Crazy = Genius

Chapter 38: el Diablo

'I shoot dice, gamble with my life, no invites, keep my circle tight'

The house was dark and the world beyond the mansion was silent. The waves soft on the shoreline, the breeze gentle and barely moving the flora. The stars were glinting bright as the moon appeared every so often beyond the misty clouds that remained in the night sky.

Stood at the island was the ever so exhausted Lilianna. A wineglass sat on the marble countertop, the stem held between her shaky fingers as she stared at the expensive red alcoholic beverage. Not a single light was on in the house and her thoughts ran wild as she lost track of all sense of time in that kitchen.

"Well, this is interesting."

Her eyes slowly lifted from the out of focus stare she had previously had on her wine. Commodore stood at the bottom of the stairs and slowly shuffled into the kitchen.

"Nice glasses, nerd." She teased with a smirk. His small black glasses which she had previously called professional sat on his face as his tired eyes glanced through the thick lenses.

"I thought you didn't drink." He eyed the bottle next to her and the glass in her hand.

"Yeah well, I also didn't swear before I met your boss. There's a first for everything I guess." She snorted, lifting the glass and taking a sip. He cautiously walked around the kitchen and into the pantry.

"I'm not here to disturb you, I just needed a snack." He called to her as he pulled a bag of crisps from the shelves and yanked it open.

"It's fine. I really don't care who walks in at this point." She responded, finishing her drink and pouring another serving.

"Do you want to talk about it? Seems to me like you're in the midst of what I call spiralling out of control." He hinted as he rounded the fridge and met her eyes again.

"Every time I open my mouth in this house it's like what I say has no substance. I'm either being told to throw all my emotions in the trash like they don't matter or I'm being told to let every feeling out all at once so that I can 'get back to normal'. But that's just the thing, what even is normal for me? I didn't know what it was before I took the job and I sure don't know what it's supposed to be now. I'm so tired. I'm on the edge of every emotion possible to the point where I stand here and feel like a shell of the strong woman that I used to be. I keep telling myself I'll be okay when I get out of here but if I could leave I would have been home weeks ago. I'm a sip away from giving up." She admitted as she swirled the liquid around the glass and took a long drink.

"Okay baby girl let's chat." Commodore sighed, tossing the crisps bag on the counter and hopping into a bar stool. "There is no need to give up all hope. That is pussy shit. You, ma'am, are no pussy. You took on the psychotic mind of Terrence Vendetta in a world of therapists who were ready to claim him clinically broken beyond repair. And believe it or not, you did something good for that man's mental health. I have never seen him so calm and careful and gentle. I knew him long before the criminal life consumed him and even now he is in a better state of mind than he was back then. So for the love of all things holy, don't give up on yourself just yet. I am fully aware of how difficult this is, I know my words don't make anything easier either. However, I know this much; you cannot let something as minor-league as this hit you where it hurts."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She turned away from him with the glass rim pressed to her lips.

"Simple terms for the genius; I know you don't want him to so you cannot let Terrence fucking Vendetta win. Make his life hell until you feel like the real queen bitch that you are. Hear me, baby girl?" He smirked. Her eyes flickered to him before tracing back to the alcohol.