Over the next few days, the giant stone mansion worked its magic perfectly.
The heavy, burning fever completely left Roxy’s body. The fresh, crisp pine air blowing through the open windows, the warm, crackling fireplaces, and the endless, quiet safety of the private mountain slowly healed her tired mind. She still missed her Beastworld babies terribly. She thought about them every single day. But the sharp, crushing pain had finally turned into a quiet, warm love. She knew her children were safe in the magic world, and she knew she was finally safe here.
Once the Kings saw that she was smiling, laughing, and eating full als again, they finally relaxed.
They realized they could not stay hidden in the mountain forever. They had an empire to run. So, the Kings started leaving the massive estate during the day to handle their "human business" down in the city. Every morning, they dressed in their sharp, terrifying black suits. They would line up to kiss her cheek, promise to be back before dinner, and climb into a fleet of black SUVs to drive down the mountain.
Roxy didn’t ask exactly what kind of business they were doing on Wall Street. She just enjoyed the quiet, peaceful mornings in her new castle.
But a giant mansion can get a little lonely with just one person. So, on a bright Tuesday morning, Roxy invited Lira over to visit.
The Kings had sent one of their private, armored black cars all the way to the city just to pick Lira up from her small apartnt. When the shiny car drove up the miles-long, winding driveway and finally parked in front of the giant oak front doors, Lira literally could not close her mouth.
Roxy was waiting on the front steps, wearing soft lounge pants and a warm sweater.
Lira slowly stepped out of the car. She looked up at the massive stone towers, the perfect green lawns, and the dozens of serious-looking security guards patrolling the edges of the forest.
"Roxy..." Lira gasped, her big brown eyes completely wide with absolute shock. She looked like she had just stepped into a fairy tale. "Are you secretly married to the presidents of the world? What is this place?!"
Roxy let out a bright, happy laugh and ran down the steps to hug her best friend. "Welco to my new house! Co inside, I have so much to show you."
Lira’s jaw stayed dropped on the floor for the entire tour.
She stared at the sparkling crystal chandeliers that were the size of small cars. She slid her hands over the smooth, expensive marble countertops in the kitchen. She almost fainted when Roxy showed her the indoor swimming pool that had a real waterfall spilling into it.
But the best part of the day was how they were treated.
The Kings had hired a massive, highly paid private staff to take care of the estate. There were private chefs, maids, and spa workers, and their only job was to make sure Roxy was totally happy.
"The Misters requested that you have a completely relaxing afternoon, Madam," the head housekeeper smiled warmly.
They were treated to a day of absolute, mind-blowing luxury. The staff led the two girls into the private indoor spa. They were given thick, fluffy white robes that felt like sleeping on a cloud. They sat in warm, bubbling water while professional massage therapists rubbed the stress out of their shoulders.
After the spa, they moved to a sunny, beautiful sitting room that looked out over the green forest. The private chef brought them a silver tray loaded with tiny, fancy sandwiches, fresh strawberries dipped in thick chocolate, and tall glasses of sparkling pink lemonade.
"I think I have died and gone to heaven," Lira sighed happily. She sank back into the soft cushions of the couch, holding a chocolate strawberry. "If I fall asleep here, please just don’t wake up."
Roxy giggled, taking a sip of her lemonade. It felt so good to just be a normal girl hanging out with her best friend.
Suddenly, the heavy wooden doors of the sitting room swung open.
Lira stopped chewing. Her eyes went wide as a line of four staff mbers walked quietly into the room.
They weren’t carrying more food. They were carrying a mountain of brightly colored, incredibly expensive-looking gifts. There were large boxes wrapped in shiny gold paper, tall shopping bags from high-end boutiques, and small, velvet jewelry boxes tied with silk ribbons.
The staff carefully set the giant pile of presents on the heavy glass coffee table right in front of Roxy, bowed their heads politely, and walked back out of the room.
Lira stared at the mountain of gifts, totally confused. She looked at Roxy.
"Wait, did I miss sothing?" Lira asked, putting her strawberry down. "Is today your birthday? Did you forget to tell ?"
Roxy blushed a bright, pretty pink. She shook her head, feeling a little bit embarrassed by how much her husbands loved to spoil her. "No. It’s not my birthday."
"Then what is all this?" Lira asked, pointing at the shiny boxes.
"It’s... well, it’s Tuesday," Roxy smiled shyly.
Lira’s brain completely stopped working. "They sent you a mountain of expensive gifts just because it is Tuesday?"
"They worry about when they are away at work," Roxy explained, reaching out to untie a shiny red ribbon on a flat box. "They like to send things to remind that they are thinking about ."
Lira watched in absolute, stunned silence as Roxy opened the gifts.
It was totally ridiculous. Torian had sent a massive, custom-made box of rare, imported candies from Europe because he knew she liked sweets. Caspian had sent a stunning, heavy necklace made of flawless, glowing white pearls that he said reminded him of the moon. Ren had sent a beautiful, ancient book of poetry with a handwritten note. Kaelen sent a soft, incredibly expensive white fur coat for the winter. Syris had literally sent the legal deed to a fancy flower shop in the city, just in case she ever felt like arranging flowers.
And Zarek had sent a small velvet box containing the shiny keys to a brand-new, million-dollar black sports car that was currently parked in the massive garage downstairs.
Roxy looked at the pile of amazing things, her heart totally lting. They were incredibly busy, terrifying n, but they never, ever stopped worshipping her.
Lira let out a long, heavy sigh. She leaned her chin on her hand, looking at the shiny pearl necklace resting on the glass table.
"You are the luckiest woman in the entire universe," Lira said softly. There was no jealousy in her voice at all, only a quiet, sweet sadness. "You have six giant, handso, fiercely protective n who treat you like a literal goddess. And they do it just because it’s a Tuesday."
Lira looked down at her lap, picking at a loose string on her fluffy white robe. "I am not asking for six billionaires. I just wish I could find just one good man. Just one guy who won’t yell at , who will bring a cheap flower, and who will just make feel safe."
Roxy’s heart squeezed. She reached across the couch and gently took Lira’s hand, squeezing it tightly.
"You will find him, Lira," Roxy promised, her green eyes full of absolute honesty. "You survived a really terrible nightmare, just like I did. And because you survived, you are stronger now. The universe owes you a beautiful happy ending. I know he is out there waiting for you."
Lira smiled, a real, hopeful smile, and squeezed Roxy’s hand back. "Thank you, Roxy. I really hope you’re right."
"I know I am—" Roxy started to say, but she was suddenly cut off.
Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking on the sitting room door wasn’t polite and soft like the maids. It was loud, heavy, and totally frantic.
Before Roxy could even say ’co in’, the heavy wooden doors burst open.
A massive, terrifyingly muscular man stepped quickly into the room. It was Mr. Dune, Syris’s personal head of human security for the mansion. Mr. Vance was an ex-military giant who usually looked like a solid, totally fearless brick wall. He had fought in wars and never flinched at anything.
But right now, the huge security guard looked like he had just seen a terrifying ghost.
Mr. Dune was completely, totally pale. His chest was heaving up and down like he had just run all the way up the mountain. He was sweating, and his hands were actually shaking as he gripped a thin silver tablet.
Lira gasped, pulling her robe tighter around her neck, terrified by the sudden intrusion.
Roxy instantly stood up from the soft couch. The happy, relaxed vibe completely vanished from the room. She knew Mr. Dune would never interrupt her private ti unless it was a massive, terrible ergency.
"Dune?" Roxy asked, her voice turning sharp and serious. "What is wrong?"
"No, Madam, you have to do sothing about this."
User Comments
0 comments from readers