Page 36 of TAINTED by TWINS

Velomina knew it wasn't good news that brought Lei Ann to fall to the floor, sobbing heavily. "Lei?!"

"My son... he doesn't want to see me," she cried, holding onto Velomina desperately. "He doesn't... he said he won't..."

That's unlike him... Velomina's eyes furrowed. Khalid...

"Maybe he was right... maybe I was holding him back... maybe he doesn't need me anymore..." Lei Ann held her heart, "I'm so sorry Lian... I'm so sorry I haven't been a mother... I'm terrible."

"Shhh my love, I will speak to him. He can't just say that to you, I refuse to believe it's him speaking. Khalid manipulated him!"

"But what he said was true..." Lei Ann looks up at her, "I'm a failure as a mother. I could've given him a wonderful life. But I ran away from you, I ran away from my responsibilities. He... he doesn't deserve a mother like me."

Velomina cannot argue with her, she just wants Lei Ann to know her son loves her. "Wait here, my love. I will speak with Lian myself. I'll get the twins to bring him to me. Wait for me... can you do that?"

"I'll always wait for you..." Lei Ann reached for her, and Velomina gave her a soft and loving kiss, tasting all the other kisses they had.

"I love you," Velomina whispered.

"I love you too, Mina..." Lei Ann watched as the woman gathered her stuff and gave her the key before leaving the hotel room.

Lei Ann keeps looking at the roses Velomina left her. They're as dark as blood, as beautiful as they are tragic. She smiles remembering how Velomina used to hate roses until Lei Ann told her about these flowers.

Apparently, it was all she did while waiting for her Lady. When there was a knock at the door, she opened eagerly. "Mina?"

"Madam, your lunch?" Says the housekeeper.

"Ahh... thank you..." Lei Ann opens the door for her.

"Would you like wine, or champagne?"

Good lord, those wonderful bottles—Lei Ann wants a glass, but thought about how it would make Velomina proud if she stayed sober throughout her wait. It would be bad for her to come home to a drunk Lei Ann. "Uhm... n-no thank you."

Those three words took all of Lei Ann's will power to utter. When she left, she anxiously paced around the room the entire afternoon, waiting for her lover.

But the sun has set, and there was no sign of her. Lei Ann is on her toes.

Knock knock. She opens it, "Mina...?"

"Hello madam... your dinner?" They presented her a five course meal. Lei Ann opens the door for them. "We'll also be removing your lunch tray. Would you like wine?"

Yes, please. "Mm... no..." she whimpered, pacing back and forth anxiously. Velomina will come soon. Just a little longer, then I'll ask if I can have champagne. Yes, yes. We'll drink together then maybe kiss...

Where is she? Lei Ann couldn't even eat. A couple of hours passed—two, and she cannot tear her eyes off that door. I don't want to spend the night alone. She's coming back, is she? With my son too?

Knock knock. "Mina!" She opened it eagerly, only to stand face to face with a charming Khalid Deveroux.

"Y-yes..." Lian took a deep breath, "He might make me CEO at the gala. He's arranging papers to sign and the announcement will be tomorrow night. How soon can we kill him?"

That's when Jade came walking in with his helmet. "... kill him? You're not actually serious killing your own dad, are you—Lian?"

Only when looking at Jade did Lian break down and start crying, covering his mouth and leaning against Jonah who caught him. "I can't do this! I can't keep on doing this, I can't be like you, I can't take over the Deveroux—!"

"Lian, just one more night. You can do this, you'll be rid of his control for good! All of us will be free from him," Jonah tries consoling him, being joined by Jade who is glaring at his twin.

"He's under a lot of pressure Jonah," Jade tells him. "You're happy about the fact Lian is manipulating our father—well I'm not happy about you controlling him. He's clearly not happy."

"Controlling him?" Jonah scoffs, "Father is the one controlling him, and I'm working to get rid of him as per Lian's request."

"You're getting rid of Khalid's control on him so you can pull the strings alone," Jade accuses. "He clearly doesn't want all of this, Jonah."

"STOP FIGHTING!" Lian pushes Jonah away, opting to wipe his own tears.

He looks back and forth the twins, trying to keep himself strong.

"I don't want to be that weak kid anymore, I don't want to be pushed around anymore.

Not by the school, not by Khalid, not by you two, and ESPECIALLY not by me. I..."

He took a deep breath and forcefully lifted his head up, fixing himself.

"I won't let myself stop me from gaining control over my life.

Getting rid of my father is the first step, taking over Maison du Rouge is the second.

After that, nobody is pulling my strings, and nobody is getting in my way! "

Jonah looks proud, while Jade looks heartbroken. The latter can see through him. He's still vulnerable, confused, lost and yearning for his mommy. Lian is just trying to keep a face, because he's sick of being stepped on. But that's not who he truly is, he is not like Jonah or Khalid.

Jade sighed, taking him in for a hug. He whispers, "Please... don't lose yourself. I understand you're hurt. But you need to hold on to yourself. Lian is not weak, don't lose him."

"We have a meeting after lunch, brother..." Jonah tells his twin, "Don't you have a drug den to run?"

"I run a club, not the drug trade..." Jade squeezes Lian, "Speaking of, half my men are guarding the hotel where our mothers are staying, I have to keep two eyes on two locations."

"And I'll keep all of my eyes on our darling," Jonah happily says, much to Jade's disapproval. "Everything will work out. Lian will become CEO, fully in control of his life, and you will be free to run Nightingale."

"What about you?" Lian asks. "What do you get after all of this?"

"I'll be free as well..." Jonah fixes his clothes, buttoning his sleeve cuff. "Free of pressure, free from father. After everything he put my mother through, after everything he put me through... I'll kill him myself. Won't that be fun?"

Jonah has a sickly sweet smile on, Jade can't help but pull Lian closer towards him. "Psycho..."

"Yes, you have to sign papers for the library being built in your name.

Father donated an entire library just for you," Jonah smiles, hands on a tablet where he has their whole schedule in his hands.

"And after this, we can speak with Mr Xi about building a new vineyard in Austria, we're buying the land from him. Lian?"

His eyes are stuck outside the window. "I bet Jade is having more fun than I am."

Jade is currently beating a thug in Nightingale for touching one of his female dancers. "Jade is building his own empire, I hear he's building another club in another location. I believe if father cuts him off, he'll be well off financially."

"And how about you? Modelling?"

Jonah smiles, "As long as I take care of you, I will stay in Father's good will. I don't plan to be a model for very long, the travels will take me away from you. It's about time I retire the blonde hair, too..."

"So you'll look like Jade?" Lian jokes, snickering.

"I did promise him I'll die with dark hair, so yes," Jonah's reply made Lian drop his smile, making the blonde laugh. "Hahahaha! Don't challenge me with jokes, my darling."

"So that's how psychopaths joke..." Lian sighed, looking out of the window. "Is this what I'm gonna be doing for the rest of my life? Speak with old people... spend money that I don't have in my pocket... sign stuff, sign more stuff, travel to sign stuff?"

"All your money is in the bank, and we're taking helicopters," Jonah says, "What, did you think being a CEO is all about looking pretty and romancing a girl? You read too many books."

"Speaking of..." Lian looks at him with his head tilted just a little bit, "I'm betrothed, am I?"

Jonah exhaled deeper than normal, and Lian noticed. He adds, "Is that why you want Khalid dead? So I don't have to marry?"

"One of the reasons... see, I don't like getting my hands dirty. But there are so many reasons why he should die, my darling. He's a monster."

"And we aren't?" Lian says, looking out of the window. "Jade told me not to lose myself. But here I am plotting my own father's downfall. And tomorrow I'm gonna replace him... and you're gonna murder him. Isn't that... insane?"

"Insanity is doing the same things over and over again expecting a different result..." Jonah answers, "I get to accomplish what needs to be done at the first attempt, it's not insanity. It's all for you, my darling."

"For me..." Lian smirks at him, "You're funny, Jonah. It has all been for you. You think I... am yours. So you're doing everything to keep me, not for me."

Jonah tilts his head, "Is this you trying to get into my head? It's sexy as hell."

"Trying? I'm already in it. You're throwing me off to avoid confirming nor denying what I said," Lian scoffed, showing Jonah what he learned from him, "You underestimate who used to be your teacher. I'm still older, and I'm still more mature."

Jonah stared him down, licking his lips. "I knew I'd get hard while looking at you fully clothed... but I never thought I'd fight the urge to ignore the driver right now and screw the Deveroux heir."

Lian awkwardly clears his throat, looking away. "Jonah... he can hear."

"I hope he can," Jonah cheekily smirks, taking once glance at the blushing old man in the wheel.

"We expect nothing less from a building that carries the Deveroux name. To settle would be a loss on your part. Because if this institution refuses, I can assure you—there are half a dozen other schools lined up that would be honored to carry the Deveroux name."

Lian bites his lip just a tiny bit. God, Jonah would make such a great CEO. I'm already thinking of passing the title to him after getting rid of Khalid... I could never do what he's doing. He's not letting the contractors get their way!

Lian feels himself getting aroused, he just has to stop listening to Jonah being the assertive psychopath he is. "Uhm... I'd like to go to the restroom, please."

Lian awkwardly slipped out while Jonah stayed behind to finalize the materials.

With his hands in his trouser pockets, he tried to calm himself down while in the restroom, trying not to think about what happened in the car and how he was terribly flustered.

Geez, and to think he's still a senior collage student. ..

After exiting the restroom, did Lian suddenly see a dark haired male student scurry across—with the build of a awkward freshman, acne the size of volcanos, and a familiar bandage on his face from a recent injury. His lips separate, watching an image of himself run into the clinic.

I'm in the fourth floor, he realized, slowly walking towards the clinic where it stood empty. No boy, no Dr Wayne, not even his nameplate. Oh. He transferred.

Somehow his heart grew heavy, approaching the fourth floor window and watching the sports players outside. He smiled, remembering everything as if it was another lifetime—

"I was waiting for you. Ever since they talked about the Deveroux heir coming to Carvalle," says a familiar voice from behind Lian.

Right when he turned around, a needle flies right into his eyes, and Lian had to dodge it with a gasp. Laughing hysterically in front of him is Sasha Petrovna whose back is against the door. His pink hajr outgrown by blonde, his leg warmers a furry pink that matches his pink jacket.

"Aww, I practiced so much for that..."

"Sasha... what are you doing... ?" That boy just threw a needle towards him.

"Ohh, I'm here to gossip with my favorite teacher..." he slowly walked towards Lian with one hand behind his back. "Did you know I'm engaged? To a woman? Because I'm exactly like you, you know. I'm also an heir... you know what that makes us? SISTERS—"

"Sasha!" Lian dodged the knife Sasha was holding behind his back and grabbed his arm, attempting to disarm him.

But the boy is very quick and determined to stab Lian in the face with it.

Lian pushes him away, sending Sasha crashing against a cabinet and knocking down a few paraphernalia. "Sasha, stop!"

"What," he laughs in my face, blonde hair growing out of his scalp and his face less put together. "Afraid something will happen to that pretty face? Afraid that without it you are nothing, and nobody will even give you a second look? WHY DON'T WE TRY THAT REALITY HUH?!"

"Sasha!" Lian backs away as Sasha stabs the knife at him. He tried to grab at him, but Sasha slashed the back of his hand with the knife. "AHH!"

The split second of Lian in pain gave Sasha the opportunity to grab his hair and pull him to the opposite wall where the door is, right near the window.

"Chris w-was not your boyfriend..." Lian says, trying to stop the bleeding from his hand but it's difficult because he sliced some veins. "He used you, he is not worth all this!"

"What..." Lian starts to feel lightheaded, backing away from Sasha.

"I killed another one... 7 months big," he smiled in a deranged way, casually holding the 15 inch knife with a pink bow on the handle. "But this time, they found out it was poison. Now they're investigating the previous miscarriages. It won't be long until my Uncle finds out it was me..."

"You killed your Uncle's babies?!" Lian looks at him in disbelief, shaking his head, "Oh god... I could forgive you if you make things right Sasha, but god knows they won't. God won't forgive you..."

"That's why it's useless to make things right... I'd just like to kill you before they lock me in—" Sasha slashed towards him, and Lian dodged before kicking him in the chest. "Ugh, my Miu Miu shirt!"

Lian tried to run for the door, but Sasha grabbed his hair and threw him back, hitting his head on the windowsill.

Lian tried to get up as Sasha fixed his shirt.

"You don't have to do this, Sasha... I can forgive you, even if they won't! You're just a lost little boy who think terrorizing other people will get you what you want! You can be loved if you'd just—"

Trying to reason with him was useless. "Terrorizing you is exactly what I want! Killing you would hurt the twins, and that's exactly what I—!"

Sasha attacked him with the knife, but Lian managed to land his hands on both of his arms and throw him to the side... where he tripped on the chair Lian used to look out of. Sasha Petrovna slipped out of the window with a scream, but Lian was quick and held him by the wrist before he could fall.

"Sasha!" He was now hanging out of the window, holding him with both hands, one of them bleeding. "Climb up! Give me your other hand!"

Insulted that he would even be saved by the man who ruined his life and plans, Sasha refused to let go of the knife. Instead, he looks up at Lian, "If you save me... I'll just have to kill myself again."

He was angry, but he meant it to the bone. Sasha dead would serve no purpose other than to escape his consequences, and Sasha knew it.

"AH!" The last thing Lian saw was Sasha's victorious smile before his vision went dark—he had to close both eyes because one of the felt the sting of the blade. He had to pull back, he had to let go and hold his own face. And in doing so, leaving Sasha to fall, much to his horror.

"NO, Sasha—!" He looked out of the window in pure horror, but unable to look at the body that couldn't survive four floors. Students screamed in shock seeing their beloved campus queen dead on the ground. Lian broke down and sobbed, sinking to the clinic floor with the window right behind him.

I didn't want that, I didn't want him to die! Lian held his face, blood dripping down his cheek as multiple faculty as well as Jonah Deveroux broke down the door, finding a bloody Lian about to pass out on the clinic floor.