Seventeen

Auriella Everleigh Soleil

"Come in," I called the person who was knocking. I was looking into the mirror applying a coat of lip gloss so I caught who was walking in through the mirror.

I was honestly surprised Emmeline came to me after what happened over the weekend. I embarrassed her, she was livid and there had been even more intense tension surrounding all of us. Surprisingly she didn't tattle to Lillana and Nicholas so they, Crew and Nolan knew nothing about what was going on even though they had all tried to find out.

We were all closed-lipped. Ezra, Elijah and Grayson were on my side, they didn't agree with her going after my boyfriend and knew this was the only way to give her a wake-up call since Lilliana was actually encouraging her and she wouldn't listen to anyone else. Gabriel though was pissed at me, whereas Emmeline just had ignored my existence for the last five days Gabriel had been shooting me glares.

I knew what I had done wasn't the most ethical but she was lucky I didn't respond the way I wanted to.

"Can I help you?" I wasn't rude but I wasn't nice either, just neutral. I bend down and tie the laces on my shoes. I was ready to head out and all I needed was for Emmeline to get out what she wanted to say.

"Yeah, I wanted to have a chat with you quickly, are you in a rush?" She knew where I was planning on going, Ezra had let my plans slip this morning when we were all in the kitchen before school, they knew when I got home from ballet Eleanor was taking me to get my hair and nails done since I hadn't had the time for pampering since I had arrived.

I was due for a good trim and I hadn't had my nails done since I picked them off during the flight over here out of nervousness.

"Yes, I should meet Eleanor in a couple minutes so unless what you want to discuss takes less than two minutes it might have to wait until we get back."

I was tired of this, I had been here one month, one month of me being mindful I didn't step on toes, letting it slide when Emmeline said something I didn't like or flirted with my boyfriend. One month of her antagonising me and Lilliana doing nothing but edging her on. I was fed up, things might not have been my house but I was a human being, I was on the verge of either going and staying at the Walker household or going to live at the house Xander and I had bought.

We went over there a couple times a week. Just when we needed alone time, sometimes we went together to make up for a time as a couple doing things we couldn't do living in very crowded houses or alone when we had meetings or work to catch up on. Or we just needed the alone time, the quietness we had been used to.

It was a lovely space we had bought, it was a massive amount of land, it had a lot of animals ranging from sheep, to cows to horses and we had gotten a dozen workers and had started prepping the fields to grow vegetables that when they are ripe we are going to donate them to different schools, hospitals and old age homes. The house is right at the back, fenced off from all the activity. It was small, or well smaller than we were used to, it was a log cabin type of building with three bedrooms. One was ours and the other two had been converted to an office and the other to a gym since we went there some mornings instead of actually going to the gym as people thought.

"I just wanted to ask you, why did you think it was okay to embarrass me in front of my friends and siblings like that?"

"Why did you think it was okay to make moves on my boyfriend? That isn't okay Emmeline, do you know how long we have been together?" She shook her head. "About four now, but we have really always been with each other. Nate and I were with each other through something so bad you can't even imagine. I know he would never leave me, if it wasn't that he genuinely loved me there is far too much on the line. You don't know him or me. If you try the wrong thing with the wrong person it will end terribly."

"But you didn't have to emb..."

"Can I finish talking?" I ask and she nods solemnly, she actually genuinely looked upset. "Why do you want to go after someone in a relationship?"

"I-I do-don't" She stutters out.

"Okay let's look at it, Nate's attractive, and caring, he had a steady job and a ton of money. He's down to earth and overall an amazing person. Now let's think of a cheater, people don't like those, people can agree they are slimy and just awful people, nobody likes a cheater. As nice as a man looks by pushing him to pursue you even when he has someone else, and he takes the bait that makes him a cheater. But don't you know the saying once a cheater always a cheater. If someone could cheat on me, what makes you think they won't do it to you, because let's face it, besides colouring, you and I are almost identical."

She looks at me in thought.

"Would you like to be in a relationship with someone, constantly worrying they are going to find someone prettier and smarter, that they are going to start seeing someone behind your back? You'll feel blindsided and lied to, and I can bet you the guy won't feel sorry for you, he will just move on to his next victim. You don't deserve that, you deserve someone who will love you unconditionally, who will put you first every single time. Who will support your dreams and hold you through your nightmares? And I both think we can agree Nate's not that person for you, first I think we can agree if you can't get through a little bit of embarrassment from me you will not last meeting his grandparents and cousins."

When she sees I actually made a joke out of the last bit she cracks a watery smile even though tears are streaming down her face. I think she finally got the reality check she needed.

"I'm sorry." She says, her voice cracking.

"You haven't processed anything yet." She won't feel sorry until she lies back on her bed and thinks about everything I have said to her. "But Emmeline, I was being nice this time around being like long lost twins or whatever but the next time you try and get with my boyfriend you will find out why people back home are terrified of me, I have a lot of resources and know how to use them. Have a good day."

I skipped down the stairs, Eleanor was waiting for me in her car. "I am so sorry, I was on my way down but something got in my way." I offer

"Don't worry sweetheart, I wasn't waiting alone. You look gorgeous, that sweater looks comfortable."

"It is." I had worn just a random sweater I had and a pair of greyish jeans. Paired with a pair of black and white sneakers and my hair was left natural since I was getting it done right now. "But I love that top, it's chiffon?"

"It is, I picked it up in New York the last time I took a trip up there." She brightened up at the compliment, looking genuinely pleased that someone commented on her top.

"Next time you go, I might sneak up with you and we can go shopping," I told her.

"I would love that, James always complains I spend too much on clothes but shopping is therapeutic." She rolls her eyes, probably picturing the lectures she has gotten from her husband.

"I know exactly what you mean, my best friend and I always go shopping, we claim retail therapy as the best form of it. One day in the future I should take you shopping where I go in London, I think you would love it."

"It's a date. But in the meantime, I can take you to the next town over to go shopping and we'll see what you think of what we have here." Eleanor smiles at me, and she rounds another corner. I could tell she was enjoying this as much as I was. She stops in front of a small salon.

"The ladies here are absolutely amazing, I have been coming here for decades." She grabs her purse and I follow her into the store. The salon was adorable and practically empty.

"Girls, I would like you to meet my daughter-in-law, Everleigh. She is an absolute darling." Eleanor introduces me to the four employees and I feel my cheeks heat. I knew I was going to marry Lex but to hear the woman who birthed him calling me his wife was something I have never experienced. The women were lovely, one was doing my hair, another was doing Eleanor's, the third was the nail technician and the last was a receptionist. They were all older southern women and in the time I spent with them I have never heard so many current stories about what was going on around town.

"So, darling, what are we doing to your hair?" Darla asked, pulling my curls over my shoulder. I watch her in the long salon mirror.

"I really need a trim, maybe other than just a blow dry and straighten." I didn't straighten my hair often, and if I did it was in winter but it now fell and we were leading up to the cold season. "I don't want to take off much, just the dead ends so like an inch maybe."

"We can definitely do that for you darling."

It was official I loved these women and I was definitely going to be back every other week to get my nails done to spend some time with them. And they were amazing, Darla hadn't fried my hair and it was still healthy and Edith was an awesome nail technician, she had done a blue marble pattern for me and had done a more modern variation of a french tip for Eleanor.

"I will definitely be back in a couple weeks," I tell the women while I pay, despite Eleanor's insistence I was paying and I had left a very high tip on each of them, their prices were way too low for what work they did. I might take them back home and they would make big money working for all the rich women in London. "Have a great evening."

"You too darling."

"Thank you." I thank Eleanor when we get back to the car.

"For what, sweetheart. I didn't do anything."

"For taking me with you, and really just taking me under your wing, it means a lot to me." Eleanor looked touched.

"Well can I tell you a secret, I have two daughters, both of whom would rather do this type of thing with their friends and will hardly go with me anywhere? I am really honoured you want to spend time with me."

"I didn't really have mother figures growing up, I had my grandmother, but she lived in France and my friend's mom but other than that I didn't have someone to do this with me. Actually, I have a lot of friends who grew up with single fathers. If you took us all on a trip like this you can't imagine how happy they would all be."

"Are there really that many people without mothers?" The statement sounds absurd to Eleanor, she adored her kids and she couldn't imagine a life without them.

"Actually yeah, there's me and Nate who were adopted by single men. Then there are people like my best friend Adelina, her mother, unfortunately, passed away during childbirth, and then there is Lina's cousin, Livia. Her mother is an entirely different story, the mother ran away with her four older brothers leaving her alone with her dad."

"Why would she do that?" Eleanor asked with a gasp.

"Money causes problems, a lot of them and she thought it was a way to get her kids safe from the lifestyle they were born into. She had the chance to save four out of her five children and she took it."

The mafia lifestyle was a tricky one, and not one I let myself get involved with besides being friends with several heirs. Adelina, her cousin Livia and a lot of other people had been born into that lifestyle and they were great at it but I know many mafia kids who are looking for their way out.

Of course, I couldn't tell Eleanor that the girl I was talking about was the heir to the Italian mafia, I could only tell her a half-truth again.

"But Livia's okay, she has an amazing dad and an awesome step-mom as well as a couple step-siblings and a half-brother now." I smile thinking of that family. I had gone a couple times with Adelina. "Nate doesn't like her half-brother though."

"Why." Eleanor looked perplexed.

I grin forms on my face. "Luciano has a crush on me, he's only eleven or twelve and I find it really amusing but everyone else not so much."

Eleanor laughs and drives up the road to the houses. "Thank you, Eleanor. I really really mean it."

I had said that so many times today but I felt like I couldn't express my gratitude enough. I loved when people willingly went out of their way to spend time with me, after all the rejection I had felt in my life it was nice. And like I had said I never had a mother figure and I was glad one wanted to be in my life.

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"The launch is ready to go," I told one of my employees. "The winter collections are advertised everywhere."

I glance down at the sketches I had. This was the first time I hadn't seen my creations come to life before my eyes. Normally I was right in the workrooms with my seamstresses watching all my ideas come to life, I nitpicked my designs until they were perfect and now I was across the ocean only being sent the pieces that had been completed so I could approve them for mass production.

I had started working on this year's winter collection maybe a year and a half ago so I had worked through everything already and it was all finalised but I hated being away from my business.

Ètinceler was my little baby, it wasn't like Ambivalent where everything was big and modern, it didn't have the dark, futuristic theme. If anything Ètinceler was the opposite. I had multiple warehouses that employed numerous lovely seamstresses, designers and so many other people I had all met personally when I conducted interviews or even just sorted through their resumes. Everything was light and pink and showcased everything in my life after I was rescued.

"Yes, I have approved the lace bodysuit, but I have also seen it in navy. But can you please also ask Lydia to make one of those in white and maybe the cream lace so I can see if we can offer that in different colours?"

"Of course, Miss Soleil." Another knock on my door, I was tired and I really just wanted to be left alone. I knew it wasn't Elijah, Ezra or Gray because we were now at the point of barging into one another's bedrooms unless of course I was with Xander and they knew he was in my room then they made sure to announce their presence.

I actually went to the door and opened it and honestly I was surprised to see Nicholas there. So far I have had problems with Lilliana and Emmeline, Gabriel and I don't get along but we just let each other exist but Nicholas had hardly been around since I got here. He worked late and seemed to only interact with Emmeline and Gabriel.

"Uh, can I help you?" I open the door wider and invite him inside. He takes in my space. I hadn't changed it too much but I did now have a desktop sitting on the desk and I also had a clothing rail which was filled with the new launch outfits. I hadn't had space for them in my regular closet. Other than that it looked pristine since I had tidied it up earlier.

"I just wanted to come and check how you are settling in?" I raise an eyebrow at Nicholas in disbelief.

"I'm good, thank you," I answer in the socialite tone I had grown up using.

"Are you getting along with your siblings?"

"Well enough." I guess that's average.

"And are you happy with the school, I heard you don't get along with one of your teachers." He looks at me for an explanation.

"I don't get along with people who are on a power trip and try to bully kids because they think they are on a pedestal." I wasn't only talking about Mrs Miller, it was a jab at his wife and by his expression, he knew it.

His eyes scan my bedroom and then they land on the picture on my desktop screensaver. It was a picture of a much younger me along with a man who was looking at me like I was his whole world. He was throwing me up in the air and you could tell I was happy.

So, so happy.

My biological father was looking at a picture of me and Papa with absolute heartbreak in his eyes.

The thing was these people expected sympathy for their heartbreak, but what about me? Where were they when I was going through hell when I needed a family? I don't need one now but I did back then

"I'm really glad you are back home, Everleigh."

The next chapter is finished so give me a couple days to edit and then it will be up as well

Thank you for reading. Please vote and leave a couple comments and I will see you next chapter

Ara <3