Him or his Best Friend

𝐂𝐡. 𝟒 | 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐥

"She's fine now. It's been a week, she's healed," he told.

"It's also been a week since the scandal. It doesn't matter," I say while getting up from my chair.

Luka attempts to grab my arm and I hiss in pain. He holds my wrist tight and rolls up my sleeve to find a freshly done tattoo. I got my right arm entirely tattooed of skulls, roses, guitar, music notes and a bunch of things.

"This ink does not do a great job in hiding that burn mark beneath it," Luka pointed out rubbing his thumb over my arm.

I deep-dive back a few days ago when I got home from the hospital. That filthy man was holding my mother at the edge of the kitchen sink with a kettle beside him that had boiling water.

"You gave this news to the media, didn't you!" he yelled holding her hair in his fist, trying to pull them out of her scalp.

She was there, naked and bruised. Crying, aching and trembling with fear for help.

"I didn't. I swear I didn't," she pleaded him to let go.

I took my sweatshirt off immediately and headed down to him. Pushing him aside, I threw the cover over my mother's naked body which had been abused by her shameless husband.

"Are you in your right fucking mind?" I cursed slapping my own father on his face.

With a strong grip, he had held me by my throat and my mother pleaded him to let go but I managed to save myself. Like I had been doing for years.

"For one day you couldn't stop with your scandals and mistresses. And then you have the nerve to come home and call your loyal wife a slut!" I argued, giving him a punch on the face.

He immediately grabbed the kettle and threw the boiling water onto me. I raised my arm in defence and there it was, burnt. The first layer of my skin was peeling off, but my mum had immediately run my arm under the cold water. I didn't yelp in pain for myself but for my mother because she was using her entire force to get my father away from me so that he would stop hurting me. My mother...

"It hasn't even healed yet and you've got a tattoo over it Chase. Are you in your senses?" Luka interrupted my thoughts.

I removed  my arm from his grip. She was okay now. That's all that mattered.

"I know I went overboard at the hospital. I'm sorry," he apologised.

"I understand," I spoke not feeling the need to address whatever had happened.

"How's Mrs. Ruel?" he further asked.

"She's doing just fine," I answered coldly.

Luka placed his hand over my shoulder then cupped my face like he's done all his life. I've known this man for years and he's my older brother. Not like my older brother, he is my older brother  and a father figure to me.

" Did you have breakfast?" he continued to ask.

"I forgot," I justified my loss of appetite.

Luka asked my PA to bring us both something from the cafeteria as we sat in the room to eat. He enquired about the deal that I just had a meeting for.

"Nobody has ever gone over 700k Chase. And you're asking for more than twice of that," Luka outlined.

"It's because the sole investors take away more than company investors. I have employees to pay and a fortune to store for my future generations," I lectured.

"Your future generations?" Luka laughed hysterically like it was the best joke he had ever heard.

"You're going to have kids?" he further humored getting a wince of my eyes.

"That's disgusting," I appalled answering back to him.

"Then what generations are you talking about?" he laughed again in my face.

My lips tried to control my humorous smile at his comfort, but I couldn't resist. Luka absolutely adored the dimples that came across my cheeks as a result of his words. It all went silent for a while and I wanted to ask him what had happened to her.

"Don't feel guilty about anything. She had hypothermia," he told taking in a piece of his toast.

"Of course, she did, I told her to put her shoes on but she wanted to walk on ice cold floor," I murmured through my bite.

"Typical, Liya," he chuckled.

"She talks about me being careless and doesn't pull a blanket over herself when going to sleep during a negative 9 degree weather," I complained about mother to father.

"Okay, okay. I get it. She's reckless and so are you," he taunts not wanting to be in between of his future wife and best friend.

I change the topic to the international runway his modelling agency is going to have. Ellah has sent me an invitation for tomorrow night which is appalling as I don't get to drink that night. International runways take hours.

"Yeah, Liya's going to be in it so I wouldn't miss it for anything," he spoke brightening my will to go.

"Guess I have to be there too then. Cuz there won't be anyone to drag my drunk ass out of a club or cell tomorrow night," I rolled my eyes.

"You're correct," he smiled, happy that I won't be drinking.

Don't forget to vote 🥀