ARLYN

I deliberately ignored the knocking on my door, not ready to wake up yet from sleep and secretly hoping whoever was knocking would leave me alone. I groaned and grabbed one of the plush pillow, placing it over my head to muffle out the sound but it was of little help.

Eventually, I sighed and got out of bed with the worst mood ever, ready to chew off the head of whoever was at the door.

It was only 6:45am.

My anger melted away when the door opened to reveal Ella, an innocent smell spread over her lips but I wasn't deceived by it at all, all too aware she knew she had just woken me up from sleep.

I stifled a yawn while eying her in irritation. “Isn't it too early to be knocking on doors, El?”

“Sorry, but breakfast is served. Uncle Bradley sent me.”

I blinked.

“Breakfast? It's not even 7am.” I said as my eyes flickered to the clock.

“Yeah, that's usually when breakfast is served here. You don’t want breakfast colliding with brunch , do you?”

I was too poor to know what this words mean.

Brunch?

As a college student, there was no such thing as brunch. If you missed breakfast, you settled for lunch.

Brunch sounded foreign to me, but I didn't bother to tell the high schooler that.

“Uh…no, but it's a little early.”

“Really? What time do you usually eat breakfast?”

“10/11am if I'm lucky not to have classes.”

Her brows furrowed like it was a foreign concept to her.

“That's usually brunch time. Breakfast is actually by seven on the dot, not a minute later. That's how uncle Bradley likes it.” Ella said after a while.

Meaning I had less than fifteen minutes to get ready for breakfast.

I hurriedly went about my toiletries while Ella busied herself inspecting my wardrobe… with a very unimpressed look.

I didn't blame her. I wasn't impressed by my wardrobe either. That's why I had changed my hair and maxed out my credit card on a few clothes. Those were the ones she seemed to like

“Why didn't you have more of these?” She put up a cute jump suit I hsd gotten from the shop.

“Well, it's because I'm poor.” I shrugged.

She frowned, but didn't say anything more. Bummer. I had been expecting her to laugh at least.

Finally I was done with five minutes to spare.

“Don't move.” Ella suddenly called out in a serious tone and I froze, worried she might have seen a bug on my dress.

She stood before me and scrutinized me from head to toe and back, shaking her head in disapproval.

I frowned at her.

And what's that suppose to mean?

I was dressed in my favorite outing casual wear, a black baggie jean and a black oversized polo.

“Uncle Bradley is so gonna have a fit when he sees you, I assure you.” she told me walking towards the door.

I followed her, suddenly feeling self aware and hating Ella's effect on me.

“Oh, also I forgot… we are expecting some guests today. They should be here anytime soon.” She announced excitedly, skipping along.

I was confused. What was so exciting about some strangers coming over?

That's right. She was a bit of an extrovert.

Curiosity replaced my confusion. I wondered who they could be.

“Who are they?” I asked, trying not to sound too interested.

They had just been passing by Reid's door. He chose that moment to come out, bumping lightly against me.

I took a step back, and mumbled an apology.

“Damn, step brother. Wr have to stop meeting like this.”

I had said it as a joke and expected him to at least laugh, but instead, he stared at me like I had lost my mind.

Damn.

“Tough crowd.” I added, and I about slapped myself. I was absolutely making things worse.

I had forgotten he was a cold and judgemental jerk. I looked at Ella and saw the amusement dancing in her eyes as she alternated her gaze between the retreating Reid and me.

“What?” I asked her, not sure what she found amusing.

She shrugged and resumed her task of leading me down to the dining room.

When we got there everyone was already sitted and… surprise… overdressed like they were having breakfast with the president. Come to think of it, Ella and Reid were also formally dressed, Reid in a suit without a tie while Ella wore a cute blue dress that reached her knee.

I looked at my mum, almost choking at the amount of makeup on her face. Bradley was also in a suit.

I was all too aware of all eyes on me as Ella went and took her seat at the table and I looked down at my clothes. What I thought of as fashionable now suddenly looked bleak when compared to those of my companions.

My mother beckoned me over at the same time the door bell sounded. I walked over to the chair beside her, settling into it. Immediately, a staff dropped a glass of juice before me.

“Try the juice dearest. Chef just pressed it out this morning.” my mother urged me and I took a sip, smacking my lips at the sweet taste.

“Oh… you are here.” Reid said standing up to move around the table to greet someone behind me.

“Of course…i wouldn't miss an invitation to dine with your family, not when you are gracing us with your presence.” a male voice said behind me.

A very familiar male voice, a voice I couldn't just forget even if I wanted to.

Still coughing, I stood up and stared in shock at a reminder of my past, the reason I finally agreed to mum's suggestion to come down here.

I stared and gawked at the very last person I expected to see in the Bradley's mansion.

And I was thrown back to that day when I had walked in on him in bed with my rival.

“Liam.” I whispered, staring at him with clenched jaw.

Arlyn

“Arl.” Liam said my name softly.

I kept on looking dumbfounded at Liam, my brain trying to work up a connection between him and Reid.

“You know her?” it was Reid who asked Liam but he didn't respond looking at me through narrowed eyes.

“What's she doing here?” he asked no one in particular.

I felt rather than saw my mother looking at both of us and I returned her look, drawing a blank expression over my face to cover up my initial shock but it was already too late. Everyone had seen my reaction.

“Do you two know each other?” she asked curiously, asking almost the same thing Reid had asked.

“No__”

“Yes__”

We answered at exactly the same time and I saw Reid cock an eyebrow at us out of the corner of my eyes.

“Yes, we do.” Liam repeated even though I was subtly shaking my head at him. I watched the corners of his lips and knew he was going to take this as opportunity.

Reid walked back to his seat and Liam took one opposite me, his eyes still locked on me.

The staff set up the table for breakfast but everyone ignored the dish, all wanting to hear the story behind Liam and me. Even Bradley.

“How do you guys know each other?” he asked Liam now, leaning forward with his elbow on the table.

I glared at Liam, trying to get him to understand I didn't want him to say anything. But he smiled at me mischievously.

“Well… you see… she is my girlfriend.” he said with a smile and I rolled my eyes.

The lying dick…

“That's a lie. We used to date but not anymore. We broke up afterall…” I explained to everyone before focusing an accusatory stare at Liam. “Something he seems to conveniently forget.”

My stepfather took in my words before addressing Liam again.

“Is what she says true?” he asked Liam.

Liam sighed dramatically and leaned back in his chair, refusing to look my way but focusing on the senator. “Not entirely accurate, sir… we do have a misunderstanding but its something that we are trying to settle…You see, I love Arl very much.”

My mum gasped and Ella was staring open mouthed at Liam while I couldnt read Bradley. But the person's reaction I was really most curious about was Reid.

I looked at him and caught him staring openly at me… no glaring is a more appropriate word… his mouth was a thin hard line and his eyes were narrowed at me. It was almost like he cared.

And that somehow excited me. That meant he was beginning to get curious about me.

I broke eye contact first and swung my head around to look at Liam. I knew my look was murderous but he wasnt fazed by it.

A awkward silence filled the room as all present tried to guess the truth.

Bradley cleared his voice suddenly. “Let's eat. The food is getting cold.”

His words were magic words, spurring every one into action as each person loaded up their plates with slices of bread and pudding.

I was aware of Liam watching me closely almost as much as Reid was also watching him but I fought to act like I was unaware, even though my brain was hard at work.

Who was Liam to Reid and what connected them together?

If their earlier display was anything to go by, then it meant they were close to each other though just how close, I had no idea.

“So, Liam dear, how did you two meet?” my mother asked out of the blue and mentally scolded the woman for encouraging him.

Liam took his chewing on a piece of pudding before he began his narration.

“Well, we met in. College. She happened to be on the cheerleading team and I was like… oh my God! She's so beautiful….”

Ya right! Yet you were fucking someone else.

I dropped my cutlery set and stood up, leaving my food untouched. My movement drew my mother's attention and she looked at me with concern, her eye brows furrowed together.

“Where are you going, baby?” she asked, reaching out to touch my hand. “You not feeling okay?”

I felt Reid's eyes on me and I looked at him, locking gaze with him as I responded to her. “I will be back. I just remembered there was a really important I ought to have made.”

Allison opened her mouth to speak but Bradley who beat her to it, his voice heavy with disapproval even though it was calm and low. “You already seated at the table. Can't it wait till after you done with breakfast?”

I was still locked in a gazing contest with Reid, seeing the judgment in his eyes plain as day.

“No.” I replied my stepdad and hurried out of the offensive dining hall, glad I was on flip-flops as it made my getaway easy.

I made a beeline straight for the garden, inhaling large gulps of air as I stood among the petunias and roses. Gradually I felt the panic within me begin to fade until all I could feel was a dull sensation of anger.

I couldn't believe the tyke, coming into a place I was still trying to adjust to and disrupting my peace of mind.

I allowed myself to remember that fateful day, wanting to reality of it to hold on more to my hatred for him.

Fuck him.

I had just been coming back from my birthday party hosted by my friends, pissed that he hadn't considered it important enough to put in an appearance but then I still tried defending him to my friends that his dad probably needed him. They'd smiled and told me that I was deluding myself and that he was probably with some girl and I angrily left them.

Imagine my shock when I got to the condo we shared and saw his car in the driveway and worst still the windows were down and doors unlocked which is something Liam was always careful about.

I peered in and my eyes immediately picked out the feminine clutch purse on the front passenger seat… a clutch purse that I had seen someone at my school with.

Still I made excuses for him in my head, denial kicking in heavily. I walked up to the room door and opened it….

“Knock knock… anyone home?” the sound of Ella's voice brought me back to the surface and I looked down at her with a small smile.

“I'm here, little one.” I said, trying to ruffled but she dodged out of my reach.

“Liar. You were thinking of something that you didn't even hear me walk up to you.” Ella accused me, pushing out her bottom lips. “I don't matter to you.”

Oh heavens sake me…

The teenager girl was definitely a handful.

“Why are you here and not with the others?” I asked her.

She looked at me like I was too dumb to figure that out on my own already. “Uncle said to check on you that you looked someone who just found out she was in an haunted mansion. My words not his.”

I laughed out loud and it felt good to do so. All the emotions flowed out with it and she smiled up at me.

“What's the relationship between Liam and Reid?” I asked her when I was done.

“Oh! They have been best friends like forever…How do you know Liam?” she asked with innocent curiosity.

I thought about giving her a vague response but decided against it. The truth was…i needed to talk about it with someone before I explode with it and right now this fourteen years old girl seem like the best choice and so I did.

I opened up my heart and poured it all out to this girl who I barely knew but was already like a real sister to me.

But I had no idea someone else was standing in the shadows and listening in to my tale.