Hello everyone and welcome back to Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
We get to see more of the human side of Ganabranth in this chapter instead of the sadistic-torture-leader side. I really like this one cuz even though there isn't a fight scene or arguments, there's a lot going on. I did make it purposefully a bit wordy but that's because I needed it to fit my 3,000-Word Requirement I have.
Also, there are a lot of names and titles and descriptions used in this chapter to describe things so you guys can easily search the stuff up.
Anywho!
I hope you enjoy and let's get right into this!
A/N:
Just to clarify, this is what happens right after Makayla agrees to Ganabranth's offer but before the attack on Camp Half-Blood.
Ganabranth couldn't hold back from smiling as Makayla gave him her answer, agreeing to live with him as his surrogate daughter and unknowingly giving him everything he had fought to attain for the past several years.
"You sure that's your answer? No taking it back." He warned carefully. The redhead paused for a very long minute before she slowly and shakily nodded.
"Y- Y- Yes… If you- as- as long as you swear that you won't hurt me." She repeated. Her eyes hadn't left her hands as they swirled, colors mixing from scattered emotion.
"I swear that I will never again do anything to hurt you, Makayla." Ganabranth agreed, surprising himself for a moment as he felt himself speaking honestly. "And if I do, which I won't, then you have the right to leave and go back to the camp."
Makayla nodded but started as her hands suddenly flashed, her palms glowing silver momentarily as their deal was sealed. The light faded and she was left staring at her palms.
The snakes returned the look.
Makayla was woken the next morning by knocking on her door. She sat up groggily and rubbed her bleary eyes, still half asleep.
"Time to get up! Breakfast's downstairs waiting for you cuz we got stuff to do today."
His voice was muffled from the wood but she could understand him easily enough. She had a moment where her heart stopped from Ganabranth's voice, momentarily forgetting the day before. Then her heart began to beat once again and she sighed. She had a mental debate whether or not to go back to sleep before grumbling and crawling out from under the thick comforter, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
Dressing in the same clothes as the day before, Makayla realized she had worn those clothes for five days and wondered if Ganabranth was being serious about taking her shopping or not. After dressing, she made sure her sword Ligero was placed by the door for easy reach then went downstairs to see that breakfast was indeed ready, Ganabranth having again cooked. Not seeing him anywhere, Makayla sat at the nook-style oak table and began to eat. She took small slow bites, still wary about the food she ate, but finished none-the-less.
She placed her plate and utensils in the sink then sat back down. She wondered where the older man was but mentally prayed that he would take a long time doing whatever it was that he was doing. Looking around, Makayla frowned when she realized that the house she now lived in was really nice so she stood and decided to wander while she waited.
Decorated with what seemed like expensive items, the Mediterranean-style home was styled in black and gold colors with white-marble accents. The great room was decorated with four Schuster Sculptural Sofas positioned around a rectangular glass-top coffee table. Below her bare feet was a large and beautiful Metallic Gold area rug. To her side was a large Obsidian ethanol-burning fireplace and above her, a large Salviati Chandelier hung from the high ceiling.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Makayla yelped, startled by the sudden voice. She spun around and saw who it was: Ganabranth leaned casually against one of the walls with his hands in his pockets, admiring the house as well. He wore a plain t-shirt under a zip-up hoodie and jeans.
"Uh, y- yeah." Makayla agreed. The older man gazed around the large house with a relaxed smile.
"My house was custom designed and custom-built you know." He told her, walking over. "My wife and I created the design for everything. When we married, my vow promised her everything in the world, anything she could ever want. Being the gentle soul she was, all she said was "My only dream is to have a place where I can grow old with you." So I built her a home. She never asked for expensive things, she was too humble for that. I did anyway. I gave her a castle where she could live like the queen she was."
Ganabranth slowly gained a wistful look as he spoke.
"She was… my wife was the joy of my life, my light in the dark, my everything." He slowly moved over to a small nook that Makayla had previously not noticed. It was held several candles and three framed pictures: a memorial of some sort. He continued, voice quiet and eyes sad. "Life was perfect, it couldn't get better. Then it came... that fateful day... and I lost my light."
"What happened?" Makayla asked quietly. He turned to her and she could see his broken heart through his eyes.
"She got sick. Her body had always been weak to illnesses so it took from me her too soon." He told her sadly. He turned back to the memorial, gently running his hand down a picture of a beautiful red-haired woman. "My beautiful Irene…"
Makayla felt her heart cry; Ganabranth had lost what meant the most to him; his wife and his daughter…
She but her lip. She had never seen this part of Ganabranth. He seemed… human, vulnerable, weak. She hesitated for a very long minute before slowly moving towards him. She stood beside the older man and looked at the memorial's pictures.
In one was a professionally taken picture of a woman in her mid-twenties. She was gorgeous, her red hair styled simply-short, her smile gentle and eyes caring. The second was another portrait, this time of Ganabranth's deceased daughter. As Annabeth had said, the girl looked exactly like Makayla. The only difference was their eye color.
The third photo in the memorial was a picture of the small family of three. They were caught mid-laugh at the beach, the beautiful colors of twilight reflecting off the ocean behind them. Makayla looked up and was stunned to see that Ganabranth was holding back tears.
Looking down and taking a breath, she slowly raised her hand then she paused, then, moved, then paused, then moved. Inch by inch, her hand slowly reached out until it came in contact with Ganabrath's sleeve. Surprised, he looked down at her hands then back up to her. Makayla never even got close to him.
"I'm sorry. Ab- About your wife and daughter, I mean." She told him, voice quiet. She still couldn't meet his gaze. "That must have been hard…"
Ganabranth smiled softly and placed one hand over hers, moving carefully as not to scare or startle the redhead.
"It was. But now I'm hoping for a new beginning." He told her honestly
It took a moment but Makayla realized he meant her and blinked. He… was he for real?
"Ser- S- Seriously?" She stuttered.
"If you're willing, I'd like to try," Ganabranth admitted, moving to one knee to be at her eye-level. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and visibly winced when he felt her scars beneath his hands. "Makayla… I am truly and honestly sorry for what I did to you. I- You won't ever forgive me, I know that, but I do hope someday you'll at trust me enough to least not be scared."
Makayla felt her chest pounding hard as every emotion ever felt ran wild inside her. She couldn't talk or move, too stunned to respond.
There was a small beeping sound and Ganabranth straightened, looking at a Ulysse Nardin Hannibal watch on his wrist.
"I'm afraid we'll have to cut this here," He told her. "We got only a few more hours and still got things to do and places to go."
Makayla shook herself from her daze as he started towards his garage.
"A few hours until what?" She asked. He winked in response, grabbing a set of keys from its place on the wall.
"That... is a good question and will be answered later tonight." He told her, climbing into his silver Jaguar XJ220. Still confused, Makayla followed.
As suggested the day before, the next while was spent driving to various stores as the two shopped for outfits for Makayla. She felt bad spending so much money but Ganabranth repeatedly assured her he was close to a millionaire (she wasn't how) and they were weren't even making a dent in his account.
An hour and a half later, Makayla was confused to pull up to a salon.
"Um… what are we doing now?" She asked. Ganabranth again winked.
"We gotta look fabulous for tonight, don't we?" He chuckled, turning off the car before opening the door for her and helping her out.
Stepping inside, Makayla stood awkwardly as her new father-figure gave the person at the counter some money, saying to do whatever she wanted. The person nodded and Ganabeanth walked back over to Makayla, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I have an errand to run real quick so I'll be back in a bit. In the meantime, spoil yourself." He gave her a smile before kissing the top of her head and leaving. She stared with wide eyes as he drove away.
"Ma'am? How would you like to start?" The lady at the counter asked, getting her attention.
"Uh… I'm not sure?" Makayla replied a bit awkwardly.
"Perhaps a cut and style and then nails? If you would like, we have a steam room that you may use? Or perhaps a massage after a facial with a bath?" She suggested, leading the redhead away. Makayla left herself to smile.
This is going to be fun.
Two hours later, Makayla was back at Ganabranth's house, hair cut and styled, nails done, body smooth and clean.
She sat staring at the piece of clothing on her bed: it was beautiful, nicer than anything she'd ever owned before, but she hesitated. It just didn't feel right. She felt if she put the dress on then she would be officially be betraying everyone she knew. There was a knock at her door as a reminder for time and she sighed before standing. She grabbed the outfit and moved to the bathroom. She pulled off her robe before putting on the dress, struggling for just a moment as she tied the back. The redhead slipped on her tights and shoes before moving back to the room to stand in front of the full-body mirror.
Makayla took a deep breath before finally looking into her reflection.
Her hair had been curled and placed into a messy-bun updo, two thick strands let down on either side. The smallest amount of makeup had been added to darken her eyes and red her lips, making them look slightly larger and more inviting. Her nails were now shaped and painted burgundy with small silver swirls serving as accents. Nude-colored stockings covered her legs and a pair of glittering silver heels with sequined straps rested on the floor beside her feet. Her dress…
Reaching her knees and strapless, the dress was made of wine-red chiffon and ruffled tulle with silver gems adding a design the corset-style bodice and sweetheart neckline. Small rhinestones gave just the right amount of secluded sparkle along the body of the dress, flowing gently as she moved.
Looking at her reflection, Makayla knew she looked stunningly gorgeous. She gave a small smile as the tried to think the reaction Jakob would have if he saw her.
'He'd probably be speechless, to be honest.' She thought. She cursed herself as she felt a twinge of sadness before pushing the thought from her mind.
Taking another deep breath, she took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her heels and leaving to meet her new father-figure downstairs. She could hear an old dance song playing from the radio as she descended the bifurcated stairs to the foyer. Falling unceremonially onto the bottom step, Makayla sat and slipped on her silver heels. As she was clasping the strap around her ankle, she heard footsteps and looked up.
Ganabranth now wore an Ermenegildo Zegna suit with an untied silver bowtie draped around his neck and black dress shoes. His dark hair had been combed neatly to the side and was freshly shaved. He had been adding a pair of engraved cufflinks when he paused, seeing Makayla. The redhead slowly stood.
"You look gorgeous, Makayla." Ganabranth told her with a smile. His eyes held... was that pride? Affection? Makayla wasn't sure but it confused her.
"Thank you." She thanked quietly, silver eyes down. As the two walked toward the garage she noticed he was struggling with his tie and wondered if he had ever worn a bowtie before, seeing him once in regular ones before. She sighed and stepped over to help, heels clicking on the marble floor. "Here, I'll show you."
Making exaggerated gestures the young redhead showed the older man how to pull one end under the other, folding one side and pulling the other from behind it, ending with a perfectly tied bow.
"Where'd you learn how to do that?" He asked as she straightened the cloth, impressed. Makayla shrugged.
"I was taught when I was young." She answered vague, remembering the many dances that Ashlyn and Adam had dragged her to.
Having not worn heels in years, Makayla carefully followed as the older man led her down the steps and back into the garage. He seemed to have a mental debate then smiled, saying tonight was special. Already not sure what he meant, he only served to confuse her more as he led her to a previously unnoticed section of the underground garage told her not to look, handing her a length of cloth. He could see her hands shaking as he tied the blindfold over her eyes, keeping it loose to not ruin her makeup, and assured her that nothing was going to happen. She could hear keys jingling and a second garage door opening. He took her hand, making sure not to startle her, and led her forward.
"Alright. What I'm about to show you is my all-time favorite item ever despite never having a reason to pull it out." Ganabranth couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "You ready?"
Makayla nodded and a moment later her blindfold was removed. Her eyes widened, jaw dropped, and breath was stolen when looked up to see a freshly polished gold-colored Bugatti Veyron.
"This here is my baby," Ganabranth announced, running his hand along the side of the exterior. "I actually won this beauty when the previous owner got cocky enough to bet against me. Needless to say, he lost and I got his car."
It's incredible..." She gasped. She almost didn't want to touch it, it was so nice.
"Yes, it is... You wanna drive it?" Makayla actually stumbled back a step at his words, almost tripping.
"Wha- I can'-t...Y- You're joking, right?" She checked, not believing that he would let her drive his multimillion-dollar car. But Ganabranth only shook his head.
"Nope, not joking. I'm serious." He chuckled. He tossed her the keys and she instinctively caught them. She couldn't say anything for several seconds as she stared at the keys in her hands.
"I- I- no way! I can't- you..." Makayla didn't seem able to finish. A minute passed before she sighed and shook her head, tossing the keys back to the dark-haired man. "No thanks. I'd be way too nervous and probably wreck it. Plus, I don't have my license remember?" She reminded, brushing back a strand of her curled hair.
"I forgot that," Ganabranth admitted, walking around to open her door. "Again, I guess that's something we'll have to fix."
Makayla smoothed down her dress's ruffles as she leaned into the passenger seat. A moment later, the large garage door opened and Ganabranth started the engine. Moving as smooth as silk, the Bugatti started forward and before she knew it, they were out on the road.
"Will you tell me where we're going now?" She asked with a sigh, repeating the question again. Ganabranth chuckled, turning on some music.
"Any specific genre or artist you like?" He asked in response, ignoring her question. The redhead rolled her eyes, making the two colors swirl, but nodded.
"Anything faster with strong bass." She confessed. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, giving her a look from the corner of his eye.
"Really? I never pegged you as that kinda girl, to be honest." He told her. She felt her cheeks turning pink and turned to look out her window. He shrugged. "Everyone has their own opinions I guess."
He pressed something on his smartphone and a moment later an upbeat pop song played. Makayla felt herself begin to get lost in the music and hummed along. They drove for ten minutes before the sky began to get significantly darker. After fifteen minutes, the city came into view and she gasped. If she thought Orlando was incredible during the day, it was nothing compared to the night. She stared in amazed awe at the colorful lights as they drove through the city. She didn't know where they were going but she did know that the city took her breath. Granted, it was a bit too crowded for her to live in full comfort but she knew she could survive.
"Aaaand here we are!" Ganabranth announced.
Makayla realized that she had zoned out the entire drive, mesmerized by the cities lights. Looking forward she saw they had arrived at a very very nice restaurant. There were men in valet uniforms standing by the entrance, one stepping forward after a moment's hesitation to open Makayla's door as Ganabranth pulled to a stop. He seemed in shock by the car.
"Don't even breathe on it." The Serpents' Leader warned as he handed the man his keys. The valet nodded seriously and accepted the keys. The dark-haired man turned to Makayla, giving a small bow as he offered his arm. "May we?"
Makayla couldn't stop her hands from shaking and she nodded shook her head, barely enough to see. He gave an understanding nod and instead gestured for her to follow as he led her inside. Heels clicking softly as she walked, Makayla had to force herself to keep stepping forward instead of staring in shock at the beauty of the building. She noticed the silver gems on her dress sparkled in the soft light as they followed the host. She showed them to a table for two off to the side before a waiter came and asked if they had any drink requests.
"Tonight is a special night so I'll take your best bottle of La Bruja de Rozas." Ganabranth told the man as he pulled the chair back for Makayla, sitting himself a moment later.
"Excellent choice, sir. A personal favorite." The waiter agreed. He turned to Makayla. "And for the lady?"
The redhead shrugged awkwardly, never having been to a place so nice before.
"Let's try a single glass of Prosecco to start with. If that won't go then we'll go for something else." Ganabranth suggested, giving Makayla a questioning look. She nodded in agreement and the waiter handed them menus before leaving.
She tried to avoid the numbers as she looked over the menu of Italian foods, hoping to avoid conversation. But unfortunately, it didn't work.
"Tell me, My Dear; how has your day been so far?" Ganabranth asked her casually. Makayla raised an eyebrow.
"That a new nickname?" She wondered. Her former captor shrugged.
"If you want."
"What happened to your other one?"
"You didn't like it. I know that it triggers you so I've avoided using it." He said honestly, thanking the waiter when he returned and handed them each a glass.
Makayla felt stunned. Since they had first met he had called her Beautiful. He had always used her nickname no matter the scenario. But now he was going to completely stop and find something else just because she didn't like it? Because he didn't want to trigger her?
Ganabranth held out his glass.
"A toast to a new beginning?" He suggested. Makayla couldn't stop the small smile that came to her lips. She raised her glass as well.
"To a new beginning."
And that concludes the forty-sixth chapter of Hidden Secrets and Shared Lies!
Thank you all for reading and I hope you continue. Please leave a review because criticism, advice, complaints, and/or compliments are all welcome!
Have a good one and I'll see you later!