It's funny how rumors serve like rum for people- the more they tell, the more intoxicated they become- and likewise, the more they want. They become the weak mortar for a society that pleads and cries out for anything solid that could last- yet this is what we give ourselves- a bunch full of ridiculous lies that go around faster than you can say 'Fuck'.

She strutted inside without being invited, head held a tad bit too high, swaying her hips oh-so-confidently. Denying it would be easy, but your conscience contradicting it would be even easier. It was a fact- Delilah Simpson was a gorgeous woman with curves in all the right places and tan skin that women would kill for. It would be easy to see why Wolfe would choose her to be his bedroom buddy- with deep brown eyes and boobs that were cool (not to me, though) she was every man's fantasy.

The burgundy satin sweetheart dress is tremendously tight around her curvy body, the neckline a bit too low in front of her chest and her matching stilettos flashy and red. I shrug into my seat. She moves round the table and sits down next to Wolfe.

"That's twice we've met again, Achelois," she winks at me, and I know her lashes are fake, anyway. "Hi, Layla," she croons at Wolfe's mom.

"I don't recall allowing you to call me by my first name," Aunty Lay is surprisingly grumpy. There's no doubt she's not really supportive of Wolfe, but after all, it's better to allow him to make his own decisions- right or wrong alike- he's an adult now. Aunty Lay scrunches her nose at Delilah's dress, "Isn't that awfully pretentious for a Sunday morning?"

"Wolfy likes all shades of red," she makes a kissy face, "I'd do anything for him."

Aunty Lay mimics her under her breath and I let out a muffled chuckle. Delilah's cheeks turn all the shades of red 'Wolfy' must love, yeah?

"Why are you here?" Wolfe asks in one of the hardest tones I've ever heard out of him- I'm surprised. Delilah has made the rounds of the newspapers, magazines and tabloids with him- Wolfe must consider her important enough for it. However, his civil attitude doesn't stand quite right with me.

"Oh, yeah," she leans into him purposefully and takes her phone out. She swipes for quite a few minutes before turning the phone towards him, "You've made quite a ruckus so early in the morning, Mr. Theodore. It's funny they still think you are considering and pursuing girls. We're official, right honey?" She looks up at him with doe eyes. As my eyes shift to Wolfe, my heart jumps at his ashen expression.

"I was shielded by the guards' cars, my windows are tinted," he lets out through gritted teeth.

"Why do you wanna hide it anyway?" she spits out carelessly, "You do women, not girls like this one."

"What the fuck," I hiss and snatch the phone from her hands as she tosses her hair and crosses her arms. What I see nearly makes my heart stop. Aunty Lay's gasp from the side brings me back to the reality.

"Ridiculous," I mutter.

I stare back at the picture of me and Wolfe exiting the church, me looking at him with a playful grin on my face and his face breaking out in a (I-hate-to-admit-it) gorgeous smile. Beneath are more pictures, him tossing the key to me and me catching it, him leaning inside the car through the window on my side and looking at me who's sporting a chicken-emoji like expression. The site says in bold- 'Is Golden Boy playing it down?'

"Golden, my ass," I mutter.

"You don't have one, girl," Delilah jeers and makes a haughty fce. I lean over the table slightly, posing my elbows on the table, "Really? Arrogance is the camouflage of insecurity, Delilah."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night, little girl," she responds like a child. I cross my arms and lean back. "Don't play games with me, Simpson," I stretch out each word, "Don't, ever, think that you're capable of that."

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by little kids, girl." She scrunches her nose as I laugh at her lame reply. "That sounds quite good when you're living in a world where there's a lot of foundation and primer available to cover all your flaws up," I spit, "I prefer people with higher vocabularies when it comes to sarcasm- kindergarteners aren't my fantasy."

"Attitude, eh?" She smiles extra-sweetly at me.

"Sarcasm isn't an attitude, it's an art," I hiss at her, "It's not my attitude, it's a personality, and it's not my problem you don't have one, bitch," I smile back. Aunty Lay presses her palm on my upper arm.

"It's funny, you claim to have a personality yet I've not encountered a family in as huge of a disarray as yours."

My blood turns cold.

I've emptied the jug of water in her face before I can stop myself. She lets out a high pitched shriek, causing Wolfe to turn around from the corner he was standing in, talking to someone over the phone, obviously to take the webpages down. He jogs over and Aunt Lay relates to him in a nutshell what happens as he stares down cluelessly at the dramatic woman.

"Oops," I let out, no-smile this time, "I just realized I don't get bonus points if I care," I grit my teeth and drop my fork with a loud clang, "Twinkle twinkle little snitch, mind your business, nosy bitch."

"You heartless bitch," She repeats the words back from our schooldays.

"I might be heartless, but you're naive," I sneer at her, "The first thing you need to know is I," I stress on it, "-am not you. Things will make sense after that."

She's as red as her dress now, wet face at all, probably even more embarrassed as to why Wolfe isn't kicking me out of the fucking door and not kissing her ass already. News flash, bitch, your pussy isn't wet right now, a worthless face is, a face he obviously doesn't care about.

"Tell her something, honey," she makes a face.

"You brought this upon yourself," he shakes his head and mutters, handing over a bunch of tissues to her from the middle of the table.

"Lastly, Delilah?" I command her attention once more, "Beautiful might be dangerous, but intelligence is lethal."

I pick up my keys from the middle of the table, which apparently was driven here by Wolfe's men and exit the room, not even looking back when I know he's jogging after me. He catches up with me at the threshold of the mansion.

"I'll clear that," he says in a wary tone.

"Oh, as if I give a fucking fuck," I spit in his face, "They could blast the entire world away and I'd not even care."

He doesn't say anything and I begin to go down the stairs, still feeling his gaze burning a hole into my back.

"Isa?"

I halt in the middle of the flight of stairs, but do not respond or look back.

"Your temper is becoming your monster and you're succumbing to it."

"Mr. Theodore, if I were to consume my demons, there'd be little left of me," I let out a sarcastic laugh. "We all have demons, I just choose to feed mine," I turn about and stare at him blankly.

"It's gonna leave you broken and damaged."

"Then stay away, Wolfe," I warn him, "Damaged people are dangerous; they know they can survive."

He comes down a few steps but still halts about three steps above mine. "Curiosity might get the better of me, Isa, what'd I do then?"

"You're craving the firefly in the wood kind of light, Wolfe," I shake my head, "Prepare for forest fires too."

"Or I could just fall in love with the darkness."

"The sun and the earth," I turn around, not facing him anymore, "-obviously love each other but still keep their distance. They might burn life out of existence if they do so, get it?" I know he gets all the meanings that I keep masked, "You're treading down a dark path."

"Maybe, just maybe we can see it for ourselves."

I shoot him a fleeting glance, and exit that damned place like lightning.

A/N:-

This chapter is way shorter than the two before. I could have merged it with the next but that'd make it tiringly long. Do you like the tension this time round, though? I'm so excited to see what happens next. I'm over excited because I know, that is.

New ideas hit me at every point and I'm getting restless to get to the gore-y parts. Bruhmao, it's getting darker than black! Also, I unpublished almost 70% of the chapters in my poem book because I think they're immature and stupid in comparison to the recent ones.

Thirdly, I'm so in love with Achelois! She has got quite  a mouth on her. I bet Wolfe is interested to see what else that mouth can do. (winks conspiratorially)

Fourthly, my brother's birthday is just round the corner! Should I gift him an empty shoe box or a punch box? Consequences be damned.

Fifthly, ta-ta.

The new chapter might be dropped any time this week. I'm excited.

Yours lovingly,
Disha🐤👊😍