Marci Wellington's POV

After telling the rest of my little family that I was okay, I make my way back into the rival school and head straight to the indoor basketball court.

The sound of balls slamming against the floor and squeaky sneakers were the only confirmation I needed that Ian was still here.

I opened the door and walked in quietly. I tiptoed to the bleachers and observed him from where I sat.

His back was shining with sweat, but a few scars were more than visible; his hair was slick at the sides and with the way he was heavily breathing, it didn't take a magician to wave a wand and write 'pissed off athlete' on his forehead.

He dribbled the ball between his legs before sprinting for the hop, a quick layup, and the team captain made a dunk so hard that he broke the hoop.

"Great shot Michael Jordan." A sly smile rested on my lips as I made my presence known.

He tensed for a split second but continued to bounce the ball on the ground, "What are you doing here, Wellington?"

"I went on an adventure and decided to check up on Boots," I replied.

He smiles fondly at the ball in his hands, "You always were a trouble seeker, you and Giá."

"I guess this is the part where we make small talk while you pretend that I'm not your former best friend's cousin."

I never said subtlety was my speciality; I can't even fake it till I make it. And that's saying something, coming from me.

"Go home, Marci." The command was quiet, but it was there.

I cock my brow at him, "I know it's not in my place to tell you this, but you dropped something."

He finally turns to look at me, and I see a guy who looks frustrated with how his life is going but is just going along with it for now. I might be reading too much into it, but I don't have much to work with here.

"If you want to stick your nose in a place it doesn't belong, be my guest. But I advise you to leave and do it in a safe place." His tone is rigid, and because I'm not as stubborn as I used to be, I'll allow him to have his way for now.

I get up from my place on the bleachers and make my way toward the exit. All the while Ian had his eyes trained on me. I say one last thing to him before I walk through the open door.

"I might be acting nosy, but if you really wanted to get over what happened, I suggest you grow a pair and approach the situation before you all graduate and go off to college with resentment towards each other."

His words echoed before the door to the indoor court closed, "I wonder who put you up to this?"

I walk back in, "Does it really matter?"

He holds the ball to his side and rolls his eyes, "If my memory serves me well, you would only do this if you got something profitable or useful out of this."

"Are you trying to call me a selfish person?" I point my index finger to my chest in mock annoyance.

He raises his hands, "You're a smart girl, Marci, but I've been at this game longer than you. Experience always triumphs over Wits in the end. Even though you want to play dumb in this whole shit show, the rumours around school about you and your gang need your attention before this, don't they?"

A frown coats my face because he almost has me where he wants me.

Almost being the keyword.

"And I have that figured out. You know I should be threatening you about what is wrong with your team players, but I think that hatchet has already been buried." I divert the topics.

He clicks his tongue before picking up his phone on the floor and glancing at the screen. "Have a nice weekend, Marci. On Monday, you might just have the answers that you need."

I don't trust this guy at all, but at this point in my life, I think I'll take my chances at what the world throws at me next because it can't get worse than this.

After my little chat with Ian, I make my way back to the parking lot to the gang. Together we got into the black car that came to pick Lucas up. The atmosphere of the car ride had a choking feeling. Seeing as no one was going to make an effort to talk to each other.

We all know what's on my mind, but what happened when I left them is a mystery to me.

Nate gets dropped off first before Giá and I are dropped off at the Lealtad townhouse.

"Were we you, chicas?" Abuela's voice greets us the moment we walk into the dark room living room.

Translation: Girls.

Nope, not heart-stopping at all.

Giá flips the lights on before replying to her, "Abuela, there was an away game for the basketball and football teams."

Abuela taps her trusty roll of newspaper on her chin, "That explains why the boys are not yet back."

That or they could have gone to an after-party. They could be out on one of their joy rides, but you didn't hear that from me.

She sat on a chair in the dark and waited for the rest of her family. I would consider it sweet if that trust roll of paper doesn't double as a homing missile.

"Alright then. We'll just head over to get some sleep, Buenas Noches, Abuela." I say and tug Giá towards the stairs.

Translation: Goodnight, grandma.

We part ways in the corridor, and the moment I walk into my room, I have to stop myself from going into a heart attack for the second time tonight.

"Hello, Maleficent." Shane welcomes me as he plays with the black sheets on my bed.

I cock my hip to the side and give him an unimpressed look, "If you keep popping out of nowhere, someone will beat the shit out of you one day." I turn back to the door and lock it before making my way to the closet.

"I decided to check up on my little sarcastic spitfire. How are ya?" He had a cheerful smile, but he wasn't fooling me.

"I could ask you the same thing." I retort while picking out my night clothes.

"Well, I've been okay. Just on the run from many people, the same old same old."

I hum in response and walk toward the bathroom for a quick shower. When I come out, Shane is on the phone. His whole stance is rigid as he speaks calmly in his native tongue on the phone.

For those of you who aren't aware, I've known Shane since Caleb's wannabe acting days. He was so good a stunt double I spent a lot of time with him thinking he was Caleb. Anyway, Shane Li is a Chinaman who is the literal meaning of a walking ghost. If you don't believe me, think about how he got into my room.

Either he's been trained to be a walking shadow, or he's hiding from the trouble he caused.

I place my bet on the two options.

Bottom line is he's a good friend and one of my older brothers.

I take in the bags under his eyes, sunken cheekbones, and his usual clothes drip off his frame.

It is safe to say that we are all going through shit, but for some, the shit show going on is more than they expected.

He sighs and ends the call. He turns to me and gives me a big smile that has me taking a step back.

"Why are you smiling like a druggie who has hit the jackpot?"

"Because Maleficent, nothing would ever make sense." His voice cracked at the end, but his eyes tell a different story, one I'm not sure I want to hear.

He pats the bed, "Come sit. We have things to discuss."

I comply with his wish and plant myself on the bed beside him. "Mind telling me why you decided to pay me a visit."

He scratches his chin, "I just wanted to check up on you."

Cue the eye roll.

"Try again."

"I was in town and decided to see how things are on your end." He states.

I sigh and hug my knees to my chest, "It could have been better, but I'm not a fan of lying to myself."

So to recap, I agreed to help Xena with past issues which would go down wrongly, but when has anything ever gone right for me since the year started?

My older cousins are God knows where again, but since I know Mateo as well as I do, I know he can keep Diego in check.

The tabloids demanded that my dad should honour the invitation Stuart Studios sent to him regarding their upcoming party. It's an invitation for him and his family.

Although I'm trying to fulfil my end of the bargain with Xena, if my meeting with Ian had taught me one thing, it's that she hasn't gone anywhere in rectifying the rumours she started.

Bitterness floods into my veins, but I do my best to bury it back.

If I ever want to move on from my family life, the least I could do is confront them about it, but I don't think that's happening anytime soon.

Shane snaps his hands in front of my face, "Trouble in paradise?" He has a knowing look on his face which makes me scowl.

"So, who did you piss off this time?"

"Apparently, my late father left the world without telling anyone he is a wanted man." He answers while having a faraway look in his eyes. He turns his head to the side, and a small cut appears under his jugular vein.

"Mind telling me who held you at knifepoint recently?" I ask while I reach my hand towards it to inspect it. It looked deep.

He shrugs my hand off his neck, "Just messing around with a couple of friends."

"If you say so. I never knew that you liked to get frisky while in the sheets." I mock him.

He lets out a breathy laugh and nudges his shoulder with mine.

"So what's eating away at your mind?" He mimics my position and rests his head on his knees.

I change my position into an indie style and gesture with my hands. "Let's see, we have my family crisis, my high school drama, and at least I forget my personal favourite is trying to make it out alive at the end of this year."

Shane looked amused as he took in my rant, "What of your new year resolutions?"

I snort, "They died the moment I stepped into that courtroom."

"What are you doing tomorrow?" He asks.

"I'm not going to follow you on an adventure if that's what you're asking."

"Not that. Taryn has some plans with you, and I was wondering if you could help me pass a message to Jacob through her."

"What is it?"

"Tell Jacob that things didn't settle properly. He should call black raven if he values his balls."

I cross my hands on my torso, "Now that's not cryptic at all."

He taps my nose, "Well, the message isn't for you."

"Do you think things will end up alright one day?" I can hear the frustration in my own voice.

It's not every day you can catch Shane Li off guard, and I think I just got lucky.

He allowed his guard drop for just a second, "Well, Maleficent, I'd be lying to myself if I told you yes. The most constant thing in life is change. The easier you adapt, the better your chances of making it alive." He pauses to scratch his head, and I notice cuts on his knuckles.

Messing with friends, my ass.

"I can assure you of one thing."

"What?" My curiosity picks itself up with hope.

"It only gets harder."

It was too good to be true.

-

When I woke up, Shane was nowhere to be found, but the window in my room was left slightly open with a small note attached.

"You'll be okay, Maleficent."

I can only hope that he is right.

I throw on casual clothes and join the rest of the Lealtad household for the weekend chores. It was no coincidence that Diego and I were on plate duty this morning.

I look down the corridor to ensure the coast is clear and start my interrogation.

I take a new plate and start wiping it clean, "How'd the game go?" I decided to start off lightly.

"Fine," His reply is curt, but when have I been one to back down from a challenge?

"Have you heard from the scout?"

His grip tightened on the glass he was washing.

"Marci, I'd appreciate it if you back down from trying to fix the problem between Ian, Jade, Xena and me. It's all in the past, and you have better things to do, don't you?"

Well, that went south quicker than I expected.

"I do, Diego. I have better things to do."

He scoffs, "Doesn't look like it."

I hold back my tongue and walk out of the kitchen.

Since my morning investigation didn't go down right, I decided to clean up the main living room and my room. By the time I finished, it was almost noon. I took a shower and made my way to the kitchen for brunch.

"Buenas tardes a todas." I steal a piece of toast from Gia's plate and settle on the seat beside her.

Translation: Good afternoon, everybody

A bowl of cereal is placed in front of me by her mom, Maya, and I tell her thank you as she kisses my cheek.

Diego and Mateo sit across from us and are knee-deep in large sandwiches, although with a slap to their heads with Abuela's trusty roll of newspaper, they correct their barbaric eating habits.

"So, what are you girls doing today?" Abuelo asks Giá and me, but his gaze is fixed firmly on me.

"I'm going out with a friend of mine." Shane's words of last night rang in my head. It made me wonder if anybody saw him leave.

The doorbell rings, and the youngest people in the room all ceremoniously shout, 'not it.'

My best friend happens to have slow vocal cords. With a grunt, she gets up, opens the main door and walks back into the kitchen with Taryn in tow.

"Hello, everybody," She looked taller. I do a double take and notice the high boots she has on.

I retract my earlier statement and or compliment.

"Hola, Chica, how can we help you?" Giá's father, Santiago, takes the lead on this one.

Taryn flashes them a warm smile, "I'm one of Caleb's friends. I came to ask for permission to take Marci out for the day and head over to the penthouse for the weekend."

"How do we know you're not a serial killer?" Mateo teases.

This comment has Taryn biting back a laugh, "Trust me, if I was, I could have simply waited for her to be alone and get the job done."

Why does that line sound familiar?

Cue Abuelo's glance at me once more. The one night his guard drops, my grandfather just had to be checking up on me.

I would slam my palm on my forehead, but that would raise too many questions, so I'll just stick to playing dumb.

"Is Giá coming with you?" All eyes are on Giá, and the sight is comical.

Giá is mid-chew in her toast, and like her brothers, she has many manners as a Pig when it starts courting a new pool of mud. I'm sure I have milk dripping down my chin, but I'm not sure anyone noticed.

Abuela raises her newspaper in the air, but Giá has fast reflexes as a cheerleader. She quickly swallows and replies.

"I'm recovering from yesterday's game, so I think I'll stick this one out."

All eyes shift to me, but the wink that Taryn sends my way has me looking forward to this outing of ours.

"When do we leave?"

-

"If you need anything, let us know." The Spa owner smiled warmly at us as she let her workers do their jobs while she walked away.

Currently, Taryn and I are in a spa in the local mall not far from the penthouse. Shawn is reading a magazine a few seats away from us. He looked up every hour to ensure we were still here.

We are both receiving manicures and Pedicures simultaneously.

"So, how are you, Marci?" She asks.

"Do you want the bigger sister version or the one I've been telling everyone since?" I ask her right back.

She shrugs, "Your call, sis. You know that you'll let it slip at one point. Best you do it in the right ears."

"Well, the gang and I have been dancing for the school since I bargained with Xena."

She raises one of the cucumber slices on her eye, "Isn't that the girl that has a weird hairdo every time I see her?"

"Ditto. We made a lot of deals, but the main thing at hand was for her to stop messing with my friends and me."

She drops the cucumber back onto her eye, "And what are you doing for her in return?"

Almost everyone is familiar with how deals work. I prefer to call the ones I do pacts. It gives it a nice ring, doesn't it?

"I'm supposed to help her settle an old feud between her and three other people. Two of those people blankly told me to butt out of it. So on Monday, I think I'll just tell her that it's beyond my power." I shrug.

"I never pegged you to be one to go back on your words Marci." She clicks her tongue.

Disappointment coats her tone.

"It's more of knowing when to stop. I'll talk to the last person and watch how it plays out."

"Have you talked to Marcel yet?"

"I don't plan to have contact with my parents anytime soon or at least till I know that it won't end with swear words and a tear bath."

She removes both of the cucumbers from her eyes as the women working on our hands and feet finish up and bring different nail polishes for us to pick from.

"I'll take white while she will take black," Taryn tells them and turns her head to me to give me her full attention.

"I know it's not much of my place to say, but your parents are hurting as much as you are. I know it sucks that the family has finally separated. When you're ready, I'm sure you'll know what to do. Just try and figure yourself out and stay away from high school drama. Okay?"

Older sisterly advice can give a motherly vibe if you get it from the right source.

I feel the corners of my lips tilt upwards, "Thank you, Taryn."

She grins, "Anytime."

"I don't see a ring on that finger. Jack hasn't maned up yet?"

"You and Caleb are one of the nosiest people I have met in a long time." A small smile tugs at her lips.

"I mean, you both haven't had an argument in ages, and the penthouse is now only filled with sex sounds. How does Abigail even survive? I know I would have gone to your room and told you both to-"

It's hard to take Taryn seriously when she is glaring at you, but that doesn't mean that she doesn't look scary at the very least.

"I dare you to complete that sentence."

"You know that Shawn is meant to protect you and me against others and not against each other, right?" I sass.

"I should have allowed Jacob to come instead; at least he would have allowed the drama before he held one of us down."

I roll my eyes, "Right."

After the pampering session, we decided to go window shopping in a jewellery shop. Although with the amount of bags Shawn carried on behalf of Taryn, I'm not sure the usual definition of window shopping is the same as hers.

"Finally, I was able to convince Gail to try the dress. She said, and I quote, 'if Marci didn't pick it, then I'm not wearing it'. You can cue the pout and the storming off after that."

"I guess my little sister is a handful," I wipe imaginary tears off my face, "I'm so proud. I trained her right."

With our elbows locked, we make our way toward the car. Taryn freezes up when we see a figure resting on the hood of it as if he owns it.

Shawn walks right past him and dumps the bags in the boot. He leans on the car when he's done.

Shawn is a logical person, and for him not to be moved, I'm going to assume right off the bat that the guy resting on the car might not be a foe.

"What are you doing here?" The coldness of her tone is enough to have me rethinking this guy's status.

"I can't stop by in town and say hello to my sister?"

Where's Jack and his popcorn bowl?

Taryn crosses her hands and cocks out her hip, "Cut the shit. What are you really here for?"

The guy lowers the shades he has on down the bridge of his nose and looks me up and down as if he knows me. I return a favour, but mine has disgust written all over it.

"Now's not the time to be an asshole, Terry. What are you really here for?" Taryn grits her teeth.

He rips his gaze away from me and focuses back on Taryn, "Well, for starters, our parents are dead. The rest of our relatives would like to chat with us, all of us."

"Ironically, I ran into our dear cousin a few months ago. When do they need to see us?"

For someone who just heard that the people who brought her into this world are no more, Taryn was calm, and I think that's why I look up to her.

Obviously, she has her moments of being Taryn. But she can always come through and knows how to conceal what is happening in that head of hers. She might drop her guard only around a selected few, but she's one of the strongest woman I have ever met. Right after Abuela, of course.

Nothing beats a former drill sergeant, newspaper-wielding old woman, who could make even the scariest of people wet their pants.

I'm not joking, there was this one time when we all went out for a picnic, and she made a grown man wet his pants because of the look he was sending Giá. Now that's a family moment that I will never forget.

"We have until Christmas break to see them unless they'll take the main decisions without us." He says.

She nods. Terry steps away from the car and starts walking backwards away from us.

"Nice to meet you too, Wellington." And with that, he gets onto a motorbike and drives away.

I turn to look at Taryn with a million questions, but I can only voice out the most obvious, "What. The. Hell?"

She shakes her head vigorously and gestures to the car. "Get in. I'll explain on the way home."

I comply with her request. We get in the back seat while Shawn gets into the driver seat.

The moment he pulls out of the parking lot, I turn to face Taryn.

She sighs and looks out of the window beside her. "Remember how I went back to my homeland last year during summer? Well, I went home because my poor excuse of my mother died, and with how complicated the customs are from where I'm from, I had to fly back home to make sure the burial goes well."

I nod in understanding, "So why did Terry look fresh out of a horror movie?"

"Terry, our cousin and I had a knack for getting into wild adventures while growing up?" A sad smile coats her face as if she can see her memories playing.

"So if you were to leave again, when would it be?"

"You heard my twin brother; I have to leave before the end of the year, or shit will get real."

-

A Sunday morning in the penthouse consisted of many things. Caleb went for an early morning swim in the pool, and Shawn hit the gym. Jacob slept with the new maid in his bedroom, Abigail slept in since we are not too big on religion in this household, and Jack and Taryn shagging in each other's room.

I guess now is the perfect time to make a new routine for a new dance video. I change into comfortable clothes, go to the dance room and spend my morning trying my hand at some new contemporary styles and maybe ballet.

I don't know how I'll convince Lucas and Nate to try a routine where ballet is included, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

A couple of hours later, I'm walking out of the corridor of wonders and see the new maid doing her duties as if she just got there.

I hone in on her neck and see no hickeys; her uniform is neat. The jaw-dropping part is that when she raises her head from vacuuming, she has a bright smile on her lips as we exchange pleasantries.

I'm either in a parallel universe, or Jacob was not kidding when he said he had been hooked on a girl. Well, I'll be damned.

I make my way to the kitchen and see my siblings having breakfast. I ruffle Gail's hair as I open the fridge for something to drink.

"Good more siblings, what's up?" I say chirpily.

"Nothing much, Marci. Are you expecting any visitors today?" Caleb asks.

I turn back to them and rest on the counter as I sip my water, "Not that I know off. Did anyone come for my hand in marriage?" I gush.

Caleb shoots me a dry look, "You going out on dates with Nathan is still pending under management."

I roll my eyes and mutter into the bottle as I take another sip, "Looks like my love life needs another set of staff and a new CEO then."

"Very funny," He rolls his eyes, "Nathan stopped by earlier and asked if he and you could go on a date this evening."

"Okay, but why didn't he just come in and ask me face to face or use this thing called mobile phones?"

"You and Taryn came at an unholy time yesterday because the press hasn't given up on their relentless pursuit to get all up in our business."

Don't even get me started with them. I could thank the heavens above for giving me teeth that I use to bite my tongue.

I raise my bottle to him, "Welcome to the fucking club, brother."

"What's fucking?" I almost do a spit take as Gail repeats my swear word.

I move away from the counter, "Gail, it's when-"

Caleb starts to glare at me, and I wink in response.

I continue my explanation as I make my way towards the door, "It's when two people perform a very fancy type of dance."

She cocks her head to the side, and her face scrunches up, "Can you teach me?"

"It would take a lot of practice, and with the way, Marci's schedule is going..." Caleb tries to do damage control. Taryn and Jack decide to walk into the kitchen at that moment.

"Gail, if you really wanted to know how to dance it, Jack and Taryn are the best people to teach you." I have trouble biting back the mischievous smile that settles on my face.

Caleb face-palms and the new teachers in question give me matching weird looks.

Gail bounces on her seat and motions for Jack and Taryn to come closer. Both of them look from me to Gail and approach her like a wild animal that could attack.

"Marci said you guys are very good at fucking and said it's a cool type of dance. I was wondering if you could teach me." She pulls out the puppy dog eyes and pouty lips.

I have approximately three pairs of eyes glaring at me, and I salute them as I leave the kitchen.

"She's your problem now," I call over my shoulder and head for the stairs.

Once I get to the top, I make my way to the other side of the hallway and make another turn before landing on Jacob's door. I have only been to this part of the penthouse a couple of times and if I thought walking in on my parents in my dad's office was traumatising, I hadn't met Jacob yet.

I inhale before I knock. Almost immediately, the door opens, and my reflexive action is to cover my eyes with my hand.

"Do you really think that low about me?" He says.

My words are muffled by my palms.

"Come in if you want to talk."

Sceptically I drop my palms from my eyes and walk into his room. I can't remember the last time I stepped into this room, but a few things have changed.

His room consisted of just three colours. All the wooden objects had a reddish-brown glow to them. The remaining furniture was blue, while the walls, floors and ceiling were white. I sometimes questioned Jacob's true nationality, but I can assure you that I'm not that nosy.

I plant myself on the beanbag at the corner of the room, "Are you sick?"

Jacob swivels around from his computer chair and shoots me a look that has me thinking I'm the one that's mentally sick.

"I beg your pardon?"

Well, pour a bucket of paint on my head, stick a baguette on my forehead and call me a fucking unicorn.

"Jacob, what have you been up to recently?" My eyes go wide because I can't believe what I'm seeing. I must have woken up in another universe because the Jacob I know would not be checking out the jobs list.

There's only one reason to do that. Jacob could literally start a small country with the amount of money my dad pays him and his brother, but something tells me he hasn't saved any of it for retirement.

He scoffs and turns back to the computer on the desk, "If you're going to insult me, then do it from the comfort of outside my room."

Maybe I need to dial down my sarcasm when it comes to him, "Jacob, I'm not teasing you to get you to throw your shoe at my head. I'm just really surprised."

"Why is everyone surprised that I have finally decided that I want to settle down?" He sighs.

I raise a brow as amusement coats my tone, "I wouldn't say surprised. I would say bloody speechless. You've met the way you handle women before, right?"

He turns to face me, "I understand that I was the male version of a hooker that wasn't getting paid. I like this girl, and it's the least I could do for my momma."

I never pegged Jacob to be a momma's boy, but I'm out of the loop of many things these days.

"What about your momma, Jacob?"

His eyes started getting red.

I swore I saw a box of tissues somewhere in this room.

"She's about to die of old age. She really wants to see me settle down before she goes. She tried her best to raise Shawn and me even though I was a thorn in her spine more than half the time; she never gave up on me."

Cue a few drops, and I scramble out of my seat for the box of tissues hiding beside his computer.

I take it and hand it to him. He took one tissue from the top and dabbed his eyes.

"I'm not trying to be a saint right out of hell. I'm trying to make my momma proud. I want a good woman beside me. Sometimes I envy Jack because even though he treats Taryn like shit, she's it for him. Jack, Shane and I used to have a cul-de-sac of fucking back in the day. If Jack can settle down then I'm sure I can too."

I didn't even need to offer any words of encouragement. He knows the problem and is trying to solve it the right way. My respect for Jacob grew at that moment.

I pat his shoulder, and he offers me a sad smile. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shrug, "I didn't see many things coming this year, and this is one of the ice breakers. I'm really proud of you, Jacob. I hope this girl is worth the sacrifice."

He nods and turns to the computer, "So what extra jobs do you think I should get to raise more funds?"

"I'd say standup comedian, or you could wait for your next paycheck and plan properly." I scratch my chin to think.

"One rule about life and wealth is to never put all your eggs in one basket. If you want things to work in your favour, you've got to think big." He says.

"If you've got more talents, then you could access them to get in some cash, but remember one thing."

He's already typing away at his computer, "What's that?"

"If that woman makes you heartbroken, let me know," I say quietly.

He snorts in his own laughter, "Will do."

"Speaking of heart breakers, Shane paid me a visit and said to tell you that things didn't settle properly and you should call black raven if you value your balls." I shrug.

He tenses up for a moment but continues clicking on his computer. "I'll handle that later."

"See you later, Jacob."

I let myself out of his room and go back to my room. I walk in, and my phone screen lights up.

I picked it up from the nightstand and read the text that Giá sent me.

'Bestie, log into the local news; you might want to check it out.'

I had a feeling what I would see would make me throw my phone against the wall, but I took chances.

"The invitation to Mr Marcel Wellington, owner of Wellington Records by Mr Leo Stuart also the owner of Stuart Studios, is yet to be answered. In an earlier interview, Mr Leo confessed that his sole reason for wanting his competitor's attendance at his party is to try and mend old issues."

Bullshit!

"As for Mr Marcel, his answer would come this evening during his interview and let's hope the rivalry between these two wouldn't end in lawsuits or America could be looking at more Drama to start off the end of the winter season."

My grip tightens on my phone as the news reports switch to sports. I swipe the screen, go to call logs and tap on one of the numbers.

"I'll attend your party if you stop trying to make my dad look like the bad guy here." I grit into the phone.

His laugh was sinister as he replied to me, "And why would I do something that Marcel is completely capable of doing by himself."

I try to keep a level voice, "If I attend the party as Lucas's date, you will get the media to stop meddling with my father."

He tsks, "Now that's not a fair deal, Marcella. I don't get anything out of this."

Lucas would shoot me in the leg for this one, but I'm between a rock and hard place. I have to convince one of his children to enter the music industry, or I see my dad get disgraced on television.

Don't me wrong, I'm still not happy about my parents splitting up, but that doesn't mean I'm going to allow a Lowlife to try and get caught up in the shit storm my family has created.

"I'll talk to Skye for you," I mutter sweetly.

"And?" He asks expectantly.

"Don't push it, old man. We both know I'm doing you a stupid favour. Do we have a pact?" I roll my eyes as the words feel bitter in my mouth because of the person I am offering it to.

"You've got yourself a deal, Marcella."

I end the call and facepalm.

This year couldn't get more dramatic now, could it?

Yes, it can and it will.