Chapter 405: Satisfied

Willow could not get the conversation she had with Mina off of her mind, and every time she looked at Cylus, she shuddered. It was obvious that the man liked her friend, and the thought disgusted her. She had to keep reminding herself that Cylus was ignorant of Mina's speculation, but even that was not enough to calm her heart.

In all the years Willow had lived in Pan she had never understood why DNA testing before marriage was mandated by law. She had always believed it was implemented to earn money for the government with the intention of keeping the birth rate for the poor low. Unfortunately, she was now seeing that the law was a good and necessary one to keep the unrestrained rich from intermarrying their own children.

Willow knew from Mina, that the girl's father was the adopted son of a middle-income family, which would have put him at the same socioeconomic level as Madam Rue, before she was a Rue. It was highly likely that the pair had met, especially if Mina's adoptive grandfather wanted to marry his non-biological son to a well-connected woman. Mr. Harlow would have been shuffled from party to party, which Willow knew from her own experience was a hotspot for starter relationships.

Despite what parents wanted their children to believe, it was no secret that many of their mothers and fathers had first loves and many flings before they were married, and more often than not, they did not marry the people they thought they would.

"If you're going to stare that hard, you might as well go talk to him," Oric said to Willow. He had been watching her watch Cylus. Anyone with eyes could see that she could not peel her gaze away from the man.

"Not certain why the direction in which my sight has focused is any of your concern, but thanks for the advice." Willow took a sip of her drink, trying hard not to continue staring but failing every time.

"Willow, Cylus is my friend."

"And Mina is my friend." Oric glared at the woman, who, compared to how long she looked at Cylus, had not spared him a glance. He walked away, leaving to join Mina, who looked embarrassed by whatever Bastien and Connor were discussing with the women around.

With Oric at a distance, Cylus made his way to Willow, who tried to retreat, but she was not fast enough. He had noticed her staring at him and he was almost positive it had something to do with Mina, but he needed to be sure she was not interested in him for other reasons.

"See something you like?" he asked, and Willow shook her head.

"I see something, whether or not I like it is another thing altogether."

"If you are trying to get to Oric by using me-" Willow scoffed and burst into mocking laughter not giving Cylus a chance to finish his statement.

"Do you guys really think you can intimidate me? Let me tell you C-E-O Rue," Willow spoke the man's title in a mocking fashion, as if to say it meant nothing to her. " I have successfully avoided Oric and anyone connected to him for years. I was tricked into coming here, and if it were not for Mina, nothing would have changed." Willow sauntered out of the room, needing space to breathe.

----

Cylus let his eyes drift around his surroundings, looking for his girlfriend. Not having Vanya in his line-of-sight worried him. He had seen the way she looked at Mina when they had come back from the bonfire and he knew her gaze was venomous. He called the woman, who said she was resting in her room.

Wanting to make sure she was okay, Cylus went to check on Vanya, who aggressively pulled him into her. She was the first woman he had given a title since he cut ties with Lisa, and although Lisa was never really his, she had been, and in many ways still was, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Unfortunately, she had her sights on status.

The bodies of Cylus and Vanya intertwined with one another and Cylus found himself lost in the woman. Vanya was a magnificent lover, and now that she had embraced being bold in the bedroom, he felt as though he was experiencing a new awakening. It was while she kissed him from head to toe that he committed to the idea of her as his legitimate girlfriend, and not the woman he would use to make Mina jealous. She was someone he enjoyed being with and around and he would not turn her into another Lisa.

----

Oric had seen Cylus chase after and talk to Willow before both people disappeared from sight. He had not thought his friend would cross that line, but perhaps what was going on with Mina had pushed Cylus to make a rash decision. He did not think his friend liked Mina as much as he said he did, but he could have been wrong. Nevertheless, he did not want to pull Willow into the nonsense rivalry that no one seemed to be winning. Oric texted Cylus.

[You win, Mina is yours, just leave Willow alone.]

[I am satisfied with the person I am with.]

Oric did not know if Cylus was teasing or testing him, so he went to find him, but what he found instead was an intoxicated Willow with Olivia helping to guide her back to her room.

Willow looked at Oric and snickered, feeling as though she wanted to just punch him, but his body was not soft and mushy anymore. It looked solid; toned in the way men did when they wanted to impress people, and it was working.

Unable to take the feeling of having Oric stare at her, Willow stumbled away, not expecting the man to follow. She tried to close her room door quickly, but he used his foot as a wedge and forced himself inside.

"What do you want from me?" Willow growled. She did not think Oric would hurt her, but she did not want him near her.

"Were you with Cylus?" He asked with narrowed eyes and Willow broke into annoyed laughter. Thinking back on what Cylus had said to her earlier, Willow responded with his words in mind.

"I am not planning on using Cylus to make you jealous. I have no interest in you or any of your friends." Oric stepped closer to Willow, once again demanding an apology for what she had 'done' to him, but she refused. "You think you deserve an apology?" Willow's hands had balled into fists and Oric knew she was ready to swing.

"I do; I defended your name, and you destroyed mine."

"Defended my name?" Willow asked incredulously. "Why did my name need defending in the first place?"

"Willow I-"

"No," she interrupted. "The past is the past, but you don't get to apologize for how you treated me back then. My entire life was uprooted because of you."

Oric had not closed the door behind himself, and Connor drunkenly made his way into the room pulling Willow out with him. The man had confessed his part in what happened over drinks, and he was surprised that she accepted his apology with full sincerity. To Connor, Willow was the same fun-loving girl who had disappeared to The Four Cities without a word, he respected her resilience, and at the moment, she was the most entertaining person to be around.

When Willow was a teen, her personality was outgoing and cheerful; that had not changed. She was a beautiful girl back then, and she was a beautiful woman now. Not just Connor, but everyone liked Willow, and they could not understand what she saw in the then fat, Oric. She clung to him like he was the only person who existed, and for a teen as self-centered as Connor, being ignored for a less attractive person was too much for his pride.