Love Under The Starry Skies

Mia woke up slowly from the bed in a daze.

Her mind was cloudy and she was still feeling groggy,her body was achy and sore and most importantly,she was naked under the duvet het body littered with marks and bruises.

"What kind of dream is this?".

She pinched herself and gasped in pain ,the pain made her realize it was reality and not a dream.

The memories from the previous night started flooding in.she had attended her fiance's family company anniversary which was held in one of their newly launched hotel.

Later in the evening,she was enjoying the beautiful view in the garden after the guests dispersed but she suddenly felt dizzy and hot,a staff who was nearby offered to walk her to her room and then this happened.

"Ah.....",she screamed and the man beside her woke up with a start.

"You.. You monster, you must have paid and colluded with the staffs right, bastard am going to sue you", Mia shouted totally enraged but the man was just staring at her unmoving,he appeared lost in thought,his expression alternating between happiness and despair.

"What do you mean?,"which staff?", you were the one that entered my room late at night.besides I was drunk and had no clue of what was happening",the man explained with a cold gaze and she was petrified.

Shuffling backwards,she vaguely remembered entering the room, stripping herself and throwing herself on him.

"It was one of the staffs that brought me here,I was feeling dizzy and she volunteered to walk me back to my room,this is all a misunderstanding,I'm already engaged why would I venture into another man's room",Mia explained incoherently.

Gazing at the man,she felt he looked somewhat familiar and yet distant but she couldn't lay her hands on where they've met before.

"It's okay",he replied softly.

"Okay for you but not for me,how do I explain this to my fiancé,this...am done for ", Mia panicked.

"Then I'll keep it a secret ",he said but there was a tinge of sadness in his voice,her statement was like a cold basin of water poured over him,it slapped him with reality.

"Are..,are you sure"Mia stammered.

"Hundred percent,so from now on I haven't even seen this face before ",he nod and assured her calmly.

"Oh,then thank you very much sir ",Mia said and scrambled to her feet's, gathering all her belongings and hurriedly put on her dress and then left the room not noticing the man who looked so forlorn, sitting in the same position, unmoving just like a statue.

"Hahaha, fate is really unfair to me",he laughed maniacally, sweeping everything on the bedside table away and injuring his arms in the process.

"Lucian",a blonde haired guy rushed in from outside panting heavily."the lady outside just now,is that Mia?".

"Yes, Mark",Lucian replied."it is indeed her".

"The heavens are really favoring you, since you two had a night together. Shouldn't you be responsible for her?" Mark exclaimed excitedly, grinning from ears to ears.

"The heavens are not favoring me but toying with me instead" Lucian replied calmly, but his eyes were filled with sadness.

"What do you mean?,what nonsense are you spouting? Tell me exactly what happened, can't..."

"She is already engaged, engaged to Leonard",Lucian replied before Mark could finish his sentence and he walked straight into the bathroom slamming the door shut.

"Holy shit", Mark punched the cushion in disappointment."fate is really, really unfair, perhaps it's all for the good",he shrugged.

After several minutes Lucian emerged from the bathroom decked in a casual leopard print shirt and black pants.

"Let's go downstairs",Lucian said to Mark."grandfather's waiting for us".

"You sure you want to go?", Mark asked arching a brow."won't you feel all riled up if you see her again".

"Meeting her is inevitable,if I avoid it today,I won't be able to get away always", Lucian replied.

"But yo. . "

"I'm fine, yeah I loved her but I was too late,she deserves better,and it's all for the best I can't imagine the two of us fighting over her", Lucian smiled somewhat ruefully.

"Then you're not going to tell her?", Mark asked.

"No", Lucian replied."it's of no use,she'll only feel bad and burdened,she doesn't even recognize me, it's better she doesn't find out,well I've been holding on for over a decade,I guess it's time to let go", Lucian replied thoughtfully.

"And you?", Mark asked.

"Am good as long as you're by my side", Lucian replied."co'mmon let's go".

They started towards the door,then Lucian suddenly stopped.

"Get the footage of yesterday's events, from Mia's speech I guess she was set up by someone", Lucian ordered.

"Sure", Mark noded.

The two men walked down the short flight of stairs that led to a private room in the hotel, only family members had access to the room.

Everyone was seated on the antique dining chair across the dinning table except grandfather.

Several chandeliers and candelabra were placed strategically in the huge and vast room suffusing the room with an air of elegance.

There was a total of six people in the room, five of them were seated by the table.

His stepmother, Rose a woman in her early forties was seated on the head chair, dressed ostentatiously from head to toes, next to her on her right side was her daughter,his stepsister and then there was his stepbrother Leonard dressed in a white tuxedo flashing a disarming smile, beside him was his fiancé, Mia donning a green turtleneck floral printed dress,she looked nervous upon seeing him and beside Mia was her stepsister Eddie.

Grandfather was standing by the floor to ceiling windows. Lucian walked down the stairs,his lips tilting into a smile with Mark trailing behind him.

Grandfather turned back just in time and they shared a moment of eyelock before his stoic aged face broke into a huge grin.

"Lucian, you're here just in time", elder master Henderson walked briskly to him,all smiles and all eyes turned towards him.

"Yes, grandfather", Lucian replied before embracing him."how have you been faring all these years?".

"Thank goodness you're here just in time,I almost died from the pressure of dealing with this old bitch", elder master Henderson replied pointing to his stepmother who was seated indifferently.

"It's alright,I'm here now",Lucian broke the embrace and helped elder master Henderson to the head chair.

Several eyes were focused on him, each with different thought and expression.

His stepmother,the only mistress of the Henderson family as she liked calling herself wore a look of annoyance as if she was being pestered.

His stepsister,Lily looked happy to see him back, Leonard had a crooked smile on his face, Eddie looked excited and somewhat anxious.

Mia on the other side almost dropped her bowl on the floor in shock,her eyes opened wide like a walnut.she never expected herself to run into him so quick again nor in her wildest fantasy would she have imagined him to be related to her fiance,to be his legendary stepbrother.

She felt perturbed and uneasy,her face stricken with worries as she kept fidgeting in her seat, avoiding eyes contact with Lucian while hoping he'll be true to his words.she felt awkward and could only keep glaring at the food in her bowl.

"Welcome home my dear Lucian, how've you been all these years", Rose greeted affectionately hiding her irritation, surprising everyone in the room.

Lucian only nod his head in acknowledgement.

"I would love to introduce,well I'll have Leonard do it"Rose said."up to you Leonard.

"Welcome back brother, this is my fiancé Mia, you might have met her before she's one of the children of grandfather's friends, and this is her sister Eddie", Leonard introduced flashing a disarming smile.

"Now that Leonard has introduced . . "

"Enough woman", elder master Henderson interrupted."can you just shut your face,I'm tired of listening to your meaningless and endless rants,if there's any important thing or people he should know I'll do the introduction so just keep quiet and stop disturbing the peace and since when had it become your duty to be the host".

"You always find fault with everything I say and do,is it because your son disobeyed you and acknowledged my kids giving them the family name, but you can't dispute the facts that my kids are heirs of the family and am the one and only mistress of the Henderson family", Rose smiled caressing her newly polished nude fingernails.

"You really should stop being delusional,as long as am alive you and your kids would never get a dime from this family", elder master Henderson hissed.

"Oh, but you can't change the fact that we're part of the family,if we won't get a dime what you're alive, we'll get it when you're dead and gone,I really can't wait till then . . ."

"Mom"

"Rose"

"You"

Gasps filled the whole room and everywhere went silent and chilly.

"If I could remember accurately, father only acknowledged Lily and Leonard as part of the Henderson family so that makes you an outsider,now as an outsider I wonder who gave you the audacity to portray yourself as the one and only mistress of the Henderson family,all seated on this table should be members of the family", Lucian yelled."so scram".

"You . . ",Rose shot him an annoyed look."whatever,am still a member of this family and you can do nothing about that.

"Guards", Lucian called and immediately four hefty looking guards arrived.

"Take her away, outsiders shouldn't be allowed nearby again the family isn't a charity organization ", Lucian ordered and the guards noded.

"What are you doing, you can't take me away,am the one and only mistress of the. . ", Rose yelled but was interrupted mid-sentence by the guards who dragged her mercilessly on the cold floor, dragging her outside.

"You've gone too far Lucian", Leonard yelled, slamming his fists on the table angrily.

"If you have any opposition against my orders,the door is wide open ,the same way you entered", Lucian replied nonchalantly gesturing towards the door.

"You. . ", Lucian stomped his feet on the floor, hissing loudly.

"Trash will always be trash,no etiquette always frivolous,I thought after living in the family for years,you'll have changed but now I realize I've overestimated you MR MYERS", Mark said cutting his steak and drawling the last sentence.

"You, how dare you talk to me like that", Leonard flew into a rage."do you know who I am?".

"How could I not know your royal majesty the one and only illegitimate son of the Henderson family", Mark smirked.

"You. . ", Leonard stomped away angrily, leaving the room.

"Leonard", Mia run after him on the empty corridor."he's just trying to make jest of you, don't take his words to heart". Mia embraced him trying to calm him down.

"He just humiliated me", Leonard pointed at the door, shivering in anger.

"Everything will come to pass with time, very soon your company would expand into a huge empire,no one would ever dare to look down on you again", Mia comforted him.

"Yes", Leonard sighed in determination."very soon I will overthrow him and make him go on his knees.

"Yeah, I believe in you",she pat his back.

"Leonard", Eddie also arrived, panting heavily."brother-in-law",she stuttered nervously upon seeing Mia.

Mia telephone bleated.

"I think I have to go now, work's calling", Mia said.

"Alright, be careful I'll pick you up after work", Leonard smiled breaking the embrace.

"Alright sis", Eddie smiled.

"Okay,I'll make a move first", Mia nod and left.

Immediately Mia left, Eddie hissed and left for her room.

"Eddie, Eddie wait I can explain", Leonard chased her.

"Please leave me alone for a while, please",she said to Leonard who stood there aggrievedly, looking at her as she walked away.

Eddie entered her room hurriedly after making sure Leonard wasn't following her then she locked the door.

"How dare you!",she yelled and delivered a slap onto the waitress who was on her knees in the room.

"I'm so sorry ma'am, I made a mistake", the waitress bowed apologetically.

"Mistake,do you know how much your mistake has cost me, you ruined my whole plan you can't carry out the simple task of drugging someone and taking her to the assigned room ,now everything's gone,how do I get another chance", Eddie yelled agitatedly sweeping the cushions away.

"I'm sorry ma'am, I indeed drugged her and was taking her to the assigned room as planned",the waitress explained.

She added"but then Miss Lily showed up,she almost found out so I just shoved her into the opened room by the side and leave but I can assure you,the room she entered wasn't empty and perhaps your plan worked out because when I was cleaning the room this morning,I found a belt which means the occupant of the room is a male and then the duvet was stained with blood".

"So now you're saying, although things didn't go as I planned,what happened was not far from my aim?", Eddie asked.

"Yes ma'am".

"No wonder she looked so nervous, donning a turtleneck, Mia your end is near", Eddie laughed sinisterly."I would snatch every single thing that belongs to you and this is just the beginning", she twirled, laughing before plopping down on the sofa.

"All I need is the footage,get me the footage",she ordered the waitress.

"But ma'am, that . . "

"Keep quiet, you incompetent old fool ", Eddie hissed angrily.

"Piss off",the yelled and the waitress immediately scurried to her feets and left.

"I must make sure to get the footage by any means".

The beeping of her cellphone distracted her thought,upon seeing the caller ID she smiled.

"Sweetheart are you feeling better now?", Leonard asked from the other side of the phone.

"You promised to break off your relationship with her", Eddie said.

"Yeah, I planned to do that yesterday but Lucian sudden arrival hindered me,I have to keep her for now"Leonard explained.

"All because of the inheritance,then what about me have you forgotten that am also an heir of the O'Connor family", Eddie yelled.

"I know,I know, I just can't break up with her now but don't worry you should know you're the only lady in my heart, after getting the inheritance she's as good as trash", Leonard promised.

"Then what do I do now,sit and watch", Eddie replied.

"Eddie,try to understand me . ."

"Yeah, I do bye",she said and ended the call.

"Coward", she cursed and throw her cellphone across the room."what you dare not to do,I'll do".

"She's just so impossible to understand these days", Leonard muttered begrudgingly before entering the washroom.

"Tsk, tsk,things are actually as interesting as this,the so-called fiancé is cheating on her with her stepsister,so interesting", Mark shook his head as he came out of his hiding place.

Mia entered the elevator hurriedly, shuffling her cellphone in her shoulder bag.raising her head she was surprised to find one more person in the elevator,it was none other than Lucian.

He nod at her in acknowledgement.

"Oh", she began awkwardly."no wonder I thought you look familiar".

"I felt the same too", Lucian replied."it's been years since we've last saw each other".

"Yeah, about. . "

"About what happened,I'll stick to my words and keep my mouth shut, it'll do us no good if such incident get out,so it's best kept hidden",he completed her sentence, smiling assuringly.

"Alright, thanks so much",she replied.

"Yeah, bye",he replied and stepped out of the elevator as it stopped on the second floor and headed for his room .

"Oh,here you are guess what I just heard", Mark strutted in excitedly.

"Forget about what you just heard, I'm leaving", Lucian replied nonchalantly.

"You wouldn't want to miss this gist", Mark said."would you believe if I tell you that something's going on between Leonard and Eddie".

"Stop spewing nonsense", Lucian replied packing his files.

"Am not, just now in the washroom I overheard his conversation with Eddie, turns out he didn't love Mia, he's just toying with her for the inheritance, she's the sole heir so naturally she'll get the highest share compared to Eddie", Mark replied.

"Bastard", Lucian said clenching his fists as be made his way towards the door.

"Hey, where do you think you're going to?", Mark blocked his path."look at you getting all riled up, sure enough only she is able to make you loose your composure".

"You want to approach him,think about the consequences first,she chooses this path herself so whatever is it that happens is her business not yours", Mark replied."you've done enough for her Lucian ".

"Yeah", Lucian nod in realization."it's none of my business".