Warnings : Mentions of dr*gs and dr*gging, use of extremely foul language, blood, small act of violence.
heavy chapter:> r y'all excited? ;)
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December 27, 2015
Soft knocks could be heard from the door of Wynter's penthouse.
"Baby, will you please open the door because you love me so much?"
Wynter and Taylor arrived back to the brunette's penthouse 5 hours ago. They fell asleep for an hour due to exhaustion from traveling, and are now getting ready to visit Wynter's sperm donor— errr.. father.
The homeowner was busy putting her contact lenses on, so Taylor had no other choice but to follow Wynter's order and open the door.
She wished she didn't follow through though when she saw who was waiting at the other side of the door.
"Wade. Emma. What are you two doing here?"
You could only imagine the shock and disdain on Taylor's face seeing the couple.
Before the two actors could explain, Wynter appeared behind Taylor and cut them off.
"Great, you're finally here. Let's talk."
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They were all sitting down on Wynter's dining table. Taylor and Wynter sat across Emma and Wade. Saying it was awkward was an understatement.
"What're—"
"So we—"
The unimpressed look on Wynter's face made Wade zip his mouth shut and let the younger girl continue. "Sorry, go ahead."
"As I was saying, I called you two here cause Frederick wants to see Tay and your girl later for dinner. It's a big deal cause he usually doesn't give two fucks about our dating life. But, we need to set some ground rules and give some background information about our messed up family."
Wade nodded along, letting out a small sigh. "Go ahead."
"First things first—"
"Shouldn't Taylor meet Madeleine and Mr. Hart first?" Emma intentionally cut Wynter off, making the already annoyed CEO shut her eyes in annoyance.
"I already met Madi and Isaac. Madi knew me since I was a child." Taylor responded for Wynter as she looked like she was about to say something that shouldn't be said. She placed a hand on her best friend's thigh, trying to calm her down.
"Madi? Isaac? Surely they don't let you call them that, right?" Taylor couldn't tell if Emma's tone showed disbelief or jealousy or maybe both.
"They love her, Emma, of course they're gonna let her call them informal names." Wynter said before Emma could even talk.
"Back to the point. Call them by their first names, Frederick and Michelle. Ignore Maximus, he isn't important. Don't speak up on your opinions as much as possible, Fred's extremely opinionated and self-centered. Don't smile, if they do smile at you, give them the fakest and smallest smile back. When talking to Michelle, do not use shortcuts. Like 'It's' should be 'It is'. Only with her though, Fred doesn't really care about it. Lastly..."
Wynter bit her lower lip, turning to face Taylor. She held onto the blonde's hand, giving it a small squeeze before she continued speaking.
"Alison, baby, I'm not forcing you or rushing you into this but... we kinda need to pretend that we're in a relationship to avoid questions that may cause a fight. Is that okay with you?" Nervousness was evident on Wynter's face. Even Emma could tell she was worried about Taylor's possible reaction.
"Of course it's okay, Mau. We're practically dating anyways. It'll be fine, hon, calm down." Taylor ran her thumb across Wynter's knuckles, trying to comfort the younger girl as much as she could.
Wade cleared his throat to gain his girlfriend's attention. "Just please remember, Em, you're dating me, not my family. So please don't walk away." He sighed before looking at Taylor and Wynter. "Same goes to you, Taylor. Whatever Fred may say or do, just remember Wynter isn't him."
Wade gave Emma a hug, giving Taylor and Wynter some privacy to talk. Taylor felt Wynter's heavy breathing before the brunette leaned in to whisper something.
"I know Wade asked you two to not walk away but it's okay if you do, Als. I'll understand if my fucked up family's too much. I don't want you to think you need to stay even if you can't anymore—"
The singer cut Wynter off with a soft kiss as it was the only way Taylor could think of to get her to shut up.
"I'm staying, Maureen. No matter what. Even if your father's the worst in the universe. I won't walk away. Like Wade said, I'm dating you, not your family. I won't leave you, okay?"
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"This is it, Tay." Wynter said as she parked her car infront of the tall gates of her father's mansion. "You sure you wanna do this?"
Taylor let out a small chuckle at the younger girl's nervousness. She thinks there isn't a reason for Wynter to act this worried. "I'm more than sure, babe. Let's go, your brother and Emma's already out."
Despite them already riding the golf buggy to get to the gates of the mansion, Wynter still can't shake off this uneasy feeling in her stomach. She doesn't know if it's because it's the first time Taylor will see Frederick again after the accident, or it's her gut and instincts telling her to get the fuck out.
She doesn't know which is worse, but it's probably the fakest smile on Michelle's face when she opened the door.
"Maureen! Honey! It is so good to see that you finally made time to visit!" The older woman pulled Wynter into a forced hug that she didn't reciprocate at all.
She then moved onto Maverick, who awkwardly hugged her back, before finally addressing Taylor and Emma.
"You must be Taylor and Emma! I have seen you both on the TV and online a lot! I am sure you are both rich considering the amount of movies and songs you two had, right?" She said with a smile that Wynter swears is straight out of a horror movie.
"Can you just let us in?" Wynter answered instead, noticing the uncomfortable atmosphere her stepmom caused.
"Excuse me? That is no way to speak to your mother! Do you want me to tell your father?" Michelle threatened, her hands on her hips. Wade flashed his sister a look as if to tell her not to anger her more.
Wynter took a deep breath in, as if to control herself, before making eye contact with the older woman who was currently trying to hide a sadistic smile. "My apologies, stepmother. May we come in, please? It is getting cold."
Michelle smiled before nodding, motioning for them to come in.
At that moment, Wynter wanted to just leave and never see her childhood house and the people in it.
A soft squeeze on her hand as they were walking inside, changed her mind though. Knowing that Taylor was there helped keep her grounded.
She'll survive this hellhole. She has Taylor with her. She has to.
Michelle led them to the unethically large living room with a chandelier so big, it could kill them all if it were to fall. There, on the expensively leathered single-couch, Frederick was seated, with his attention focused on the television.
Their stepmother cleared her throat to get her husband's attention. The business man's eyes shifted to his children and their respective partners. His smile slowly revealed itself as he stood up to greet them.
"Maureen, Maverick, welcome back." Frederick's voice was deep and manly. His stance alone exudes power, wealth and confidence.
Wade gave his sister a reassuring smile before he went to give their father a hug.
Wynter slowly approached, making Fred smile, even if he desperately tried to bite it back. He let his daughter decide if she wanted to give him a hug or not, he didn't initiate physical contact, unlike with Wade.
"Father, this is Taylor. I assume you remember her."
Taylor gave the business man a kind smile. "Hello, sir."
Frederick's breath hitched, it was obvious he recognized Taylor. "I know her. I've seen her on TV. Call me Mr. Lewis, sir makes me sound like you're my employee."
He pursed his lips before avoiding eye contact by looking at the kitchen. "The food is ready, tell one of the maids to call Maximus."
With that, he left.
Wynter didn't know if she should be happy that her father remembered the accident upon seeing Taylor or be angered once again that they both had to remember such an event.
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The dinner table was awkward.
Frederick was seated on the head of the table. Michelle, Wade and Emma sat on the left side of the table, with Wade in the middle. Wynter and Taylor sat opposite to them, with Wynter also seated in the middle.
Wayne, the youngest of the Lewis siblings, arrived rather nervous. It made Wynter confused as his little brother was the most confident among them three.
He sat beside Wynter after giving Wade a hug, and a polite nod to Emma and Taylor.
"Hi, Mau." Wayne whispered, giving Wynter a small smile.
"How's the golden boy doing?" Wynter teased. She didn't have any negative feelings towards the boy, as she believes that the mistake of the parents shouldn't be passed onto their child.
Wayne looked around for a second, as if he was nervous of something. After seeing that everyone were busy talking, he leaned closer to Wynter. "Listen Maureen, I don't know how to tell you this, but Mom—"
"Let's eat!" Michelle suddenly cut Wayne off, giving him a warning look, as if she knew what he was trying to say.
Wayne pursed his lips and nodded. He glanced at Wynter and subtly mouthed "Later."
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"The wine's here!" Michelle smiled as their butler served all of them a glass of red wine each.
Taylor frowned and Wynter noticed it. The blonde didn't need to tell her what was wrong as Wynter already knew what made her frown.
"Taylor does not drink red wine, I am sure you have white wine, right?"
Michelle's brow raised and Wayne visible tensed. His eyes flew up to Taylor and Wynter then to the wine glass as if he was scared.
"Of course, darling." The older woman smiled, which was obviously fake, before calling the butler back in. He leaned down as she whispered something into his ear. It was way too long for just a wine order.
Wayne cleared his throat and stood up. "I'll get the beautiful lady a drink instead. Bob can just rest."
His mother's brow raised, including Wynter's. They didn't know if he was hitting on Taylor or just looking for an excuse to leave the table.
"Very well then." Michelle called him over and whispered the same long message to Wayne's ear. The younger boy sighed and nodded as he left. It was obvious that Michelle said something to upset him.
Wynter leaned closer to Taylor, subtly whispering into the blonde's ear as Wade spoke to their father. "You're too pretty, even my 16 year old brother wants you."
"Are you jealous of your little brother?" Taylor said with a chuckle, taking a piece of Wynter's already cooked steak.
"No. Like I said, jealousy is wanting something someone else has. I have you, and I'd very much like to keep you." Wynter said smugly, quickly stealing a peck from Taylor's lips. This small act of PDA earned a disgusted scoff from Michelle and a smirk of approval from Frederick.
Wayne returned with a small smile playing on his lips. He gently placed the glass of white wine in front of Taylor, giving her a wink in the process.
"Max." Despite Wynter's lighthearted warning, Wayne simply gave his sister a smug smirk in response.
The dinner continued smoothly. It was mainly composed of Wade and Emma talking to Frederick and Michelle, while Wynter and Taylor spoke to Wayne. Aside from the occasional suspicious glances from Michelle, the family dinner seems peaceful for once.
That was until Taylor frowned and gently massaged her forehead as if it hurt. Wynter immediately noticed this and placed a hand on her thigh.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just a little dizzy." Taylor tried giving Wynter a genuine smile. "Can I use the bathroom real quick?"
Wynter nodded, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Taylor's ear as she spoke. "Of course, use the bathroom in my room, i don't trust them. Third floor, baby, the first room on your left. Do you want me to go with you?"
Taylor simply shook her head and excused herself from the table.
A minute after she left, Michelle tried to bite back a smile. "Maximus, honey, would you please accompany me upstairs? I have something to grab really quickly."
Wayne took a deep breath in before nodding. He slowly stood up, making eye contact with Wynter in the process. What didn't sit right with the CEO is the apologetic look in his eyes.
When he left with his mother, Frederick cleared his throat. "Seems like you really like that Taylor girl, huh?"
Wynter bit her lower lip, debating whether she'd play it safe and be nice or be a bitch like she truly is. She decided to not give Fred the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerable.
"Obviously. I wouldn't bring her home if I didn't. I'm not like you." She said sarcastically with a quiet scoff.
"Excuse me? Is that the right way to speak to your father?!" Frederick said, banging his fist on the table.
"You said the exact same shit as Michelle, you two really are a perfect match." It didn't take a genius to know that Frederick was pissed. Wade noticed this and obviously tried to calm his sister down.
"Maureen." He warned, shaking his head subtly as he mouthed a phrase he has said a lot of times in this same situation, "It's not worth it."
Wynter took a deep breath in, trying to calm herself before nodding. She was supposed to follow Taylor in her room to prevent herself from lashing out on her father, but it seems like Fred had a different idea.
"What do you mean by that, huh?"
"Nothing.."
"No, tell me. What the fuck did you mean when you said that." Frederick stood up, slamming both his fists on the table, making Emma yelp.
"I meant you two are a perfect match. The rich naive cheating husband and the bitchy gold digger mistress." The bored tone Wynter said it in absolutely enraged her father.
As Frederick walked over, Wynter noticed her brother standing up too, ready to intervene if needed. Standing directly in front of Wynter, he harshly pulled her to stand up. "You're just mad I found a better fuck than your mom. I bet you're scared Taylor's gonna realize she likes someone with a dick better and leave you."
The events following after was something that hasn't happened before. Wynter scoffed and slapped her father. Hard.
"Fuck you." She hissed out with pure venom. She's never felt this mad. It wasn't because what Frederick said was true, no, it was because of the disrespect he's putting on the two most important girls in his little girls life.
Frederick obviously didn't let it pass and slapped Wynter back. This was new. He always used to hurt her and Wade as kids. You could only imagine the anticipation to leave the siblings felt when they turned 18.
The only difference this time was there was blood rushing down Wynter's cheek from a cut. Fred was wearing a ring with sharp gems when he slapped Wynter, tainting her perfectly flawless cheek.
A flash of concern flashed across Frederick's eyes, but Wynter was too shocked to see it. All she saw was Wade punching their father to the ground, forcing her to stop her brother to ensure he wouldn't kill the older man.
Once Frederick was sure Wade was under Wynter's control, he chuckled at his daughter. "No matter how much you deny it, Maureen, you're just like me."
This statement shouldn't have hurt both Wynter and Frederick this much, but it did. The fact that being like Frederick offended Wynter, hurt him in ways he didn't knew was possible.
"No. Don't you fucking dare say that." Wynter said after a long pause of silence. "I will never be like you. You know why? 'Cause I'm fucking loyal and would never cheat on my partner in the house she fucking bought."
"Yeah, you wouldn't. But would that be the same for your partner?" Michelle said as she slowly descended from the staircase. She had this smirk on her face like her evil plan came to fruition.
Wynter froze. Surely Taylor wouldn't cheat on her, right? Moreso, with her 16 year old brother? The smile on Michelle's face ushered her to sprint up the stairs.
When she got to her bedroom door, she knocked. She heard a few whispers being exchanged, before she heard a sound that was shared between her and Taylor during intimate nights.
Taylor moaned, accompanied by the bed hitting the wall.
"Taylor?" She said softly, feeling her throat constricting and tears threatening to fall.
Thuds could be heard from the room, as if someone was rushing to get to the door, and panicked cursing. "Shit—"
Wynter bit her lower lip, still not wanting to believe the fact that Taylor cheated on her unless she actually sees her.
The door opened just in time when a tear fell from Wynter's cheek, mixing with the still dripping blood from her cut.
Taylor, who was still fully clothed, gasped and pulled Wynter into a hug. "Baby, I'm sorry, it's not what you think it is. Maximus told me—"
"Why me!? I saved your ass!" Maximus stood up and walked closer. He also gasped when he saw the blood on his older sister's cheek. "What the fuck? Did Dad do this? I'll go talk to hi—"
"No, stay." Wynter held his brother's arm, preventing him from leaving.
"Let me clean that cut then I'll tell you everything that happened okay?" Taylor pulled Wynter inside, leaving Wayne to close and lock the door.
Wynter sat on her bed as Taylor and Wayne bickered in the bathroom on whose fault it was that Wynter got the wrong idea. It was heartwarming for the brunette to see her younger brother and best friend interact like that.
Taylor came out holding a first aid kit, Wayne following behind with a frown. The blonde sat down beside Wynter, taking out a cotton pad to clean the cut first.
Taylor leaned in closer to whisper something to Wynter, with the excuse of looking at the cut closer. "I would've straddled you if your baby brother wasn't here."
Wynter scoffed and pulled Taylor onto her lap, causing the older girl to let out a yelp. "Don't mind him, he's done worse with other chics." Wayne looked at them disgustedly before simply rolling his eyes.
After a few minutes of silence, Wynter decided to finally break it.
"I slapped Dad." Taylor froze, looking into Wynter's eyes as if it'll tell them the reason why she did that.
"He disrespected you and Mom, I wasn't gonna let him get away with that. He slapped me back anyways."
"Why'd it cause a cut?" Taylor asked softly, as she placed a bandaid on the brunette's cheek.
"Fred has a ring with sharp shit on it. Did he hit you with that?" Wayne asked, suddenly sitting up from previously laying on Wynter's bed.
"Yeah. It's fine, Mav punched him back harder. And since when did you call him Fred too?" She asked with a chuckle, smiling when Taylor pressed a kiss on her good cheek.
"It's weird calling him Father when I'm not speaking to him, and there's no fucking way I'm calling him Dad."
"Enough about me, wanna explain what happened with you two?" Wynter easily changed the topic, raising a brow at Wayne.
"Long story short, Mother drugged Taylor's wine to try and make her horny and shit. She wants to ruin your life, Mau." Wayne revealed with a sigh. Wynter felt a shiver run down her spine. She knew Michelle hated her, but not to the point that she's willing to involve someone else.
"Are you okay?" Wynter asked worriedly, cupping Taylor's face in her hand.
The blonde gave her a small smile and nodded. "Wayne saved me."
"Don't mention it, I already know how great I am." He said smugly, groaning when Wynter flicked his forehead. "Ouch! The hell?!"
"Explain, moron."
"Fine, fine!" Wayne frowned, rubbing his forehead. "She told me beforehand what she plans to do and that she wants me to 'take care' of Taylor once the drug has kicked in. I tried telling her she can get sued from that but she told me you're too scared of Fred to do it."
"Bitch." Wynter mumbled.
"She placed MDMA in the red wine glass, but I was able to switch it out with a glass that i mixed a sleeping pill that can be washed out with water in instead, five minutes before coming out to the dining table."
This made Wynter's brows furrow. "Why'd you have to put in a sleeping pill?"
"I had to make Taylor leave the dining table somehow." Wayne said sarcastically as if it was the most obvious thing.
"Ahh, so that's why you volunteered to prepare a glass of white wine for her instead. And not because you're trying to flirt with her."
"Obviously. I'm not a sidedick."
"Not like your mom?"
Wayne flipped Wynter off, rolling his eyes. As much as he wanted to snark back, he couldn't deny the fact that Michelle really is a mistress.
"Explain the whole moaning thing then? Tay, baby, I know you're very vocal in bed but I wasn't even in the room with you."
Wayne immediately covered his ear like a little kid hearing curse words for the first time. "Ew, what the fuck!?"
"We thought you were Michelle, we had to make it seem believable. And don't worry, babe, I was thinking of you that time." Taylor playfully said with a wink.
"What the actual fuck is wrong with you two!? Let me remind you I'm a minor! A sixteen year old minor!"
"You're such a baby." Wynter chuckled, tapping Taylor's leg, signaling her to stand up.
"Let's get out of here. I can't stand being here any longer." The brunette stretched, walking towards a bookshelf to grab the hidden Mercedes keys in a small chest.
"Was that always there?" Wayne was staring at the keys in shock, even going as far as walking closer to hold it. "You're telling me I could've driven your Mercedes if I just looked hard enough?"
Wynter scoffed and stole the keys from the younger boy. "Yes. But there's no way in hell am I letting you drive my baby."
"Why are we not taking your Porsche that we arrived in?" Taylor asked, intertwining her fingers with Wynter's.
"I left my keys downstairs, and there's not a chance I am going to be face to face with those two again."
"Can I come? I can't stand being in the same house as them after what they both did." Wayne asked uncharacteristically shy.
Despite being the child of his father's mistress, Wynter had a soft spot for the teenage boy. The brunette nodded, pulling
She pulled Taylor into her walk-in closet, with Wayne following closely behind them. She pushed aside a rack of clothes, which revealed a small square-shaped door. She opened it with a key that was chained to her car keys. It led to a hidden staircase directly to the second garage far from the main house.
"Since when was this here?" Wayne couldn't believe that he grew up in this house without knowing that such things exist.
They all quietly entered Wynter's Mercedes that she hasn't used in a year, with Wayne in the backseat.
The entire drive was silent, aside from the frequent snickers from Wayne as he spoke to his friends on his phone.
"Max." Wynter called out as they stopped at a stoplight, gaining both Taylor and Wayne's attention.
"Yeah?" The young boy looked up from his phone, making eye contact with Wynter through the rearview mirror.
"Thank you." Wynter didn't need to elaborate further as Wayne already knew what she was talking about based on the smile he has on his face.
"I told you, it's nothing, Mau. I just did what I think is right." He said, eyes flickering back to his phone.
"I raised you right." Wynter playfully sighed in satisfaction, earning a scoff from Wayne.
"You weren't even home half of my life!"
"I'm that amazing, I can raise you from thousands of miles away."
"You're crazier than my mother."
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"Where are we?"
They pulled up to the driveway of Wynter's secret home. The same house where her pets were.
Taylor was asleep in the passenger seat and Wayne only woke up five minutes ago.
"A place only 3 people know about so you better keep your mouth shut." The brunette stepped out of the car to wake Taylor up.
"Baby, wake up. We're home, love."
The blonde let out a groan, squinting from the bright light of the street light.
"Can you carry me in?" Taylor asked groggily, her voice raspy because of sleep.
Wynter didn't waste any time picking her up bridal style. She smiled when she felt Taylor's arm instinctively wrapping around her neck and her head claiming residence on her shoulder.
Wayne rang the doorbell, still confused as to who was in her sister's house he didn't even know existed.
His brows raised when he saw a beautiful brunette open the door and greeted Wynter.
"It's been a long day, Gracie. I'll tell you tomorrow, okay? Go back home, your mom might be looking for you."
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As they settled into Wynter's bed, both her and Taylor could only hope that tomorrow won't be as draining as today.
"I'm sorry about my family being so complicated, my love." Wynter whispered into Taylor's chest as she was hugging the blonde tightly.
"It's not your fault, Mau. You didn't choose the family you were born into. It won't change how much I care for you, okay?" Taylor softly said while running her fingers through Wynter's soft hair.
Her words made Wynter look up at her, pouting slightly. "I'm so lucky to have you, Als. Goodnight, baby."
Taylor smiled before placing a soft kiss on the younger girl's lips.
"Goodnight, Mau. Tomorrow will be better, I promise."
As the blonde fell into a deep slumber, Wynter could only wish that Taylor's promise would be true. Especially because of her father's words from earlier while she was running up the stairs to get to Taylor and Wayne.
"I'll make sure you regret acting in such a way to me, Maureen. Just you wait."
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note :
THIS WAS 4.5k WORDS 😭
i'm sorry for disappearing for so long, our school's finals stopped me from updating and the topic in this chapter was so heavy that it added fuel to my already bad writer's block
i hope u enjoy this chapter, love y'all!
also, chapter 22! idk abt y'all, but i'm feelin twenty-twoooo lmoaoaoa 💋
— sincerely, ely ! ★