming,” Bertrand harrumphs. “If she is anything like her mother, I shall schedule advanced place setting lessons when she is old enough to handle a spoon.”

Leo snorts. “Watch it; I have stories I’ve never told anyone. Eleanor will be old enough to hear them someday.”

Bertrand lifts his chin. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Bertrand thrusts the bowl at Marena. “The King asked me to bring you this. Your favorite, he says.”

Marena shifts Eleanor to one arm and takes the bowl. Fettuccine Alfredo. It is her favorite.

“What’s the situation?” Marena glances back at Eleanor’s perfect sleeping face. “Why you came in?”

“Oh, of course,” Bertrand nods and clasps his hands behind his back. “King Liam asked me to relay this information: Bastien called the police; they just arrived.”

“One tiny thing!” Marena keeps her voice low, Eleanor is still sleeping peacefully. “One job, and that guy calls the police?”

Marena pales, and Drake curses under his breath. Leo takes one final bite of spaghetti and rushes from the room.

“What’s happened?” Bertrand watches Marena carefully.

“Someone killed Bradshaw and Isabella,” Marena whispers. “Bastien was supposed to move them until we figured out what to do. He’s useless.”

Bertrand gasps, his hand flying to his mouth. “I shall return to King Liam, offer my assistance.”

Before Marena can object, Bertrand scurries out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

Drake sits in the chair Leo vacated, throwing his legs over one arm and leaning against the other armrest.

“Alone again.” Drake sings, his eyes fixed on Marena’s. “Naturally.”

———

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