Stone Cold

first meet

Wren rested her head on the armrest, letting her legs dangle over the edge of the couch.

"So? Do you want to go again or is one day enough?" Lance asked.

"I'm curious." Wren started, sitting up.

"About?" Phoenix urged.

"The whispers. The other students do it whenever we pass." Wren spit through gritted teeth.

"Well, Phoenix beat someone up on his first day. I have a lot of flings. And Silas is just scary." Lance shrugged.

"I am not!" Silas argued, crossing his arms with a frown.

"Yes you are. Shut up." Phoenix grinned at a sulky Silas.

"And why do they whisper when I pass?" Wren asked.

"You're new," Phoenix started.

"You're an Alexakis." Lance continued.

"And you're our little sister." Silas concluded, laughing as soon as he saw the scowl she wore.

"It's not a bad thing." Lance reassured.

"If you want to keep going, that is?" Phoenix's expression was undecipherable, but Wren answered him with a non-committal shrug.

"We'll see how tomorrow goes." She replied, tying her hair up into a messy bun.

"Where are you going?" Phoenix frowned.

"Out." Wren said.

"Why?" Silas asked.

"Father wants me to meet his business partner."

"Who?" Lance narrowed his eyes.

"No." Phoenix spat.

"I don't have a choice." Wren deadpanned.

"Wren."

"Lance."

And that was that.

She was out of the house before another argument could start.

********

The black chiffon dress brushed her knees, the back grazing her ankles.

Her hair hung loosely, Wren didn't have the nerve to ask Silas to braid her hair after she had stormed out on her brothers.

"Good evening, Miss Alexakis. Allow me to company you to your table." A waiter smiled, but all Wren could manage was a tight-lipped nod.

"Wren. This is Ace." Her father motioned to the young, clean-shaven man beside him.

He offered her a gracious smile, and she returned it with a cautious smile.

"His father is a good friend of mine, and I thought it would be good for you to be acquainted sooner than later." Adrian beamed towards his daughter, but any child of his could tell there was no affection or warmth.

Dinner stretched out for longer than Wren could stand, and it didn't take long before she finally snapped.

"Maybe one day I could call you my son in law." Adrian remarked half-jokingly, but it ripped Wren's patience in half.

"I will decide my own future." Wren hissed, eyes sharp on the men in front of her.

"If I may," Wren added, getting up from her seat. 

"I'll take my leave from my misogynistic father." 

Adrenaline coursed through her veins, a smug grin making its way to her face after the first confrontation she had ever had with father.

The ride home didn't take long, but Wren couldn't help the smirk, permanently sitting on her face even as she walked into a room filled with her brothers, wearing faces of worry and impatience.

"So? How did it go?" Phoenix asked, his leg bouncing furiously against the marble floor.

"I called him misogynistic." Wren breathed out, tilting her head back with a smile as complete silence fell on her brothers.

"What?" Lance stared at her, wide-eyed as he unconsciously gripped Wren's chin.

Lance checked every part of her face, a habit he had developed after the much too often 'reminders' from their father.

"I'm fine." Wren reassured, pushing away Lance's hand gently.

"He'll come here soon, or he'll call you." Silas murmured softly, toying with his fingers as he casted a glance at Wren.

"I know." Wren replied, shaking her head with a laugh.

Her phone decided to ring at that very moment, and a fearful hush ran through them.

Wren picked it up, holding her phone with trembling hands.

"Wren Alexakis speaking." Wren shifted uneasily, bouncing on the balls of her feet as the caller spoke.

"Of course, I'll be there." The call ended, and Wren gave her brothers a meaningful smile.

"No. Ignore him, just this once." Phoenix pleaded, but even he knew it was pointless.

"I'll go with you. Maybe he'll take it easier." Silas offered helplessly.

"Will you be okay?" Lance asked, and Wren gave him a smile.

"You're acting like I'll never come back." Wren laughed, but all four of them knew her laugh wasn't out of humour.

"We'll send you there." Phoenix sighed, grabbing his car keys from the coffee table.

Wren shot him a grateful smile, grabbing her coat with as much confidence as she could muster.

Too soon, they were at the gates of the Alexakis estate.

They walked past all the houses of their relatives, before reaching the house at the very heart of the whole land.

The bell rung far too loud at the slightest touch from Wren, and shivers ran down her spine as the doors unlocked.

Her brothers gave her a smile, Phoenix squeezed her shoulder before she made her way to the office at the very end of the mansion.

She walked in, receiving a curt nod from Adrian to sit down.

Kneeling, she took a seat on the cushion on the floor.

The minka-inspired house meant that the design was very minimalist, no chairs were placed in Adrian's office.

"So? You decided to talk back to me today." Adrian spoke calmly, yet that tranquility scared her far more than screaming.

*************

"Pick her up from the floor." Adrian instructed, giving Phoenix a stern look, daring him to show his anger.

Phoenix gritted his teeth and looked down, wishing Adrian well as usual.

As soon as Adrian left, Phoenix ran to the office, finding Wren exactly where Adrian had told him to pick her up.

She laid there, sprawled with blood trailing from her head.

Broken glass littered the floor around her, but she didn't pay any attention to the shards that dug into her bare skin.

Lance stormed in, the glass shattering into smaller pieces under his steps.

"What the hell?" Silas whispered to himself, gently helping Wren up to her feet.

Lance slipped a hand under her arm from the other side, easing her movement to leave the house.

"Let's go home." Phoenix mumbled, wiping the trail of blood on her face.

A/N: just a little look into what the family situation is like :)