Page 141 of Delilah In Discretion

“Hey, guys. What’s the occasion?” I asked curiously as Ivory held onto Jin’s arm and held a look of slight fear in her eyes.

Kimiko went to speak, but Sterling cut her off.

“To put it plainly, instead of going at it like bunnies like these two are supposed to, they’re fighting like rabbits—”

Kimiko covered his mouth with her hand as a scowl made its way to her face. “What this idiot is trying to say is that Jin and Ivory have been in a bit of a disagreement about whether or not what they know should be shared. Luckily, I was able to overhear their conversation, and we brought them here.”

I tilted my head in confusion as I looked over to Ivory.

“Fighting about what?” I muttered.

Ivory couldn’t meet my eyes.

“Ivory,” I said, doing my best not to use my older-sister tone.

Jin sighed. “Ivory overheard a conversation between Luca and… Archer’s brother, Stephan, and it was about…”

Ivory finished, looking at me, “Michael.”

I felt taken aback for a moment, and Archer placed his hand on my lower back, and his thumb rubbed small circles on my skin.

“S-Stephan is living with him and—and I didn’t want to say anything because L-Luca threatened me. H-he said he knows people who have n-nothing to lose,” she cried as tears began to progressively grow in her eyes.

I shushed her softly as I opened my arms, and she hugged me slowly. I rested my head on the top of hers and sighed. Sometimes, I forget that Ivory isn’t a teenager. She’s twelve, and guys like Luca who threaten little girls could send her into a panic attack.

“Luca can’t know that you know, because if he does... he’ll come after Ivory,” Jin muttered, feeling a bit overwhelmed himself.

“No one is going after anyone. Hasn’t this all gone a little too far?” I asked, feeling like my mind was about to explode.

Archer shook his head. “No. Luca, in a sense, is just like my father. Once you think he’s gone too far, that’s when we should realize that the worst is yet to come,” he muttered.

Sterling spoke once again. “Okay... let’s recap this fucking soap opera for those of us who are simply lost,” he said, pointing to both him and Avery, yet Avery shook his head.

“Sir, I do believe the only person not understanding the circumstances currently is you—” he began.

Sterling held his hand up, silencing him. “SO! As I was saying… Archer is with Delilah, who is the daughter of his father’s rival, and in the midst of that, there is another mysterious lover… Luca,” he began dramatically.

Kimiko held her head in her hand. “Sterling, please—” she started, and he cut her off.

“Who grows angry and jealous of the young couple, and as a result, he gains help from Archer’s half-brother, now enemy… Stephan. Stephan and Luca team up to bring in Michael, Delilah’s biological father, in order to bring the young couple and their soon-to-be empire down! But! Not before Luca stoops so low as to threaten the two love-struck bunnies who are just beginning to explore the wonder of their relationship—”

Kimiko hit Sterling over the head.

“Oww... tiger, that hurt,” he whined.

I felt completely baffled at his explanation of everything that had happened.

“Well, now that you say it out loud… it sounds kind of fucked up,” Jin muttered.

Kimiko hit his shoulder and glared. “Jin! Language!” she yelled. He apologized a few times before Archer spoke.

“Surprisingly, Sterling didn’t do a bad job for once, but he’s missing a few key people. My father undoubtedly played more of a role,” he muttered.

I bit my lip in hesitation. “What about Uncle Eugene?” I asked.

The room was silent.

Ivory pulled away from me and pushed the hair out of her face. “Well, I think Stephan was afraid of someone potentially hurting him, since Luca kept telling him to calm down. Do you think it’s him?” she questioned.

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