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51

"Ew, don't call me that. I'm not an ant anymore. I'm strong and I can probably beat your ass." She flexed her nonexistent muscles in a challenging manner.

"Oh, I'm so scared," I fake cry and let out a laugh. "Well, I'll see you at dinner later. I have to go talk to Belle."

"Wait, she's here?" Lina began jumping up and down in excitement as she began heading for the door.

"Not so fast, Lina." I block her path with my body. "I have to talk to her about a very serious matter and I think maybe you should give her a break today. Talk to her tomorrow."

She frowned and jumped back onto her bed. "Fine. Bye."

"Bye little sister." I smile and depart her room heading into Arabelle's direction.

"We heard what happened." Gus called out from behind me as I was about to knock on Belle's door. I turn around to find Augustus and Wren standing at the entrance of the hallway with their knuckles turning white from their clenched fists as they fumed with rage. I pace towards them and stop them from moving any further.

"Yeah, I'm going to go talk to her alone. I don't need any of you in there."

"She's my sister," Gus retorted as his face turned red. "And I will kill Astor for what he did."

"Astor will suffer but I need to talk to her alone without anyone else in there. You both can talk to her tomorrow, not today."

"But she's our sister, brother. We have a right to be in there," Wren complained as he backed Gus up.

"You heard me." My eyes narrowed themselves on their faces, shooting them with a scowl. "I said not today. Me and her need to have a chat first. So you both stay here while I do that."

"Fine," Gus spat as he stormed off with Wren beside him. I know that they both love Belle but I can't have them dancing around.

I sigh and turn into her direction once again. Knocking on her door, I enter when I get a faint 'come in' from her. Walking in I notice her sitting on the patio swing placed in her balcony as she gazed at the moon that was beginning to peak. I open the buttons of my suit as I take a seat next to her. She refused to acknowledge my presence with her eyes still fixed above.

"So, how do you know Arie?" I break the awkward silence that began to haunt me.

"The night of her rape, Astor and Alicio were fighting over her about something so I looked into her and got in touch with her brother to figure out the connection. It had been a month and I still got nothing so I went to dinner at their house as her brother's fake girlfriend and that's how she knows me. Then Ray told me everything when I saw her at your party and I dropped the entire thing about investigating her."

"No wonder you didn't react much when I told you about what Astor did."

She scoffed and shook her head looking at her feet. "Yeah." She lifted her head and gazed at me. "You love her, don't you?"

I knew it was coming. "I can't." I look up at the stars that began to twinkle as the night began to creep on us. I could sense her eyes still etched onto my face as she spoke up again.

"Because of Verona?" She blurted out pulling my eyes into her direction. "Leo," she placed her hand on my tensed shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. "You can't be hung up on her forever. It's been two years since she..."

"Belle, we are not going to talk about her." I brush off her hold on me and tighten my grip on the seat of the swing. Belle knows exactly how I feel but she has never brought Verona up since it all happened until today.

"You haven't spoken of her since that day and keeping it in is not going to help anyone. You closed in on yourself after what happened with mother fourteen years ago and then after Verona..."

"Belle, stop!" My voice rises as I try to control my rising temper. "We are not going to talk about them at all so drop it."

"Why are you torturing yourself?" She queried worriedly. "I see the way you and Arie look at one another. You both want to pounce on each other but aren't for some reason. I know you're scared after what happened with Verona two years ago but Arie is different and she can take care of herself."

"She's not made for our world, Belle. I can't put her through that." I slouch low into the swing and close my eyes.

"I think she can handle it like she did today. She's a strong girl, you and I both know it very well."

"I know she's strong, more than many out there, but I just can't."

"So what are you gonna do?" She cocked her head to the side with annoyance. "Continue to have meaningless sex with meaningless women? Is that what you're going to do for the rest of your life?" A laugh escapes my throat as I was speechless and had nothing to say back to her. "I know what you did after Verona was gone. Having sex with money hungry women isn't going to soothe your pain and make you feel better. And I also know that after meeting Arie you haven't slept with any other woman."

I turn my gaze towards her in amazement. "How do you know that?"

"I have eyes and ears everywhere." She let out a frustrated sigh and looked down at her feet. "You're scared that she might meet the same fate as Verona and I get it."

"Then you know exactly why I can't feel for her."

"But you already have feelings for her. You fucking love her, just admit it."

"Yes, I love her," my voice roared as I glare at Belle whose mouth slowly formed into a smile. "I'm stupidly and madly in love with her and I can't help it. Happy?"

"Very," she laughs out and grabs my hand. "You deserve to be happy, brother. After all you've been through, you deserve some happiness and she's your happiness."

"Exactly! She's my happiness but she won't be happy in our world."

"She looks good so far and I feel like killing you right now." She said with annoyance and groaned in defeat.

"I'm not here to talk about her, I want to know why you were so angry earlier in my office. What happened in there with father and mother?" She shifted uncomfortably as she lifted herself and walked back into her room. I follow her to her bed as she takes a seat on it. "Belle?"

"It was just father as his usual old self." She shrugged as her lips quivered in sadness. "He said it's probably my fault that Astor tried to kill me."

"He said what?" My anger began to flare at the thought of him saying that as my fists ball up. I know that he is a complete ass but how could he say this to his own daughter. "How could he?" I spat through gritted teeth as Belle lifted her head to see me.

"It's not my fault." She stood up and walked towards me. "It's father's fault and yours."

"What do you mean?" My brows knit together as I try to study her but all I saw was anger and immense sadness.

"You guys forced me into that marriage. Both of you. Father gave me off as a business deal and you didn't stop him." Her eyes were on the brink of shedding some tears; tears that I hadn't seen in fourteen years since the tragic incident with mother. She had always masked her strong facade by anger, keeping it intact no matter what, but it was peeking through right now.

"I did not force you into it. I asked you if you were okay with it and you said yes."

"It was a fucking business deal that father forced me into." She jabbed her finger into my chest angrily. "You should've known that. You could have stopped him, Leo. You could..." she choked on her words as she held back her tears that she was about to shed after all those years.

"Belle, I clearly asked you and you said you were excited for it and that you liked him. I took your word for it. I wouldn't have let you married him even if I saw a little hesitation on your part."

"I'm your little sister, Leo." Her voice became brittle and fragile as sadness took over her anger. "You could have stopped father. The reigns to the empire were in your hands. You could have prevented the torture I went through in that marriage that suffocated me. I was just a twenty year old little girl who was married off to that man four years ago. How could you let this happen to me?"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were hurting?" My voice raised again with anger as I took in the sadness that emitted off of her.

"Which part? Father forcing me? Astor constantly cheating on me and disrespecting me by bringing other women home? Or the four years of insufferable marriage that I was bound in by chains and held captive by sacred vows?"

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight against my chest. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have killed Astor without blinking for hurting you." My heart constricted on itself as I held my crying sister who shuddered with grave distress under me. This was the first time I saw her crying after what happened to mother all those years ago.

"He was manageable for the first two years of our marriage until his father died two years ago. He then started doing all that." She mumbled and sniffled into my chest as she shook violently with sadness. I lightly pick her up and place her on her bed. "You were hurting with what happened with Verona when I realized what he was doing to me. I knew you'd kill him without a second thought for putting me through even a little pain but I couldn't stress you with my problems."

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