Tainted Love

Chapter 1 - Shadows of the Past

The eighteen-year-old girl fell through her door in exhaustion. She'd been down in the basement training with the mercenaries her father currently had hired for a couple of hours and her mind and body were exhausted. She threw herself down into her armchair, feeling too dirty for the bed as she let her head rest back. A quiet knock interrupted her brief moment of peace.

"Come in," she grumbled, eyes shut, as the woman entered her room. Michelle, who was the most understanding person in the house, had put the most effort into the day-to-day efforts of raising her and keeping her alive. It often felt like a wolf's den. Lucia couldn't understand why Michelle worked for her father. Despite this, Lucia admired Michelle's strictness, fairness, and lack of motivation by fear or threat, unlike most of the household staff. She often wondered whether some of them knew the full extent of what he did.

"Miss, your father wants to see you in his office." Lucia groaned from her chair, opening her eyes to see the impeccably dressed woman in front of her, whose eyes held a hint of sympathy. Lucia couldn't be angry at the woman obeying orders, but she didn't have to make her look so dishevelled.

"Thanks, Michelle, I'll go see what his majesty needs" Michelle was too professional to laugh, but a smile was on her face as she turned and left the room. Lucia flung herself out of bed, checking herself over in the mirror and realising she was filthy. Her clothes were a mess, and her hair was tangled and matted from a cut behind her ear that had bled and clotted. She didn't have time to shower, but she washed the cut and quickly tied her hair into a bun. Not wanting to appear drained from the afternoon activities, she changed into different leggings and a jumper, giving the impression that she planned to exercise later that evening. She might even be tempted to actually do some.

Having made herself presentable, Luci hopped downstairs to her father's office. She knocked on the doors but entered without waiting for permission. He'd lock it to keep her out, but that wouldn't stop her if she truly wanted to enter. She was greeted by familiar cream-coloured walls, which she skirted around so she could have a few seconds closer to the fireplace. Different from the one she first saw years ago, and not the same office. Still, he insisted on having one in every house they owned. Lucia never complained. He always had an eye for an old building, none of which ever came with effective heating. Even the apartment they had held in New York for a bit had so much glass the fireplace had become her haven in the winter months.

When she heard her father laugh, she spun around in shock to stare at him. It wasn't his usual tone or even his usual accent. He had put on a polite chuckle you give when you are trying to sidle up to a politician or flirt. She shuddered at the thought. He was seated as usual behind his dark mahogany desk, which seemed to follow them across Europe and went into storage whenever they went further. She knew the hidden compartments and adjustments he'd had built into it made it a keeper, but Lucia wondered if he'd just become sentimental in his old age. As she watched him sit, laid back in the chair behind his desk, light and cheerful on the phone, she could almost imagine him as normal, how boring.

"Yes, thank you so much for being so considerate." When he caught her eye, he laughed quietly and Lucia could imagine the look of confusion on her face. She took the seat opposite him, turning his laptop around to face her as she did. She began tracing his call.

"I completely understand you really are marvellously accommodating." Lucia rolled her eyes at him as a mischievous smile crossed his own face. The call traced itself to an Oxford cell tower, and it took all of Lucia's self-restraint not to groan in irritation. She sat still, watching her father as he flirtatiously finished the call he was on and she ensured her face showed her complete disapproval.

She turned the laptop around to face him as he hung up the phone. He closed it and met her eyes. Neither of them spoke. He always used it as an intimidation tactic. Lucia felt tempted to let the silence string out endlessly, but she clenched her fists at her side and spoke. "I don't understand why you insist I get a degree."