It had been two months after Leilani's failed marriage to Atlas, and those months had been anything but easy. She had spent those days struggling to come to terms with how quickly everything had fallen apart, forced to let go of the man she had onced planned to spend her forever with.
Loneliness had been her companion, though not always. There were moments of fun, rare days when she hung out with Mandy. Mandy was quite busy, running a demanding nine to five job and spending weekends out of town, visiting her boyfriend's Mom who was battling cancer.
For Leilani, most of her days were spent at the art gallery, painting under Mrs Victoria's instructions.
And sometimes after she had closed for the day, either heading out of the premises or arriving home at their family mansion; she would find Atlas waiting for her. He would beg for her forgiveness, asking that they get back together. He had done it to the extent that some of his lines were now stuck in her head.
And as for her sister Lucia, they barely run into each other. Leilani never confronted her about the betrayal nor did she tell Mrs Victoria the real reason why she ended things with Atlas. She simply said she fell out of love with him, And Mrs Victoria did not push further. In Fact, when it comes to Leilani's personal affairs, she barely offered an opinion, only saying she was free to do as she pleased.
But Lucia knew the truth. Atlas did tell her that Leilani had walked in on them that night at the party, and she didn't even feel a tiny bit of remorse, rather she uses the slightest opportunity to mock her each time they happen to run into each other.
Presently, the immediate family of Mr Thomas were at the grand dining hall of the mansion, gathered for dinner after a long and overwhelming day.
Leilani's gaze drifted around the table before settling on the empty chair at the head of the table; the chair where her father usually sits at dinner.
A wave of grief washed over her, suffocating her chest. Her eyes, puffy and red from hours of crying, felt heavy.
Mr Thomas had passed away three nights prior as a result of a sudden cardiac arrest and was laid to rest a few hours ago.
Blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, she turned her attention to her mom and sister. She watched as they ate in silence, their expressions lighting up with delight as they took each bite.
Then Mrs Victoria spoke, breaking the silence that had been filled only by the sound of silverware clicking against fine china.
"Sarah, how is the planning for the hotel's anniversary coming along?" she asked her assistant seated beside her.
Sarah hesitated, glancing around the table before responding "Um….it's going well, ma'am. The catering and decorations have already been booked".
Mrs Victoria nodded in approval.
"Good. I want nothing to go wrong. This gala is very crucial to the Williams group".
Leilani couldn't help but scoff under her breath. Her eyes darkened as she listened to the rest of their conversations, her favourite meal of spaghetti and turkey remained untouched.
"Typical Mrs Victoria!
How could she comfortably discuss the affairs of the gala, asking about decorations and catering, when they had just buried the chairman….and her husband. Does that even matter now. The gala is two months away for crying out loud….."
Leilani took a deep breath in an attempt to suppress her irritation but it flared up again when her mother continued.
"Sarah" Mrs Victoria called, raising a champagne glass to her lips. "Have all the invitations been sent to our esteemed guests?"
"Yes, ma'am". Sarah replied quickly. "Invitations has been sent to all our esteemed guests including politicians, business leaders and influential socialites"
"Great! Mrs Victoria remarked and resumed eating but paused again.
"And my dress? The one being designed by Couturier Rebecca. I want nothing to go wrong."
Sarah nodded. "Everything is on track, ma'am. She...…
A loud bang cut her off.
Leilani's fist slammed against the table, rattling the plates and cutleries.
A stunned silence fell over the room. Heads snapped towards her in shock.
Leilani has always been known as the quiet and peaceful one. Her sudden reaction left everyone frozen in place.
"Are you being serious right now?" she demanded, her voice trembling, not with fear but with the force of her anger.
"You are sitting here, talking about the gala, fussing over your dress as if dad's death is just some minor inconvenience?"
Mrs Victoria's fork halted midair. Her composed expression faltered for a moment before she quickly regained control. She arched an eyebrow, her tone clipped.
"I understand you're upset but...…"
"No, you don't understand". Leilani snapped.
Her furious gaze flickered between her mother and Sarah.
"We buried him today. Today! And you are acting like it is just business as usual. Do you even care that he is gone?"
Mrs Victoria's lips pressed into a thin line. Her eyes narrowed.
"Watch your tone, young lady. This is neither the time nor place for hysterics".
"Hysterics?" Leilani let out a bitter laugh and pushed back her chair, rising to her feet.
"You think I am hysterical? Maybe if you had a single shred of humanity left in you. You would feel something other than excitement over the upcoming gala."
Lucia, who had been silently watching, suddenly slammed her hands on the table and rose to her feet to face Leilani.
"Enough! She snapped. "We get it. You are grieving. We all are. But what gives you the right to sit here and judge us for trying to move things forward?"
Leilani's eyes widened as she turned to Lucia, her voice trembling with disbelief.
"Move things forward? Are you seriously in support of this?"
"Yes. Because someone has to be practical here. Dad's gone but the world does not stop spinning. Besides, he was all about the cheddars and now that he's gone, we need to make sure everything goes well for the money to keep coming."
Leilani scoffed, shaking her head.
"There is a difference between being practical and being heartless. And you are just heartless thinking about money right now."
Lucia let out a short crazy laugh "Then fine, I'm heartless. At least I'm not a pathetic and naive bitch like you."
Her eyes flashed as she took a step closer.
"You are just a stupid weak girl who could not get a guy to fuck her." She sneered, her voice dripped with venom.
The words landed like a slap.
Leilani felt like she had been punched in the gut as Lucia's words cut deep into her like a blade. Her vision gradually became blurry with tears, her lungs felt like they were collapsing.
The room fell silent, the tension suffocating. Everyone stared at Leilani, shock written on their faces.
The servants standing around the room exchanged uneasy glances but remained quiet, keeping their expressions blank as if they did not hear a thing.
Sarah shifted awkwardly in her seat. Mrs Victoria on the other hand just sighed, dabbing her mouth with a napkin. Her expressions remained unreadable.
Without a word, Leilani pushed back her chair. She glanced one last time at her father's empty seat. Then she turned and walked out of the dining room without looking back, her steps quick and uneven.
By the time she reached her room, she was trembling. She slammed the door shut behind her and leaned against it, her sobs breaking free.
She then walked over to her bed and sank into it, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed.
Lucia's cruel words kept replaying in her mind, stinging every time
"A weak girl who could not even get a guy to fuck her"
The words hurt, but they also stirred something inside her.
Through her tears, she sat up. Her fist clenched.
"No! This couldn't go on" She said out loud, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
She decided at that moment that she would no longer allow Lucia the satisfaction of mocking her. She would no longer tolerate the mistreatment from her family. If they thought they could treat her miserably forever, they were wrong.
She would focus on her own happiness. And the first step? Never thinking about Atlas again.
She knew it would be hard, but she was willing to try.
And as for her family? She was done trying to fit in.
And if possible, she would make them pay for every cruel act they had inflicted on her.
Screw them all!