White Lies and Sweet Compromise( 𝐁𝐖𝐖𝐌💕)

Chapter 45

Back at the Wither's Mansion.

Leela was over the moon with happiness. She found herself laughing and smiling more than she did in the past years. The thought of having Emma so close to touch, hold and know that she was no longer out of her reach left her elated.

She felt her heart begin to take on the heaviness of desperation as the day slipped away into the night. She was afraid that Emma would somehow be kept from her again. That life was just dangling in front of her to taunt her desire to have her daughter in her life.

Emma was now snuggled in bed with Elsa her eyes shining with delight and her freckled cheeks flushed with happiness. As she looked down at her daughter she felt tears of fear pricked her eyes. She would hate to know that she might never again have this opportunity.

The day had spanned out into a rather cosy affair and for a time she felt the old camaraderie between her and Kylie and the never-ending attraction to Lionel was still budding. Emma on the other hand was a pleasure, a sweet mixture in what would have been an awkward affair if it had just been them adults alone.

With Bear's constant chatter, Kylie's infectious delight and Lionel's pensive mood the day had gone far better than she had expected. They had all made it a rather accommodating affair despite the dark past that had broken each of them in its cruel way.

She sat on the bed and reached out to touch her daughter's cheek marvelling at the feel of her beneath her fingers. The chances that have been denied to her mixed with the memory of that night she had come to the mansion expecting to finally have her fairy tale ending.

As she watched Emma's eyes drift close and her soft pink lips parted to whisper that she was glad daddy kept his promise she let the tears flow freely down her cheeks to fall on her lap.

The dream she had dreamt so many nights as she longed for her daughter was real now but she feared like that night it would all be torn from her leaving only a once upon a time.

She rose from the bed and stood looking down at the little girl she loved with all her heart and some. She remembered her telling her she had to come to her ballet recital on Friday evening and made her promise she would be there as Aunty Ky would not be here as she was leaving to go to Africa to be with her soon-to-be wife and she would love to have her meet her best friend Tyler.

Emma had offered her so much in the period they had spent together. Her openness, her genuine happiness of having her in her life and her sweet innocence that she wanted to protect from the cruel world had her wanting to shut them away and keep them together like this forever.

"Is she asleep?"

The sound of Lionel's voice breaking into the silence and her thoughts had her turning around with a start.

"Sorry," he apologised. "I thought you heard when I opened the door."

"It's ok," she said stepping away from the bed as he came further into the room.

Lionel realised this and after going to kiss his daughter good night he told her that he needed to speak with her.

"I think I should go. I came here to meet Emma," she said quickly as she hurriedly moved to the door.

With a hand on her arm, he stopped her but she tugged her arm and he let her go with a sigh.

"Please Lee," he asked, then added. "For Bear's sake."

Leela looked over at her sleeping daughter and relented telling him to lead the way. She followed him down the hallway thinking he was going to go back to the living room downstairs but instead, he led her up the flight of stairs that she knew took her to the master suite. Her heart raced as she followed him up the stairs that she knew housed a massive bed-chamber, a parlour, an en suite bathroom and a huge triple closet that held his mother's vast shoe collection, gowns and dresses.

She remembers the time she and Kylie had snuck up here and how she had revered it in awe and fascination while Kylie had seen it all with indifference and boredom. She had gasped at how many clothes and shoes were there and Kylie had laughed at her fascination with the many racks, hangers and shelves that stood before her.

She had pulled a dress from a hanger and told her to put it on. She had backed away shaking her head and glancing at the door in fear her mother or some other maid would come in and catch them.

"Don't be a scardy cat Lee try the darn dress," Kylie had quipped.

The feel of the smooth soft fabric and the newness that emanated from it had caused her to throw caution to the wind. She knew this might be the only time she would ever be near to clothes of this calibre.

The thought that she should take this one chance had her grabbing it with both hands as Kylie stood there. The challenge offered was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so she rushed to the enclosed dressing screen with the dress and hastily changed into it before her nerve got the best of her.

The dress had draped her body showing the fullness and curves that had blossomed out of the much-satisfied changes being a young seventeen-year-old had brought. As a late bloomer, she was happy with the unexpected changes.

She stepped from behind the screen and slowly walked out to Kylie who was idly rearranging her mother's toiletries out of mischief. She cleared her throat so that her friend could see her. When
her friend had looked at her in outright surprise and disbelief she too had pretty much stood with the same expression as she looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror.

She had from the neck down looked like a princess in the flowing lace and chiffon dress. If she had not known it was her she would have thought her to be someone else. She had made a turn then stopped at Kylie who gaped at her and said.

"You look like a princess Lee. That dress on you is worth sneaking in here."

"I should take it off," she had said in a rush.

"Ky what are you doing in mot..."

It was Lionel's voice that had filled the room but it was the beating of her heart that echoed in her ears as she watched his lionine eyes devour her. She had no clue what it meant to drink in every sight imaginable of a person but she felt it was very much what Lionel was doing.

He had looked at her another night like that but then it was mixed with desire and need and it had left her smashed and filled with nothing but bittersweet memories.

She pulled her mind from the past thinking that this house had too many memories she wanted to forget. She squared her shoulders, took a deep steadying breath and told herself she was through living in the past but when she entered the now totally differently styled and furnished parlour and followed him into a bedroom that held no remnants of his parents all she could stare at was the dress draped against a dressmakers mannequin that showed her Lionel's hunger for her the first time.

"Wha--- what is this?"

𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷𖧷

Hi 😊

What does Lionel have in store, and will it be enough to set right his past wrongs?

I appreciate you reading and voting for White Lies 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝑆𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑒 ❤︎❣︎

Thank you 🥰😊