Her hands pressed flat against the wall, too afraid to push him away.
"How much do you want?" He asked her in an intimidating tone.
She didn't answer; she was too afraid even to say a word.
"I'll give you twenty million just hand the pot to me."
"Tom, we didn't agree on torturing her," Fionn said. Even in the intense situation, Kiara couldn't fail to notice the concern in his tone.
"Stand back, Fionn," Tom said.
"He's right, Tom, we had to talk, not intimidate her into selling it to you." Silas said, "And so I suppose you let her be."
"Silas, stay out of this," Tom shouted.
Silas grabbed Tom's hand, trying to pull him away from Kiara, but Tom resisted, throwing a punch that sent Silas crashing to the floor.
Kiara watched the brothers, her fear hitting its peak. She hated that they were fighting against each other over her, as if she were an object they owned.
Silas got up from where he'd stumbled to.
"I don't want to fight you, Tom, but it looks like you're pushing for it."
He said, brushing off the imaginary dust from his pants. Where would dust even come from in such a room?
"Try me," Tom said undaunted.
"Let the girl be," Silas commanded.
"If you hadn't interfered, I'd have secured the pot. So let me do it my way."
Kiara blinked in fear, Tom's towering figure almost crushing her against the wall. Her eyes searched, finally locating Fionn. They screamed for him to help.
If no one had intervened, she was almost hitting her breaking point. Very soon, she would get an attack, and her secret would be revealed to everyone.
Not yet, not yet. Please, Fionn, do something. She felt like screaming out loud.
Fionn studied her expression, the fear in her eyes palpable. He had to do something; in a way, he hated the sight of her hurt.
"Thomas," he called, emotions bubbling over. Hands curling into fists, there was no turning back. He struck Tom, sending him crashing onto the floor.
He then rushed to Kiara's side, his hands cupping her face as his eyes searched for any injuries. "Are you ok?" He nearly failed to breathe, his voice laced with worry.
Before she could answer, a shadow loomed. Tom was back on his feet.
With a furious snarl, he swung, landing a heavy punch on Fionn, who staggered from the blow.
Chaos erupted, each exchanging two more strikes, until Silas stormed in to grab Tom while Ethan yanked Fionn away. The room emptied, leaving only the brothers and Kiara behind.
The tension cooled as each gained their calm. Kiara was helped to a seat, her fear still palpable.
"I'm really sorry," Tom said, then turned to Kiara. "I really let my anger get the best of me. I'm really sorry." He apologised.
Fionn fell into a fit of laughter, all his brothers joining him. "I didn't know you could punch that hard," he said.
"Let's update the stats," Silas muttered, pulling out his phone as they all crowded around him. His fingers played across the screen, revealing a stats table.
Silas was on top with 1020 points, and Fionn followed with 985 points. Tom followed closely with 980 points, Maisie followed with 680 points, then Ethan with 450 points, and lastly Maeve with 10 points. The stats were updated, pushing Tom and Fionn to a tie of 1000 points.
"Fighting you guys feels so boring. I'll forever be undisputed. Maisie is my only worthy challenge," Silas laughed.
"Don't get so full of yourself. You're only up there because she's been away for two years now. You're no match for her, none of us is." Tom said, forcing Silas to give up his laughter.
"It's so sad she's not around," Silas said, his tone etched with sorrow.
"But it's good she's not around. She was a threat to my sanity. I couldn't stand having a little sister so strong." Tom said, which sent them laughing once again.
Kiara watched in unspoken anger. All that was just a game; they had used her to play whatever they called their game.
The brothers were complete maniacs, lunatics to be precise. One moment, they were fighting, and the next moment, they were laughing like hungry hyenas sharing a meal.
They completely ignored her, like she didn't exist, until Ethan, who seemed not interested in the conversation, noticed her.
"I think we have to get this lovely lady home." He said
The brothers' laughter seized, and then, like he'd been reminded to take a life saver pill, Tom turned to Kiara, his gaze calm, his tone casual, not intimidating as before.
"I'll give you twenty-five million last price." He said.
"I'm not selling it." She said, managing a smile.
"Don't start again. Let her be." Silas said as he landed a blow onto Tom. "That counts."
The brothers escorted Kiara out of the room, and for the first time, she felt safe around them. They took the lift and later walked outside the hotel, where they waited for their rides.
As they stood waiting, the cold breeze gently swept over Kiara's bare skin. She rubbed her hands against her exposed arms, trying to keep herself warm.
How stupid it was of her, she had not carried anything to warm herself. What if the "what if" that she didn't want to happen happened? Everyone would get to learn of her illness. She didn't want to worry anyone, at least not yet.
Turning to the brothers, each stood engrossed in their phones. She was freezing, but there's no way she could start asking for any of their jackets. So she let fate play its game.
Ethan noticed, he would willingly offer his jacket, but he thought he wasn't the right person. She belonged to someone, or at least someone claimed her his.
He turned to Fionn and whispered into his ear. "How will the Kingdom survive if the prince loses his princess?"
Fionn was confused by the question.
"Why do you say so?" He asked.
"It seems the princess is cold," Ethan replied.
Fionn turned, his eyes scanning the girl. She shivered, which sent him unnecessarily smirking. Fuck no, she looks cuter.
He took his coat off and placed it over her shoulders. She turned, blinking as she watched his smiling face.
"Why didn't you tell me you were cold?" He asked. He couldn't control his smile.
Was she supposed, on what grounds? He wasn't her dad; he wasn't entitled to her. However, that wasn't the time to think about that. She was cold, and he had offered her his coat. So she had to be thankful.
"Thank you," she said, forcing a smile.
The brothers' ride pulled over, but Fionn didn't get on.
"Aren't you going back with your brothers?" Kiara asked. She needed to satisfy her curiosity.
"No, I moved out of their freaking damn house." He sighed. "I can't last a second in there."
A strange feeling suddenly engulfed her, a feeling that forced her to hug him. A feeling of wanting to feel his warmth. "Do you care?" she asked.
"Care for what?" He asked in confusion.
Before his question could be answered, she wrapped her hands around him, resting her head on his chest. "I really needed this." She gave a deep sigh.
Fionn wrapped his hands around her, tightening the embrace before he muttered. "About the lawsuit." But Kiara wasn't ready to talk about that yet.
"Please don't start," she said.