Chapter 5
**The lie of the century**
Liliana's mouth dropped wide open in shock as she walked into the building only to find her father clipping her mother's toenails, it was disgusting but she didn't care as what she saw wasn't her sick father—but a rather healthy one with a new dad bud and her mother who was vibrantly happy instead of how distraught she sounded over the phone.
‘Lili', Megan rose to her feet as she walked over to reach for her daughter, ‘Oh my God you're here Lili!'.
‘It's not Lili but Liliana Mom', she scoffed loudly as she couldn't believe what she was seeing with her eyes, ‘.....Dad, you look perfectly fine'.
Marcus pursed his lips and opened it to speak only for Liliana to storm up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her and plopping face down on the bed to muffle her anger. She should've known it was all a lie! she should've seen the signs and knew what they were up to, now they have succeeded in the lie of a century and she was back home in a place where she didn't want to be—where she didn't belong.
‘Lili please open the—'
‘Get out!!'. She yelled as she threw her favorite paper weight across the room, hitting the door and startling Marcus who just wanted to speak to his daughter. In all honesty he thought the attempt to get her back home was going to be a failed effort, he even made plans to get her kidnapped and brought back to the country so he could tell her the secret he had been keeping for so long.
Seeing her walk in with her perfect sunshades and her hair which was redder than ever, a radiating cherry replica of the first time he met her mother, Megan, in college. She has blossomed into a beautiful woman, a little bit on the slender side but he was proud to have someone as striking as her for a daughter, ‘Sweetie please just open the door I want to talk to you. It's important I tell you why I lied!'.
There was silence, two minutes later Liliana opened the door and didn't grant him entrance as he wanted to come in, ‘Just say what you need to say and let's call it a day. I'll have my assistant book me a morning flight back to Fiji...I'll be out of this house before you know it!'. She said and Marcus sighed deeply.
‘I'm sorry I lied'.
‘It's something you've done to me my whole life'.
’Come on you know that's not tr—'
‘Five minutes left Dad'.
‘Gosh you're stubborn just like your mom', Marcus sighed deeply as he raked his hands through his hair, ‘Lili just let me come in and we'll have a conversation like father and daughter, we're both adults so please just let me come in'.
Liliana took her stance and didn't budge, if only he knew how much of a scene she caused in the airplane just because she thought he was dying, he didn't even know the extent as to how she was planning on mending their estranged relationship only for it to turn out as a lie.....he just had to ruin everything as always by deceiving her.
‘Lili please...'
‘You know what Dad?', she nipped on her bottom lip after talking in a deep breath, ‘I think my jet-lag just set in and I need to sleep'. She stepped back a little and slammed the door on his face, locking it and going back to her bed to cry herself to sleep.
*********
Prince Adonis knew he was done for when he was welcomed with the parade of a marching band waiting just outside the airport, with a wide banner having ‘“WELCOME HOME OUR PRODIGAL PRINCE'" written on it. He bowed is head in frustration and embarrassment, trying to avoid the cameras and the flickering lights in his eyes as he was ushered into the car waiting by one of his father's security men.
The marching band kept tagging behind his car, playing their instrumentals loudly and making him regret his decision to come back home. He instructed the driver to speed up so he couldn't be associated with the tomfoolery of a band to which the driver nodded and increased the speed of the car, driving past a pothole and spewing mud water over some of them.
‘That is going in the papers soon'. He grunted but he didn't care, it was better for the people of his beloved country to hate him rather than fawning over him with some deceptive imagination that he was a prince charming—he wasn't a prince or a charming one at that, he was a business man who dealt in the beautiful word of artistry.
Thankfully the ride didn't take too long as he finally got to the palace. A glance outside his window and every childhood to early adult memory spent all came reeling in, from the pure white painted walls of the grand building, to the vast maze garden which the ‘Angel palace' was really known for. He stepped out of the car and a trumpet was blown to announce his arrival which made him roll his eyes, always as dramatic as ever, he thought as he walked towards the main door.
King Gerard jolted to his feet as his son's sudden arrival was announced, he was expecting the prince to return in two days or more, not immediately!. He was in the patio having lunch with his wife and enjoying the bright weather which suddenly turned gloomy as Adonis finally appeared.
‘What is the meaning of this?'. Adonis asked as he was almost dumbstruck seeing his mother in perfect condition, even more ravishing than the last time he saw her. He wanted to pinch himself, hoping it was all a dream—praying, that he didn't leave his urgent business meeting thinking his mother was sick and dying all for it to be a blatant lie.
The tension started to rise under a few seconds and Queen Evalene gulped loudly as she walked over to hug her son, ‘Welcome home your highness'. She whispered and Adonis's gaze still remained on his father as his mother wrapped her arms around him in a warm embrace.