┏━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┓

Greed

┗━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━┛

Chapter 5: Greed (Delilah's POV)

I was nearly back in town. I just turned that right turn when I nearly crashed into the same car yet again. I halted my bike, letting out a small scream. They're just parked off at this turn. Gosh, are they really insane people over here? "Hey!" I yelled. 

The passenger door opened and that guy from last time came out. He stood in front of my bike, looking at me. Clearly, he's not impressed. Good thing I'm not trying to impress him. 

I noticed the front wheel was right between his legs. I moved the handle, nearly hitting him where it would hurt the most. He glared at me, stepping back. I smiled. "Move, please." 

"Stupid girl," he scoffed. "Do you know who I am?" 

"Annoying." 

"You—" 

The other passenger door opened and an older man walked out. He seems familiar too, why can't I recognize these people? He stuck his hand out. "I'm Giovanni Romano. Does that name ring a bell, my dear?" 

My eyes widened slowly as I took in a small gasp. "You're the... king. Which means you're..." I turned to his son. 

He smirked. 

"I should go." I began moving around them but Prince Nico grabbed the basket and blocked my way. 

"We'd like to have a little chat with you." 

I looked between the two. "Is this because of what I did earlier?" 

"Not at all," King Giovanni chuckled. "It's something else entirely. Do you have some time?" 

I don't suppose I can't actually say no. So I just nodded. 

"Good," Prince Nico smiled before throwing me a wink. I guess that's meant to be charming, huh? 

"Follow our car to the palace. We'll talk there. Come on, Nico." They got back into the car and the driver started driving back. 

I hesitantly started following their car before while I could run and hide, they'll definitely find me. It's a small town and they have all the power in it. I should just obey. I followed them through town and into the palace. The gates were even held open as I rode past them stopping inside. 

"Come inside," Prince Nico called out as they climbed out of the car and headed to the main, double-doors. 

I hesitated, fidgeting with my dress before following them inside. They led me into a lounge room where they sat on the couch, side by side, and I sat in a single throne-like chair across from them. 

"I won't beat around the bush, so let's get straight to the point," King Giovanni sighed, leaning back. "We saw you on that road. It's a one-way road to Spencer Romano's castle, so that's where you were headed, yes?" 

"Yes," I mumbled. 

"Why?" Prince Nico questioned. 

"I work for Bloom House, it's a flower shop, and Prince Spencer had an order for a bouquet, so I went there to deliver it and collect payment." 

"And do you do this often? Deliver bouquets to that castle?" 

I shook my head. "Only today. I only started working at Bloom House this year." I took a breath and let it out. "May I ask why I'm here?" 

"We need your help, Ms...?" 

"Delilah." 

"Delilah," King Giovanni nodded. "We need your help." 

"With what? Flowers?" 

He chuckled, shaking his head. "With Prince Spencer." 

I blinked in confusion but listened ahead. 

"I'm sure you know he was staying with us up until three years ago." 

"Yes, I'm aware of that." 

"Well, you see the castle that he resides in now, isn't his to live in or keep." 

I'm so lost. 

"It's ours," Prince Nico clarified. "And we'd like it back." 

So? 

"It was his mother's you see, and she left it to Spencer but he may only live there if he's married." That doesn't make much sense. "And he's refusing to give it up. So to keep the peace, we've decided that it would be best to let him keep the castle and for him to get married as soon as possible." 

"You... decided this with Prince Spencer?" 

They nodded. 

"I'm sorry, I'm still confused as to why I'm here." 

"Well, we'd like you to marry him," the King said. 

I stared at him blankly, blinking multiple times. "Really?" I blurted out. 

"Yes, of course." 

"Why?" Is it because I'm the one who made sure he got home safely last night? I knew I should have just left him on that bench outside. 

"We haven't seen Spencer interact with any girl besides you. He usually prefers to stay distanced from people." I opened my mouth to say he stayed pretty distant from me too but I never got a chance to talk. "And he's at an age to be married too. He's twenty-three. How old are you, Delilah?" the King questioned. 

"I'm twenty-one. And I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but isn't Prince Nico older? Yet he's not married." 

Prince Nico flashed me a bitter smile. "I'm not married but I am in a relationship. Spencer isn't. And people are starting to talk about it. It's tarnishing his reputation. You understand, don't you, Delilah? You'd be doing both us, and him a favor. You'd be his little save and grace." 

"I don't think so," I shook my head, my eyes narrowing on their own. "Prince Spencer seems very reserved and he rarely comes down to Everton. I'll probably never see him again. And I'm not twenty-three either, I think I'm too young to be married." 

"I was married at twenty-one," King Giovanni replied. In what freaking decade, sir? 

I sighed, shaking my head. "What you're asking me to do doesn't make sense, not to be disrespectful. You're asking me to marry your son just because he spoke to me twice." 

"Twice?" They looked at each other. "Yes, precisely," Prince Nico cleared his throat. "Because Spencer barely speaks to people once. But he sought you out twice." 

"I don't think you can call it seeking out, sir," I mumbled. "I don't know him, we're strangers." 

"You'd be a princess." 

"I think I should go." 

"We could pay you," King Giovanni said. 

This is unbelievable. "You'd pay me? Just to marry him?" 

He nodded. 

"You could have any girl marry him. Most certainly someone better than me. In every way possible. Sir, I'm nobody in this little town. And I have nothing to offer Prince Spencer, nothing that would catch his eye and draw him to me. Even if I agree, he wouldn't marry me." 

"And if he does? What if he agrees?" Prince Nico lifted a brow at me challengingly. 

"He won't." 

"If he does?" He smirked. 

"Then I'll marry him," I spat out. I hate being questioned and challenged. What I hate even more is how easily I fell into his trap. I didn't even fall, I walked right into it. Strolled in their willingly while whistling 'What a Wonderful World' by Louis Armstrong. But guess what, Armstrong. It isn't a wonderful world. At all. There's greed, loads of it. Even in me. 

"We'll pay you however much you want, Delilah," Prince Nico added. "And you'll get Prince Spencer as your husband. But there's just something else you have to do for us." 

I looked at him doubtfully. 

"It'll be easier once you've married him," he smiled. 

"What do you want me to do?" I asked unsurely. 

"We want you to kill Spencer," the King announced. 

I froze and felt goosebumps erupt all over my skin. "Excuse me, what?" 

"I know it sounds like a daunting task," he chuckled. 

"No. It sounds like you want me to be a murder, sir." 

"Not a murderer. A helper." 

I stared at him in disbelief.

 "If he agrees to marry you and if you end up living with him in that castle, we just want you to kill him. Treat it as a business deal, Delilah. You do us this favor and we'll pay you in return. Consider it our 'thank you' all right? And keep in mind, you only have to do all this if he agrees to marry you." 

"Which you claim he won't, right?" Prince Nico smirked. 

"Right," I mumbled. 

He couldn't possibly want to marry someone like me. Someone who causes a scene and utter chaos at his castle, who charges him 500 nova cash just for a bouquet, and someone who cuts him off when he speaks. He probably hates me, I've annoyed him beyond anyone's limit within 24 hours.

"Come on, Delilah. Everybody has a little greed in them. I'm sure you do too. How much money will it take?" Prince Nico questioned, raising his eyebrows. "1 million?" 

My eyes widened. 

"1 billion?" He smiled innocently. 

"Will you do it, Delilah?" the King asked, standing up now. "Will you do us this favor?" 

"You want me to kill somebody. I don't think you can call that a favor," I breathed out shakily while standing up. "I should go." I turned around, rushing to the doors. 

"Think about it!" Prince Nico called out. "You wouldn't have to live with your uncle and aunt anymore. You wouldn't have to be a waitress and delivery girl anymore. You wouldn't be such a..." He paused, standing up while smiling and tucking his hands into his pockets. "Burden." 

I turned around, staring at him. 

"You wouldn't be such a burden anymore, is what I was going to say. So, just think about it. What's worth it and what isn't. What you want. What you really want." 

I can't have that much greed in me, I can't be so greedy. Not enough to kill a man, that too merely for money. 

"I know greed is a sin, but I'd say it's the best one. What do you think, dad?" He turned to the King who nodded in agreement, both of them chuckling softly. 

"Think about it, Delilah," King Giovanni suggested. "And if you decide to help, just drop by. You'll be let in, not disrespected like you were at Spencer Romano's castle. Good luck. I hope you make the smart choice." 

I twisted the handle behind me and walked out, rushing through the main doors and grabbing my bike. I climbed on and sped out of the palace estate. 

He said smart. Not right. 

This is ridiculous, I can't possibly be thinking about it. I'm not going to murder a man for money. Never. 

♡♡♡

I thought about it all evening. I thought about how absurd and fucking insane their 'favor' was. I can't do it. I won't. I walked into the house after my shift at Mirage with an exhausted sigh. I opened my mouth to announce that I was home but stopped when I heard yelling coming from the kitchen. 

"She's just a child, Rosy!" 

"Yes, a grown, twenty-one-year-old child!" I heard her scoff. "She should be working, Felix. Making her own money, getting married, working! Not leeching off of us and draining us of our money!" 

"How do you expect her to be on her own in this kingdom? She isn't from here, she doesn't even have her own family anymore! The least we could do is take care of her!" 

I quietly took my shoes off and let my hair down, staring at the floor. 

"We did, Felix! We took care of her for thirteen bloody years!" 

"What the hell do you expect her to do, Rosy?" 

"She can do anything! She can kill somebody for all I care! I want her out of this house and I want her out now!" 

Should I just do it? Kill that fucking prince? 

I leaned against the door, staring ahead of me blankly, thinking about it from a completely different point of view. Prince Nico was right. I'm nothing but a burden here. 

"Get rid of her, Felix! Or I will!" 

"Rosy!" 

She appeared in front of me and froze right in her tracks, staring at me with surprise. No guilt, no regret. She's just surprised to see me. She cleared her throat, wiping her hands on her apron. "Dinner's in the fridge for you." 

"I already ate," I lied, walking past her and going upstairs to my room. 

Should I just fucking do it?

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 5

make sure to leave comments, pleaseeee <3

next chapter: game