"Tomorrow night your aunt is taking you to an important event. You have to look your absolute best," she explained and Kilin who had been holding her anger in finally broke down.
"Why? Why do I have to go? She is so mean to me the entire time. She obviously hates me," she said and Mary Lee was at a loss. She would have loved to tell her why it was important but she couldn't. She regretted ever laying eyes on that man and falling for his nonsense. If she could have full custody of her kids she would.
"I know but that's your father's side of the family. You have to tolerate them just this once and I promise you won't have to interact with them again," she said but she was just saying that to comfort her.
The patriarch of the Branson family was the one who wanted her children present at these events despite the fact that they would much rather remain outsiders.
Kilin swallowed hard, resignation settling over her as she realised she couldn't escape this situation. "Can't I use a shaving stick? It's less painful," she said her one foot turning towards the door.
Her mother put on her gloves with a snap and Kilin's body jolted imagining all sorts of painful scenarios in her mind.
She reluctantly complied, lying down on the nearby bed, her gaze fixed on the ceiling. The silence in the room was suffocating, broken only by the sound of her own quickened breath. She was more aware of her mother's presence as she lay there facing the ceiling. With a deep exhale she braced herself for the impending discomfort, her muscles primed for a fight-or-flight response. But as her mother's skilled hands moved towards the wax warmer, Kilin couldn't help but feel a little sense of ease. Maybe just maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she initially feared.
However, any hope was swiftly dashed as Mary Lee expertly dipped a wax stick into the warm, molten wax and approached Kilin's leg. A surge of panic coursed through her veins, and Kilin's instincts took over. In one swift motion, she wriggled free from her mother's grasp, evading the impending torment.
Like a cat that despised water, Kilin darted towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest. But her escape was short-lived as her mother's strong grip caught hold of her back collar, yanking her back into the room.
Kilin's eyes widened as she was pulled back. "It won't hurt, I promise. Would you rather I do it or instead of you hanging out with Keele tomorrow you go to the spa with me in the morning?"
Kilin, "..."
"Uh fine. Just know that I will remember this," she said her cheeks puffed up and Mary Lee smiled slightly.
She was very gentle and did a very good job but from the other side of the door, the uncle and nephew who were listening in with their ears pressed on the door thought she was being tortured to death.
"Will you stop screaming? I barely touched you," they heard Mary Lee yelling.
"Is Kilin going to die?" asked Raylan seriously contemplating calling the police.
Marcus ruffled his hair before saying, "It is tough being a woman. You should be glad you don't need your eyebrows waxed," he said before turning to leave. "You want to watch a movie?"
Raylan completely forgot to worry about his sister and ran over with his short legs. By the time Mary Lee let her go, Kilin was wondering if it was even possible to return her mother and ask for a new one. It felt sore but it was still bearable. Blinded by fury and exhaustion she picked up her phone and sent Keele a message.
RoyalRose: Urgh mums. They are so insufferable.
Unfortunately for her, it wasn't Keele that she wrote a message to but Reckless25 on the live streaming app.
She had just assumed that the message on top was from Keele thus she replied to it before going to bed.
***
Wyatt's heart thumped in his chest as he finished his run on the treadmill, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. He slowed down the pace, allowing his body to gradually cool down as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a towel.
Finding a moment of reprieve, he glanced at his phone, expecting the usual notifications from his friends' group chat. But one message caught his attention, causing his brow to arch in surprise. It was from RoyalRose but the content of the message seemed out of place, as if it wasn't meant for him.
He locked his phone and left the home gym heading to his room to take a shower. The faint echoes of his dad's struggling with his intoxicated mother reached his ears as he walked down the corridor.
He hesitated for a moment, torn between intervening and minding his own business. Ultimately, he decided to give them their privacy and made his way to his room.
Wyatt closed the door behind him, shutting out the chaos from the rest of the house. He quickly undressed and headed into the bathroom for a refreshing shower, the warm water cascading over his tired muscles, washing away the remnants of his intense workout.
The entire time his mind kept steering back to that message. He didn't know why he couldn't stop thinking about it. Thus when he had finished taking a shower he settled on his bed, still damp from the shower and picked up his phone again and opened the message from RoyalRose.
His fingers hovered on the text box for a while but he found himself clicking her profile and watching her last livestream cosplaying as Lady Zhen. He found himself captivated by her attention to detail and the passion she poured into her craft.
Unable to resist, Wyatt typed out a reply, his fingers dancing across the screen. Despite knowing that the message was most likely not intended for him, he couldn't help but be drawn into this unexpected connection, a thread of curiosity and fascination weaving its way into his thoughts.
Before he could regret it he sent it and slammed his phone on the bed while pushing back his hair. He didn't know what he was doing or why he was doing it. He just couldn't help himself.
His eyes drowsy he heard the soft chiming of his phone. He picked it up expecting a response from RoyalRose but instead, it was Myan complaining about Keele shoving him in the volleyball court. He ignored it and opened the previous app again refreshing his chat with RoyalRose but still there was no response.