Prehalia's Demons(Completed) I #Wattys2019

29 I MANIPULATE

Leonardo checks everything that he packed again, for the fourth time. He smiles when he catches a glimpse of the white envelope at the bottom. The text 'To our little birdie' stares back at him and a mixture of sadness and tranquility pours inside his body, making him feel as if his parents are here embracing him and giving him strength.

For the first time in so long, he cried when he read the paper and took in every word, his mind absorbing it. He now knows the entire thing by heart and has the feeling that this will not change until the day he dies.

Being well aware that this day may come faster than he thought originally, he left earlier in the morning to do something he never thought he'd do before.

In a way, he considered it to be his apology to Keelian. He wishes that someday she'll forgive him, no matter if he's alive to see it. He only needs her to not remember him with hate.

After the sudden change of events during the early hours of the day, Leonardo had to come up with a new plan which didn't involve Keelian's death. Not anymore.

What should he do with Mr. Lawrence, though? The two have a mutual agreement and are in this together, so how can he betray him?

With a smirk on the face, he reminds himself of who he is. Of course he can and he will. Lawrence hasn't been exactly loyal, either, so there is no guilt to churn inside Leonardo's stomach at the thought of stabbing his driver in the back.

While thinking of a believable scheme, his mind drifts back to a week ago when he took Jim back.

After Leonardo leaves Lawrence in the middle of the road, a sudden pang of sadness engulfs his heart. He's once again reminded that in the name of money everything is possible, every trust is breakable, and every emotion is forgotten, buried in the ground where only the cold awaits.

Sanchez felt exactly like this when he killed his own parents to keep himself afloat. He has learned the hard way that in this world you can't let yourself be all softhearted or you are the first to go.

When he arrives at his home in Nevarium, the bodyguards that wait at the gate look at each other confused as to why their boss is driving his own car. They've never seen that before. Leonardo, aware of the whispers that the guys exchange strikes both with a deadly glance. In a second, the two men are as stiff as statues. Sanchez shakes his head laughing; He can't believe that he's turned into the modern version of Medusa.

At the entrance, he's met by his servants that surround him and start asking all the questions they usually ask. Today, though, Leo is in no mood for conversations, so with a swift gesture of his hand, he dismisses the people and slams the door to his living room shut in everyone's puzzled faces.

Inside, he's met by his chef who doesn't suspect in how bad of a mood Leonardo is. "Good evening, Mr. Sanchez. I prepared today's dinner with care just for you-" 

"Okay. Get out." Sanchez replies through gritted teeth, keeping it semi-polite to the best of his abilities, only to get even more frustrated when the oblivious chef doesn't seem to notice that his boss is on the edge of complete madness.

"Sir, I'd like to present my dish. I-" 

"I said get out!" Leonardo screams and the man's arm trembles, his eyes wide and terrified. The food he prepared, whatever it was, plops with a disgusting sound on the ground. The poor guy is now even more scared and confused as to what he should do: clean the floor and leave, or just evaporate in seconds?

The sharp look he gets from Leonardo indicates that he better go with the latter. He half runs through the room and in a few blinks he's long out of the door, probably talking with the others from the staff about how scary Sanchez is.