the royals ✅

chap 72: all things must come to an end

 Ophelia just massages her nose, "Sit" Ophelia gestures with a look, and when Alexis crosses her arms she forces her to sit beside her, grabbing her arm.

  Alexis blankly smiles, unable to muster proper emotion, "Sure" She mutters, as she feels the cold marble of the bench beneath her acrylics, running her fingers along it.

 Ophelia musters a smile, dropping it at Alexis's expression, "You know how upset Adonis was at you when you left, right? The party, the way he slit his hand across his throat," Alexis grabs her hand, her heart dropping in her chest. It brings back gruesome memories. And most of all, it reminds her of Ryder. Who he was, and what he managed to make her feel like. Completely insignificant. Irrelevant. He had knocked her ego down.

  She'd never felt smaller, "Yeah, I remember that" She chokes out, the thought replaying in her head. Every single time she thinks of the moment, she wants nothing more then to empty her insides. But she convinces herself to remain calm, breathe, steady motions.

  "Okay," Ophelia pauses, watching her carefully. She seems to want to allow her to regain her senses for what she's about to say next. Alexis doesn't like this at all. Her ears are ringing, her heart is thumping, her face is pale. Ophelia can barely meet her gaze, playing with the strands of the dress. 

  She doesn't know what it is. Guilt, maybe. Eating her alive. Alexis steadies her hand on the bench, stopping them from shaking. "Continue" She barks in a low tone, her voice cracking as she says these words. Even before the worst has come, even before she knows the truth, she's scared. Something is off, in the air. Her instincts are already tipping her off.

 "So after you left, Adonis drowned himself in his pain. He drank, got into useless fights with Ryder, etc. He was falling off the wagon, and everyone was trying to pick him up. Including Tanya," She scowls in disgust as she says these words "Tanya, of course, remained the same bitter bitch. But that isn't the point," She reminds herself, returning to whatever she was saying before.

   Alexis is growing impatient, "I know that. He told me" She impatiently cuts in, not allowing Ophelia to continue. She doesn't want to hear about how she tore him apart, made him feel useless, and completely morphed him. Because the Adonis she knew- he would never fight anyone. For anyone reason. 

     "Okay, did Adonis tell you about his father?" Ophelia slowly questions, keeping her tone even. Alexis blinks, confused.

   She stares at her, her heart beating, "What about his father? He told me about how his father and him don't get along" She explains, and Ophelia cuts her off.

  Ophelia just blinks at her, "No. About his father's church. Did he tell you about that?" She inquires, searching Alexis's features as she stares back. 

   Ophelia is stunned, to the point of silence. She doesn't seem to know what to say as Alexis just braves through, staring at her. "No" The one syllable response quivers, filling the air. Something is off. Ophelia raises her hand to the back of her neck, clearly unsure how to proceed. She can't blame her. It isn't easy to reveal certain things to people

    She sighs, "His father's church burned down after you left, weeks after. And the man who burned it- Adonis caught him, right outside of the church. His name was Tiberius. He claimed that the reason he burned down the church was because-"  It dawns on her in a split second. It's perfect. Blair has played her like a fiddle. They have played like her like a fiddle.

    "Of me. Or my father," She completes, gazing at Ophelia in awe. She doesn't want to jump to conclusions, not yet, but she can see the way this conversation is headed already. And she isn't going to like it.