Scandalous Love

19. | Riley

Daniel and I were happily talking together in my room the following day. It was five in the afternoon and Cotillion was over with for the day so it was just us two left.

James had gone back to his for the time being but he said he would text me later on. I wasn't sure if we would be sneaking out again tonight but if we were going to we would decide later on.

There's a knock on my bedroom door as Daniel and I sat on my bed, our legs crossed while we spoke. Without needing to say anything, the door opens to reveal Nana who smiles at me softly. "Your father wishes to speak to you both, Riley," she says, nodding at both Daniel and I.

We exchange a look with each other in confusion, unsure of what to think about that.

Dad would only ever call for both Daniel and I if he was having a large meeting about something. I have no idea what it could be about but we both nod and abide by what Nana had told us, making our way downstairs to the hall.

Everyone was gathered around, including Daniel's parents.

Daniel links his arm with mine and leads me over to the front of the crowd where Dad was going through some things. Everyone else was having their own separate discussion, meaning he clearly must have already given them the news.

"Dad?" I ask, being the first to gain his attention. Em and Ava were elsewhere in the room but they were the least of my worries.

He turns around and lifts his head up to look at us but there was an essence of fury in his eyes. "You two aren't going anywhere until next week," he says, making me raise an eyebrow at him. What the hell was going on?

"What? Why?"

"Someone from the other side has been tempering with the gates lately. CCTV saw two figures walking over here from the South Side. I don't know how they got the keys. You two don't know anything about it, do you?"

I look at Daniel who looked at me with a raised eyebrow as I bite my lip before shaking my head. Crossing my arms over my chest, I look at my father and chew the inside of my cheek.

"We have no idea. I certainly haven't seen anything, right, Ri?" Daniel speaks up first, giving me a harsh look.

I slowly nod my head. "Yeah, Dad, I'm not sure. What are you going to do about it?"

Dad shakes his head, sighing before he clicks his tongue. I didn't like the sound of that.

I couldn't just stop seeing James now nor do I want to. Sneaking around is the only way he and I get to spend time together but that clearly isn't going to last very long.

"We'll have to set guards out there overnight. We'll strengthen the security footage too so we can see exactly who it is that's sneaking around. They seem to know how everything here works as well because they switched off the alarms electronically."

"Isn't having a guard around all the time dangerous though?" I question.

The look on Daniel's face seems to grow all the more confused while Dad looks at me, wanting to know more. "South Side has some dangerous people, Dad. I... I don't want anyone getting hurt no matter what side they're on," I say to try and sound as far from dubious as possible.

Dad sighs and steps closer towards me before kissing the top of my head. "I'll deal with it, honey. Don't worry, nothing's going to happen to you," he says, like that was my biggest worry but I can promise you it wasn't. The only person filling my mind right now was James - he was my biggest worry.

Dad looks down at the tablet he held in his hands as he adjusts the settings before two of the guards he had hired who were usually checking the security system make their way over. There was clearly some sort of commotion hence the reason everyone around here was still lingering.

"We've put the security alarms back on but there was a break-in two minutes ago. They climbed over the gates, we've put Blake and Jenson out to keep an eye on them."

"Okay, that's good enough for now. No one's going out until we find out who that person is," Dad responds but the moment those words leave his lips, I turn around and begin to make my way outback.

Daniel calls after me but I ignore him.

That person who broke in could only be James - no one else that I knew of had been creeping over here lately. I make my way outside into the gardens and look left, right and centre, trying to figure out where he might have been.

As I held my phone in my hand, I turn it on and go onto my contacts, looking for James so I could message him but just as I start scrolling, his voice fills my ears.

"Really?" he questions when I turn around to face him. I furrow my brows, taking in the upset and slightly angered look on his face. "Dangerous people? South Side has some dangerous people, Ri? Is that what you're calling us now?" he asks, stepping towards me making me look at him with guilt.

I knew what I had said but I never meant it to sound that way. I have no idea how James even heard what I said unless he had snuck inside and been listening too.

I take a step towards him, attempting to touch his arm but he doesn't let me and turns away instead. "James, I just-" I begin to say but he cuts me off before I had a chance to talk.

"I thought you were different, Riley. I thought you understood what was happening back home," he goes onto saying, making me look at him, stepping closer until I had his hands in my grip, holding them tightly.

"James, I never meant it like that. You have to understand that I can't have anyone knowing I'm seeing you right now but this is me we're talking about. I do understand your situation."

"Oh, so it's a 'situation' now?" he counters, making me look at him in disbelief. Was he even listening to what I was trying to tell him?

"James, it's not like that."

"Look, Riley, if you really cared, you would be trying to stop them from doing this. You would be supporting us and trying to help find a way around this but that's not what you're doing."

I go to say something but I'm unable to because he continues talking, looking me directly in the eye. "Look, when all this changes, let me know. I can't be seeing a girl who's going to act different depending on who she's with," he mutters.

Without anything else being said, he drops my hands and walks away from me, beginning to make his way back out somehow.

I shake my head to myself and watch him as he walks off. I wanted to go after him, I really did, but I knew there wouldn't have been much of a point. He wouldn't have wanted to listen to what I had to say anyway.

"Riley, what's going on?" Daniel questions from behind me, finally having caught up with me.

I turn around to face him and sharply shake my head, licking my lower lip. "I can't talk right now, Daniel," I whisper. "Just leave me alone, okay."

I push past him and head back inside, immediately making my way upstairs to my room just to breathe for a minute and think through everything on my own.