Infatuation Of Darkness

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"Whatever do you mean, Grandmother?" Alexis innocently blinked her eyes and asked. Maybe, the blink was too much. She didn't look stupid or naive, to begin with.

Julia remained in character. She smiled as she said, "I just want to help, my child."

Then kindly shut up, Alexis nodded. She has a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What do you want to help with and who?" Alexis asked. The woman knew what she was doing and she was trying to stall Alexis.

"With everything. I let many things happen because I chose to stay silent. But now I want to help. So I just had to say, if anything that you need help in please consider me in."

Alexis raised a brow at that. How nice of her to ask. "I do need your help," she said smiling. "I have a question I would like you to answer."

"Yes, anything please." She looked pleased for someone who was out convincing people of her niceness.

"Do you remember the visit you made to my bridal room?" She asked. "Before the wedding." She reminded.

Julia held back her smile a bit. "Why yes?" She answered.

"Then why is it that you think that when your first offer of help to me was a trap and it threatened my life, why would I consider your help for anything now?" Asked she. "How do I trust you?"

"I—," Julia looked away for a second. "It was a test." That was what she settled with. "It was a test for you. I had to make sure that you were ready for this life."

"I wonder what test would ever tell you the answer for that. My dearest grandmother, you should have helped me understand instead of testing me. I think that would have helped me more." Alexis had a fierce expression on her face. This facade of hers has ignited a fire in her core. She was a woman out for revenge. "If you need something you can directly ask me that Grandmother. I would honestly be happy to help. But if you are setting traps for me out there I might as well never come to you for anything."

Alexis stared into her eyes. "Not even when you need help."

Julia's chest heaved. The girl was too intelligent for her good. No made man was home today to hear in the conversation that they were having, Isabelle and Nikita would never breathe a word out and of course, the servants turn a deaf ear to them and Alexis knew that. She was taking advantage of that.

"I don't need your help." Julia gritted her words. "I am fine with what I have."

She then proceeds to humiliate Alexis. "I offer my help to you! I was ready to take you under my wing and make you the queen of everything and here you kick it all away. You will live to regret it all."

'How funny, her actions highly contradict her words.' she sighed, 'if only she realised that.'

"You offer your help to me when you have been trapping me from the day we met. If you wanted to take me under your wing you would have come to me about the whole test and explained it to me, which you didn't." Alexis spoke in a calm voice. "I know that I will require help but I don't need it from someone who would betray me at my lowest."

"I wanted to—"

"Who are you kidding, no you didn't." Alexis cut her lies off. "You don't want to help me, you want to me do as you say. There's a difference.' she pointed it out.

"That's a lie." Julia immediately countered. "You need me."

"I have a former mafia Queen to help me. The one that is your protégé."

"Yet, I can help you better." She still argued.

"Yes, I am sure you can." Alexis smiled. "But that would happen when we build that bridge of mistrust. I need to take my time on this."

"There's nothing to take time about!" Julia raised her voice. "You need to trust me!"

Alexis reasoned. "And I need to find why to do so too."

Julia threw her hand up. "Because you need me!"

Alexis tsked in return, "not really." She then added, "but since you want to help me, I will come to you if I have any problems that can be helped with your expertise."

"That's it?" An appalled expression took its place on her face. "That's what you say for when I am trying to help.'

"You said that you chose to stay silent when Isabelle was the one to welcome change. Why is it that your help is to be considered first?" Alexis placed her points. They were everything that Julia had given to her. The woman spoke without her filter. No wonder why Angelo's grandfather never involved her in the business.

"I am elder to her!" She countered.

"That does not prove you better. It merely tells me that you are older." Alexis calmly pointed it out. To be honest, it was low key funny.

"Old?!" Julia yelled.

"Please, you have grey hair. How much more can you deny?" She scoffed.

Julia sighed and tried her best to calm down. She warned her again, "I understand that power gets to head yet you are new to this world. I understand the thrill, we can still sort this out."

Alexis was ready to deny the offer again but then she realised something. Why would you deny any offer of help? No matter who it came from, help was help. Julia was trying to do something and Alexis knew that but why be hell-bent on helping her?

She wanted something in return because she knew that Alexis was not a pushover.

"Alright," she changed her words. "I think I might take you up on that."

But she added after a thought, "But of course when needed."

"Yes, yes I understand." Julia immediately changed her tone. "I have seen things and I know how they are dealt with. So trust me when you come to me with a problem, I will help you." She stared deeply into her eyes.

Alexis smiled. She realised that Julia had no idea about Alexis knowing about it all along. She had okayed her into believing that she had won.

"Well, if you would excuse me now." She smiled and got up to leave the room and closed the door on her way out.

She has a lot to tell Isabelle. Or maybe not.

Nodding, she walked out of the room. Blake Moran was coming in today and she was to talk about things with him.

Closing the door to her office she was immediately greeted by a young man. "Ma'am," he nodded "I am Blake Moran and I am here at your service."

Alexis looked at the slightly fidgeting man in front of her. "You seem nervous," she stated by observing him. "Or is it that you cannot sit still?"

"Oh no! I can sit perfectly still. It's just that.." he hesitated.

"What?" She probed for more.

"That I am a little intimidated by your husband." He winced as he said that.

"Hmm, I get that," she mused. "But define a little intimidated."

He nodded and answered, "I didn't sit in fear of your husband walking in and being disrespectful to him." After a moment he hurriedly added, "Nadine directed me to sit."

Alexis nodded slowly, lightly mocking his fear but not enough to embarrass him. She amused to have people behaving like this in front of her. "I am glad that she did." She smiled. "How will you help me, Blake? I understand Nadine but why would I need you?"

He nodded, immediately his back straightened and his once nervous face became a hell of a confident one. It was obvious that he knew what he was going.

"When you are in a high position, you need something on everyone because no one, I repeat, no one is clean-handed. We made sure that you have no history because of which people will always look into you and I will be there to cover your tracks. From anonymous leaks and donations to tracking the breaths of your allies, I will help you there." 

Alexis blew out a breath. "That was a lot."

He nodded. "It is. You may not realise it yet. But you will need me at every step." 

Alexis pressed a button and called, "Nadine? Could you come in please?" 

"Yes ma'am," She said and immediately opened the door. "you called me?" 

"Yes have a seat." She said. 

Alexis pointed at Blake. "Blake and Nadine. You two are my assistants. I'd you ever feel that my behaviour based want you to come to me. I want you two to get along with each other and help when needed too." 

"And most importantly, Remember," she warned.. "Under no circumstances, you ever betray me because no matter what mistakes you make I will forgive you but for betrayal," she leaned in, "I won't hold Angelo back. "