REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

23. Arabella

Gwendoline is a old white woman with hair as pale as her skin. She has rosy cheeks and wrinkles which define her age. Though, she's very talkative.

"You're beautiful, my darling. I know why Mr. Reign likes you so much." She takes a lock of my hair and twirls it around her finger.

"You're friends with him?"

"Friends, no." She laughs, pulling out her bag and notepad, "There was a murder case he was involved in whenever the was thirteen and i was the psychologist to assess him."

Damn. Thirteen?

"But enough talk about him, what's going on with you." She smiles nicely.

I fiddle with my fingers, i haven't put the ring back on yet. I won't. Not until Roman is mine.

"How can i tell if someone's manipulating me?" I ask, Vincent's eyes in the corner of the room land on mine and he looks away quickly.

Gwendoline sighs, "Well... there's a lot of factors that can result in that. Can i know the context of the situation?"

"I was supposed to go to Nevada, we've been planning it for so long. There was an Ariana Grande concert that Luca and I were going to go to, Roman wanted me to go and see his casinos... But then yesterday they told me i couldn't go because of some stupid reason that makes no sense to me and now i'm stuck here. Roman said he was sorry... but... But i don't know if he's only saying that."

She writes this down, "Did he say anything else to you?"

"He said he didn't want to leave while i was angry at him, told me not to cry over him, that he'll make it up to me. But... But if you know Roman, you know he doesn't apologise. But he said sorry to me... twice."

"How did you feel when he apologised?"

"I didn't know to believe him or not- everything that comes out of his mouth. I know he's manipulative, i've seen him be that way, but... but at the same time i guess i thought it was real." I don't even know. It's hard to try and love a psycopath.

"Did you think it was real or did you want to believe it was real, because they're two different things."

"Both." I pick up a grape, plopping it into my mouth.

"Did he do anything to make you believe it was real?"

"He slept with me." I say, and can read the confusion in her face. I elaborate, "He fucks me, but he never sleeps with me after. He slept with me. Usually he just leaves me, doesn't even clean me up. He cleaned me up and slept with me. Like that could be mind games right? For me to fall for his act."

"Potentially, but from assessing Roman personally, it's hard to decipher." She clears her throat. "Do you feel like he gaslights you?"

"No." I shrug. "But then there's... don't judge me for this." I look at her, but then look over at Vincent too. "He basically gave me the okay to fuck his friends. Like, who does that?"

"Have you?" She asks.

"Yes. Both." I nod, Luca's and i was a quick fuck in the back of his car, "And Roman knows. He doesn't even care. He's seen me fucking Asher and hasn't gave a shit."

"Do you have feelings for them?"

"Not... Not romantic ones. Because i know i'm basically going to die with Roman, i don't really care for anyone like that apart from him. But... I like the way they treat me sometimes."

"How is that?" She writes this down.

"Well, for starters they sleep with me after we fuck, they cuddle me, they're nice to me, they don't manhandle me whenever they can, they help me too, whenever i'm upset or tired, they'll leave their duties to do that."