Chapter 6 THE INVITATION.

NASSIM ROAD, THE RAVEN HOUSE.

Aella was the last to arrive for the celebratory dinner. Everyone was already seated at the dining table when she walked in with her fiance whom she met on her way in.

"And here comes the to be couple!" Brenna announced, then the others followed suit. It was the first time they were appearing in front of the family since their engagement.

Aella's eyes searched for her brother until their eyes both met. Alec got up immediately to greet her. She literally jumped on Alec out of excitement.

"I can't believe I missed you so fucking much!" Aella exclaimed. "Hi mom, hi dad"

"Aella welcome, come, have a seat. Dinner had already started" Raven their father said.

Yosemite just grunted in acknowledgment and then continued her meal.

"It feels good to see your ugly face again Aella" Alec commented and Aella pouted.

"Hey bro" Declan gave Alec a friendly slap on the back.

"That's a weird way to address me Declan" Alec responded. The duo didn't get along well.

Aella didn't want her first meeting with her brother after five years to be awkward so she feigned a cough to distract them and ushered them to the table.

"Let's eat" Aella announced.

Raven sat at the head of the table, Yosemite at his right, Alec at his left opposite Yosemite. Brenna was seated beside Yosemite so Aella naturally took the seat next to Alec and Declan sat beside her.

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I hope this tells you a lot about the family.

After the too quiet dinner, the family had some alcohol to accompany the catching up time.

Yosemite and Aella talked silently in a corner, their movements showing how heated their discussion was. Brenna and Raven found themselves and they chatted lightly by the bar. Alec and Declan were both trying their best to hold a proper conversation without ripping out each others throats.

Aella and Yosemite's conversation.

"Hey mom" Aella tried to ignore the awkward air around them. She had never been her mom's favorite and she'd never really tried playing the part. That was Alec's job. He's the one that has to continue the Raven legacy and he was doing a damn good job at it.

"Hey Aella" Yosemite spat and Aella just nodded.

After like maybe five seconds Aella busted.

"Okay, you can stop the whole snobby thing and just say what's on your mind. I'll have to hear it anyway!" Aella spoke up.

"Why thank you Aella for such wonderful audience" Yosemite clapped her hands in mock appreciation "You wanna know what I think, I wish you had thought about that before carrying that thing inside you!"

"Thing!? Mom, it's called a baby!" Aella muttered with clenched teeth.

"That fetus is unhealthy to our family, I'll have you know that!" Yosemite also replied with clenched teeth. They didn't want the others to know they were at each other's hair again.

"You make it sound like something inhuman mom!" Aella retorted. "He or she is my baby and I'm gonna have it!"

Yosemite frowned facing her daughter. "Don't you see? Don't you realise this fetus is only a tool for the Chu's? You are gonna be having their heir, that thing is gonna bear their name"

"I don't see why that's so wrong mother"

"Because foolish Aella, that's just another strategy to try to take Pandora. They've eyed your fathers position for the past twenty years and they are not ready to stop, I won't have my own children dig our graves!!!"

Aella smiled mockingly. "Every time, I think maybe just once, something is gonna come out of your mouth that isn't selfish, but you prove me wrong every time! Every fucking time!".

"And so you'll know..." Aella continued. "Hailey broke up with Alec today so you only have to worry about one loose brat!" she slipped her drink which was fruit based by the way.

Yosemite beamed. "I wasn't worried about Alec since there was no real connection between them but it's good to have the bugs off my windshield"

"I'm not gonna call off the wedding mom!" Aella stated matter of fact.

"You're so pathetic," Yosemite muttered.

"I know," Aella declared.

"You're gonna regret this"

"I sure will, but i'll make sure I'm not the only one in the boat"

The two were now on a staring standoff. Whoever bent first, and neither was ready to give in to the other, they were more alike than anyone.

Brenna and Raven's conversation.

Raven leaned on a pillar and carefully sipped his alcohol watching the moon. Brenna brought her own empty glass to him and he refilled it without a question.

"I see you still look at the moon" Brenna commented.

Raven glanced at her and turned back to the moon.

"I see you still don't mind your own business"

Whether or not his words affected Brenna, she didn't give him a reaction. Instead she smiled.

"It must be stressful," she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Fighting to remain up there, night after night, without a real shoulder to lean on" she too stared at the moon as she spoke.

"Who says I don't have a shoulder to lean on?" he asked with amusement notable in his voice.

"Your sweet little girl Aella is becoming a part of my family, Alec resembles you too much for you to have any real connection with him, you consider him a competition. And your wife, Yosemite will rather be an owl on a tree than a home bird"

"She has good reason to," Raven replied. "You're not a dove yourself, she has to keep evil crows like you away. And you're right, she's not a shoulder to lean on. She's my backbone Brenna. She's an epitome of power and perseverance"

Brenna laughed spitefully.

"She might be good at keeping you in your throne" she edged closer "but I doubt she's that good at keeping you on your bed"

Raven turned to face her.

"By that you are implying?" he asked.

"Nothing. I'm just saying, you can't know how rotten your fruit is until you taste a better one" she had a snaky hand on his arm.

"That's probably why I left you!" Raven spat out mercilessly and her eyebrows shot up at his statement. "Someone should warn Lee, he seems to have the assumption that his sheets aren't stained"

Brenna stormed away at that and Raven continued to watch the moon.

Alec and Declan's conversation.

"I heard you hurt my sister," Declan said with an accusing tone.

Alec scoffed, "I heard you got my sis pregnant"

Declan was taken aback. How did he know? Aella promised not to reveal it until after the wedding so it couldn't have been her. But Hailey could spill anything when she's mad so he couldn't put it past her. And if Alec was still a mummy's boy, he has definitely let his mom know.

"Hailey was literally dying to let the guys know" Alec said as if reading Declan's thoughts.

"Damn!" Declan cursed.

"Don't worry, I won't hold you up on that, my sister is clever enough to know what she's doing" Alec said with a wave of his hand. He enjoyed people, especially Declan being at his mercy.

"Oh! and about Hailey..." he doubled back like he suddenly remembered something. "You should congratulate her, she won't be looking like an overheating engine so often anymore thanks to me"

"Was that supposed to be an apology?" Declan asked with irritation.

"No, never, I was going to break up anyway, but she spared me the effort." he smirked "Also, please let her know she should return her key card to my private suit and elevator. She should be nice to the management team, it'll be a headache to change all that if she decides to hold onto it" Alec didn't say another word and just walked away leaving Declan glaring daggers at his back.

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After the dinner and the long night, Yosemite escorted her son to his room. She had convinced him to stay at their house instead of his villa, where he would be most assuredly entertaining ladies.

Yosemite set Alec's shower for him. She missed tending to her little heir, the child she was always proud of.

Yosemite briefed him on everything that had been happening, from the status of Pandora to the tiniest detail on family issues. Everything was going okay and fine until Yosemite blurted it out.

"I want you to get to get married Alec!"

"What?!" Alec exclaimed.

"You heard me right Alec! I want you to settle down" Yosemite repeated.

"That's bullshit mom!" Alec raked his hand through his hair finding it difficult to understand a word his mom was saying. Did she drink?

"I'm not in a competition with Aella mom, why should I get married?!"

"You're not competing with Aella stupid, you're competing with Declan!" Yosemite yelled, smacking Alec's head in the process.

"Like I already told you, Declan has been sucking up to father Raven and has been gaining some ranks and grounds for a takeover. Even my relationship with him isn't earning you points. You disappeared for five years and he's not happy about that, the Chu's have taken the opportunity to rise out of the ashes, believe me when I say, they are now a competition, any incompetence from you and it's over!"

She continued. "Aella is pregnant with his child, he's planning his move perfectly. One man gone from our side and two more on his side, soon everyone would be celebrating the first great grandchild. You have to get married, get back your power in Pandora and give the elites an heir to look to"

Alec wasn't ready for the part where he would be committed to just one woman, the words he said next rolled off his tongue like toxin. His desire to have Pandora was too strong.

"Fine! I'll do it!" Alec declared, his bathing could wait no longer.

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Aella dialed Valkyrie once she was tucked in her bed.

"It's way past midnight" Valkyrie stated feigning a yawn.

She sounded tired, like she had just been awoken from sleep. But in actual fact, she was seated at her counter typing furiously as she did some research on Aella Raven and the Raven Empire.

"Sorry did I wake you up?" Aella said in a whisper as if that would help calm Valkyrie.

"Mmmm, you did," Valkyrie lied.

"I'm so sorry. I just wanted to ask a favor"

"Ask away," Val replied tiredly.

"It's gonna be like a thank you for saving my ass. Can we meet tomorrow so I could brief you"

"Don't be scared to say it, I won't bite,'' Val said with another yawn.

"Well, I'm getting married soon and I wanted to ask if you would like to be my maid of honour. No, mmm, let me rephrase that, can you please be my maid of honour?"