Chapter 3 ~ Twisted Distractions

CHAPTER 3 : Twisted Distractions...

Elva Thompson, who was a fanatic of juicy gists, gasped again in astonishment as Natalia shared the conversation between her and her grandmother. They were seated on the princess's bed with the canopy away.

Elva was brushing her hair, preparing her for bed.

"I feel so ungrateful. How could I be so selfish to think of myself alone!" Natalia groaned again and palmed her flushed face.

"Hey, it's okay. Don't beat yourself up over it. You were just being sincere to your only blood relative." Elva soothed, packing her glorious brownish blonde hair into two cute ponytails. The Princess had really long hair.

Natalia took the hair brush from her and they promptly switched places.

Yeah... they were that close.

"I know but I could've been a little more sensitive!"

"Okay, but if you don't mind....you're being a little too tough on my poor hair!" Elva painfully squealed. Natalia was unconsciously pulling her hair too hard, emphasizing each word she said.

"I'm so sorry, El! Seriously, what's wrong with me?!" She gushed making Elva giggle.

"You're laughing at me?? You're so mean!" She frowned.

"But did you really mention falling in love?" Elva teased and she innocently wobbled her head, ignorant of her best friend's taunting tone.

"Yeah. You know I've never really met a real boy in my life... Well except those ugly hawky princes, the royal guards, the elderly palace workers and Master Augustine."

By the way, Master Augustine was the princess's only male tutor who taught linguistics....and hell, he was waaaaay over sixty!

Elva blew up laughing!

It was so funny to imagine the bunny looking, pouty teenager behind her to actually be with a man wickedly over three times her age!

Natalia crumpled her gorgeous face aggrievedly before completely braiding Elva's jet black hair into a French twist. After she was done, she stalked towards the window with Arla strolling behind her.

Arla was the princess's pet tigress and basic protector since she followed her almost everywhere around the palace. She was a beautiful amazonian hybrid with nice stripes. Arla grew up with the princess and was like her soulmate.

Natalia sat on a large window panel which had a perfect view of the starry sky and full moon. Her magnificent telescope was sitting by a corner but she didn't feel like meteorite hunting.

Elva also walked over the spacious room while Arla sat on her hind legs, with her head on the princess's laps. Natalia stroked her softly.

"Well, I'm not as keen as you are in falling in love. Boys are just twisted distractions who think they can use you and make up some wretched excuse to dump you later." Her tone was flat.

"And how would you know that?" Natalia turned to face her with big, brown eyes.

"Don't you watch movies and read books? Reality and fiction aren't too far apart in this case." Elva shrugged and passed her the novel the princess was currently reading.

"If you say so. But I'll be the judge of that when I have my first real experience falling in love." The princess said and gazed out the window again...

***

( In The De' Argent's private Uphill Estate, Beverly Hills, California. )

After several hours of doing what he did best, which mainly included flipping through some books and playing a couple of video games all in the silence he loved, the young master Arian decided to go to bed.

The time showed past two in the morning. And yet, he wasn't sleepy.

After a warm shower, Arian slipped into a simple pair of black shorts and pulled on the official rugby shirt of his favourite player which he'd spent close to six hundred million dollars purchasing.

Then the young heir took off his native, silver pendant which looked like a heirloom and laid it beside the family portrait on the bedside table. A beep on Arian's favourite phone caught his attention just as he settled into bed.

Clearly, it was from his 'favourite' douchebags.

Ricky Winterfield and Jeffrey Campbell, fellow heirs of the top five families who ran things in the country, were lounging at some club which the rich kids from school had bought and turned into a playground.

At two in the morning...

Jeffrey and Ricky also took it upon themselves to fill up their personal group chat with pics and tags showing boring Arian Antoine De' Argent exactly what he was missing!

Arian scoffed and was about giving them a mighty piece of his nasty mind when his bedroom door creaked open and Tommy poked his little head in.

"A, are you asleep?" His adorable voice whispered, echoing round the large room.

Arian's temperament helplessly changed to a softer one. Only his kid brother had that effect on him. But the young master rarely showed it.

While on the other hand, his mother blackmailed that part of him out!

Women?

"No, not really." He raised his eyes from the dull glare from his phone. "What's up?"

"I can't sleep. Do you mind if I cuddle up with you till I'm a bit drowsy?" Tommy whispered back, fully creeping into the room.

Arian's lips twitched in discomfort. He wasn't totally cool with it but; "Fine, you get thirty minutes!"

The little fox grinned and stumbled his way towards the bed in a heartbeat seeming his cute, The Flash, pajamas being the inspiration.

"Are they okay?" Tommy curiously blinked his lashes, pointing at the jerks on Arian's phone.

"Yeah. Jus' being silly." He muttered distractedly, continuing the keyboard war. Tommy poked his head in closer and stayed that way for a while.

"Why don't you like going out, A?" The five year old mumbled.

The young master paused, wondering where the question came from. But he answered any way. After all...

There was only some minutes left.

"Because I don't want to." Arian casually replied and continued typing away.

"You also don't like talking with people." The little fox prodded. Arian hummed a distracted reply.

"But you talk to Ricky and Jeffy, don't you?" He definitely wasn't feeling sleepy! Arian noticed and stiffly nodded.

"Why don't you talk to girls too?" The blonde insisted on knowing.

Arian jerked over to face the brother he thought was 'little.' OBVIOUSLY, that was an interrogation!

"Did mom put you up to this?" He furrowed his brows in an impatient scowl.

Tommy quickly nodded in innocence, knowing that the slightest flaw would leave him being mercilessly kicked out!

Arian calmly laid back again. "I don't talk with people I don't want to. And that includes both boys and girls."

"But don't you like any of them??" Tommy threw caution to the wind and became a bit more aggressive in his demeanor.

Arian shot him another suspicious look. Tommy could be clever at times but not that....

"I promise mommy didn't hire me!" The little fox hastily swore again, holding all required body parts to prove his sincerity.

"So why do you want to know?" Arian still kept up the cold, distrustful look.

"Huh?... No..nothing. I was just...asking." He bit his lips and fidgeted with his fingers.

"Alright, spill! What's really up? Arian dropped his phone and faced him. Tommy increased his sullen pout.

"The other day....when mommy had a lunch date with some of her friends....she took me along. Her friends also brought their kids along so it was fun at first. While we were playing at the swing, the other kids couldn't stop talking about how their brother's girlfriends are always so sweet to them and take them out on treats... I dunno...I guess I just...maybe....felt left out." He kept his cute gaze low.

"Was that why you stopped following mom out?" Arian whispered and he nodded softly.

The older of the brothers was speechless. Tommy was always so excited about going out with their mother and being the best brother in the world, Arian didn't notice the sudden change.

He slung an arm around the little, chubby fox and pulled him closer.

"Hey. I'm sorry you feel that way, Tom. But who needs a girlfriend when you have me?" He offered.

Tommy raised his head and gave him the are-you-for-real kinda look. Arian grimaced silently.

"It's not going well, is it?" He asked uncomfortably and the little one changed faces to "Ya think?!"

Arian sighed and placed him next to him well.

"Tommy, the thing is you have a family who absolutely love and care about you. You don't need an outsider to make you feel loved, okay? And I promise that as from today till we grow old, I'll pay more attention to your emotions and be your brother in shining armour. Pinky promise?" The young master lowered every fibre of pride in him to mutter those last words.

Tommy beamed brightly and they sealed it.

"Now go to bed. I've said so much in one night than I've probably done my whole life." He grunted under his breath. Tommy giggled as he tucked him in gently.

"Good night, A. I love you." He muttered, dozing off almost immediately.

"You too, Tom."

Arian waited a while watching his little brother sleep before closing his eyes.

Unknown to the both of them, Mom Rose smiled with a warm look in her eyes from where she'd been silently watching them at the hallway, and softly closed the door...

***

( Secluded In The Middle Of Nowhere. )

"M...Master, w..we've tried b..but c..ca...can't make a d...direct blow without being t...too suspicious." One of the high level underdogs reported in a stutter.

Anyone could tell that being there alone frightened him... But unfortunately for him, nothing was more frightening than giving the Master bad news.

The rest of the men in formal suits, seated around the large conference room held their breaths and slyly leaned back on their seats....waiting for the inevitable.

The ensuing grave silence stretched and wrung their nerves. Suddenly, a deafening bang echoed around the room and the body of the poor man dropped dead on the floor!

"Any more news?" The Master's icy voice sliced through the still night air.

A robust, old politician who sat next to the blasted body nervously cleared his throat, using an expensive silk handkerchief to shakily wipe away the blood stain on his face.

"Y...Yes, Master. Though the palace is heavily guarded, our insiders are being fortunate. A bit lucky, to adequately put it...it. Permit me to say..." He took a shaky pause before continuing.

"I fear that if we become a bit rash in our next move, our treachery will be discovered and I believe that will be counter productive."

Everyone held their breaths again. But uncertainly this time.

The Master kept silent with the back of his swivel chair to them. His lifeless, inhumane eyes which were almost hidden by the dark mask he wore stared coldly at the burning woods crackling in the fire place.

No one had ever seen his face before. Not even his most trusted accomplices! They mused.

The Master trusted no one.

The only sound in the ominous room apart from the crackling logs was his slender fingers drumming rhythmically on the .45 gun waiting for further use on the armrest.

Since the Master's chair was backing the long conference table, the rest of the men silently argued amongst themselves through their eyes.

"Master, I be..."

"Silence!" He snapped. And they obeyed.

"I didn't bring you worthless fools together to preach to me what you believe or not!"

Sweat broke out on the politician's forehead and he visibly turned ghost pale.

"But... We'll reduce our drastic approach for a while." He announced.

The old man breathed out generously as his fat fingers tried to wheezle his choking neck out of his custom made tie.

"Every living...and dead...person in this room has something or the other to gain from this association, but one step out of line questioning my decisions..."

The pause was clear enough to pass across the message as several pair of eyes flew to the dead man who had a bloody hole in the middle of his head!

"The Santana's have been holding something dearest to me, something I'm going to get at any cost. And even if we trigger all the suspicions in the world...." He snarled and raised his murderous eyes like a vicious serpent.

"....I'm still coming for them!"