His beloved witch

Chapter 7: Facing the witch

-Blanche-

The lower lip of Kassandra began to tremble. She does that whenever the emotion is too strong to bear it inside, the tears are close, but she fans her face trying to scare them away.

My grandmother was wearing a two-piece red suit without a blouse and a thin gold necklace that highlighted her barely covered chest. I will always admire her good taste in jewelry. Her lips were scarlet red like her nails. Kassandra Lebrun, thru and thru.

“Baby B.!" The witch screamed almost at my ear, pulling me into an awkward hug.

“Hi, Kassandra.” I greeted her politely.

“I knew you would get back home,”

I rolled my eyes at her.

“Not really. This is a short visit, Kassandra.” How do I start this conversation… s**t!

“You do not call me grandma anymore." She pouted.

“You never wanted me to call you grandma, remember? Especially in front of others.”

“That was so long ago, B.”

“Yeah… decades ago, but I still remember.”

“Let the past be in the past, B.”

She is right. I should not keep blaming her for everything, although it is her fault. If my mother found a way to forgive her… I will try not to hate Kassandra and be nice, as I promised her.

“Can you say my name? I do not like to be called just B.”

“It is just the habit. Everyone in the company calls each other by the first letter of their name.” She smiled sweetly.

“Considering I have never worked here…”

“Because you did not want to!” She interrupted me. “But you still can.” Kassandra looked at me with pride. Her greedy eyes, telling me about her plans.

"Thank you for the offering. You know I have my own business and my own life,"

“I am so proud of your work. You built a successful business with your friends; you founded a coven… " She is always like this… butter, butter, and when she butter up you, then… "You are ready to come to Witchy Witch,” Same old witch. “You are wasting your time with the overgrown dog.”

“Kassandra!” It does not matter that I am no longer with Leon. I hate it when she talks like that.

My grandmother is this archaic-minded witch. She considers Mother Earth is above Moon Goddess. Considering that… why would she work for a werewolf?

“Everyone is so sensitive these days.”

Why would Kassandra support a terrorist group in werewolf territory? She does not even like them!

“I did not come to argue about my life and choices with you, Kassandra. I am proud of myself. I did all of that for me not to get into this company, gain the approval of my father, or the love of any man. I have grown above my own s**t. And I have never ever wanted to be part of Witchy Witch… I am serious,” Not even when I was lost in love with Elias… both times. “And… Do not ever insult my friends. Or you will never see my face again, witch.”

Kassandra rolled her eyes at me and changed her posture, uncomfortable. I can be nicer to her by the phone to greet her only on holidays.

“Peace.” She offered.

“Peace.” I agreed.

“May I offer you something to drink?”

“Yes, wine.”

My grandmother pointed to a glass panel. The bottles on display included the wine my company makes.

I must admit it feels good to see those bottles there.

My wine is one of the best in our world, and I am proud of it. Circe does a great job with all the marketing and promotion of the wine, but if it were not this good... it would not sell that well.

“I do not want to fight, Blanche. You and I promised her to be better than this.” She said and offered me a glass with my wine.

Sometimes, Kassandra sounds sincere, but it is hard to believe her considering her part in all the misfortunes my mother and I faced because of her.

She threw my mother in the arms of a powerful and rich warlock when she was still a teenager.

Mr. Charles Reyes, a promising lawyer in the North, heir of the Reyes family, enjoyed the love of the young witch but never intended to keep her due to her status and background.

Kassandra should have protected my mother and not sell her own daughter like that.

When Miriam Lebrun got pregnant, Charles abandoned her and did not acknowledge me as his daughter.

Then, Kassandra blackmailed Charles, breaking his engagement to another witch threatening him with a big scandal. In the end, he rejected my mother and me but paid for child support… However, my mother never received a penny from him. Kassandra did it all without her knowledge or consent.

Meanwhile, my mother was grateful to Kassandra for finding her a job at the factory of Witchy Witch.

Kassandra used those funds to advance in further studies, build a career and ascend in Witchy Witch. This company is her life's obsession. I found out about what she did many years later.

I met my father when I was twelve, and only because I appeared on the news. I was a prodigy in potions in my school and won all championships and competitions in the Magic Kingdom. The Reyes family developed an interest in me since then. Well, my grandmother did, not him.

I used to think that I could earn his last name if I excel in something and become someone that he would be proud of. But I was never up to the scale, and when he offered me his last name… I did not want it. I had lost so much by then after my impossible search for his acceptance.

The eyes of Kassandra became watery again. Miriam is also a touchy subject for her. She should not bring her into our conversations. Even if we are on speaking terms, trying to be nice because we promised her.

“Do not mention mama, Kassandra." I took my glass from her hand with a frown. And I took a sip.

“I want you to be happy for all happiness I owe to your mother.”

“You sure have weird ways to show your affection, Kassandra.”

Kassandra filled my head with wrong ideas about my father and his family. I thought they were something I should aspire to belong to!

I used to come back home heartbroken from my visits because he did not care about me. The start of his family was Solange Reyes, my cousin.  However, things changed when Mother Nature blessed me at a young age. Suddenly, I was the star. I had my powers before others.

And once more, Kassandra pushed me to go boarding school as my father wanted.

My mother did not want me to go. She thought I was too young and easily impressionable to away from her. And she was damn right.

I met Damian Rousseau there, an eighteen-year-old warlock, a classmate. The rebel boy of Rousseau's family, a household of powerful warlocks and witches from the West.

"I know I have made mistakes in the past… "

“Oh! So many, Kassandra. It is hard to keep track of how many!”

"I was wrong, Blanche. But it happened so long ago. I am no longer the same."

“I see the same intentions, witch. You still want to take over this company. Only that you do not get to tell me what to do with my life. I am not a child anymore.”

Kassandra wanted me to marry into the Rousseau family. She did not care I was only sixteen or that my mother opposed it. She helped Damian get authorization from my father without knowing that asshole never acknowledged me as his daughter. That might be the only good thing Charles ever did for me. Because my mother found a way to fight them. Everything they did was illegal.

“You are a grown-up witch now; I cannot tell you want to do. That is true… But you should consider getting back home.”

“Why would I do that?”

“Solange got married, Damian is in prison while his family is in ruins and Elias… He is still single. His mother always tells me he loves you."

I took a deep breath for this. Kassandra needs an answer about this s**t once and for all.

"I am happy, Kassandra. I do what I want to do. I am where I want to be, with the people I want to be. I do not care about the species. I do not need the acceptance of anyone about my choices in life now. You know what? I have lived long enough to appreciate what my mother and you did for me to live. Even though you both did not have my consent to curse me…” s**t! This is a long speech! “I have learned to accept my curse and live with it. Elias is my past." Maybe if she did not intervene... it might have been different. No, Elias f****d up alone, the second and last time we had.

"You tried to meddle in and buy Elias for me. How did that s**t roll out? A complete mess, you know that. He was meant to be with Solange or someone like her. All that you did to fix your mistakes only made me and my mother more miserable... I know the look in your eyes, witch. Do not mess with my life again.”

"You were very depressed, Blanche. Miriam asked me to intervene again, to help you. She feared you would kill yourself… Elias was the prince of your dreams. Who else was going to save you?”

“I did not know she was that worried… You could have loved me, Kassandra… Try to understand me. Who is not depressed after the s**t that happened to me? Damian was a f*****g Dark Warlock that impregnated me at sixteen and wanted to break my soul. Kassandra, he was going to kill me to produce a strong Warlock… And you let it happen, you and my father! You sent me to that house!”

“Charles and I thought that he was going to make you happy… We did not know he was a Dark Warlock! I would have never let you fall in the hands of one. At least, you should acknowledge that of me.”

I had to admit that. Kassandra had suffered a Dark Warlock. They practice dark magic and gain their evil powers breaking the soul of witches, feeding on them… from the blessing Mother Nature gave us. Kassandra saw many things and scaped just in time.

Damian was the weakest of his family, even though he was the heir of the household. He had some tricks to show power and skills, but I knew he was not that strong. That is why I thought Damian needed me and put up with all his abuse. And he got me pregnant. I thought it was because he loved me, but he just wanted to secure his bloodline.

"Sometimes, I wish Damian would have succeeded in killing me so my child would exist. Dark Warlock or not, he would be even if I would not… " Depressing thoughts invade me when I am with Kassandra.

My therapist helped me to stop cursing at myself. I still do it sometimes. Old habits are hard to kill. And being with Kassandra triggers all these emotions again.

"Baby B. that does not want Damian wanted. Your baby was already dead inside of you. That thing was sucking the life out of you to open a f*****g portal. Damian was going to sacrifice you, not have a powerful son with you. He wanted a deal with Paimon!"

My mother never gave up on me, and she fought everyone to get me back. A maid from the Rousseau mansion overheard that I was the only daughter of Charles Reyes, the new member of the Council of Magic. She told my mother the plans Damian had for me. She did not want problems for that household.

Kassandra believed my mother and helped her. They got me out of that house since the Rousseau family feared a scandal. Rich people always fear scandals. They did not fear jail, but what others can say about them.

“I saved you! Miriam saved you! That thing was attached to you like a leech! Please, stop blaming yourself for what was not meant to be since the start. He was already sacrificed in your womb by Damian!"

I knew my baby would kill me to be born but not that Kassandra would help my mother to stop it that way. I was too weak then. They took me to Fairy Land to perform the ritual because it is forbidden in our Kingdom.

The ritual to save my life required the life of an innocent, who I thought was my baby.  I am cursed to stay young, never have children because my grandmother cursed me to live like that. Many want to be young forever, die beautiful… I do not.

“It was inevitable then. I thought your ritual went wrong.” I thought that Kassandra made a mistake and that poisoned my mother in that ritual. I had blamed Kassandra and myself, still do.

Dark magic will always require p*****t to keep balance. No one can mess with the balance of Mother Nature but if you do, you better be ready to pay the compensation because if she realizes it, she comes after you. You will pay three times the pain caused for Mother Nature to find balance on her own.

“The only innocent in the ritual to save you was Miriam.”

It only worked because my mother made a deal; she decided and did not tell me. It was not an accident or a mistake of Kassandra. Still, it does not remove my guilt.

“Did you get her soul to Mother Nature?”

“She sacrificed herself, darling. Mother Nature would never leave such a beautiful soul in the hands of Paimon. And I made sure of it.”

"I am glad." I felt tears on my face.

“You are not guilty of what happened.” Kassandra cleaned my face. She made a tissue appear. That is how strong she is now. “It was our fault. You were only a little girl. You have an opportunity now. You are powerful; you can be happy, child."

“I have told you that…”

“Yet, you are still crying.”

"You should have let me die. Maybe that was my destiny instead of the life of a cursed one…  My mother would be alive. Then you could have found a way to kill Damian.”

“Blanche… Not again. It is not a curse; it is a blessing. You will never age, and you will die beautiful one day far away…, unlike the rest of us.”

“I cannot have children, Kassandra.”

“It is a side effect, child. I have told you. And Elias knows everything about this, and he does not care.”

"That is why I hardly call or visit you. You never listen, Kassandra." The anger made me pull myself together. I am old for this s**t.

"Blanche, just give the guy a chance. His mother told me he is trying to find a way to free you from the incantation."

“I know. I have run into Elias," He told me. I thanked him but asked him to stop. I own my destiny. I have studied a lot to find a way out, and there is none. I gave up long ago.

“Where?” The eyes of Kassandra shined again.

“He does not want his parents to know.”

"Good!" Kassandra's smile scared me. "You are sharing secrets. That is a start."

The hell with this witch!

"Kassandra, for Mother Earth's sake...!"

"He was your prince, remember? You were a little girl, and you told me you would marry your Prince one day. I made that possible for you."

“A Prince cannot be bought, grandma. Especially not the way you did. Elias is not a Prince. He is a warlock, a very talented one…” His shadow is an amazing personification of him. I truly believed it was him when we were engaged, moved in together, and... “But he is just another male.”

“Young one, Elias loves you. Believe me, he does. Give him a chance.”

This will never end with her!

“Give him back the shares of the company, witch. I broke the engagement, it was me.”

“Blanche! I earned those shares! After everything I have done for this company, I deserve to be one of the owners if not the only one.”

“No!”

“Then, marry him! We will be one big, happy family!”

“You are delusional, Kassandra. Elias and I are done! It has been decades since we broke up."

“You broke up with him, you can take him back. Besides, what is time for our kind? You have at least another hundred years ahead of you.”

“Kassandra, stop. Stay away from my life. Let me do things my way, as you have done things your way.”

“I love you, Blanche. Even if you do not understand my ways. I truly do.”

“Witch, you are dangerous with words.” Damn! There is still a lot of resentment in my voice, and I am on the edge of tears again. “I guess therapy was a waste of money, it is hard to be with you, Kassandra. I came with a purpose, and that was not this… I want to know something." Better to tell her without more delay. “What do you know about Fleur De Lis?”

Her face did not sell anything.

“It is a flower.”

“Witch, please.”

“Wrong answer?” She teased me.

“It is a group of terrorists, a cult of werewolves that are crazy, and used to be a pack.”

“I would not know. I do not follow the news of other Kingdoms unless it affects business. Would that affect Witchy Witch?”

“You are so good at lying. You can lie looking right into the eye. How do I know you are not lying? They receive help from a powerful witch. Are you involved?”

“Why would I be involved with dogs?” Kassandra almost sounded offended.

“Kassandra!”

“Darling, this is tiring. I did not expect to have a morning so stressful with you defending myself from those accusations. But I am glad you are back, maybe we can go to my home and have a decent meal. Or would you prefer a nice restaurant?”

I think she can be involved; she loves money so much… If they pay the price, she might have done it in the past… but now? She is loaded. Why would she continue?

Before I could respond to Kassandra, her assistant interrupted us.

“I am sorry, Madam Lebrun. But you told me I could interrupt you in case of an emergency. And it is an emergency!”

“Tell me!” Kassandra yelled, making the young witch jump.

“Mr. Elias Bourdieu is here. He is in the meeting room with his family at this moment! It is a hostile takeover! He wants your seat!”

“s**t! I cannot believe it!” Then Kassandra looked at me. “Do not go anywhere, do not sign anything to Elias! I cannot believe this asshole!”

“What do I do, Madam?”

“Gather the line managers and supervisors on the hall! Tell them is an emergency code 666! Run! Get my secretary to help you to make an invocation!” Kassandra ordered her.

Is Elias here? He is supposed to be in Vampire territory looking for Silvia. s**t! This is not good. He could not find her there... I feel so bad. I was hoping…

Suddenly, Elias appeared in front of me, naked.