It was around 4 am when Alaric pulled up in the parking lot of his apartment building. As he rode the elevator he had an unfocused look on his face and when he got to his apartment he keyed in the code and walked into the dark apartment tiredly.
He was ready to drop into his bed and fall asleep after spending the whole night looking for Ivy to no avail. They had looked for her in every place they could think of and she was nowhere to be found.
Alaric felt a little tinge of guilt that she had heard what they said about her but he felt more relief. He had been bottling up his feelings for the past two years, tip toeing around Ivy and dreading being forced to marry her.
Now that she knew his true feelings, Alaric knew that Ivy was too proud to accept that treatment, she would reject him and he would not be forced to marry her.
As he shut the door behind him, the lights in the apartment suddenly went on, blinding him for a second. He immediately went alert, ready to challenge the intruder when his mother's unexpected voice shocked him.
"What do you think you are doing, Alaric?"
"Mother, father, you…" Alaric stammered, shocked at his parents presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Cleaning up the mess you've made." Thomas Korn answered sternly.
"I can't believe that I raised such a mean and inconsiderate man." Maggie said as she approached him. "What is wrong with you? You have always treated Ivy tenderly, what has changed?"
Alaric flinched at the expression on his mother's face. She was usually a sweet and kind hearted woman that never had anything bad to say about anyone but right at that moment she looked like she was ready to tear him apart.
Maybe it is good that we have this showdown, let's have everything out in the open. They can't hold me to the words I said when I was in kindergarten and knew no better.
"How could you?" Maggie demanded. "That poor child just lost her father, she has no one left in this world and you had to break her heart like that?"
Alaric's eyes darted nervously between his parents.
The incident with Ivy had happened only a few hours ago, how had they found out so soon?
"I had noticed how cold you have gotten towards her but i simply assumed that you were busy." Maggie continued, "Explain yourself Alaric, what made you so cruel to tha sweet child?"
Sweet? That poison Ivy is anything but sweet.
Alaric took a deep breath then said. "Mother, Ivy is not the person that you think she is. I see her for who she really is and i don't want to get married to a woman like that."
*SLAP!!!*
The slap stunned all three of them because Maggie never resorted to physical violence, she had never raised her hand against Alaric before.
"You are no son of mine." Maggie said, breathing heavily. "If you don't find that child and convince her to forgive you and marry you, consider yourself cut off from this family."
With that she walked out of the apartment, leaving Thomas staring down at his son.
"You know how much your mother loves Ivy, how could you say that? I never knew that the day would come when you would hurt your mother this way."
With that he unceremoniously left too, leaving Alaric alone with his burning cheek.
That snake has my parents wrapped around her tiny finger. I'm going to have to do something. I wonder how the others are doing.
*
Unlike everyone else who was heading home after searching for Ivy, Rhys was headed to another club when his phone rang.
A look at caller ID made him groan inwardly and brace himself before picking up.
"Hello, Dad."
"I want you to come home immediately." The voice on the other end said and promptly ended the call.
Rhys sighed and took a U-turn and headed to the Park mansion. As he approached the massive gates, they swung wide open and he drove in.
When he stepped into the mansion the butler was waiting at the door and he bowed.
"The master is in the study waiting for you."
Without a word Rhy walked down the corridor to his father's door and he opened it without knocking, catching his father with some young starlet sitting on his lap.
"Don't you have manners boy." Adrian Park's voice boomed, then in a softer voice he spoke to the girl who was still sitting on his lap.
"Sweetcake, why don't you go upstairs and wait for me?"
When the girl got to her feet, Adrian smacked her bum, eliciting a giggle from her as she sashayed out.
"Every year they get younger." Rhys said scornfully.
"I am not the one on the stand, you are!" Adrian bellowed. "How dare you sit here and lecture me?"
"Father I…"
"No excuses!" Adrian slapped his hands on the table and rose to his feet, his eyes hot on his son then he took a deep breath and lowered himself back into his seat.
"I thought you loved the girl, what is wrong?" He asked softly.
"I don't love Ivy, I was a child who did not know better."
Adrian stared at his son contemplatively. He did not understand how devotion could change so swiftly but he honestly did not want to delve into that.
"Love doesn't matter Son," Adrian said in a placating voice. "Park entertainment needs this alliance with Miss Moneybags, we need you to do this for the family."
"But…"
"No buts Rhys, you can have whoever you want on the side but marriage to Ivy is non negotiable. Go find that girl, buy her some trinkets I'm sure she'll like that and forgive you."
Rhys opens his mouth, about to protest, to beg his father to let him live his life on his own terms then he shut his mouth.
"Make sure to get her before any of those other boys get a chance, we can't allow this opportunity slip out of our hands."
How do i convince a man who only sees me as a tool, one who has never understood love?
I'll marry you Ivy and miss the chance to be with the woman i truly love. It will be hell but you will also be in hell too.