"Why the hell is he just standing in my door way!" Jasmine whisper-yells to a very nervous Emilia who shakes her head, trying to concentrate on the tea that was burning her hands.
"How am I supposed to know! The guy just showed up!" She whispers back, looking nervously at the guy between the counter top and hanging cabinets to make sure that he can't hear their whispered conversation.
"When you said that he was having a guy pick you up, I thought you meant pick you up, not literally steal you from my house! I swear this guy looks like some weird black ops agent that's going to kidnap you and you will never be seen again!" Jasmine mutters out the side of her mouth, getting progressively louder as her panic becomes more clear. Putting a hand on her friend's shoulder Emilia takes a sip of the scalding tea, forgetting the temperature as she manages to burn not only half her tongue, but half her throat as well before she sets the cup down, giving up on the hot leaf juice.
"Hey, uhm, Mr. Knyte is it? Why exactly are you here so early in the morning?" Jasmine calls, significantly louder than Emilia had intentioned for her to bring up such a question, bringing her cup to her lips again before deciding against such a costly action and setting it back down again.
"I am here to return Miss Heart-Delmont to the house, Mr. Delmont wishes to speak with her about new safety measures and to attend a family brunch." He says, in the same monotone that he has said every other word in.
"Yeah, I want to speak with him too, about interrupting someone's beauty rest because he "wants a word" it's not only his opinion that counts now." Emilia practically snarls picking up the cup and scalding her tongue once more, swearing softly into the steam as she set it down yet again.
Jasmine covers a snicker and claps her on the back to help with some recovery, "Well, I pity him, he has to deal with you before you get some proper food in you." She grins, taking the cup from the counter and dumping it in the sink, tea bag and all. "You better get your butt moving there girl, I don't think that statue is going to wait for you much longer." She giggles, beginning to clean up the kitchen from last night's junk food fest after the wedding.
Grumbling and groaning, Emilia hurries to the bathroom to clean up a little, redoing the bun that had fallen half way down the side of her head over night and try to clear away a little of the puffiness from not enough sleep before changing into the exercise shorts and plain loose crop top from Target that served her well in her time of need for a hasty retreat from Jasmine's house.
For a moment she looked longingly out of Jasmine's window to the fire escape before deciding it would be better to just give in and go with Mr. Personality at the door to her "lovely" new home.
Grabbing the overnight bag from the carpet's clutches and shoving the previous evening's pale blue maid of honor dress into the bag along with the necklace and entire box of bobby pins that had been part of the costumery. Glancing back at the white acrylics that had been so beautiful when they were done, she can't help but admire the small gem at the base of her thumb that accented the white rather nicely really.
With a large sigh she pulled the drawstrings tight and loaded it over her back before stepping out of the room to give a gentle goodbye hug to Jaz, sharing a quick roll of the eyes before finally leaving the safe apartment to the not so safe company of her supposed bodyguard stranger.
As Emilia stepped out the door she allowed the dark suited man to take her bag as he seemed to want to hold it for her and led the way down the stairs at a fast pace without taking a look back to see if he was keeping pace.
The hall was incredibly ugly, seemingly paved in a mud brown, yellow splotched carpet that forever held a stench of cleaning supplies and lingering cigarettes. She couldn't help but to hold her breath as she made her way down the stairs as the smell was simply too disgusting to breathe in. The one breath she allowed herself was through her mouth and even then she could nearly taste it.
Reaching the bottom at last, Emilia reaches out to open the door, noticing the abnormally large amount of people outside of such a small apartment, simply milling around in the parking lots and blocking many onlookers who seemed curious of the all to fancy car with extreme blacked out windows and what looked to be a shadowed driver already sitting in the front seat.
Reaching to open the door before her, she finds that a suited arm is already reaching past, pushing it open for her to go before him. Instead Emilia takes hold of the other door, opening it for herself.
"It's her! It's the new step-daughter!"
"It's you! Miss! Look this way!"
"No! Over here! Quick!"
"Miss Delmont! Here!"
The sudden screams, flashes of light, shoving bodies, and overwhelming sounds of clicking and shutters closing had Emilia screwing up her face and backing away too quickly, meeting the hard body behind her as a steadying hand grabbed her wrist to keep her upright.
With sudden movement and a twist of the arm she is whirled to face a very muscular chest, eyes level with one of the buttons on the white, clean pressed shirt as a deep rumbling voice came from such a broad chest of dense muscles.
"I'll take care of this."
Without another word, there is a rush of movement forward, moving you towards the waiting car and shoving photographers and curious onlookers out of the way as he went, moving fast enough that she tripped several times on not only her own feet but his as well.
"Miss Delmont! Over here! Look here!"
Was heard multiple times over their movement as she only grit her teeth. That was not her name, she had not adopted his last name and never would. Her name was Emilia Heart and nothing would change that, especially not her new, egotistical, step-father that didn't even deserve that title.
Before she knew it the door was open and she was pushed headlong into the back seat of the center vehicle unceremoniously. She pushed herself more upright, looking back to the door and noticing that he was blocking the camera's views, his full breadth of shoulders keeping anyone from getting passed or even getting a glimpse as she settled herself in the farthest possible seat from him and the cameras. Without a word he moved and there was a single camera flash before the door was closed with sharp slap.
Emilia forced herself to breathe, trying to take in what exactly was happening. She knew that Mr. Delmont was an important man, very wealthy and well connected, a CEO if she remembered correctly, but was he really important enough to have paparazzi on his newest family members? She pulled her knees up beside her, pulling them close and holding onto her ankle as she leaned on the chilly window, elbow on the ledge as she stared at the distorted sky, trying to think as the car began to roll forward smoothly.
She didn't like this, not one bit, it was odd to say the least. A personal bodyguard, she supposed made sense now with paparazzi and all, but was he really important enough to have paparazzi on her? And that many? There was no way that she was important enough to warrant so many accosting her just outside of her friend's apartment. And how did they know she was there? Then she remembered the video from last night that they had put to social media, them escaping the wedding and Jaz tagging her own apartment during it. She would have to be careful not to put locations, not that she ever posted things in the first place, but she would need to be extra careful now. She thought, digging an acrylic nail into the leather interior, digging up a few little pieces with her thoughts.
Still, there was something bugging her, but she would have to figure it out later as they arrive at the gates of Mr. Delmont's "house". It was a mansion, and not to her taste, as she stared up and up at the stone terraces and 3 or 4 levels, trying to make out if she could escape before they made it inside. Up the cobbled drive they drove in procession, her eyes following the front door alone as it opened to reveal her mother, and close behind, Mr. Delmont. She grit her teeth tightly at the sight of him but forced herself to breathe, it was too early for this, truly, she needed a proper breakfast and some tea before she had a uh. . . talk with her step-father. She didn't need to become a tragic teenager at a time like this, overdramatic and sullen.
She hadn't noticed the car had stopped and door was open until the bodyguard cleared his throat loudly and called "Ms. Delmont?" Into the silent car. Emilia undid her seatbelt and slid ungracefully out of the car, dragging the overnight bag with her and slinging it over her shoulder. Placing a hand on top of the bodyguard's to get his attention Emilia looked up into his shade covered eyes.
"The name is Emilia, Emilia Heart, not Delmont." She told him, her voice serious and filled with exhaustion as she turns away and walks up to greet her waiting mother at the door.
Emilia didn't notice the following eyes of Mr. Knyte, his stare unmoving for just a moment longer before he closes the door and slides in the driver's seat to move the car.