Bloodbound: The Alliance
Chapter 48 - 52

Chapter 48: Chapter 52

Luciano POV

The bombardment feels like he’s pounding on my skull. I surge up the steps to see Silas beating his fist on Avara’s door. Ever since we got back—Avara hasn’t said a word. Not on the flight or drive back. I figured she needed time to process and deal with the shitstorm that damned Landen through her into. And the media isn’t helping with articles smearing her for the scandal, bearing the brunt of the public’s blow.

Do they criticize the disgusting behaviors of the man, no they crucify the woman instead.

Allison has expertly wrangled the reins of the affair but it was difficult because there was incriminating evidence—all that put her in a bad light. Landen’s sex exploits and debauchery is infamous, but Avara—the saint herself sinning with the devil’s son. Something that’s a bit too hard to overlook. A part of me wished I unleashed Silas to break Landen’s neck when we all found out he exposed Avara like that—leaking those pictures to press. But we have our orders. We can’t touch him.

"Enough of that!"

Silas’s eyes snap at me, pausing to glare back at me. "She hasn’t eaten anything since we were in Morocco—she hasn’t left her room since we got back."

My anger shifts. "She hasn’t eaten?" I echo.

"No."

I go over to slam my fist on the door with a hard thud. "Avara, open this door."

The deep reverberation fades into deafening silence.

"Open this damn door or I will break it down," Silas barks.

"We both know he’ll do it," I add loudly.

A strained voice leaks through. "Do that and I’ll talk to you again."

"Avara–"

I clasp my hand around the back of Sila’s neck to steer him away forcefully. He wrenches himself away and comes face-to-face with me like he wants to beat me out of frustration. Always on the verge of violence.

"Leave her alone," I conclude. "If we keep pushing, she’s going to shut down."

"She’s not eating. She’s already shutting down," he says urgently. "I’m not going to let her suffer all because of a fucker like Landen—that playboy needs to be dealt with."

I lift a warning finger to his face. "You know what dad said. Watch yourself. I need you to cool down. Avara is distraught as it is, she doesn’t need you terrorizing her."

"She’s not eating," he repeats helplessly.

"We’ll just have to call for backup, then. You know where Kels is?"

Silas huffs, he wrings out his hands, tension still bunched in his shoulders. "Well, she’s a business owner. I’m sure she’s back at the boutique."

"Public holiday," I refute. "The boutique closed early."

I slip out my phone from my back pocket. I walk back down stairs as the line still rings. Silas follows me until we reach the living room and even there—it still rings. Just when I’m about to drop the call—a tortured groan cuts through.

"Lucie, love," she drags tiredly. "Normally I would be happy to hear that butter-smooth sexy voice—and whatever offer that comes from hearing it. But I’ve been working back-to-back—one of my employers called in sick this week, so I had an extra load with all the backlog of orders. Today is the only day I’ve had to rest—so please. Let me rest."

A pang of guilt makes me swallow my protest. "Yeah, okay. I’m sorry. Everything’s okay."

She releases an explosive sigh. "It clearly isn’t—I can hear it in your voice that’s sounding not so smooth."

"It’s Avara," I blurt like word vomit. "I thought she would’ve shaken it off but now—but this hit her bad."

"What did?"

I stop pacing and Silas waves frantically trying to discern what she’s saying.

"You don’t know?" I breathe. "How do you not know?"

"Know what?" she says with a kick of frustration. "Maybe you didn’t hear me. Whilst you guys were living it up in Morocco—I still need an update about that, by the way. I was working, day in-day out, drafting new designs even. So what did I even miss—Vance’s fake proposal?"

I hum a refusal.

"Then what?"

"Vance wasn’t the one that proposed. Landen did and get this. Apparently the family, heirloom ring or whatever went missing prior to the trip. And it miraculously appeared in Landen’s hand when he proposed to Avara at the party in front of everyone."

"What?" she shrieks.

"Save your shock for the next part. Landen clearly had people following them whenever he and Avara were alone together. He leaked pictures and chats—all out of context. But it looks compelling in a very bad, slut-shaming way because it looks like she was double dipping, if you know what I mean. And the media is eating it up like vultures."

Kelsey blows out a heavy breath.

"She won’t come out of her room. She isn’t eating—I don’t know what to do."

"I’ll be there after an hour."

She drops the call and Silas gawks at me expectantly.

"What did she say?"

I squeeze the phone, pocketing it as I say, "She’s coming."

"Where’s dad?" Silas demands. "He should be here—for her, for once."

I reverse without looking before I collapse on the couch with a drawn-out sigh.

"I don’t know, man."

Silas dumps himself on the far end of the same couch. "He tells you everything."

With my head still straight, my eyes leap to the corner of my periphery to prick him a sidelong glare. "He’d loop you into more things if you were trustworthy."

He pivots sharply. "Trustworthy?"

"You have the temper of an angry drunk—reckless and violent. When I say cool it—cool it."

Silas scoffs like a scolded child, crossing his arms stubbornly but he doesn’t talk back.

"He mentioned something," I admit. "Honestly, these days, every time I detect a hint of lie I sort of tune him out."

We share an uneasy look, a concern we both harbor, felt in the quiet spaces of the unspoken. From there, neither of us say anything. We sit in a numbing silence until a stern knock on the front door pulls me out of the stupor. I rise and Silas follows me out to the entryway. I open the door and Kelsey slices past me with a big takeout bag from a Thai restaurant in her hand.

"She still her room?" she asks with an authoritative tone.

"Yes," I answer.

Silas and I shadow her as we all make our way upstairs. At the top of the steps, my hand cuts down in front of him like a barrier to stop him. He yields and we hang back, lingering nearby. Kelsey goes up to the door, she lifts a tentative hand before she knocks it on it assertively.

"Hey, asshole!"

My eyes snap wide.

"I said it," she shouts at the door. "I heard what happened—and it sucks, like it really does. But why am I hearing it from your brothers, and not you? I’m not going to beg you to open this door because I’m not going to entertain this pity party. Your situation is bad, so what? Bad things happen to everyone. The real question is what are you going to do about it?"

The door flings open and Silas and I poke our head further simultaneously.

Avara appears in the threshold with her hair disheveled in a knotted mess, wearing oversized pajamas that hang heavily on her frame, drooping like her tangled bun.

"It’s not just about me—it’s about Vance, too," she wails with a sob creeping behind her words. "I promised him. I promised I wouldn’t humiliate him—hurt him. And I did."

"You didn’t do this," she says with an equally raised voice filling with passion. "Landen did. He had the game rigged from jump—he orchestrated this so you were bound to lose. He clearly planned all of this. Vance will obviously see that—you’re just as much of a victim as him. But we can’t let the world see that—they must only see you for what you. A strong, kind and untained person. Keep silent and lies will spread. Speak and control the narrative to reclaim your power. That’s how you win."

Avara breaks into a heart-wrenching cry and she falls forward. Kelsey captures her with one arm, almost stumbling back. The pain bellowing in her half-gasping lament twists something in my chest, coiling in my chest to the point that I lurch forward. This time, Silas is the one that holds me back with a mirrored look of anguish. I’ve never heard anything more tormenting than hearing my baby sister cry like that. Deep-seated seeds of resentment crack through as all I can dwell on is that it’s his fault. And dad’s not even here.