Psychopathic love

"They were just so adorable, and seeing the smiles on all their faces made me so happy, Dad." Kiara rambled on about her previous expedition to for a charity project. She was extremely passionate about helping the less privileged. The kids in the Caribbean, particularly Jamaica, didn't have access to any water, so she and her team stayed there for a couple of weeks, making boreholes, wells, and taps for them.

Of course, she was a Lux, but she didn't misuse her power, or take it for granted. Instead, she put it towards helping others who were in need, endangered, or living in not-so-safe homes. It had become a part of her, one that she could never take away.

She pointed at her phone smiling, "Look at them!" Her father, Damian Lux, watched the video to the end, feeling very proud of his one and only daughter. "And there was this lovely little girl too, she was so intelligent and beautiful, I couldn't help but admire how strong and resilient she was."

"She told me she'd go to the river every day with her mother to fetch water, and most time she'd help her prepare food for the household. Her name is Ronica." She grinned.

"That's amazing, cara mia." He responded, leaning away from his cup of coffee and placing a kiss on her forehead. In Texas, Damian's company was one of the most reputable, and his daughter was doing a good job upholding and boosting that reputation. He definitely couldn't ask for more.

Maria, her mother, emerged from the kitchen, with a tray of food in hand for everyone. "It's time for breakfast, amore," she warned Kiara with a stern look on her face, "Put the phone down."

Kiara groaned, placing her phone face-down on the table, before grabbing her plate from the tray. "Why'd you cook today? Is Rosa still off?" She inquired, curious as to why their chef wasn't back yet.

"Family emergency, not that it's any of your business," She smiled, biting into her toast. "She'll be back by tomorrow."

"Don't talk to my precious daughter that way," Damian teased, pointing at her.

Kiara laughed, taking a sip of her coffee and eating her breakfast. "The video is going viral, you guys! Who would've thought? I might end up taking another trip to Jamaica. It's lovely over there." She sported a victorious smile on her face, as she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

"We're proud of you." Both parents said in unison. They glanced at each other, trying to stifle laughter. Just then, the doorbell rang signaling an unexpected visitor. Kiara looked at the wall, where the security camera's monitor was mounted.

It was Luca. Just when she finally had breathing space to talk to her father freely, he had to show up. It's not as if she hated him, she just didn't like him. He was weird and was always trying to get with the trends in a cringe way.

The security guard let him in, and after a few minutes, Luca showed up in their dining area, dressed in a fancy suit. He was so ripped that his suit would probably burst at any moment if he tried to flex his muscles. "Good morning everyone." He greeted with a slight bow of his head as he crossed his arms behind his back. His eyes lingered on Kiara for a couple of seconds, before he turned to face Damian.

"What's up, L-boy?" Damian cheered, as they shared a brotherly hug, patting each other's backs as if they hadn't seen one another in forever. "Well, I wouldn't want to intrude on your family time, but there's an impromptu meeting with the stakeholders that we have to attend soon."

Damian started to walk away from the table, when Kiara pulled him back by the arm, "Dad, stay home for goodness sake. You mustn't go anywhere." She huffed, angrily.

"Cara mia, I have to. This could be our last chance to sign the contract." He pleaded with his eyes, rubbing her hand gently. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

Though Kiara knew it was just a fib, he wouldn't come back early enough for them to have an actual conversation anymore. It usually ended with her fast asleep in bed, and her dad coming to kiss her goodnight once he'd gotten back. She hated the way Luca always had to intrude on their bonding time, and that was majorly the reason why she disliked him most.

Kiara and Maria watched from the table as Damian got ready, shaking their heads. Maria sighed, smacking her lips, as she rolled her eyes. She muttered something barely inaudible that even Kiara didn't hear.

After Damian and Luca left, Kiara turned to face her mother. "Do you see why I don't like him?" She complained, her eye twitching as she gripped her cutlery tightly. "DO. YOU. SEE?!" She was immensely frustrated, her voice growing louder by the second. Luca always did this, it was as if he hated seeing Damian with Kiara, cause he just wouldn't stop.

"Honey, work called. I'm sure your father wouldn't have left if it wasn't related to work," She replied, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. "I didn't want him to go either, hun." She leaned across the table, placing her hand over Kiara's and rubbing it gently, in an effort to pacify her.

"Whatever..." Kiara breathed, her eyes meeting her mum's. "I just want to twist his neck and snap it, ugh." She groaned, chewing on her leftover toast. "How do you feel about your husband leaving you for a man?" Kiara held her hand out as if holding a microphone. "Go on-"

Her words were cut off by the doorbell ringing again, but this time she couldn't see who was there. She pressed the button to talk to the security guard, "Hey. Who's there? Can't see anyone, Mabel."

"It's a man, Miss. He says he has something you might be looking for."

"Mr. Campbell?" Kiara exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my goodness, you're here! What for?" She asked as she led him to the couch. He was the last person she was expecting to see visiting her since he had to man the NGO all by himself. "This is such a pleasant surprise, could I offer you anything to drink?"

"Oh, no," he chuckled. Standing at 5'6, Mr. Campbell was a buff man who was dark in complexion. He was the one who governed the NGO that she followed to Jamaica and he was very friendly. "You must have dropped ya' purse," He shook his head, tutting his lips as he pulled it out of his backpack. "I have always told you to be more careful with your belongings." He said sternly, his Jamaican accent seeping out through his words already.

"I appreciate you," She smiled sheepishly, thanking him. Lord knows where she'd be without Mr. Campbell's help. "Don't call me uncle, you're making me feel old." He teased, laughing heartily.

"If anything, I should be the one thanking you for all the work you've done, it was amazing, and the kids all love it, Kiara," He smiled, taking her hands into his. "God bless you for me, pretty girl. You stay cool, alright?"

"Amen. Thanks, Mr. C."

"Well, I shall be on my way now, it was nice seeing you again," Mr. Campbell stood up, stretching his arms. "Thank you for this," She shook the wallet in her hand, " and your gracious presence," Kiara said, as she held his arm, escorting him out.

****

Kiara didn't have much to do during the day, so she opted for a self-care day. She did her workouts, had her nails done amongst the rest and then she spent the rest of the day with her mom.

As they were watching a movie, snuggled up on the couch, past 8 P.M., Damian had returned from work. "Hey my snookums," He murmured, pecking them both on the cheek. "You're back earlier, darling," Maria observed, as she pulled him in for a longer kiss.

"Okay, that's enough," Kiara rolled her eyes in fake disgust, "Get a room, you two!"

"You're just jealous, but that's fine. You'll be there soon," Damian winked as he flopped on the couch, scooting right next to them. "I have a surprise for you, princess." Her father said as he lifted his briefcase, bringing an invitation out.

"What is that?" Kiara looked at her father questioningly. "I'm not even meant to be talking to you right now," She rolled her eyes as she turned back towards the television.

"Princess, please, just look at it." He begged, tapping her on the shoulder.

"I refuse." She declined, shrugging lousily.

"Okay, I guess I'll just put the invitation back in my briefcase..." Damian sighed heavily, opening his briefcase.

"You had me at invitation," Kiara slowly said, sitting up abruptly, "Invitation to what?"

"See for yourself." He passed the fancy-looking invitation to her, "It was a very impromptu invitation, but you like this kind of stuff. Very...gen-z ish." He slapped his knee, "Dad jokes, huh?"

"No." Kiara stared blankly at him, shaking her head. "Don't do that again, Dad."

"No? Okay, sorry snookums."

Kiara opened the invitation reading it from cover to cover. "No way..." She put her hand over her mouth, squealing and kicking her feet. It was an invitation to the biggest, most influential Charity Gala there was, Acts of Compassion. It was a two-in-one as well, it came as a masquerade party as well.

"Hey! That hurts," Maria whined as her daughter's hyperactivity affected her ears.

"Dad? Are you kidding? Is this a fake?" Kiara turned the letter over, trying to look for any evidence of a faux letter. But, no, instead there it was, the stamp of approval right at the bottom of the letter.

"Oh my God, thank you, Daddy!" She leaped onto him, hugging him tightly. "I LOVE IT! It's tomorrow, I have to start getting ready?!" She hopped off the couch, skipping all the way upstairs.

Upstairs, she laid out her whole outfit, deciding to go vintage. She debated between two dresses for a while; one red and the other brown. She settled on the brown one since it accentuated her curves well.

Shortly afterward, she had nothing else to do, so she slept off.

****

It was D-day and Kiara had spent all day getting ready. She made sure to order a custom-designed masquerade mask, which was red. She had her hair done, and her nails and made sure she got a massage.

It was 8:30 P.M., 1 hour and 30 minutes before the party began and she was coming down the stairs in her luxurious outfit.

"Wow, they grow up so fast," Damian sniffled, wiping away imaginary tears from his eyes. "Daaaaaddd," Kiara whined, smiling softly.

"You look beautiful, Princess, you're gonna steal everyone's breath away." He complimented, bowing to kiss the back of her hand.

"Thank you, Dad." She smiled, taking his hand as they entered the Jeep. Within an hour, they arrived at the venue. Paparazzi and spectators clamored around the car as she and her father got down.

They didn't know who was who, but they took pictures anyway. As she stepped into the venue, she could hear the sponsor of the Gala proposing a toast. "This is a celebration of life, the farther we jump, the higher we go. To us!"

"To us!" Everyone raised their glasses in unison, and clinking could be heard throughout the room. She took a glass of wine from a waiter passing by and sipped on it lightly. She couldn't wait to start talking to the more influential people in the room.

The aura of the Charity Gala itself exuded wealth and she was happy to be there. She decided to remain alone for a while until a husky voice tickled her ear.

"Well, my lady, must I say, you look absolutely beautiful tonight."

Kiara turned to face the mystery man. She didn't know what she was expecting but seemed to forget that this was a masquerade party. She couldn't see his face, because he had a green masquerade mask on that complimented his pretty eyes. He was dressed in a black suit with the usual red tie. He was extremely fit, she could tell, and all it did was want to make her take him to the bedroom.

"Why, thank you," She responded, bowing her head ever slightly, trying to dead the nasty thoughts that overtook her mind. All of a sudden. she felt nervous. Not knowing who she was talking to was a huge game changer for her, since she wasn't used to it. But, it was just for the night.

What could go wrong?

"I spotted you from across the room, you looked absolutely ravishing, I just had to come over and say hello. So, hello." He offered a warm smile and bent to kiss her hand. "And who might you be?" His eyes traveled over her, from her hair to shoes. She was curvy and he loved that, it'd give him something to grab on when the fun started.

"Well, it's a masquerade party for a reason. You might never know," Kiara whispered, chuckling. "Are you a stakeholder of sorts? Or are you passionate about Charity just like I am?" She asked, taking another sip of the wine.

"Well, yes. I've worked with multiple charities and NGOs including the Make a Mark movement, free food trucks, and book donations for the community. So, I'd say I dabble." He shrugged like it was nothing.

Kiara's eyes lit up as she listened to this mystery man go on and on about how he helped out in the community, as well as outside it. She loved that he was just as passionate about it as she was, and that was a good telltale sign.

"Yeah, well recently, I also went on an expedition to Zaria to provide free water amenities for areas that needed them. The kids loved it," She grinned sheepishly, "I might go back soon for more projects, I loved seeing the smiles that I put on all the children's faces."

"That's wonderful."He replied, fully engaging himself in the conversation. He couldn't help the fact that his eyes kept trailing over her plump, puffy lips. "Damn."

"What?" Kiara asked confusingly.

"No, nothing. I'll stop by later to have another chat with you before the night ends."

"Okay." She raised her glass, watching him move further and further away from her. When he left, she started to walk around engaging in conversations with others, some long and some short. There were quite a handful of people who revealed their identities to her, which resulted in them swapping contacts for future purposes and future projects.

Needless to say, by the end of the night, she was fatigued and her legs began to grow weary, so she decided to take a breather in a corridor before going back out to call for her father. She pressed her back against the wall, breathing in and out slowly. In the corridor, the same man she had been talking to earlier showed up.

"Fancy meeting you here again beautiful. What are you doing away from the crowd?" He asked, observing her face. He didn't know what exactly he was searching for, perhaps a hint of emotion.

"I just needed a breather." She stated, smiling weakly. "I'll be on my way home very soon."

"Aw, so soon? That's too soon for my liking," He sighed, stepping closer to her. He smelt freshly shaven with a thick manly scent surrounding him. His cologne overwhelmed her senses, as they filled her nose quickly. He glanced down at her lips, swiping his tongue over his. She nodded affirmatively, agreeing to whatever it was that he wanted to do.

Then, their lips collided in the best way possible. His soft lips danced against hers and the mystery man grabbed her face, as he slid his tongue into her mouth, sucking on hers before they fought for dominance. His hand crept up her neck, making her wet to the core. Her breathing became shallow and rugged as the kiss intensified. He kissed down her neck, tempting her to go farther. But, she couldn't.

Kiara pushed him away breathing heavily. That was one of the best kisses she had had in her entire life. "Goodnight." She hurriedly said before she slipped out of his arms and back into the crowd.

**

It had been almost a week since the Charity Gala, and the one thing that had been stuck on her mind since that day was the intense make-up session that she had with a man that she didn't even know. She enjoyed it and she craved more, but at the same time, it also felt very stupid. She hadn't collected his number or any of his social media, and she didn't ask either, so she wasn't sure she was ever going to see this man again.

She couldn't deny how he made her feel. Sexy, hot and bothered. She crossed her legs, squeezing her thighs gently, and bit her lips as her mind recalled the make-out session.

"Kiara," a voice boomed from inside the house. She scrambled up, hoping whoever it was didn't see her display of lewdness just now. "Y-yes?" She responded, moving closer to the source of the voice. It was Luca and he was with a bag and suitcase in hand.

He had probably come for a sleepover, so she carried his things to the guest room and rolled the luggage bag to a corner, before tossing the other bag onto the floor. As it landed on the floor, something peeked out. Kiara moved closer to the bag, it reeked actually. She couldn't quite make out what it was, but she had to open the bag fully to see.

Her eyes widened, "What the fuck?!"