𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 & 𝐌𝐔𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 [on hold]

favorite crime

You used me as an alibi
I crossed my heart as you crossed the line
And I defended you to all my friends

suspect two - ares alistair

4 weeks before Ambrose Kensington's murder

'Life is like the exterior of a building, put on a facade and hide everything you don't want the world to see.' Those were the only words of significance my mother had said to me.

The other statements? Well, to put it simply, there were none. Mom never talked, something Eliza and I had never understood when we were kids. Slowly, we figured it was just because she was exhausted from arguing with dad, exhausted from trying to fix things.

Our family was more of a meticulously put together puzzle, than an actual family. Everyone had a role to play, everyone had a word to say. God forbid, that anyone said something they weren't supposed to.

The Alistair's were a family everyone had heard of. For good reasons. Roger was looked at as an idol. I'd never call him father, he wasn't my father, he never would be. Mom, I and Eliza were the pieces he needed to finish his puzzle. We weren't his family, he'd made it evident.

All those loving glances he shared with mom, and those affectionate pats he gave to me, were all for show. All those photos were taken just so people could gush about how Roger Alistair, the chairman of the Alistair Foundation, was such a great husband and father.

Everyone talked about him. Complimented him on how he balanced his work life and private life.

Newsflash, he didn't. He hated mom. He hated me, he hated Eliza. He only loved us for what we were in his eyes, puzzle pieces. Puzzle pieces he needed to make his life seem perfect.

He was an asshole, cursing mom out for the smallest of things. His tie was missing? He'd be behind mom, calling her an ungrateful pig. He expected Eliza and I to stay shut, saying that we were only in this world because of him. That we'd be mere peasants begging on the road, if he hadn't been kind enough to keep us in his house.

My attention was brought back to the present, as I felt someone violently shaking me. Nate stood beside me, a concerned frown plastered on his face.

I trusted Nate with everything, everything but my family life. I didn't want anyone to pity me, whisper words of affirmation to me. I didn't need that, I didn't deserve it.

"Are you alright?" Nate asked, arms crossed. It was comical how stern he looked right now. Frankly, Nate wasn't even all that eager to become the school's captain. I bet he did all that just to be better than Ishita, or at least, show her he was better than her. She hadn't seemed fazed in the slightest.

"Yeah, just...zoned out," I said, clearing my throat, as I picked my phone up, trying to avoid further conversation.

What I saw on the screen only managed to worsen my mood, if that was even possible. It was a picture of dad, dad in bed with his assistant. She was new, she'd only joined three months ago, I'd be lying if I said she didn't seem only a couple of years older than I was. Eliza's age, perhaps.

There was no way someone had leaked this, and seeing the account name, I felt my fists clench so hard, I was worried I'd stopped my blood from flowing. It was posted on The Elites, of course it was. I knew just who had posted it.

Ambrose Kensington, he prided himself to be quite the gossip master. Well, he wasn't as secretive as he thought, everyone knew only Ambrose was spiteful enough to start a hate page.

I didn't give two shits about dad, but this, this was another level of low. I didn't need anyone meddling with my private life.

Nate peeked into my phone, and I visibly saw him turn a shade paler. He idolized Roger, thought he was the best in the world. He looked at me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, as if to comfort me. He tilted his head, as if thinking of something that wouldn't sound quite too odd. He decided not to comment on the fact that my dad was sleeping with another woman

"Do you want me to get the photo removed and reported, Ares? I can ask Ishita to help me out, really -" he rambled. Nate always rambled when he was uncomfortable, one of the only habits he and Maia shared. You couldn't tell the two were twins. Nate was like a ray of sunshine, and Maia was like a gothic barbie.

"You don't have to, Nate. I'll go have a talk with him," I said, shooting him a half-assed attempt of a smile.

Nate was one of the only people who understood me, one of the only people who'd stayed. I didn't want him to leave like everyone else had.

"I'll come along with you," Nate tried to reason with me. I wouldn't let him, I didn't want him to get involved in something he shouldn't.

I shot him a smile, as I walked out of the library, ignoring the eyes burning into my back. I'd reason with Ambrose, I wasn't going to give him the reaction he wanted.