Extra Side Story - Luka & Yvette Funeral Talk (Patreon)

Hey guys 👋 I actually managed to write an extra side story for this month and this is my early Christmas gift to all of you, my dear patrons! 😊 This story will be available to public later, but I've decided to let you guys enjoy it sooner 💖 

The story really doesn't have anything to do with Christmas 😆 But it'll have to do with some of the talks in Chapter 4. This story is Yvette's POV of the talk she had with Luka after Viktor's funeral. I hope you guys enjoy it! 😄

* * * * *

It’s done. Your love is buried now, six feet under the ground, and you feel like a tiny part of your heart goes along with him.

You know if the Agency knows that you’re here right now, you’ll get a stern talking to and a warning. After all, if words leak out, it could be a PR disaster. It’s supposed to be one of your biggest fears, but right now, you can’t bring yourself to care.

You really need this one last chance to say goodbye to your love. Even if it means risking your career, risking your safety by deceiving and going through a bunch of guards loyal to the biggest criminal family in the city who also happen to hate your guts. Sometimes, you wonder why they haven’t even done anything to you yet after all these years.

But, you decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and you’re thankful that Viktor’s mother gave you the chance to say a proper final goodbye to him. Something way better than what you said about him in the comic book store last time.

But what he last heard you say was that insult and joke you made at his expense… It might as well be your actual last words to him…

No. No more of that, please…You don’t—can’t—think more about it. That moment has been haunting you ever since you learnt of Viktor’s untimely death. And you don’t think it’ll ever truly leave you, will it?

Glancing around, you see Sasha, your secret kid with Viktor, staring emptily at the fresh grave, their eyes are red and puffy and they’re still sobbing quietly. Your heart clenches painfully at the sight and without thinking further, you start walking toward them. You’re not sure what’s spurring this decision—maybe some kind of maternal instinct—but your feet carry you forward before your hazy mind can even tell your body to stop.

Sasha turns slightly around and frowns as they see you approaching. What would you even say to them after what you just did that day?

Before you can think even further, Luka steps in between you and Sasha, using his tall height to wall Sasha from you. He glowers down at you, crossing his arms. You used to consider Viktor’s height to be comforting, but it’s completely the opposite with his brother, Luka.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growls lowly. “Can’t you see that you’ve outstayed your welcome?”

“I—I just want to talk to my kid,” you complain, peeking around Luka. Sasha has turned away from you as their grandfather walks beside them and speaks with them.

Luka scoffs, “Your kid? I think you said something different a few days ago.”

You grimace and look down at your feet. There’s nothing you can say in response to that.

Sighing, Luka says, “Tell me. What do you actually want?” He sounds more tired and drained than intimidating. “Do you want to take care and raise them?”

You take a minute or so to think. “I—I just want to visit them every now and then, you know… Check in on them, celebrate their birthdays, spend some holidays with them.”

Luka seems displeased with the answer. “So, let me get this straight, you still don’t want to fully be in their life but also don’t want to be completely out of it like before? If I say yes to this, would you finally just admit to the whole world that Sasha is your kid? Or would you still sneak around to visit them secretly as if they’re an embarrassment?” he bristles.

“You don’t understand! I can’t just do that! I can’t just claim them like that,” you hiss. He doesn’t understand the pressure of keeping your place on the ladder, much less trying to climb it.

You remember what happened to the former superheroine Belladonna years ago, a little bit before your time. She made a mistake in her passion and decided to reveal her relationship to the public. Her growth immediately stagnated and soon, her fame dimmed down slowly and her fanbase dwindled. And now, she’s irrelevant and retired—or more like being retired by the Agency. A wasted potential, a bad investment, you overheard some of the upper-ups say.

“Why not?” Luka asks provokingly.

“You know exactly why!” you fume.

“I want to hear you say it.”

This asshole…! “Fine! Because doing so would be equal to suicide-bombing my career!”

“And there’s your problem, isn’t it? My brother and Sasha would never be able to compare to your precious career,” Luka spits vehemently.

“T—That’s not true! I truly loved Viktor—”

“Oh, yeah? Then, humor me, if you didn’t accidentally get pregnant ten years ago, where would your relationship with my brother be right now? Would you be openly dating by now?”

“N—No, probably not. But we’d surely still be dating!” you argue stubbornly.

“Secretly. Hiding him. The same way you’re planning to do to Sasha,” he accuses. “Tell me, what do you plan to do with them? Would you even be willing to one day tell the whole city that they’re your kid?”

“Maybe… and you know… once they get older, perhaps I can take them under my wings, I can be their mentor and they can be my protégé. When I’m finally in a more established and secure position, I’ll think about letting the whole city know that my beloved protégé is also my kid,” you say, voice hesitant.

“Fuck you,” Luka snaps angrily. ”Sasha deserves so much better than to be treated like this.” His voice is drenched in disgust as he sneers down at you.

You look down in shame. You know deep down that he’s right.

“You can’t have your cake and eat it too. That’s not how the world works.” Luka shakes his head. “So, I’ll give you an ultimatum now. A second and last chance to change your mind. Either you claim Sasha as your kid and let the whole world know now and I’ll let you visit them freely, as often as you want. Sure there’s a chance that your career might be jeopardized but you’ll be in Sasha’s life now, and maybe, they’ll finally come to see you as their mother. Or, stick to the decision you made ten years ago to not be a part of their life and you can keep your precious career and bask in the glory, fame, and adoration of the city. Make up your mind about it now.”

“Y—You can’t do this! I’m their mother!” you blurt out in outrage and desperation.

“Yes, I can. Viktor appointed me as Sasha’s legal guardian in his will. And it’s my responsibility to make decisions that I think would be best for them, and that includes protecting them from more unnecessary pain and disappointment from your half-assed attempt to be in their life,” Luka says, voice cold and calm. “And no, you’re not their mother just because you gave birth to them. Being a mother is far more than that, and Cara is more of a mother figure than you’ve been so far.”

You don’t know what to say because you completely understand what Luka just said and you hate it. But you also can’t do what he wants you to do, so, you just stay silent.

Luka scoffs again. “Your silence is a clear enough answer for me.” He uncrosses his arms before pointing at you sharply. “I’ll make it very clear right now that I want you to stay the fuck away from Sasha and my family, do you understand? The only reason you’re still here and thriving in your career after you broke my brother’s heart is because he specifically asked me and my parents to just leave you alone. But, if you don’t stay away from my nephew/niece/nibling, then I’ll seriously reconsider that, got it? Now, fuck off before someone sees you here,” he snarls before turning around and blinking away to where Sasha is currently standing with their grandfather, the puff of air caressing your face softly.

You stand around for another minute or so, your heart heavy with guilt and sorrow for Viktor’s death still. You see that Luka seems to be talking heatedly with his father. It doesn’t take a genius to guess what it might be about. You’re willing to bet it must be about Sasha. Well, at least you think it’s better for Luka to raise and take care of them than his father; you’ve heard some rather disconcerting stories from Viktor about his younger days before he came here.

You are brought out of your musing when you see Sasha turns away from the two men, walking in the opposite direction, and for a second your heart beats faster. Could it be that they want to talk to you? However, your momentary hope is dashed just as quickly as they walk towards Cara and her kid instead.

Your heart twinges in pain as you see Cara bends down and Sasha hugs her, their slight shoulders shaking as they sob. Cara’s kid pats Sasha’s shoulder comfortingly. You know you should be happy that your kid still has people around them who seem to really care about them—and you are relieved for them—but also, you can’t help but feel heartbroken. In another life, if you made a different choice, it could’ve been you who is consoling Sasha—hell, maybe Viktor would still be alive right now.

No. Stop it. Now is not the time to be contemplating what ifs; you don’t need to feel more shitty than you already are. You should probably leave now before you get into more trouble.

Sighing, you turn around and begin striding back the way you came. A sight makes you stop, however. It’s Viktor’s mother kneeling by her son’s fresh grave, her exquisite black velvet dress undoubtedly ruined by the damp soil below her, but you’re sure it’s the last thing on her mind right now. Her sorrow is so intense that you can feel it permeating through the emotional barrier you put up.

You’ve never really interacted with Viktor’s family face-to-face before today. Although, you’ve heard the elites talk and whisper about them quite often. Ruthless, criminals, filthy rich, frigid, scary, intimidating, and a lot of other words have been used to describe them, but none have ever said vulnerable. To see them, especially Viktor’s mother, in this state right now almost feels downright illegal.

A sudden intrusive and morbid thought enters your mind. Would you be like her as well if something happened to Sasha? As soon as you register the thought, you shut it down. What the hell was that? You don’t want to think or picture it. Ever. You should get out of here right now.

Continuing on your way to the exit, you pass by the guards you fooled with a mix of your Empathy and Illusion abilities. Some glance at you while others glare or send you a stern stare. You hold your head high and refuse to be intimidated by them. As soon as you arrive at your car, you quickly get in and drive away. You drive towards the city, mentally drained and mind focused only on one thing: to get back home and continue your mourning and spend your alone time to come into gripes with your sorrow, both for Viktor and the lost opportunity to reconnect with your child.