☘︎ Jᴇɴɴɪғᴇʀ Rʏsᴏɴ ☘︎
"Jenna habibi, take my word, your lion pet has separation anxiety. He'd been growling since the moment you left him with me." Sayeed informs with a sigh, seated on a plush leather sofa of his modern apartment.
"The wildlife shelter dude said I should make you talk to the lion and it would calm him down. So yeah, sorry for early morning call but I had to do this. Bright side? Look now he's suddenly on a no-growling fast." Sayeed concludes, running a hand through the said lion's short golden fur.
From the angle where the camera is propped, I can see the lion cub the size of a grown dog, resting on Sayeed's lap. The small lion's iridescent amber eyes peer at me with rapt attention from the other line of the video call.
Len was two weeks old when I'd adopted him three months ago from the wild-life animal shelter. He had been separated from his mother and troop and was accidentally injured by a bullet a few selfish hunters were firing aimlessly while on an illegal hunting spree.
After dealing with the hunters, the owners of the animal shelter were about to execute Len, since the expenses to treat him would've caused them a fortune and their shelter couldn't spend that high a price, especially when they thought Len would eventually die in the long run due to the fatal bullet wound anyway and they were doing a favor by killing him early. When I'd heard about it. . .let's just say it hadn't sat well with my morose, fleeting conscience.
Blame it on the memory and emotions it had triggered about 'the incident' with the whole gunshot situation, but I'd ended up adopting the lion cub. He'd then been given the best of treatment and with proper aiding and training, Len was termed adaptable with a human companion. I'd tried to return him to the shelter for his sake because a lion was supposed to live and hunt in the jungle, but then Len had roared so loud when the owners had tried to take him away that I'd decided, screw it all, I was keeping the cub with me.
I knew when time came and he became a full-grown adult lion, I'd have to eventually let him go but until then. . .he's mine.
"Hey, Len! How are you, bub?" I ask in uncharacteristical softness.
Sayeed's brows fly to his hairline, probably wondering why humans don't receive the same tone and a lion does.
Len roars in reply, making the world's most saddest, sullen animal expression.
My heart clenches at the sight. If it weren't for the rush I was in to reach Mia as soon as possible, I would've gotten Len along with me instead of leaving him with Sayeed and a wild-life professional who knew how to tend to lions.
A knock thuds on my door interrupting my thoughts.
Brows furrowing in confusion as to who might be knocking so early in the morning, my head whisks towards the door only for Len to growl in protest for not focusing on him.
I bring my eyes back to the camera. Aimlessly getting down from the couch I'd been lounging at the whole night, typing away on my Mac and answering work emails-post Lykas Vitallis ruining my swimming session-I trudge over and pull open the door.
My eyes still fixated on the phone screen, "Just stay put for a few days, will you bub? I gotta go but I'll be back soon, don't worry." I assure the lion cub gently.
Sayeed is full-on rolling his eyes now. I ignore the arabian.
My little lion nods as if he understands my words and then he wholly occupies the screen, bringing his mouth to the camera as if to pass me a sloppy kiss. It warms the cold recesses of my heart.
A smile slowly starts forming on my lips which freezes the moment I hear an exaggerated gasp, making me cut the video call on instinct.
My gaze lifts to take in the sight of an amused Lykas Vitallis at my door, clad in a black cashmere sweater and jeans. His inky hair is a disheveled mess atop his head and partially wet, as if he'd just taken a bath and decided to come bother me first thing in the morning.
Surprise glints in the crevices of his champagne eyes, "Careful, Ryson." A slow, mischievous smile tugs at the corner of his mouth, "Or I might think you're actually human, capable of smiling."
I shouldn't have just pushed him into the pool yesterday night. I should've drowned him in it.
Despite the annoyance clinging my veins, I maintain a cool countenance, "Careful, Vitallis." Parroting him, my eyes narrow the slightest bit, "Or I might think you're actually interested in me."
Lykas leans against the doorframe as if he owns the place, "What if I am? You're pretty." He shrugs nonchalantly, flashing me a raucous grin.
A mocking, tight-lipped smile forms on my lips, "Words of flattery aren't going to convince me to give you my company."
Lykas places a hand to his heart as if pained, "And here I thought I was being subtle."
"Why are you here?" It really seems like that's the question I ask most of the time I'm face-to-face with this man.
"Breakfast calls." Lykas glances down at the Rolex on his wrist, "It's 10 AM. Samantha was going to ring you up for breakfast. I told her she need not worry, that I'd do the honors of getting you myself since I'm in the same guest wing anyways. Ain't I a gentleman, Ryson?"
A sigh escapes my lips. God, I didn't have the energy to argue with him early in the morning, especially when I was short on a night's sleep.
"Fine, I'll just dress up and join you in fifteen minutes at the breakfast table. You go ahead."
Lykas' eyes widen as if an easy agreement was the last thing he'd expected from me before the entirety of my words register in his mind.
"Why do you need to dress up for breakfast? You can just go dressed as you ar-" His sentence stops abruptly the moment those eyes skid down my form.
My form clad in a rose-gold silk nightgown with spaghetti strap sleeves. It reached my mid-thigh, exposing most of my legs and arms. The attire was comfy beyond limit, but around people it might seem a bit too scandalous.
Something dark flickers within Lykas' eyes for a fleeting moment but before I can comprehend what the emotion is, he turns his face away.
A rare flare of red colors Lykas' cheeks as he clears his throat, "You're right. I should probably wait in the dining room." And then he's rushing away like his tail caught on fire.
For a guy usually found tangled in a wild affair with different woman by the paparazzi, he acted like he had never seen a woman species before.
I shake my head at his retreating silhouette, a strange spike of amusement enveloping me before I groan, ignore the sensation and re-enter my room to get dressed.
▪︎¤▪︎
The click-clack sound of the heels I'd paired with my grey suit are followed by the regular heavy footsteps of my bodyguards as I make my way to the dining room situated in the ground floor of the villa.
Once breakfast is done with, I have to get to my office, where apparently Viviane had headed earlier and already prepared a report for the things to be looked over in this branch.
My mind is so occupied by the thoughts of work when I enter the dining room, that I don't notice the additional person present in the room besides Moon and Lykas.
That is, until he decides to call my name, his deep voice reverberating through my soul.
"Jennifer."
My eyes snap to meet the identical green of my father's, a wave of shock and resentment clutching me.
Why is he here when he was supposed to be on a trip?
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I know not much happening in this chapter but but, I wanted to introduce Len okay?🥲
And Len's adoption story is a sort of hint on 'the incident' so there's that. The clown, I know might seem like an entire different case from said incident right now, but trust me when I say he's connected too.
It all starts with the clown. That's why I thought I'd give y'all snippets from where it all started. Now imma seal the zip on my mouth again.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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The Secret Heiress | ✔️
Romance---▪︎ A Wattpad featured story ▪︎--- Twelve years ago, an incident changed my life. I was sent to London by my father with a new identity; all alone, away from my family and home, away from everything that was me. With a new persona as Jennifer Ryso...
