Juliana's pov:
Holding me steady, I ensured to keep up with Aria's pace which was very difficult at first till I heard the commotion in the kitchen. The angry scream of Margaret, the hot words she was throwing at my name.
"Where is that fool? The meeting has started and I need to take those fruits to the conference room!!"
As the word hits me, I halt instantly. Aria spared me a quick gaze with pitiful eyes, I swallowed nervously before looking elsewhere. My palms felt clumsy, sweat had already formed in them. The atmosphere seemed gauche, how do I tell her that the fruits got damaged in the staircase on my way to the kitchen? Will she ever listen? I sighed before looking away with a troubled look.
"You know that we can run away if you are not comfortable entering inside there," She points at the kitchen. Following her direction of the hand, I glanced at the kitchen door. Fear crept inside me, I shook my head and tore my eyes away from it.
"Run to where exactly?" I could still hear her voice, the amount of anger in it scares me to the core.
"You can hide in my room because she will come looking for you in your room," she said.
"How long will I continue to hide?" I asked, causing her to suddenly look away. There is no way that I could hide for long inside the pack, not when I didn't grow up here so their possibility of finding me within an hour is 100%. I am not blaming Aria, I know she was just looking out for me but her idea is absurd.
"You see it is impossible," I mumbled. Lifting her head she smiled tenderly "You are right, my idea is a no-no…." She smiled awkwardly. Opening my mouth no word seemed to come out, closing them. I just sighed and looked away. I didn't mean for her to feel bad but at the same time, I don't know what to say.
"I will solely do with that girl if I ever set my eyes on her!" The anger dazzlingly in her tone of voice got my attention. My heart heaved up and down in panic as I listened to her words. At some points, I tried to follow Aria's idea. I didn't know that I was shaking in fear till Aria squeezed my palms to calm me down.
"Are you sure that you can face that woman in there?" She sounded scared. I swallowed the lump in my throat, clearing my voice. I muttered, "It's better now than never….." With that, I pushed the door open. Striding inside every eye was on me. I wasn't even half inside when I felt someone pull me by my ear and dragged me inside with force.
"Ahh!!" I groaned in pain as her nails pierced inside my ear, leaving a bruise on it.
"How dare you keep me hanging for hours?" She snarled.
"Please……. My ear," I clamored, causing her grip to tighten.
"Answer my questions, you idiot!!" I flinched back at her words.
"She wasn't feeling that good," opening youth to speak, Aria beat me to it. Margaret glared at her before turning in my direction.
"Where are the fruits?" She yelled. The venom in her voice makes me want to crawl back and shrink in fear. I prayed at this moment for the ground to open and swallow me up. I don't think that I have the fiber to explain what just happened in the staircase. I felt ashamed to face them.
"I asked you a question you pathetic fool!!" She madly exclaimed, causing me to yank effortlessly. "She wasn't feeling that good, so I decided to help out, and the fruits…….
" I damaged the fruits!" I quickly uttered before Aria could finish her words. I know what she was trying to do and I am not going to sit back and watch her put herself in trouble because of me. Who am I to deserve that kind of good gesture?
"You did what…….!!" Margaret bewilderingly gaped at me, everyone's attention in the kitchen was fixed on me. "What do I tell the queen mother and king Ryan?" She said as her eyes glimmered in nothing but confusion. The mention of Ryan sends an electric sparkle to my spine.
"I wasn't intentional," I plead.
"Shut the fuck up, you nonentity," she slapped me across the face. I tripped and fell to the cold floor, twisting my ankle more.
"So where are the scrapes?" She glared.
"We……
I cut in before Aria could utter a word, " I trashed it since it got smashed and ruined,"
"WHAT!!" Everyone in the kitchen was aghast.
"You pathetic thing, you did what?" Margaret fumes in anger.
"I am sorry," rubbing my ankle to subside the pain, I plead with gritty teeth. "So tell me what I am to tell the queen mother and king Ryan?" Folding her hands across her chest, she hurled a deadly glare at me.
I glanced around not knowing what exactly to do or say. If not for the silly pain, this couldn't have taken place. If not for that pain, I could have dragged that fruit with me here even before the meeting proceeded.
"Since you set foot here, it has been nothing but problems," her words hit me differently. It was as if the old wounds were opened, I teary stared at her. Iris and her minors together with others kept murmuring and laughing at me. I noticed Aria shooting them a deadly glare but that didn't stop them rather it fueled their mockery stares at me.
"Will you all shut up?" Margaret yells at them causing them to keep quiet though the murmuring was still there. "It's not as if you all are even better!" She voiced.
They adjusted uncomfortably with their heads lowered though some rolled their eyes at me, especially Iris and her minors. "Though you all are better than this silly creature here," they all laughed at her words except Aria.
I closed my eyes and wallowed in pain. Their laugh kept echoing throughout the whole place, tears sliding down my cheeks despite how hard I fought them but still they kept streaming down. What can I ever do to fit in? I thought that I have lost those cursed powers so tell me why am I still hated by everyone? My heart breaks at their every word, Aria strived to run close to me but the dangerous glares of Margaret held her in place.
"You are not ashamed to associate yourself with this thing," Margaret slurs evilly. I swallowed hard with pain and grief as they passed jokes at me. Aria kept bricking her eyes, I can see the tears stuck in the corner of her eyes. I was sitting in their middle taking all their insults, my heart bleeds as I glanced at every one of them. How pathetic that I looked? I clenched my cloth and lowered my head in shame till the cold voice feminine voice vibrated throughout the noisy kitchen causing everyone to go mute.
"What is going on here?"
"Miss….." Everyone bowed their heads submissively.
"Miss Bianca," Margaret suddenly bowed with a nervous voice.
"Like I said, what is going on here?" Her cold voice echoed throughout the whole place, startling every single creature. I didn't dare you to look up as the aura radiating from her had me in place.
"She…… she damaged the fruits arranged to be given to the guests," Margaret stammered. Despite how curious I was to see the person that had them all crawled in fear till I couldn't dare.
"She did what?" She sounded surprised. "You idiot, did you have an idea of what you just did?" The irritation and venom in her voice can't be mistaken. I nod nervously.
"I don't think a thing like you have any idea," she snapped.
"But since you have ruined it…….. I think it is better you owe up to your wrongs," her words sound cold.
"You will go into that conference room and announce that you damaged the fruits……. Plead for their forgiveness and if by any chance any one of them didn't forgive you then I will punish you accordingly on my own accord,"
"Oh! My," The omegas sound surprising. Iris's mouth makes an O shape. Aria clenched her uniform and stared at me with leniency and pity.
I flinched back at her words, I know that she was trying to humiliate me but that is not fair. Ryan will be there to watch how pathetic I look, my heart crushed at the idea. How am I to face them knowing fully well that Lucien and Taylor will be there? And that's when I looked up and stared at those dreadful eyes of hers. My heart twists as she utters.
"Follow me……..