Continuation of chapter one

It was a happy and glorious night as I celebrated my return from boarding school. I was 15 and hyper, controlled by my hormones. Back then I loved my dad and I couldn't wait to tell him all about my adventures in high school. So, I took the stairs two at a time not stopping to catch my breath. And in a hurry, I bumped into one of the maids and the dishes she was carrying fell to the floor with a smash. I quickly got up and helped her as well. "Am sorry. Am in a hurry. Is dad here?" I said as I helped her pick up the ceramic pieces shattered on the shinning tiles. She smiled as she helped me with the pieces.

"Don't worry my lady, I'll clean it up. And yes, his with your mother in their room." I smiled up at her finishing up with the plate pieces. Then I got up and resumed my sprint to my dad's room. But I stopped in my tracks as I heard voices come from my dad's room. My dad had remarried when my mom had died 5 years ago. And my two brothers were buried along with her. Because they had both been with her when the plane crashed. It took me months of mourning and grief but my dad helped me get through it all. To the point that I didn't mind him having a second wife. And I even loved the thought of having smaller siblings. But that all changed that very day as I overheard the conversation my father was having with Tessa my dad's second wife. And my step mother.

"Honey she's just a girl," Tessa said to him. "And she will grow up to be a beautiful woman. But she can't own the half of the kingdom or rule Reshketh it's just not done. No real man in power would respect her position and they'd probably take her power away. Which would disadvantage your powerful line."

"She's still my hair…" I could hear his resolve braking even as he tried to defend me.

"Of course, she is, and this is why am trying to protect her. That is where Shane comes in, he is your blood. He would rule and claim the other half of the kingdom as well. And Lorrain would be given a most glorious estate and married off to a most eligible suitor." My dad said nothing. He was speechless, until I heard his voice again.

"You are right wife, only Shane has the power to do this. To become a ruler of Reshketh as a whole and to make regal the Sullivan name."

Defeated and ashamed of myself I ran from there. As far as my legs could take me. Which apparently was my room. I arrived soon after and lay on the bed and sobbed and sobbed for as much as I could. Then I got up and snack out of my new found prison. Using some tunnels that had been placed there as an escape route. For the previous people who had lived in the mansion. It was easy for me to locate the route leading me out of the mansion. Because mother loved to explore the tunnels with me and we would always visit a specific park flowing in green and other flourishing varying beauties of nature. As I made my way hazily to my mother's favourite tulips. The lovely cents that came off the flowers invaded my nostrils as tears cascaded down my cheeks in waves. "In times like this," I said to myself in the darkness, happy that the moon was there to not only provide light but to listen to my ranting. "I really wish she was here." Exhaustion took over at that moment and I fell atop the grass not even minding what creepy-crawlers lay beneath the ground. I didn't even know how long I lay there, seconds, minutes, hours. I had been lost to the world and everything else.

"Hi, you here alone?" a male voice asked as footsteps approached me. I turned without a care in the world for what would happen to me. 

"Maybe and how is it any of your concern?" He shrugged in a way that said it wasn't but he came to sit right next to me. 

"Am Gregory, I live in an orphanage nearby, and I know am not supposed to be here this late in the night but here I am. So, am guessing you're also not supposed to be here?" Gregory seemed to be about my age, and there was something about him that made me calmer.

"Am Lorrain, I just needed some air and I needed to get away that's why I came here." I said sighing.

"I get it sometimes air can be good for your brain." The thing I liked most about Gregory is that he never questioned why I was there. And that he even tried to make me as care free as possible. "So, Lorry are we friends now?" I smiled at my new nickname.

"Maybe Greggy boy," his face scrunched at his new nickname.

"That's terrible!" that only made me laugh.

"Am afraid you're gonna have to stick to it." I said as I got up.

"Where you off to?" he got up as well.

"Home, want to come with Greggy boy?" I meant it sarcastically.

"Sure, why not?" I frowned at him.

"If you come then you'll never be able to come back." and at the moment I didn't know how true those words would turn out to be.

"I think you're worth it." I could only smile at him, wishing he knew that I wasn't at least my dad never thought so. But I chose not to argue as we made our way to the tunnels.

We arrived a few minutes later I was more than happy to find no one in my room. "Wow! You didn't tell me you were rich!!" Gregory said astonished but before I could respond a hand full of men came barging in. In all the confusion I managed to recognize Fred my dad's head of security. "Sir, she's back." He murmured quietly in his walky-talky. Then he told dad about Gregory, murmured a few yeses then proceeded to capture him. "Greg? What are you doing? Leave him alone!!!" but no one listened to me so I grabbed a gun from one of the men who had surrounded us. "I said leave him alone or I'll shoot." I had pointed the gun at myself and everyone looked on at me with worry. "My lady," Fred began. "We can't. He might be a threat or a spy from the enemy." 

"I don't care leave him alone or I shoot." They looked at each other wondering if they could obey. When my dad marched in.

"Put the gun down Lorrain. Now!!!" I didn't listen to him.

"Am not doing that unless you let him go." I glared at my father trying to make my voice sound menacing and barely succeeding.

"You don't even know me lorry." This time Gregory spoke.

"I know you enough to say, that if you planned on hurting me. You would have done it in the park where I was alone." Dad only glared at his security.

"Lorry put down the goddamn gun!! It doesn't make a difference whether I live or die I don't have a family to go to." That made me smirk bitterly.

"But of course, it does. Because even though we just met. Greg, I feel like I have someone I can talk to for real. For the first time since mom died, I feel like I have found someone who understands." I could see hurt in my dad's eyes at my choice of words.

"Please don't do this Lorry. You warned me. It's my fault. Am the one who didn't listen." I smiled at him. Yes, he might have listened but I should have tried harder it's my fault and now Greg was going to die. And I would be left here alone friendless.

"You're worth it." And I would have pulled the trigger. If dad hadn't stopped me.

"Wait!! Stop Lorrain!!! The boy won't die." Just then my grip faltered and one of the men grabbed the gun from me. But dad continued diligently. "He won't die," then he turned to Greg.

 "Boy you have two choices," Greg looked on at him unflinching, but his hands seemed to be shaking and I hated the fact that I was the one responsible for the position he was now in. "One you either can live and stay as far from here as possible or stay and become Lorrain's friend and chief of security." And it's clear now the choice Greg made. 

And for a while the decision Greg made gnawed on me, ate me up. How could he be with me when he had had a choice to be rid of this place when he could? I felt so guilty that I couldn't look him in the eye when we talked. As weeks passed and his training got tougher, my guilt only got worse as I strived to hide it.

"Lorry, why do you look so deep in thought?" Greg asked as I sat on my bed and stared at the wall like it held all the answers to my questions.

"Nothing really Greggy boy," I said, trying to smile but failing completely. Tessa had just been in by room a while ago. Explaining to me how I could be so petty as to try to kill myself. And proceeding on to tell me how my behavior was the kind the kingdom did not need. 

"I think I know you well enough by now to know when you're lying." He said as he moved away from the door. Swiftly entering the room and coming to sit by me. And my head immediately made contact with his shoulder. In a manner that said I had grown accustomed to this posture for a while now.

"Fine," I said retelling my talk with Tessa. And when I was done Greg looked angry. 

"Why do you tolerate her?" I smiled a weak smile.

"For dad, he doesn't say much but losing two sons and a wife in one day really kills you." I said trying to make him understand.

"But that doesn't mean you get to marry. Have kids and treat your remaining heir like shit." And immediately the word heir leaves his mouth I feel my body stiffen. Two days after Greg had decided to stay with me. I had told him about what I had heard the day we had bumped into each other. So, he studied me for only a second then pulled me into his arms and spoke.

"Whatever you choose to do from now onward. I will be with you every step of the way. You are not alone in this and will never be as long as am here." 

And from that day I've never once doubted Greg. He was there when Tessa chased me out of my home and told me I was too old to be living under my dad's roof. He was there when she brought me multiple suitors including Scott to be rid of me. He was there when I tried to tell dad the truth and when dad said it clearly that 'I was nothing like my mother and that I was one of his greatest regrets'. So, in this moment as Greg holds me in his arms, I know that am not going through all this alone. That his right there if I need him. 

"Greg," he looks down at me, his gaze never wavered. 

"Yes, lorry." I smiled up at him. His brown warm eyes gave me comfort.

"Thank you." That got me a winning smile. A smile that I hadn't seen for months.

"You're welcome."

It was around 9 30 in the evening as I got out of the jeep Greg moving in front of me as he scanned the area. The jeep with the rest of my men parked next to the one I'd came in. the men surrounding me as they usually did. Greg had given me the gun that was now loaded in my hand. I had been practicing for over a year so I was quite aquatinted with the feel of it in my grasp. I locked the bullets in place ready to fire as soon as I got the chance to. The men made their way to the shipping warehouses. The sea breeze fresh in the air as I neared my target. As we arrived one of the men opened the door and Gregory was know where in sight. Because we knew that if Scott saw him he would recognize me on sight and wouldn't even bother putting a hole in my head. I made my way inside the men covering my body, when half way through the room I stopped. Clutching my gun safely as his familiar voice rang out in the room.

"Mrs. Sullivan, am afraid there's been a slight change of plans." He said softly. "I will not marry the girl. She is but a nuisance and I have no time nor patience of being in a committed relationship." Scott continues not bothering to check who his talking to.

A few months ago as I was lying in bed next to Scott. He got a call in the middle of the night but, what he didn't realize was that I wasn't asleep. So while he left his room and went to pick up the call in his office I also succeeded in listening to their conversation.

"Reynolds, have you slept with her yet?" the revolting sound of my step mother on the other end of the line made me want to vomit. But I steadily held my own against the nauseous feeling.

 "Yes, it was quite easy actually. A pity she'll never know." I could feel my step mom's smile radiating through the landline. As Scott spoke with a full confidence.

 "Good we're running out of time you'll have to propose as soon as possible." She paused then. "And don't screw this up. I need the companies in my name." then she hang up.

That was when I started to dig up on who Scott really was and I had discovered a lot about him. And a few weeks later I had decided on what to do.

So as Scott spoke he thought he was speaking to my step mother. "And I have nothing to give you considering. I did the work on my own." So he was planning to double cross Tessa too. I smiled wickedly content. Then the men moved aside to reveal me.

"Am afraid that won't happen dear fiancée," I said beaming. Scott was speechless. "I will be taking everything including your companies."

His Shock only lasted for a second before he burst out laughing. His men hovering around him scanning for danger that they did not know was standing in front of them. "Still day dreaming I can see lady Sullivan." But nobody could erase the huge smile plastered on my face.

"You impotent moron, you're wallowing in your own demise and you don't even know it." His smug smile turned into a glare.

"What do you mean wallowing?" And I surprised myself when my smile got bigger.

"Remember those documents I made you sign three weeks ago. The ones where I told you I wanted my pent- house to be in your name." I paused for dramatic effect, then continued, "You felt a bit under the weather having drank the wine I had given you that was laced with a laxative. And you were so excited you signed the papers as soon as you could just so we could have celebratory sex." I didn't wince even as uneasy as I felt talking about my personal life in front of my men. "Well dear fiancée. Am sorry to say but those property papers weren't for the pent-house they were for your companies and the companies that dad gave to you. And you signed them all to your beloved fiancée." He seemed to be in shock.

"You bitch am gonna kill you for that." But before he could lunge at me his men started dropping dead on the ground one by one. And before he knew it he was alone and I was pointing the gun straight to his forehead.

"My dear scotty-wotty, I loved him so and for him to have left everything in my name. Heaven knows the man was such a gem." He scowled. His eyes blazing with untold rage.

"You'll pay bitch."

"How? You'll come back to haunt me from your grave?" I asked not really caring for his answer. His eyes went solemn and bear and once upon a time in another life I would have fallen for that look. I would have melted and ran right back to him. But knowing him now, I would never fall for his performances.

"Baby you can't shoot me you are too in love with me to do that..." and I cut him off mid-sentence.

"Watch me." I said pulling the trigger as the look of shock stayed plastered to his face as he fell to the ground dead. Then I turned not wanting to see his face as his lifeless body fell to the ground, I left my men trailing behind me.

Hit List

7. Scott Reynolds.

6. Daniel carnal.

5.Garret stone.

4. Jack Hussein

3. Antonio Reeds

2. Russell Robertson

1. Logan Kane

One down six more to go.