Seven

King Armand was exhausted and all he wanted was to fall on his bed and get lost in la la land.   He took long, measured strides towards his room, using the last energy he thought he had. He opened his room and walked only to see a lingerie-clothed Adley lying on his bed. She had been scrolling though the phone which she immediately placed down and stood up, sashaying towards his tired form. As he placed his brief case on the table, she came and hugged him from behind. He felt nothing but annoyance.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m very tired.

Her hand trailed all over his body, making his blood rush. He was too tired for what she knew she wanted. “We’re not dating. You should have gone to the gust bed room if you wanted to stay over. Since you’re already here, we can just share the bed and sleep.”

He broke away from her and went to the restroom to relieve himself. When he came back, she was smiling. She bit her lower lip invitingly as he changed out of his shirt. 

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” he said as he pulled off his trousers leaving his boxers on.

He was heading over to the closet to get a comfy t-shirt and shorts when she stopped him.

“Are you going to turn me down like this?”

“I’m not in the mood for your nonsense,” he retorted. “Weren’t you dating some manager dude from the tea factory?”

“Not anymore,” she shook her head. “I may have dated a number of men over the years but I have never stopped loving you, Armand and I still ask myself why you want all the women in the island except me. What do they have that I do not have?”

He couldn’t think of anything. He went and sat on his bed. She got in.

“You can’t say no to me,” she continued. 

“Why not?” he inquired, placing his head do the pillow and looking at the ceiling.

“Because I’m going to be the queen soon.”

He laughed and turned to face her. “What makes you think so? 

“Because you’re going to marry me,” she was smiling, a confident smile. It baffled him. He hadn’t yet met a woman who deserved to be his queen but he hoped it would happen soon.

“What have you been taking Adley? Are you sure you shouldn’t be in an asylum because you’re delusional.”

“I’m not delusional,” She removed her phone from the table and started playing a video. He could hear his own voice. She positioned it in front of his face.

In it, he was at the shores with Ann. They were having an argument. It was the kind of video his mother wouldn’t want to see but he himself had stopped caring in the last few months.

His life had been full of restrictions and now he was tired of living it in the dark. He was already king, after all. Didn’t all kings have lot of women, take lots of drinks. In fact he was far better than most he knew.

“So? Normal people have arguments, too. Don’t they?”

“Wait and see.” 

A few seconds later, he nearly gasped when he saw body floating in the water. “What? Who gave you this? I left that woman when she was alive so whoever sent you this is trying to frame me. They killed that poor girl.”

“Did Ann threated to rat you out, mister perfection? You pretend to be the most calm, perfect king but you can be rude too? Ah, I’m so sorry. I don’t care if it’s fake.  I have it and unless you want the whole kingdom to know how much of a disgusting pig you are, you will marry me.”

“You know I can’t kill anyone.”

She laughed. “Would you risk this getting you out? Everyone will think that you’re a killer, my darling king.”

“You little-,” he turned and squeezed her throat as she struggled for breath. After insight that someone could have a copy waiting to be relied if something happened to her, he let her go.

“You bastard,” she spat out the words like venom. You’re worse than I thought.”

“I could say the same about you, biitch.” He shot back, still feeling anger boiling his blood.

“I can’t believe you killed her and now you’re trying to kill me.”

“You can and that’s why you’re blackmailing me.”

“We used to be friends. How did we get here?”

“Your nonsense got us here. I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out that you’re the one who killed Ann and made that video.”

“Wow, you think so low of me.”                     

“Should I think that you’re some saintly woman in this island? After my mother, you’re the most evil person I know, always making evil plots, and treating other people like they’re lesser humans.”

Adley laughed. “Look who is talking. The worst man I know in this island. Breaking people’s hearts, blaming them on his mother. You’re such a disgusting coward.”       

“At least, I don’t kill them. For the sake of the love we once shared, I won’t slap you but you really deserve it. 

“Of course, you’re such a coward your mama has to do the dirty work for you. I don’t really care anyway. I want to be the queen of this kingdom ns I don’t care what you think of me.”

“You should, for your own good. I hate to see you ruining your life. I bet you’re doing it for revenge, because you want me and my mother to suffer. Grow up and stop holding grudges from a hundred years ago.”

“Hearing you talk like this makes me realize that you actually deserve much worse than I could do.” 

He got out of bed and sat on it, facing the direction away from her. “How much money do you want in exchange for that video?”

“How much does a queen earn her entire lifetime? That’s how much I want. Can you give me that?”

She was being very unreasonable and it was stupid for him to think he could come into any kind of agreement with her. He sighed and stood up, not wanting to see that woman who had not only angered him but got rid of all the sleep he had. Now, she had ruined a day that should’ve been over already.  

“I really loved you but you didn’t care,” she said and he turned. He sat down to listen to what she wanted to say. “You wanted the fine things of life. You threw away our love like it was trash. All these years, I was hurting and you enjoyed your life sleeping with every pretty thing that caught your eyes. You’re disgusting and I know shouldn’t marry a man like you but I’ll do it to see you and Orianna suffer. If I have to suffer in the process, so be it. It’ll be worth it in the end.”      

Armand found himself almost feeling bad for her. He got transported to the years when they were young, wild and free. Laughing and kissing to their heart’s content. Making memories and promises to each other. He never kept his. He broke her, tossed her off and moved on with his life. He had always known she had never truly moved on but didn’t care much about it. He didn’t even have time to think about it, given his busy lifestyle. 

“I’m sorry for what I did to you.”

“Your sorry doesn’t mean anything. It’s useless. You were sorry back then but didn’t do anything to reduce my pain. You destroyed me and until I have destroyed you, I won’t rest. Mark my words.”

They say when you set out for revenge, dig two graves.”

“I feel dead already, it can’t get worse.”

“Whatever. Let’s just sleep.”

“Right.”