A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 123 | (Night) The Simple Life ❤️

After arriving home that morning, Eko quickly showered and flopped onto her dormitory bed, intending to take a brief nap. Instead, she slept for several hours. When she awoke, she was in a frantic rush, sifting through her wardrobe for clothes that still bore their price tags until she found the perfect plum dress.

Her boyfriend had barely won their recent bet, and Eko was determined to make him regret his victory. In one swift motion, she tore off the $1,200 price tag from the dress's hem and paired it with the white Valentino shoes she had spotted on sale just the day before. She completed her ensemble with a few understated pieces of jewelry, which her boyfriend seemed unimpressed with when he received the notification of her shopping spree on his account.

The ban on using his black credit card was now unequivocally clear following their talk. What exactly shocked him more remained a bit murky—she narrowed it down to either the new Louboutin shoes or the jewelry that might have cost more than the entire outfit.

Either way, his reaction was completely uncalled for, and that was how their playful competition had taken off and quickly escalated, as was typical between them. Now, Eko faced the dreaded task of begging. She detested begging—it signified defeat—and she knew Matthew, ever eager to outdo her, would delight in her concession. Tonight, after their dinner, she anticipated the sort of 'punishment' he would find fitting. Although she wasn't particularly averse to this kind of punishment, the inclusion of begging annoyed her, a sentiment she noticed he shared.

As she zipped up her plum dress and spun around, Eko's thoughts drifted back to that conversation. While Matthew had been poked and prodded by Mya during his final medical check, she had casually dismissed his concerns about maxing out his credit cards. In hindsight, that response had not been well received. He had ample funds, she mused, and such financial setbacks were hardly catastrophic.

That wasn't what he wanted to hear, and as she recalled his witty remarks, she realized how grateful she was that his playful humor had survived everything. It was a small miracle their relationship hadn't crumbled after their last argument about allowing Madison to stay.

If she knew anything about him, his temper matched her own. While he possessed the attributes of Ace, he was also the man she loved. She had to pull at his heartstrings to get him to agree to let Madison stay. She needed to keep the only family she had safe, even if that family was a reckless ball of anxiety and the very person she was furious with.

While she could never forgive Madison for what had happened, Eko knew with all her heart that she couldn't cast her out. With Ezra on the loose and Xero having seen both her face and Madison's, it was inconceivable to think otherwise. This was the only thing that seemed to sway Matthew's thoughts on allowing Madison to stay. That, and she had told him he would be the better person. Smirking at the thought, she knew it would stroke his ego. After all, nothing motivated Matthew quite like the chance to feel superior.

Shaking the thought, Eko focused on the present. Dressed to the nines, her curls falling gracefully down her back, she spotted Madison sitting silently on the bed, her face etched with melancholy.

Since their intense encounter involving Creon, Madison had become withdrawn over the past week, rarely speaking. Yet, this morning had offered a hint of hope—Madison had softly draped a blanket over her as she drifted into sleep, a tender gesture that spoke volumes in their quiet world.

Seeing Madison's downcast look, Eko decided to extend an olive branch. "I was thinking we could do breakfast in the morning?" she suggested, trying to read her cousin's mood. "Spend some time together tomorrow. Talk?"

Madison scoffed and eyed her up and down. "What I want to know is why you're dressing like that for him?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Eko rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips and holding back a sharp retort. "I'll be home really late, so..." she tried to steer the conversation towards civility.