Once Upon A Lie

Sixteen:

Sixteen

Zoya Nazyalensky was leaning up against Alina's locker on Friday as if she owned it. The pretty girl, with brown skin, and piercing blue eyes. She was the only child Sabin and Suhm Nazyalensky, who owned The Little Palace, another media and family entertainment company. There was nothing little about it. They were The Folds biggest competitors.

When Zoya was younger, she had had a brother. But he had died of cancer. And the Nazyelensky's hadn't had another child. Which meant that Zoya was set to inherit the company once she came of age. Unlike Alina, she was completely in control of her destiny and always had been. She was head cheerleader, the vice president of the student council, and had been voted Homecoming Queen three years in a row. There was no doubt she'd be Prom Queen too.

"So, did you suck his cock?" Zoya asked as Alina approached her locker.

Alina froze, then looked at her in shock. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Aleksander," Zoya said, "did you suck his cock? If not, you should try it. It's one of his favorite things." She looked at her nails with a bored expression on her face as if they were discussing the weather or something else equally mundane.

"Look, Zoya, I don't know what you're talking about."

Zoya rolled her eyes. "You're so fucking annoying. Aleksander always used to go on and on about you. Perfect, sweet, little innocent Alina. And I know all about your parent's little arrangement. You might end up his wife. But Aleksander.... he's not Prince Charming. He's always going to look for something more. Someone more. And he'll come back to me when he's ready. I know it."

"I'm sorry about the breakup, but I didn't have anything to do with it. Aleksander's a big boy. He can make his own choices."

"I know," she said with a grin, "and you'll make the perfect starter wife for him. Until then, I can wait. I do have an empire that I'm going to run after all. And you.... oh what's the word? Don't."

Alina's stomach sank. She tried, really tried, not to hate people. But Zoya had always managed to get in under her skin. It was for that reason too. Zoya's parents had enough faith in her to entrust their company to her. Alina's, meanwhile, didn't. They thought she was too weak and too docile to run the company. Which was why they were marrying her off to Aleksander, the ruler of the world. Or at least he might as well have been.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

Zoya laughed. "I'm being raised to be the CEO of my family's billion-dollar company. Yes, I do know what I'm talking about. Because my father actually talks to me about business things. Trust me, I've long heard stories about how the Starkov's are marrying you off to Aleksander to keep The Fold "all in the family" as it were. Your family's business will be given to Aleksander once the happy day comes. All you get is your trust fund. And only a paltry 25% of the business shares. Barely even enough to make a dent in the grand scheme of things."

Alina's face paled. "Aleksander and me aren't in an arranged marriage. You know him. Do you really think he'd be with other girls if he were? He's too possessive for that."

The dark-haired girl glared at her. "Please don't play dumb and naïve with me, Starkov. It's exhausting. Look----I already told you. You'll make a fine little starter wife for him. But eventually, he'll come into his own and be able to do what he wants. Once he does, I'll be there ready and waiting. And together we'll do what we always talked about doing."

She raised an eyebrow. "What did you always talk about doing?"

"Merging The Fold and The Little Palace together. Combining our assets, as it were. And you can go marry some sweet schlub. Maybe a lawyer or a dentist. And Aleksander can be with someone who will fully help him embrace his full potential."

Alina clenched her fists together. "What did I ever do to you, Zoya?"

"You don't even do anything. You're a useless girl, and everyone loves you. Although I can't possibly fathom why. Maybe if you actually had a spine, you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place and Aleksander wouldn't feel like he had to protect you."

"If you think any of us had any say about this, you're delusional."

"I do know you had a say in this," Zoya said, "because see, Aleksander and I actually talked. Did he ever tell you how the engagement came to be in the first place?"

Alina sighed. "It was our father's idea."

Zoya laughed. "No. No, your father wanted to come up with an idea to combine the family assets so that you would get more. It was Aleksander that came up with the idea of the marriage."

Alina swallowed, hard. "You're lying."

Zoya smirked at her. "Actually, I think I might be the one person that is telling you the truth judging by the look on your face. Have a great day Alina." Then she walked off, humming softly to herself.