LEILA.

Cruelty didn't arrived loudly. It came as calm.

The next morning, I stood alone in the guest room Aiden assigned me to always be whenever new ideas, challenges and memories flash in.

I watch the colour of the dawn, silence so clean that it feels expensive.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror and I barely recognised the girl looking back.

She wasn't crying.

She's wasn't apologizing.

She looked empty.

And for the first time those emptiness felt useful.

....

My phone lay on the dresser, no missed calls, no annoying messages, and zero concern.

Only two messages from an unknown number.

BANK ALERT: account access granted, we are concern and sorry for the inconveniences. I blinked, is this a joke?.

Another message followed.

Aiden: they frozen your account, just to humiliate you, I unfrozen it to remind them that you exist, and this time around, they should use that as a reminder that you will be back stronger and one day you will be ready to revenge for your right that was taken away.

My finger trembled not in fear, but for the POWER, the society we are in, power and influence speaks.

....

I dressed slowly, not in the safest clothes this time, neither in anything loud or luxury, but in a simple cream dress with no jewelry, no logos but still I looked expensive. I brushed my hair back instead of hiding behind it.

......

Downstairs sits Aiden in the breakfast table, tablet in hand.

" You slept" he noted.

" Yes" I replied.

"Good" he looked up, today you choose who_".

I cut in eagerly, " choose what!".

" Who you stop being, you adapt to the new environment and a new life, indeed you make the best choice ever". He answered.

I was touched by his kind words. I sat across him, and for once I didn't fold my hands neither laying them on my laps.

I feel safer with a stranger than my own family.

"I want to go back"I said calmly, Aiden didn't react rashly or judge me.

" To the house?" He asked.

"Yes".I replied

" To beg for forgiveness?".

"No". My voice surprised even me.

" I'm going there to retrieve my belongings and my mother's documents!".

The atmosphere in the dinning table change, all I see was a determined lady, ready to first for what was rightfully hers.

Then he nodded once. "Take the car, just you no drivers".

My heartbeat spiked in disbelief of what I heard.

" You trust me? That much to give me your car?".

" I trust consequences" he replied "And you need them to feel the consequences of their actions one by one, bit by bit and boom it clicks".

I was thrilled by how he seems to understand the pain, even more than someone I called my father.

.....

Outside the house parked that one luxurious car,I blinked twice, tears rolled down my chin, is this all a dream, I never hold the keys to my father's cars, not to think of entering them or driving, and it wasn't because I couldn't drive or sits on them but because his favorite daughter claimed them all, and who I'm I to go against the princess of the house.

.....

The gate to my family house opened by the horns, it feels like nothing had happened, that was cruiest part that hit me hard.

The guard barely glance at me, their attention were all driven by the luxury car parked in front not me.

The flower still bloomed like betrayal wasn't steched into the walls.

Inside still smelled the same, polish perfumes and that favorite daughter superiority stills remain, I can tell with just the decor.

All are still her favorite colour and her pictures displayed like it was set for auctioning.

My stepmom frose in shocked when she saw me.

" Oh" she said fainting " you're back?".

"Briefly" I replied.

My door opens as Lydia's step out of my room, she wears a triumph smile on seeing me. The soft played music inside,giving the celebratory vibe.

I walked in, she stood before the mirror, dressed in white glowing dress,and those diamonds still dancing on her neck, she turned slowly to me,her lips curling in satisfaction.

" I wondered how it tooked you so long to crawled back,I don't know what you've been through too but have always known that you will be back begging for help".

I smiled back.

Not nervously.

Not weak.

" You don't have to act all bossy here, I knew you never meant those texts, so I never tooked them serious" she added rejocingly.

" What texts" I asked surprisedly.

" Oh dear sister, don't act all that stupid, you obviously know what I'm talking about, don't be embarrassed I_".

Before she could finished, I cut in truumphly.

" I came for my documents, and for my mother's belongings".

She laughed.

" You don't get to asked a question here Leila".

" I wasn't asking" I answered.

Her smile faintically disappeared, I move pass her and opened the drawer where my mother's letters had always been kept.

Empty?. My chest tightened, but I never express it.

"You burned them, didn't you"I asked calmly.

She shrugged"they were clutter".

Something shifted inside me then a clean break.

I turned to her slowly.

" Do you know why you won befor?".

Lydia straightened her posture.

" Because I'm smarter".

"No" I said " it's because I was kind".

Her eyes narrowed in shocked.

" And kindness," I continue, " is the luxury I no longer have something doing with".

I step closer to her, not invading her space but just enough to be undeniable.

" I want you to enjoy the moments" I whispers it into her ears.

" Every compliments, every camera's set to face, every lies, enjoy them while it last ".

She scoff. " Is this a threat".

"No" I smiled again, gentle as glass place in the cabin.

" It's a farewell my dear sister".

I turned and left without another word and not looking back.

No tears

No shouting

No begging

I left truumphly.

That was cruelty, because I never let her see my pain alone, I allowed her to feel my absence.

.....

LEILA.

Back at the villa, I stood at the balcony, overlooking the city.

Aiden join me, it was a total silent.

" I didn't cry" I said quietly " I thought I would break down on getting there".I turned to him " I'm I becoming cruel?".

He looked at the skyline. " That's how it's starts". And then he looked at me " no, you're not cruel, you're becoming perfect, and what you did there was a good start to becoming HER".

The city glowed, and behind me a door closed softly, sealing off the girl who once begged for love in her family, I watched her disappear.

....

And somewhere else, Lydia was staring at a photo that would haunt her down forever.

LYDIA.

Something is wrong somewhere.

Lydia stood by the window long after Leila left, staring at the driveway like it had betrayed her.

Leila calmness and her sudden boldness would not leave her mind.

Even though it wasn't a defeat, but it was a restraint.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from a society blog she follows.

EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW: frost estate opening, ultra private villa. Attached was a photo that caught Lydia's breath. A black car, a familiar silhouette stepping out, just like the one that was parked some minutes ago!

"Leila?" She whispers " no it can't be her,why would she be there in the first place? Shes just a nobody with no connection's, I must have been thinking a lot".

.....

LEILA.

Power announce itself quietly.

I learned that the moment Aiden handled me the envelope.

No logo's

No name.

Just a thick a paper and my name embossed so subtly that you'd miss if blinked.

" Open it" he said.

I hesitated at first but then something asked for a look. I slid my fingers under the seal, it was an invitation.

FROST PRIVATE SUMMIT.

Ultra exclusive.

By personal selection only.

My breath caught when I saw the quest list , and then the name appears as a nightmare.

LYDIA JONES.

My pulse spiked.

" She's invited?". I asked

Aiden didn't looked at me, " she asked to be". I turned sharply. "you let her".

Something cold unfurled in my chest.

" You want her?".I asked.

Aiden finally meet my eye's, there was no softness in them,only intent.

" I want her to see".

My finger tightened around the invitation.

" To see what exactly?".

He leaned back folding his arms

" That the world she tried to burry you from, was never her's".

The room felt warmer and smaller with just the sentence.

" What's my role, why invites me too?" I asked.

Aiden stood and Walked towards me.

He stopped too closed that I could feel the heat, control and the danger pressed into the space between us.

"You'll Walk beside me". He said " not as a quest, not as an employee".

My heart almost explode . " Then as what" I asked eagerly.

His voice dropped then he added.

" As the woman I choose".

I stutter.

"I_" then I rushed inside,blushing, thinking of what he meant, but then reality kicks in, we are from different world, Aiden frost is someone not to mingle with not emotionally. He got a heart of stone, I rather stay away from him, I don't want to allowed my feelings stop me from avenging my right!!!.

.....

Lydia stared at her invitation in disbelief yet with a mockery smile

Frost summit? " This is it ,all that have worked for in many years.leila Jones is no more, I'm automatically fits for this, I have the right to take everything that belongs to you, including your man.

Then a shocking reveal.

Her finger pressed hard on the invitation.

At the bottom was a single line that unsettled her.

NOTE: please arrive by 7:00pm Watt, introductions will be made immediately.

"Introduction to who?", she retaliate." Wasn't the frost meant to celebrate their estates?" She shook off the ease, then her attention driven to that Mystery woman she saw on the blog.

It didn't matter anyways, she has won before and she can still do that again.

....

The night of the summit, the wild transformation.

The helicopters, tight securities, car worth more than a house. The kind of wealth that didn't need an apluase but facts.

Aiden stood besides me in a tailored black suits, his hand resting calmly at my back, not possessive not guiding but claiming.

I wore deep blue, structured, clean dress, everything soft about, it was screaming luxury without me saying it out.

" Are you shaking?" He murmured.

" Because she will see me? Hell no" I replied

" Good let's go show her that you've bury that girl that was once humiliated" he added.

....

The door opened.

Quest turned, whispers rippled out, I felt them landing on me directly. The curiosity, the measuring and reassessment. Some say good while some bad.

Then suddenly.

Lydia walked in, dress in white, diamonds smiling at everyone, her eyes scanning with the hall with confidence until they found me.

Her smile frost, the room stilled in control.

" Thank you all for coming" Aiden cut in loudly, then he continue.

" Tonight marks a new phrase for frost enterprises". His hand tightened slightly into my back. " And I will like introducing the person standing next to me, who will be overseeing the transition".

Lydia eyes burned into mine.

Aiden turned heads slightly towards me.

" This is Leila Jones, my strategy partner" he saids clearly. A pause then the room erupted in applause.

Lydia staggered slightly,no one notices except me.

"No, no , no,a strategic partner, how,when".

The floor tilted.

" That girl_ that good for nothing witch dared to steal my spotlight" she cried. "How dare she stood there like she belongs?"

Then Aiden spoke again.

" And for transparency, this partnership isn't new". He added .

Lydia heart slammed.

" It began years ago, when Leila's mother signed the original contingency clause for frost holding". Then he turned to me and added

" She trusted me with her daughter"and he finished it. " And I will Keep my promises.

Lydia words collapse, her ears rang as whiskers sharpen into knives. Then a buzzed on her phone.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: You just lost more than you know.

She realise that the invitation was all a trap and she was already inside it.

...

Leila you weren't erased, you were delayed...

LYDIA.

Lydia didn't panic, that was her gift.

While everyone else collapse loudly,she learned early on how to fall inward.

She allow the damage to sharpen her, instead of taking over her emotions.

She excused herself from the summit,with a smile still intact. One nobody could tell or ever suspect something is going on within her. Well that was her profession.

In the bathroom, under golden lights, she slammed the door and press the locked button.

Then she leaned against a marble sink, and vented her frustration, she allowed the rage to crawl up her throat. She hate being seen as a liability, instead she rather cried in a close doors than being caught unfresh.

" Leila". She called angrily " that name Keeps frustrating me everywhere. But don't worry I will make you disappear again, a strategic partner?, if I won before why can't I win again". She said as she laugh softly.

" Oh I get it" she whispers to her reflection. "You always get rescued by love, and you did love men who rescue you, hmmm then let's see if he will still love you after this" she added as she pulled out her phone.

One message.

TO UNKNOWN NUMBER: change of plan, let's go back to the old target, she's been detected, let's make her popular.

The reply came instantly.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: finally, I almost get bored. Just say the word, and I promise to deliver without traces.

***

LEILA

I felt it, before I could even understood it.

The shift from people. They worship the money not the person. And memories flash back.

There was a time, when I was a mere shadow but now because of power and influence, am being honour as a princess, life they say is unpredictable.

Power never attack directly, instead it arranges the ground beneath the feet's and waits.

AIDEN hands slipped off my back as investors swarmed over him.

I stood alone for the first time in a crowd full of elites and am being claimed as one of them, not the usual errand girl.

I wasn't trembling rather was full of confidence and unquestionably audacity.

Eyes everywhere.

Some where curious.

Some impressed while some calculating.

" You did well", a woman said softly beside me.

I turned.

A tall fair elegant, blond hair pulled back sharply, her smile was polite, and unreadable.

" I'm mara voss", she said "board advisor".

I smiled back innocently, something in her gaze lingered too long.

Like she was measuring the cost of me.

" Enjoy the night" she added, already walking away. " They don't last".

I swallowed deep, and then left speechless. That cut in deep as a blade, piercing through my skin.

***

By midnight Lydia was back in her penthouse, heels discarded, phone pressed on her ear.

" Release the files", she said calmly.

On the other end, a man hesitated. " Those records are..old",.

She step in "old truths age best". She walked to the window, city lights reflecting in her eyes.

" Make it anonymous, make it believable, make it real. Leila Jones, enjoy the spotlight since you love it so much". She added victoriously.

A pause.

"Lydia", the man called out to her.

" If the frost family traces this back_".

She smiled, and then smirked.

" He won't" she said "he's too busy protecting her".

That was the mistake men like Aiden always made. They assumed things and believes money made them powerful rather it made them predictable.

***

The first headline hit at 2:17am.

BREAKING NEWS: QUESTION RISE OVER FROST'S NEW STRATEGY PARTNER.

I stared at my phone.

My stomach dropped.

Another notification, followed by another.

UNVERIFIED SOURCES CLAIMED LEILA JONES WAS DISMISSED FROM PREVIOUS FIRMS DUE TO ETHICAL CONCERNS.

Is frost enterprises risking it's legacy?

Alot of nasty comment follows.

My chest tightened

"This isn't true". I whispers in pain.

Aiden was already moving, phone to ear, voice low and lethal.

" Shut it down, bring down the news".

But damage didn't wait for permission.

I scrolled.

A photo of me, a year ago, crying outside my family home surfaces.

Captioned: A woman known for instability.

My hands shook.

" She found you", Aiden said calmly behind me.

I looked up.

"NO", I answered, " she remembered me".

***

Lydia watched the trends unfolds from her couch, silk rope wrapped around her like a crown.

" Since she loves to be on the spotlight so bad, I believe she love this so much". She laugh as she take a sip of champagne from her glass.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: the news is trending, doubt are spreading, fingers are bring point out, but Lydia don't forget, she's not destroyed, it's just DESTABILIZED.

She read it with satisfaction then with another counterattack mindset.

" Well Leila, that was step one, get ready for what's coming next" she lit up a smile.

Then typed on her phone.

This time the reply took longer then

UNKNOWN NUMBER: you sure about this ?, he won't forgive you.

Lydia replied, he doesn't need to.

She stood up, walking towards a framed photo on the wall.

Her

Leila and their father childhood picture.

She looked at it in disgust.

" She always wanted to belong", Lydia murmured " unfortunately we can't go back to those days, we were too young and naive then, we believe family meant safety. Well I will remind you what it costs to belong now". She added as she walk away.

****

Leila phone buzzed again.

This time not headline but a message from an unknown number.

Ask Aiden frost what your mother really signed with him, that night she died.....