Tormented Royal by Lily Wildhart

Chapter Four

Iask Indi to drop me off at my childhood home after everything that happened at Penny’s rather than at my aunt and uncle’s stupid-ass mansion. I don't want to be near my cousin or anything else relating to the other people in Echoes Cove. I just want the sanctuary that my old home brings. Technically, this is still my house since, you know, I own it now. I just can’t live here because of the stupid term in my dad’s will stating I must live with my legal guardians, which is complete and utter bullshit if you ask me.

I use the code to open the gates, making sure to re-lock them behind me, and make the long walk up to the house.

It looks exactly how I remember it. It’s like something from a haunted house movie, but I love it. The house itself is a tall dark stone building, with the windows and door arched in a paler stone. Finished with dark gray window frames and a matching door. I’m pretty sure my parents had a ‘we want to be scary’ vibe going on when they picked this place. If I remember correctly, even the back balconies are black wrought iron and a bit pointy on top. Dad used to joke it was to keep the boys away from my room.

If he only knew.

The door opens before I even reach it. I pause, wondering who the fuck is in my house already. Once it's open fully, Smithy steps out and grins down at me. “Miss Octavia, it’s so lovely to see you. Welcome home! I’ve been wondering if I’d be seeing you.”

I run up to him and hug him tight. He’s much older than I remember, but I guess being away from here for five years coupled with a child's memory will do that. Smithy was the house manager when I was younger, but he was also like a surrogate parent. He was there for me when my mom left, when my dad drank too much… even just when I fell and needed patching up. He might have been the house manager, but to me, he was so much more.

“I had no idea you were still here, otherwise I’d have come to see you sooner,” I tell him as he squashes me against his chest. Just over two weeks I’ve been in this godforsaken town. Seeing him would’ve made it feel more like home. I could kick myself for being too chicken to check the house out before now.

“Of course I’m still here. Who else was going to keep this place in working order and ready for your return?” He grins down at me before ushering me inside. I follow him to the kitchen, which looks exactly as I remember it—all black and white marble tops and white cabinets with silver handles. It’s maybe a little more updated, appliance wise, and I don’t remember the espresso machine, but I’m not sad about it. As I’m taking everything in, he pours me a glass of peach iced tea with extra lemon slices. I love that he remembers my favorite drink. I sit on a stool at the center island, and he sits opposite me.

“If I’d known you were here, I’d have fought harder about living with Vivienne and Nate. I’d much rather be here with you.”

“I thought your father put me down as your guardian in his will. I assumed you chose to be with your family after going through such an ordeal.” He smiles sadly at me, and I nearly spray tea out of my nose with the derisive snort I let loose.

“Those people are not my family. I’m going to call the lawyer to see what he says. If I can be back here, I’ll be here before the end of the week.”

He smiles widely and claps his hands together. “Nothing would make me happier, Miss Octavia.” The genuine happiness in his tone hits me a little harder than it might have before, and I fight the urge to rub the place on my chest just over my heart. Damn. I didn’t know how much I missed being wanted. “Now then, have you eaten? I can whip you up some mac and cheese. I assume that’s still your favorite.”

I groan at the memory of his mac and cheese and find myself wishing I hadn’t already eaten. “I had a burger at Penny’s with a new friend, but now that I know you’re here, I’m definitely coming back to eat tomorrow. If that’s okay?”

“This is your home, Miss Octavia. You’re always welcome here. Feel free to bring your friend with you.” His smile reaches his eyes, and it warms my heart. I missed him more than I ever thought possible. I freaking adore him.

“That I can totally do. Am I okay to go have a look around?” I know this is technically my house, but if he’s been here the last five years, it feels wrong to just stomp about the place.

“Of course, this is your home. Do as you like. I packed your father’s things away. I didn’t want you to have to do it, but I’ve put the boxes in his old study. I left your room alone, but if you’re coming back here, we can update it or even move you to the master.”

I hadn’t actually considered any of this, and it’s enough to make my mind reel with the possibility. But I’m glad he’s packed away my dad’s things. I still haven’t been through the stuff that he had on tour with us. I imagine that was all brought back here too. I definitely don’t have it in me to go through the boxes. Picking at that wound isn’t something I’m strong enough to face yet.

“I’ll speak to the lawyer and make sure that it’s okay that I do move back here. I don’t want to lose access to anything. If he says I’m good to go, I’ll sit down and think about where to go from there.”

“Sounds perfect,” he says as he stands, taking my empty glass and putting it in the sink. “It will be nice to have some life around the place again.”

“It’ll be good to be home.” I smile up at him before heading upstairs. The thought of being able to move back here, away from Blair, makes me happier than I’ve felt since I found out I had to come back to Echoes Cove. I might actually be able to relax in my own space rather than being on edge twenty-four fucking seven.

I head straight to my room and cringe as I step inside. Yep, this room definitely isn’t suitable for me any more. There’s a single bed with a white canopy, and the entire room has a pink and white theme… None of this is even close to the person I am now. I smile at the blossoming tree still outside my window, then frown from the memories this room pulls to the forefront about Lincoln and the others.

This definitely isn’t my room anymore. And those are not memories I need haunting me, especially when it’s clear the guys have no intention of even being civil toward me.

I pull my phone from my pocket and send an email over to the lawyer who’s been in charge of my inheritance and my father’s estate, asking him to give me a call as soon as he can. Hope blossoms in my chest, and I do what I can to quash it. Hope can be a dangerous thing.

I head toward the master suite on the other side of the house. My heart aches in an echo of the emptiness on this side of the house. There isn’t even any furniture in here. I don’t remember Dad having much in here before anyway, but this still seems extra barren. He rarely spent time here because of his insomnia, but my heart still pangs a little from being here in the room that was once his. I’m pretty sure I’ve cried every tear I have in my body for him, and so I find myself flickering between anger and sadness. I suppose if I give myself a moment to really consider everything, I’m overall just kind of sad.

I know some people might find it weird to move into a room like this considering the circumstances, but it feels right to me. I don’t really remember ever seeing my dad in here, so it's not like there are that many memories to dredge up in this room. Plus, he left the house to me—he’d definitely want me to make use of it. I pad over the cream carpet to the wall of glass that looks out over the backyard and open the door that leads to the balcony.

If I lean just the right way, I can see the tree that stands by my old bedroom window. I push away thoughts of the guys that threaten to rise and focus on the rest of the view of the yard. The pool sits covered and undisturbed in the middle of the expanse of yard, and the loungers dot the edge. The outdoor kitchen still gleams. Smithy really did keep this place spick and span, and I can’t help but smile. I’m glad that someone had some love left to give to this place.

My phone chimes, pulling my attention away from my slow perusal of the property. I glance down, and my butterflies take flight in my stomach at the sight of an email from my lawyer confirming he’ll call me in half an hour.

Awesome.

I lock the balcony door back up and head back downstairs, making sure to say goodbye to Smithy before heading down the drive so I can walk back to my aunt’s place. It’s not too far from here, and while their house might be on the beach, I’d rather be up here looking over the Cove than right on the beach anyway. Fingers crossed my lawyer confirms what I want him to, so I can move up here.

Just as I’m locking up the gate, a black Porsche Cayenne stops on the road in front of me. The window rolls down, and I try to hide my shock as Lincoln’s face comes into view. “What are you doing here?” he spits, eyes narrowed as he all but sets me on fire with his eyes.

I cross my arms, refusing to let him get to me. “I was just checking in. Problem?”

“You shouldn’t be here, Octavia. You should crawl back in the hole you came from.”

I roll my eyes and sigh. For the life of me, I truly cannot work out exactly why he’s in asshole mode. “It’s my house, Lincoln.”

He glares at me, and if I wasn’t already so exhausted from his bullshit today, it would hurt more. “I meant in Echoes Cove, Octavia. You left this place behind and never looked back. Why the fuck would you come back now? You’re not wanted here. And don’t think cozying up to my brother is going to make things easier for you. He wouldn’t touch you if you paid him.” The bite in his tone hurts me more than it should, but I refuse to let it show.

“I didn’t exactly plan on coming back here. My dad fucking killed himself—I didn’t have a choice. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have places to be.” I turn quickly on my heel and walk away from him, not giving him a chance to answer. I don’t dare to breathe those first few steps, listening with bated breath for him to throw his car in reverse and come back to tear me down some more. What a fucking asshole.

I quickly swipe at the tear that falls down my cheek. I hate that I’m crying because I’m angry… Angry at Lincoln. Angry at my dad. Angry at myself for letting it all get to me. I’d really like to go back three months and try and get my dad the help he needed. But I didn’t know, and now I have to live with that.

* * *

I slide the door closed on the pool house just as my phone starts to ring. I kick off my boots as I see the lawyer’s company name on my caller ID. “Hello?”

“Octavia? It’s Derek. You asked me to call, so I thought I’d check in. Is everything okay?”

“Hey, Derek,” I say, putting as much of a sunshiney tone into my voice as I can muster. Considering that I cried most of the walk back here, it’s not actually much. “I’m fine, I just had an interesting conversation with my estate manager, Smithy—sorry, James Smith—so I wanted to clear something up with you.”

“Oh,” he mutters, and even without being face-to-face with him, I know he’s pulling the collar of his shirt. During the few meetings I had with him, I noticed that he did it when he was uncomfortable. “How can I help?”

“I was just told that my aunt and uncle aren’t my only legal guardians, so I’m just curious as to why I was told they were and that I was required to stay with them until I graduated.”

“Oh, well. You see…” he trails off, and I sigh as I drop down onto the sofa. I don’t know whether I should be relieved or pissed off, so I settle somewhere in the middle of the two.

“Spit it out, Derek.”

“They thought it would be best if you came to stay with them even though they weren’t named your sole guardians, so they approached me about ensuring you would be with them.” I cackle at his words, but of course they did. This explains the exorbitant rent they demanded. They wanted my father’s money. “I figured since they were actually related to you and wanted you with them, that it was probably for the best.”

“What are the actual stipulations of my inheritance, Derek?” I try not to be a total bitch, but I’ve been in this fucking house for weeks now, absolutely miserable. I was dragged here by child services from my hotel room where I was staying with Mac after my dad died. I was told I needed to stay with my aunt and uncle which has been miserable, so yeah, I’m in full bitch mode.

“The only stipulations your father made for your inheritance remaining in your control were that should you be under the age of eighteen in the event of his death, you would be required to graduate from Echoes Cove Prep with a 4.0 GPA and remain in the care of your guardian or guardians. Failure to do either of these things would result in you not having access to any of the inheritance until your twenty-fifth birthday.”

“Thank you, Derek.” I smile, and for once, I don’t have to force it. I might not want to be in Echoes Cove, but at least now I know I don’t have to stay with my shitty aunt and uncle and their demon spawn.

“Was there anything else, Octavia?” he practically stammers, giving away just how nervous he is. The first thing I’m going to have Smithy do for me once I sort out the house is find me a new goddamn lawyer. I want a shark, not a fucking minnow. I hang up the phone, but my grin only grows as I stare up at the ceiling.

Excitement floods me as the reality of it all sinks in. This is actually happening. It might not seem that huge to other people, but to me, this is an epic win. I have to make a checklist of everything I need to buy for the house before I can move in. I’m pretty sure Smithy will handle everything for me if I shop online and get shit delivered. I bounce off of the sofa, practically skipping up to the main house.

Aunt Vivienne is in the formal dining room with Uncle Nate and Blair, finishing their dinner. Blair was just at Penny’s. Her mocking still rings in my ears. I guess she couldn’t possibly eat in front of her friends. Vivienne sneers at me as I enter the room, and I practically laugh. The sheer audacity of this woman trying to make me feel like a burden when she demanded I be here is astounding. “Octavia, you’re late. You’ll need to sort something out for yourself.”

Goddamn, her voice is so fucking shrill. Just a few more days, and I’m out of here. “No problem, I already ate. I was just coming to find you to let you know I spoke to my lawyer. I’ll be moving out of the pool house this weekend and moving back into my house. I’ll make sure to pay you in full for the time I stayed here, though, don’t worry. But you won’t be seeing another penny of my father’s money beyond that. I’d say I appreciate you letting me stay here, but since you manufactured it that way and then made me feel like a burden, I’ll just say fuck all of you.”

I spin on my heel, not giving any of them the chance to respond. I walk from the dining room, leaving Nate spluttering, Vivienne uttering strangled curses under her breath, and Blair glaring.

All things considered, this might just be the best night ever.

* * *

Today was a bad day. I spent the day with Linc and East because Dad was so angry. I don’t know what I did, but he just kept yelling at me to leave too. So I ran away next door and spent the day with my friends. By the time I got home, Dad wasn’t mad anymore. He was just sad. All he does since Mom left is write songs with his guitar and drink that brown stuff that makes him smell funny. Smithy said he’d look after him and that I should get to bed, but I just can’t fall asleep.

My sadness is too big.

I cry into my pillow, trying to keep my sobs quiet. Dad doesn’t like it when I cry because it makes him sad too. He’s been so sad since Mom went away, and I don’t know how to make it better. I still don’t know where she went or why she left us, but I really wish she’d just come back. It’s been nearly a whole year since she left, and I still miss her every day.

I go still when I hear a tap against my window. After a moment I turn over to find Linc standing in the tree branches, trying to open my window. I rush from the bed and open it for him. He grins as he climbs in. “What are you doing here?” I whisper. He’s going to get in so much trouble if his mom finds out he’s not in bed.

“I knew you were sad; and I didn’t want you to be alone, so I’m here. Now get back into bed before your dad hears us.” He closes the window, and that’s when I notice he’s in his pajamas. I crawl back beneath my sheets, and he slides in beside me, lying so he’s facing me. “You don’t need to cry anymore. I’m here now.”

I smile at him as a tear runs down my face. He smiles back, a little sad too, and wipes it away.

“But if you need to cry, that’s okay too,” he says as my tears come faster again. He hugs me tight and whispers, “I’ve got you. I’ll always be here.”

I cry into his shirt until I can’t cry anymore. “Won’t you get in trouble for being here?” I finally manage to ask.

“Nah, East knows I’m here. He’ll cover with Mom.” Lincoln seems so grown up sometimes, and I just feel like a cry baby. He’s only nine months older than me, but sometimes he’s more of a grown-up than East is.

“I’m okay now. You can go home if you want to,” I tell him through my sniffles.

“Don’t be silly. I’m not going anywhere. Now go to sleep. We have a pop quiz in the morning.”

“Linc…” he cuts me off by putting his hand over my mouth. I lick it, and he narrows his eyes at me, making me giggle.

“Go to sleep, V,” he whispers before wiping his hand on the sheets and closing his eyes. I smile and close my own, happy that he’s here. He always makes me smile, even when I cry.

I believe him when he says he’s not going anywhere, so I drift off to sleep feeling happier and safer than I have since Mom disappeared.