21

FLASHBACK...

A 22 years old Lucifer Santiago stared at the small girl in front of him. She snapped her fingers in front of his face.

"Oh hello. I am talking to you. Can you hear me? Hel--" She gasped when suddenly he grabbed her wrist.

"My ears works fine, darling. There is no need to scream." She yanked her wrist out of his grip and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ok so you better listen Mr. Lucifer Santiago. I don't wish to marry you. I won't ever say yes to this wedding and you are allowed to do same." Lucifer raised his brow.

"But that's not what I want." She again gasped hearing his words.

"What do you mean? Ain't you being forced too?" This woman, only this little woman had the guts to roll her eyes in front of this scary man who intimated literally everyone.

"I do what I want. Nobody forces me darling. Yes, my father fixed this sudden wedding but in the end of the day, I am the one who will decide what I am going to do. But your case is so unlike right?" He sounded like he was being sympathetic but it was just mocking.

"Asshole." She mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. But please can't you say no to this marriage? I really don't want to marry you. I don't really even know you." Her body slumped down on the couch. She sounded distressed.

Lucifer got down on his knees in front of her and grabbed her both hands in his.

"I know but we will figure it out together."

"But why would you want to marry me? You can get any other girl. I am just weird and I am not even your match." She frowned staring in his eyes.

"Have you ever heard that opposite attracts? I don't find you weird but cute." A tinge of redness appeared on her cheeks at his words. Lucifer slowly brought his hand up and feathered her cheek with his fingers.

"You are so kind and beautiful, Elena and I would be honoured to be yours, your husband."

FLASHBACK over***

"Mr. Lucifer." Lucifer snaps out of his thoughts, the photo frame of Elena almost slips out of his fingers but he clutches it tightly with his fingers. Looking up, he find Ivy standing in the doorway staring at him.

"Aren't you gonna have dinner? Everyone is waiting for you." She asks in a small, shy tone. She really didn't want to come here but Alessio pushed her inside.

Yes, she was a little concerned about Lucifer's absence but it wasn't her former plan to come here and get him.

"I will be there Ivy."

"Ok." Lucifer listen closely to her small footsteps that faded away in distance. He looks down at Elena's photo again and smiles.

"She's just like you."

Next day, Ivy wakes up after feeling a clenching pain in her stomach. She groans rolling over her stomach, realizing that she just started her periods.

Her periods were as usually late but they are really going to kick her butt.

She finally decide to lift herself off the bed. She was glad finding that nothing had stained yet. She quickly rushed into the direction of the bathroom.

After getting ready for the day, she makes her way downstairs while ignoring the cramps that has started to gradually increase with every minute.

Mostly everyone is present on the dining table. Alessio just like other times fist bumps with her. Ivy faintly smiles.

"Yo champ." He smiles but it slowly fades away.

"Are you sick? You look pale." He asks. Ivy looks up at him confused thinking how he could just really read through her.

"I am fine." She mumbles back. Denver was staring at her with furrowed brows too when she placed her head down on the table and hide her face with her arms, that was grimacing at the gut wrenching pain in her lower abdomen.

Soon Valentino and Lucifer enters too. They looks at Ivy and then at Alessio and Denver. Denver just shrugs looking back at his father. Alessio just stares at Ivy in concern.

"Ivy! Breakfast is here." He places his hand down on her shoulder that slightly trembles under his touch. He realized it immediately.

"Hey hey. What happened? Why are you crying?"

Alessio's heart broke when she lifts her arms off, revealing her face and the unlimited amount of tears.

"What happened?" He asks softly.

"It h-hurts." She whimpers.

"What hurts?" He slowly feathers her cheek with his fingers and wipes her tears away. She points at her abdomen.

"I-It's those bad days." She say with a innocent frown on her face and tears brimming eyes. Lucifer and Valentino understand it instantly but it takes second for Denver and Alessio to figure out.

"Does this always hurts bad?" Valentino who stood up from his chair, moves in her direction and take a seat beside her. He runs his fingers through her hair. She slowly nods her head.

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

The Santiago family might be scary for others but to Ivy, they are sweet, gentle and kind. The three words anyone could never even think about to find in their personalities.

It must have been more than a month since Ivy was living with this family and she was quite being used to living in this household.

It doesn't mean she never asked them if she could go back to the orphanage but Lucifer and his sons never agreed. They always said there was danger outside.

Yes, Greta and her friends from the orphanage came to meet her like 4-5 times in the past month. Greta looked overly happy after seeing how this family was treating her. She thinks that Ivy finally found her family.

After the tiring hours of her online classes, Ivy went downstairs to grab something from kitchen as her stomach was continuously grumbling. As she was about to pass the corridor of Lucifer's office. She heard some voices coming from inside.

She wanted to ignore it and move but the mention of her name caught her attention. She looks at the door to see it slightly open. She peeks inside to find Lucifer and Valentino present in there.

"I really think that it's best we tell her the truth. She isn't asking today but she will eventually try to leave one day. Tell her the truth. It won't hurt her now but if she find it out later worst from someone else, Ivy will hate us." Valentino said slowly.

Ivy was surprised to hear so many emotions in his voice. He never really use emotions in his words but today he sounded like so sad and tired. It made Ivy concerned.

What truth they were talking about?

She decided to ignore it for now on and move towards the kitchen.

Ivy was munching on her apple quietly and sitting on the counter in the kitchen, while swinging her legs.

But her mind is all over the words she heard earlier.

"Hey champ." She jumps slightly in surprise after finding Alessio standing in front of her. He jumps on the counter to sit beside her.

As usually they both fistbumps. Ivy smiles and askes him.

"How was your day at school?"

"Bleh boring. I missed you." He tiredly lay his head over her shoulder.

"I missed you too."

She looks back to see Denver making coffee for himself. He looks at her with raised brow after finding her staring at him but Ivy just looks away from him with a small shrug.

"I need your help in a assignment later." Ivy says to Alessio. He just silently nodded his head and within few moments he really fell asleep on her shoulder.

Denver was going through his phone and drinking his coffee.

"Denver..." He looks up at her.

"Help me.. my shoulder is going numb." He perfectly controls his smile at her quiet whine.

After taking the last gulp of his coffee, he moves towards them. Ivy winced when he smacks Alessio upside down the head.

"Get up!"

He growls when now awake Alessio suddenly kicks him in the stomach.

"Stop it both of you." She tells them as they glared at each other. However, they both ignores her.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Alessio asks angrily while standing face to face with Denver. Denver smirks.

"Now are you really asking me this?!"

Ivy jumped down from the counter to stop them if they really started to fight. But she gasps in pain as her ankle twisted just as her foot touched the floor.

"Fuck!"

"Ivy!"