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#trr king liam x mc
ao719 · 3 months
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What's Already Mine
A/N: This is a part of my Us Again series. Submission for @choicesflashfics using prompt #2. Not beta’d. Please excuse any errors.
Title Inspiration: Already Mine - Us The Duo
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x MC (Katherine)
Rating: G • Warnings: None.
Word count: 2500
Catch up here
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Both my suit jacket and arm are draped over Katherine’s shoulders as we walk back towards the hotel from her old bar where I found her. 
We’ve walked in silence for a few blocks and it’s deafening despite the bustling city around us. We’ve seemed to have only a silent understanding of the situation; neither of us has said a word. 
My mind is too muddled to speak. I don’t know what to say because there’s so much to be said but nothing all at once. I don’t want to ask if she’s alright because obviously she isn’t. I don’t need to ask what’s wrong because I know. I know why she was there. I know why she broke down when she saw me. 
Despite knowing, I don’t know what to say … and I hate myself for it. 
I glance down at her when I hear a sniffle; she’s staring at the ground as she walks holding my jacket securely around herself. I watch her hand poke up from beneath the lapels to wipe a tear from her cheek and I feel my heart break a little more. 
I want to tell her it’s ok, that it’ll be ok, that we’ll be ok. I want her to tell me the same. But I know that neither of us can say that right now with certainty. 
So we continue to walk … in silence. 
****
Once back at the hotel, Katherine and I step inside our suite. I shut the door behind me and start to follow her as she walks into the bedroom; now that my arm isn’t around her, I notice that she’s a little wobbly on her feet thanks to her slightly tipsy state. She didn’t have much to drink, only a couple of glasses of wine at the gala, and based on the tab I paid at the bar before leading her out, I’d surmise no more than two drinks there, but I know she’s barely eaten anything today which is doing her no favors and she’s always been a bit of a lightweight as it is. 
When I enter the bedroom steps after Katherine, I see her draping my suit jacket on a chair. She then reaches back, attempting to grab the zipper of her gown, but she can’t quite reach it. When she becomes frustrated, evident by the small huffs of breath she keeps releasing, I step up behind her and gently cover my hand with hers. She goes completely still. After a moment, she glances over her shoulder; her eyes are rimmed red and still misty when she meets my gaze. I give a soft nod, and she slowly lowers her hand as she looks straight ahead again. 
As I lower the zipper of her gown, I let my thumb graze her spine, and I swallow thickly. When was the last time I touched my wife like this? The last time that my fingers brushed against her bare skin? I think back … it’s been a year. We were in Ramsford for the Beaumont Bash and we both had a lot to drink that night. I vaguely remember stumbling into our room, my hands tugging at the fabric of her dress and her arms wrapping around my neck as I kicked the door shut. Before that night, it had been months since we’d last been intimate, and before that, even more months. When we woke the next morning, we showered and dressed without a word, and when we arrived back at the palace, she went to the east wing while I headed to my study. It was awkward in a way and treated like it never happened. I think that’s when the deteriorating state of our marriage started to slowly consume my thoughts. 
Once her zipper is lowered enough, Katherine takes a step away and turns to face me, holding the front of her gown against her chest so it doesn’t fall. I slip my hands into my pockets to stop myself from reaching for her because I don’t know if that’s something I’m allowed to do anymore. We stare at one another, and my eyes are silently pleading with her. Talk to me. Please. Talk. To. Me. I can swear I see a similar plea in her own eyes. I open my mouth to speak but quickly snap it shut because I still have no idea what to say. 
“Thank you,” she whispers. 
“Of course,” I nod in reply. After staring at me almost expectantly, she lets out a soft breath and turns. “Katherine, I …” 
She stops and looks back at me; I see a flicker of something … of what I think is hope mixed with desperation and worry. “Yeah …?”
I hold my breath and her gaze for a moment before shaking my head. “Nothing …” 
Her breath subtly hitches in her throat as she drops my gaze and nods. When she disappears into the bathroom, I hang my head, squeezing my eyes shut in disappointment. 
Disappointment with myself, where we are, and my inability to grasp how to fix it. 
I begin to loosen my tie, but I freeze as my eyes shift to the bathroom door when I swear I hear a muffled cry from behind it. 
Where did it go? The love I once knew? It’s lost in the dark The light can’t shine through Where did we go? I can’t see it now I’m fighting the night To find you somehow…
*******
My fingers are steepled over my lips as I stare out the window of my study. My mind is in the same place as it has been for the past week since returning home: my marriage. Hell, my mind was here before our trip, but now, it’s all I can think about morning, noon, and night.
Katherine and I have yet to speak about what happened in New York. The morning after finding her in the bar, we sat through a silent breakfast followed by a few appearances that were scheduled before heading to the airport for our flight home. On the jet, I almost said something but decided against trying to have that conversation 35,000 feet in the air with no escape if we needed one. 
In hindsight … maybe that wouldn’t have been the worst idea. 
Since we’ve returned home, things have gone back to exactly how they’ve been. I work through the day and go to the east wing for our nighttime routine with the children. But instead of leaving the moment they go to sleep to go back to my study or the west wing … I’ve lingered. I think she believes I’m just waiting to be sure the children are asleep before slipping out, not realizing I’m there for her. I’m trying to give myself the courage to bring it up, but I find an excuse every damn time. It’s not good timing. It’s late. The kids are there. Whatever my mind can conjure up, it does. My fight or flight has turned to strictly flight; I flee every time. And either she’s having the same thoughts and coming up with the same excuses to not bring it up herself … or she’s completely given up, which after what happened in New York, it’s plausible. 
The bottom line is this: I know we’ve reached our limit. I know, one way or another, a very difficult conversation is eventually coming. 
At this point, it’s inevitable … and it fucking terrifies me. 
I’m so lost in thought that I don’t even register the knock on my study door. It’s not until I feel a shove against my arm and hear my name that I finally snap out of it and glance up to see Drake staring at me questioningly. 
“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head as I straighten in my chair. “I didn’t hear you come in.” 
“No shit,” Drake playfully scoffs. “I knocked a few times … called your name when I came inside, but you were zoned out.” 
I release a breath and nod, rubbing my eyes with the pads of my fingers. “Yeah … sorry. It’s been a long week.” I blink a few times to focus my vision and when I do, I see Drake now sitting across from me. His arms are folded across his chest and his brow is arched. “What?”
“Seriously, Li … what’s been going on with you?”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you like this over the last few months. You seem like you have a lot more than just the stress of running a kingdom on your mind.”
I look away, unable to hold his gaze. Neither Katherine nor I have ever mentioned anything to our friends pertaining to the state of our marriage. We’ve put on the same show in front of them that we have in front of everyone else. 
“Liam … talk to me.” 
I look at my best friend again, trying to rein in the sadness I feel. If I can’t talk to Katherine, maybe talking to someone will help. I clasp my hands together and lean forward against my desk as I let out a heavy sigh.
And I end up breaking down as I tell him everything. 
Drake listens without interruption, but he doesn’t hide the surprise in his expression. When I finish, I can see him still trying to process everything I’ve just told him. 
“I never would have guessed … any of that,” Drake finally says. 
“We’re good at hiding it,” I say. Too good. “It’s just … it’s become our norm. It’s like second nature now … putting on the front.” 
“Why haven’t you guys ever said anything?”
I can hear the hint of hurt in his tone. “I don’t … I don’t know,” I reply truthfully. “I can’t speak for her, but for me … I guess it’s … I feel like I’ve already let her down … and the kids. I didn’t want to let my friends down, too.” 
“Liam, you’re not letting any of us down.” 
“I’m supposed to maintain this image of my life. Acknowledging that my marriage had completely fallen apart to myself was hard enough. Saying it out loud to someone else …” I shake my head. 
“So what the hell are you going to do?” Drake asks. “I mean, you’re going to fix it, right?”
“I don’t know,” I scoff with a shrug. “I don’t know if it can be fixed.” 
Drake’s brow furrows. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that …” I trail off, chewing the inside of my cheek, not wanting to say my next words, but they come anyway. “I’m saying that perhaps this is the end of our story.”
“What the fuck, Li?” Drake barks as he abruptly stands from his chair. The reaction startles me, and I look at him, unable to hide my surprise. “How could you even say that?”
“Do you think that’s what I want?” I snap. “Because it’s not! But I can’t force us to get back to where we once were!”
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Drake chides, and when I open my mouth to retort, he leans forward, getting right in my face. “It’s bullshit. And. You. Know. It.” He stands upright. “To just accept defeat is not only the easy, coward’s way out, it’s not you!”
“Drake—”
“No, I don’t want to hear it,” Drake interrupts. “What you and Katherine have … it’s the fucking dream, Li. And I’m not talking about the literal fairytale crap,” he says, waving his hands dismissively. “I’m talking about the real shit. I watched you two; I had a front-row fucking seat. I watched your story unfold. I watched you both fight like hell to be together. And here you are now, a decade later, and you’re ready to wave the white flag because you two hit a rough patch that you won’t acknowledge to each other? Fuck. That.”
As I stare up at him, I feel a tear slip down my cheek … because I know he’s right. I clear my throat and snap my gaze toward the window, trying to fight back my emotions.
“I know you both, Li, and neither of you would keep putting yourself through this if you truly wanted to walk away. That’s gotta stand for something.” 
My gaze shifts up to his again. “I don’t want to walk away,” I say through a cracked whisper.
“Then you fight.”
Where did it go? The passionate fire? We can’t find the flame And now we’re both tired What do we do When all we have left Is dying for life But on its last breath?
****
That evening, as I’m finishing up my work for the day and finalizing some plans I’ve set into motion, I hear a knock on my study door and call for them to enter. When I look up, Katherine steps inside. “Hi,” I greet her as I rise from my chair.
“Hello,” Katherine responds. She quietly closes the door behind her. “I’m sorry to bother—”
“You’re not bothering me,” I interrupt as I walk around my desk. 
Katherine swallows, holding my gaze as she subtly nods. “I, uh … I was just trying to get things in order with my schedule for next week, but it’s … did you have it cleared?”
“I did,” I answer, and my heart is pounding in my chest as I watch the confusion fill her expression while I try to keep mine impassive. 
“Why?”
“Because we’re going on a trip.”
Katherine’s brows raise. “We?”
“Yes,” I nod. “We … as in you and me.” 
“A trip for what?”
“That’s still to be determined,” I say cryptically. 
Katherine furrows her brow. “Is it a work-related thing?” 
Even though I expected her to think that, it still hurts when she asks. “No,” I shake my head. “It’s not.”
“I’m confused …” 
“About?”
“We … we haven’t gone on a trip that wasn’t duty-related in a long time,” Katherine says. “At least … not together.”
“I think it’s safe to say we’re a bit overdue,” I quip. 
“But what about—”
“Eleanor and Lucas are going to have some quality time with their Uncle Drake,” I interrupt again, knowing what she’s wondering. “I spoke with him and made all of the arrangements already.” 
Katherine lets out a sigh as she continues to stare at me. “I …” She trails off, shaking her head. “I don’t understand …”
My impassive wall drops and I sigh as I let the emotion I’ve been trying to conceal fill my features. “Katherine …” I speak just above a whisper. “You and I … we’re lost.” 
I see her eyes slightly widen as she lets out a breath before she drops my gaze, but not before I see the pain fill her expression. It’s as if hearing me finally acknowledge the truth we’ve both known but have remained silent about out loud has gravely wounded her. 
“We’re lost and we both know it. And we can’t keep running from it. We need to face it. We need to … to talk about it and figure out if we’re going to find ourselves again — find us again — or …” I trail off, struggling to say the next words out loud. “Or if we’re going to walk away from this … from each other … because we can’t keep living this way.” 
When Katherine looks back up at me, tears trickle down her cheeks. She parts her lips to speak but stops as she lifts a hand and rests it against her throat to where I assume the lump is that’s stolen her voice. More tears fall and more confusion crosses her expression as she continues to hold my gaze. 
“I cleared both of our schedules for the next two weeks,” I continue to explain, “and made arrangements for this trip … just for us.” 
Katherine’s breath hitches. “Where … where are we going?”
“To the private island …” 
I hear the soft breath of acknowledgment Katherine releases. 
We can’t run there; we can’t hide or avoid each other. And she knows it. We’ll be left with no other choice but to face this … to face one another. 
We stare at each other, and I’m certain the worry and fear of the unknown of what this trip will bring that I’m feeling is the same thing she’s feeling. 
We both know we’re going into this completely broken. And we both know that we’re either going to come out pieced back together and on the mend to being whole again … or we’re going to come out irreparably shattered.
I can’t control you Or what your heart will decide But I’ll never stop Trying to fall back in love with what’s already mine…
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zahrafilms · 2 years
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Liam, running into the library in panic: Who wants to make ten bucks?
Saint: How?
Liam: I need someone to take the fall.
Dahlia, upstairs: Oh my God!
Morana: What did you do?
Liam: I can't tell you. Yes or no, no question asked.
Dahlia: OH MY GOD!
Catriona: Make it fifty.
Liam: Deal. *drags Catriona out of the room* You're a good daughter.
Liam: I GOT HER DAHLIA!
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queenrileyrose · 4 months
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Midnights Like This Part Thirteen: What If We Ruin It All?
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Miniseries Premise: Riley Brooks leaves everything behind to move to Cordonia after accepting her dream job designing clothing for the upcoming royal wedding. Drowning her sorrows one night, she meets Leo. The pair form an unlikely friendship, having more in common than either expected. Their feelings evolve, but neither wants to ruin the friendship. Will they take a chance or be content to stay friends?
Catch Up Here
Chapter Summary: Everyone deals with the fallout of the Costume Gala.
Book: The Royal Romance/Rules of Engagement
Pairings: Leo x Riley (OC), Liam x Marena (MC)
Rating: T
TW: Language, slight terrorism, sensuality
A/N: I am participating in @choicesflashfics using the prompt: “Just play along.”
Word Count: 2333
Music Inspo: Fools-Lauren Aquilina
Thank you to everyone who reads, likes, comments, and/or reblogs this. I appreciate it so much. ❤️
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Damien crossed his arms, his head moving from one side to the other as he watched the guards canvas the grounds at the rear of the palace. If he’d been in charge of security when Anton fled at Lythikos, the man would be in the cells.
“It feels like a test,” Leo’s brows knitted together. “Like they wanted to see how we would react.”
“I agree,” Damien’s mouth was set in a grim line. “First thing tomorrow, I’ll go over security for the wedding again to ensure there’s no holes.”
“Do you think they’ll try something else?” Riley asked worriedly. “Before the wedding?”
Her smaller than usual voice sent a pang through Leo. He put a protective arm around Riley’s shoulders. She leaned into him, and Leo exhaled a sigh of relief. It wasn’t lost on him that tonight could have gone much worse. If Bastien had been in charge, it probably would have. Riley could have gotten hurt. Even the thought of her in pain twisted his stomach. 
“I don’t,” Damien tried to smile warmly at Riley, but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “I do think the wedding is still a target.”
“Of course it will be,” Olivia scoffed. “We need to find them, take the fight to them.”
“We don’t know enough to do that successfully, Liv,” Liam said gently. “Believe me, if we could take them out instead of trying to determine their next move, that would be happening.”
“It’s frustrating! We just play along as we have been,” Olivia thundered. “I feel so-”
Olivia broke off, turning her back on the group. Her shoulders shook the smallest amount, and Leo swore he heard a sniff. 
“Olivia,” Leo tried to keep his voice neutral; if Olivia sensed he was trying to soothe her, she might hit him. “I get it. I don’t think we can solve anything tonight.”
“Leo’s right,” Liam jumped in. “Let’s meet tomorrow, and we can go over what we know so far and bounce around some ideas.”
“Fine,” Olivia snapped, no trace of sadness in her voice. She didn’t turn around. “I’ll be in the security office. Those fools need me.”
Without another word, Olivia strolled to the doors, slamming them behind her. Damien jogged to catch up, closing the door less violently.
“The palace is locked down,” Leo announced. “No one in or out tonight. Damien wants us all in our quarters; extra security is already set up.”
“Uh,” Riley raised her hand. “How do I get home?”
“You don’t,” Leo ignored Marena’s raised eyebrow. “The guest wings are empty, and those sections are cordoned off. You can stay in my quarters.”
Liam bit his lip to suppress a smile, pleased at his forethought and Damien’s agreement that the empty areas of the palace should remain that way.
“Am I sleeping on your couch for once?” Riley tilted her head to one side. 
“No,” Leo felt the weight from his shoulders lift. “You can have the bed. I’ll take the couch.”
“I can send pajamas over,” Marena hoped something good would come out of tonight. 
“Oh,” Riley began.
“I already took care of it,” Leo interrupted. “I had the boutique send up everything you need before Damien shut it down.”
“Oh,” Riley repeated, warmth flooding through her. Even with everything going on, he’d thought of her and how to make her comfortable. “Thank you.”
“Let’s all turn in,” Liam announced with a yawn. “Sorry about tonight, I-”
“No need to apologize,” Riley interrupted. “It’s not you. It’s them.”
Marena nodded approvingly, and Liam smiled gratefully. 
Liam and Leo exchanged a look, each nodding subtly. They’d keep everyone safe. No matter what.
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“I finally get to see your place,” Riley's eyes traveled up the massive door. “The circumstances aren’t great, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Leo hadn’t let go of her since the ball ended. Even now, her hand was enclosed in his. Riley could almost feel the fear he wasn’t admitting because she felt it, too. 
“You never explicitly asked to see it,” Leo unlocked the handle with a fob. He held the door open with his free hand and led Riley inside. 
“I hinted,” Riley’s eyes widened at the formality of the apartment. A chandelier hung above a glass table in what she assumed was a foyer. The walls were covered with a teal fabric accented with gold. As she continued into the living area, she had to stop herself from gasping. A velvet brocade sofa and matching chairs stood in front of a large stone fireplace. “You were supposed to pick up on that.”
It wasn’t Leo at all. Not one piece of art or furniture said that he lived here.
Riley craned her neck, trying to take it all in. “This is … wow.”
“I let Regina decorate after I abdicated and Liam moved into my old quarters,” Leo reluctantly released Riley’s hand. He crossed the room to the fireplace, stacking some logs in the iron basket. “I didn’t expect to be around here as much.”
Riley eyed a porcelain figurine of a horse on the mantle. “I can see that.”
Leo arranged the kindling in between the logs and struck a match. “I should change a few things. Regina put too much green in here.”
“Subtle,” Riley glanced around, noting a chill in the room. She wondered the last time Leo had been in his quarters for more than a change of clothes.
“Are you okay?” Leo asked gently. “That got intense.”
“I’ve dealt with threats before, not on this level, obviously,” Riley hugged her arms against herself. “But there've been a few close calls, people trying to break into our home, kidnapping attempts, that kind of stuff. I learned not to live in fear, just keep going.”
“I’ve been shot at more than I’d like,” Leo tried to joke. “Liam, too. I did the same, learned to deal. You can’t control other people, and you can’t let it affect your life.”
“That last thing came from your dad, didn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Leo shook his head. “He’s not wrong, though.”
“My father said something similar,” Riley managed a weak smile. “Maybe the nicest thing he’s ever said to me.”
Leo stood, picking the fire poker up and rearranging the logs. “It should warm up in here soon.”
Leo slipped his arms from his jacket, arranging the fabric over Riley’s shoulders. She half smiled in thanks, hoping she could blame the heat in her cheeks on the fire.
“Now, the no bullshit answer,” Riley raised an eyebrow. “You first.”
Leo had been about to say the same thing. He could tell Riley wasn’t saying how she really felt. He certainly hadn’t.
“You could have been …” Leo ran his palms down Riley’s arms, not wanting to say the words aloud. “If that bomb had gone off.”
“I know,” Riley said shakily. “I was just thinking the same thing. About you.”
Riley’s eyes filled, and she took a shallow breath. Leo cupped her cheek, lightly dragging his thumb against her soft skin, trying to soothe her. 
“I tried to imagine what my life would be like without-” Riley trailed off. “I can’t even go there.”
“I can’t either,” Leo wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. Riley clutched him back tightly, willing her heart to stop racing. “Everyone’s okay, that’s what matters.”
Riley nodded against Leo’s chest. 
Tonight had put a few things into perspective for Leo. He had a choice to make. He could jump, like he had with Katie, and get crushed. Again. He could wait to feel out Riley, and determine if she felt the same before making a move.
Leo didn’t want to wait. He’d overthought it enough. 
Leo pressed feathery kisses to Riley’s forehead, her cheek, moving to just below her ear as her head tilted up. 
“Leo,” Riley’s breath hitched as his lips lingered. “Kiss me.”
Riley felt Leo’s mouth curve in a smile before his lips finally found hers. An overwhelming need coursed through her. The thought that it should have always been like this flitted through Riley’s head before she parted her lips beneath Leo’s, and suddenly, she wasn’t cold anymore.
Leo’s scent, his cedar cologne, and something else that was uniquely him filled her senses. Her arms encircled his shoulders, and Leo pulled her tightly against him.
Leo’s hand threaded in her hair, the chignon unfurling and soft strands tangling in his fingers. This moment didn’t seem real somehow, and yet it was the most real moment he’d ever had. 
Leo had thought about how her body would feel against his. The reality was better than any daydream. 
Riley felt a sharp pain; the boning of her corset was digging into her ribs. She tried to ignore it, subtly twisting to adjust the bodice. Instead, the pain grew.
“Wait,” Riley murmured against Leo’s lips, reluctantly stepping back. 
“You’re right,” Leo exhaled, his hands dropping to his sides. “We shouldn’t.”
“Oh,” Riley felt tears prick her eyes. “Is that how you feel?”
Leo felt the panic rising and clenched his jaw. “It’s late. We should get some sleep.”
“I-” Riley opened her mouth and shut it. Leo hadn’t answered the question, but his demeanor was cold, rigid. Like he regretted kissing her. “Okay.”
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Riley smoothed down the white cropped tank and adjusted the drawstring on the black sweatpants. She quickly washed her face and applied moisturizer, shaking her head at the detail Leo had put into selecting what he thought she needed for the night. 
Riley scowled at her reflection in the mirror. She’d been in denial about her feelings for Leo, but that kiss had forced her to admit them. A kiss had never traveled through her like that before, seemingly lighting every nerve on fire. 
She rubbed her side, still sore from wearing the gown too long. 
Riley tried to silence the nagging thought in her brain. What did it mean? He’d initiated the kiss, but when he thought she was having second thoughts, he’d put up a facade she hadn’t seen in months. She should have clarified, told him her dress was hurting her and she couldn’t ignore it. 
Riley shook her head as though that would clear her thoughts. She took one last look at her reflection and opened the door to the bedroom. 
Leo sat on the edge of the bed in a pair of grey sweats and a t-shirt, to Riley’s surprise. The room was as formal as the rest of the apartment, although the color scheme here was gold and navy. 
“I didn’t think you’d be out here,” Riley smiled nervously. “Thanks for letting me take your bed. And the clothing and everything.”
“I wanted to make sure you got settled,” Leo rested his hands on his knees. 
“I appreciate it,” Riley felt awkward. Should she sit beside him? Or stay standing? 
Leo tried to quiet the thoughts racing through his head. What did this mean? She’d stopped him, but she seemed sad now and a little like she had something to say. 
Leo wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it. He’d just pretend it hadn’t happened. He was fine with remaining friends. But he was still feeling the effects of the kiss. He could feel her lips, the way she felt in his arms like she was meant to be there. It felt like coming home and had more passion than any other kiss at the same time.
“Leo-” Riley covered her mouth, yawning. “What does-” She yawned again, her eyelids suddenly heavy.
They needed to have a conversation. Not now. Later, when they’d both had rest. 
“I’m wrecked too,” Leo stood, moving to the doorway. “The adrenaline must have worn off.”
“That must be it,” Riley blinked slowly, her body screaming at her to lie down. She climbed under the down comforter, leaning back against the fluffy pillows. “It just hit me.”
Leo nodded, backing against the door and turning the knob. “I’ll let you crash.”
“Wait,” Riley sat up. “Can you stay here, with me?”
Her eyes were pleading, her lip trembled slightly, and Leo swallowed the excuse he’d been about to give. She was on edge; how could she not be? He didn’t want to leave her all alone.
Leo scolded himself for being an asshole. He’d jumped, and it didn’t go the way he wanted. He’d get over it. She was still his friend, and she didn’t owe him anything. 
Leo’s expression softened, and Riley felt a little better. The Leo she knew was back, the stoicism gone.
“Of course,” Leo replied. “I can take the chair.” He gestured to a chaise lounge near the window.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Riley blinked quickly, her chest tightening. “But can you hold me? Is that okay? I feel like, I don’t know. Like I need it.”
I need you, Riley didn’t say. But as Leo’s eyes met her tired ones, he saw the emotion in them, the exhaustion and sadness.
“You’re not making me uncomfortable,” Leo slid under the blanket beside Riley. He pulled her into his chest, his arms coming around her. “I think I need it too.”
Riley snuggled into Leo’s body, his warmth instantly soothing her, the awkward tension between them completely melting away. “I’ve never kissed a friend like that before.”
“Neither have I,” Leo laughed softly. He stroked Riley’s hair, her breathing evening out. 
“It was good,” Riley's voice was heavy with sleep. “Life changing good. Dumb dress had to stab me and ruin everything.”
“Is that why you said wait?” Leo felt relief wash through him. “And I freaked out and didn’t give you a chance to explain. I’m sorry.”
Riley didn’t respond. Leo craned his neck to the side, studying her profile in the moonlight shining through the gap in the curtains. Her eyes were closed. 
Leo kissed the top of her head, feeling himself about to drift off. 
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Leo x Riley: @mywildheartremains
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kristinamae093 · 6 months
Text
Ghosted
Ghosted - Two Steps Back (Chapter Ten)
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Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.
Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)
A/N 1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.
Characters belong to Pixelberry.
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After the Regatta
Penelope hobbled to her room on a sore foot and a painfully bruised ego. This wasn’t going as expected; advisors told her toward the beginning of the season she might stand a chance, but after only the first few events, they hastily changed their tone. Between Madeleine, Riley, and Olivia, they knew Penelope would not be the new king’s choice.  
Regardless, Penelope was enjoying her time away. The friends she’d made were irreplaceable; she and Kiara formed an everlasting bond. Even Riley was incredibly friendly, despite her commoner status. Penelope was rooting for Riley to win it all because she was genuinely a nice person, and Penelope was looking forward to what Cordonia could look like with her as queen. 
Penelope approached her door whilst humming to herself. The day was long, and she was relieved to be in the comfortable solace of her own space. She planned on calling her parents for their daily video chat, and to get some doggy face time to tide her over while away. Her anxiety was through the roof without having them close, but the friendships she’d made were a momentary distraction. She was glad the ladies were nice enough; otherwise, this experience would’ve been a nightmare. 
Penelope entered and made a bee-line for the bathroom. She did her business, washed her hands, and bounced her way over to the dresser to get more comfortable for the evening. Just as she opened the drawer, a stern knock sounded on her door. Penelope scrunched her face; she was expecting no visitors but thought perhaps Kiara wanted to hang out. 
As Penelope opened the structure, a thunderous force shoved through her and entered, slamming the door shut. Penelope stumbled backward but caught her footing. She could only stare at the person in front of her as panic flourished through her body. She didn't recognize them, but the death glare plastered on their face told her that notion was not applied on both ends. Her instinct told her to scream for help, but the visitor addressed her before she was given the chance.
They spoke in a low, raspy voice. “Have a seat, Lady Penelope. We have a lot to discuss.” 
“W–who are you?” 
“You need not worry about who I am, only what I know.” 
“What do you mean?” 
The person clasped their hands behind their back and stalked around Penelope; like a vulture circles its prey. “Everyone around you thinks you're the sweet, poodle-obsessed Penny, but I see otherwise. I know all about you… The things you’ve done… What your daddy tries his damndest to hide…” 
Penelope’s already increasing heart rate spiked. “I don’t understand.” 
“Of course you don’t. It’s alright, I wouldn’t want anyone to know, either.” They dismissively shrugged.
“Know what?” 
The person snickered at her attempts to deflect, but they could see the panic rising in her eyes. “It’s quite a common expression — young and dumb. But, when you’re in the nobility, there are no secrets unless you know the right people.” 
Penelope thickly swallowed. “I don’t – I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 
“Really? So, then you’ve never been — joined in holy matrimony, right?”
Penelope’s eyes widened. “I–” 
“Enough with your attempts to feign confusion; that will only prolong this process and I am not in the mood to play games. I know of your estranged marriage; how your father pays plenty of hush money per month to keep his mouth shut. I imagine it would be fairly difficult to talk yourself out of that situation if the press were to catch wind; considering Portavira continuously requests the Crown’s compensation. And I do believe the monarch would not be happy to learn your family has developed a slush fund, either.” 
The intruder gave Penelope a wicked smile and added, “Not to mention the — fatality that was caught amid your poor life choices…”
Penelope visibly tensed. “That’s not – I didn’t–” she stammered before snapping her mouth closed; her flustered state prohibited her from forming an argument.
“It’s a matter of opinion, I suppose. Regardless, I attained the records from your procedure.” They waved a piece of paper in Penelope’s face, and recognition swept over her instantly. She released a shuddered breath as the document came to a stop, her tearful eyes centering on the text. 
Despite Penelope’s panicked state, the aggressor continued, “Tell me, do your parents know of your aborted fetus? I mean, I saw you on security cameras entering the clinic alone. It was smart of you to use a fake name, but unfortunately, that was not enough to cover up your mistakes.” 
Penelope never answered, but the assailant watched her swallow thickly with shame etched in her features. She couldn’t fathom how this stranger had found her deepest secrets that she was certain would never see the light of day. 
Penelope found out she was pregnant the day after her annulment was discreetly settled. Terrified wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how she felt, as she stared down at the positive test; she went to the clinic in disguise to find out about her options and decided abortion would be the best solution. Being only nineteen years old, Penelope was practically a child herself and didn’t believe she was at a point to care for a baby like they deserved. And she was alone; when she dreamt of this moment, it happened completely differently in her head. She longed for the fairytale love, where they would start a family together; not single and inevitably disgraced.
Her parents didn’t know, she was too afraid to tell them — especially after her father agreed to pay a continuous hefty fee for Guy’s silence. Penelope was always well-behaved; the perfect trophy daughter. The look of pure disappointment held in their eyes when they found out about her marriage haunted her; she never wanted to do anything out of line again. All Penelope desired was to move on from her mistake, but life had other plans.
Panicked and ashamed, Penelope made the impossible decision alone, not wanting anyone to know of the stupid decisions that led her there. Her fear and guilt only increased after the procedure, but she grieved what could have been and pushed it into the deepest pit of her mind.
She never told a soul – nobody knew – or so she thought.
“All it would take is a small whisper to the press and it would destroy not only you, but your fraudulent parents as well…” 
Penelope gasped as her tears freely flowed. “No! P–please, don’t!” 
The person laughed; the sound sending an involuntary chill down Penelope’s spine. They stalked forward until her back hit the wall and they breathed over her. Penelope squeezed her eyes closed, but felt them draw nearer. The tangy scent of alcohol mixed with cigar smoke filled her nostrils, as they whispered in her ear, “If you want my silence, you’re going to have to earn it.” 
Penelope’s eyes shot open as she frantically nodded her head. “Okay, j–just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it.” 
“I knew you’d see reason,” the unknown presence spoke while taking a small step away. They produced an envelope from their jacket and handed it to her. 
Penelope opened it and started skimming over the information; it was an email address with a set of instructions and a few other notes. She didn’t understand what it all meant; the main thing that stuck out was the location of where they wanted the photographer to be. 
“Why are they going to be outside Riley’s room?” 
“The less you know, the better.” They once again reached into their jacket, this time pulling out a small vial and handing it to her. “You need to give this to her beforehand. I do not care how it happens, just make sure it gets in her system; the earlier, the better.” 
“W–what is this? Is this a drug?” Penelope stammered as she stared down at the bottle in her trembling hands. 
The person smiled; a dark, wicked smile. “You don’t need to worry about that; just make sure she ingests it at an early enough hour.”
Tears once again streamed down Penelope’s cheeks as she frantically shook her head and tried to hand the items back. “N–no. I can’t do that, and I won’t. I would rather disgrace myself than–”
“You’re going to do it.”  
Penelope stood a little taller and yelled, “No, I won’t! I–”
Penelope received a sudden, sharp backhand to her cheek. She fell to the floor cradling her face but was soon flipped over onto her back, her aggressor pinning her to the ground. She opened her mouth to scream, but quickly closed it as she saw the gleam of a blade in the light right in front of her face. 
“Make a sound and I’ll kill you right here, right now.” The attacker moved the knife to hover over Penelope’s throat, applying just enough pressure to keep her subdued. “You have two options — you either comply and do as you’re told, or this is where your life will end. If you refuse to cooperate, you already know too much, and I will ensure you don’t live to tell the tale personally. But I won’t stop there, no – I’ll ruin your parents as well; the entire world will know what a fraud you and your family are.” 
“No… P–please. I – I can’t – I –” Penelope frantically stammered, trying to develop a coherent sentence. 
“You can, and you will. Otherwise,” they leaned forward, close enough to touch noses with Penelope. “I’ll dig your grave myself and throw those mangy mutts in with you after. Perhaps we can make it a family affair and shove your parents inside, too. After all, being exposed to the world and losing their only disappointment of a child would leave them with nothing left to live for; especially once they know of your treacherous sins.” They sat back with a vile chortle, letting the words linger.
Penelope cried harder, her breathing rapid and erratic as her panic boiled over. She opened her mouth to shout for help despite the blade at her throat, but a firm hand abruptly pressed against her lips. “I think I’m being very understanding, actually. I could just end you and move on to the next useless suitor, but I’m allowing you to make the correct choice; to answer the call of service for your country. That commoner has no business being here; you know it, I know it, everyone knows it! We have to deal with her!” 
After a tense moment of silence, her intruder grew restless. They rolled their eyes and huffed, “You’re running out of time. I’ll gift you ten seconds; agree, or...” The blade on Penelope’s throat suddenly held more force; hard enough she could feel her skin being lightly pierced. “I don’t think I really need to finish that sentence, do I?”
Penelope subtly nodded her head, afraid to move too much. Although she didn’t want to betray Riley in that way, she saw no other way out. Not only was her own life being threatened, but her parents as well; she was not willing to let them die because of her secrets they knew nothing about.
Her attacker soon chortled and sat up. “I had a feeling you would see it my way.” They patted her cheek, hard, before they stood and adjusted their clothing.
The intruder walked to the door and turned back around to address a whimpering Penelope. “As a reward for your service, I will make you a lady-in-waiting for the soon-to-be queen. I’d suggest you take the position and use discretion whenever necessary from here on out. If you do anything to compromise this operation, you will be sorry. Am I clear?“
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The following afternoon, Olivia met with Liam, Leo, and Ray as they discussed the events of the night prior. The court just arrived in Portavira, although there was a break in events until the polo match in a few days. They gathered in Olivia’s room, as that’s where Ray set up his equipment and continuously ensured the area remained free of compromises. 
Olivia told them about Penelope’s involvement, and Liam was certain Olivia was lying or playing some kind of sick joke. However, after seeing the proof himself, he knew it had to be true. He wasn’t close with Penelope by any means, but still felt betrayed. Riley was kind and warm to those around her, not a malicious bone in her body; what made Penelope want to get rid of her?
“We have to question her. I can’t be sure, but she might know we’re onto her. The look in her eyes –” Olivia shook her head with a heavy sigh. ”– I can’t explain it, but I don’t like it.”  
“I agree,” Leo interjected. “We need to know why she did it, man, because this makes absolutely no sense. I mean, Penelope – of all people? Did she accidentally eat some dog food or something, and it made her go kookoo?” 
Despite his overflowing anxiety, Liam laughed. “I really don't know. But we’re not all going to question her. I think it’s best if myself and Leo did this, so we don’t overwhelm her.” He spoke to the entire group. 
“Are you… okay to do that?” Leo tentatively asked. “I can take Olivia — or hell, even Maxwell or Drake, if you don’t think you can keep your cool. We can’t really risk her shutting down and withholding anything important...” 
Liam remained silent for a long moment. Honestly, he didn’t know if he could control himself. The selfish side of him wanted to confront Penelope face-to-face and demand answers. However, he knew he was teetering on a dangerous ledge, and her confession could provoke several different reactions. 
He didn’t remember the last time he’d slept or ate a full meal. Days were molding together, and he had no sense of time unless it pertained to the tour. Liam was simply muttering through, doing the dutiful checklist a monarch should on the daily and trying his hardest to stay afloat; even though in all reality, he felt like he was drowning in a sea of uncertainty. No amount of training could prepare him for something like this; he was simply in limbo until one of the many open ends finally led them to something of importance. As the King he held mighty authority; yet, he’d never felt so powerless. Every second of not knowing something was torture; he just wanted to see Riley with his own two eyes. 
“I… don’t think I can, actually. If you wouldn’t mind questioning her, I would very much appreciate it, Leo.” 
Leo patted Liam on the back with a reassuring smile. “No problem. Care to accompany me, Livvie?” 
“I suppose if we want some kind of answer, I’ll have to, won’t I?” Olivia smirked. 
“Are we doing this now, or?” 
“Yes. The sooner, the better.” 
“And we’re certain she’s here?” Liam asked. 
“She was out earlier with her dogs,” Olivia answered with an eye roll. 
Liam nodded as he rubbed his palms together. “This is a decent plan. I have a good feeling about this, guys.” 
For the first time since he opened his eyes to the truth about the narrative against Riley, Liam felt like this could take them somewhere relevant. This was a solid lead and although he knew it probably wouldn’t provide him with all the answers he was seeking, it was a damn good start. 
Liam spoke again, “Any other updates?” 
“I received the diagnostic report on Lady Riley’s dress on the way here." Ray explained. "The blood was mostly Riley’s, but traces from Tariq were present as well. There were a few hairs and skin cells noted, but the DNA only registers those two.”
“Oh… okay…” Liam quietly responded. He hoped deep down the mess was from someone else, but immediately felt foolish to let himself believe such a thing. Hearing it confirmed out loud made his stomach burn with anxiety; this is what he blinded himself to, this is what he ignored. The overwhelming guilt Liam was fighting momentarily took his breath away. 
“Otherwise, there are no new leads.” Ray briefly met eyes with Olivia, the both of them having a silent conversation; unbeknownst to Liam. It wasn’t technically a lie, but not the entire truth. Ray found something — interesting, but Olivia decided now was not the time to bring it up to Liam, at least until after they learned what exactly Penelope knew. “Where Tariq is concerned, I’ve hit a complete brick wall; there’s absolutely nothing.” 
“Nothing?” 
Ray shook his head. “Not a trace. His accounts show no transactions, and his family has not heard from him in months. I’ve checked every mode of transportation available to leave the country and he wasn’t on any of their databases.” 
“How is that even possible? There has to be something, somewhere. Seriously – Tariq has the IQ of a fucking peanut.” Leo interjected. 
“It could be a collection of reasons,” Ray answered. He suddenly stopped typing on his keyboard and took in everyone’s curious expressions. “Either he’s just incredibly clever and has an immaculate ability to cover his tracks, has hired someone to do that for him, or…” 
“He’s dead…” Liam quietly inserted, just above a whisper. His palms started trembling in his lap, and the only thing he could feel was his heart erratically thumping.
The deeper this web went, the further Liam felt himself slipping from reality. All he wanted was a sign, a concrete clue, anything to put him one step closer to finding Riley. The longer that time passed, the more he believed there was a grim reason they couldn’t find them. Just when the light at the end shined brighter, Liam was suddenly drug further down into the abyss of questions, making him doubt everything. 
“We can’t confirm that right now, Your Majesty. I’ve searched hospital records and there are no reports of him checking in at any of them and nothing solid to point to that conclusion. There are a lot of open ends regarding his whereabouts, but I have a couple more places to look before we should start truly discussing that possibility.” 
“Right…” Liam quietly responded as his mind raced. If Tariq’s DNA was on her dress, does that mean he’s the one who injured her? They already knew he was close to Riley; the pictures obviously showcased them together, but was Tariq responsible for attacking her, too? Those thoughts created a storm of rage he’d never felt before; just when he thought the fire had sizzled out, another splash of gasoline was poured onto the diminishing coals. Liam may not have felt a lot of hope, but he sure as hell felt the rage consuming his entire being. 
Leo noticed Liam's forelorn expression and reassuringly gripped his shoulder. “Don’t worry, man. We’re going to get an answer — soon.”
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A short while later, Olivia, Leo, and ‘Harold’ walked the halls of the Portavirian estate, searching for Penelope’s room. Liam opted to have a drink with Drake instead of being alone, as his already overflowing anxiety seemed to increase with every passing second. 
They rounded the corner and Olivia tapped on Penelope’s door, but received near silence; muffled barks rang out beyond the structure, although seemingly at a distance. After a few moments, she stepped forward and repeated the process, but again, no answer. Leo knocked a few times a little louder, but heard nothing — aside from the dogs. He reached for the handle and tried to turn it, just to see, only to find it locked.
“What should we do?” Leo asked Olivia. 
Olivia tapped her index finger against her chin. “I don’t know…” She furrowed her brow and stared at the door in front of her. “The poodles are inside, so she shouldn’t be far… Maybe we search around and see if we spot her anywhere? It’s still relatively early; she could have stepped out for a moment.” 
Leo and Ray both agreed, and the trio began their trek. They started outside by the pool and checked the lounge area, but Penelope wasn't located anywhere. They searched nearly every floor, even the roof, but found no signs of her. Everyone else was already in their room for the night, the estate nearly deserted as they scoured the abandoned hallways. After a while, everyone agreed to take their chances and return to Penelope’s door, as a good hour passed since they last attempted. 
A voice called out to them as they made their way up the grand staircase. They turned around to see Landon making his way to them with a grin on his face. “Good evening, Your Majesty, Duchess, a pleasure to see you both. Are the two of you just strolling, or have you been out on the town?” He chuckled with a playful side eye directed at Leo. 
“You know me,” Leo smirked, “but actually, we’ve been looking for your daughter.” 
Landon’s smile faded, instead replaced with a perplexed expression. “What do you need from Penelope?”
Leo and Olivia shared a hesitant look. “Actually, it’s confidential… Do you know where she is?” 
“She said she was retiring to her room earlier.” 
Olivia spoke next. “We checked there. We checked everywhere and we have no clue where she’s at.” 
“Perhaps she’s already in slumber; she is quite the heavy sleeper. How about I come with you? I was headed there anyway, as she was acting fairly strange earlier.” 
“Strange how?” Leo asked. 
“She kept hugging her mother and me, and told us how much she loved us. She just seemed — sad, as if she would burst into tears at any moment. And she asked me to ensure Merlin and Morgana get plenty of treats.” Landon furrowed his brows and shook his head. “I asked her what she meant, and she just gave me another hug. Emmaline thinks she’s getting ready for her time of the month, which is why I came prepared.” He held up a wad of chocolate bars and laughed.
“I take it Merlin and Morgana are the poodles?”
“Oh, yes. They’re practically her children. It’s been hard on her to leave them at home, but she’s done fairly well. The unexpected route changes actually ended up being very beneficial to her, since she gets to be with them for a few days. I’m certain she’s going to have a hard time leaving again, but I know she appreciates getting to see them. When it was time to leave for the engagement tour, she was practically inconsolable; she didn’t want to leave, to the point we weren’t sure she would attend at all.” 
“So, she didn’t want to return, then?” Olivia inquired, hanging on his every word. 
Landon sighed and looked away. “I don’t believe so, no. But we made sure she knew how much of a tremendous opportunity this was for her. She was incredibly reluctant, but finally agreed. In all honesty, I think most of her reservations were regarding the fact that she was going so far away. Penelope is a very timid girl; she doesn’t particularly enjoy the crowds or being away from home. I’m confident staying in Cordonia where things are a little more familiar will turn things around for her; perhaps she will enjoy herself a bit.” 
“Right…” Olivia trailed off, as her mind swirled around these new little bits of information. She questioned if Penelope's reluctance to come back had to do with Riley's disappearance. The haunting look in Penelope’s eyes as that cab drove away told Olivia she could be correct. 
“Lead the way, then,” Leo inserted with a forced smile, as uneasiness crept into the pit of his stomach. The hair on the back of his neck suddenly stood at attention, an involuntary shudder traveling through his body; he shook it off and politely smiled at Landon, who returned the gesture before starting the journey.
Everyone strolled through the halls together and within a short time, they were nearing Penelope’s room once again. Leo and Landon made small talk along the way, but Olivia didn’t listen most of the time. A bad feeling rapidly grew as they walked; why, she wasn’t sure, but it was becoming impossible to ignore. As they got closer, the air suddenly felt cold, raising goosebumps on her skin and sending a shiver down her spine. The hallway had an eerie aura to it that was beyond explanation; judging from the cautious expressions of everyone around, Olivia knew her feelings were not in her head. Landon appeared to be the only one who didn’t notice the atmosphere shift, although he hadn’t stopped talking long enough to take in the environment. 
Just as they were about to arrive, they heard muffled voices speaking not far away. Olivia furrowed her brows and started walking faster, practically running, with Ray and Leo not far behind. 
She came to an abrupt stop as she saw a litter of guards standing outside of Penelope’s room; dressed in full riot gear with what she assumed to be loaded assault rifles, all appearing to be awaiting instructions. Standing toward the back of the mass of people was Liam, who was speaking with Bastien in hushed tones. She could tell even from afar he was talking sternly; his angry demeanor instantly drew Olivia to him. Drake lingered close-by, wearing an expression of pure confusion.
Olivia approached them and inquired, “What’s going on?” 
“There you are. I’ve been looking all over for you,” Liam replied. “Did you question Penelope?”
“We were looking for her, that’s why we’re here, now.”
“But you didn’t find her?” Liam snapped, not even trying to hide the annoyance in his tone. 
“Not yet…” Leo answered as he took in Liam’s tense shoulders and ticking jaw. “Liam, what is going on?” 
Before Liam could respond, Landon interjected himself. “What is the meaning of this?!” 
Liam took a deep breath to calm himself and spoke in a calm, yet authoritative voice. “Duke Landon, I understand this may be hard for you to hear, but we have to take Penelope into custody.”
“Custody?! On what grounds?!” Landon hollered. 
Liam swallowed down the ball of anger and agitation lodged in his throat and spoke in a flat voice. “She is the prime suspect in the murder of Rhonda Floros.” Everyone’s eyes widened as their jaws hit the floor. “We will investigate further, but she has to be detained until we can–” 
“I – what?! You have no proof! This – this is an injustice!” Landon yelled as he frantically paced in front of Penelope’s door. 
Leo hesitantly spoke in a hushed manner. “Li, all we knew about was the photographer. How can you jump to that conclusion?” 
“The forensics came back and Penelope’s prints were all over the murder weapon. Her DNA was on everything else as well, but I’m focused on that knife.”
“Impossible! There has to be some kind of mistake!” Landon pleaded. 
“I’m sorry Landon, but the forensics does not lie,” Liam replied with a sad smile. “Trust me, I don’t want to believe she could have done something like this and I intend to figure it out, but we have to locate her first!"
Landon quickly stepped toward Penelope’s room and pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “She is in here — I know she is; she’s sleeping. I’ll wake her up and we can figure out this mess together, because I know for certain she is innocent.” He spoke as he unlocked the door and turned the handle. He entered and flipped the switch on the wall, the area becoming illuminated. 
Liam motioned for the guards to stay outside and followed closely behind. Olivia entered next, followed by Ray. However, a stern hand on Ray’s chest halted him in the doorway. 
“You are unauthorized personnel,” Bastien snapped.  
Liam quickly intervened. “No, he’s not.” 
“Your Majesty, with all due respect, I entered his credentials myself. I know for a fact what clearances he has and doesn’t.” 
Liam stepped up to Bastien with narrowed eyes. “Poof.” He snapped his fingers. “I just gave him access. Now, step aside.” He growled through clenched teeth, the vein in his neck profusely popping out.  
To be honest, Liam was stalling until he found Ray and Olivia; the three of them were going to question Penelope together. His earlier worries about keeping his cool were well out the window; now he was simply confused. Why did she hire the photographer? Did she really kill that maid? Did Penelope know they had spoken to her? Every piece of random evidence found had Penelope’s DNA – and only hers – on it in some fashion. Although the legitimacy of the scene was still in question, her fingerprints on the murder weapon were more than enough to detain her for questioning. 
Bastien never once took his eyes off Ray during the entire interaction. Ray observed Bastien's face crack slightly and saw him swallow and clench his jaw when Liam commanded him to stop. He finally moved his hand to allow Ray entrance, but held his intent gaze for just a moment too long. Olivia watched and noted how she wasn’t stopped, nor Drake or Leo — only Ray. She couldn’t help but wonder why Bastien didn’t want him specifically there. 
Liam glanced around as he entered and saw no signs of Penelope and nothing raising any kind of alarm. He’d never been inside this room before, but to the naked eye, not a thing was out of place. However, Liam couldn’t deny the sudden chill he felt as he stepped over the threshold. His skin instantly clammed up, and his heart rate increased substantially with every tense second that passed. 
Everyone else followed behind and did the same, but Landon circled the room while frantically calling Penelope’s name, only to get no response. He ducked into the bathroom to check there, but saw no traces of his daughter. Everything appeared just as it was earlier that morning when he personally prepared everything for Penelope’s arrival.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Landon huffed as he reemerged. “She said she was coming to bed. Where else would she go? Should we contact Lady Kiara? They had grown quite close.”
Liam sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Bastien, send someone to Lady Kiara’s room to check.” His patience with this situation was dissipating. An answer was right there dangling in front of his face; he could practically taste it. Even if he had to turn the entire continent upside down, Liam was going to find Penelope and make her answer for her part in this mess — whatever that could have been. 
“Yes, sir.”
Olivia glanced at the dresser and saw a jewelry box. Something on top of it quickly caught her attention; it was a piece of paper neatly folded with the words read me written on it in red ink. Her breaths immediately stopped as she stared at it for a long moment. Goosebumps raised on her skin as she realized the penmanship was strikingly familiar.  
She slowly reached out and brought it closer; Ray noticed and came to stand beside her to see what she had found. Liam and Landon continued to speak on the other side of the room, completely unaware of their discovery. Olivia carefully unfolded the sheet and quickly scanned over the contents. As she started reading, the color suddenly drained from her face, her hands trembling, and even tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. Her mind instantly started spiraling, trying to decipher what this meant.
Olivia and Ray stood gawking at the paper in a trance for an unidentified amount of time. The sound of Landon’s thunderous voice suddenly brought both out of their dazes. “This is absurd! She did nothing wrong!” 
“I understand your frustrations but as I said before, the forensics does not lie,” Liam answered in the calmest tone he could muster. “I have questions about all of this, Landon! But one way or another her DNA was littered–”
“Bullshit! Run the tests again! Something is going on here!” 
Liam winced at Landon’s volume, but shook it off and stood to his full height. “Duke Ebrim, you’d do well to remember who you’re speaking to and watch your tone. While I understand why you’re upset, I’m only here to figure this out. If you want to clear her name, help us find her so we can speak to her!” 
Landon frantically looked throughout the room, desperately trying to make sense of what was happening. At that moment, they heard a bark, followed by another softer cry; everyone suddenly stilled and an eerie silence took over, as they glanced at one another with furrowed brows. It sounded undeniably close, but there were obviously no dogs in the area. The silence in the air was deafening, but then it happened again and Landon finally pinpointed the location — the closet. It would make sense; Penelope heard the commotion and retreated in there with her poodles to hide because she was afraid. 
Landon made a bee-line for the door and wildly swung it open. He took a step back and two fluffy dogs slowly came out with their heads down, causing Landon to take a few steps back; they laid at Landon’s feet and whimpered. 
“What is it, Merlie?” Landon asked as he rubbed one of the dogs’ heads, their howls intensifying. 
The room’s air suddenly felt incredibly thick at the interaction. Liam felt physically sick to his stomach as recognition swept over him from head to toe — something was waiting for them in that closet. His hands shook at his sides, his breathing shaky and uneven as he stared into the dark, open doorway. 
Landon stepped over the poodles, who went and lay on the bed, but continued whining. As he entered, he ran a hand along the wall until he found the switch. The small area came to light, and his worst nightmare suddenly became reality right in front of his face. 
“NO!” Landon wailed at an ear-piercing volume as he dropped to his knees near the doorway. 
“What’s wrong?” Liam sought, but Landon broke into a fit of sobs and crumpled to the floor. 
Liam swallowed thickly and took a couple of cautious steps forward. Olivia suddenly appeared and tried to redirect him, but Liam was steadfast; whatever it was, he needed to see it for himself. As he got closer, he could see a chair lying on its side. His eyesight started on the floor and slowly traveled upward. He hadn’t made it very far before the color drained from his face with sweat immediately beading his brow at seeing a pair of dainty feet dangling in the air; one heel on, the other nowhere to be seen. 
Liam looked away but with a shuddered breath followed the body back up to the face, and sure enough, it was Penelope.
Landon suddenly shoved Liam out of the way. “MOVE!” He rushed over and held Penelope’s lifeless form, lifting her easily with one hand; the other quickly moving to remove the belt from around her severely bruised neck. Her limp body dropped into his arms and he cradled her to his chest as he rocked back and forth, making cries that would haunt Liam until the day he died. 
Liam regained his footing but remained cemented in place. This was it; this was their big break, but they only received more unanswered questions. Hopelessness flourished, as he saw no other solutions in sight. He felt like a mouse, mindlessly running through a maze just trying to reach the end for the reward. Penelope's testimony was that reward, but instead of finding the end of the maze, he encountered a sudden, abrupt wall.
Regardless of their actions, they faced a grim reality where a devastating setback countered every advance they made; one step forward, only to be met with two deadly steps back.
Liam suddenly couldn’t breathe; his lungs felt like fire with every rapid, hollow breath. The room started spinning, his vision hazing at a rapid rate. His heart pounded mercilessly, the sound overpowering Landon’s continuous wails filling the room. His hands flew to his chest and he stumbled backward, Leo and Drake quickly moving to catch him before he hit the floor. 
They lowered him to the ground and sat over him as Liam’s vision slowly faded out, their faces disintegrating into a pixelated, blurry image. He blinked his eyes a few times to regain himself, but found the rapidly spinning room made him nauseous. He felt Leo lightly tapping his cheeks, but when he tried to open his mouth, only an anguished cry escaped. 
Liam stared at the ceiling until the bright lights suddenly dimmed. His eyelids grew incredibly heavy until he succumbed to the weight of the world forcing them down. Darkness consumed him as he slipped into unconsciousness, a still silence overcoming his being. 
"Goddamn it," Leo grumbled to himself, as he watched Liam’s body relax. "Get a fucking ambulance! Now!" He hollered over his shoulder before his teary vision centered on his brother again. "Cummon, Li..."
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tessa-liam · 4 months
Text
Turning the Page 
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-6- Right Here Waiting 
Choices, The Royal Romance, AU 
Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 
Turning the Page Masterlist 
Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks  
All characters belong to Pixelberry, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belong to this series.  
Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression.  
Rating: M🔞Warnings - Series will contain crude language, NSFW material – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 
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Right Here Waiting - 6 
Chapter Summary: After spending time with his son, Liam begins his journey to repair his relationship with Riley. 
Music & Title Inspiration:  Right Here Waiting, Richard Marx  
A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found.  
A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week#59, prompt #3 - “That was then. This is now. Things change.” 
A/N3: My submission for @choicesnovchallenge, prompt #28, Holidays and Events – French Toast Day  
Words: 2500
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Brooklyn Heights, New York
Straightening his back, Liam rubbed his eyes, as the jet lag took its toll. After checking the time on his cell, Liam stood up and took another look at his sleeping son. His heart was full, and he felt a sense of peace that he had not known in a long time. He knew it would take time, but he was determined to earn Riley's trust again, and that he would never give up on his son. 
Riley waited for him in the kitchen and offered a warm smile as he entered its rustic décor. “I know it's late, but I'm starving. Do you want something to eat?” 
Liam was grateful for the offer. “Yes, thank you. I haven’t eaten anything since lunch. That would be great.” 
“Have a seat, and I’ll make us some dinner.” Riley smiled coquettishly, pulling a chair for him from under the table. 
Liam sat down at the kitchen table and watched as Riley busied herself with preparing their meal. It was a surreal moment, and he had a hard time believing that this was actually happening, but the aroma of the food and the sight of Riley moving about the kitchen with ease, made it all too real. 
As they ate, Liam could sense the tension between them. He knew there was so much left unsaid, but he was hesitant to push Riley too far, too fast. He decided to try a different tactic, one that was more familiar to them both. 
“How have you been, Riley?” 
Riley was startled by his question, and her eyes darted up to meet his. “I’ve been … okay. Busy with work, and William keeps me on my toes,” she replied. 
“Tell me about him,” Liam encouraged. 
Riley’s eyes lit up, and a smile tugged at her lips. “Well … he’s amazing, Liam.” Riley’s eyes sparkled with genuine love. “He’s smart, funny, and so full of energy. He loves animals, and his favorite food is chicken nuggets. He’s just …” she trailed off, tears filling her eyes. 
“He’s your whole world,” Liam finished for her. 
“Yes,” Riley said softly, her voice choked with emotion. 
“I am so, sorry I was not there for you, Riley. For both of you.” Liam’s expression was wistful. 
“Liam, how could you have known?” she replied, looking down; not able to return his gaze.   
Liam reached across the table and gently squeezed her hand. 
“Riley... look at me, please.” Slowly lifting her head, she met his gaze. “I will never stop regretting that I was not there for you. That you felt that you could not confide in me.” 
She gave him a tearful smile, her lips trembling. “We both know, had I told you, you would have given up the throne.  And the country could not afford that. And Madeleine …” Riley lost her battle with her tears and looked down to her hands. “Madeleine would have taken advantage of the situation, and …"  
Liam sighed, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. “Riley, I would have found a way. But you are right. My duty is to my people, first and foremost. Duty is important, especially when its most difficult to carry out.” 
“That is what I admire most about you, Liam.”  Riley’s breath hitched, “that is why I agreed to be your mistress when Tariq couldn’t be found.” 
“Riley, you were never my mistress, you are the love of my life,” he replied, his voice firm. 
“Liam, please.” Riley wiped the fresh tears away. 
“No, Riley, please let me finish... 
When I was crowned King, I vowed to always put the needs of my people before my own. I went through the motions of an engagement and then the marriage. But the day you left, love, I realized that without you, I could never be the King my people deserved. I was miserable, and I knew that if I lost you forever, I would never be happy again. Riley, you are my home.” 
“Liam, I …" 
“No, my love. You do not have to say anything. I just need you to know how I feel. I love you, and I will do whatever it takes to prove that to you.” Liam watched as Riley broke down and he at once moved to her side, taking her into his arms. 
"You don't have to say anything," he assured her. "I just want you to know that I'm here for you, and I'm not going anywhere. If you feel the same about me.” 
"What about Madeleine?" Riley asked, her eyes searching his. 
"As of this afternoon, Madeleine was served with dissolution papers. My lawyers have already let me know that, in exchange for clemency, that Madeleine will leave Cordonia. Riley, that marriage and along with it, the Cordonian arrangement, has been absolved.” 
Riley was speechless, clearly overwhelmed by his revelations. 
Liam lifted his hand to cup her cheek; he could see the exhaustion on her face, and he knew they both needed some rest. "Let's get some sleep, and we can talk more tomorrow." 
Riley nodded and stood, and he followed her down the hallway to her bedroom. They walked in silence as Riley's nerves were very aware of Liam’s proximity.  He looked so good, and it had been so long since she had felt his touch. She demurely smiled up at him and started to pull him through the door. 
"Riley," Liam began, slowing his walk, pausing beside the guest room. 
"But..." Riley protested. 
"Please, Riley, let's not rush this. I want to do things right this time. Let us begin to re-write our story.” 
Liam kissed her cheek. "Good night, my love. Sleep well." 
"You too, Liam," she responded. 
As Liam turned to leave, Riley impulsively reached out again to pull him close. Their lips met in a tender kiss, and Liam was lost in the sensation of her soft lips on his. It had been so long, and his body reacted instantly, the fire within him threatening to consume him. He forced himself to pull away, his breath ragged. 
"Riley..." he warned, unhooking her arms from his neck. 
"I know, Liam, I just had to have one last taste." 
Liam laughed, his heart soaring. "One last taste? Who said this will be the last time?" 
Riley giggled, her face flushing. "Good night, Liam." 
"Good night, Riley." 
They stood there for a moment, each taking in the sight of the other. Finally, Liam reluctantly turned and headed into the guest room. Riley closed her door and leaned against it, her heart pounding. She could not believe what had just happened, but she was elated and hopeful for the future. 
The Four Seasons Hotel, Manhattan 
Stumbling into the penthouse suite, Leo chortled, guiding the blond to his room with his hands firmly locked on her waist. The young woman giggled and pushed the door open, and he followed, closing the door behind them with a kick. 
"Now where were we?" Leo suggestively said, pulling the woman close and kissing her soundly. 
"Leo, stop," the woman giggled, pushing him away. 
"Come on, baby, don't be like that," he purred, pulling her close again. 
"Leo, no ... you're drunk," she protested, but he could tell she was enjoying the attention. 
"So are you," he countered, his lips scaling down her neck. 
“I know,” she snickered. “Do you remember my name?” Leo pulled away and looked at her. She was gorgeous, and he couldn’t help but smile. 
"Of course, I do," he lied, "but maybe you can refresh my memory?" 
She laughed and shook her head. "It's Ashley." 
"Ashley," Leo repeated, tasting the name on his lips. "I like that." 
"I bet you say that to all the girls," she teased. 
"No, no ... only the beautiful ones," he replied, his words slurring slightly. 
Ashley laughed, "hey, stop .... your phone is vibrating!"
Leo grabbed the phone from his pocket and squinted at the screen. 
"It's a text from my brother. It says, 'we need to talk.’” 
Concerned, Leo called Liam back at once, disentangling Ashley's arms from his neck. 
"What is it, Li? Are you alright?" Leo's voice was laced with worry. 
"I'm fine, but I have news." Liam's tone was calm, which confused and intrigued Leo. 
"What's going on, Liam?" Leo asked, his concern growing. 
"Riley and I... well, I just met my son."
After a moment of silence ... 
"You...you have a son?" Leo repeated, his eyes widening in shock. 
"Yes. William. Riley's son. Our son." 
Leo ran his hand through his hair and looked around the room, his mind racing. 
"Are you there, Leo?" Liam asked, breaking the silence. 
"Yeah, sorry. This is just a lot to take in." 
"I know. I'll explain everything later. I will be staying here with Riley, for now. I need you to take care of a few things for me." 
"Sure, Liam. Anything," Leo agreed. “But I need all the deets, asap.” 
"Thank you. And Leo, keep this quiet. We don't need the press finding out about this." 
"Li.... what should I tell Olivia? The council? They are expecting you to attend the Five Kingdoms Festival opening ceremony next weekend." 
"That was scheduled months ago. That was then. This is now. Things change." 
"You got it, Liam. Talk to you soon." 
Leo ended the call and stared at his phone, still trying to wrap his head around his brother's news. He looked up to find Ashley slipping out the door. Sighing, Leo poured scotch into a crystal tumbler and switched on the television. 
 Brooklyn Heights, New York City 
The sun's rays were streaming through the patio doors of the kitchen as Daniel scooped three teaspoons of sugar into his black coffee. Matteo quickly kissed him goodbye before heading out the door as William climbed up on his toddler chair with his train car. 
"So, buddy, what would you like for breakfast?" 
"I'm hungery, Dan Dan."  
Grinning, Daniel poured apple juice into a sippy cup, "you are? Hmmm. I'm thinking french toast with berries and syrup.” 
William's face lit up, and he clapped his hands excitedly. "Yummy!" 
"You got it, kid," Daniel chuckled, pulling out a pan and the ingredients. 
Liam walked into the kitchen as Daniel's eyes widened in surprise. "Your Majesty, good morning." 
"Good morning, Daniel. I think it's time you started calling me Liam. No need for formalities." 
"And good morning to you William." Liam smiled affectionately, turning his attention to his son. 
William looked up to the tall man, shyly, "Hi". 
"Okay, Liam. Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" 
"Just a cup of coffee, please." 
Daniel poured the King a cup as Liam sat down at the table; already knowing that Liam had come to reunite with Riley yesterday evening. 
William was watching Liam closely and offered to share his toy train.
"For me? Thank you." William smiled and pointed at his breakfast. 
"Dan Dan made me it."  
"Is that so? It looks delicious. Do you mind if I have some too?" 
William giggled, "okay." 
"Dan, could you please make me a plate as well?" 
Daniel nodded, "absolutely. Coming right up." 
"Thank you.”  
“So, William, I see you like trains?" 
"Yes! And puppies.” 
"Wow, you really do like a lot of things." 
William grinned, taking a sip of his juice. 
"You and I have a lot in common. I love trains, too. And... puppies.” Liam smiled. 
William grinned, "you're funny, Mr. Liam." 
"You think so? I'm glad you think so, William. You know, I've always loved trains, even when I was a little boy. Would you like to hear a story about a train I rode on once?" 
William's eyes widened in delight. "I like stories.” 
"Okay, here goes," Liam said, taking a bite of his food. "One day, when I was about your age, my father and I were traveling across the country, and we decided to take the train instead of our usual car. It was a very big train, with many cars, and we had to ride in a special car just for us." 
"Wow!" William exclaimed; his eyes wide with wonder. 
"We rode that train for hours and hours, and we stopped in many different towns and cities. Each one was more beautiful than the last. But then, something strange happened." 
"Oh," William asked, his face a mixture of fear and curiosity. 
"We got stuck. The train stopped working, and we were stranded. It was a very scary situation. We were all alone, with no one to help us. We had no idea what to do. But then, something amazing happened." 
"What? What happened?" 
Liam leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "a magic train came along and rescued us. It was like something out of a fairy tale." 
"Wow," William breathed, eyes wide.
"Yes, it was quite incredible. We were all safe, and the train took us the rest of the way. But it was an adventure I will never forget." 
"Wow," William breathed in awe. 
Leaning against the doorframe, Riley looked at the two, smiling as she took in the scene before her. 
"Good morning, everyone," she announced brightly. 
"Good morning, Riley," Liam replied, standing up to greet her, kissing her cheek. 
William's eyes widened, "Mama, look, Mr. Liam told me a story." 
Riley grinned, ruffling her son's hair, taking the seat next to William. 
"LiLi, this man …” Riley reached across the table and squeezed Liam’s hand. 
“... is your Daddy."  
"Daddy? My daddy?" William turned and looked up at his father, eyes wide, filled with wonder. 
"Yes, I am," Liam softly replied; overcome with emotion. 
Liam stood and knelt, meeting his son's eyes. "I've been away for a while, but I'm here now, and I want to be part of your life, if you'll have me."
William smiled, wrapping his arms around Liam's neck. “My Daddy.” 
Liam's heart swelled as he embraced his son.
"And Mama, too?" William asked.
"Of course, and Mama too." Liam looked at Riley lovingly.
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Thanks for reading!
📌All fics & edits: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234
📌TRR/TRF Liam & Riley: @irisk12 , @walkerdrakewalker @thesvnsins @jared2612
📌Turning the Page: @emersyn-in-cordonia @mainstreetreader @belencha77 @iluaaa @mysticalfangirl @queenwalton @bascmve01 @umccall71 @choicesfrog @amandablink
📌Submissions: @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @choicesnovemberchallenge
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sfb123 · 11 months
Text
Leaping to Conclusions
Pairing: Liam x Riley
All characters belong to Pixelberry
Summary: The pressure to produce an heir is getting to Liam and Riley, leading them to turn to some unconventional methods.
Rating: PG, Adult Language
Word Count: 1,395
A/N: This fic is insanity guys, I'm not even going to pretend it's anything but. I learned the most absurd fun fact this week, and after sharing it with pretty much everyone I know, @ao719 convinced me that it needed to be a fic, and here we are.
For the record, this story doesn't take place in any of my timelines. My Liam and Riley can be weird, but never this weird. 😂
I am participating in @choicesflashfics, the prompt: “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?” will appear in bold below.
And finally, nobody has pre-read this, so apologies in advance for my horrendous grammar, and anything else about it that sucks.
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Riley’s eyes fluttered open as she felt Liam’s lips trailing slowly across her shoulder. She moaned softly and arched back into him. 
“Good morning, love.” He whispered huskily into her ear. 
“When it starts like this it is.” She replied, reveling in the attention she was receiving from her husband. 
As his hand traveled up her body, her stomach started to lurch. Her hand flew to her mouth and she leapt out of his arms and rushed to the bathroom of their guest room in the Walker ranch. Liam sat up and watched with worry as the door slammed shut. 
After a few moments, Liam stood and approached the door. He could hear his wife on the other end, and he knew exactly what was going on. He rapped gently on the door. “Riley, are you alright? Can I get you anything?”  
The only response he received were a few more retching noises, followed by the toilet flushing. Soon after, the door opened, and Liam met Riley’s red, blotchy eyes. “Sorry.” 
Liam wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flush against him. “You don’t have to apologize, it’s not your fault.” They stood there in silence as Liam held her. “Riley, do you think you may need to take a test?” 
Since the royal couple had gotten married, they’d been facing pressure to produce an heir. While they did not take their positions as monarchs lightly, for them, it was more about building a family together. 
“It wouldn’t hurt.” Riley shrugged before returning to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Liam took a seat at the end of the bed to wait for her. 
“Oh no!” Liam stood and rushed back to the door at Riley’s cry. She came back into the bedroom, more distraught than she had been before. “I dropped the test in the toilet.” She buried her head in her hands. 
Liam chuckled slightly, as he wrapped his arm around her. He had read that pregnancy hormones could cause overreactions; he assumed, hoped, that was why she was so upset. “It’s alright, just take another one.”
“Liam, it was the last one!” She snapped.
He stepped back, shocked by her aggression. “That’s alright, we can go into town and get more.” 
“Are you kidding?!” Riley threw her hands up in frustration before moving to the bed and dropping down, burying her face in the pillow. “The press has been all over us, the last thing I need is for them to get a picture of me buying pregnancy tests!” 
Liam sat beside her on the bed, rubbing her back gently as he racked his brain for a solution. “I’ve got it!” 
Riley rolled over and sat up, leaning against the headboard. “What?” 
“We’re in Texas, surely there is a frog around here somewhere.” He said as he moved to the dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans. 
“Liam, this is no time to go wildlife gazing, I might be carrying the heir!” Riley chided him.
“Love calm down, the frog will be able to tell us.” He said matter of factly as he continued to get dressed. 
Her face contorted into a confused expression. “Wait a second. Pause and rewind … what did you just say?” 
He sat beside her on the bed and slid on his boots. “For about twenty years, starting in the nineteen forties, before the pregnancy tests we are familiar with today, there was the Hogben test. A British zoologist, Lancelot Hogben, discovered that when urine samples from pregnant women were injected into frogs, the frog would spawn eggs within eighteen hours. It was the most rapid and reliable pregnancy test of the time.” 
Riley stared at her husband in stunned silence. “How the fuck do you even know that?” 
“I like history.” He shrugged. 
Still befuddled by her husband’s solution, Riley took a deep breath. “So you want to inject a frog with my pee, and then in 18 hours either nothing happens and I’m not pregnant, or I am pregnant and we also have a hundred and seventy two frog eggs?” 
“They’re called frogspawn, love.” He corrected. 
She slapped her palm against her forehead. “Yeah, because that’s the most crucial thing in this conversation.”
“I’m sorry, force of habit,” Liam smiled sheepishly. “Would you like to try it? It’s a fascinating concept, I would be interested to see it in action.” 
“Liam, I don’t even want to touch a frog, let alone do science experiments on it.”
“I’ll take care of everything,” he insisted. “I’ll just need your… well, your um… sample.” 
Riley chuckled when Liam started to get flustered. “Alright, if it’ll make you happy, and all I have to do is pee in a cup, then let’s give it a try.” 
Liam grinned and leaned in, planting a quick kiss on Riley’s lips. “Excellent!”
“I guess Kermit was right, it’s not easy being green.” Riley said, shaking her head. 
Liam made his way to a nearby pond in search of the perfect frog. His eyes roamed the banks in search of his test subject. “If I were a frog, where would I be?” 
Finally, he noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see a frog seated on a nearby rock. “Perfect.” He stalked toward his prey, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. 
Liam was so laser focused that he didn’t notice Drake coming up behind him, curiously observing the actions of his best friend. “Li, what the fuck are you doing?” 
Drake’s words startled Liam and before he had time to catch himself, he tumbled over into the pond as the frog lept away. Drake cackled as the King of Cordonia sat waist deep in the pond glaring at him. 
“Sorry,” Drake apologized as he reached down, helping Liam out of the water. “But seriously, what are you doing?”
“Riley might be pregnant,” he answered.
Drake furrowed his brow, even more confused now that he had the explanation. “Okay, so you decided to go frog hunting to celebrate?” 
“No, we lost the test,” he responded. When Drake continued to stare at him with a blank expression, Liam sighed and explained the Hogben test just as he had done for Riley earlier. 
“And Brooks agreed to go along with this?” Drake chuckled.
“We would do anything for eachother.” 
Drake rolled his eyes and moved toward the pond. A few moments later he returned with a frog. 
“How did you do that?” Liam marveled. 
“You had your training growing up, I had mine.” He shrugged in reply. 
Liam took the frog from Drake, thanking him for his efforts and began walking back to the house. 
“I’ve gotta see this.” Drake said to himself as he followed Liam. 
Liam entered the house heading toward the stairs, until he saw Riley sitting with Madeleine on the living room couch. When he stepped up to them, he noticed the crestfallen expression on his wife’s face. 
“Love, what’s wrong?” 
“I’m not pregnant,” she responded, her eyes trained on the floor. 
“But how do you know? I’ve got the frog right here.” He held it up to show her. 
Madeleine stood from the couch, glaring in confusion and disgust at the sight in front of her. “When I was in town this morning, I bought some tests. I figured you would need them.” 
“Oh Riley,” Liam moved to Riley, outstretching his arms. 
“Liam,” she held a hand up to stop him from getting any closer. “You’re slimy, and wet… and holding a frog.” 
“Oh, right.” Liam looked down at himself, and the frog in his hands. “I should shower. Care to join me?” He asked slyly. 
“Um… maybe you should handle this one solo,” she cringed. 
Liam handed the frog over to Madeleine, who grabbed it instinctively. He signaled for Riley to follow him, and they made their way up the stairs to the bedroom.
“So you’re not going to pee on a frog?” Drake called out as they exited the room. 
“Ugh,” Madeleine groaned. “None of this would be happening if I were queen.” She turned to Drake, thrusting the frog in his direction. “Make yourself useful and deal with this thing.” She stormed out of the room, mumbling to herself, questioning where things went wrong for her.
Drake looked down at the frog with a grin. “God I love Texas.”  
Permatag:
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Liam:
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TRR:
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@choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics
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mysticalfangirl · 16 days
Text
Second chance love
Part 1
Series summary- Liam stopped entertaining the idea of love and marriage after the death of his first love but everything began changing after a certain New York trip.
Book- TRR AU
Pairing - Liam x F!MC (Riley) ; Liam x F!OC(Nicole)
A/n- Using Prompt 2 — “It wasn’t supposed to end like this/that.” from Week #76 Prompts from @choicesflashfics
Rated M for mature audience
This series will contain NSFW .Not suitable for people below 18 years of age.
Warning- Gunshot;Death of character mentioned
No. of words - 1400+
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No matter how much Liam wanted, he couldn't stop the constant ringing in his ears, everything around him was falling apart, people were running around trying to save themselves, as he kicked the last assassin in front of him, the adrenaline left his body and he fell down with a thud looking at his trembling hands which was covered in blood. He then looked around and when he didn't see Nicole or any of his friends he sighed in relief.
He was glad that they all managed to escape, he knew he should go but it was as if all his strength was gone and he couldn't get up. He then heard someone calling his name, he lifted his head to see Bastien in front of him.
Bastien sat on his knees in front of him, he put his hand on Liam's shoulder, his gaze filled with sympathy "Liam we have to go to the hospital."
"Hospital?" Liam asked confused.
"Yes, if we don't go now, we would be very late." Saying this, Bastien practically dragged him out of the ballroom.
"Bastien, what happened, who is hurt?"
"You'll know when we reach there, please we don't have much time left."
On the way to the hospital Liam kept asking him who was hurt but he refused to answer.
They reached the hospital around 20 minutes later, Liam was escorted to the VIP section, where he found Drake, Maxwell, Olivia and his father who was supposed to be staying somewhere safe after the assassin attempt.
They looked at him, Constantine pulled him in a hug and patted his back "You have to be strong Liam, everything will be fine"
Liam was not sure how to react, he couldn't remember when was the last time his father hugged him, looking around him he saw Maxwell trying to supress his sobs, Drake was completely expressionless, last time he was like this was years ago when Jackson died, even Olivia who would have berated Maxwell for behaving like a child was consoling him, her own eyes were red and filled with tears.
"You guys are scaring me. Please tell me what is wrong, who is hurt."
"I-I am sorry Liam it was my fault." Maxwell said as he hiccuped a bit. "I should have been careful, I should have stopped her."
"Stopped who Max? What are you saying?" When no one answered him Liam lost his patience "WILL SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT IS HAPPENING. Drake? Olivia? Please, you guys are scaring me."
"It's Nicole. She's shot" Drake whispered
"W-what?" Liam was stunned unable to comprehend what he heard"It's not funny Drake. Please tell me you're joking.
"I'm not. She is in the OT, she had lost too much blood Li, doctors asked us to be prepared for the worst."
Before Liam could react, the doctor came out of the OT, Liam left Drake's side and ran to the doctor.
"She's okay right? Please tell me they are joking?"
"I'm sorry your highness, we tried our best but it was already too late." Doctor told him with a downcast expression.
"Can we see her?" Maxwell asked the doctor as he wiped his tears.
After doctor's permission all went to see Nicole but Liam stayed behind in the corridor, he slumped down on the chair in the corridor , he had lost all hope at that moment, thinking of a future without her in it made him so miserable that he couldn't breathe, his leg felt heavy, he didn't even have the courage to go and see her.
As he sat there, Liam felt someone tapping his shoulder. He turned to see his father standing there along with everyone. "You should go see her my boy"
"I can't father." Liam said looking at engagement ring in his hand . "I was going to propose today, I wanted to get married to her, have children, to grow old together."
When Liam looked back up his eyes were red filled with unshed tears. Constantine knew how his son felt, he was in the same place almost 20 years ago he knew what he sat there beside him giving his silent support
Later Liam took a deep breath and moved towards the OT. Nicole was laying on the small hospital bed, her black ballgown was exchanged with the loose fitted hospital gown, her hair which immaculately set by the stylist had fell open and was sticking to her forehead. Even then Liam thought she was most beautiful woman ever. He went to her held her palms in his own.
Nicole felt her life slipping away, tears streaked her cheeks, her breathing was turning shallow and even when Liam held her hands in his firm grip she couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel, all she saw was darkness, darkness that was slowly but surely consuming her.
"It wasn’t supposed to end like this. " Nicole sobbed lightly. "I... I don't want to die. Please...." Before she could finish her sentence, the electrocardiogram flatlined. Liam's head snapped to the machine, he frantically pressed the call button. He was pushed away from Nicole, after a while the doctor spoke up"Time of death 00:37"
For few days Liam worked on autopilot, he spent most of his days in either his room or roaming around the wishing well. A week later, during Nicole's funeral, everyone was dressed up in black, her mother was sobbing sitting there, while her father held his wife. They had lost their only child and the feeling was killing them from inside.
Liam arrived later than everyone else, somewhere in his heart he was wishing for everything to be a horrific dream, one that he'll suddenly wake up from and laugh his heart out for having such a ridiculous dream.
He knew nothing like that would happen, Nicole was dead and he had to accept it but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't accept the fact that the love of his life was gone.
At end of the funeral he went to Milton and Genesis Nicole's parents and gave them his condolences, not showing any emotion.
That night when he was wide awake in his room, he felt tears streaming down his cheeks, drenching his pillow, he let out a sob which he muffled through the pillows on his bed, he cried his heart out, slowly his cries turned into sniffle, crying with so much anguish left him exhausted, his eyelids got heavy and sleep consumed him for first time in days.
*******************
3 years later
Liam was standing near Nicole's grave with a bouquet of white lilies in his hand, he put the bouquet on her grave and sat down there. Her death took away a part of him. He was not happy, not after what happened three years ago but tried his best to live the life to the fullest, even with all the responsibilities, he might be dead inside but he wanted to live for her.
"Hey love l am sorry I wasn't here since past few days, being a king is not easy. You were my anchor and I feel that without you everything is falling apart. I don't want this life but Leo's abdication few years ago compelled me to take the role which was never meant for me. Anyways not to delve into boring stuff, I came bearing good news, Maxwell is getting married next month. Can you believe it, I couldn't." He chuckled lightly "Hana is a lovely woman and you would have loved her. Maxwell wants to have his bachelor party in New York and I'll be gone for 4-5 days. See you soon darling." Liam got up and pressed a light kiss to his fingertip before pressing it on her grave.
Late night after packing everything he needed for the trip to New York, Liam took out his sleeping pills, as soon as the medicine took effect dreamless sleep consumed him as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Thank you
*******************
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txemrn · 10 months
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A Bushel and a Peck
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Book: TRR
Pairing: Liam Rys x Riley Brooks-Rys
Word Count: ~3160
Warning: For mature audiences only; TW: major character deaths; mention of cancer, declining health, miscarriages; depiction of an afterlife
A/N: This is a follow-up to Wounded (you don't need to read it to understand this fic). I was asked to "fix it," and I think I did--I mean, I tried... but in a non-traditional way, that still leads to a true HEA. In a way, this is fairly fluffy, but sad fluffy.
A/N 2: Some of these characters, plot points and dialogue belong to our friends at Pixelberry. This was not beta'd; please excuse my errors.
~🖤~
"Can you show us another one?"
"Please, Auntie Ri? Just one more?"
Riley chuckles under her breath before a dry cough robs her titters. "You two aren't tired of those yet?"
Seven-year-old Monie grabs another leather-bound photo album as her five-year-old sister Ginny finishes a snack. The two girls visit with their great-great aunt every Thursday afternoon during the summer months while their mother runs errands.
"How about this one?" Monie passes the scrapbook to Riley, her frail, old hands gripping tightly to the heavy collection of photographs.
"Oh!" Riley squeals, a gravel to her voice, "you picked one of my favorite ones–"
"You say that about every album," Ginny retorts.
"Shhh, your manners!" Monie shakes her finger at her little sister.
Riley smiles warmly. "You're right; I do say that about my photo albums because I just love all of them." She pauses, licking her lined lips. "But this one…" her breath catches in adoration as she opens the front cover. "This one is very special. Here," she pats the empty spaces next to her on the bed, "let me show you."
The nieces eagerly climb on to the bed, sitting close on either side of Riley.
"Who is that?" Ginny exclaims in shock, looking over her aunt's arms in awe. "She looks like a Disney princess!"  
Riley curls an arm around her petite body, giving the little girl a gentle kiss in her raven curls.
"He's cute!" Monie croons, "he looks like–like Ken!"
Riley lets out a heartfelt laugh before coughing into a handkerchief. "This," she points to the tall, broad-shouldered man, dressed in full regalia, "is King William the first of Cordonia."
"Whoa," both girls hum in unison, their eyes glittering in awe.
"And this woman?" She points to the bride in the picture, "is me."
Ginny gasps, staring up at Riley. "But, Auntie Ri," Ginny puts a finger to her mouth, "where's your crown? And–and why is your hair a different color–?"
"Ginny!" Monie scolds.
Riley coughs into her hand, clearing her throat. "Those are some good observation skills," she boops Ginny on the nose, the little girl then turning to stick out her tongue at her older sister. "This picture was taken on my wedding day, over seventy years ago."
"Wow, that's older than Daddy," Ginny announces.
"So, that's Uncle Liam?" Monie guesses hopefully, pointing to the blond groom. 
Riley hums approvingly. "That is your great-great-uncle Liam."
Monie sighs dreamily looking at the picture. "You're so beautiful, Auntie Ri. Did you love him with all of your heart?"
Riley smiles, a sudden twinkle in her stormy blue eyes as she softly caresses her niece's cheek. "I still do."
After receiving Liam's grim test results for his cancer treatment, the young royal couple was advised by the Council to seek a second opinion. And then a third. But, the conclusion was always the same. Liam was dying. 
With the uncertainty of his time left, he made the difficult decision to step down as king. Cordonia was finally stable and strong enough that it could–and it would– thrive with the sudden change. 
But, once the choice was made, Liam never looked back to the country he loved so dearly. He couldn't. All he could see now was his wife, the woman that held his heart, the woman who wholly and bravely kept her vows…
… for worse…
… in sickness…
Liam and Riley savored every last moment they had with one another during his final eight weeks, laughing and revisiting old memories of their seven years of marriage. They enjoyed one last private waltz before he was confined to a wheelchair, one last café and baklava at their favorite late night bistro before he was restricted to the palace walls.  They held each other close at night, whispering prayers of love over one another, for just one more day, for just one more chance to say, 'I love you.'
And then he went.
Olivia Nevrakis assumed the throne as queen of Cordonia. Liam's short reign will always be celebrated in history as a time of rebuilding, as a time of peace, as a time that set the small country up for success. 
Though not reigning, Riley is still revered as a queen, but shortly after Liam's death, she returned to New York to be near family. She did return to Cordonia for visits, but otherwise, her life resumed back in the states. 
She never remarried. And after the four pregnancy losses she had with Liam, Riley had lost all hope and interest in ever becoming a mother. 
But even though her heart was shattered, she discovered abundant joy in a different familial role: being an aunt.  After the first generation of nieces and nephews had grown up, Riley quickly became the cornerstone of the Brooks family, highly regarded and respected. And loved. She was known as the fun aunt, the one with the best stories, the one that remembered birthdays and sporting events and recitals. She made sure every child in the family felt seen, heard, and above all else, loved.
Lost in the memories of her former life, a knock on the door interrupts Riley from her daydream. "Come in," she calls out, her soft timbre strained and gruff.
A young woman with dark hair bounds into the room, bracing her heavily pregnant belly. Monie and Ginny jump up from the bed, running to her with arms wide open. "Mommy!" They crash into her legs, nuzzling sweetly into their mother's sides.
"Hey, sweet girls," she croons, before she looks towards Riley, raising an eyebrow. "At least… I hope you two were sweet girls for Auntie Ri today."
"Oh, Jamie," Riley titters. "You know they are always perfect angels with me." She winks at her great-niece, hugging her daughters.
"Girls, Daddy is right outside. Can you go hold his hand? I need to talk with Auntie Ri for just a minute." 
Nodding their heads, the two young girls run back to their great-great aunt to give her hugs and kisses goodbye. 
"I love you–" Riley singsongs, giving them a knowing grin. Monie and Ginny chime in with her as they all sing in unison, "a bushel and a peck."
The girls raced to the hallway, instantly meeting their father. Jamie closes the door, letting out a sigh before turning her sad, glistening attention to her great aunt.
"Aunti Ri," a lump grows in her throat, "the doctors said you're refusing your heart cath."
Riley straightens out her posture, firming her jaw. "That's right, dear."
"Why?" The young woman whispers, wiping away a tear.
"Because what difference will it make?" Riley carefully grabs her walker, slowly making her way to her niece. "I'm almost 98-years-old, baby girl," she grabs Jamie's hand, comforting her as she watches her begin to cry. "It's time. I'm… ready to go home."
"But," Jamie exhales a trembling sob, "what about us? What if I'm not ready for you to go?"
Riley grins endearingly, "I know that feeling all too well." She gently rubs her thumb over her niece's fingers. "Did I ever tell you what my Liam said to me the night before he passed?"
Jamie dabs away her tears, shaking her head.
"We would stay up late into the night, dreaming of the life we could've had if it wasn't for, y'know, the cancer. But," Riley licks her lips, "that night. Our last night… Liam was quiet. There were no more what ifs or discussions of what could have been. Instead, he just smiled. Completely at peace." Riley's eyes flutter as she recounts the distant memory. "He simply said, 'I'm ready, love.'" Riley shrugs.
"Do you think he knew?" Jamie sniffles, "you think he was ready to die?"
"I think," Riley removes her bifocals, letting them hang around her neck as she draws closer to her niece. "He was ready to live again. He was ready for the next adventure that life has to offer."
Jamie tilts her head. "What's that?"
"Eternity," Riley chuckles, gripping tight to her great niece's arm. "He's been waiting for me a long time." She sighs with contempt, "You kids?" She chuckles to herself, "you are so strong. You all are. My presence isn't what makes you strong. It was our time together… and sure, you'll be sad. But this life?" Riley shakes her head. "It's not the end of the road. And as for me… I'm ready to live again. I'm ready for my next adventure." A tear rolls down Riley's cheek as she smiles brightly. "I'm ready for eternity."
Jamie helped Riley into her favorite rocking chair for her afternoon nap before dinner, covering her up with her favorite knitted blankets. The women hugged each other close before they finally said their goodbyes. 
Turning to leave, Riley calls Jamie back to her side.
"Baby girl?" Riley titters before she begins to sing. "I love you–"
Jamie lets out a heartfelt laugh, wiping away the last of her tears. "--a bushel and a peck."
----------
Warm beams of light crawl across Riley's skin, stirring her awake from her deep slumber. She sits up, rubbing the remainder of her sleepiness from her eyes when suddenly, she freezes. She blinks a few more times as confusion--and fear–billows through her veins.
Her room. It's different. The space was large, filled with the gorgeous scent of pink Cordonian hydrangeas, fresh picked rubies… and something else. Someone else.
Riley takes in the soft gray hue of the walls, accented by the navy toile window treatments. Everything beautiful in its place, everything perfectly neat, everything… oddly familiar. Like a distant dream, like the memory of another life.
Cautiously taking in her new surroundings, Riley begins to mindlessly fumble with the intricate stitching of a throw pillow, the threading comforting to her fingertips.
Then she stops. 
She holds up her hand, her ocean eyes growing wide with wonder. Her skin. It is pure like the first Lythikos snow. No blemishes, no creases. It's perfectly smooth, perfectly pink and supple. Speechless, she reaches up to touch her own flushed cheeks. 
And she gasps, the lines of the past century remarkably gone. Her face. It feels impossibly soft. Like velvet.
A thread of panic unfurls in her stomach as she throws the covers off her body, retreating to the en suite bathroom. Riley has had dreams like this before–many times, actually. Fantasies about her younger years, about her life in Cordonia, about the precious moments she had with the love of her life.
But there was something strange about this one. Something life-like. Something real.
Riley stares at her reflection in the mirror, her hands curiously exploring her body. Espresso tresses. Slender slopes of her waist and hips. She swivels to the left, then to the right, chuckling at her age-rewind. If she could only tell herself then what she knows now…
As she pretends to pin her hair up in different regal styles, the whisper of a melody floats into the room. Startled by the accompaniment, Riley twirls around, listening more intently. She takes a step forward. Then another. She cranes her neck towards the bedroom door, her only exit.
It was a guitar. Someone was playing it.
Riley carefully opens the door, and pads softly down the hallways, through the kitchen and to the foyer. She presses her ear to the front door of her quarters, the music crescendoing through the air.
Swiftly exiting the quarters, Riley tiptoes through the halls down to the main corridor, following the strumming of notes. She finally comes to a set of double doors, one of them sitting ajar as a heavenly light pours out.
Placing her fingertips on the ornate wood,  the vibrations of each chord stirs the wings of butterflies in her heart. Taking a deep breath, she pokes her head into the room.
A woman–an older woman–sits casually in a chair, her fingers meticulously plucking the strings. Riley focuses on her kind face and soft features. Her wavy blonde hair is pinned back into a low bun, exposing the brilliance of her crystal blue eyes.  Though expressionless as she played, the curves of her rosy lips are pleasant, friendly.
"Oh!" She exclaims, noticing Riley. "You're finally here!"
Riley's eyes grow into saucers. Does she know this woman? 
She watches the older woman set down her instrument before bounding towards where Riley stood.
"We have been waiting for you," she smiles sincerely, taking Riley's hands endearingly into her own. “We have so much to talk about–”
"Grandma!"
"Oh!" She lets out a hearty laugh as four small children file into the room, dashing quickly to her side. She bends over and greets each one with a tight hug and a kiss. "How are my darlings?"
Riley smiles at the interaction, admiring the love this woman has for her beautiful grandchildren.  She then casually surveys the room; are their parents nearby?
She looks back to the family when suddenly, she notices one of the blond boys with striking eyes like his grandmother is gazing up at her. He doesn't say a word, but his stare is friendly, warm and inviting.
Riley climbs onto her knees, her attention not leaving him as she soaks in his handsome mannerisms. Even for such a young boy, his hair was perfectly combed to the side. His collared shirt was properly tucked in, and he politely held his hands together behind his back. So precious, so refined and orderly, just like…
Riley gasps as a sea of tears gather in her eyes. She reaches out, combing her fingers through his short hair before stroking his freckled cheeks. And she lets out a silent whimper. "William?"
The young boy giggles, turning back to his brothers and sister. "I told you she would remember me!"
Wrapping her arms around his frame, Riley pulls him to herself tightly, his arms securing around her neck. "My–my baby boy…" One-by-one, each child approaches slowly, excitement written on their chubby faces. Riley caresses the cheeks of two more little boys: another blond and one with dark brunette hair like hers. "Henry?" She sniffles as he nods, chewing coyly on his fingernail. "Alexander?" The two boys join the embrace with their brother William, rivers cascading down their mother's face as she peppers them with kisses.
"Do you remember me, Mommy?"
Riley glances up to see a little girl with stormy blue eyes, her espresso waves tamed into two braids. Though she wore a pretty pink jumper with bows, she was wearing a pair of muddy galoshes. 
That's my girl. 
"My Eleanor," Riley whispers, extending her hand to join the fold with her brothers. She presses her lips into the little girl's temple as she holds her close. "Oh, my baby, I love you," she squeezes her grip around the boys, "all of you!" She snickers, "I love you."
"A bushel and a peck," Alexander pipes up. "Right, Mommy?"
New warm tears pour down Riley's reddened face as she lovingly dotes on her children. "That's right, baby," her breath quivers, "that's right. But… how did you–?"
"You used to sing that to me at night–"
"Me, too!" Henry exclaims while William nods in agreement.
"You and Daddy told me that over and over," Eleanor giggles, "until I woke up in Grandma's arms!" 
Riley freezes as she peers up at the older woman, now overcome with her own tears of joy. She slowly stands, her lips parting in awe. "Your majesty?"
"I haven't been called that in over 85 years!" The older woman shares a contagious laugh, “But, how about we just stick with ‘Eleanor’ for now?”  She quickly reaches out, pulling her daughter-in-law into a snug embrace. Riley quickly slinks her arms around the woman, holding her close as they both weep silently together. "You," Eleanor whispers, "were more than I ever dreamed for my Liam. You were–You are everything he deserves… and more.”
Riley suddenly lets go, staring into her mother-in-law's eyes. She bites her lip as she tilts her head curiously, almost in disbelief.
"Where… where is he?" She sobs into a smile.
Eleanor tucks Riley's hair behind her ear before resting her hands on her daughter-in-law's shoulders. "Where do you think, my dear?"
Riley stumbles backwards as a bright smile crawls across her face. She finally turns around, pushing through the double doors and out into the main corridor. After descending the grand staircase, she exits into the pure daylight, a gentle breeze greeting her.  She glances around the grounds, the fresh greenery invigorating her senses. Without thinking, she abruptly takes off down the steps, sprinting through the bushes, across the courtyard and around the fountain. Finally, she reaches a thick hedge of beautifully twisted vines and leaves. The garden maze.
Riley closes her eyes as she catches her breath, another gust of wind tangling in her hair. A tug on her heart beckons for her to keep going as she fumbles her way into the maze. She frantically runs around the corners and through the turns, her hands outstretched to catch her if she trips.
Making it around the last twist of the path, Riley spills into the center of the maze: the garden. Her eyes frantically search, scouring through the area, looking behind lattice work and dense pieces of foliage until finally, she gasps.
Around the corner along a private path, a tall, strongly-built man slowly paces next to a swing, his hands casually in his pockets. With his short locks of blond ruffling in the breeze, he glances at his watch before instantly feeling a pair of stormy blue eyes fixed on him.
As he peers over his shoulder, a smile tugs at his lips, his breath escaping his lungs as his eyes begin to shimmer.
"There you are, my love."
With reckless abandon, Riley dashes down the dirt path, gasping for air between her wails of disbelief. Leaping into the air, Liam's strong arms instantly catch her, pulling her close to his broad chest. His large hand cradles her intimately as his other fists tightly into her careless waves. She locks her legs around his waist, her fingers combing hungrily into his hair as she presses her face into his neck.
And she weeps, deep groans escaping her chest as her body shudders in his arms. 
"Shhh," Liam gently croons, warm tears coursing down his chiseled cheeks. "It's alright now. Everything is alright now."
Quieting down, Riley looks up to her husband, his lips immediately finding hers. "Is this real?" She pants, claiming his mouth again. "Please tell me this is real life, baby."
Liam pulls her into another deep kiss, his tongue gently caressing her lips apart as he elicits soft mewls from her mouth. He pulls back, his crystal blue gaze meeting her hopeful, tear-stained eyes. "It's better, love." He pushes a wayward tendril from her face. "This is eternity."
~🖤~
Thank you so much for your support! Every like, comment and reblog means the world to me! 🖤
~🖤~
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fadingreveries · 15 days
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The Royal Romance, Bk1 Ch1: Once Upon a Time (Pt. 4)
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Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰
Story Summary: In this novel-style retelling of TRR, beloved scenes with original commentary from the Choices stories including your favourite group of royals and friends will be expanded upon. Contains extended commentary and scenes from the original story, in-depth descriptions of bonus scenes, and premium choices and outfits.
Chapter Synopsis: Love awaits in the royal court of Cordonia as Riley competes for the Crown Prince! Will she accept his proposal, or will someone else win her heart?
Word Count: 1.9k
Disclaimer: All rights to original commentary, scenes, and characters from The Royal Romance series reserved to Choices and Pixelberry Studios. No copyright infringement intended.
~ ~ ~
But before Liam could move, Maxwell grabbed his arm and sputtered out, “When was the last time you talked to a normal person?”
“Considering I hang out with you two…” Liam started, before his face betrayed him with a mischievous grin. “I must say it’s been awhile.”
This earned Liam a lighthearted punch from Drake, who pretended to act wounded when he guffawed. “Hey!”
“Exactly,” Maxwell stated matter-of-factly, pointing his finger at the two of them. 
This time, Drake mulled Maxwell’s words over in his mind, turning to Liam. “I suppose Maxwell does have a point. If you accidentally blow our cover and she calls the paparazzi, we might cause an international scandal.”
“Surely it can’t be all that different from talking to one of the noble ladies at court,” Liam pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. 
“Okay, pop quiz, Prince Charming…” Maxwell began, rubbing his hand over his chin deep in thought.
Drake raised his eyebrows, shaking his head and reaching for his glass of whiskey. “This ought to be good.”
“You’re next, Dragon,” Maxwell added, a look of amusement in his eyes before turning back to Liam. “What do commoners talk about?”
“Commoners talk about…” Liam slowly replied, trying to form his own thoughts on what others who weren’t burdened with the responsibility of a kingdom and its citizens on their shoulders pondered about. What did they talk about? Liam bashfully shook his head, clearing his throat. “Uh… Drake, help.”
Drake shrugged his shoulders, giving Liam and Maxwell a blank look of confusion. “I mostly grew up with you guys. Why do you think I would know?” 
“It’s probably the denim shirt. It makes you so approachable,” Maxwell responded, reaching out to pinch fabric on Drake’s shoulder to make his point. 
With a scowl of annoyance, Drake brushed off Maxwell’s comment of his fashion choices. Drake advised Liam, “Look, we can’t waste any more time on this. Her shift’s going to end. Just go apologize for our group being so demanding, tell her you hope we didn’t cause her too much trouble, and thank her for everything. Then we’ll head out.”
“Ooh! Ask her if there are any good clubs around here!” Maxwell excitedly added, his eyes lighting up. Time to bring on the drinks and partying!
The frown on Drake’s face returned, as he chastised his friend, “Maxwell!”
“I shall attempt to work it in,” Liam answered, taking a deep breath and standing up from his seat. 
It was a little after the bar had closed when Liam walked over to the waitress, feeling his stomach twisted in knots. While he exuded confidence and prestige as the Crown Prince of Cordonia in front of crowds, this was the first time he had ever felt unsure of himself talking to a person.
Riley was finishing up stocking supplies away on shelves and cupboards when Liam tapped her on the shoulder. He felt almost as if he was a schoolboy, cheeks on the verge of turning red at the sign of a beautiful girl in front of him. 
There was a look of surprise on Riley’s face when she turned around, as her lips turned up in a smile. “Hello.”
“I think we’re about ready to head out. I just wanted to thank you… and apologize. I know we kept you late, and my friends can be… demanding,” Liam apologized, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
Riley thought the apology was more endearing than it was meant to be. Something about the way he graciously apologized for his friends—although nothing that warranted a real apology—had touched her because he was courteous of how others felt. “Demanding? Nothing I couldn’t handle.”
Liam chuckled, another bright smile washing away the initial anxiousness he felt walking up to this beautiful woman. “I had the feeling that you could take care of yourself.”
For a moment, the two stared at each other with equal amazement and wonder. Riley shyly looked away, her cheeks flushing a soft pink. Liam bit his bottom lip, trying to hide his smile from growing wider. This was the moment where Liam knew he should have said goodbye but for some reason, he couldn’t.
Instead, Liam cleared his throat and suggested, “If you don’t have any other plans tonight, maybe I can make it up to you by buying you a drink. We’re about to go to a club.”
That sounded pretty normal, right? Liam thought with a smile. Then his eyes widened in shock. Oh no, what did I just say?
He tried to rethink what exactly was so embarrassing about what he said. It was his bachelor party and there was nothing harmed from offering a polite invitation. Besides, it was an unlikely chance that she would accept. There’s no cause for concern. There’s no way she would accept an invitation from a complete stranger. That would be—
“Oh? Which one?” Riley curiously inquired, knowing that the busy weekend promised fully packed clubs in all of downtown. 
Shrugging his shoulders, Liam admitted, “Uh… We were hoping you might have some advice about that. We’re not from around here.”
With a thoughtful expression, Riley racked her mind full of the clubs she knew that were popular with university students and young adults in general. Then she decided against it and went on a whim with an honest answer, not sure if Liam would take a liking to it. “I recommend going to a gorgeous secret cove by the beach. Forget the club.”
Raising his eyebrows in an amused manner, Liam nodded with a smile as if to say she had single-handedly guessed exactly what he was in the mood for without knowing him very well. “You know… that actually sounds perfect. To be honest, I’m getting a little tired of the usual bachelor party antics. Lead the way.”
“Sure! Let me finish up here, and I’ll meet you out front,” Riley answered, trying not to let her excitement show. 
Riley quickly finished her work and headed to the back to change. She caught a glance of herself in the breakroom mirror. I am so ready to get out of this uniform, she excitedly thought. 
Pulling her outfit out of her bag, she put a forest green coloured off-shoulder dress that ended midway on her thighs but with a slightly longer coverage behind her. She put on a few layer necklaces and strapped in her chestnut-coloured sandals before heading out of the bar.  
Meanwhile, Liam walked outside to meet with the guys who stood on the sidewalk in front of the bar and restaurant. Tariq was down the street taking photos of his shoes in the light of a storefront display for his social media. Drake and Maxwell looked at their best friend expectantly, wanting to know how the conversation they had talked him into had gone. 
“How’d it go?” Drake questioned, shoving his hands into his pockets. 
It was obvious that it had gone better than expected. Liam had already given away his answer with a wide grin. “Oh, you know… I took your advice… I apologized… thanked her… invited her out with us.”
Drake thought he misheard his friend. Maybe he was in the mood for jokes now that they had loosened up a bit at the bar? “What was that last part?”
Just then, Riley stepped out of the bar, adjusting her purse on her shoulder. “I’m here. Are you ready to head out?”
The four men of the bachelor party turned to glance at the waitress they met earlier, with all of them staring in awe and mouths hung wide open. Riley could feel herself almost blushing, thinking about how funny it was that they were all looking at her differently only after changing out of her uniform. 
“Wow,” was all Drake could say, his expression blank this time out of shock compared to his own doing. 
Fiddling with the strap of her purse, Riley simply echoed him, “Wow?”
“I… almost didn’t recognize you,” Drake admitted, taking her in from head to toe. He couldn’t lie to himself; she was gorgeous in her new get-up. It was probably why he let that unfiltered comment slide without realizing. 
Tariq smiled, taking note of how Riley stood up straighter in confidence. “That uniform wasn’t doing you justice.”
“Yeah. The waitress is hot,” Maxwell remarked, trying to flatter Riley. 
A scowl made its way onto Liam’s face and his eyebrows knitted together. There was something in the way that Maxwell worded his compliment that didn’t sit right with him. It was almost as if it implied that she was only worth noticing because of her attractive looks. Liam couldn’t deny that, but he felt there was so much more to her than anyone realized. She was genuine and that in itself was more than enough reason to consider her something more worthy than merely “hot.”
“Her name is Riley, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that,” Liam responded, shooting her an apologetic look. It made Riley smile. She had never been defended that way by a man before and she found it quite attractive. 
“Right. Sorry, Riley,” Maxwell apologized, a sheepish laugh coming from him. “I meant to say you look lovely.”
“So she’s our tour guide now?” Drake asked incredulously, waiting for his best friend to second-guess her joining them. He looked at Riley, then Liam with an unsure expression on his face. 
“Riley was kind enough to agree to show us around. She’s doing us a favour, so be nice,” Liam emphasized, giving his friend a knowing look. 
“Sweet! Let’s get this party going!” Maxwell yelled out enthusiastically, his party mindset always steering towards The more, the merrier.
Riley led the way down the street, and the four men followed. While Tariq conversed with Riley about luxury stores nearby where he could purchase new suits for his next business meetings, Maxwell and Drake slowed down and joined Liam behind them. 
Drake turned to Liam, grumbling under his breath, “Are you sure about this?”
“How can anyone be sure about anything, Drake?” Liam asked. Truth be told, he didn’t have the faintest idea why he had decided to invite Riley with them. There was simply an intuitional force driving him to do all that was spontaneous which he couldn’t do back in Cordonia. 
With a shake of his head, Drake muttered, “Seriously though, she seems cool, but we don’t know the first thing about her.”
Ever the skeptic, Liam knew Drake only had good intentions and was merely cautious on his behalf. He always appreciated Drake’s protective nature. “I just… have a good feeling. Trust me?” Liam said, a small smile on his face. 
Drake glanced at Riley, before sighing. “Okay. But that doesn’t mean I trust her. Don’t let her know who you are.”
“Of course! I’ll keep a… what-is-it-called?” Liam promised, trying to think of a term Drake had used earlier at the start of the bachelor party. “A small profile?”
Drake gave Liam one long look. The thoughts he ignored and the things he put up with for his best friend.
A wide grin made its way on Liam’s face, as he gleefully chuckled. “Thank you for looking out for me.”
“Yeah, yeah, come on,” Drake brushed it aside, trying to enjoy the new twist of events for the four guys.
~ ~ ~
Click here for the TRR retelling series masterlist for more chapters! 🏰
Tag list: @kingliam2019 @princess-geek @karahalloway @twinkleallnight @tinkie1973 @tessa-liam
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eadanga · 22 days
Text
The Royal Romance Chapter 8 Part 1
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The car pulls up to a large estate Riley exits the car as servants come and gets all the luggage inside. Riley’s looks around taking in the view of the Alps
Maxwell stands beside her grinning “Here we are welcome to Lythikos! The Land of ice, snow and mountains”
Riley turns to him “This is where Olivia lives?”
Maxwell nods “Some of time yeah she’s primary at Lythikos Hall which is further south but she’ll host us up here for the social season so we can take advantage if the snowy activities”
Riley sighs “And so she can take advantage of the Prince”
Hana places a hand on her shoulder “She does have an edge here but that’s no reason to admit defeat!”
Maxwell nods “That’s the spirit!”
Drake steps up “Maxwell what happened to your brother? I noticed he’s not around lecturing Brooks I thought he’d hate to miss out on a chance to eat fancy food and rub elbows with the royals”
Maxwell sighs “Bertrand was called away for some business having to do with our estate”
Riley smirks “I already miss his protocol quizzes”
Maxwell grins “If you want I can quiz you on how to best stand behind a chair”
Drake rolls his eyes “Please don’t we’re about to have a nice time”
Riley and Hana giggle as Maxwell playfully pouts
Hana smiles “I agree it’s beautiful out here” She shivers “Even if it’s very cold!”
Drake raises an eyebrow “Didn’t you pack anything warmer?”
Hana sighs “Not exactly I didn’t know it’ll be snowing this much but I’ll survive what say we check the inside of the chateau”
Maxwell nods “Good idea! Riley let’s go I’ll show you where your room is” Riley nods as she follows Maxwell inside and he guides her to a lavish grand bedroom he grins “Come on Riley put your stuff down and let’s go!”
Riley laughs “What’s your rush?”
“We got the entire day in snow planned out! Plus I already see Olivia and Liam on the ice better put on something warm”
Riley sighs as she gets her coat and boots Of course they’re already on the ice we haven’t even been here that long and she’s already sinking her claws into him Riley heads down the stairs and meets Maxwell outside he hands her a pair of ice skates
“You know how to ice skate right?”
Riley smiles “I know the basics of it try to stay upright and don’t fall I used to skate all the time down at Rockefeller center even once for a date”
Maxwell grins “Good enough and you’re gonna have to relay the details of that later”
Riley smiles and she heads out onto the ice with Maxwell out the corner of the of her eye Riley spots Liam and Olivia skating she can hear snippets of their convo
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten how well I can skate?”
Liam smiles “Oh I very much remember”
Riley sighs I know he’s tying to be polite but it won’t be long before she starts flirting
Maxwell skates up to her “Remember eyes on the prize now et out there and grab some time with the Prince while I distract Olivia” He grins and waves at Olivia “Olivia! You gotta see me do a spin don’t move!” He winks then hip checks Riley sending her sailing across the ice “Go get them princess!”
“Whoa! Dammit Maxwell why’d you do that!” Riley holds out her arms to keep her balance and she runs into something hard and feels a pair of arms wrap around her she looks up
“Liam”
 “Are you alright?
 Riley feels her face heat up and her face turn bright red and she slowly moves away from him “Just fine thank you for catching me”
He smiles “It’s a pleasure to see you always you’re a vision of grace on those skates”
“After you just saw me flailing around?”
Liam chuckles “No but I did see you skating with Maxwell on the ice you seem to be an expert”
“I’ve had some lessons but it’s been a while”
“They paid off I take it you’ve come to skate with me today”
Riley grins “That was my hope”
“Then please accompany me” He offers his hand
“Gladly” She takes his hand and entwines his fingers with hers
Liam grins “You look very lovely today very warm”
“Yup definitely glad I put on this coat do you and the court come out here regularly”
“Not often but Olivia’s been very generous by having us at our estate but actually I used to come out here frequently when I was younger Olivia and I will play in snow together”
“You and Olivia huh? Tell me more about that”
Liam nods “We’d build snow forts on the banks and catapult snowballs at each other the lake was too dangerous to play on since we were young but sometimes we’d sneak out onto the ice and hope we will see the fish beneath the surface we never did but we had some exciting false finds”
“You two must have been close”
Liam sighs “We were it’s hard watching her become the person she is I know she’s a tough person to get along with”
“She’s basically the opposite of you”
“Olivia had a difficult childhood her parents were killed in a political assassination when she was only 5 years old she was alone without family at her estate for the better part of the year before my family and I officially visited” He frowns “She was supposed to be in the care of her great aunt but that woman left to summer on the Riveria abandoning her Olivia didn’t have anyone she was alone”
“But didn’t she have the servants?”
“The servants were doing their best but they we’re traditionist Nevrakis family trained for decades after a lifetime of holding the nobility up on a pedestal they weren’t prepared to give Olivia what she needed the most…love”
Riley feels her heart break as Liam continues
“The first few days of our visit she was sullen and withdrawn I thought she hated me but one night I heard her sobbing through the walls I actually believed it was a ghost at first but when I got over my fear and investigate there she was little 5 year old Olivia weeping and clutching one of her mother’s gowns saying over and over again come back please come back I knelt beside her and held her until she cried herself to sleep I knew I couldn’t leave her there then I convinced my parents to let her live at the palace with us for almost 2 months she wouldn’t leave my side just about drove Drake crazy but”
Liam stops mid sentence as Olivia skates over
“That Maxwell is a persistent one”
Liam grins “He can be of high energy”
Olivia sighs “Yes I can tell” She turns to Riley with a mocking smile “So Riley I bet you’ve never seen a countryside this spectacular are you impressed?”
Riley smiles “Actually yes it’s gorgeous your home is truly lovely the snow the lake the trees it’s absolutely breathtaking”
Olivia looks at her surprise “Oh well yes it is”
Riley smiles to herself Not gonna be rude not after hearing all that from Liam
“I’m glad even someone like you can appreciate the elegance of splendor and nature”
Riley sighs And there she goes just when I was feeling bad for her
She wraps her arm around Liam’s “Now Prince Liam I believe you owe me a round across the lake”
Liam nods “Excuse me Riley I do owe her I will see you later”
They skate off together
Riley sighs Just because we’re at her place she uses the opportunity to be clingy with him but after hearing her history I can see why
Tags: @mfackenthal @indiacater @the-soot-sprite @gkittylove99 @twinkleallnight @iaminlovewithtrr @princess-geek
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ao719 · 1 year
Text
Trace the Steps
A/N: This is a part of my Us Again series. Submission for @choicesflashfics, using prompt #2. Thank you to @burnsoslow for prereading. Please excuse any errors.
Title Inspiration: The Stranger - Ingrid Andress
Book/Pairing: TRR; Liam x MC (Katherine)
Rating: T • Warnings: None.
Word count: 2500
Catch up here
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Chatter fills the ballroom of the luxury hotel as political figures from around the globe mingle after the dinner service. I’m seated at a table next to Liam; his arm is draped across the back of my chair as he casually chats with the French ambassador beside him.
I’m quiet as I stare at the bubbles in my champagne flute, too lost in my thoughts to hold a conversation that lasts more than a few minutes. We arrived in New York a couple of days ago for the annual UN Gala, and being here is doing no favors to my state of mind.
I’m here, but I’m not present.
Lately, that’s how it feels no matter where I am or what I’m doing.
I feel like a shell of myself. I’m not sleeping well. I’m not eating right. I’m losing motivation for the simplest of tasks. I cry more than I smile, and my smiles are mostly fake, save for the ones I give my children.
I’ve never felt so lost.
“You’ve hardly eaten, Queen Katherine.”
A man’s voice pulls my eyes away from my champagne glass. I glance over to see the French ambassador looking at me with a concerned smile as he gestures to my barely-touched plate. My gaze subtly shifts up to see Liam look from my plate to me, and I swear I think I see a flicker of concern in his eyes.
I force a smile as I look back at the man. “I had quite a big lunch.”
It’s a lie, of course.
“Ah,” the man nods. “The portion sizes here are something,” he chuckles. “You are from here, no?”
“I am,” I nod in reply.
“Oui,” he smiles, clapping Liam on the shoulder. “This is where you met your beautiful wife!”
My eyes move back to Liam, and he’s still staring at me as he responds. “It is,” he nods.  
There seems to be something in his gaze, something almost familiar, and I feel a swell of hope fill me as I stare back at his brilliant blue eyes, silently praying for what I’m not even sure … something that says he understands. Suddenly, a voice calls out to him, pulling his attention; he sees a Swedish statesman, an old friend of his, and he smiles as he turns away to greet him.
I feel myself deflate as I look back at the champagne bubbles. My emotions unexpectedly start to get the better of me and I quickly blink to rid my eyes of the sting in them.
I need to get out of here.
I fake a smile to those around the table to excuse myself before I stand. I look at the door and then at Liam, whose back is to me; I could just go … but there’s a piece of me that wants to try something.
I place my hand on his shoulder as he speaks to his friend; he looks up and smiles as he lifts his hand to rest on the small of my back, our act in perfect sync. “You remember my wife?”
“Of course!” The man grins before greeting me with a kiss on the cheek. “Lovely to see you again.”
“You as well,” I smile before looking down at Liam and dropping my voice. “I’m going to step out.”
Liam’s brows imperceptibly knit. “Are you alright?”
“Yes.” No. “I just … need some fresh air.” As he stares back at me, I’m screaming inside for him to offer to come with me.
“Ok.”
My heart sinks as I nod; I give one last forced smile to the man he’s speaking with before turning and heading for the doors.
I can’t remember the last time We sat at the table, just the two of us Looked into each other’s eyes And made the choice to choose us
I need to be alone, so I sneak out of the side entrance to evade my security detail. I step into an alleyway and take in a deep breath, brushing away the few tears that have managed to slip out as I slowly exhale. I move to the sidewalk and people bustle by me. I should stick out like a sore thumb in my designer gown, but in true New York fashion, they’re paying me no mind.
I turn and begin to walk, not knowing exactly where I’m headed.
The first several years Liam and I attended the gala after we married, it always became a walk down memory lane. As the years continued, however, we stopped reliving those pivotal moments of our story; we stopped reminiscing. One would think being in a place that held so much history of us would make us at least think about how far we’d fallen, but we became so accustomed and numb to the crumbling state of our relationship … or we just chose to blatantly ignore it … coming here year after year seemed to not affect us at all.
This time proves different, however. At least for me.
Perhaps it’s because of how much I’ve been thinking about where we are, how we got here, and what the future holds for us — if anything at all — so much lately. Finding that photograph of us in Liam’s wallet triggered something in me. In the time since, the state of our marriage has consumed me; it’s all I can think about. I’ve cried more in the past few weeks than I have in the decade we’ve been together. And I know Liam has sensed a shift in me and he’s been acting differently himself, more so in the week since I asked him that question: Did we break each other? He never answered me, but he didn’t need to.
I’ve been thinking about that question myself, wondering if we’re broken or shattered. There is a difference between the two.
Broken means there’s still hope.
After walking a few blocks, I stop in front of a familiar street. It’s been years since I’ve been here. I linger for a few moments before a wave of memories crashes over me, and I turn down the sidewalk. My eyes land on a familiar neon sign, and my feet begin to carry me toward it.
Let's trace the steps of where we’ve been To make it feel like home again
The bell above the door rings as I open it, and I step inside my old stomping ground of the bar. It looks the same as it did the last time I was here, which was close to five years ago. The only thing that’s changed is the staff. I get looks from a few other patrons because of my attire, but I ignore them as I make my way to the bar and take a seat on one of the stools.
“What’ll it be, Miss?”
I look up at the bartender; he’s a younger man, giving me a curious smile as he eyes my gown. “A Manhattan, please.”
“Sure thing, doll.”
He prepares my drink and slides it to me before moving to the next customer. I take a sip before glancing around, remembering my time here with Daniel; he stopped working here years ago. He lives upstate now with his husband, but we still talk from time to time.
As I sip my drink, I hear the voice of a waitress behind me, greeting a new table of customers. I glance over my shoulder and instantly recognize the booth before I turn back and close my eyes as the memory hits me.
**  
“Hello, gentleman,” I smile at the men sitting in the booth. “I’ll be taking care of you this evening.”
“Waitress, steaks for the table,” a man grins.
“How about some filet mignon, medium rare and prepared with a bearnaise sauce?” a second man asks.
I refrain from rolling my eyes. “The closest thing we have to filet mignon is the deluxe burger.”
“Dare I ask for your wine list?”
“We’ve got an excellent vintage house red …”
“House red?” he questions, truly shocked.
“It also comes in white,” I quip with a subtle smirk.
“We’ll be fine with a bottle of whiskey … and four deluxe burgers,” the third man speaks up.
I look at him and smile with a nod, but then my brows furrow, looking between the three of them. “Four?”
Just then, the bell above the door rings and the man gestures his head; I look back to see a fourth man making his way toward the booth, and I can’t help but stare. He’s tall, blonde, and has a pair of brilliant blue eyes. He stops in front of me, and when he smiles, I swear my heart skips a few beats. “Sorry I’m late. Thank you for your patience, Miss …?”
I stare up at him in a momentary daze before clearing my throat and smiling in return. “Uh, Katherine.”
“Charmed to make your acquaintance, Katherine.”
When he says my name, my stomach flips. “The pleasure’s all mine,” I nod. “It’s nice to meet you.”
**  
I shake the memory before taking a large sip of my drink in an attempt to drown it. I had no idea back then how that one night — that one stranger — was going to change my life. I came in expecting a typical night at work … and met someone who would soon become the one person I couldn’t live without.
Now he’s a stranger again.
Over the past several weeks, it feels like Liam has also come to silently acknowledge where we are, yet neither of us brings it up. It’s like we’re afraid to talk to each other … or we’ve just gotten so used to not talking at all that we’ve all but given up trying. I want to talk to him. I want to ask him how he thinks we got here and where he thinks we went wrong because I don’t have the answer. I want to know what he thinks we should do.
I want to know if we’re on the same page or, at the least, in the same damn book.
I don’t know what to do. I only know that I’m not going to be able to go on like this much longer. I’m falling apart as it is.
I down the rest of my drink before signaling to the bartender for another. My eyes shift up to the neon sign on the back wall above the bar when I catch it slightly flickering. It’s a sign that’s been there since I worked here. “Trust me, you can dance.” — Tequila.
I continue to stare at it as I raise my glass to my lips.
**  
After taking Liam to see the Statue of Liberty, neither of us seemed quite ready to say goodnight. He offered to take me home, and when we made it to my building situated across the street from the bar, I offered him a nightcap, so to speak; he seemed too gentlemanly to agree to come up to my apartment, so I unlocked the bar for us instead.
It’s after 2 a.m., and Liam and I are a few drinks in, sitting at the bar, laughing as we talk with music softly playing.
I’ve never met anyone so easy to talk to. I would never have guessed he was a Prince if he didn’t tell me at the cove. He’s so down-to-earth and humble. And sweet. And handsome. I can’t help the twinge of sadness I feel that I’ll never see him again after this. We’re two different people from two different worlds … but we have tonight.
A song starts to play, and I smile as I shift myself onto the bar and slide across it, turning the volume up. “Dance with me.”
Liam laughs, shaking his head. “I don’t think I’d be very good.”
“You’re a Prince,” I laugh. “Don’t tell me you can’t dance.”
“I can,” he nods. “But after a few drinks … I wouldn’t say I do it well.”
“Doubtful,” I grin, pointing to the sign above me.
Liam looks up and laughs. “Well, if tequila says I can dance, who am I to argue?”
Slipping off the stool, Liam walks behind the bar toward me. “Now remember, this isn’t a ballroom … so none of that fancy stuff is required,” I say playfully.
“Good to know,” he grins.
Liam gingerly slips his arms around my waist as mine loop around his neck, and we start softly swaying to the music. “See, you’re—” I cut myself off with a laugh as we stumble, holding tightly to him so I don’t fall.
“Spoke too soon,” Liam chuckles as we bump up against the bar.
Still giggling, I glance up to see his brilliant smile as he stares down at me; he slowly starts to lean in, and I tilt my head up just before feeling his lips against mine for the second time that night.
**  
I know you remember that first night I asked if you would wanna dance You made me laugh in the neon light With your two left feet telling me you can’t
My eyes sting as I brush my finger against my lips, still able to remember that kiss like it was yesterday. I never thought I’d see Liam again after that night, but fate had different plans. It brought us back together, tried to tear us apart, and brought us back again.
But how do we become that us again? How do we get back to that Liam and Katherine who had fallen so deeply in love that we would have done anything to be together? Where a future without one another was unacceptable and completely out of the question?
Is it possible to go back to that at all?
Do we fight for what we once had? Or do we wave the white flag and just call it quits? Not all love stories get ‘a happily ever after.’ Sometimes … it’s just once upon a time. Maybe we just need to come to terms with that truth. It’s a hard pill to swallow, though, especially knowing we haven’t done everything we can to save us.
Because we don’t talk.
We may have both acknowledged where we are to ourselves, but we don’t attempt to show it to one another. We don’t say anything. We don’t do anything that simply shows the other, “I’m here. I know. I understand.” A simple gesture of recognition would be better than nothing.
Let’s trace those steps ‘til we can find Where we got lost in love that time
My heart begins to ache as I continue to think about our story, longing for that love I’m not even sure exists anymore. I’m fighting like hell to keep myself together as I take another sip of my drink; when I hear the bell above the door ring, I casually glance over.
I let out a breath when Liam steps into my line of vision. He looks around before his eyes find me, and we stare at one another for a long moment.
Something about him walking into that place at that moment makes me lose my fight.
Without warning, my tears start to fall, and unlike the times before, I don’t attempt to hide or stop them. I see his brows round in worry before I look away and bow my head.
A moment later, I feel his hand on my back, and his thumb tenderly brushes my skin. That simple, infinitesimal gesture is all it takes for me to completely break down, and a quiet sob escapes me.
He’s here. He knows. He understands …
You play the stranger I’ll play the girl at the bar The same place where this all got started Sometimes I wish I didn’t know you at all So we could do it all over And fall all over each other again
***************************************
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justcallmefox89 · 25 days
Text
Cinderfella's Adventures in Cordonia - Chapter Twenty
An AU of The Royal Romance with a male MC and a bisexual prince.
Masterlist
Drake and Liam learn more about Callum's past.
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“What’s going on, Pops?” Callum asks again.
“You’re back earlier than I expected,” Niall answers, shooting a dirty look at Donny.
The blonde man shrugs nonchalantly, taking a pack of cigarettes from his jack pocket and tapping it against the palm of his hand.
“Yeah… turns out there wasn’t a problem at the club after all.”  Callum narrows his eyes at his father.
Niall innocently widens his eyes.  “I must have misunderstood.”
“Then you just mistakenly let yourself into my apartment while I was out?”
“I do own the building, Callum,” Niall sniffs.  “Technically I can go into any apartment I want to, with or without your permission.”
Donny lets out a slightly breathy and panicked, “Oh shit.”
Drake’s eyes bounce back and forth between the men like ping-pong balls and Liam sits rigidly next to him, tension evident in every line of his body.
“That’s how we’re going to do this?  Seriously, Pops?  You didn’t try that line on me when I was sixteen but you’re doing it now?”
“You had better sense at sixteen,” Niall snaps.  “Back then you weren’t jumping at the chance to ruin your life every time a hot piece of ass smiled at you.”
“I need a smoke,” Donny suddenly announces loudly.  He points at Liam and Drake.  “You two.  Come with me.”
Confused, Liam blurts out, “We don’t smoke.”
“You can hold my lighter,” Donny replies, tugging the pair to their feet.
Ioan rises from his chair.  “I think I’ll join you -”
“You better keep your ass in that chair, old man,” Callum grinds out between clenched teeth.
Stunned at his grandson’s tone, Ioan plops back into his seat, and Donny seizes the opportunity to hustle Drake and Liam out onto the balcony.  He manages to slam the sliding glass door closed just as the shouting starts.
“What the actual FUCK were you two thinking?” Callum yells.
Donny lights a cigarette and inhales deeply, letting the pale grey smoke slowly curl out of his nostrils.  “I hope the two of you are pleased with yourselves.”
“Us?”  Liam gapes, pointing between himself and Drake.  “You think this is our fault?”
“Isn’t it?”  He takes another drag.  “Callum was fine, happy again.  You two are back in his life less than three days and him and his father are at each other’s throats with Ioan snapping at their heels.”
Liam’s cheeks flush and he scowls.  “The MacKenzie family’s dysfunction has nothing to do with us.”
“It has everything to do with you, cupcake.”
Drake braces his forearms on the railing that runs around the perimeter of the balcony.  “I didn’t mean for anything like this to happen.  I never wanted to cause Callum any problems.”
He sounds so miserable that Donny takes pity on him.  “I know you didn’t mean to, kid.  But goddamn… why couldn’t you just stay away?”
The voices from the living room get louder and the three men wince in unison.
“He’s going back with you,” Donny says, flicking his cigarette butt onto the ground and crushing it with the toe of his boot.
Liam sighs.  “He hasn’t made a decision one way or the other yet.”
“I know my son.  He’ll go.”
Drake and Liam exchange startled looks.
Donny chuckles at their shocked expressions.  “I’ve been raising that boy for nearly thirty years, and I’ve been with Niall for almost as long.  Callum’s my son.”
“We didn’t realize…” Drake trails off, embarrassed.
“Did Callum ever tell you about his mother?”
“From the way he phrased it I assumed she died when he was very young,” Liam says slowly.
Donny barks out a harsh laugh.  “Fuck.  That woman will still be alive when there’s only cockroaches roaming the earth.”
Drake’s mouth drops open and Liam frowns uncomfortably.
Taking in their shocked expressions Donny sighs and lights another cigarette.  “That was probably unfair to Cassie.  We’ve always had a… complicated relationship.”
“So his mom is alive?” Drake asks.
Donny shrugs.  “He’s never met her.  She showed up once when he graduated high school.  Niall almost had an aneurysm.  She futzed around a bit, said she wanted to finally meet her son.  But in the end she did what she always does and disappeared before anything could happen.  Thank god we didn’t tell the kid anything and get his hopes up.”
“How did… How long… um…” Liam flounders, unable to articulate the potentially offensive question.
“You wanna know how I fit in to all this?”  Donny grins around the cigarette in his mouth.
Drake and Liam nod in unison.
“I met Niall when I started working for Ioan, back when the old man was still running everything.  I was young, stupid, pissed at the world.  Dishonorably discharged from the military.  At the beginning I was just supposed to be muscle at a few of the different strip joints, but for whatever reason Ioan took me under his wing.  Brought me into his home, started teaching me about the business.”
“Is that when you started dating?” Liam asks.
Donny laughs and rolls his eyes.  “Fuck no.  Back then there was no telling me I was anything but straight.  But we got to be friends and if I had the occasional thought about how good his ass looked then I would just ignore it.  I knew Niall batted for both teams and it never bothered me… but back then I just wasn’t ready to accept certain things about myself, you know?”
“Oh, I know.”  Drake gives Liam a slightly dirty look from the corner of his eye and the king’s cheek flush a soft pink.
“Anyway, one night we’re out with some of our other friends doing a bar crawl and we wind up at this dive that has live music.”  Donny stubs out his cigarette on the balcony railing.  “Cassie’s band was playing that night.  I hate to say anything nice about the woman but she’s a fuckin’ stunner and goddamn talented to boot.  Long story short Niall starts chattin’ her up after her band has finished for the night and they start seein’ each other.  This goes one for a few months, and Niall and I started drifting apart a little.  I didn’t really understand it then, but looking back I was jealous of Cassie and seeing them together… hurt.”
“I get that,” Drake murmurs softly, looking down at his feet.  With a sad smile, Liam silently reaches out and takes his hand.
“So after they’ve been together a few months Niall gets picked up on some charges related to uh… a few substances that were being sold out of a few of the clubs.  Gets sentenced to five to ten.  Cassie disappears.”  Donny rolls his eyes. “Me and Ioan weren’t all that surprised, she was never all that serious about Niall and it’s hard enough being in a relationship with somebody on the inside when you’re committed.  We moved on thinkin’ she was gone for good.  Niall being locked up was hell on the old man, and I wasn’t taking it much better, but we were doing the best we could.  Then about eight months into Niall’s sentence, I get a phone call from Cassie.”
Drake and Liam lean forward, drawn in by the older man’s story.
“So it’s two in the morning, and I’ve got this chick I can’t stand calling me at the club I was working at that night.  I was ready to tell her to piss off, but she starts crying, telling me she’s at the hospital and I’m the only one she can call for help.  And me being a total fucking sucker I went to the hospital because I knew that’s what Niall would’ve wanted.  I show up and she’s in a hospital room, lying in bed, holding a fucking baby of all things.”
“Callum,” Liam says quietly.
“Bingo.”  Donny shoots a pair of finger guns towards him.  “At first I didn’t know what the hell to think.  Honestly I just wanted to leave her there and pretend I never saw a thing.  She breaks down crying again, saying she doesn’t know what to do, didn’t know who to call since Niall’s in prison, she’s scared of Ioan, she needs help, and on and on.”
“Wait, why was she scared of Ioan?” Drake asks.
“You’ve met the old man, yeah?  Are you scared of him now?”
Without hesitation Drake and Liam both nod.
“Now imagine him thirty years ago and pretend you’ve been hiding the fact that you were pregnant with his only son’s child.”
The pair shudder.    
Donny nods.  “Exactly.  I didn’t know what the fuck to do anymore than she did, and I told her so.  She begged me to stay with her just a little while, asks me to hold the kid so she could take a shower and get some things situated with the hospital.  I didn’t have the heart to say no.  I mean, the poor girl had been alone in the hospital with a brand new baby for three days at that point, I figured that was the least I could do for her.  So she gives me the kid, just this squishy little thing, and I settle down with him while she goes to clean up.  He was the cutest fucking thing, all fuckin’ chubby baby rolls and this thick, curly black hair.  I didn’t mean to but as some point I fell asleep holding him.  Next thing I know, Callum is screaming his lungs out and I got a pissed off nurse shaking me awake asking me where Cassie was.”
“And where was Cassie?” Liam asked.
“Fuck if I know.  As soon as I fell asleep she grabbed her shit and got the hell out of dodge.”
“She just left her baby with you?  Without telling you where she was going?  She didn’t even really know you!” Drake exclaims.
“I feel like we’ve already established she’s not a good mom, kid.”  Donny gives him an exasperated look.  “So I’ve got Callum, fresh out of the oven, Niall’s locked up, and I don’t have the first fucking clue how to find Cassie.  I’m only 28, living in a shitty apartment, spending nearly all my free time drunk, high, or both.”
Drake starts to speak, hesitates, then powers on.  “Why didn’t you just call Ioan and let him take care of it?”
“Siobhan, Callum’s grandma, was fighting a losing battle with breast cancer.  Ioan wasn’t handling it well… didn’t seem fair to add something else to the bullshit he was dealing with.  He wasn’t in the best headspace then anyway.  Siobhan was the only thing he cared about, only thing he could focus on.  Even if I wanted to let him have Callum I don’t think he would’ve been able to take care of him.  So I told the hospital I was Callum’s father, signed the birth certificate and everything.  Cassie hadn’t even named the kid yet, so I had to do that too.”
“You named Callum?”  Liam arches an eyebrow in question.
Donny’s cheeks turn pink and he squirms in place, an oddly endearing gesture for a man in his fifties.  “I knew Niall would want to honor his dad in some way, so the middle name was easy.  Then I just thought about what name I’d want to use if Niall and I would ever… you know,” he mumbles.
Liam and Drake share a conspiratorial smirk.  “That’s adorable,” Liam says.
Donny coughs, looking slightly uncomfortable.  “Anyways.  The nurses gave me a crash course in fatherhood then shoved me out the door.  I waited a few days before I told Ioan and Siobhan… I wanted some time to think on what I was going to do.  I brought Callum to their house, told them everything that happened, and said I wanted to take care of Callum until Niall got out.  Siobhan wasn’t on board at first, and I don’t blame her.  I was young and stupid, never taken care of a baby before, didn’t know a damn thing about kids.  But for whatever reason, I knew I was meant to protect that baby.  Ioan was relieved, in a way, I think.  God only knows why but he trusted me with his grandson, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to repay him for that.”
“What did Niall have to say about everything when he found out?” Drake asks.
“Oh he was pissed,” Donny laughs.  “He would’ve taken care of Cassie if she’d told him she was pregnant, made sure she had everything she needed.  But the fact that she just abandoned Callum without a word was the thing that really rustled his jimmies.  He would’ve forgiven anything else but that I think.”
“How did that work though?” Liam asks delicately.  “With Niall being… indisposed?”
“You can say he was in prison, Your Majesty.”  Donny smirks.  “Niall didn’t want Callum to see him in that place, so they didn’t actually properly meet until Callum was six.  Niall wrote letters every week, and I read them to him.  Things got a little more complicated when Callum started to talk and then he had a whole lot of questions.  I always made sure he knew that Niall was his dad, but I never let him forget just how much I loved him too.  The adjustment period after Niall got out was rough on all of us.  Callum didn’t want to leave me, and Niall didn’t want to be away from his son.  Understandably.  So Niall got a bigger apartment and Callum and I moved in with him.”
“So is that when you and Niall got together?”
Donny grins at Drake question.  “Not quite.  By that time I had pulled my head out of my ass enough to realize that I wasn’t quite as straight as I wanted to believe.  It was a couple more years before Niall and I got into a proper relationship.  But that is a story for another time.”
Donny sighs and runs his hands through his hair.  “Look, at the end of the day Callum is going to do whatever he wants to do… no matter what me, Niall, or Ioan have to say about it.  Just… just take care of my boy, ok?  Try not to hurt him any more than you absolutely have to.”
“I don’t… I never want to hurt Callum,” Liam protests.
“Are you still going to marry that girl you’re engaged to?”
Liam stay silent, anxiously gnawing on his lower lip.
“Then he’s going to be hurt,” Donny replies with a sad smile.  He looks through the sliding glass door into the living room, frowning.  “Shit.”
Drake and Liam whip around just in time to see Niall glare up at his son one last time before stalking out the front door, Ioan following closely behind him.  Callum tips his head back and his shoulders slump, but he quickly collects himself and moves into the kitchen.
“That went about as well as I thought it would,” Donny sighs.  “Give me a few minutes.”
Drake and Liam wait out on the balcony while Donny says goodbye to Callum.
“We’re being selfish,” Drake says eventually.
Liam glances over at him.  “Excuse me?”
“We have royally fucked up Callum’s life.”
“I see what you did there.”  The Cordonia king smirks over at his friend.
Drake shoves him away half-heartedly.  “Stop.  I’m being serious.  I wasn’t thinking about Callum when I dragged him back into this.  Not the way I should have.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When we got to New York all I was focused on was finding Callum again because I missed him.  Because I wanted to remind you that you could actually be with someone you loved instead of Madeline.  I didn’t think about what would happen to his life, how all of us being back together would affect him.”
“Considering how close the two of you have gotten I wouldn’t say our returning presence has been all bad.”
Drake blushes furiously.  “I...  That’s not…  Liam!”
“Just saying.”  Liam shrugs innocently. 
“What I meant was that I only considered how having Callum back would make our lives better, make us happier.  I didn’t even stop to think about what that would mean for his life here… with his family, and his job, and his other friends.  How can we ask him to leave all that for us again?  Especially when you’re still going through with the wedding to Madeline.”
Liam groans.  “Why do we keep having to go over this?  I have a duty, an obligation to Cordonia.  That doesn’t mean we can’t be together.  All three of us.”
“This!”  Drake smacks Liam’s chest.  “This right here is the problem!  Callum won’t be happy just being your affair on the side.”
“And you will be?” Liam challenges.
“Of course I won’t!  But if that’s the price I have to pay to be with you again I will.  Callum can’t do that though.”
Liam scowls.  “Can’t or won’t?”
“That’s not fair,” Drake sighs.
“What Callum’s asking isn’t fair either.”
“Callum actually isn’t asking you to do anything,” Drake points out.  “He only told you what he was willing and not willing to do given the circumstances.”
Liam falls silent, unable to come up with a reasonable counter argument.  The pair stare out at the bustling city streets for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.
Drake is the first one to break the silence.  “Liam, what are we going to do?”
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queenrileyrose · 5 months
Text
Midnights Like This Part Twelve: Wanting More
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Miniseries Premise: Riley Brooks leaves everything behind to move to Cordonia after accepting her dream job designing clothing for the upcoming royal wedding. Drowning her sorrows one night, she meets Leo. The pair form an unlikely friendship, having more in common than either expected. Their feelings evolve, but neither wants to ruin the friendship. Will they take a chance or be content to stay friends?
Catch Up Here
Chapter Summary: Riley attends the Costume Gala.
Book: The Royal Romance/Rules of Engagement
Pairings: Leo x Riley (OC), Liam x Marena (MC)
Rating: T
TW: Language, slight terrorism, pining dumbasses
A/N: I am participating in @choicesflashfics using the prompt: “I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”
Word Count: 2486
Music Inspo: Send Me the Moon—Sara Bareilles
Thank you to everyone who reads, likes, comments, and/or reblogs this. I appreciate it so much. ❤️
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Leo winced as Marena landed a kick right in Bastien’s stomach. The sound when her foot made impact seemed louder than it should, but Leo chalked it up to the obscene amount of padding the guard wore.
Bastien’s face twisted into a grimace, and he lunged for Marena, but she was two steps ahead of him. She swept his leg, the large man falling to the mat in a heap.
“Excellent!” Damien clapped his hands together. “I don’t want you to think this training is anything besides making you all feel confident in your abilities to defend yourselves. We have everything covered.”
“I’m ready!” Marena smacked her boxing gloved hands together. “I trust that you’ll keep us safe, but those terrorists have multiple plans. If one manages to get in, I’ll get him.”
“Him?” Liam arched an eyebrow. “There could be a woman terrorist.”
“No,” Marena shook her head forcefully. “Women have plans and can achieve them in a non-violent way. Go for the pain, not the kill. Right, Damien?”
Damien coughed to hide a laugh. “Correct, Duchess.”
Liam chuckled. “Perhaps that’s why the terrorists in Cordonia never prosper. Lack of level heads.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying,” Olivia sighed. “Are we through? I’ve learned absolutely nothing.”
Leo elbowed Olivia. “But, you taught us so much. Like you’ve upped your knife count to ten.”
“I can teach you how not to lose a fight later,” Olivia smirked. “I have a few situations to handle prior to the gala, if you’ll excuse me.”
Olivia flounced from the gym, letting the door slam behind her. 
“How are we feeling?” Damien clasped his hands together. “Good?”
“Ready to slip into the most uncomfortable of shapewear!” Marena announced, earning laughs from Liam and Leo. “Unless there’s more instruction?”
“No,” Damien suppressed a smile. “Please, do what you need to.”
Marena grinned and pecked Liam on the cheek before practically skipping through the door.
“Leo,” Damien called out. “I wanted to apologize.”
Liam’s ears perked up. He focused on the tape on his palms, pretending to be ensconced in removing it.
“For what?” Leo’s brow furrowed as he mopped his forehead with a towel. 
Damien stepped closer, lowering his voice. Liam subtly shifted to the side so his ear was facing the two men.
“I didn’t know you and Riley were involved,” Damien frowned. “Ms. De Luca strong-armed the invitation, but I’ll admit I was interested until-”
Liam’s eyebrows raised. Marena was sure Leo and Riley were falling for each other, but Liam hadn’t seen proof yet.
“We aren’t,” Leo interrupted, a flush coloring his cheeks. “We’re just friends.”
Liam kept from scoffing. He heard the slight wistfulness in Leo’s voice, and he knew his brother better than anyone. Marena was right, not that he’d doubted her.
“Oh,” Damien’s brow furrowed. “I spoke to Lord Domvallier, and he mentioned that his guests informed him of the relationship.”
“His guests?” It was Leo’s turn to be confused. “Oh, Christ. William and Katie?”
Damien nodded. “I had to clear them earlier.”
Uh,” Leo scratched the stubble he’d meant to shave earlier. “Riley and I ran into Katie a few weeks back. We may have given her the impression we were together.”
Leo let his mind wander back to the almost kiss. How they’d been so close he could smell the sweetness of the wine on her breath, the floral notes of her perfume. How that night consumed most of his thoughts.
Not that they’d spoken about it. In the few weeks since, they’d fallen back into their regular banter, sharing meals, spending time at Riley’s apartment. 
“Straight,” Damien was saying. “Right?”
“Huh?” Leo jumped slightly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.”
“He said you and Riley should get your stories straight,” Liam fought to keep his face blank. He’d seen Leo drift off, and he was positive he knew exactly who he was daydreaming about.  “If you’re concerned about Katie bothering you.”
“Oh,” Leo nodded slowly, biting the inside of his cheek to keep a neutral expression. “Yeah, we will.”
“I can speak to Lord Domvallier,” Liam began. “It is sort of ridiculous he invited them to the wedding.”
“No,” Leo replied. “It’s fine. A few months ago, it would have bothered me. Not anymore.”
Leo grabbed a bottle of water for the bench and walked to the door, trying to slow his steps so it didn’t appear as though he was rushing. 
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Riley peered out the window of the limo, noting how different the palace seemed at night. The building was always imposing, but with the warm glow of the outdoor lights shining, it seemed less foreboding somehow.
Riley leaned back in the leather seat, slightly annoyed that Ana insisted on sending a car once she heard the future queen had invited Riley.
At least Riley hadn’t had to go shopping. She’d brought a gown from New York, one she’d never worn that had been made specially for her. The intricately beaded bodice was copper, with a light blue train and gloves that incorporated the metallic elements as well as the blues. Riley was going as the Statue of Liberty.
When she’d spoken to Leo earlier, he said he was going as himself, no matter how much she tried to talk him into dressing up.  
Riley carefully exited the car, an attendant helping her adjust her train. She smiled as she walked up the short carpet to the entrance, glancing around for Leo or anyone she knew.
The thought of Leo intensified the flutter in her stomach. Riley felt almost giddy at the thought of spending the evening with him. Dancing with him. Not kissing him. 
They were friends. No kissing. 
“Riley!” Marena traipsed across the large ballroom to greet her. Her crimson gown shone under the lights, the feather-like material sparkled. “You look amazing!”
“Thank you,” Riley air kissed Marena. “So do you. That gown is gorgeous.”
Marena did a little shoulder shimmy. “I was going for fierce. I rise from the ashes of those who wronged me.”
Riley giggled. “It definitely does all of that. Thank you for inviting me; this is quite the experience.”
“Of course!” Marena looped her arm through Riley’s and led her toward the tables spread across the room. “It’s like a warm-up, so you’ll know what to expect with the wedding. You can see how nuts these people get after a few glasses of champagne.”
Riley couldn’t help but dart her eyes around the crowded room. She noticed Liam speaking to Maxwell. Olivia was near the bar, sipping something clear. 
“Looking for me?” Leo’s voice suddenly beside her made Riley jump. She quickly recovered, lightly swatting his chest.
“You scared me,” Riley began. Her eyes widened as she took in Leo’s navy blue jacket and vest, gold scrolls embroidered along the lapels. “You dressed up!”
“I’m King Verdan,” Leo bowed low. “He gave up his kingdom for love. Felt appropriate, even if it turned out better for him.”
Riley couldn’t stop the wide grin from spreading across her face. “I can’t believe you really dressed up.”
Marena glanced between them. She knew Riley was the reason, even if she didn’t know the details. Marena desperately wanted to say something, but she didn’t want to make it awkward.
“Good for you,” Marena patted Leo’s arm. “Now Liam isn’t the only one dressed as an ancestor.”
Marena twirled around to find her fiancé. He was deep in conversation; his red and yellow Fabian attire made him look even more the fairytale king.
“You look beautiful,” Leo’s voice lowered on the last word. “If I didn’t know you, I’d be madly in love with you at first sight.”
Marena spun back around, her jaw dropped, but to her surprise, Riley snickered. “It’s because you’ve seen me throw up.”
Leo grinned. “You somehow made that adorable.”
“Stop,” Riley fluttered her lashes, her hand on her chest. “You’ll ruin me for any other man.” 
Marena studied them. Riley’s back had been rigid when she arrived, and she was completely relaxed as Leo cracked a joke that made zero sense to Marena, but made Riley almost double over with laughter.
“I better save Liam,” Marena gave a little wave. “See you two later.”
Riley and Leo returned the wave. Riley ran her finger under one eye. “Did I smudge anything?”
Leo studied her face for a beat too long. “All good.” He held out his arm. “Champagne?”
Riley slipped her arm through Leo’s, trying to ignore her racing heart. “Yes, please.”
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Leo sipped his drink slowly. Liquor made him chatty. He thought Riley wanted to kiss him that night at the vineyard, but he couldn’t be sure. If there was one thing Leo was going to do, it was to be absolutely certain of Riley’s feelings before putting himself out there. 
“I’m glad you came,” Leo said, setting his flute on the bar. “I was going to ask you, but Marena beat me to the punch.”
Marena had asked Riley half an hour before Leo did. He didn’t mind. Riley’s presence made him feel more at ease, even at a royal event he wouldn’t have attended if he hadn’t felt obligated.
“I am, too,” Riley tipped her glass back, downing half the contents. “Don’t you hate this stuff though?”
Leo smiled ruefully, toying with the stem of the champagne flute. “Is it that obvious?”
“No,” Riley said quickly, setting her hand on top of Leo’s, squeezing his fingers gently before removing her hand. “You actually seem happy to be here. I just meant because we’ve talked about it before.”
“The company makes a huge difference,” Leo’s eyes crinkled.
“Oh,” Riley bit back a smile. She swirled the golden liquid in her flute for something to do, anxiety gnawing at her stomach all of a sudden. “That it does.”
“You had your share of boring parties,” Leo saw movement in his periphery, and nodded in greeting to Rashad. “How’d you cope?”
“I pretended I didn’t know anyone and gave them complicated backstories,” Riley shook her head with a laugh. “It passed the time.”
“Like him,” Riley went on before Leo could reply, gesturing at Neville scowling in a corner. “He only owns one suit, and goes from party to party to try to sneak upstairs and steal another one.”
Leo burst out laughing. Riley grinned, warmth washing over her.
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“Of course,” Marena kept the smile pasted on her face. “I’m sure we’ll speak later, Lord Neville.”
Neville huffed and turned on his heel, making a beeline for a woman sitting alone.
Marena let out a sigh. “Oh god. Can he never leave his house? If I see him again, it’ll be too soon.”
Liam dropped a kiss on Marena’s hair and slipped his arm around her waist. “Maybe I can find him a job that keeps him away. Like a golf course connoisseur.”
Marena leaned against Liam’s shoulder. “Say more dirty things.”
Liam chuckled. “I have a plan for later, that does not involve he who must not be named.”
Liam turned his attention to the dance floor, his eyes widening. Leo and Riley were still dancing, and it had been at least three songs since he’d noticed.  The way they held each other seemed different than the dance he’d witnessed at the beer garden. 
As Liam was about to tell Marena she’d been right, Damien appeared beside him. “Sir.”
The sharp tone shifted Liam’s focus. “What’s wrong?”
“We apprehended a man attempting to plant an explosive device,” Damien leaned in, his words so quiet only Liam and Marena could hear them. “It’s been disabled, and after a thorough search, we’ve determined that he was alone. However-”
“We need to clear the palace,” Liam glanced at his father’s table, the former king scowling. “Now.”
“Yes,” Damien agreed. “I’ve upped the guards in the hallways, and more are patrolling the grounds. I’m in the middle of reviewing the tapes, and it looks as though he snuck in with the palace kitchen staff. I apologize; this never should have happened.”
Liam nodded, multiple plans forming in his head. “There’s no need for this attempt to be broadcast; it’s what they want. We can institute new guidelines for staff exiting and entering the palace. For now, how to get everyone out without causing panic?”
Marena thought quickly. “Your dad’s old. Can I drop him?”
At Liam and Damien’s shocked expressions, Marena rushed to clarify. “I mean, ask him to dance and trip him. There’s this trick I know; it’s foolproof.”
Liam and Damien exchanged a look. Liam shrugged. “As good a reason as any.”
Marena pushed her shoulders back. “See you on the other side.”
As Liam and Damien watched, Marena leaned down to whisper to Constantine. He looked surprised but stood and offered his arm. Marena pushed the toe of her shoe into the heel of Constantine’s wingtip. As Constantine tried to continue forward, he stumbled, his shoe slipping off, sending him to the floor. 
Marena gasped, crouching beside him and placing two fingers on his wrist. “We need a doctor!”
Damien chuckled quietly. “She’s a force.”
“She is,” Liam strode across the floor. His father’s face was almost purple with rage. “Did you drink too much, Father?”
Riley’s eyes were wide, having witnessed Constantine fall. “What just happened?”
“I’m not sure,” Leo shook his head, his arm still around Riley’s waist. He was sure he’d seen Marena trip Constantine. “Come on.”
Riley gripped Leo’s hand and followed him across the ballroom. 
“Hey, Dad,” Leo leaned in, trying to keep the smirk off his face when he noted Constantine’s rage. “Getting clumsy in your old age?”
“Leo,” Constantine hissed. “I’m surprised to see you here.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Leo rolled his eyes before turning to Liam and Marena. “What the hell was that?”
“I was helping,” Marena snickered without her face changing from the worried expression she wore. 
“Damien arrested a terrorist that snuck in,” Liam whispered. “We’re all clear, but we need the guests out of here now.”
Leo kept his face neutral, and Riley stiffened beside him. “Want me to announce?”
“Please,” Liam pushed his father’s shoulder as he tried to get up. “No, no, you stay put until the doctor arrives.”
“Come with me?” Leo murmured, his hold on Riley’s hand firm. Riley nodded, returning the pressure as Leo moved to the center of the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Leo boomed. “I’m afraid we’ll have to cut the evening short. The former king has had an accident, and we must focus our attention on him at this time. Thank you all for coming.”
A low murmur washed over the crowd, but attendees quickly headed to the exits. 
Riley touched Leo’s arm. “I should go; you have a lot going on.”
“Oh,” Leo frowned. “I’d feel better if you stayed. If you want to.”
“I do,” Riley smiled weakly. “I mean, I’d feel better staying, too.”
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kristinamae093 · 8 months
Text
Ghosted
Ghosted - The Apple Banquet (Chapter 7)
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Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.
Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)
A/N1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.
Characters belong to Pixelberry
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The Apple Banquet was set to begin inside the ballroom of the Applewood Estate momentarily. The entire country was excited, as it was the first one to take place since Constantine wed Regina. All of the nobility gathered to witness the bride and groom share an apple from the year’s first harvest before the wedding.
The wedding, Liam scoffed at the thought. After they found all of Riley’s things a few days ago, he completely changed his view point on the scandal and her disappearance. He spent all this time believing she left to be with someone else, but he began to see the situation from a different light.
It seems the more he learns about Riley’s last night here, the more he believes she was forced away.
Liam learned of Riley retiring early from Maxwell, so they had a solid timeframe where someone could have gotten her out of the estate undetected and the maid to pack and move her things. He felt a sense of relief when the maid reiterated that she was not seen leaving with Tariq, but another man. Of course, he wished she would have been able to identify the unknown person, but in a way, his heart swelled knowing she didn’t leave with Tariq, although it opened a world of other unanswered questions.
Bastien had been searching for Tariq and Riley but had no luck in locating either thus far. The last trace of Riley was landing from her flight in New York, the morning after the Country Jamboree. From there, her trail runs cold. There was no trace of Tariq after his arrival to Applewood whatsoever; there wasn’t even a record of a car coming to pick him up from the estate that night. They had both simply vanished into thin air, like a ghost.
Without either of them, Liam was clueless as to how to proceed further. The few clues they had were just that, clues. There was nothing prominent enough to place blame anywhere. Riley's room had been cleared, not a trace to be found. Nothing was spotted outside, no predominant leads were found in the shed, aside from the dress and the piece of mail. Much to everyone's dismay, Bastien confirmed that he disposed of Riley's phone and the letter left in the room, so no comparison could be done. Liam took blame for everything and felt helpless, there was nothing more he could do; but he felt he had to put on his Kingly facade and continue as if nothing was amiss, at least for the time being.
However, Liam felt the time constricting on him. He was set to marry Madeleine in just a few short weeks, and he didn’t have a clue as to what he was going to do about that. Although he knew it was his duty to marry and produce heirs, he didn’t know if he could marry Madeleine just to appease the nobility, especially now that he knew someone potentially plotted to put her on the throne.
More than that, after they found Riley’s bloodied dress, Liam felt a renewed sense of urgency about locating her; he needed to see that she was unharmed. Of course he wanted nothing more than to hopefully bring her back and ultimately make her his Queen, but he didn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. Just seeing with his own two eyes that she is okay would suffice him, although it would break his heart all over again.
As Liam stood on the dias next to Madeleine greeting all of the court’s nobles, he couldn’t help but look at everyone as if they were a suspect. Although the maid said she saw Riley with a man in a suit, every single person there could have benefitted from getting rid of her; he was aware of the fact that Riley was a commoner and not everyone would be okay with having her as a Queen. Furthermore, Liam was sure it was a hired person who escorted Riley away; he knew his nobles were not stupid, but conniving and malicious. They wouldn’t risk getting their hands dirty, especially with something of that magnitude considering she would have been his selection. That meant the suspect list was open to all of the nobility at this point.
“Liam? Are you even listening to me?!” Madeleine snapped.
“No, I’m not.” Liam retorted. He realized the other nobles were lining up behind the double doors, a sure signal that they were about to be announced into the ballroom with his Father and Regina at the head. He turned away from Madeleine and headed toward the line of people. He took his position in the back of the procession, as tradition dictated. He squared his shoulders, stood to his full height, and waited.
“Penelope!” Madeleine snapped her fingers. “My train!”
Liam silently scoffed as he watched Penelope scurry over and take position behind Madeleine. He saw her struggling to keep up with Madeleine’s pace, but she never once let that train touch the ground.
As they reached Liam’s position, Madeleine shooed Penelope away before she turned to Liam. “Cute. I don’t know what your deal is but you need to knock it off.”
“Or what?” Liam snapped as he turned to face her.
“I’m sure I can think of something.”
“Are you threatening me?”
Madeleine indignantly laughed. “No, darling, whatever would make you think that?” She feigned innocence.
Liam stepped closer to her and lowered his voice to where only she could hear. “I told you, I'm not playing whatever game it is that you are trying to play. You'd do well to remember that you are not the Queen, not yet… I hold that power, so I would advise you to tread carefully, Countess.” He hissed through clenched teeth.
Liam found himself on edge; he was not in the mood to deal with Madeleine, or anyone else for that matter. This is the last place he wanted to be, and he was not about to let Madeleine try and boss him around or assert whatever dominance she thought she held over him.
Liam stood back up and adjusted his lapels. Madeleine’s face turned a hundred shades of crimson, but she returned her attention to the line in front of her. She attempted to thread her arm through Liam’s, but he pulled away. At a nod from the herald, the doors swung open and Liam strode inside with Madeleine walking closely beside him.
They were led by a servant to a banquet table adorned with a white lace tablecloth. A wooden stand sat in the middle of the table with a bright red cordonian ruby sitting atop it, beside the apple was a knife with a black handle and gold trim.
Liam took his position behind the table next to Madeleine and directed his attention to his father, who had taken place in front of the table with a champagne flute of cider in hand.
"The sharing of a Cordonian ruby dates back to the times of King Fabian. At that time, the King and Queen would not share cake when they wed, but instead a Cordonian ruby. The monarchy has since modernized, but this tradition is to honor those who have paved the way before us.
We gather here today to celebrate not only another year's bountiful harvest, but the matrimony that these two will share. Although no vows will be exchanged here today, the symbolism remains the same."
Constantine stopped his speech as applause filled the air. He waited for a few moments before he raised his hand to quiet the crowd and continued. "We have a bright future ahead of us as a country. I have no doubt in my mind that these two will lead us with distinction and grace, just as the Kings and Queens before them. We will not only thrive under their rule, but prosper." He lifted his glass in the air. "To King Liam and our soon to be Queen, Countess Madeleine."
The crowd all raised their glasses and echoed the former King's sentiments. Liam and Madeleine then each cut a slice from the apple and ate it to complete the needless ceremony. Liam grew up loving the Cordonian ruby and was incredibly proud of his heritage, but that particular apple tasted incredibly tart and bitter. It took all of his willpower not to scrunch his face as the tangy, sour flavor overcame his taste buds.
Liam was forced to stand for photographs with Madeleine before he could take a moment for himself. He didn't smile, but instead just started blankly into space past the camera. Madeleine was positioned at a slight angle in front of him and he made it a point to put as much space between them as he could and still get a 'natural’ looking portrait.
Once pictures were finished, Liam made a beeline for the bar and ordered himself a scotch on the rocks; he needed something to calm his dangerously high stress levels. As his drink was delivered to him, he felt a hand on his back. He turned around to find Drake. “How you holding up?”
“I’m not, Drake. I haven’t slept, I don’t want to be here. I need to be looking for them, for her; I have to find her.” Liam said before he downed his drink in one gulp and motioned to the bartender for another.
Drake stepped forward and signaled for a whiskey as the bartender refilled Liam’s glass. As he waited he addressed Liam. “I know this is hard on you especially. But, for now, you gotta just play along. Make ‘em think you’re really gonna go through with the wedding.”
“It's just around the corner. There's not a lot of time…”
“Don’t think about that. Right now, our focus is this investigation. We just need a little bit more to go off of, and we’re going to find it, Li. However, that means you gotta pretened to be a pretentious stick in the mud to appease all these ass wipes for a little bit…” Drake smirked as he took a sip from his drink and looked around the room.
Liam half-laughed. “I know you’re right. This is the best option, at least for now.” He shook his head and looked into his drink. “I’m just having a hard time being diplomatic when I know that someone very likely in this room is responsible for hurting the woman I love.”
Drake patted Liam on the back. “I know. But, just think, when all this is said and done and we figure out who did this, you’re gonna get to go full blown King on that mutherfucker! Goddamn I can’t wait for that!” Drake exclaimed with a huge smile on his face.
Liam laughed, for real this time. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy, even when I got you that international whiskey subscription for your birthday.”
“Man, I should order another one of those, that Hakushu Single Malt was to die for.” Drake responded as he took a drink of the whiskey in his hand, imagining it was the japanese liquor.
“Maybe when this is all said and done I can get you a whole case of that.” Liam chuckled when Drake’s eyes widened, but he soon sighed and looked out at the crowd in front of them. “I suppose I should circulate the room, pretend I want to be here. But thank you for lifting my spirits.”
“What I’m here for.” Drake replied as he lifted his glass to Liam, who returned the gesture and downed a large drink after. Liam shook his hand before he turned and made his way through the crowded room.
As he turned away, Liam saw some lesser nobles and the suitors he hadn’t chosen, minus Olivia, who was not yet joining the tour officially. At first glance, he noticed Lady Hana was not present. He was unsure if an invitation had been extended or not, but made a mental note to find out. He shook his head and looked away as he observed Penelope dabbing Madeleine’s mouth with a napkin. She trailed behind holding her drink, even going as far as bringing the glass to Madeleine's lips.
Liam continued through the room, stopping on occasion to shake a hand and exchange pleasantries. He spotted his Father and Regina as they glided throughout the ballroom together. Even though Constantine hadn’t been given much time to live, he insisted on being present throughout the tour. Liam told him he didn’t need to accompany them on the entire route, but Constantine was stubborn and was outside with everyone else when it was time for the motorcade to leave the capitol.
As Liam made his way to the other side of the room, he noticed Bertrand and Maxwell in a secluded alcove. Bertrand waved his finger in Maxwell’s face and Maxwell had his gaze trained to the floor in front of him. Bertrand’s body was turned slightly away from Liam, but he could still see his reddened face and it appeared he spoke so fast he hadn't even stopped for a breath.
Liam decided he needed to intervene and walked toward the pair. He cleared his throat as he approached them. Bertrand turned with wide eyes and bowed to Liam.
“Is everything alright?” Liam asked.
“Oh, yes, of course Your Majesty. We were just discussing House business.” Bertrand replied as he slid his eyes over to Maxwell with an irritated expression.
“That’s not what appeared to be happening. It looks as though you were once again berating Maxwell when I specifically told you to lay off of him.”
“I understand that. However, I learned today from a potential business partner that Maxwell left the estate when he should have been awaiting their call! We didn't secure that deal because he decided he had something more important to do!” Bertrand exasperated as he kept his steely gaze trained on Maxwell.
Maxwell finally looked up to meet eyes with Liam. Liam knew that Maxwell snuck away from the estate to meet Drake and Olivia before the tour started; he also knew that Maxwell had not told Bertrand about their investigation, per Liam's request. Instead, he continued to let Bertrand berate him and place blame on him for their houses' tanked reputation and financial crisis.
What Liam saw in Maxwell’s gaze was complete devastation, he knew judging from his defeated expression he was starting to break. And Liam couldn’t blame him, he had put up with Bertrand's rants daily for months.
Although Liam wasn’t entirely sure if he should, he couldn’t bear to watch his friend be torn down to nothing and let it happen; it was time to set Bertrand straight.
Bertrand began again. “He’s continuously shown his irresponsibility! You can’t pick a suitor, you can’t answer a phone, what can you do, then?! I am this close to–”
“Enough.” Liam said in a quiet but stern tone as he held up his hand to stop Bertrand from his tirade.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty, I forget myself–”
“No. You are not going to berate Maxwell any longer as if this is his fault: it is not. As far as him missing your 'important' phone call, I happen to know where he was and who he was with, and that meeting was far more important, I assure you.” Liam bit out.
Bertrand grew confused. “What? I don’t understand, what meeting? Why didn’t you tell me about this meeting?” He asked Maxwell.
“I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone…” Maxwell quietly answered, avoiding eye contact.
“What does that even mean?!”
Liam quickly looked behind him to the crowded ballroom and decided it was too risky to talk there. He motioned for Maxwell and Bertrand to follow him and led them down a hallway close by. He stopped at a nondescript door and ushered them inside.
As he faced them, Liam addressed Bertrand, specifically. “Duke Beaumont, I’d first off like to say that you should be ashamed of how you’ve treated Maxwell as of recent. Let's not forget, you didn’t even select a suitor to begin with.”
“With all due respect, Your Majesty–”
Liam held up his hand to stop him. “I’m not interested in your excuses, nor your apologies. Those are not meant for me, anyway.” Liam looked to Maxwell with a sad expression, then back to Bertrand. “I just wanted you to understand that your King is incredibly disappointed in your horrific behavior, which you had no reason for.”
“No reason?! Sir, I have every reason to be upset! Maxwell brought that… that… harlot here and she–”
“You are two seconds away from finding yourself in the cells. I know you don’t know the truth, but I’d advise you to watch your tone.” Liam hissed through clenched teeth.
“The truth? What truth is there to know? We all know what happened–”
“I have officially opened an investigation into Lady Riley’s disappearance.”
Bertrand’s eyes bulged from the sockets. “D-Disapperance?!”
Liam told Bertrand about what they had learned so far and where they were at with the investigation, as well as his suspicions of Riley being forced to leave. He told him about the shed they found, as well as the bloodied dress and letter inside.
When Liam was finished, he and Maxwell watched as Bertrand slowly walked over to a chair and sunk himself down into it. He clasped his hands together and stared in front of him for a long while. Liam and Maxwell didn’t say a word, just observed as a plethora of emotions crossed Bertrand’s features.
Finally, Bertrand spoke. He kept his gaze to the floor in front of him, “So… she was set up?” he whispered.
“We believe so, yes.” Liam answered.
Bertrand broke into sobs. Maxwell quickly crossed the room and crouched in front of Bertrand. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but we’re going to figure this out! We’re going to fix this!” Maxwell promised him as tears of his own streamed down his face.
Bertrand shook his head and looked away from Maxwell. “While I’m upset she was set up, I’m mostly ashamed of how I’ve treated you since... I’ve blamed you and berated you this whole time, and you were never at fault. You never once challenged me in all the atrocious things I said about you, you just… allowed me to do it…” He tried to swallow the overwhelming lump in his throat and quietly asked, “Did you know about Lady Riley? This whole time?”
Maxwell shook his head and quietly responded, “I only found out before the tour, although I will admit I didn’t know when I snuck out.” He looked away. “I had my doubts about it though… But you were so mad at me and I didn’t want to make it worse.”
“Maxwell… I-I’m so sorry...” Bertrand shook his head as more tears flowed down his cheeks. “You didn’t deserve any of that treatment. I can’t believe I’ve acted this way…”
Maxwell inched closer. “It’s okay, Bertrand!”
“No, it’s not okay. I treated you so… maliciously, as if you weren’t my own flesh and blood.” Bertrand wiped at his cheeks and looked Maxwell directly in the eye. “I’ll never forgive myself.”
Maxwell leaned forward and embraced Bertrand; he squeezed him as tight as he could. Even though Maxwell was still indeed hurt from Bertrand’s harsh words, he didn’t want to see him beat himself up over it. All he wanted to do was to move forward and put this entire mess behind them. Ultimately, all Maxwell wanted was to clear his best friend’s name and bring her home to make the family complete again.
“I love you Bertrand, and if I forgive you, you have to forgive yourself. You’ve been under so much pressure since Dad got sick, and I know I’ve always added to your problems. And then to lose our suitor at the very end of the season…” Maxwell took a deep breath to steady himself and continued. “You were under a lot of stress, and it was technically my fault for bringing her here to begin with, so…”
“No.” Bertrand firmly said as he pulled himself from Maxwell’s embrace, “You are not to blame here whatsoever Maxwell… In fact, I may be more at fault here than you..." He took a deep breath and quietly said, "I – I'm afraid I may need to come clean about something…"
Maxwell immediately moved and stood next to Liam with a furrowed brow. Liam felt his heart rate increase and stepped forward instantly. "What do you mean?"
"I – I worry you may find out anyway during your investigation, and I feel after my other atrocious actions I may as well come clean and take my punishment."
Bertrand was suddenly yanked up from his seat by Liam's strong hands. Liam held Bertrand by the collar of his sweater and pulled his face to eye level, nearly lifting him off his feet. "What did you do?"
Maxwell stepped forward to intervene, but Bertrand held a hand out to stop him. As he spoke, his eyes never left Liam's steely gaze. "Don't. I deserve whatever may come." He took a deep breath and told them about going through Maxwell’s phone and selling the photos from Liam's bachelor party. Bertrand realized if Liam found out on his own, his fate would be ten times worse than whatever he would be facing now. To hopefully spare himself, he was willing to come clean.
The longer Bertrand spoke, the more Maxwell's shock intensified; he couldn't believe Bertrand stooped so low. Liam saw red; he yanked Bertrand closer and growled, "You fucking snake."
"I understand your anger, sir–"
"Did you do it? Did you set her up?" Liam slightly shook Bertrand. "Did you force her to leave?!"
Bertrand's eyes widened once more. "No! My indiscretions were toward the beginning of the social season, and I changed my view on her! I believed in her until–"
"Why? Why do it then?!" Liam shook Bertrand harder, audibly tearing his vest in the process, but Liam was quick to bunch up more fabric to keep his hold intact.
"I assumed she wouldn't last and I was desperate for the money." Bertrand quickly spat out.
"So you not only sold your suitor out, but you sold me out as well? For profit?" Bertrand didn't respond, only nodded his head with shame etched in his features.
At that moment, every single thing that happened over the past couple of days combined with this newly added betrayal sent Liam overboard. He tightened his grip on Bertrand’s vest and pulled, ripping it down the middle with ease and leaving it dangling like the jacket over it. Bertrand stumbled backwards but was given no time to react before a fist connected with his jaw, the popping sound echoing throughout the room. Bertrand dropped to the floor with a yelp cradling his face as he frantically prepared himself for the next blow. Maxwell wanted to help, but he was frozen in fear at seeing the look of pure rage in Liam's features.
Liam stared down at Bertrand through narrowed eyes with heavy breaths. "Your actions are making me question whether or not you are truly fit for the title of Duke. To not only exploit your suitor, but your future King?" He stalked toward Bertrand, who was scooting backward across the floor.
The moment was interrupted by a stern knock. Without notice the door swung open and Bastien rushed inside. He quickly approached Liam and said, “Sir, we need to get you to the safe room, now.” and placed his hand on him to begin leading him away.
“What, why?!” Liam questioned as he attempted to evade Bastien’s grip.
“There’s been a body found.”
Liam forcefully stomped his feet on the ground. “What?! Do you know who it was? What happened?”
“Sir, I don’t know a lot of information right now, but I have to get you to safety before I can go secure the area.”
“Where was it?”
Bastien remained silent for a long moment. He looked as if he didn’t want to answer, but once he saw Liam’s budding impatience he finally spoke. “The west grounds, sir.”
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While Liam was locked away in the guarded safe room with Madeleine, her parents, Constantine and Regina, Olivia and Drake were on their way to examine the crime scene with Bastien. The royal family had a secured area inside all the major estates for this purpose, although houses were available nearby. However, those were only used in drastic scenarios such as terrorist threats or assassination attempts. Since there was no signs someone was attempting to target the nobility, Bastien assured them they would be safe there while he and the guard did an initial investigation.
Olivia was not yet ready to join the tour on an official standpoint. She knew the time would come when she would have to, but right now she was only stalking in the shadows looking for any kind of information. Only a select few knew of her presence and she intended to keep it that way until absolutely necessary.
Olivia went back and searched Riley’s room again to ensure nothing was missed and returned to the shed to retrieve the contaminated dress. As her initial shock faded, she realized that was a prominent clue laying right in front of their faces. She went back and grabbed the article at the start of the Apple Banquet while everyone was distracted. She intended to give the item to Bastien, but when he found her and informed her of the crime committed she sprung into action and followed along, the dress momentarily forgotten.
As they walked along the path she immediately realized where they were headed; the shed she had visited just a few hours prior where Riley's things were hidden. From the front, everything appeared as it was when Olivia visited the area. Her anxiety increased as Bastien approached the structure, but he veered to the left and led them to the back, which she was nowhere near during her earlier venture.
Guards scoured all around, some people in lab coats were taking pictures, multiple evidence markers lay on the ground near the area. As her eyes searched over the vicinity, she couldn’t help but feel like it seemed incredibly – tame, for what she was guessing had happened.
Propped against the back wall of the shed was a lifeless body. Upon first glance, the cause of death was undoubtedly clear; the victim's throat had been slashed nearly from ear to ear. Olivia grew up around weapons and knew exactly what kind of damage her skills could do. As she gazed upon the gruesome gash, she immediately knew that wound was deep and absolutely intentional; whoever did this did not hesitate whatsoever. Furthermore, the face was severely battered; both eyes were swollen shut and painted every shade of black, as well as a severely broken nose. She stared at the battered face for only a moment before a small gasp escaped Olivia as recognition swept over her; it was the maid they had spoken with only a few days prior.
Olivia’s widened eyes traveled down the body and she was unable to tell if there could be more wounds on the maid’s chest and abdomen, or if the coat of blood was due to her fatal injury. However, that’s where Olivia’s suspicions sky rocketed; the body was covered in a heavy layer of blood, but the ground around her had nothing.
“Walker, come here.” Olivia beckoned. Drake walked over to her with furrowed brows as Olivia stood. “Tell me I’m crazy, but there’s absolutely no blood around that body.”
“Huh…” Drake answered as he looked around. “You’re right. Hey Bas!” He hollered over his shoulder. Bastien appeared within an instant with a pen and pad in hand. “Have you noticed how there’s no blood here?”
“Hmm…” Bastien glanced down at the area with an unreadable expression before he nodded and wrote something down. “I’ve added it to my notes. Do be sure to let me know if you notice anything else. The more information we have, the sooner we can find an answer.”
“Are we just going to ignore the gigantic elephant in the room?" Olivia motioned to the shed. “This is no coincidence. Who this is, where she’s at, the fact that I'm certain this body was placed here specifically…”
Drake’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Holy shit–”
Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m going to start charging if I have to keep spelling everything out for you.”
Bastien spoke before Drake could retort, “I hadn’t made that connection; excellent work Duchess.”
Olivia raised an eyebrow and watched Bastien jot something yet again on his pad. “Okay, him I understand needing a preschool explanation, you on the other hand should’ve made that connection instantly.” She snapped as she continued to eye him critically.
Bastien was slightly taken back, but quickly recovered himself. “I understand your frustration. However, I’m becoming aware of developments at the same rate as you. I’m grateful for your assistance.” He bowed to her. As he stood he addressed the pair, “I’m going to secure the perimeter.”
Olivia watched him leave with narrowed eyes. He went over to a guard and spoke quietly then aimlessly walked around the area. Every now and again he would write something down, but otherwise he only made laps. She knew Bastien was senseless at times, but he almost seemed more so than normal.
For the first time, she took a good look around and again couldn’t help but notice how everything seemed conveniently placed. The yellow evidence markers were almost in a straight line in clustered areas. She approached one and bent down to observe and saw it was a wad of hair; not one single hair, a bunched up ball of long, dark hair. Another was simply a piece of gum; she was no criminal mastermind, but who in their right mind would spit their gum out in the middle of a vicious murder? Of course, it’s possible to be unrelated, but this area was practically of no use; that is until Riley’s things were shoved here. Regardless, Bastien still continued to search the area as if this was a normal crime scene and nothing was amiss.
As she scanned the area, the sudden realization of what was going on on a broader spectrum hit her; whoever orchestrated getting Madeleine on the throne was surely onto the fact that they were now asking questions. It was a silent agreement that whoever managed to remove the top two suitors from the social season was a powerful force, but it suddenly seemed much stronger and deadlier than before. This entire scene was pieced together to send a message; someone knew, and whoever it was was not happy about their venture for answers.
Olivia pulled Drake aside and spoke in a low, cautious tone. “We need to get out of here.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Look around, Drake! Even you have to notice something does not add up! This was fucking staged – someone is trying to send us a message.”
“We gotta tell Bas–”
“Why? So he can write it down?” Olivia rolled her eyes. “We need to plan our next steps… our next move has to be calculated.” She looked around with a nervous expression. As she did, her eyes landed on Bastien who simply nodded and returned to his grazing.
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tessa-liam · 5 months
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Turning the Page
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Against All Odds –5- 
Choices, The Royal Romance, AU 
Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 
Turning the Page Masterlist 
Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks 
All characters belong to Pixelberry, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belong to this series. 
Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression. 
Rating: M🔞Warnings - Series will contain crude language, NSFW material – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 
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 Against All Odds – 5 
Chapter Summary: Liam and Leo arrive in New York City. As Leo represents Cordonia and attends the U. N. conference, Liam, with the assistance of security intelligence, finds and reunites with Riley, uncovering her secret. 
Music Inspiration: To Love Somebody, Beyries; More Than Words, Extreme 
A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found. 
A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week#58, prompt #3 - “I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”  
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Brooklyn Heights, New York City 
As the season's first snowflakes fell softly on the ground, Riley sat curled up on her couch, a soft blanket tucked around her legs, her laptop balanced on her knees. William, who had spent the afternoon playing with his toy train and building blocks, was now napping peacefully beside her. 
Riley was lost in thought, the events of the past few days weighed heavily on her mind. She had read the news about Madeleine's pregnancy and had read the press statements on the internet. She was more than surprised by the announcement and curious about Liam's reaction to Madeleine’s revelations. Of all the questions she had, what bothered her most was the question of what would happen next. She couldn't imagine the stress Liam was under, but she also couldn't help but feel a sense of relief that the marriage was finally over. 
Riley was drawn from her thoughts by the sound of her cell phone ringing. She reached over and picked it up, glancing at the caller ID. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was Maxwell. She took a deep breath and answered the call. "Maxwell, hello!" she said, trying to sound casual. 
"Riley! I am so glad I got a hold of you! Are you doing alright? “I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Maxwell's voice was filled with concern. Riley could hear the background noise of the city through the phone, and she could picture him rushing down the busy streets of the Capital, his phone tucked between his ear and his shoulder. "Did you see the news? How are you holding up?" 
"I'm okay, Maxwell. A little shocked, but okay." Riley paused, her mind racing. She wasn't sure how much she should reveal, but she knew that she could trust Maxwell. "To be honest, I've been thinking a lot about Liam and wondering how he's doing. Do you know if he is alright?" 
Maxwell hesitated for a moment before responding. "I'm not sure, Riley. He was not taking questions after the press conference. When Drake and I tried to get his attention, he was called away by his advisors, but he did smile back at us. I think he'll be okay." He paused again, and Riley could tell that he was carefully choosing his words. "Look, Riley...I don't want to keep secrets from you, and there's something you should know." 
Riley's heart started to race. "What is it, Maxwell?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. 
"There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to be blunt. Liam is coming to New York, Riley. He's coming to find you." 
Riley was speechless. Her mind was reeling, and her heart was pounding. She had so many questions, but all she could manage to say was, "He's coming here?"  
"Yes, he's arriving tonight. Look, Riley, I know you're probably not ready to see him yet, and that is completely understandable. But I wanted you to hear it from me and not from someone else. And... I just want you to be prepared." 
Riley's head was spinning, and she could feel tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Maxwell...I don't know what to say … are you sure about this?"  
“Little blossom, yes,” Maxwell responded, somberly. 
"You don't have to say anything, Riley. Just promise me that you'll give him a chance. He needs you now, more than you know.” 
*** 
As the snow continued to fall, Riley sat quietly on the couch, staring out the window, lost in thought. Her heart was conflicted. On the one hand, she knew that Liam’s arrival would bring a torrent of emotions and feelings that she was not yet ready to face. But on the other hand, she could not deny that part of her was excited to see him again. 
… and William! Riley’s swallowed hard; her hands trembling, as she felt him stir beside her. 
The Four Seasons Hotel, Manhattan 
Liam stared out of the floor to ceiling window of the penthouse suite, the lights of the Manhattan skyline spread out before him. He was filled with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. He knew that finding Riley was the first step, but he had no idea how she would react to his arrival. He sighed and turned away from the window, walking over to the bar cart. 
“Well, Li, how do I look?” Leo asked, walking out of his room, slipping gold cufflinks into his sleeves. 
Liam chuckled and lifted a bottle of Macallen and poured the amber liquid into two crystal tumblers. “Very dapper, brother. I’m sure the ladies will love it.” 
“Oh, please. Like I need help getting their attention.” Leo flashed a wicked grin, accepting a tumbler of scotch. 
“Right. Just make sure you stay focused, Leo. I am counting on you to stand for and represent the crown.” 
Leo raised an eyebrow. “I know, I know. You have nothing to worry about. I will handle the press and keep them off your back.” 
Liam nodded, grateful for his brother’s support. “I appreciate it, Leo. What would I do without you.” 
“You would be a royal mess, that’s for sure,” Leo quipped. 
Just then, a knock at the door interrupted their conversation. Bastien opened the door, allowing for a stream of Liam’s royal guards into the suite. 
“Your Majesty, we have a report that the American media has caught wind of your arrival and are converging on the hotel.” 
“It’s showtime,” Leo said with a smirk, downing the last of his drink. 
Clapping Liam’s shoulder, Leo left with two of the guards to attend the U.N. conference opening ceremonies. Liam had no doubt that his brother would be the center of attention and charm of the press and dignitaries. As Liam finished his scotch, he turned his attention to Bastien. 
“Bastien, is the car ready?” 
“Yes, Your Majesty, it is waiting downstairs. There is press coverage outside the front entrance; I suggest we exit via the service entrance, Sir.” 
“Very well, lead the way.” 
The limo ride to Brooklyn was a blur, as Liam’s thoughts were consumed with seeing Riley again. He knew he was taking a significant risk by arriving unannounced, but he could not let another moment go by without reaching out to her. 
When the limo finally pulled up in front of her brownstone, he took a shuddered breath as he watched Bastien get out and perform a quick perimeter sweep. Once completed, Bastien returned to open the limo door, and Liam stepped out. As he walked toward the steps and up to her door, the air felt electric, and he could feel his heart racing. 
What would she say when she saw him? 
Would she even speak to him? 
Liam had so many questions, but the only way to find the answers was to take a leap of faith and knock on her door. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand and rapped on the wooden door. After a few moments, the door opened, and Liam’s heart stopped. There she was, the love of his life, the one who had captured his heart and never let go. 
“Riley...”- he managed; his voice choked with emotion. 
“Liam,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. 
Their eyes locked, and Liam felt as if the rest of the world had melted away. They stood there, staring at each other, both lost for words. Liam’s mind raced, and his heart pounded. He had imagined this moment so many times, but now that he was standing here in front of her, he was paralyzed with fear and uncertainty. 
...and, wow, she looked incredible! 
Her chestnut hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her chocolate brown eyes sparkled with emotion. She was dressed simply; a soft, silver grey sweater and jeans. But there was no mistaking the elegance and grace that radiated from her. Liam’s breath caught in his throat, and his heart ached with longing. 
She was his sun and stars, his everything. 
He knew he was in for a battle, but for Riley, it would be worth it. 
Riley lost her struggle, her eyes welling with tears. 
“Liam...” she managed, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around his neck. 
He held her close, inhaling her scent, savoring the feel of her body against his. It felt like a dream, a moment too good to be true. 
“I missed you,” he whispered. 
“I missed you, too.” Her voice was a soft murmur, muffled by his shoulder. 
Liam felt her trembling, and he pulled away to look into her eyes. “Are you alright?” he asked, concerned. 
“I’m fine. I’m just...” she trailed off, unsure how to continue. 
He smiled tenderly and gently brushed a strand of hair from her face. “It’s all right. I am not going anywhere.” 
His heart was pounding as he looked down into her beautiful eyes, and he knew in that moment that he would do anything for her. 
Riley grasped his hand. "Please, please, come in." She turned and pulled him toward the living area and motioned for him to sit on the sofa. 
"Would you like something to drink? Wine, scotch, whiskey?" Riley asked. 
"Scotch sounds great." 
As she busied herself with pouring his drink, Liam took the opportunity to look around her home. It was filled with warmth and love, and it was clear that a family lived there. Toys were neatly gathered beside the fireplace, alongside a bookshelf of children's books. 
Riley returned with his scotch and settled onto the couch next to him with bottled water for herself. 
“You have a beautiful home, Riley,” Liam commented. 
She smiled shyly. “Thank you. It's not quite a palace, but we’re happy here.” 
Liam noticed all the pictures, framed and positioned throughout the room. Taking note of the two men and small boy standing beside Riley next to a Christmas tree. 
“So, you’ve got a family now. Are you married?” 
Riley’s expression grew serious. “No. No, I’m not.” 
Liam breathed a sigh of relief. Riley noticed the framed picture Liam referenced. 
“Remember, Daniel?” Riley paused, breathing deeply. 
“Yes, he worked at the bar...”, Liam’s words trailed off. 
“That’s right. Daniel, along with his husband, offered me a place to live, here, when I returned from Cordonia. They didn’t want me to be alone in the city.”  
Liam noticed that her hands were trembling as she set her water bottle down on the coffee table. 
“Liam...” Riley began, her voice trailing off. 
“What is it, Riley? Please tell me.” Liam encouraged, as her eyes filled with tears. 
“This is really hard for me.” Riley choked out the words. 
“Riley?” Liam questioned softly, placing his hand on hers. The worry now etched on his face. 
“There is something I need to tell you, Liam,” her voice wavering. Riley closed her eyes, unable to continue looking at him. 
“We have a son. His name is William. He is two years old.” Riley blurted out quickly. 
Liam was stunned. Rendered speechless. His head was spinning as he looked into her eyes. He swallowed thickly, not sure what to say. 
“Liam, say something,” Riley pleaded. 
“We have a son,” Liam said, his voice barely a whisper. 
“Yes,” Riley said softly. “I am so, so sorry I didn’t tell you. I wanted to, but it was never the right time.” 
Liam took a deep breath and tried to steady himself. 
“I know it’s a lot to take in, and I don’t expect you to be okay with it. But I wanted you to know the truth. It was wrong for me to keep it from you.” 
“...but I was scared. So scared of what would happen if I stayed in Cordonia. Of what Madeleine would do. Of what that would do to your reputation.” 
Liam sat back on the sofa, his gaze not leaving Riley's face.
"I understand why you would feel like you had to do that, Riley. I'm not mad at you," Liam said, his heart heavy. 
"How are you feeling?" she asked, concerned. 
"Honestly? Confused, hurt, a little angry," Liam admitted. 
"I'm so sorry, Liam," Riley said, her voice breaking. 
"Riley, I just need some time to process this." 
"I understand," Riley said softly. 
"Do you want to meet him? William, I mean," she asked. 
"Yes," Liam said, his voice choked with emotion. “Very much." 
Riley stood up and walked down the hall. Liam followed her and stopped when they reached a door covered in brightly colored stickers.  
Sleeping on his side, wrapped in a blue blanket, William slept hugging his Scooby-doo plushie. 
Liam's heart swelled with emotion. He knelt beside his bed; eye-level with the little boy.  
“This is your son, Liam. William.” 
“My son.” He slowly repeated.  
Riley's lip trembled, watching his emotions starting to overtake him. “I'm going to leave you alone with him... if that is OK. I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything."
"Thank you, Riley."
She squeezed his hand and then quietly left the room.
As Liam looked at the child sleeping before him, a whirlwind of emotions washed over him. Pride, love, regret, sadness, all vied for a place in his heart. But most of all, he felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness and responsibility. This boy, his son, was a gift. Liam would do everything in his power to make sure he was safe and loved. 
Liam leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on the boy's forehead.
"I love you, William," he whispered. "I will always be there for you."
With tears streaming down his cheeks, Liam made a silent vow:
No matter what, he would do right by his son.
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