Chapter 1

Chloe's POV:

I looked around, but there was still no sign of Angelo.

I had appeared at the boundary just as I had prepared my mind to. Angelo was supposed be here waiting, because he had left before I did, but he hadn't. Not being known for my patience, I was going to leave without him but then, I still had some unanswered questions which needed answers.

I dropped on the floor, flipping my long jacket to the back as sat with my knees raised and my arms around my legs. My hand reached out for a little weed and I started toying with it, plucking of the leaves one after the other, all the while murmuring:

“He loves me...”

“He loves me not.”

“He loves me.”

“He loves me—”

“Not,” someone interjected from behind me.

At the sound of his voice, my head quickly whipped around and there he stood with a smirk on his face. “Hi sis,” he said, waving a hand.

“Don’t get too friendly,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “Where have you been, by the way?”

He heaved a sigh, soft footsteps approaching then he lowered himself unto the earth beside me. “Duty calls,” he said with a little shrug. “What did you want to talk about?”

The way he shifted the discussion, not even bothering at asked about me and Marcus, made a strange feeling stir at the bottom of my stomach. It felt unsettling because; unlike the Angelo I remembered knowing, today, he was a little on the stiffer side but maybe it was just me seeing things that way.

His eyes met mine, like he had felt my gaze upon him. “What troubles you so, spit it out already!”

Since he wanted to play coy like he didn't know of the matters that troubled me, I decided to not play along with him and just he blunt. “ After the situation that claimed mom's and my dad's life, why didn't you take me under your protection?”

He was quiet for far too long, like he was thinking up a response. “That is what your mother would have wanted, I guess...”

He guessed...

Also, I didn't miss the part where he referred to our mother as mine only. My eyes narrowed as I drank him in, my eyes searching for a clue I had no idea of.

Since he was being a lot stranger than I would have liked, I decided to keep the rest of my revelations to myself only letting go of what I didn't think important. “What have you been up to?”

His green eyes regarded me carefully, then he looked away almost immediately. “Nothing much, just stuff.”

I sighed dramatically, a puff of air leaving me. “Why do I feel like you don't wanna talk to me?” I asked, watching him carefully to see what kind of face he would make. “Or, did I do something wrong?”

“No you didn't,” he replied quickly. “It’s just that I don't know what to say to you. Your whole memory of me has been erased and I doubt you would remember, or do you?”

I held my breath, refusing to meet his calculating eyes. There was this aura he had about him, which gave off weird vibes. Not wanting to attracted any further suspicions, I gave him a mindless shrug then said: “I do not and do not wish to remember anything of my past. It all went away with my parents death, I wouldn't want to go back to that time.”

He heaved a sigh, the corner of his lips curving into a smirk. “Yeah...let it stay in the past, it's better that way.”

Weird!

No matter how I tried, I couldn't shake off the unsettling feeling that seemed to form and make itself permanent in my stomach. I discreetly moved away from him, watching how he watched me through the corner of his eyes.

I waited for him to speak but the silence seemed endless and at some point, I realized that maybe he had no intentions of helping me. “So...where do we go from here?” I asked half heatedly.

Did I really want leave? No. I would miss the lands which I had grown to love, I would miss Lilian and Mark, even Titus. But of all, I would miss Marcus the most.

But he was the same reason why I had to leave. He needed to get himself together and put his mind in order, to be able to accept me so I could one day rule beside him in honour and dignity. He couldn't keep seeing me a weakness, he needed to recognize my strength and accord me the respect I deserved.

“We?” He asked, disbelief laced in his voice. Something that resembled a laugh escaped his throat, but it sounded more like the sound of a car being strangled. “You are on your own as far as I am concerned, if it were in my power, I wouldn't take you with me.”

My eyes narrowed infinitesimally, as I regarded him with narrowed eyes. My suspicions grew alongside a troubled feeling and I couldn't help but worry my lower lip to show my nervousness.

He suddenly rose to his feet and I imitated his movement, ignoring the piercing look he shot my way. He started to walk and I followed, falling into step beside him. He seemed awfully quiet, and he wouldn't even as much as part his lips whenever I asked him a question.

“Tell me about my maternal family,” he pressed on, not minding if I'll get snubbed for the one hundredth time today. I waited patiently for him to speak and finally, he huffed a breath.

“There is nothing to tell,” he said in a low voice that I had to strain my ears to actually hear the words. “It is dark, cold and...” he hesitated. “Unforgiving,”

I waited to him to say more, but when he didn't, I was forced to ask again. “Tell me about our family?”