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Valentina was dressed in a flowery pale yellow chiffon as she sat in her parent’s private box. Her gaze was indecipherable as it swept leisurely over the bustling crowd below.
The announcer was reading out the list of the next competitors as the horses ambled up the track.
She looked up as Azrael walked in. ‘You’re late.’
‘And you are as ravishing as ever,’ Azrael stated, reaching down to place a fond kiss on her cheek.
‘Naturally,’ Valentina responded as Azrael sat in the empty chair across her.
She waved an arm and a waiter appeared with a glass of cool lemonade.
‘Where have you been?’
Azrael shrugged. ‘Here and there. Someone has to keep an eye on your little pawn.’
Valentina gave him an irritated look. ‘Do you ever tire of poking your nose where it doesn’t belong?’
‘What can I say, I’m far too nosey for my own good.’ He picked up the glass and twirled it absently in his hand. ‘So far, things are going exactly as you planned. I do, however, have one small question.’
‘Of course, you do.’
‘You never did tell me how you happened upon such a fortuitous aperture.’
Valentina smirked. ‘I like to think it was destiny. It was almost midnight and by chance, I had stayed behind to finish up some schoolwork. It was getting late so I finished up quickly and was walking down the halls on the way back to my dorm when I heard a sound coming from the girls’ bathroom. I was a little spooked because who would be here at such an hour, but my curiosity overtook me and I went closer to investigate.
‘The closer I got, the more clearly I could make out the sound. Someone was crying. The crying abruptly stopped and retching sounds suddenly filled the air. There was a flush and the crying resumed. My interest was now sufficiently aroused and I opened the door and walked in.
‘In the farthest stall, who do I find curled up on the floor but Pearl. I walked up to her and as gently as I could, I asked her what was wrong. It took a bit of cajoling and wheedling to draw out the truth from the blubbering mess of tears, snot, and vomit and my, was it worth it. The foolish girl had gotten herself pregnant.
‘Of course, my interest waned after I slated my curiosity and I started to leave but before I did, I had the presence of mind to ask who the father was. She clammed up immediately and I had to employ more aggressive tactics to pull the name from the insensible girl. You could imagine how my interest flared right back when she told me that the father was none other than the lover of my erstwhile fiancé.’
Valentina sighed at the memory. ‘I wanted to hug her right there and then. I actually did hug her too. I pulled her close and whispered soothing words of comfort as the beginnings of a plan began to form in my mind. She was desperate and alone which made it extremely easy for me to wrap her around my finger. She needed a friend and “sweet dear Valentina” was there to be the friend she never had.’
She let out a scornful laugh. ‘What an idiot. Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. Imagine my alarm when I found out that the silly girl was planning to abort the child. No amount of persuasion would get her to change her mind so drastic measures were called for. I sent an anonymous message to her parents and they put a stop to it at once.’
Her lips lifted at the thought. ‘They love me, you know. All I had to do was throw on a veil, go to church a few times, and speak out against the moral decadence the world has descended into, and all of a sudden, I was the saint who was going to guide their wayward daughter back to the light.
‘In the beginning, they were planning to send her for a little “vacation” out of the country. Somewhere in Europe or Asia, probably, and have her deliver the baby quietly before putting it up for adoption. I, however, managed to convince them that it was more honourable and righteous to have her do the right thing by getting married to the father. That way, the baby would be born within the sanctity of the sacraments, and they wouldn’t have a bastard for a grandchild.’
She smiled jovially to herself. ‘Do you hear that? It’s the sweet music of wedding bells pealing blissfully in the distance and getting closer every day.’
She hummed the tune of Mendelssohn’s wedding march as her head swayed gently to the beat.
Azrael regarded her appreciatively. ‘My, my. You have been busy.’
A thought suddenly occurred to her and she gave him a suspicious look.
‘Shouldn’t you be trying to stop me?’
Azrael looked taken aback by that question. ‘Why on earth would I ever want to do that?’
‘Isn’t Samuel your “friend”?’
Azrael stared blankly at her. ‘So?’
Valentina sighed. ‘You really are hopeless. Friends are supposed to protect each other from conniving witches like me.’
Azrael tapped his finger absently against his glass as he considered her words. ‘I would hardly call you a witch. Enchantress would be a more fitting term. Besides, it is through trials and adversities that we become better people. As his friend, wouldn’t it be more noble for me to allow him to go through this, painful as it may be, so he can rise and become a better person in future?’
Valentina scoffed. ‘Not even you believe that.’
‘Well, it is sound in principle but morally I suppose it is a bit lacking.’ Azrael shrugged. ‘In my defence, I haven’t had this much fun in months. Does that make me a bad friend?’
‘It makes you many things, a bad friend is the least of them.’
Azrael let out a sorrowful sigh. ‘There comes a time in every man’s life when he must accept the fact that he cannot be perfect. It looks like this is my time.’
‘In that case, be a dear and run a little errand for me.’
Azrael smiled pleasantly at her. ‘I am not going to stop you but I will not help you either. I gave my word, remember?’
Valentina rolled her eyes. ‘How can I forget?’
~
Jayden’s expression was indecipherable as his dark eyes moved from Pearl to Samuel.
‘Jayden, I…’ Samuel started as Jayden moved from the doorway and made his way toward them.
He ignored Samuel and walked directly up to Pearl. ‘Is there something you wanted to tell me?’
Pearl looked up to meet his eyes undauntedly. ‘I’m pregnant.’
‘So I gathered.’
‘And Samuel is the father. He needs to take responsibility for this and marry me or else I will tell everyone the disgusting truth about the both of you. It will be an even bigger scandal than giving birth out of wedlock.’
Jayden’s eyes flashed but he remained silent.
Pearl took a step back but held her ground. ‘If I’m going to be cloaked in scandal, I’m dragging you all with me.’
Jayden considered her for a moment. ‘Fine,’ he stated finally. ‘He will marry you.’
Samuel glanced at Jayden in shock. ‘What?’
‘Really?’ Pearl asked disbelievingly. ‘Just like that?’
Jayden’s eyes dropped down to gaze at her belly which caused her to instinctively curl a protective arm around it.
He tore his eyes away and looked back up at her. ‘As you said, he needs to take responsibility. Besides,’ he continued in a dry voice. ‘What other choice do we have?’
Pearl let her arm drop. ‘You’re right, there is no other choice.’
‘Is there anything else?’
‘That’s it for now.’ She picked up her shawl and wrapped it around her face. She paused by Samuel on her way out. ‘I really do wish there was another way. I wish you both no ill will but you must understand the difficult position I’m in.’
She touched his arm briefly before walking past him and out of the stable.
Jayden and Samuel stood in silence after her departure. Samuel took a glance at his boyfriend’s face but it remained as inscrutable as ever.
He took a step closer to him. ‘Jayden, I-‘
‘I have to go, I’m late for the race.’
He turned and walked out of the door without a second glance at him.
Samuel watched him leave with a sinking feeling in his chest.
‘Good luck,’ he whispered softly into the empty air.
~
‘There you are,’ Leo said as Samuel walked up to his seat.
‘What did I miss?’
‘Nothing much, you’re just on time.’ He looked up hopefully at Samuel. ‘Where is my ice cream?’
‘I forgot,’ Samuel stated bluntly.
Leo looked as if he was going to cry. ‘But… but… you promised.’
‘Tough.’
Leo opened his mouth to complain but Cam, catching the expression on Samuel’s face, put a hand over his mouth to shut him up.
‘Not now, Leo.’
Leo’s voice was muffled as he tried to speak through Cam’s fingers. ‘But…’
‘We’ll get you ice cream later, okay?’ Cam promised. ‘Don’t bother him about it anymore.’
Leo nodded sulkily and Cam took his hand away.
Noel patted his arm comfortingly as a horn blared and the announcer began to announce the final race.
Paul leaned over to whisper to Samuel. ‘What happened? Did you tell him?’
‘I didn’t need to. He found out on his own.’
Paul’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘How?’
‘Does it matter? I messed everything up and now he won’t even look at me.’
‘I’m sure he just needs time to-‘
‘Paul, I appreciate it, I really do but not now.’
Paul nodded in understanding and turned just in time to see the jockeys climbing onto to their horses.
Dressed in the royal blue of Lumiere, Jayden walked up to his mount. He placed a hand on the bridle and with little effort hoisted himself onto the saddle to loud cheers from the crowd.
There was a quiet pause before the gun went off and doors flung open. The horses were off with a bolt and the crowd erupted into cheers.
Hoofbeats thundered on the track as the horses moved at breakneck speed. The jockeys were hunched forward, their thighs pressed flush against the powerful bodies beneath them as they spurred them faster.
The seconds trickled past like hours and the minutes stretched into days as the racers neared the finish line.
In a flash of colour, the horses shot past the finish line and the stands erupted into a loud roar.
‘What happened?’ Leo yelled, trying to be heard over the din. ‘Who won?’
Paul was on his feet looking earnestly at the track. ‘I don’t know. It wasn’t clear.’
‘Alright folks,’ the announcer’s voice boomed loudly over the speakers. ‘The results are in.’
‘Someone hold my hand,’ Leo said nervously.
‘Well, hold my saddle! Ladies and gentlemen, coming in first place in a triumphant return to the track is none other than Lumière International High School’s very own Jayden Mills!’
‘Yes!’ Leo punched his fist in the air as he jumped up and down in excitement, adding his screams to the roar of the crowd.
‘We did it, Cam! We did it!’
Cam gave him a funny look. ‘Who is we? All you did was sit around and cry for ice cream.’
‘But I looked pretty doing it,’ Leo stated with pride.
Cam rolled his eyes but there was a fond smile on his face as he muttered, ‘Idiot.’
‘Come on, let’s go down and say hi,’ Leo said eagerly before bounding down the steps.
‘How funny do you think it will be if he tripped and fell?’ Cam asked Noel.
‘Painfully funny?’ Noel answered uncertainly.
There was a loud yelp and a thump as Leo tripped on the last step and fell flat on his face.
‘Huh,’ Cam said thoughtfully. ‘You were right. It was painful for him and funny for me. Way to go buddy, you’re now my go-to for placing bets.’
They made their way down the steps and Paul picked Leo up as they walked past him.
‘What have I told you about running around? Now look what happened.’
‘What do you mean,’ Leo stated dizzily as blood dripped from his nose. ‘I’m completely fine.’
Paul shook his head and stuffed a handkerchief into Leo’s nose. ‘Shut up and hold it. Hopefully, you don’t have a concussion.’
‘How would we know the difference?’ Cam muttered as he walked by.
‘Paul, Cam is being mean to me again,’ Leo complained.
‘Was he wrong?’
‘Noel, your boyfriend is being mean to me.’
Noel sighed. ‘Stop being mean to Leo, Paul.’
‘Ha!’ Leo exclaimed victoriously.
They soon reached the dais where Jayden was shaking hands with the judges and sponsors as the reporters crowded him for interviews.
He soon managed to break away from them as his friends walked up to him.
‘Way to go buddy,’ Leo said, patting him on the back. ‘Never doubted you for a moment.’
He soon grew distracted by the large golden trophy in Jayden’s hands. ‘Can I hold it?’ he asked eagerly.
Jayden handed it to him wordlessly.
Paul pulled Leo away. ‘We are going to leave you two alone.’
Leo looked up in confusion. ‘Huh, why?’
‘Do you no longer want your ice cream?’
Leo immediately brightened up. ‘Lead the way, Paulina.’
Their voices faded off as they walked away. Samuel watched them leave before turning uncertainly to Jayden.
‘Congratulations on winning the race.’
Jayden nodded in acknowledgement, and they stood around in silence.
‘I’m sorry,’ Samuel blurted out suddenly. ‘Things are a mess and I should have told you and I know you’re mad and… I’m sorry.’
Jayden was silent for a few seconds before saying in a low voice, ‘I’m not mad.’
Samuel looked up at him. ‘You’re not?’
Jayden shook his head.
‘You’ve been so quiet and I thought… Are you disappointed?’
‘No, I am not disappointed, and I am not sad. I’m just…’ Jayden sighed. ‘I don’t know what I feel.’
‘I get it. It was a lot for me too.’
‘I mean it’s a baby. A whole other human being and you are going to be its father.’
‘I know, it’s scary,’ Samuel gave his boyfriend an anxious look. ‘I don’t want this to come between us.’
Jayden gave him a tiny smile. ‘It’s going to take much more than a baby to drive me away.’The smile disappeared as he glanced at the soft grass. ‘So we’re really doing this.’
Samuel looked down. ‘I guess we are.’
‘You would be a great dad.’
He looked up to see Jayden smiling at him. Leo’s loud voice suddenly broke the peaceful silence.
‘We brought you guys ice cream!’
They turned to see their friends walking back up to them, each with their own scones of ice cream. Paul and Leo held two each and they handed it over to them.
‘We got you both strawberry because that’s the best flavour,’ Leo said proudly.
Jayden looked at the dripping cone curiously. ‘I thought your favourite was vanilla.’
‘Just because it’s my favourite doesn’t mean it’s the best. Now lick up, you’re wasting good ice cream.’
‘Do you think we should tell them?’ Jayden asked Samuel.
‘Tell us what?’
‘Paul already knows,’ Samuel answered with a shrug.
Leo gave them a suspicious look. ‘What are you guys muttering about?’
Samuel glanced at Jayden and he received a nod to go ahead so he filled them in on everything that happened.
There was a soft plop as the ice cream fell from Leo’s limp hand. His mouth was open as he stared from Samuel to Jayden then back to Samuel again, waiting for one of them to tell him it was a prank.
‘Is this a joke?’
Samuel snorted quietly. ‘I wish.’
Leo’s bloody nose began to drip again as tears streamed down his face. He broke into a loud sob and rushed to throw his arms around Samuel.
‘I can’t believe we are going to have a baby.’
Samuel looked around helplessly as Leo continued to sob on his chest.
‘There, there,’ he tried unsuccessfully.
Leo broke away, his mind already going into overdrive. ‘We are going to have to babyproof everything, start stocking up on diapers -wait how much do diapers cost? Do we even live in a good school district? And… oh my God does this mean I can no longer have alcohol?’
‘You are not the one who is pregnant, idiot,’ Cam shot at him but he was still in a state of shock that the insult felt weak.
Leo sniffed and rubbed his bloody nose with his sleeve. ‘I know that but we need to set a good example for the kid.’ His eyes suddenly widened. ‘Oh my God, what are we going to call the kid?’
Noel moved closer to Jayden as Cam and Leo started arguing about names for the baby.
‘Are you alright?’ he whispered.
Jayden gave him a weak smile. ‘I suppose I am. Even if I’m not, I will be.’
Noel let out a heavy breath. ‘This is…’
‘I know.’
Cam and Leo were now engaged in a shouting match.
‘What do you mean Leo is not a good name? Leonardo if it’s a boy and Leonora if it’s a girl,’ Leo declared with finality.
‘For the sake of humanity, I beg you. The world would not be able to survive a Leo 2.0.’
‘Fine, if it’s a girl we would call it Paulina, but we are sticking with Leonardo if it’s a boy.’ At everyone’s strange look he grew defensive. ‘What? I’ve suddenly grown attached to Paulina, sue me.’
‘Don’t I get a say?’ Samuel asked weakly.
‘No,’ Cam and Leo answered simultaneously.
~
Up in Valentina’s private box, Azrael was watching them with interest. He put down his binoculars and turned to Valentina with a lazy smile.
‘Looks like your plan failed, my dear. Our two lovers appear as close as ever.’
Valentina smiled playfully. ‘You have such little faith in me. This was just my opening act. Now, we move on to my tour de force.’
‘Est-ce vrai?’
‘Bien sûr,’ Valentina purred.
Azrael leaned forward. ‘Tell me, what do you really hope to achieve with this little game of yours? I highly doubt Jayden would be willing to return to you even if you win.’
Valentina’s beautiful lips curled into a nasty snarl. ‘Who cares if he returns or not? He destroyed my plans so I’m going to destroy his happiness.’
‘You don’t take rejection well, do you?’
The fire vanished from her eyes and she sat back with a lazy smile. ‘It has never been my strongest quality.’
Azrael mirrored her movements as he regarded her with newfound interest. ‘Now that Jayden is out of your sights, how do you plan on achieving your meteoric rise to the top?’
‘There comes a time in every woman’s life when she must accept that she cannot have the best. It seems that this is mine, however, if I cannot have the best, I’ll settle for second best.’ Valentina’s smile was crafty as she looked at him. ‘The thing with second best is that it is just one step away from becoming the best.’
Azrael’s eyes glinted. ‘Schemes, upon schemes. Does it ever get quiet in that delectable mind of yours?’
Valentina raised her glass gaily. ‘There is no rest for the wicked.’
‘And no peace for the innocent,’ Azrael murmured thoughtfully as a camera flashed in their direction. He beckoned the reporter closer and glanced at their picture in the camera.
‘We would make a lovely couple,’ Azrael observed before waving the reporter away. ‘That is going to be on the society pages tomorrow.’
Valentina sighed. ‘We could have been the ultimate power couple. We fit so perfectly together.’
‘And that is precisely the problem. It would be boring and you know how dangerous I get when I am bored. Alas, not even your burning hatred and constant desire to see me choking on my blood would be enough to relive the dreary monotony.’
Valentina tapped her fingers against the arm of her chair. ‘I have far more imaginative ways for you to die.’
‘And I look forward to seeing them but without the bonds of matrimony.’
Valentina smiled. ‘Never fear, you’re not the one I’m casting my net around.’
She glanced down the stands and Azrael followed her line of sight to where Jayden and Samuel were huddled with their friends.
‘Tell me,’ Valentina murmured. ‘How do you feel about addressing me as, “your royal highness”?’
Author’s Note:
I hear wedding bells… this time for two couples👀
[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]
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