Deception. Betrayal. Mistrust.
It seems the closer Rayne gets to the truth, the more she finds herself wanting to run away from it. It's complex and terrifying-more than she ever fathomed.
New family members, good and bad, pop out at her like a br...
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𝗥ayne flushed and exited the bathroom stall; flipping her hair over her shoulder and out of the way, she looked around her and took note of the emptiness of the room. As she submerged her hands in foamy, white soap, she let out a much-needed exhale and closed her eyes.
While the transition from doing nothing to picking up her work where she left off was rather smooth, these first few hours here reminded her just how much was on her plate. Hanging out at home, lounging, and waiting for updates was something she took for granted; living off her own schedule and commitments was a much-preferred lifestyle compared to this side of her life.
Not to mention, now that she was back in the limelight, the amount of reporters at the front door and nosey members of the law firm in the common area was exhausting. Everyone wanted the insider's scoop; of course, Rueben's name was the first thing tossed into the air. Thankfully, most decided to linger in the corners and give her questioning stares, but for those few Kaiser had to forcefully shove away – it became apparent how hard it would be to keep up the narrative that Rueben and she were just friends.
Little do they know.
She opened her eyes and traced the bone and skin of her left ring finger, feeling the weight of a ring that wasn't even there yet. Not because she regretted saying yes to him, but from the expectations of society. She spent her whole life living under a rock, just to grow up and realize that the world is a much bigger playground; the slander was far beyond bullying.
Rayne spun fast, snapping out of her head, seeing the lights flicker.
Water pouring out of the sink was the only sound that appeared in the greyscale bathroom, but she still wandered her paranoid eyes across each surface. She felt the skin of her palms slipping off the porcelain in a mix of panic and slickness as she had not dried her hands yet.
"Is someone there?" she hesitantly asked.
When all that appeared back was the echo of her own voice, she let out a sigh and shook her head. Ever since she involved herself more and learned the personalities of their enemies, she had grown more scared than she'd ever admit verbally. If she didn't share a bed with the literal heir, there's no doubt in her mind that she would sleep with a knife under her pillow.
Turning, she rinsed the rest of the suds off her palms and shut the tap off. She shook her wrists above the bowl, flicking off the excess water; as she moved to reach for the paper towels, her eyes traveled up to the mirror before her.
Her blood chilled and her heart stopped.
Standing right behind her was a man she was all too familiar with.
"Hel—!" she began, but he was too quick.
As she spun, her brother grabbed her mouth with his hand and shoved her into the small gap between each sink. Her head hit the mirror gently as he pushed her up against it and bowed his head to reach eye level with her. She breathed heavily through his palm, keeping her own pressed against the white brick near her backside.
