ALANA

67

ARES

I groan as the light shining into the room makes its way onto my face, making the pounding in my head evident.

I sit up in bed, rubbing my face trying to adjust my eyes to the light. Fuck am I hungover?

I never drink enough to get drunk.

I blink many times, trying to clear up my foggy thoughts, to remember last night.

Are you drunk?
Xander stop.
You're scaring me.

"Fuck!" I shout, groaning straight after.

Alana's scared voice echoes through my head, her scared face flashing. Images of her clinging onto Ethan to save herself from me. Images of her shaking and crying, terrified.

"Fuck fuck fuck." I get out of bed rushing to change then running out to find her.

I sprint down the stairs, seeing everyone at breakfast, including Ethan. He eyes me, looking down after.

"Where's Alana figlio?" mama asks, frowning.

"Uh, I don't know, I will look for her, excuse me." I say, walking out.

The guest rooms.

I take the stairs up to the second floor, walking to the hallway when her small body crashes into mine walking from around the corner.

"Oh Im sorry-" she says softly but freezes when she sees that it's me. She steps backwards, her face dropping from a nice expression to a scared one.

"Alana I don't know what came over me." I start. She stumbles further back.

"Please, I don't want to talk right now." she whispers, looking back up at me. I catch her eyes, something familiar shines in them.

Something I haven't seen her look at me with in many days. Fear.

She's scared of me again. We took a step forward and then, I stripped the both of us of the progress. Now we're back where we started. She is scared of me.

I step away, and with one last look in her direction, I walk away.

She hates me.

ALANA

I spent the day in the library with Isla, she also loves to read and mentioned wanting to read but not having a book. So I had brought her here and we had both been reading in silence when a knock came to the door.

"Mam, there is a Mr. Leonard, here to see you." a maid tells me.

Mr. Leonard? I don't know anyone of that name.

"Okay, please ask him to have a seat." I tell her and she nods. "Isla I will be right back okay?" She just nods, going right back to reading.

I should call Ares. I know we are not on the best of terms but I still should call him since I do not know who this person is. I dial his number but he does not pick up.

As I walk to the visitor sitting room, I already hear someone chatting and I enter to see Ethan standing there, talking to an older man in a suit.

"Mrs. Moretti." The older man bows slightly in respect. I nod.

"Forgive me Mr. Leonard, I did not recognize you." I tell him.

"Sí, I am your father's lawyer." he informs. I feel my face fall at the mention of him.

"Oh." I whisper. "Well please sit, you already know Ethan?" I ask as we sit, Ethan sitting beside me as he replies,

"Yes Mr. Leonard is Fathers old friend. I can leave you two to it." he offers but for some reason, perhaps because I do not wish to be alone, I stop him.

"No it's okay, you can stay." I tell him. He looks at me for a minute before nodding.

"Well Mrs. Moretti, your mother left you everything that was in her name when she left the world, in her will. Your Father had it detained while he was living but now that he has also passed on, I come bearing the account all of said assets are in." He informs. What? "They are all now liquid in the form of cash, deposited into this account. Here are the statements and your mothers will." He says, handing me many papers.

My hands shake as I take them from him, barely processing what he is saying. My breathing becomes rapid and I feel my eyes sting with tears as I read some of it. Why am I acting like this.

"Uh, thankyou Mr. Leonard, Alana will call you if she has further questions." Ethan says for me.

I put the papers beside me, clasping my shaky hands together so I can focus on not crying but my mind seems to be in a state of confusion. The only thought dominant is that I am completely alone.

I am completely and utterly alone in this whole world. I do not have anyone I can call mine. I do not have any place to call home. If Ares decides tomorrow to leave me I donot have any place to go.

I feel myself panicking even more as a sob wracks through me.

"Alana, please don't cry." I hear a mans voice. But nothing registers, all I can think of is my helplessness. I take deep breaths when I feel like I can't breathe, making him take my hands in his.

"Okay here," he says, pulling my hands to grab my attention. "Look at me, look at me Alana." the voice says. I look up to find Ethan sitting infront of me on his knees. "There, now breathe in, take deep breath in," I follow his instruction, breathing in. "Now let it go." I breathe out with a whimper accompanying it.

"What's wrong hm? You're okay, you're fine. Everything's gonna be alright I promise, okay?" he soothes. I cry harder, making him pull me towards him. "Shh." he says as I sob into him.

I'm so tired.