Anders sets up a table for afternoon tea, and the three of us sit down together to talk.
I notice Minnie's developed a new habit when she sits down and the sleeves of her uniform ride up. Her arms are covered in scratches. I know Pandora's noticed it too, even though Minnie did her best to hide it.
"Are you okay?" my toy asks, the concern plain in her voice as she takes the maid's hand.
"I'm fine." Minnie waves her other hand dismissively as if it's nothing. "Just... tired. I'm happy to be here though, Miss Pandora."
"I'm happy you're here, too." My toy beams. "It's going to make things so much better. But are you sure you're okay?"
"I haven't seen you in months," Minnie whispers. "A lot has happened since you first left Eden Falls, Miss Pandora."
I think of Oakes then. He puts up a front of being a businessman, a father, a good man. But deep down he's nothing but a monster, and seeing Minnie so broken only serves to remind me of the fact. And yet I'm powerless to stop him. I've offered Belle, Minnie's mother, money to leave Eden Falls. Money for Minnie to work for me. But something keeps them there, at Oakes Estate, serving the man who's hurting them every day. I now realize staying with us will be a small reprimand for Minnie. But we all know she'll have to go back to the house of horrors soon enough... there's no escaping a man like Emilian Oakes.
I listen as the two girls catch up. Minnie seems calm but sad, but Pandora is visibly better because of her presence. I vow to make things easier for both of them. I'll do anything in my power to change things.
It's the first time I start to think about this fucked-up town and it's rituals that favor the rich.
If you have power in Eden Falls, you can have it all.
But if you don't, you're doomed to a life of being ordered around by those who have more than you.
And it's time that changed.
We show Minnie to her room later on, and she quietly retreats to it, leaving Pandora and me alone.
"I'm worried about her," Pandora says the moment the door closes. "She's hurting. How can we help her?"
"She'll be fine while she's here," I mutter. "But we need to get her out of that house for sure."
"I was thinking we could help her get into Prep," Pandora suggests. "If she attended classes there, it would be good for her future, and it would get her out of the Estate as well."
"You might be onto something there. I'll see what I can do."
She springs toward me, shocking me by enveloping me in a tight hug. "Thank you."
"You're welcome, toy." I pull back while still holding her in my arms so I can look at her face. "It's very sweet that you're trying to help her, Pandora."
"I feel responsible. Father wouldn't be able to pick on her as much if I was still in the house."
"We'll work together to get her away from him."
"That's what I want." She nods resolutely. "We can save her from him."
I nod, even though I don't necessarily agree.
Emilian Oakes is a man who always, always gets what he wants. I should know—I was exactly like him when Pandora came into my life.
I fucked whoever I wanted, and they were more than willing to let me take the prize between their legs.
I hurt everyone around me just because I could.
I used my power and influence to get what I wanted.
Maybe it's time someone put me in my place.
This town enables people to hurt others. It tells us to use the power we have over the mere mortals of Eden Falls and take what we want. But some day, maybe someone will come along who can change that.
As I watch my toy smiling, I wonder whether that person is her.
Whether she has it in her to change things and turn this town around.
Only time will tell...
15
Pandora
The morning we get the news about Brazen, Minnie and I are sitting in the Booth Manor powder room, flipping through books to distract ourselves from the sad reality of our lives.
Dexter walks into the room with a stormy expression and asks to speak to me. I look up from my book and narrow my eyes at him.
"Tell me here," I suggest. "I don't keep any secrets from Minnie."
He glances between the two of us. Minnie's eyes are wide and trusting, and for a split second, I regret my words. What if this is something Minnie shouldn't know? What if it could hurt her?
"It's Brazen," Dex mutters. "Something happened and I need to talk to you about it."
"B-Brazen?" Minnie repeats. She closes her book, her hand trembling as she puts it on the coffee table. "It's okay, Master Booth... You can say it in front of me."
An awkward silence lays on the room as Dex struggles with his answer. I know he doesn't want to hurt Minnie. His expression is troubled and I know this won't go over well, whatever it is. The last thing I want is for Minnie to get hurt, but she deserves to know the truth just like I do.
"Oakes has decided Brazen will marry," Dex finally spits out through gritted teeth. "Brazen is now engaged to Coco Rose."
"W-What?" I look over to Minnie. She looks frozen and her face is deathly pale. "Who told you?"
"Everyone knows." Dex rubs his chiseled jaw. "I'm sorry, Minnie."
The maid nods with a small smile, but it's painfully obvious she's breaking on the inside. I reach out for her but she turns away, showing me she doesn't want me comforting her. I pull back and allow her to pull herself together. But a moment later, a sob rips itself through Minnie's chest.
This time I rush toward her without hesitation.
"I'm sorry, Minnie," Dex grunts.
"So you... really do like him?" I ask her softly. She looks up at me and her wide eyes brimming with tears are the only answer I need.
"I guess now nothing will happen after all," she whispers, and my heart threatens to shatter when the words leave her lips. "We can never be together."
I don't want to hurt her even more by telling her there was no chance for them, ever. There's no way Father would allow his only son to marry a girl like Minnie. After all she's just the maid's daughter...
I mentally chastise myself for thinking that way as a shiver passes down my spine. Eden Falls has rubbed off on me after all.
"Excuse me." Dex furrows his brows as he checks his buzzing phone. "I need to take this."
He leaves the room, and I'm grateful for the privacy I now have with Minnie.
"Oh, Minnie," I whisper. "I wish I could make things better."
She doesn't answer. I realize then she's tethering on the edge again. And I'm getting more and more afraid she won't just fall - she'll take the first step into the abyss and jump.
Dexter re-enters the room a while later, his expression troubled.
"You're getting a family visit, Pandora," he tells me.
"Oh?" I stand up. I don't want to see Father now, not after what he just did to Minnie.
"Brazen and Tianna will arrive shortly," Dex replies, smiling as he looks at Minnie. I can't help myself - I glance at the pretty blonde, too. She looks happy enough to burst. We all know the family visit is just a pretense so Brazen and Minnie can spend some precious time together, alone. Opportunities for that will be far and few between from now on.
I help Minnie get ready in a hurry, lending her one of my old dresses and pinning her hair in a pretty updo, with blonde tendrils framing her porcelain face. I try to reassure her, but before I can get the words out, the doorbell rings and we meet in the grand hall.
Brazen's posture stiffens when he sees Minnie, and the blonde squeezes my hand painfully.
I don't let go. The rest of us watch them expectantly, except for Tianna, whose gaze is fixed on her phone like always. Anders points us to the salon where he serves tea and we take our seats, giving Brazen and Minnie as much privacy as possible. Tianna, Dex and I end up in one corner of the room while Minnie and Brazen sit in the other.
While we try to focus on our own conversations, we're all trying to overhear what Brazen and M
innie are saying to each other. I'm sitting facing them, so I can see what's happening, and I tune out of our conversation as I try to decipher my brother's actions.
Minnie's sitting as far away as possible, glancing fearfully at Brazen while he softly pleads with her to understand. The sight of it makes me feel sick and I force myself to look away. Instead, I focus on Tianna, smiling weakly at her as she stares up from her phone screen for a second.
"So, how's life back at the Estate?" I ask lamely.
"Why do you suddenly care?" she scoffs, returning to scrolling with her thumb. "It's not like you ever gave a shit, anyway."
"What do you mean?" I narrow my eyes at her.
"You just left," Tianna hisses. "You didn't give a shit about the ones you left behind."
"Like who?" I demand.
"Like Minnie. Brazen. Me." Only when she emphasizes the last word do I realize what's happening. "Do you even understand how hard it's been at home since you left? I'm the only daughter Father has now. If it's not Brazen he's ordering around, it's me. And at least Brazen is big enough to defend himself."
I stare at my petite, frail sister. For the first time I don't see her as a spoiled little Daddy's girl. She's strong in her own might, but she's also right - by running away I put more than just Minnie in the line of fire.
"I'm sorry," I mutter. "You're always welcome here, Tianna. Always."
"If he'll even let me leave the house," my sister scoffs.
"We'll make him." I look at Dex for support and his firm nod confirms my thoughts. "Any time it gets too much for you, Tianna, we're here for you."
"Thanks." She goes back to scrolling, but not before shooting me a glimpse of a thankful smile. Dex starts asking Tianna about school and I shift my attention back to the starcrossed lovers on the other side of the room just in time to see Brazen reach out for Minnie.
She pushes him away in an instant, as far away as she can. He seems hurt and surprised by her reaction and he shakes his head before getting up from the sofa and approaching the rest of us.
"Any luck?" Dex asks in a deep, dark voice.
Brazen gives him a blank stare. "She says it's nothing. That it was always nothing. We're... nothing."
I get up and squeeze his hand to reassure him. Tianna gets up too, pocketing her phone and clapping our brother on the back.
"Plenty of other fish in the sea, right?" she asks sweetly, but Brazen just shakes his head. He looks... broken. Like the maid's daughter just handed him his heart on a plate.
We all turned around to see Minnie walking out of the room. Brazen calls out after her, but she ignores him and races up the stairs.
"Can I go speak to her?" Tianna asks, and we all look at her with surprise. "What? I can be nice."
"Sure," I say after an uncomfortable pause. "Dex, show her where Minnie's bedroom is."
They walk out of the room together, leaving me alone with Brazen who's nervously pacing the room. One look at my brother reveals just how frayed his nerves are.
"Brazen," I call out to him. "Talk to me. What happened back there?"
"She said it's over," he says, then laughs, repeating it. "Over. How can it be over, if it never even began?"
"You and Minnie... never...?"
"No," he shakes his head. "I kept away from her as much as I could, while trying to protect her."
"But you don't want to?"
"What do you think?" he laughs bitterly.
"Okay, stupid question. But you can get out of the wedding you're being forced into, Brazen."
"What do you mean?" He narrows his eyes at me.
"Well... you know that Eden Falls rulebook?" I ask, and he nods. "Let's just say I have a feeling it's about to be rewritten."
He stares at me for a moment, and I'm pleasantly surprised by the fact he hasn't just written me off and laughed in my face. Brazen laughs out loud, saying, "If anyone can rewrite history, it's going to be you, Pandora Oakes."
I fight the proud beam off my face, deciding instead to shift the topic back to Minnie.
"Once that happens, you'll be able to be with her," I reassure him. "There will be no one to stop you."
"Not even you?" His smile sparkles with mischief and I'm grateful to see the less serious side of him, if only for a moment.
"I don't have a vendetta out against you, Brazen," I tell him.
"Who then?"
"It's not who," I shake my head. "It's what. This town, Brazen. Eden fucking Falls. It's rotten to the fucking bone. And I can't go around hoping to change people one by one. I need to change the society we live in. I need to show these people the way they treat others isn't right."
"But by doing that, don't you risk losing power yourself?" Brazen's eyes sparkle with interest, and I'm surprised he's proven to be a worthy conversationalist. I didn't peg him for much of a revolutionary, but maybe it's his relationship with Minnie that's pushing him to believe I can change the system.
"One person doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things," I reassure him. "What's one sacrifice to change the lives of so many others?"
"Those are dangerous words." His tone holds a warning, and his gaze holds cool interest. "Who are you to decide?"
"Who are they to decide?" I demand.
"The founding families? The Firstborns?" Brazen laughs. "Either or, Pandora. They rule Eden Falls, and that's never going to change."
"We'll see." I smirk just as Dex and Tianna walk back down the stairs. I smile wide when I see Minnie walking down behind them. "Minnie! Please, come here."
We all step aside so Minnie and Brazen are facing each other. An uncomfortable silence lays on the room, and I clear my throat.
"Don't you want to say goodbye, Minnie? You might not see Tianna and Brazen for a while," Dex suggests calmly, and I look at him, silently mouthing a thank you.
"Sure," Minnie whispers, glancing between my siblings before stepping in front of Tianna. "Miss Oakes, I'll see you at the Estate soon."
Tianna nods, then surprises us all by embracing Minnie. The maid returns her hug after a moment's pause, and when my sister pulls back, Minnie takes a step back as if she's done with the goodbyes. I'm about to cut in, but Brazen shocks us all by stepping forward, all six feet six of him emanating with barely held back anger.
"What about me, Minnie?"
"What about you?" the maid asks, her voice dripping with ice.
"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?"
Minnie's eyes meet Brazen's. We all hold our breaths.
"Goodbye, Master Oakes."
"Fuck, Minnie!" Brazen takes several steps, closing the distance between him and Minnie, but Dex intercepts him, blocking his path. "Are you really going to act like we're fucking nothing?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Master Oakes." She takes a small bow, curtsying like all the staff has to at the Estate. My blood chills in my veins. "I'm just a maid, that's all."
"You're just a maid," he repeats incredulously. We take a collective gasp when he forces Minnie's chin up. Dex tries to push him back, but Brazen stands still, too proud to move back. "Tell me, Minnie. You just want to be a maid? You don't want any of my help, or my attention? You want me to forget about all of this?"
I watch Minnie's bottom lip tremble as her eyes connect with Brazen's. "There's nothing to forget, Master, because nothing ever happened."
Brazen lets go of her chin as if he's been burned. "Okay, Minnie. I'll remember that."
The tension in the room is palpable before he storms out, with Tianna following close behind. Minnie races back up the stairs, and Dex and I wave my siblings off distractedly.
"Think their little lover's spat is going to be a problem?" Dex asks.
"I think she fucked up," I whisper.
"What? He loves her."
"So?" I hiss, shaking my head and rubbing my temples. "It doesn't mean anything. Not here. Not in Eden Falls."
"Well, maybe it should." I look up into Dex's resolute face. "And maybe it's time things finally fucking cha
nged."
16
Dexter
"You can open your eyes."
I hold the silk blindfold in my hands, waiting for Pandora's reaction. I'm expecting happy tears, a big hug, a kiss. I get anything but.
"What the hell is this?" she turns to face me with a scornful expression. "I didn't know anything about this."
"It was meant to be a surprise." I grin at her as she inspects the nursery I've been preparing ever since I got out of jail. "Do you like it?"
"Like it?" She faces me with an expression of pure rage. I instantly know she hates it, but I don't understand why. "How could you do this, Dexter?"
"It's for Reign," I grind out. "Our son. For when he gets back."
"But he's not back, is he?" Her voice wobbles as she speaks the words and she wipes her teary eyes in frustration. "And we don't know if we'll ever get him back."
"You have to stay positive." I make a move to touch her shoulder, but Pandora steps out of my reach. "Please, toy. I'm doing my best here, I want to get him back as much as you do."
"How am I supposed to stay positive when he's out there with her?" She rubs her eyes, smearing mascara all over her face. Instead of making me angry at myself, it only serves to make my cock jump in my pants in anticipation.
It's been months since I fucked her, almost a year. Apart from the time when I made her come, Pandora has kept her distance, and I let her have it. But my patience is waning, my need to own her taking over again and threatening to make me do something to her. I want her back. I want her body back. It was made for me. She was born to be mine.
"You're on thin ice, Pandora," I warn her coolly. "You're being a fucking brat again. You remember what happens to brats, don't you?"
She stares at me with contempt before marching toward the door of the baby-blue nursery. I catch her before she can leave, fingers wrapping around her forearm.
A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book 4) Page 10