"Sarah Darrow, just what do you think you're doing?"

She whispered at the girl in the mirror. Her brown eyes reflecting something that was never there before. .a warmth.

A certain kind of radiance .

A beautiful uncertainty.

She sighed . . .what was she doing? Why was she doing this? Didn't she get enough of those lessons?  never let a stranger in your house? Don't accept candies from them?

But she did let a man in her house.

Hell, she had a cup of hot chocolate with him .

Who did that?

Certainly not a sane person.

Why was she feeling so conflicted about the whole situation? At one hand she wanted to reprimand herself, berate herself for doing this and on the other hand she felt. .oddly liberated.

Liberated because for the first time in her life she had taken an adult decision. A conscious decision.

Of letting a man in.

Back home, she had been sheltered so bad that her sense of taking decisions had gone from null to void. She didn't knew how to adult . All her life her mother had been the driving force . . deciding what she should wear, what she shouldn't, what kind of friends she should make, what kind to avoid and her submissive nature accepted her mother's ruthless control with a bowed head.

Like a sacrificial lamb.

Willing to crush herself for other people, a people pleaser.

But every time her mom would take a decision for her , even if it was as little as her clothes. . . her heart would break a little.

Big things don't hurt that much .

It's the smallest of wound.

And she wished. . she wished she could tell her stop.

Stop taking descions for me mom.

Stop. .

What a sheep she was for never daring to utter that one single word and everyone had taken advantage of that.

From her mother to her friends.

To a person bumping harshly into her on a pavement, knowing well she wouldn't dare reciprocate.

She didn't even bother to make friends anymore. .

But what transpired yesterday. .just recalling yesterday was enough to bring a smile on her face. He treated her like an adult . Talked to her like an adult. Listened to her opinions with interest. Laughed with her like an old friend.

But there was a dark thought lurking at the back of her mind. .

What was a gorgeous man like Damien doing with. .her? Surely their were women out there who looked like walking goddesses. .the more she pondered on this the more she felt trapped in a spider's web.

She had no answer to that.

And she didn't dare ask him.

Right now, what mattered was. . .

She had taken a decision for herself.

She had let him in.

And how glorious did it feel to finally adult-ing?

Even on wobbly legs.

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"Where do you think you're going, young man?"

Damien tried to keep his face neutral and not blister.

Or worse...snarl at his only sister.

She was coming down on the stunningly wide staircase , a file clutched in her pale hand. As soon as he marched in the Frienere's estate, she came on him like an awaiting eagle, her talons outstretched.

He didn't bother stopping for her.

Or waiting.

He kept moving.

"Damien Frienere!"

She called him from the back.

He stopped in his tracks, looking up at the grand ceiling and then trying to summon all his patience , slowly. .as slow as he could just to annoy her, he turned at her.

Her beautiful face had colored in annoyance.

"What?"

He bit out not caring about the etiquettes that had been grilled in his head since childhood.

His sister took a look at his overall appearance and then she . .smiled.

Which only meant—

Something was wrong.

"Tell me , brother. .have you gotten tired of killing priests?" She asked lightly. Like a dark joke.

"I haven't kill anyone . .yet." he added the word like an afterthought.

Her delicate eyebrow rose.

"Such arrogance . .if only it reflected on your position too, Damien." Her silky voice didn't hid the sarcasm.

Damien scoffed.

"Look at my face , Darsana and tell me if i look like I care." His tone mimicking hers.

She kept looking at him with that humorless smile intact.

"I know you're trying to rebel from your own family but remember. .you can't escape from your lineage. From your last name. You can never escape from the place you belong from."

"First of all, I'm not trying to be rebellious  against anything and I don't give a shit about the jail my family build for us. I want nothing of it." He looked away, his temples pulsing suddenly, his jawline protruding.

"Enlighten me then what exactly are you doing with that little human?"

His reaction was so sudden . .she knew she hit the right nerve. His eyes had flashed severely. Going from deep blue to blood red .

All he could think was. .if she wasn't his sister . . .if she wasn't he would have kill—

Then it hit him.

"Your dog is still following me!" He snapped .

"He is not a dog, Damien. He is a part of this family. A part of my life. Your brother in law. Your brother for life. And that's beside the case. I want to know what exactly are you trying to do to her ? Got tired of priests?"

His nostrils flared at her suggestion.

"None of your damn business—"

She stepped  right in his face . Darsana could see his face had contorted into rage . He was right on the edge of losing himself.

"It is my business. You're my business.  Father left you for me to take care of. Even if you so much as breath the wrong way. . it is my business. "

Darkness fell over his ethereal face.

"Don't talk about him . You weren't there . You were busy fucking your—"

The slap to his face was so fast he didn't see it coming. Didn't see her moving. His face whirled to a side, a line of blood trickling down his nose. The thwack of it ricochetting around the house. His face to a side. .his hands fisted . .his jugular vein pulsing hard. .he was ready to kill!

"You have no right to talk about me . No right to tell me anything. I have continuously asked for your forgiveness but it seems . .it seems as if it would take an eternity for you to forgive your own sister. You know what , Damien? Let eternity arrive . Let the whole world up in flames . .I'll never again ask for forgiveness. Never again. You don't deserve it."

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