sweet & brutal || h.s ✔️

~24~

Aria's POV

Sure enough, my stupid but logical thoughts came to life as I prodded the desk and finally a small flap appeared.

I peeled it back and sure enough, there sat the Kingdom Rights Holder Constitution that I needed so bad.

It also had the royal seal on it which meant that it was the only copy. The Kingdom Rights Holder Constitution was signed by politicians when my mum was still in reign. Every time a new royal took the throne, a copy was printed and formally sealed by the politicians in that time. It was a letter that was a backup for every royal. If they were to abdicate the throne, they would have to find another worthy suitor to take the thrown and then sign this form to pass over their rights of the kingdom.

But without this form, no other suitor or member of the royal family besides the heir could rule the land.

So in other words, without this piece of paper Nigel won't achieve his stupid dream of becoming king. So the man can kiss that goodbye.

I slid from underneath the desk and rose from my position on the carpet.

Taking the Kingdom Rights Holder Constitution? Check

Warn Dad? Doing it right now.

I pulled out Clint's phone and dialed dad's number.

I let the phone ring 4 times before hanging up. It was Black Cobras protocol to do that so we were aware who was calling us.

After a while, the phone in my hand buzzed.

I picked it up in a haste.

"Dad"

"Aria?" He replied.

"Yes it's me. Dad you have to listen to me" I said.

"I'm afraid he can't do that." A new voice replied.

I froze.

"Nigel...what did you do" I snarled. The hostility in my voice was so much, I felt the air shift in tension.

"Tut tut. I demand the answers dear" he said.

My nostrils flared. I was too late.

"Now first of all. I don't like how you're calling this piece of shit your 'dad'"

"She's my daughter. I raised her" I heard dad yell but he was obviously attacked in some way because I heard the loud sound of skin on skin.

"Let him go Nigel" I pleaded. I felt my eyes brim with tears. Although, I was in slight denial, there was no second guessing what was about to happen. So I pleaded him like the weak girl I had molded myself into, in the past few days.

"Nope" He answered, nonchalantly.

I heard a distant voice on the other side and I tried focusing on the sound in hopes of hearing it clearer.

It repeated the words, "I love you". I identified it as my Grandfathers. I started to quietly sniffle, hoping Nigel couldn't hear me.

"Say goodbye to your fake family Aria"

I started to sob. I pushed my fist into my mouth to stop it.

The words gradually faded as I heard shuffling from the other end, knowing Nigel was walking away from them.

"You want to hear something"

Nigel asked. I could hear the devious smirk through his voice.

Suddenly all that was heard was a loud explosion.

A single tear dropped from my eye and trailed down my cheek.

The line went blank and I threw the phone at the wall and screamed. I heard the guards coming up the stairs but I didn't care.

My father. My grandfather. My mother.

I had no one now.

But it wasn't the right time for feelings. It never was.

I lifted myself from the ground, wiping my tears and then locked the door to buy myself some time.

I crumpled up the declaration and placed it in my pocket and then went to the safe.

I tried the same code I saw my mother putting in and the door opened thankfully.

I gathered all the money left in the safe and a passport and then locked it securely before lifting the rug beneath my feet.

A small trapdoor was located there and I opened it, sinking my body into the tunnel.

There were many secret places in the palace and I happened to know most of them.

I dropped 4 feet and then landed on the ground safely. I hid behind a wall and watched guards run up the stairs to the office.

Idiots.

I crept behind the stairs and made my way through the hallways.

There was going to be a lineup of guards through here but it was the only way out.

I took a deep breath, grasping the guns in my pockets. I had all my weapons when I was thrown in the dungeon but they were useless against iron bars.

In a split second, I revealed myself from behind the walls. All the guards saw me, running my direction. They all held shotguns which wasn't very helpful.

I gripped my guns harshly and shot left and right. I wasn't even sure who I was shooting at but as I saw most of the bodies collapse, I knew I had aimed at least mildly accurate.

I ran through the hallways, shooting at all my rivals. Bodies littered the halls as I continued to shoot, using all the bullets in my guns.

I ditched the guns, sprinting through the halls until I had cleared them all. I got further away from any human life, the more I ran. But as the last body collapsed, I stared into the eyes of my heartbreak.

His pale hands gripped the gun and his unruly hair and piercing green eyes pointed my way.

He held guilt and sorrow in his eyes, similar to what I had seen previously.

I retracted my gun. As I neared him, he lowered his gun as well.

"Aria" He whispered.

"I didn't do it. You have to understand baby" He said helplessly. I wasn't convinced though. I was so blinded by hate, betrayal and sadness that I couldn't help it when my fingers cocked the gun I had picked up and sent a bullet flying through his leg.

His face contorted in pain as he sunk to the floor.

I knelt down beside him, looking into his eyes.

"If you ever come after me. I will kill you" I whispered and then got up, walking away from the man I love.

-------

I hot-wired a car nearby the palace and drove to the airport.

I was leaving the country. Obviously.

My work wasn't done but there was no way I was going to end this whole thing in Australia.

While I looked for the constitution on Nigel's desk, I saw plans and maps about massive drug deals and business making events. But they weren't here. They were where I was going.

"Flights to Holmes Chapel, Cheshire boarding now"

They were in England.