INSANE (Book one)

Chapter 6

Leah Knight

Ares and I stepped out of his sleek eye-catching angelic white Porsche with tinted windows, after he had pulled into the driveway of a flashy hotel that would cost a fortune to own where millions of other billionaire cars were parked. Ares tossed the keys effortlessly to a valet and then appoarched me. I fixed my gown, flexing my shoulders.

It was pretty thing. The upper part of the gown was coloured white, off-shouldered and fits in the right places. The lower part, however, was coloured a pastel pink colour, smooth and somewhat silky that hugged my curves and fell down like waterfall when it reached down. A silky shiny peach belt separating the two colours outlined my thin waist that Ares loved so much. The gown was elegant and beautiful, totally fit for a billionaire's wife.

Ares hooked my left arm around his right while my other hand held onto my shiny white clutch as we walked towards the entrance of the hotel on an exotic red carpet. The doorman smiled at us when we came.

"Mr Knight, Mrs Knight, welcome" he greeted, opening the hotel doors. I smiled back with a dazzling smile of my own but Ares maintained a calm and cool expression, giving the man a mere nod and walking us in.

The hotel's grand hall was decorated in glitz and glam. Every woman's throat, ears, fingers and wrists diamonds, pearls and stones. The marbled tiled floors were spotless, one would mistake it for a mirror. Lights and shine shimmering. It was beautiful and screaming expensive, something straight out of a teenage girl's dreams.

As Ares and I walked in, all eyes turned to us. As in every pair of gleamy different coloured eyes stared at us. Ares flashed an award-winning smile while I stared blankly at the unfamiliar faces. Suddenly, they started clapping in appulse.

"what's going on?" I whispered quietly. Ares kept smiling flawlessly, I was sure he stole every woman's heart in the hall. I was almost jealous. Almost. He walked us towards the high table.

"I'm signing a partnership project with Mark Wahlberg" he says. I just pursed my lips 'cause I was never a fan of stupid business deals. I spotted Mark Wahlberg on one of the chairs on the high table together with a lawyer by his side. Ares released his grasp on me when we reached the high table but before he could walk up, he decided to play with my feelings.

"I'm gonna announce our marriage tonight. Try not to act like a fool" he says. My mind seized at this insult. Did he just call me a fool? I shot an intense angry glare that was directed at nothing but him.

"that makes two of us. Sometimes I gotta fool the fool that thinks he's fooling me" I winked to annoy him. But time was reversed. Instead, I was the one annoyed because Ares's face stretched into a wide grin showing his evil little canines that fits him so well, annoying my guts.

"yeah, I love you too beautiful" he says, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. And sure enough before he marched up to that high table, he gained me too much attention to keep me company. He was literally the only person I knew there. Oh well, apart from Dean who was playing a lawyer.

Ares sat down after shaking hands with Mark and fixed his suit, folded his hands on the table. Momentarily, he would pass a hand through naturally sexy hair causing awe around the hall by women. But when our eyes mistakenly meets, he would wink and send me a million-dollar smirk, causing envious glares from his fangirls.

Gosh, Ares was a catastrophe!

**************

After the business deal was sealed, the after-party began. As Ares's people chattered away and made conversations amongst themselves, I felt lonely and uncomfortable, mentally cursing Ares for leaving me all alone even though all he's good at was pestering my life. I drank from my champagne glass, standing by a cocktail table and staring at my fingers. After Ares left the high table, I haven't caught the sight of him again.

Thinking of the devil, I was suddenly seized by the wrist by Ares's strong hands, almost making me spill the champagne all over my dress. I scowled at him and kept the flute down on the table. I turned around to give him a piece of my mind but as usual, he had miraculously turned deaf.

"what the hell is in your head this night you dweeb?" I hissed as he tugged me to the dance floor.

"shut up and let's dance" he winked, putting his hands on my waist.

"I'm this close to ripping something into half and if you're not careful Ares, it'll be your face" I warned.

"stop scowling, people are looking" he says. I sighed, knowing I had no choice but to follow up with his act of the fairytale love story we were portraying. I pulled my hands to rest on his slightly broad shoulders, Ed Sheeran's perfect playing through the stereos and speakers.

"since when did you care about the public?" I asked, annoyed. Ares twirled me for a couple of seconds before dragging me back against his chest and wrapping his arms around me securedly from behind, I could just feel the thumping of his heart.

"I don't. I just love the feel of you in my arms" he murmured smoothly. I blushed at his statement, dancing to the rhythm of the song in that same position. People were watching us, like we were some kind of Romeo and Juliet s**t drama. But trust me when I say that I was still irritated as to why he ignored me for two whole weeks!

"you're an asshole" I seethed. He turned me around and resumed our previous position with me gritting my teeth while he locked his jaws. His face was expressionless.

"and why's that?" he asked calmly. I gave him an icy glare.

"why the hell would you ignore me for two whole weeks?" I hissed. Ares sighed, almost tiredly.

"I've been busy, Leah"

"busy my a*s, Ares. I know you like the back of my hand you i***t" I whisper-yelled.

"I don't get why you're so angry. You and I both know you're pretty much a nuisance" he shrugged indifferently, like it was a fact. My jaws dropped, almost hitting the floor from the gravity of this insult. Man, this guy had guts. He practically forced me to marry him! And oh-so-suddenly, I'm a nuisance?!

My eyes watered with unshed tears, trying hard to swallow the lump in my throat. But it was dragging me down.

Instantly, I broke free from his grip and my heart tore with pain even more when he didn't attempt to pull me back or explain how our relationship got to this extent. My stomach churned with uneasy and the hatred I felt for him back when he kidnapped me came back. People stared, but as much as I wanted to slap him square in the face or tarnish his perfect reputation, I swallowed back as much anger as I can and pushed back the hot tears.

"I'm going to the restroom" I murmured, lowering my head. My eyelashes were damp with tears and I just had to get of this place.

"Leah-".

I didn't give him the chance when he silently asked for it but I just push-passed him and left.

*************

When I got to the restroom, I splashed some cold water on my face, not caring about my already-smudged-up makeup. He can do whatever, but even if he turns this building upside down, I wasn't going down there again. His face was the last thing I wanted to see right now. I kept my head down, water dripping down helplessly from my witch-like face, breathing heavily. Ares was the only person capable of making me lose my cool. I was so infuriated by his words. I mean I didn't beg him to kidnap me or marry me. Weather I was a nuisance or not, he had no right to say it cause he took the dangers upon himself and not from anyone else! If anyone could be called a nuisance, that would be him. It was the second time in the night he had insulted me.

He's just a sick moron and I hate him!

I sighed angrily and straightened up, grabbing a towel and ignoring the nagging feeling to punch something or cry it all out. I dried my face, not bothering to look at the mirror in front of me. As I continued to dry my face, I looked up and almost doubled over from fear. My knees buckled together and I threw the towel away, almost screaming.

A woman appeared in the reflection, her curly blonde hair up in twists and turns like in the 80's. Her face was clad in simple makeup, impossibly showcasing her eye-catching beauty. She had the most beautiful smile practiced by her plump lips tinted with baby pink matte lipstick. Her golden blonde hair was decorated in black accessories weaved into her twists and turns.

"hi" she greeted, her voice lyrical. Though her eyes had the most beautiful sunset colour, they seemed.........dead.

"Jesus, you scared me" I blew out a breath, turning around and leaning against the sink. She chuckled elegantly like barbie. I was almost jealous of her effortless acts.

"pardon me, Mrs Knight" she says, walking over to me in her lacy black gown. It was as if she was a contrast to her black attire in her tan golden skin, like she was mourning though not looking mournful, rather dead. But she was still undeniably beautiful.

She leaned against the sink next to mine and tilted her head a little, studying my face with that smile. I wanted to smile back awkwardly and leave her in the restroom but the necklace she wore caught my attention and I frowned instead.

A?L. 

I reached for it and she did nothing to object, just looking at me with a smile. I looked up at her, holding the necklace and staring into her dimming sunset eyes.

"where did you get this?" I asked, half demanding. She chuckled elegantly again and took the necklace from my grip. I was confused. The necklace was mine, my first gift from Ares.

"that's not important" she says, her voice was almost floating in the air as she walked around the restroom, her footsteps echoing through the big vacant space. Suddenly, my stomach churned with certain uneasiness. I pressed my arms around my waist and coiled them together tightly, keeping them from shaking. My eyes watered and began to blur my vision slowly. What's happening?

"who are you?" I barely breathed. Her lips tugged up into a mischievous smile, it was melting my intestines. I pressed my arms tighter, my knees weakening. What was she doing to me?

"that's not important either" she says, approaching me. My knees gave in and I landed on them on the floor, one of my arms leaving my waist to clutch the floor uselessly. Somehow, the band tightly holding up my hair was cut loose, helplessly letting my hair fall in loose miserable waves.

While I was staring down at the floor, I could see her terrifying shadow crouching down in front of me and before I knew it, she forcibly made me look up. I couldn't believe how impossibly strong she was. Her presence and sickly smile was overpowering me. My heart felt like concrete against my rib cage, painfully breaking every bone in them. My breath was closing in on me. My body system was exhausted.

"Ares is not the person you think he is" she said, her eyes saddening and instantly having some feelings in them. I blew out my cheeks and surged all the energy I had to slap her hand away.

"what are you? Some freaking out-of-the-world fangirl?" I sneered, trying to stand up but ended up falling down again. I narrowed my eyes at her. "you know nothing about Ares, you witch!" I drawled. My stomach churned painfully.

She laughed hysterically, throwing back her head.

"what's so funny?" I glared, trying to act as if nothing is happening to me.

"you don't get it do you?" she asked rhetorically, giggling. I frowned at her. As she gave some distance between myself and her, I started to ease a little. She leisurely walked towards the window and kept her back to me as I shakily stood up.

"you know nothing about Ares" I breathed. She huffed a little and I could tell that there was a hint of a smile on her lips.

"trust me, I know a hell lot more than you do about him, Leah" she sighed, dreamily. My eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Ares is impossible. And.......and he can't be too possible to you darling" she mentioned, shaking her head in pity.

"what do you mean?" I asked curiously. I couldn't get her words. But I wanted to hear what she wanted to say anyway.

"Ares loves you. He loves you, Leah. But despite that he still has some skeletons in his closet. I'm not allowed to say anything further," she paused and from her soft sobs, I could tell she was crying. Who the f**k is this?!

"but Leah just know that no matter what happens in the future, he did it all for you. Everything. He turned his life upside down just so that yours would be upright. Ares is insane, Leah but to God knows he has the right senses to love you. Even if everything around him is complicated. He's complicated, but could be so.......so simple for you. Maybe it could be my time to go but despite all that I've said Leah," she paused again and this time, she turned around and I could see how her face was smudged horribly with mascara.

"you can't be his dream for too long" she says in finality. I staggered back from her words.

"tell me, who are you?" I asked daringly. She smirked and looked away then climbed up the windowsill and stared down at me highly.

"I'm you".

Say what?

Before my brain could register her words correctly, something impossible happened.

Those turned into her last words before she launched herself against the glass window and fell off. Fell off from the last floor. Shock gripped my senses, my heart bursted in fear. I only recovered when I heard the glasses shattering sounds on the tiled floor. What the f**k just happened? Time seemed to stop.

"No!" I uselessly yelled, running over to what's left of the window. I poked my head through the window and saw her lifeless body horribly broken and twisted in impossible positions on a grey car. My stomach turned, rolling my intestines. I felt like throwing up.

I brought my hands to mouth in shock and the unbelievable feeling of witnessing a suicide. She killed herself, falling off from the last floor to the ground floor.

"oh my god" my head began to turn, my mind swirling, my vision was drowsy. This cannot be happening! It can't. It's impossible! What is happening?

I thought as I dragged the ends of my hair, staggered back from the window. My head began to throb, notifying me that my brain couldn't take it any longer.

"oh my god" my voice broke. I didn't know what to do. But I definitely needed some help. With my hands still over my mouth, my legs geared to action. I ran out of the restroom, careful not to trip from my dress.