#theron raised by his dad

[serenxanthe]

What in the AU writing prompt is this on the front page of the cartel market?!

[oc-cinematic-universe]

i wanna talk about kiara more so bad but i have nothing to say because shes just joe and daras funny lil girl shes your standard 6 year old obsessed with my little pony and also casting hexes on everyone she sees and making houses out of mud for worms. shes perfectly normal except for all the random stuff that occassionally reveals to her friends shit is fucking weird in her house. "my dad sees ghosts and one of them told him youre a little bitch" "sorry my uncle death said we cant hang out today cause hes babysitting and he has to go collect souls" "theron told me they want me to help them rob a bank but i said no cause i wanna play roblox" "im literally the gods specialest lil girl you can ask them we're friends"

[belost-the-watcher]

13. Who had the most positive impact on your character’s life?

For Belost that's honestly a toss up between Sulfa, Theron, and Silixus. They've all taught him important lessons that shaped him into the person he is and allowed him to grow up surrounded by a loving family.

Sulfa has the benefit of always being around Belost- retiring from her job in the military to raise him let her be there for him all the time growing up. She also taught him to be patient, instilled a certain amount of discipline to be well-mannered to the right people (even though that doesn't come up all that much in his day to day), showed him the benefit of a little generosity, and helped teach him how to bake and make candy.

Theron unfortunately was so busy as a fleet admiral that he didn't have as much time for Belost as he wanted. But from the time they did have together Theron taught Belost important lessons that he uses to this very day. Belost got his first course in navigation as a child from a day out in the city with his father. When it was time to go home Theron had Belost lead them back. It built confidence in Belost and taught him how to start becoming comfortable with being lost. Theron taught Belost of political strategy and prepared him to work out ulterior motives people might have- something very useful when dealing with higher ranking officials, political targets, and people in general.

Silixus was often times a stand-in for Theron when he couldn't be around and acted as a mentor for Belost's childhood- and even still in his adult life. Belost learned history, military and government structure, galra values, fitness, and more from Silixus' lessons. Not to mention he also acted as a second father to him, though Silixus had the benefit of not being the one who needed to discipline Belost so he got to be the dad who was only ever pleasant. Plus all the prosthetics and outwardly intimidating appearance got Belost comfortable with different looking people from very early on.

[dirthara-dalen]

Been meaning to make this post for a while now but I wanted to make one about Ligastar and Theron's family relationships post KOTET. It go quite long so to save people's dash's its under the cut. Ligastar is referred to as Father while Theron is just dad.

Once everything is said and done Levi is actually the one to pursue mending his relationship with his father. When Theron had told him that Ligastar was alive he refused to believe it at first. He had come to terms with his fathers 'death' three years prior. In order to make up for lost time Levi felt he needed to initiate the healing process as it was clear that Ligastar was still as stubborn as ever.

This resulted in them having a very close relationship which Levi is grateful for. He hopes to fully make up the time they lost as father and son one day. When Theron 'defecated' Levi was beyond horrified and stood by his father during the entire fiasco. He was greatly relieved when Ligastar revealed that everything was ruse. Levi has taken it upon himself to keep tabs on his dad to prevent this from happening again.

Unlike Levi, Mar never accepted their fathers death. While this did bring him closer to his dad it eventually caused a rift. Mar succumbed to the dark side rather quickly despite Theron trying to protect him from it. Mar fled to imperial space and did see his parents again until KOTFE. By that point he was known as the new Lord Kallig. After being nearly killed by Vaylin he reevaluated his life priorities and called his parents to Mek-sha for a meeting.

There, in front of his own family, he was finally able to reconnect with a part of his life that he didn't realize was missing. He decided to spend more time with Levi as well in order to reestablish their bond. When Theron 'defected' Mar didn't know what to do. He knew Theron was lying, he could literally see it. During his time in the empire he had been trained in the art of force sight by Jaesa. The whole situation was confusing for him but he supported his father throughout the ordeal. He did give Theron about being stupid alongside Levi. Deep down, however, when he saw what had happened to his dad he felt like a scared little boy. He had only just gotten his family back, he refused to lose anyone ever again. He spend hours with other healers working to save Theron's life as he knew how too. Without realizing it, he healed the rift between them as well.

Lilith is about 5 or 6 at the end of KOTFE...and the relationship status is not good. Lana had given her to Solaris and Ryn to raise while she searched for Ligastar. This resulted in her coming to believe they were her parents. When Ligastar came to meet her at long last since it was now 'safe'. She ran from him, refusing to meet him as she believed he was going to take her away. Theron had warned Ligastar about this prior to meeting her. After reintroducing himself to her as her uncle it was clear she accepted that but was scared of him. Neither Ligastar or Theron has spoken to her since.

[sassheliosazuras]

9. What would their reaction be if their teen daughter confessed to them that she’s pregnant? Or if their son had left some girl pregnant? 17. Would they spoil their child much? 25. How would they console their child who just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend in bad terms and was wrecked?

Probably this for the first few moments in all scenarios

Just stunned silence before taking his kid somewhere private to talk.

Out of all three parents, Lana, Theron and Sass for any of these questions I feel their kids would come to Sass first because blueberry dad is much more chill and can help ease their mother and other father into the situation.

9? If his teen daughter came to Sass saying she's pregnant?

Considering his own mom was a teen mom, and he and my smuggler Santixes had an unplanned ( albeit when adults) pregnancy that resulted in his firstborn Zho, Sass would be sympathetic.

Offering to whichever daughter if she wanted to keep it, go to doctor Oggurobb's and cease the pregnancy altogether, or have her parents raise it while she went to live her life.

After comforting his daughter and giving her a week to think things over, he probably would go drink himself silly, knowing this is payback for his own wild youth, and perhaps he should have better prepared his children, particularly ones with his zeltron blood.

Now if he found out his son had left a girl pregnant?

He wouldn't be happy. But would talk to his son first, maybe it's not his, maybe he didn't know she was pregnant.

If Sass found out a son of his knowingly left a pregnant partner and knew it was thiers....well he would be pissed.

If they were a teenager and his son panicked he'd be..somewhat understanding, he panicked too the first time he was told his firstborn Zho was on the way.

Most likely would spend a night berating his son, but end it with a hug and a promise to help and making his son invite the girl over to dinner.

17.( would they spoil their child much?)

It sure won't be our dear pragmatic Lana😄, Theron I have a feeling would be both the anxious parent and the one they go to to pull off pranks.

Sass is an emperor and so his children would be princes and princesses. So plenty of people would try to suck up to them.

Sass is the youngest of the trio, and definitely the fun parent. Sass got into plenty of trouble growing up and as a Jedi wandering around the galaxy, so he knows the need for fun and the occasional small prank.

He definitely would be against any training for them before ten, and would want them to spend their teen years at home and attend university on Odessan or in a nearby system. Lana I believe would talk him down from that and talk him into their children being eased into force training.

Sass was raised for war and battle, and that took a toil, he would never want that for his own children. Combined with guilt for frequently having to travel the galaxy Sass would overcompensate when home.

So as yes they would be spoiled, but Lana and Theron would tamper the worst of it.

25.)How would they console their child who just broke up with their boyfriend/girlfriend in bad terms and was wrecked?

Sass would take them somewhere secret he goes and visits in the deep woods when he is in a foul mood, far away from any curious eyes and surrounded by greenery where one is free to shout and rage. Which is precisely what Sass encourages his heart-sore offspring to do. Perhaps Sass would share tales of his own past romances that ended in ruin and flames. But mostly the normally cheery and outgoing Chiss would stay quiet only encouraging them to cry, rage, laugh and scream as they needed to begin healing.

Thankyou for the asks! sorry it took so long

[calronhunt]

Well I wanna know stuff about all of them SO for the COB Mains, with that ask thing: Numbers 4, 13 and 22!

4. Has your character ever witnessed something that fundamentally changed them? If so, does anyone else know?

Funnily enough it's Mattias and Ava who fit this criteria and not the people who were raised to kill literal demons lol.

Mattias: So, I haven't gone super indepth into Mattias' father because Mattias overall had a very good childhood but he wasn't the best dude. not physically or even emotionally abusive to mattias when he was a kid, but he didn't really care about him. his mom and dad would get into arguments a lot of the time and he would often just pretend to not listen and play in his room. The day his dad walked out the argument was really really bad and Mattias snuck out of his room and saw the end of the fight. Mattias doesn't like to talk about it because he feels like he isn't allowed to be upset about it since a lot of people have a lot worse relationships with their dad then "he walked out one day" and it happened when he was a little little kid. Probably the only person he's opened up about that is Ava.

Ava: so this one is kinda the same as how ava was introduced to the shadow world, and i know i've said it a couple times, but her and a couple of her friends got attacked by vampires one day, and no one died, but a couple of them were very badly hurt before shadowhunters showed up and chased them off. And Ava being the only one who saw the vampires for what they really were and not being able to talk to anyone about it like. it's really fucked her up? she felt like she was going insane for a little bit? until she found the shadowhunters again and was taught about how the supernatural is real. Anyway seeing a lot of your friends bloodied from vampires and no one else saw them as vampires kinda fundamentally changed her.

13. Is your character bothered by the sight of blood? If so, in what way?

Theron: No, not at all.

Dominic: Not particularly, but he doesn't like especially gruesome scenes or even deep wounds

Mattias: YEAH. IT BOTHERS HIM. He was raised in normal society so having to learn to become okay with blood (both demon ichor and normal blood on people) has been a struggle.

Nerissa: also not at all. Same shit different day.

Ava: Kinda the same as Mattias, but like I answered in the question above, she was fundamentally changed because of how she was introduced to the shadow world. She's still a little icked out by blood, but having that kind of experience with vampires kinda. beats that out of you.

22. What does your character like in other people?

Theron: kindness, someone who will listen to his problems, affection

Dominic: Attention, give him what he wants, non-confrontational (Bonus points if you are a big hairy man)

Mattias: Gentle demeanor, someone who he can joke around with, someone who he can teach new things to.

Nerissa: she is literally the hardest one to figure out. She's so emotionally repressed. uhhhh fucking. she likes. people who will make the first move. i guess?

Ava: someone to joke around with, someone she can teasingly make fun of, literally just a normal fucking person which no one in COB can be.

[riointhedark]

It was almost pitch black as Rio made his way to the temple. The sky held no moon, and clouds had rolled in with the cool autumn air blocking out the stars. His little void hunter walked beside him, not in any shape one could make out. Just an extra shadow trailing behind him. He hadn't prayed or left an offering for his father since before they left for the Olympics. A small pang of guilt hit him as he toed off his shoes and let his feet touch the cold stone floor. So much has been given to him, and he couldn't even give his time. Even if he wasn't sure the gods needed time from them, talking to your parents should be something you wanted to do, right?

He let those thoughts fall from his mind as he reached the statue and went to his knees. He placed the usual pomegranate and increased at the feet before pulling out the other offerings he wanted to leave. A small chunk of Obsian he got from some cave, The Flail he had got after Theron kicked his ass on the trial. The simple, barely magical shortsword was his first weapon here. Things that he had attached both his weakness and his strength too. He kept his voice even and low as he began his prayer. Reaching for the direct connection he has with his father. ''Oh Erbeus, Lord of Shadows whose darkness sired the first light He who keeps the monsters of Tartarus at bay who surrounds and protects all things to the ever-present watcher that request no praise I pray to you. I honor you. I ask for the quiet strength of that darkness " A small moment of silence. His words still echo in his head as he raises his gaze to the statue. "Hey Dad, I just," a small pause, "I just want to know how you do it. How do you exist in a place that can be so overwhelming and not fall under the pressure? I know the literal gates to hell or nothing compared to my insecurities, but I hate feeling this way. I hate feeling like I'm not good enough or like the people who love me will stop loving me when I'm no longer useful. And I know thinking like that is only going to push them away, but I can't help it. I hate that the one dark thing I can't control is the one inside me." A heavy sigh. "I know you probably won't answer, and there isn't much you can say really. I just want to be happy again and see their smiles and not doubt them. I want to see what they see in me. For once in my life I want to say I'm okay and actually mean it." a small sad smile as a hand reached out to pet the companion that lay in his lap. "Anyway, thanks for listening. I'm going to just sit here for a while now."

He sat in the still comfortable embrace of the darkness. The weight of his words still lingered in the air as he closed his eyes. He knew the darkness inside him may not disappear overnight, but for now, he found comfort in simply being heard. His hand lazily petting Vivienne till the sun started to rise, and it was time to go lay in bed and spend the morning with Oliver.

[grand-master-theronmancer]

“I wish she had given you to me,” Jace says, giving another languid thrust, “I’d have taken good care of you. I know a good school nearby and I’m sure you wouldn’t have minded coming to my office afterwards.” Theron moans as Jace hits a particularly sensitive spot.

“I could teach you how to kiss, and watch you use that on your first date,” Jace leaned down to kiss Theron, “You’d like that, wouldn’t you, sport? Dad letting you practice your kissing on him instead of your pillow?” Theron bucks his hips, trying to take Jace faster, but the older man is in control.

“You’d date her, of course, take her to homecoming, to prom. Everyone loses their virginity on prom night, don’t they?” Jace nuzzled his son gently, leaving his neck open for Theron to mark a hickey on.

“You’d try to touch her while you’re making out in your room and she’d storm out. It’s not your fault she’s a prude. And I’d come to help you- of course I would. I’d kiss you real sweet and slide my hand up your shirt to pinch your nipple,” Jace trailed his hand across Theron’s chest, tweaking his nipples, “And once I had you naked, I’d slowly kiss down your chest,” he did just that, sliding out of Theron’s tight hole. Theron keened at the loss.

“And make a nice little mark for you to remember this by,” Jace sucked a dark hickey onto Theron’s inner thigh, “Then I’d take you in my mouth, because good boys like you deserve the best,” Jace says, giving the tip of his cock a gentle kiss before taking it in his mouth.

“Nngh, Dad!” Theron moaned, thrusting into Jace’s mouth. Jace hummed encouragingly, letting Theron fuck his face until he came.

Jace licked the cum from his lips, settling back to kiss Theron. Theron could taste himself on his father’s tongue.

“I think you’d have liked it if I had raised you,” Jace says, slipping back into Theron as though he hadn’t left.

[sullustangin]

Slightly Intrusive Iokath ficlet

I think a bunch of people on tumblr played through Iokath this week.  So here’s a piece inspired by the fact I got a problem with Theron only calling Jace “father” after he’s been fried like a bug in a zapper.  So here’s LS!Ending Iokath.

**

“Father.”

Jace stopped mid-sip of his caf.  Swallow, don’t spray it in Theron’s face.  Once that was done:  “Excuse me?”

Theron winced and reached for his own cup on the table in Jace’s makeshift office on Iokath.  “Yeah, I didn’t think that sounded right either.”  He consulted the bottom of his cup and found it empty.  He put it down on the table, then he rubbed the back of his neck.  “Sorry.”

“No, don’t be. I wanted -- well, not wanted, but I didn’t expect -- I didn’t --”  Jace’s internal monologue started chanting Stop screwing this up stop screwing this up stop -- “It’s welcome.  Just surprising,” he finally managed to get out.  Jace thought for a second.  “It also sounds like you’re expecting me to be mad at you.  Or you’re mad at me.  That’s the only time I called my old man ‘Father.’“

“Well, that sounds like us, most of the time,”  Theron said, but he looked away from Jace and out a viewport.  Iokath gleamed in the morning light.  “And we already established 'Dad’ is the guy you ride speeders and go fishing with.  And it’s more than a little late for that.”  Theron’s glib delivery was belied by how his mouth twisted around the words, as if he was struggling with something, as if he was trying to decide to say it or not.  

What a pair they were.  Satele had an easy way with people that Jace envied.  It was clear who Theron got his social graces from ...

Jace grabbed the carafe at the table and poured himself more caf.  He offered it to Theron, who waved it off.  “Just ‘Jace’ is fine,” he said quietly as he set it down. “’Malcom’ is what my troops call me.”  Jace thought back to a cup of caf he’d had with Marcus Trant a few years ago and a lunch with Theron years before that.  ”I’m glad your commander has recovered.  She’s tough.”

Theron’s face relaxed at the mention of her.  “She’s had to be.”  He drew a breath in through his nose and let it out the same way.  “After missing five years and then being on the run or fighting for the last eighteen months, we had hoped for some quiet.  But the galaxy needs us.  Needs the Fleet.”

Jace had not missed the “we” in that sentence.  “She’s still someone special?”

Theron startled, mildly, but then he seemed to remember that avoided conversation after Yavin 4.  “Yeah, we are doing that,” he answered, quietly.  “Mutual ‘next of kin’ on certain forms.”

Jace knew what that meant.  He took another sip of his caf just to take the edge off the goofy smile and the already multiplying questions he had.

“That reminds me.”  Theron reached into his resilient red jacket and pulled out a small puck.  “I may have mentioned how... dissatisfied you were with the previous administration.  Eva sends it as a personal gift.”  

Jace stared at the puck, puzzled, then raised an eyebrow at Theron. 

“Let’s say the official report about Saresh’s arrest skipped over some details.”  He activated the device, and a small holo was projected onto the table between them.

Moments later, the Supreme Commander burst into raucous laughter. 

“She’s -- she’s got a hell of a left cross,” he managed to splutter out.  “And in a dress.”  Jace was wiping tears away as he gasped for breath, then: “Oh, it loops.  Good God.” Theron wore a distinctly amused yet proud smirk.

That was the last private conversation Jace and Theron had for nearly two years.

[tibby]

definitive ranking of all of the trr gang’s parents:

godfrey: sucks for a lot of reasons but he committed the worst crime imaginable: being from england. 0/10.

king kyle maclachlan: yeah yeah his name is constantine but looking like kyle maclachlan is his only redeeming quality so. lame, royal, didn’t care about his kids, slutshamed mc, died the cringe and fail death of being crushed by falling rubble. 0.5/10.

regina: is this old bat still alive? genuine question. 1/10.

lorelai lee: fuck you for how you treat(ed) hana. 1.5/10.

mc’s mystery parents: either dead or just don’t care that their daughter moved to a foreign country, got married, had several attempts made on her life, had a kid, became a duchess and possibly a queen, had a movie made about her, and obtained several fancy hats. if it’s the latter then they have the potential to be the funniest characters of all time but if it’s the former that’s just boring. 2/10.

barthelemy beaumont: as a person with morals and a bertrand stannie, i give him a 0/10. however, as a lover of chaos and comedy, i have to give credit where credit is due and award a full 10/10. he committed regicide, pretended to be in a coma for two decades so he could do evil schemes instead of raising his kids, bankrupted his family on said schemes and then claimed it was because he kept trying miracle cures, decided to come back onto the scene by crashing his son’s rehearsal dinner and announcing that he was cured, blackmailed and kidnapped various royals so he could obtain custody of mc’s child, and his weakness is crows. say what you will about the guy but he’s committed to the bit. overall i think that’s like, a 2.5 or something.

emmeline ebrim: was fun until it turned out she was part of the evil cult and therefore everything she did in the past few books made her fake as hell. still a milf though. 3/10.

lionel nevrakis: shitty dad and can’t even do a successful coup, but i respect the feminism of taking his wife’s name. also i really like his scar. 3.5/10.

milf adelaide: objectively too high in this ranking given that she gave madeleine about fifty complexes and betrayed you several times, but she was the first milf in the series and she’ll always have a special place in my heart for that. nothing like an older woman who just wants to party. 3.8/10.

camellia nevrakis: shitty mother but sexy as hell and hated king kyle maclachlan. credit where credit is due. 4/10.

xinghai lee: the whole “unconditionally supporting his wife” thing would be nice if it was for anything other than allowing her to mistreat hana. 4.2/10.

landon ebrim: absolutely useless in every situation and kind of two faced but he doesn’t seem to be actively evil. mostly he’s just dumber than a sack of bricks. a solid 5/10.

annabelle beaumont: dead and hasn’t appeared in any flashback scenes so it’s hard to know, but maxwell used to be a mama’s boy which is good enough for me. 5.5/10.

bianca walker: much like her daughter, she’s really fucking boring, but she seems nice enough and apparently makes good coffee. also i know that she had “”fallen out of favour”” and it was their choice to stay in cordonia but ditching her children in a foreign country not long after their dad died is kind of a low blow. however it’s also pretty funny. 6/10.

hakim theron: loses points for being friends with king kyle maclachlan for years and not supporting ezekiel’s vet dreams, but overall a nice man who cares about his kids. also one of the few parents in this series who hasn’t tried to ruin mc’s life. 7/10.

drake’s dead dad: all the flashback scenes suggest that jackson was a cool guy, even if i don’t support his choice in career. bonus points for his untimely death kicking off the comedy of errors that is drake’s life. nice ass, sorry you died protecting nobility. 8/10.

queen eleanor: we only get her in flashbacks but she has yet to disappoint. cared for her son but also his ragtag group of besties, something her cringefail husband couldn’t do. will be heartbroken if we find out that she was up to evil shenanigans in the royal finale. kind of shitty that it took a bunch of idiots stumbling onto things for someone to solve her murder but cordonia isn’t known for being competent. the secret daughter thing was kind of wild and i sort of hope we never get any context for it. hope she found a better spouse in the afterlife. 9/10.

joelle theron: loves her children equally, loyal to mc and everyone in the cordonian crew, doesn’t appear to be part of any secret groups and didn’t play a role in any fail coups, cares more about art than she does boring royal stuff, total milf. would hang up one of her paintings on my wall. 10/10.

[hobblywobbly]

SWTOR OC Masterlist

finally decided to go ahead and make a masterlist of all my ocs that I've made lore for and worked into the game's canon (some more prominent and favored than others)

will update as time goes on!

Inbox is always open to questions!

The Outlanders

Name: Concilliabule Xander Gender: Male (he/him) Species: Human Class/Alignment: Sith Inquisitor | Sorcerer | LS Color Crystal: Black-Orange Age: 36* (at the end of Onslaught)(*spent 5 years in carbonite) Sexuality: Gay Romance: Arcann | Dating Notes: younger twin brother of jaro'marc, ex-slave turned acolyte, was the one in carbonite for five years in Arcann's treasury vault thing, first oc, the commander of the eternal alliance, named himself

Name: "Captain" Flynnweh Shan Gender: Male (he/him) Species: Miraluka Class/Alignment: Smuggler Gunslinger | Dirty Fighting | LS Color Crystal: White-Yellow-Orange (both guns) Age: 45* (at the end of Onslaught)(*spent 5 years in carbonite) Sexuality: Bisexual Romance: Theron Shan | Married Notes: the Dad™ of the alliance, co-commander of the eternal alliance, force-sensitive, stole his name from a legendary pirate, widower

The Jedi

Name: Jaro'marc Xander Gender: Male (he/him) Species: Human Class/Alignment: Jedi Sentinel | Concentration | DS Color Crystal: Cloud Blue (main) Desert Green (off hand) Age: 36 (at the end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Pansexual Romance: Kira Carsen | Married Notes: older twin brother of concilliabule, lost eye and leg from imperial torture, was officially exiled from the jedi order, very much anti-imperial, has a daughter with kira (Faiós Carsen-Xander)

Name: Eliote Gender: Female (she/her) Species: Human Class/Alignment: Jedi Shadow | Infiltration | LS Color Crystal: Farmhand Blue Age: 34 (at the end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Lesbian/Ace Romance: Lana Beniko | Married Notes: a force empath, spent a few years before KOTEF training under the voss

The Hunter

Name: Mlircu Cadera Gender: Female (she/they) Species: Chiss Class/Alignment: Bounty Hunter Mercenary | Arsenel | DS Color Crystal: Blood Red Age: 33 (at the end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Demisexual Romance: Torian Cadera | Married Notes: orphaned and raised outside the ascendency, became mandalorian through the hunt, doesn't speak much, has a son with torian (its blizz although torian vehemently denies it), vendetta against flynn

The Soldier

Name: Derlena Gender: Trans-Female (she/her) Species: Human Class/Alignment: Trooper Vanguard | Tactics | LS Color Crystal: Radiant Green Age: 40 (at the end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Bisexual Romance: Aric Jorgan | Married Notes: defected from the republic with the rest of havoc

The Warrior

The FeAgentsh'el Gender: Female (she/her) Species: Half Pureblood, Half Twi'lek Class/Alignment: Sith Juggernaut | Vengeance | DS Color Crystal: Fire Red Age: 52 (at the end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Heterosexual Romance: Malavai Quinn | Married Notes: vendetta against concilliabule, dark council member as of Onslaught

The Freelance Agent

Name: Eskowel Gender: Male (he/they) Species: Chiss Class/Alignment: Imperial Operative | Concealment | LS Color Crystal: Derelict-Purple Age: 40 (end of Onslaught) Sexuality: Demisexual Romance: Vector Hyllus | Dating Notes: born into an imperial noble family but expressed interest in Intelligence, family died abord Darth Jadus's ship, allergic to physical affection and has been known to bite and/or scream, 30% good morals 70% sarcasm and a sprinkle of dark humor

[aion-rsa]

Best Female Spy Movies & TV Shows to Watch After Black Widow

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Black Widow is out, bringing the women-led spy genre to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film follows Natasha Romanov in the time between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War as she works to bring down the Red Room, aka the Soviet-affiliated program that took her as a baby and brainwashed her into becoming an assassin. While the women-centric spy drama may be new for the MCU, it’s has been one of the most prolific and entertaining action sub-genres over the past few decades. If you’ve watched Black Widow and you’re looking for more taut and emotional spy thrillers to check out, we have some TV and film suggestions for you…

Hanna

Many have seen the 2011 action feature directed by Joe Wright and starring Saoirse Ronan as a girl assassin raised in the wilderness by her spy father Eric Bana, but the TV series based on the film is even better. Currently moving towards its third season, the Amazon Prime series has so much more room to delve into the nuances of the film’s premise, especially in its second season, which moves completely past the events of the movie. While the first season leans into the coming-of-age themes inherent in Hanna venturing out into the world for the very first time, the second season chooses to delve further into the spy drama of it all, expanding the series’ focus to center some of the other teen super soldiers born into the same program Hanna was rescued from as a baby. If you would have liked to learn more about the other Widows Natasha and Yelena are working to save in Black Widow, then Hanna is the show for you.

Atomic Blonde

Stylish and featuring some of the best fight scenes this side of John Wick (the film’s director David Leitch, also worked on John Wick), Atomic Blonde stars the incomparable Charlize Theron as a spy tasked with finding a lost of double agents that is being smuggled into the West on the eve of the Berlin Wall’s collapse. Like Black Widow, Atomic Blonde only has so much narrative time to delve into the complexities of this set up and setting and, maybe sensing it won’t be able to do them justice, instead leans into the aesthetic and action of this world. It works, thanks in no small part to performers like Theron, James McAvoy, and Sofia Boutella, who bring to life the stress, violence, and desperation of this intersection of place and time far better than its script.

Queen Sono

American and British spy dramas often have white westerners traveling to other, poorer nations for missions, depicting a real-life colonial power structure while rarely interrogating it. Queen Sono, billed as Netflix‘s first African original series (it is a South African series, specifically), is a spy drama that centers Black characters and community in fun and powerful ways, bringing the familiar tropes of the genre to what will probably be a new setting for most American viewers. Queen Sono follows South African spy Queen (Pearl Thusi) as she works to balance her dangerous and clandestine missions with her personal life. Funny, emotional, and action-packed, Queen Sono is a must-see for any spy drama lover looking for something new—and it’s a damn shame Netflix won’t be moving forward with a second season.

Alias

To me, Alias will always be the original. The female-led spy drama was on network television when I was a teenager, and its combination (especially in the first season and a half) of fierce fight sequences, tense spycraft, and character-driven drama made it my favorite show. Like Black Widow, Alias is grounded in family drama, most especially the father-daughter relationship between Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) and spy dad Jack Bristow (Victor Garber), but later bringing in other familial dynamics as well. The series starts as your classic double agent story, as Sydney decides to take down the agency she works for after they have her fiance killed, but, in classic J.J. Abrams style, the plot really spirals out from there—for better and worse. Airing for five season and more than 105 episodes, if you’re looking for more family-driven spy drama, Alias is the show for you.

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Deutschland 86

All three “seasons” of this excellent German-language Cold War spy series that follows an East German boy forced to become a spy in West Germany are worth watching, but the second installment, set in 1986, gives us viewers many more lady spy characters to be impressed by compared to the original Deutschland 83 story. Main character Jonas remains the protagonist of this tale, but his Aunt Lenora, probably the best spy in the entire show, takes an even bigger role in Deutschland 1986 and the subsequent Deutschland 89, as does her lover/partner Rose, a South African operative working for the African National Congress and played by the MCU’s Florence Kasumba. Throw in Jonas’ baby mama Annett, back in East Germany working as a junior intelligence agent, and the mysterious  Brigitte, and you have a second season teeming with complex and cutthroat women spies.

Nikita

This highly underrated spy series ran for four action-packed seasons on The CW before totally sticking its landing in 2013. Technically an adaptation of the 1997 La Femme Nikita TV series, which was in turn an adaptation of Luc Besson’s 1990 action film of the same name, Nikita quickly surpassed both originals to become one of the best female-led spy stories of all time. Starring Maggie Q as the titular Nikita, the series began after the former spy has vowed to take down the secret agency that trained her, known as the Division. Our story begins when Nikita plants her protege, Alex, within Division, with a plan to work together to take the agency down. Of course, going undercover comes with its own emotional and ethical complications, and Alex may not know all that there is to know about her mentor Nikita, and Nikita’s role in Alex’s tragic past. With a stellar supporting cast that includes Melinda Clarke and Xander Berkeley, Nikita was far better than it needed to be and, if your a fan of the action spy genre, is definitely worth watching.

Killing Eve

Maybe it was the Russian accent, but Yelena has mad Villanelle vibes in Black Widow, and I mean that in the least psychopathic way possible. Unless you live under a rock, you’re probably aware of this BBC America series starring Sandra Oh as a bored MI-5 agent and Jodie Comer as the spy-assassin she becomes obsessed with catching, but if you haven’t yet checked it out and are looking for another female-driven spy story with plenty of banter, then Killing Eve is the show for you. The second season gets a little rocky, but with a riveting season three and the announcement that season four will be the show’s last, now is the time to jump on the Killing Eve bandwagon.

Little Drummer Girl

In terms of tone or style, Little Drummer Girl shares little with Black Widow—it’s much more geopolitical thriller than superhero action—but I’m including the British spy series on the list because it does share a star with Black Widow. Yelena’s Florence Pugh plays an aspiring actress named Charlie who is recruited by Mossad to infiltrate a Palestinian group planning an attack in Europe. Based on a novel of the same name by acclaimed spy author John le Carré, the six-episode series is directed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook and co-stars Michael Shannon and Alexander Skarsgård, and the talent is not wasted. The miniseries delves much more into the ethics of spycraft than Black Widow is able or comfortable doing, asking difficult questions about how violence and manipulation are used and justified across national lines. If you’re looking for a spy drama that isn’t afraid to ask the tough questions, then Little Drummer Girl is for you.

Gunpowder Milkshake

OK, this one is more of an assassin drama than a spy drama, but the cast is too good not to include it on the list. Starring Doctor Who‘s Karen Gillan and Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey as a pair of daughter/mother assassins, Gunpowder Milkshake is another action thriller that is all in with the familial dynamics. Past the two stars, Gunpowder Milkshake also features the iconic Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Carla Gugino, rounding out the cast of action women. The film doesn’t drop on Netflix (in the U.S.) and theaters (elsewhere) until Friday, but you’ll be ready.

The post Best Female Spy Movies & TV Shows to Watch After Black Widow appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[belost-the-watcher]

♮ - body type

For Belost, Silixus. Karn, and Davus. You knew this was coming.

☁ - ideal holiday

For Theron, Sterad, and Rethan. They all look like they need a holiday.

Body Type:

Belost's body is both strong and extraordinarily toned. He has a consistently very low body fat and while big his muscles are mainly geared towards extreme endurance thanks to his work. All of his endurance and running means his muscles tend to be a bit tighter and he looks like he is almost always flexed thanks to his low body fat. It's a ridiculously hard body type to maintain and one that is completely unnatural to have year round but medical prevents any long lasting negative effects and he gets to have an eight pack nonstop so he can't complain!

Silixus is a giant of a man and was even before all of the prosthetics. He was a bit of a weight lifter before and so a lot of the prosthetics were designed to help mimic that- both to make him look more powerful and to help him adjust to them easier. Only small portions of his body remain now, the most notable being his right leg. Because of all the metal in his body he used to need regular breaks just to walk anywhere but now that leg is extremely strong and he's actually had to have his prosthetic leg enlarged to stay symmetrical. So really for his body type I guess I can just say... big quad, strong calf, and a very strong foot!

Karn was a Raider before becoming Provost Marshal of the Merrick Prime Enforcers- and a very highly regarded Raider at that. He might be a bit more squat but he's built to look like he could tackle somebody through a brick wall. And he might even be able to! He's been very vigilant about maintaining his personal fitness through the change in career. So while he might not be super toned, he trains for strength and his body reflects that.

Belost's little man, Davus, was always in pretty good physical condition. His mom is a physical therapist who knows the benefits of a healthy body and Belost kept him in decent shape as well. His fitness really took off though once he asked his dad for help to make it onto his school's A-team for sports and asked Belost to train him like he trains tracker recruits. It may not have been quite as intense but Belost didn't hold back too much and as a result Davus made the A-team every year until graduation. Now as an Enforcer his fitness has continued into effective, usable strength and conditioning. He's got a sprinter's build for sure and because he doesn't need the extreme endurance of a tracker, is a bit bigger than his dad.

Ideal Holiday:

A holiday for Theron is basically a pipe dream at this point. There will always be something that needs his attention. But if he could somehow manage to get one... he'd honestly choose to be at home with his wife. Maybe even have Belost visit too. If in the right verse for it then he'd be all about a vacation with Sulfa, Belost, Aryn, and the grandkids. Basically he just wants to be able to relax with his family.

Sterad's ideal vacation is without a doubt to just be on his family farm, maintaining the forest, fishing in the river, etc. He's a country boy turned elite military survivalist turned spymaster who stays indoors almost all day long. There's few things he'd enjoy more than to get back to where it all began and enjoy the things he was raised and trained to do.

Rethan's a peculiar case since he kind of does need a vacation but is almost perpetually on one. He left the Empire upon becoming a victim of his own success- being kept on honor guard duty on a ship for naval commanders. Smuggling and scavenging are things he does for freedom and money but it's not something he gets a special kind of joy from. A vacation for him would be less of a place and more of an act. Essentially re-living his glory days, drop podding into the middle of an enemy emplacement with his company, being the epitome of galran strength and ferocity. Unfortunately that's a tough order to fill.

[dork-empress]

So I started making a list of british actors for varied parts. A lot of it is variable, as most of Temeraire is a bunch of Uptight British Gentlemen types, and England makes those in Bulk.

HOWEVER, as I was doing it, the cast list looked very...white. In future books/seasons where they go to other countries, this list is expanded, of course, but still. I thought 'well it is a historical piece, so it is accurate' and then I threw up on myself and came to my senses. It's all made up anyway, and Naomi Novik herself came up with a plausible reason to have women lead characters. I could do the same!

I still do want Will Laurence to be played by a white man, specifically this one:

Charlie Hunnam, of Pacific Rim and King Arthur fame. The Perfect Twunk British guy who's all strong looking, but could play both the Very Proper (Awkward) British Gentleman, as well as a fun loving dragon dad, and a feral warrior captain. He's our fish out of water character, so it makes sense he's as close to our idea of old timey british man as we can get.

NOW THOUGH: The aviators in this series are canonically lower staffed as it's hard to find people unafraid of dragons, plus they're a bit looser with the rules: as long as they get people on the dragons, they dont much care who they are, and dragons certainly don't give a damn about racism. Therefore, I think *historically* it would make sense as a career for a Freedman, or a Freedman's son, who may not have many prospects.

Enter John Granby:

THATS RIGHT ITS A PACIFIC RIM REUNION

Canonically, John Granby is lower-class, and was sent to the Aviators at age 7 because his family couldn't feed him. This contributes to how bitter he is about Laurence, a gentlemen, just GETTING an uber rare dragon egg with no work, basically. Changing his race doesn't really change his backstory, and in fact enhances the tension with Laurence: We imagine he has had to have worked 4 times as hard as everyone around him to get half as much. Plus, John Boyega can do the physical comedy amazingly once he gets his own dragon (spoilers) who is a fireball.

Harcourt and Berkley can go a number of ways, though I favor Rose Leslie for Harcourt because pretty and feisty red head. Though Bonnie Wright may also work. I have Timothy Spell for Berkley, but again, I just need an overweight british man, I think I can find one.

For Jane Roland though:

ITS CERSEI'S TURN FOR A DRAGON, BITCH!

But honestly it's her role in Imagine Me and You (great lesbian film if you're looking) that sets her as the crass but firm leader that Jane Roland needs. Plus, look at her, she could definitely Dom Laurence.

(though if we're opening this up to American Actors, she may have to fight for the role with Charlize Theron....)

For the dragons voice acting, I would like a Chinese-British voice for Temeraire, seeing as he's a Chinese Dragon raised British. You could bring forward some great british voice actors like John Rhys Davies and even, I'll say it, Benedict Cumberbatch. Say what you want, he has a good voice. Also Tom Holland for Levitas. Saying a brittle "You Came!" to his Captain as he dies, in the same tone as Spider-man's "I don't feel so good..." Ugh, I'm gutted thinking about it.

I want to throw Riz Ahmed in there somewhere. Maybe for Keynes, the Dragon Doctor? I can't pin it down, but he feels right for this series. I'd like a few British Indian's among the cast, considering the time period.

for season 2 I think Chow Yun-fat for Prince Yonxiang, Benedict Wong for sympathetic Sun Kai, and Gemma Chan as voice of Lien, the "evil" dragon. In Season 3, we need someone mixed Chinese and Caucasian for Tharkay, and I think Andy Serkis to do voice for the Feral Dragon Leader Arkady. Oh! And change Gong Su the chef to a woman. If you really want historical accuracy, maybe she came with her husband who died (there was another chef who disappeared on the journey). we just need more women of color in here. Maybe one on Temeraire's crew? Hm.

So yeah. I mean, it's not like a lot of them are set in stone, but I'm happy with a few of these choices to the point I can see it clearly in my mind.

[tabloidtoc]

National Examiner, March 22

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson -- his journey from thief to superstar

Page 2: These stars wheely like to bike -- Hugh Jackman, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzenegger

Page 3: Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, Al Roker, Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith, Matt Damon, Justin Theroux, Ethan Hawke

Page 4: Jennifer Aniston's roles and costumes

Page 6: Susan Sarandon is 74 and single now and she admits she likes to date younger men because they have more inquisitive minds than older guys

Page 7: Golden Age of Glamour -- the shocking beauty tips, tricks and secrets of Hollywood's most stunning stars -- Mae West, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Sophia Loren, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Crawford

Page 8: Listen to Granny -- older media influencers are getting into the act on social media, with women in their 80s and 90s earning huge followings and lots of money on Instagram -- while some are all about their head-turning styles, others go with decorating or fitness to create their granfulencer brands

Page 9: Go ahead and binge that new TV show because it's good for your mental health -- new research shows the lack of social connection we're all feeling now because of COVID-19 restrictions can be filled, at least to some degree, by watching TV, reading books and listening to music

Page 10: Lucia DeClerck has some advice for living a long life, and she knows what she's talking about because she's 105 years old -- not only did Lucia live through the 1918 Spanish Flu, she's the oldest person in her nursing home and she just beat COVID-19 -- how does she do it? Gin-soaked golden raisins

Page 11: 8 ways to prevent back pain

Page 12: Stars Still Strong and Sexy As They Hit Milestone Notorious 90 -- Marla Gibbs, Gavin MacLeod, Angie Dickinson, Barbara Eden

Page 13: William Shatner, Olympia Dukakis, Dan Rather, Rita Moreno, Willie Mays, James Earl Jones

Page 14: Dear Tony, America's Top Psychic Healer -- all marriages need care and attention to flourish

Page 15: There are nicer, more medically accurate ways to describe it, but "dead butt syndrome" says it all, that feeling of numbness or achiness from sitting too long -- it is no joke to the many people who experience the discomfort of DBS, otherwise known as lower cross syndrome, gluteal amnesia, or gluteus medius tendinosis -- people who sit at their desk all day for work are particularly prone to this syndrome, where muscle tightness in the hip flexors and weakness in the gluteus medius muscles in the buttock combine to create hip and lower-back pain, leading to numbness -- luckily there are simple remedies you can try to alleviate symptoms and even reverse the syndrome

Page 16: Princess Diana: little girl lost -- Diana's brother Charles Spencer reveals truth about heartbreaking childhood

Page 18: There are about 100 prepaid food receipts fluttering on the wall of Ruma's Deli in Missouri and if you're hungry and your pockets are empty, you can grab one, bring it to the counter and get a free meal, no strings attached

Page 19: Pixel the cat is so creepy-looking even a professional exorcist crossed himself and ran -- Alyson Kalhagen's cat has giant googly eyes, a Halloween pumpkin smile and oversized bat ears and he's also fond of making funny faces but the two-year-old has racked up a fan base online, where more than 12,000 followers find Pixel's peculiarities precious

Page 20: Cover Story -- Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is huge in every way -- the muscle-bound ex-wrestler has starred in dozens of blockbuster films, has tons of projects in the works, millions of bucks and a brand new show about his childhood but he hasn't always been on top of the game -- the dynamo has gone through so many tough times and bad decisions they would sink a lesser man but he's an open book about all of them and how he fought to get to the top every step of the way

Page 22: After a long break to raise her children, Michelle Pfeiffer is on the silver screen again and looking better than ever -- the 62-year-old is in a new film called French Exit, in which she plays a tragic widow who packs up and moves to Paris with her son -- the actress says to return and thrive in an industry formerly known as being obsessed with youth is a gift -- although her husband David E. Kelley has been behind dozens of hits like The Undoing and Big Little Lies, Michelle doesn't want to work with him because she's seen a lot of couples where they seem to have a great marriage, and then they work together and next year they're filing for divorce -- next up, Michelle will play Betty Ford in the upcoming series The First Lady

Page 24: A Texas grocery delivery driver got more than just shelter from the storm when her car became stuck in a customer's driveway -- the people who lived there took her in for five days and made her feel like part of the family

Page 26: Deep Focus -- stunning underwater pix from an unseen world

Page 32: Pet Projects -- family portraits get everyone into the picture -- photographer Tasha Hall creates "farmaly" photos, which include each and every one of the household where they've got two feet, four feet, paws, claws, hooves or wings

Page 34: While everyone loves a comfortable, cozy mattress, having a really good becomes more important with age because a bad one may leave you with aches, pains and posture imbalances but the problem is that these specialty mattresses are very expensive -- fortunately, Medicare may cover up to 80 percent of the cost if you go about this purchase the right way and you'll then be responsible for the remaining 20 percent, as well as any deductible

Page 40: Psychic Self-Defense -- many people are born with a psyche that is naturally sensitive -- there has been a modern-day rise in occultism and practicing psychics and the way of the world at this time had made many more people seek help -- this has produced a far greater awareness of the need to protect and defend ourselves when working in a magical or psychic context -- we are all constantly being bombarded with psychic vibrations, not all of them good

Page 42: 20 Things You Never Knew About Tiger Woods

Page 44: Eyes on the Stars -- Jenny McCarthy is in high spirits as she preps to tape a new episode of The Masked Singer in L.A. (picture), Goldie Hawn works out in L.A. (picture), Jane Fonda has given up on getting hitched -- she has three failed marriages and being single means she can watch whatever she wants on TV, Kelly Clarkson admits that since her marriage soured she no longer considers marriage a fairy-tale thing and she can't imagine being married again, Charlize Theron admits she hasn't made the grade when it comes to homeschooling her kids Jackson and August, Patrick Schwarzenegger is looking to follow in the footsteps of his dad Arnold Schwarzenegger but says his dad hasn't offered any pointers when it comes to a career in showbiz, Bindi Irwin is close to welcoming her little wildlife warrior with husband Chandler Powell and her 17-year-old brother Robert Irwin has some opinions about his sister's ever-expanding figure saying she's massive

Page 45: Duchess Kate and Prince William hold video calls with folks shielding at home during the pandemic to discuss the positive impact of the COVID-19 vaccine (picture), Chrissy Teigen goes shopping with daughter Luna (picture), Mary-Kate Olsen finalized her divorce from French banker Olivier Sarkozy and she was spotted in NYC having dinner with businessman John Cooper, Gordon Ramsay is steamed after being diagnosed with arthritis, Jessie J has a new boyfriend with dancer and choreographer Max Pham Nguyen, Alec and Hilaria Baldwin dropped a bombshell -- they've welcomed their sixth child via surrogate

Page 46: We all get a bit snippy at times, but if you tend to fly into a rage, it's not good for your health or friendships -- here are some simple anger-management techniques you can do any time

Page 47: Curious Earthlings have always been hungry for movies about the moon and its mysteries -- Cat-Women of the Moon, A Trip to the Moon, The Right Stuff, First Man, Gravity, Apollo 13, Hidden Figures

[axwalker]

The Trade 12

Synopsis:  Liam is running for Cordonia’s presidency. To assure his victory, Constantine makes an arraignment behind his back for him to marry the rich ambassador’s daughter: Alexis O’Brien. Due to her father’s threats, she has no other option than to seduce Liam Rhys. But what happens when she falls in love with his best friend? (AU)

Pairings: DrakexMC

Warnings: I love drama and chaos so this will probably get a bit dark. In this chapter there is mention of rape, if you get triggered by this issue, don’t hesitate to send me a message and I’ll be glad to explain what happens without reading it. A lot of angst and heartbreak

Please note that this is my first series and English is not my first language. I really love ALL kinds of feedback.  Don’t hesitate to comment!

Disclaimer: Some of the dialogues and settings as well as most of the characters belong to Pixelberry (except for Alexis O’Brien and her evil father George O’Brien JR).

To catch up: Masterlist

Thanks to @pedudley​  my awesome beta reader, your comments and encouragement mean so much.  And of course, to @mskaneko​ for this beautiful mood board, and all the other great edits and mood boards 💕💕  Love you girls!!

Kiara being Kiara speaks a bit of French in this episode the translations are at the end of the chapter.

WE’RE ALMOST AT THE END!!

@burnsoslow  @mskaneko​ @drxkewalker @pedudley @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @pug-bitch @lauzales @desireepow-1986 @yukinagato2012 @kingliam2019 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker @debramcg1106 @speedyoperarascalparty @drakewalker04 @ac27dj @ravenpuff02 @msjr0119 @texaskitten30​ @loveellamae​

Liam was sitting in the living room, with a scotch in his hand when Maxwell and Alexis arrived.

“Alexis, thank god you are alright. I was worr-“ he stopped himself noticing that she had been crying. “Love, I’m sorry I made you cry. Please, believe it wasn’t my intention.”

He took a step towards her, but she raised her hand, stopping him, she felt emotionally drained. “That’s not the reason I’m crying.” She stared at him “However, I do want you to think very thoroughly about the kind of wife you want because I won’t limit myself to bear your children and smile prettily at your meetings. Now, if you don’t mind, I’m very tired, we’ll talk tomorrow. Good night, Max.” she gave Maxwell a kiss on his cheek and waved at his fiancé “Good night, Liam”

Liam was about to follow her, but Maxwell grabbed his arm. Alexis had told him everything about Abigail on the ride back and he knew she needed time alone.

“Li! Can I give you some unsolicited advice?” The blond man looked at him expectantly. “Give her some space. Let her breathe, man. You’ll talk tomorrow “

Liam nodded and left the room to go bed.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake was twelve years old when he arrived at the Rhys mansion to live with Constantine and his family. Bastien had convinced the President to take the Walker children after their father had died to protect him. The president had accepted to take them in and give them the best possible education, not only as a proof of his gratitude but as a magnificent publicity stunt, he knew the voters would love it.

Drake was reluctant to go with them. Regina and Constantine were both extremely cold parents and he knew her mother had never liked either of them. What if they were horrible to him, or worst, to his baby sister?

He was so nervous that not even the thrill of living with his best friend was enough to calm him. Bastien showed them their respective rooms, both twice as big as their old ones at the old Walker cabin. Savannah was even more scared than him, her heart was beating furiously, and she was clutching her teddy bear so hard that her knuckles went white.

“It’s ok Sav, we’ll be fine here, you know Li and Leo are cool” He tried to sound as mature as he could.

Savannah couldn’t stop her tears any longer. “You always tease me when you’re with them.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it “We won’t anymore, Sav. I promise”

“I second that,” Liam poked his head into Savannah’s room. “We won’t tease you anymore Savvie. But the two of you can help us get back at Leo. Olivia and I are thinking how to prank him after he hid stinky bombs under our chairs on Livvie’s birthday. When we sat down, they exploded, and the room was reeking. Olivia was so furious she persecuted him with the knife for her cake and my dad punished us for a month” He seemed really amused by the memory.

Savannah smiled shyly behind her bear. “He really did that?”

“Yes, he also took some red coloring from the kitchen and put it on Olivia’s toothpaste, she spent the whole day with red teeth. Well, that one backfired, she was delighted when everyone thought she had been on a fight” Liam grinned at them. After losing his own mother three years before, he understood how anxious they were feeling, and he wanted them to feel welcome.

Drake smiled seeing his sister was calmer and shot a grateful look at Liam. He put his arm around Savannah’s shoulders and winked at his best friend “We will definitely think of something”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake had waited a more than an hour before leaving the beach so he wouldn’t arrive at Theron’s mansion at the same time as Max and Alexis. When he finally started driving his mind drifted to the day after his mother had left. He took a deep breath remembering how sad and scared him and Sav had been and how much Liam had wanted to comfort them. All that pain because his mother had decided to abandon her own children without looking back. It astonished him that Alexis had thought that the two situations were remotely similar. She had been strong and generous, where her mother had been flaky and weak. Alexis would do anything to keep her daughter safe, his mother couldn’t care less about them.

Drake sighed thinking of her, of the roller coaster of emotions she had put him through. And now that he had finally understood the reasons behind the way she was acting, his only wish was to kill George O’Brien with his bare hands. That asshole had not only failed in protecting Alexis, but he had had the nerve of making her feel guilty and worthless. He had abandoned her when she had needed him the most and then he had forced her to give up her own daughter. His blood boiled thinking of Alexis, young, terrified and alone, and of her pain so raw, so deep despite the years. He remembered her soft voice telling him that she had never felt safe before him. That son of a bitch had to pay.

He dialed Kiara’s phone.

“Drake?”

“Hi, Kiara. I just wanted to know if Ambassador O’Brien is staying at your estate tonight with the rest of us.”

“Uhm, yes. I think my staff gave him the blue room, you know?” Kiara lowered her voice. “The one where you and I almost…”

Drake sighed, they had almost slept together ten years ago during a Beaumont Bash and she wouldn’t let it go.  “Yes, I know. Thanks Kiara”

“Wait, Drake, I think he’s-“

Drake stopped the call and speeded up, he wasn’t thinking clearly, the only thing in his mind was to teach that monster a lesson.

When he arrived at the house, he jumped out of his car and entered the mansion furiously. In less than a second he was in the room Kiara had mentioned. He slammed the doors open only to find her, sitting in the bed.

“Coucou! (1) You got me all curious, Drake. You hung up the phone so fast, I couldn’t tell you that George is out of the country. He had some business to do in France” She stood up and walked towards Drake, putting her arms around his neck. “Why are you looking for him?”

He grabbed her arms and put them away. “Something for the campaign, forget about it.”

“S’il te plaît mon chéri. Tu as l’air très énervé ! (2) It has to be something more than a simple professional matter”

“I don’t speak fucking French Kiara and is not of your business. Good night.” Drake left the room as angrily as he had entered it.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hakim Theron was satisfied that the campaign had finally reached Castelraillan. It would be much easier to carry out his plans without worrying about missing crucial information.

Penelope had proved effective, but she didn’t have the brains or the wit to take matters into her hands. Plus she had to keep an eye on him, his secret weapon, the one who would definitely destroy Liam’s presidential dreams.

Hakim hoped that the boy didn’t take his betrayal personally, it wasn’t something he had against him or even Constantine, as much as he disliked the old man. It was what was best for Cordonia. Liam wanted to change too many things too fast and that could be dangerous for his country’s stability. It would be better for everyone, if things could go back to the way they were.

He smiled seeing Alexis and Tariq’s pictures, it was ironic that Constantine had brought to his son’s campaign the woman that was going to, unknowingly, destroy it.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alexis got into the car that was going to take her to the rally at Castelraillan and decided to check the final details of her last speech on the ride. She sighed thinking about how much she wanted to keep on working with Liam. Ironically, he had fired her because of Drake but Drake wasn’t the reason she wanted to be part of the campaign. The reason was Liam. His passion, his ideas, and his determination to change his country inspired her and made her admire him.

“Can I come in?” She turned her head to the car’s door and saw Liam with a couple of coffees and some pastries in a box.

“My father is waiting for me in the other car, but I much rather share these cronuts with you.” He smiled charmingly.

She couldn’t suppress a smile. “Well, if you bought too many cronuts, I could always help you with that.”

He entered the car and sat next to her, opening the box. “Take one.” He handed her one of the coffees. “And here’s a latte too”

She didn’t have the heart to tell him that she drank her coffee black, no sugar. Like Drake.

“Thank you, Li.”

He leaned to give her a soft kiss stroking her cheek with his hand. “I’m sorry about your role in the campaign, Alexis, but I really think it is for the best. I know you think that it’s about Drake, but it’s not.”

She shook her head rolling her eyes.

“Well, not only,” he conceded. “If I win you are going to be the First Lady of this country. You should be focusing on preparing for that, my love.” He kissed her knuckles. “You will have a lot of charities and philanthropic work, and of course you should be planning our engagement party and our wedding. I wouldn’t expect nor want that you limit yourself to smile prettily. I need a partner, someone I can trust next to me. But being my wife won’t be easy.”

Alexis nodded, finally acknowledging what her life would be from that moment on. Fancy and uncomfortable dresses, high painful heels, endless galas, and boring meetings for the hundreds of charities she would preside but would have no real involvement in.

Alexis was going to have to accept the fact that she wasn’t her own person anymore. Her dreams of hiking and camping in the forest, traveling around the world or writing a children’s novel one day weren’t a possibility any longer. Becoming First Lady would bring a whole set of responsibilities and she would have to live with that.

However, the worst part would be learning how to live with an eternal broken heart. She focused on the view behind the window. “I know, Liam. I’ll ask Max for help to plan the party and the wedding.”

“Perfect darling. And you can also count on Regina” The limousine parked “Here we are.”

When they got out of the car, dozens of paparazzi were waiting for them. Liam put his arms around her protectively and they quickly reached the temporary campaign’s quarters that had been set for the rally.

Drake felt her presence before she walked in. She was beautiful in a simple red dress and light makeup, but her facial expression was gloomy, highly contrasting with Liam’s joyful one. After a few seconds, she saw him and her face softened immediately. They locked eyes with each other only for a moment but they both felt the electricity passing across the room and turned around grinning. She took her computer and went to work on the other side of the room.

“Drake, can you bring me the results of the last polls in Castelraillan?” Liam was with Olivia checking some numbers before his speech and had missed their exchange.

“Of course, here they are. They show how your numbers have increased since Hakim declared his support.” He handed him a USB and added trying to sound casual. “Do you have the speech? I have to double-check that all your facts are correct”

Liam went mute for a second. “Alexis has it. I’ll go ask her for it”

Olivia cocked her brow. “What? Do you need some extra cash, so you took a second job running errands?” She snorted “Don’t be ridiculous, Liam. We have to look at these polls before you start the rally. Drake is a big boy; he can go himself”

Drake went looking for Alexis and spotted her immediately on the other side of the room.

“Hey O’Brien. I need to check the speech.” He said with a soft smile.

Her breath hitched seeing him grinning at her. Those dimples. “Hi, Drake!” She felt like a teenager again. Her ability to form coherent sentences or look at him without blushing were both gone, so she feigned to be deeply interested in her computer. Drake pulled a chair and sat next to her.

He lowered his voice so only her could hear him. “How are you doing, Lexie?”

“I’m fine, Drake. Thank you. Talking really helped.” Her eyes were bright and grateful, and he had to actively fight his hand’s urge to touch her.

“I’m here for anything you need, baby.”

She looked fondly at him, but suddenly remembered where she was, and most importantly, where her fiancé was and cleared her throat, standing up.

“I’m going to take five minutes, but you can read the speech here on my computer.” She shot him a sad look before leaving. It was better that way.

The rally started one hour later, Liam went up on stage and people went crazy. Alexis smiled, he was a great politician, she might have written the speech, but it was him who was bringing it to life. The fact that he actually believed in what he was saying, definitely helped.

She saw the crowd cheer and applaud at the other side of the curtain.

All of a sudden, Drake stood up behind her, his musky scent immediately inebriating her. He leaned towards her and whispered in her ear.

“We didn’t finish our conversation, O’Brien.”

His warm breath and his low raspy voice in her ear made her shiver. “I don’t know what you mean, Walker”

He shot a glance towards the stage where Liam was talking about education.  Then he looked back at her. She was playing nervously with her chocolate hair, finally setting all of it on the left side of her head, leaving part of her neck uncovered.

The temptation was too great, he leaned towards her again and placed a small kiss on her nape while his fingertips gently brushed her back.

She closed her eyes savoring the brief moment, the feeling of Drake behind her was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time.

Drake placed another small kiss but on her shoulder this time. Then he turned to her ear again.

“I need you, Lexie. Don’t shut me down again.”

She turned to him “Drake, I can’t do this. Please, don’t make it so hard.”

He didn’t take his eyes off of her.

Suddenly, a burst of applauses took them out of their bubble. Liam had finished his speech and was walking off the stage shaking hands and smiling widely at his followers.

“Come on, Drake. Let’s avoid another pissing contest. If Li sees you two together again, he’s going to lose it” Olivia glared at Alexis.

“Go with her, Drake. Please,” Alexis begged. 

He shook his head but left with Olivia.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maxwell sighed content. He had coordinated the whole rally with Ezequiel’s help, Kiara’s brother had been very helpful. He had asked him out, but he was too in love with Rashad to accept.

He knew that he and Kiara had broken their engagement, but he hadn’t had look for him yet. Rashad was on his own path, and he had to respect that. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the presence in front of him. He looked up and was surprised to see Rashad watching him

“Hi, Max,” He said smiling.

“Hi, Rash. How are you doing?” He grinned back.

“Fine, it’s definitely weird to be back at my ex-fiancé’s house but I’m more convinced than ever that it was the right decision. I’ve missed you.” He set his hand in Maxwell’s knee and looked him expectantly.

“Are you sure about this Rashad?” Maxwell’s eyes were full of hope “Are you ready to try something real with me? To come out for good?”

Rashad nodded “I talked to my father; he wasn’t as shocked as I would have thought. He wasn’t thrilled but he said he’ll be supportive. I think that he really, really hated Kiara, so anyone else is an upgrade for him.” He chuckled.

“Even me?” Maxwell cocked his brows inquisitively.

“You’re the most amazing man in the world, Max” Rashad pulled Maxwell’s head towards him and kissed him. “I was dying to do that”.

Maxwell smiled mischievously and took Rashad’s hand. “I’ll show you upstairs what I’m dying to do”

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The next day, Alexis was having breakfast with Liam in the main room. He wanted to make plans for their upcoming engagement party.  

Maxwell entered the room with a huge smile plastered on his face. When he saw Alexis, he took her hand forcing her to stand up, and started to spin her around the room while he sang, under Liam’s amused look.

“L is for the way you look at me

O is for the only one I see”

She cackled “Max!” He twirled her around once more before elegantly dipping her, as he finished singing.

“V is very, very extraordinary

E is even more than anyone that you adore can”

Liam laughed. “Should I be concerned about you stealing my fiancé, Max?”

He chuckled. “She’s definitely a catch, but not really my type.”

“Let me guess.” She pointed her finger at him beaming. “Rashad and you’re back together?”

Liam cocked his brows in surprise. “What? Rashad is gay? Are you and Rashad together, Max?”

Alexis laughed. “You didn’t notice all those cute little looks that they’re always throwing at each other?”

“I can be slightly oblivious sometimes.” Liam smiled sheepishly

She hugged Max. “I’m so happy for you! You’re the best friend anyone can hope for, you deserve all the happiness in the world.”

“Aww! Stop, Blossom, you’re going to make me cry and I can’t have red, puffy eyes on my first day back with Rash.” He looked pensive for a second before talking again. “Actually, there’s something I wanted to run by you. I would love to bring Rashad to your engagement party as my official date.”

“I don’t even understand why you’re asking, Max. You can come with whoever you want.” She turned to Liam.

“Of course, Max. I don’t care who you bring as long as you come.”

“Aww, guys! I love you! Group hug!” He threw his arms at both of them before leaving. “I’ll go tell Rash.”

Alexis watched him go, delighted to see him so happy. She looked at Liam who was serving her a cup of coffee and put her hand on his. “You’re a good friend, Li.”

He placed the coffee maker on the table and took her chin between his thumb and index. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but I’m hoping that we’ll be able to take care of that with some time.” He leaned to kiss her.

“I have to run, darling. I have a lot of work to do. Will you go shopping with Max for your wedding dress?”

She shuddered but managed to give him a small smile. “Yes. We have an appointment with Ana de Luca later. That’s all I’ll be doing with my day today. It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”

He ignored the acid remark. “You’ll love her. See you later, my love.” Liam kissed her before leaving the room.

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After days of trying wedding and engagement dresses, Alexis was more than exasperated. She had never been someone who cared much about clothes and the only thing she was doing lately, was to shop.

She was even more exhausted from avoiding Drake. Every fiber of her being was pulling Alexis towards him but being close to each other was a torturous pain for both of them, so she tried to stay away from the campaign quarters as much as she could. She shuddered thinking about her engagement party. Drake would have to be there and watch her getting officially engaged with Liam. He was going to have to smile and congratulate them. She felt like screaming, the pain was getting too much to handle.

She took the keys to her car and drove to the nearest bar.

Five or six cheap whiskey glasses later, she was still sitting on a stool, incapable of moving. The moments she had spent with Drake were replaying in her head like a broken record. The day they had met, and that amazing kiss. The night stargazing or drinking whiskey in the cellar. The way he had taken care of her the night she had seen Brad again. How he had comforted when she had told him about Abigail. The conversations and the confidences they had shared. The hours spend discovering and loving each other. She missed how safe she felt with him. She craved their fights, his eyes, his kisses, his arms around her, his deep, raspy voice, his strong hands. Alexis didn’t know how she was going to do to live the rest of her life without him.  

She was getting really drunk. It would be better if she called Max to take her back to the house.

“O’Brien” The familiar, manly voice startled her.

“Drake…how-?”

“Someone recognized you and called me”. He pointed at the back of the bar where Bastien nodded at them.

“You didn’t have to come, I was going to call Max.”

He sat on the stool beside her and called the barmaid. “I’ll have the same than her.”

Then, he turned to her to stroke her face. “I’m always going to come, Lexie. Always.”

She exhaled a sad breath. “Drake, I have to marry him. I don’t want to, but I have to.”

“We have to tell him the truth, Alexis. I know him since we were kids, he’ll understand.”

She sneered. “He’ll understand that I have been lying to him for months? He’ll understand that his father and mine have been plotting behind his back? He’ll understand that he loves me but I’m ... I’m …” She ran her hand through her hair desperately.

“You what, Alexis?” He lowered his head to meet her eyes. “You what?” He cupped her face making her face him “Tell me, you what!”

“I love you, okay?! I love yo- “

He crashed his mouth with hers stroking her face with his thumbs. It was hungry, desperate. It was soft and hot and breathy,  and passionate. The heat rose in their cheeks as their tongues intertwined and they had to come out for air, breathless and giddy.  

He held her head so her forehead would rest on his “I love you too, Alexis. I love you so fucking much it actually hurts. I never thought I would be the kind of guy who would tell a girl he’s crazy about her, but here I am, mad about you.” He sighed. “Insane about you.”

Her heart was beating faster and faster. Her head kept telling her that it was a mistake but the pull to him was stronger and she kissed him over and over until they needed to come out for air again.

After a while, she came to her senses.

Her eyes watered looking at him. “The reason Liam is acting controlling and possessive is that he’s feeling insecure. And he’s right. I love you. You are the love of my life, Drake.” Drake listened to her as he softly rubbed her face. “So I can’t really blame him for acting the way he is. I know he would never hurt me. I know he loves me. But even if I tell him the truth, I have to marry him.” She took a sharp breath. “If I’m honest with him there’s two possibilities. Either he calls off the wedding and Abigail will be in danger. Or he’ll agree to marry me to help me but he will be heartbroken.” She stroked Drake’s cheek too. “Telling Liam doesn’t solve the problem; we would only break his heart even more. The only solution is to accept things as they are, Drake. I’m sorry.”  

He stared angrily at her “So that’s it? I love you, Drake but I’ll be marrying Liam in three weeks. You’re not even going to fight?”

“Don’t be unfair, Drake you know there’s nothing I can do.” Tears were falling off her cheeks as she spoke “Please, leave. I’ll call Maxwell”

She gestured the barmaid for another whiskey.

Drake stood up and turned her stool towards him, so she would be facing him. He leaned towards her taking her chin with his fingers “I would never leave, Lexie. Never. I don’t care if you marry him. I don’t care if I have to wait for the rest of my life to be with you. I won’t leave. As you long as you need me, I’ll be right here.”

She gave him a sad smile. “Even if we can only be friends?”

“Even then.” Drake returned her sad smile. “You can always count on me, baby.” He put a strand hair behind her ear, before kissing her forehead. “Now, let’s get you out of here before you drink their whole lot of whiskey”

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Three days later, Liam was getting ready for his engagement party. He put his tuxedo on and looked in the mirror. He felt nervous, he was completely in love with Alexis, but he couldn’t help but feel uncertain. He kept on trying but she seemed unattainable, always kind, and gentle but never really there with him. Liam shook his head putting those thoughts aside, they were getting married in three weeks and, then, she will be his. There was nothing to be afraid of.

Liam had arranged one limousine for the five of them so they would arrive together like a solid family. He had invited Leo to come with them too, but he said he would arrive a little later, surely drunk and with some random woman. It was exasperating but he couldn’t take care of that now.

When the car pulled over at the O’Brien’s mansion and Alexis came out, Liam grinned. She was gorgeous. He offered her his arm and took her to the limousine, with George behind them.

Constantine and Regina were already inside waiting for them with a cold champagne bottle.

Alexis sighed. Perfect! The man with no heart and the wicked witch of the east.

George spoke with a content expression on his face. “Well, we’re close to Election’s day and we’re almost sure that we will win. We should toast to that”

“A glass of champagne, dear?” Regina questioned.

She smiled politely.“Yes, Regina. Thank you” And keep them coming.

After clinking their glasses, Constantine turned to Liam “Are you ready, son? All Cordonia’s press will be there, you’ll have to give interviews and take some pictures” He paused to focus on Alexis “We all know how much you hate that dear, but you’ll have to do it tonight. Do we understand each other?”

She stared at him contemptuously. “I’m more than capable to answer some questions, Constantine but thank you so much for your concern.”

Liam grabbed her hand “Please, father. Alexis doesn’t need you to tell her what to do.” He turned to her. “By the way love, you look beautiful”

She looked at him gratefully. “Thanks, Li. You look very handsome too.”

The limousine parked at the venue chosen by Regina. Liam squeezed Alexis’s hand.

“Let’s do this”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maxwell had everything ready. He had planned the party with Regina, after a few days, it had become clear that Alexis wasn’t at all interested in the party, or in the engagement.

He had greeted most guests and was only waiting for them. When they finally arrived, he instructed them on how to make their entrance. George came down the stairs first, then Regina and Constantine, and finally, in the middle of a round of applause, Liam, the candidate, and Alexis.

Drake was at the other end of the room with a glass of whiskey in his hand. His heart raced at the sight of her. She was breathtaking with a red strapless dress that brought attention to her breasts. It was tight, and had a long skirt with a slit that gave a tantalizing view of her tanned, long leg as she descended; her big eyes and crimson lips were framed by her shiny brown hair. She was a vision, A gorgeous vision. His mouth went dry instantly, he knew that his promise of being only his friend will be very difficult to keep.

His fist clenched seeing Liam put his arms around her and kiss her in front of everyone. In front of him. He felt like punching someone, and seeing George next to them, he knew exactly who. The rage didn’t let him see the brunette sitting next to him.

“Salut, Drake. Ca va? (2)” Kiara asked seductively.

“I have told you a thousand times how annoying it is when you switch languages like that Kiara. Pick fucking one and stick with it. It’s called commitment.”

She giggled. “I love how direct you are.” She placed her hand on his thigh “I really really love it” She started to rub his thigh, but he grabbed her hand.

“Well, I’m happy you appreciate my bluntness, you’re going to love this, I need some time alone, Kiara. Have a good night.” He turned towards the bar and asked for another whiskey.

Alexis didn’t miss anything about their exchange, her blood boiled when she saw Kiara place her hand on his thigh but smiled to herself when she saw Drake take it off. 

Liam hugged her from behind.

“How are you doing, love?”

“I would love another glass of champagne, Li,” she answered.

He signaled the waiter to come and serve them. He clinked his glass with her and kiss her on the cheek “You won’t believe how happy I’m tonight, not only I’m way ahead in the polls, but I have In my arms the most beautiful woman in the room.”

Olivia huffed. She had a thousand things to coordinate and Drake wasn’t of any help getting wasted on the bar. Of course, she understood him, even if she still loved Liam, her feelings weren’t as raw as Drakes’ and she had had years of training.  

She approached the happy couple seething, she would love to know Alexis’s intentions. It was obvious how crazily in love with Drake she was. Was she marrying Liam only for his position? Olivia had to find out.

“You have to come and talk to Francesco, the Italian’s ambassador, Liam” She shot an angry look at Alexis. “And your father is looking for you.”

Alexis seemed surprised. “What for?”

Olivia arched her brow “Do I look like your fucking secretary or do you need glasses?”

“Olivia, please,” Liam scolded her.

Alexis was about to answer with a snarky remark but when she saw Olivia’s eyes, she recognized the pain. Olivia was hurting as much as she was but for a different man.

“It’s fine, Li. I’m going to go look for my father. See you later.” 

Liam took her hand and pulled her body towards him to kiss her “See you soon my love.”

Drake stood up furious after seeing the kiss. After all the whiskey he had had to drink the only thing he cared about was talking to her. He saw her walk away from Liam and Olivia and enter the hall, he tried to pass the couples dancing in the dance-floor as fast as he could but when he was about to go out, Max called him.

Alexis reached the hall. Her father was waiting for her with an envelope in his hand. “What does this mean, Alexis?”

George threw the envelope at her. When she opened it she saw a few pictures of her from a week ago, from the night she had told Drake about Abigail. They were hugging and kissing in the photos.

“Did you have me followed? How dare you!” Alexis was furious.

George took a step towards her. “How I dare? Me?” He grabbed her arm “You’re behaving like a whore but you think that it��s me who have to explain myself to you?” He yanked her arm.

“LET.HER.GO” Drake growled. 

George laughed but freed her arm. “Prince Charming himself” He snickered. “Well, his best friend. This is a family matter, Walker. Leave.”

Drake ignored the ambassador. “Are you ok, Lexie?”

She knew Drake and she had to avoid a fight at all costs. “It’s fine, Drake. I’m fine. Really.”

“Good, baby. Go back inside.” He rolled his sleeves.

She didn’t move “Drake, please.”

Everything happened so fast that George didn’t have the time to react before he felt Drake’s fist connect with his jaw.

“You’re nothing but a piece of crap.” Drake grabbed him by his shoulder and gave him one, two, three punches in his stomach.

“You shouldn’t even be allowed to live, you piece of crap.” He slammed him against the wall. George was trying to defend himself, but the younger man was stronger and faster. “What asshole? If it’s not a defenseless woman you can’t fight?”

“Drake! Stop!” The music in the party was too loud but Maxwell and Rashad were close to the door and they had seen Drake beating the Ambassador. They both took him by his arms, using all their strength to pull him apart from George.

Drake tried to free himself. “Let me go! I‘m going to kill this motherfucker!”

George sat at the floor seething with fury. “You’ll pay for this Walker. I swear” He turned to Alexis. “Tell Constantine that I wasn’t feeling good. And you better keep your promise with Liam. Unless you prefer this filthy asshole to Abigail.”

Drake screamed at him. “Don’t you dare to threaten her”

Rashad got himself in the middle. “Come on, Drake. Let him go”

George stood up and limped away from them. 

Drake looked at Alexis. Maxwell grabbed Rashad’s shoulder. “They need to talk, Rash. Let’s go back to the ballroom.”

Alexis was beyond furious. “Why!? Why do you have to do that!? Now he’ll have something against you too. I’m not only going to be worried about Abbie. I’ll be worried sick about you too, Drake.” Her eyes watered.

He cut the distance between them, there was nothing worst for him than seeing her crying. He cupped her face and cleaned her tears with his thumbs. “I can’t let it go, baby. I told you, no one would never put a finger on you, again. After the way he’s treated you he deserved that and much more. You know that.”

“I don’t fucking care about him, Drake. You don’t know how he is, what he’s capable of.” Alexis sobbed, terrified. “I can’t lose you.” 

“He’s threatening his own daughter, Lexie. Believe me, I can imagine what he’s capable of. And I told you the other night, you will never lose me. I swear.” He kissed her lips tenderly.

She smiled through her tears, noticing his bloody knuckles. “Let’s go put some cold water on that”

Maxwell came out of the ballroom with a wet cloth. “I brought this for your hands, Drake. Lex, Liam is looking for you, he’s giving his engagement speech. You better come in first and alone” He threw an apologetic look at Drake.

Liam smiled as soon as he saw her coming through the door.

“There you are, love. Where’s your father? I wanted to give my speech now.”

“He wasn’t feeling well, Li. He won’t come back tonight so you can give the speech now.”

Liam looked at her suspiciously but didn’t reply.

He went to the top of the stairs with her. Maxwell nodded at the band on stage, so they’d announce Liam’s speech.

“Alexis and I are delighted, thrilled and honored to share our intentions for the rest of our days with you. Standing together in front of all the very special people in our lives to announce our engagement makes our private dreams public and, in a way, real. Thank you for being here, for your love and well wishes-”

Suddenly, the buzzing and noise of telephones beeping were all they could hear, but Liam made an attempt to ignore them.

“Alexis has made me the happiest man in the world. With her, by my side, I understand what the writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald meant when he said, ‘I love her, and that’s the beginning and end of everything.’-”

He stopped talking, everyone had their eyes glued either on their phone or on Alexis. She searched Drake, he was seething looking at his phone too.

Finally, among a trail of whispers and gasps, Alexis and Liam reached Drake and Maxwell and grabbed their phones. Alexis saw her world collapsing when she read the article. It was entitled “An Affair to Remember” and was illustrated by some very suggestive photos of her and Tariq the night of her attack.

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In a corner of the ballroom, Leo Rhys smiled. Hakim’s plan was working perfectly.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kiara: 

Please honey, You were really angry (...)

Hi! How is it going?