Hearts a mess: Chapter I

The father sees, the father knows

The Magnolia Hotel was one of a kind. In every aspect excellent, from service to entertainment, it would provide the best for its best.

Steve Stronghold would make sure of it, and he instructed as such to his sons. Mostly his eldest, because although adopted, he was the only one he could trust to do whatever it took to keep the standards of the business.

Warren Peace had been his business partner's son until he overdosed and left the young boy in his care.

He raised him as his own, and he has never regretted that decision.

He was a ruthless youth unlike his youngest, Will, with a temper, smarts, no nonsense attitude, and sober personality, and the control to let him rule over decisions that had made him indispensable for his father and the business.

He was so very different from his youngest devil-may-care attitude, that it was no wonder Steve had chosen him to take over the empire.

That is not to say he didn't love his son Will, oh of course he did, and he was the apple of his mother's eyes.

Yet, his constant partying, gambling, and affairs outside of marriage made him a black mark in the family business. He had his own position in the hotel, a good one, but Steve could not leave the place feeling like it was in great and capable hands.

Aside from all this, he was a good son but not a good businessman or husband.

Steve would sometimes look into his son's wife's eyes and feel pity for the beautiful bright young girl, yet be unable to do anything.

It was not a surprise his eldest was disgusted by his brother's ways, and despite his personality, he could always be seen as a supporter of young Layla. It was strange to not see them side-by-side at times during the days and nights at the Magnolia Hotel.

So it really never came as a shock as it did to his family when, what he thought was a sibling relationship sometimes so close to skirting another kind of relationship altogether, turned into what has been an ongoing secret affair behind closed doors.

He only regrets that he never saw the feelings brewing between the beautiful girl and his dark son, maybe if he had, he could have prevented the fallout.


I must admit, I'm a little excited to be writing for my OTP almost eleven years after the fact. I would suggest listening to Gotye's Hearts a mess, it inspired this verse. And the Weeknd, him too. A lot. Let me know what you think.