Chapter 77: All the Kings Men...
ADRIEN’S POV
Standing here in the cold courtyard, a sudden, dark chuckle escapes my lips. It’s a dry, hollow sound that slips out before I can stop it.
I wonder what that old bastard would feel if he knew the truth. I wonder what kind of look would be on his face if he knew that his precious, only son was had taken it up the ass more times than he’s fucked a woman.
All those pictures of girls and older women he shoved in my face were a total waste of time. He wanted a perfect straight heir to carry on the family bloodline, and instead, he got me.
"What is so funny, duckling?"
Orion’s voice cuts through my thoughts. He’s looking down at me, his dark eyes narrowed in curiosity. He clearly heard me laugh.
Instead of answering his question, a sudden wave of impulsivity washes over me. Maybe it’s the exhaustion, or maybe it’s the sheer absurdity of everything happening around us, but I decide to turn the tables on him.
I look up, meeting his intense, dark gaze directly. "Let me ask you something instead."
Orion raises an eyebrow, looking amused by my sudden boldness. "Go on."
"Are you gay?" I ask him point-blank.
The question is blunt, almost rude. I expect him to laugh, or to make some dark, terrifying joke like he always does.
But he doesn’t.
For the first time since the day I met him, Orion completely freezes. His confident, smug expression falters for a fraction of a second. I watch in absolute shock as a faint, dark pink color begins to creep up his neck, quickly spreading until the very tips of his ears turn a distinct, bright red.
He’s blushing.
The Orion Vassilis—the terrifying, cold-blooded monster who scares the entire elite society into silence—is actually blushing because of a simple question.
I stare at him, completely captivated. The sight is almost enchanting.
It softens the sharp, scary edges of his face, making him look surprisingly human for a moment. I didn’t even think his body was capable of having a normal, human reaction like that.
My heart skips a beat, but not out of fear this time. It’s a strange, fluttering feeling that I immediately try to crush deep down inside myself.
Orion quickly recovers, his jaw tightening as he realizes I am staring at his red ears. The playful, scary look returns to his eyes, but this time, it has a dangerous, heated edge to it.
He slowly leans his head down. He moves so close that his sharp jawline brushes against the side of my face. His hot breath tickles my ear, sending a shiver straight down my spine.
"If wanting to bend you over a table and tear these clothes off your body means I’m gay," Orion whispers, his voice incredibly low, rough, and completely shameless, "then I am gay as fuck, Adrien."
My breath catches in my throat. My face instantly turns incredibly hot, burning with a mix of intense embarrassment and pure fury.
"You absolute piece of shit," I snarl at him under my breath, my hands clenching into tight fists.
I can’t stay here. I can’t stand next to him for another second without completely losing my mind and causing a massive scene that will ruin everything.
"I need to use the restroom," I snap, not giving him a chance to respond.
I violently twist my body out of his grip. For once, he actually lets me go, a low, satisfied chuckle echoing behind me as I walk away.
I march through the crowd of guests, my legs moving as fast as possible without making it look like I am running. I push past the fake smiles and the business conversations, heading straight toward the grand glass doors that lead into the church.
The moment I step inside the house, the loud chatter of the party becomes muffled. The long, marble hallway is quiet and empty, lit by dim, elegant candlesticks.
I find the nearest restroom and practically throw myself inside, slamming the heavy wooden door shut behind me.
I stand against the door for a moment, my chest heaving as I try to calm my racing heart. My mind is replaying his words over and over again. Gay as fuck. The sheer shamelessness of that man is infuriating.
To make my excuse real, I actually use the toilet. Once I’m done, I walk over to the massive gold-rimmed mirror above the marble sink. Why does a a church need a gold-rimmed mirror? I turn on the tap and splash cold water onto my face, trying to wash away the heat that is still burning on my cheeks.
I look at my reflection. My hair is a bit messy, and my eyes look wide and stressed.
"Get it together, Adrien," I whisper to myself, gripping the edges of the sink. "He’s just trying to get under your skin. Don’t let him win."
I take a few deep, stabilizing breaths until I feel like I am back in control. I grab a soft towel, dry my face, and flatten my hair.
Satisfied that I look like a proper, emotionless gay twink again, I turn around and open the heavy restroom door to step back out into the quiet hallway.
But the moment I step out, I freeze.
Standing right there in the middle of the hallway, leaning against the opposite wall, is Louise.
Is cornering me out of the restroom going to be a thing from now on?
She has a glass of champagne in her hand, but she isn’t drinking it. She is just staring at the floor. The moment she hears the door click, her head snaps up, and her sharp eyes lock onto me.
"Adrien," she says, her voice sounding a bit raspy.
"Louise," I reply cautiously, closing the bathroom door behind me. "Shouldn’t you be out there with your new fiancé? The guests are probably looking for the happy bride."
Louise doesn’t answer my question. Instead, she takes a step closer to me. Her posture is still stiff, but there is something completely unhinged about the way she is looking at me.
Out of nowhere, she opens her mouth and asks a question that completely catches me off guard.
"Have the two of you had sex yet?"
I blink, completely stunned by her bluntness. "What?"
"You and Orion," Louise says, her voice dropping into a harsh whisper. She steps even closer, her eyes scanning my face with a strange, desperate intensity. "Have you slept with him yet? Has he taken fucked you? Yes or no?"
A wave of intense irritation washes over me. Why is everyone in this family so obsessed with my sex life? It’s no longer funny.
"That is absolutely none of your business, Louise," I say coldly, crossing my arms over my chest. "I’m not answering that."
As I look at her closely, the initial shock wears off, and I notice something I didn’t see out in the dim courtyard.
Her eyes are heavily red-rimmed. The skin around her eyelids is puffy, and her expensive waterproof mascara is the only thing keeping her from looking like a total mess.
She is holding back tears. The perfect, ice-blue winter queen is cracking right in front of me.
Oh.
A mean, sarcastic smirk forms on my lips. I can’t help myself. She has spent her entire life looking down on me, treating me like garbage because of one fucked up reason or the other. Seeing her like this gives me a twisted sense of satisfaction.
"What’s wrong, sister?" I ask, my voice dripping with heavy sarcasm. "Is the sheer beauty of your engagement driving you to tears? I didn’t know you were such a romantic."
Louise stares at me for a long, silent second.
Then, suddenly, she lets out a loud, harsh bark of laughter.
The sound is violent and completely unhinged. It echoes off the marble walls of the empty hallway. It is so loud, so completely unlike the usual Louise who is always full of cold grace and perfect manners, that I involuntarily take a full step back. My smirk completely vanishes.
Shit. The vulture has lost it.
She stops laughing just as quickly as she started. Her face twists into an expression of pure, bitter hate.
She steps forward, closing the distance between us until she is standing right in my space. She leans in close, the smell of her expensive champagne hitting my nose.
"You think this is funny, Adrien?" she whispers, her voice shaking with a deep, dark anger that makes my blood run cold. "You think I’m crying because of Leon?"
She glares into my eyes, her red-rimmed gaze burning into mine.
"Do you know how long I was with Orion?" she asks, her voice dropping into a terrifyingly quiet tone. "Ten years. I spent a whole decade of my life by his side. I did everything he wanted. I stayed because he chose me. I thought I was special."
She lets out a shaky, pathetic breath, her fingers gripping her champagne glass so hard I think the crystal might shatter.
"But do you want to know a secret, little brother?" Louise whispers, leaning even closer until her lips are right next to my ear. "In the entire ten years we were together... he never touched me once. Not a single time. Not even a kiss, Adrien, much less sex."
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