𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐥 ✔️

♡ Chapter 20 ♡

"It's almost Christmas!" I cheer.

Reese sat on the couch, watching me decorate the tree that I forced him to go out and get. He watched me decorate it, with the most beautiful white decorations you could ever find. 

Well, at least in the second aisle at Walmart.

Every single year, my family and I would get a tree and decorate it. But not this year. 

"Mhm," he mumbles as if it weren't the best holiday. He's clearly not as excited as I am. 

I set the last decoration onto the tree before walking over to him.

I sit down sideways on his lap, and his arms went round my back, and over top of my legs. I asked him, "Aren't you excited? It's only next week. Hey - what do you want for Christmas?"

"For you to be mine," he says softly, pushing some hair behind my shoulder.

I nearly melt in his arms.

"So ask me to be," I reply with a smile.

His big hand moves up and down my leg.

"Azalea Blanc, will you-"

The door swings open and nobody other than my cousin from Argentina walks in. He stops walking once he notices me, and looks me up and down.

I'm ready for his words. You shouldn't be here, you don't belong here, go back to your side.

But to my surprise, slowly, he gives me a thumbs up. He nods, "Nice work, kid."

Oh my gosh we're totally best friends now.

"So, where do we go from here?" Alec asks, sitting on the single sofa chair across from us.

I slide off Reese's lap, and ask, "What do you mean?"

"Well, this is still a war," Alec states like a fact. "And the war doesn't end until either your dad, or Reese, is dead. And definitely not trying to sound like I'm picking a side or anything, but it's gonna be your dad that dies, Azalea."

I look down at my lap and play with my hands.

"Look," I look back up and set my hands against my thighs. "We don't have to kill him to win - we can just make him lose everything he has."

"Joesph has everything. He has billions of dollars, thousands of men at his disposal, and not to mention allies. Unlike somebody," Alec points to Reese, and Reese lifts his hand up in the air. "He has people willing to do whatever he says."

"Never been good at friends," Reese shrugs in response. 

My mouth hangs open for a few moments while I think about what to say. I didn't tell Reese about what happened with my mom yesterday.

And I knew exactly why I didn't, as embarrassing as it is to admit. 

I was holding out hope. Hope that my parents would turn around. That my dad would apologize, stop going after Reese, and that my mom would say she's not okay with what my dad is doing. 

"Azalea?" Reese says softly at my silence. His hand rubs up and down my back gently. 

I snap myself out of my thoughts. 

I shrug, "I don't know. But I'm not comfortable with killing him."

"So, no worries. Reese will do it for you," Alec points at him. 

"No he won't," I shake my head.

But out of the corner of my eye, I see Reese avoiding looking at me. I turn my head toward him and ask in a soft voice, "Right?"