The Varkas Brothers And Their Princess novel Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Was I supposed to feel shame? Was I supposed to try to explain? But explain what exactly? That I just made my step–brother come and vice versa? Wasn’t it better to leave it unexplained? Just leave it floating in the air, thick and suffocating?

Axel still hadn’t noticed Mom. He was still lost in whatever cloud he was in, his eyes still hazy. But then Mom shifted, just slightly, barely even noticeable and Axel was immediately on his feet, facing Mom, his body tensed. But when he saw who it was, he relaxed, releasing a breath.

“Mrs. Varkas,” he practically purred, shoving his hands into his pockets, relaxed.

Mom finally looked away from me, blinking at Axel. Her mouth opened and closed, no words coming out. Finally, she managed, “A–Axel.”

I couldn’t see his face, but I knew there was a damn smirk on his face. “Yes, Mrs. Varkas, that’s me. How do you do?”

She stared at me, then at Axel, repeating it before she finally said, “W–what… Both of…” Well, it was more like stammering.

Axel glanced at me from his shoulder, and there, a grin. “Rosette, thank you for this memorable afternoon. I’ll see you later, sweetheart.”

Then he left, brushing past Mom without even a glance her way. Mom turned and stared at his back before she looked at me.

“What-”

“Let’s not make this more awkward than it already is, Mom,” I cut her off, grabbing my pants and tugging up my panties. I wore the pants with hurried hands, not even bothering to button it.

“More awkward than it already is?” she repeated, moving to block my way when I tried to walk past her. “This isn’t awkward, Rosette, it’s wrong!”

“Save the lectures, Mother. I know.”

“You know and still did it?” she spat, disgust evident in her voice. “You did it to mess with me, me, right?”

I gave her a hard look. “Why do you think everything I do is because of you? My world isn’t centered on you, you know that? I make decisions and do things. because I want to, not because I want to piss my mother that doesn’t give a damn about me.”

I admit, back then when I was still naive I would do things to piss her off, to try and get her attention. I would work, and she would yell and yell. But I was no longer naive and I did things because I wanted to, right or wrong.

Mom’s face transformed, soft, yet not. “You think I don’t give a damn about you?”

I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t ‘think‘ I ‘know.“”

“Rosette-”

“I have to go pack. This has been a lovely chat.”

Her expression shifted again—this time into confusion. “Pack? To where?”

I groaned, rolling my eyes upwards. “I don’t have-”

She grabbed my arm, pulling me so we were eye level. “Pack. To. Where?”

I searched her eyes and she really didn’t know. “To the boy’s house. Mr. Varkas told me this morning that’s where I’ll be living.”

“I didn’t know about that arrangement.”

I dragged my arm away from her grip, looking down to see that it was red. That would bruise. Even now, she still gives me bruises. I walked past her and this time she didn’t try to stop me. “Take that up with your husband.”

***

AXEL

I stood away from sight, leaning against the pillar with my arms folded as I watched the mother and daughter’s banter.

Barely three minutes watching them and I mapped out their entire relationship; they hated each other.

And now I was curious to know why. But when I saw Rosette look down at where her mother grabbed her, I could tell immediately. She had looked at the red mark with hate, and a well–concealed pain. Not physical pain–I doubted that hurt–but something deeper. And what’s deeper than emotional pain?

Rosette walked away and her mother stood still, staring at her hand.

I wonder… what she’d look like if she smiled. Or what her laughter would sound like. Or how beautiful she would look if she let her hair down.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, patting her hair and looking down at herself.

Ahh, this beautiful, sexy as sin woman was self–conscious.

“Why don’t you let your hair down?” I asked softly.

She shrugged, looking anywhere but at me. “It gets in the way.”

“Hmm.” She finally looked at me, an eyebrow raised. And I couldn’t help but say, “You’re beautiful, Rosette.”

“I know that.”

I smiled, leaning closer to her. It was like my body was no longer mine and I just wanted to get close and all in her personal space. “Do you?”

She nodded, indifferent like we were discussing the weather. “Yes.”

Just what has she gone through? What life has she lived that made her so cold and… broken?

“I want to know you, Rosette.”

A frown formed between her brows. “Why?”

I shrugged. “No reason. You interest me.”

She sighed like I was bothering her, rubbing her temple. “Look here, Axel. Nothing changed between us. What we did was just to take the edge off. Don’t get attached. I won’t be here for a long time.”

“And where would you be, sweetheart?”