BAD INFLUENCE
Bad Influence - Episode 41&42
(•Tainting Her Innocence•)
GENRE: College romance
By, Mide L.
✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧ ✧༺✰༻✧
✮{...THE MOTHER'S REASON...}✮
THE KING'S MANSION*
The car rumbled softly as it cruised through the gated entrance of the mansion. Cory’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel, Lucy was sitting beside him. She had never been to a place like this, everything about it screamed wealth. The grand mansion intimidated her with its size and beauty.
They just left the cinema after watching a movie, and he decided to bring her to his house.
"Your house is magnificent!" Lucy said in awe but Cory didn’t say anything.
His mind was elsewhere, focusing on the confrontation that was about to unfold inside the mansion. His mother never liked the idea of him being around people like Lucy... people from lower social classes. Cory knew it, but today, something felt different. He didn’t care about his mother’s opinion anymore.
"Yeah, let’s go" Cory came down from the car, opening her door gently.
Lucy slowly stepped out, her shoes clicking on the stone walkway leading to the entrance.
"Come on" He grabbed her hand, leading her inside the house, but as the door swung open, the voice of his mother cut through the air.
"Cory, what is this? Another one of your... experiments?"
His mother’s gaze flicked from Cory to Lucy, her expression souring immediately. She was a woman of impeccable stature, dressed in an expensive suit that radiated power and control. But in that moment, Lucy could see through her composed exterior, the disdain lurking behind her cold eyes.
"She’s not like us, Cory, you can’t bring people like her into this house"
"She’s here to stay. And you’ll deal with it" He said with finality.
He simply took her hand and in front of his mother’s sharp glare and tightly folded arms, he led Lucy past the grand staircase, up the marble steps, and down the long, cold corridor that echoed with every step they took.
Cory didn’t stop walking, not until they reached a door at the far end of the hallway.
He opened it and gently pulled her inside.
His room was... unexpected.
Dim lighting. Heavy dark curtains. A king-sized bed with black silk sheets. Guitars hung on the wall like trophies. The scent of cologne lingered in the air.
Lucy paused in the center of the room, taking it all in.
Cory closed the door behind them with a soft click, locking it.
"Sorry about her"
Lucy shook her head. "I shouldn’t have come. She doesn’t like me—"
"I don’t care what she likes" he snapped, then sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"You’re here because I want you here. You’re mine, Lucy. And no one gets to decide otherwise" Her breath caught at the possessiveness in his tone.
"You mean that?" she asked.
He stepped closer, lifting her chin so she was forced to meet his eyes.
"I’ve never been more sure of anything"
He leaned in and pressed his forehead against hers.
"I don’t care where you come from, Lucy. You’re the only thing in this house that makes sense to me"
Cory’s phone vibrated on the bedside table.
He glanced at the screen and frowned. "I have to take this"
Lucy nodded. "Okay"
He kissed her forehead softly, eyes lingering on her like he didn’t want to leave.
"I’ll be back soon. Don’t go anywhere"
Then he slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Ten minutes passed.
Then twenty.
Still no sign of Cory.
Lucy sat on the edge of the bed, fiddling with her fingers, trying not to let the growing unease in her chest win. Her curiosity got the better of her.
She stood.
Maybe he was downstairs?
Or maybe she could explore a little… just to distract herself.
As she walked into the hallway, a faint golden shimmer from a slightly open door caught her attention. She hesitated, then gently pushed the door open.
What she saw made her eyes widen.
Jewels. Everywhere.
The room glowed with pure wealth. Necklaces hung on crystal stands. Rings, bracelets, tiaras, real gold, diamonds, emeralds sparkled under the chandelier like a secret treasure vault.
Lucy stepped in, awe-struck.
Her hand hovered over a gold necklace encrusted with tiny red rubies. It looked like something straight out of a royal museum. She didn’t mean to touch it, but curiosity nudged her closer. Just one finger…
Click.
The second she lifted the necklace—
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
A loud, piercing siren blasted through the mansion.
Her heart jumped to her throat.
Red lights started flashing.
INTRUDER DETECTED. INTRUDER DETECTED.
"No no no…" Lucy panicked, trying to return the necklace, but the beeping only grew louder.
Footsteps thundered in from every direction.
Then, the door slammed open.
Two armed security guards stormed in.
"Hands up!" one barked, guns raised.
Lucy froze, her hands trembling, still clutching the necklace.
And then Mrs. King entered.
Her cold, calculating eyes narrowed the second she saw Lucy in the vault.
"Well... I warned my son about gutter girls. But I didn’t expect you to prove me right this fast"
Lucy’s face drained of color. Her legs felt like jelly.
"I-I wasn’t trying to steal it—I swear! I just—"
"Save it for the police" Mrs. King snapped.
Just then, Cory’s voice echoed down the hallway.
"MOM! What the hell is going on?!"
He appeared behind the guards, eyes darting from Lucy to the flashing lights to the gold necklace in her hand.
"Lucy?" he called with disbelief.
She looked at him, tears welling.
"Cory… I didn’t mean to..." she swallowed the next words, standing frozen under the flashing red lights, the necklace slipping from her trembling fingers to the marble floor with a soft clink.
Mrs. King folded her arms, a wicked smirk curling her lips.
"That room is always locked. Always"
Lucy’s lips parted in shock. "Then… why was it open?"
"I opened it. I wanted to see what kind of girl you truly are. And look..." she gestured around them, "I was right"
"No, I wasn’t trying to steal anything. I was just—"
Mrs. King cut her off coldly.
"You were just what? Lost? Curious? Poor little thing wandered into the wrong room and accidentally tried to steal millions worth of gold?"
The guards stiffened as Mrs. King reached for her phone.
"This is exactly why I told my son to stay away from girls like you. You don’t belong here. You never will"
She began to dial.
"Don’t" Cory finally spoke up.
Mrs. King turned slowly, her eyebrows raised. "Excuse me?"
"Don’t call the police" he said, jaw clenched, his eyes avoiding Lucy’s completely.
Lucy looked at him, pleading. "Cory… you believe me, right?"
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.
The silence hit her harder than any scream would have.
Mrs. King gave a satisfied smile.
Cory turned to the guards. "Let her go"
Then to Lucy.
"Leave"
"What?"
"Leave. Just go"
Tears filled her eyes, blurring the glint of gold around her. Her heart shattered in her chest.
Without another word, she turned and ran out of the vault, down the hallway, and out of the mansion.
Behind her, the siren faded, but the echo of his silence stayed with her.
•••
NEXT MORNING*
Hailey stepped out of the campus gates, her bag slung tiredly over her shoulder.
Her sneakers kicked at tiny pebbles on the sidewalk as she walked, eyes scanning her phone again.
Nothing.
All the job offers she had seen so far were either too demanding, too shady, or too far from campus. She sighed in frustration.
"No lectures today, and still nothing to show for it" she muttered to herself, swiping away another unimpressive ad.
She hated the feeling of being idle, of being stuck. She needed the job badly. She's all by herself and need to survive, since she's not under Cecilia anymore.
Just as she reached the bus stop and was about to check another listing, a black Rolls-Royce glided silently to a halt beside her.
The tinted window rolled down with a smooth hum.
A woman sat inside, her presence impossible to ignore. Layered in designer wear, gold bracelets stacked on her wrist, diamond studs glittering on her ears, and a hat perched fashionably on her head like royalty.
"Hailey, right?" the woman asked.
Hailey blinked. "Yes…?"
The woman gave a knowing smile. "Get in, dear. I don’t bite"
Hesitating only briefly, Hailey stepped in, surprised by the rich, floral scent that filled the car.
"I’m Mrs. Knight. Xavier’s mother"
Hailey’s breath hitched. She didn’t know what she expected, but definitely not her... not the mother of the boy who haunted her thoughts even when she tried to forget him.
"I heard… you’re the girl my son is head over heels for" She smirked.
Hailey looked away, her throat tightening.
"We’re not talking right now"
"I figured. He’s been angrier than usual" the woman said with a careless shrug.
"But that’s his habit, to push people away before they hurt him first"
Hailey turned.
"Listen, Hailey. I know Xavier hates me. Probably more than he hates anyone. But he’s still my son"
Hailey didn’t say anything.
"I abandoned him" Mrs. Knight said plainly, her voice suddenly lacking the arrogance.
"When he needed me most. When he was kidnapped, and i cared less about it"
"I never even knew if he was dead or alive until 3 days later when the kidnapper finally decided to release him. And when he came ...he wasn’t the same. He never spoke about it. Never cried. He just... changed" She looked away briefly, as if shielding herself from her own guilt.
Hailey swallowed hard. The image of a young Xavier feeling alone and afraid flashed in her mind.
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag, her heart heavy.
"I failed him, and he’s built walls so high, not even love can climb over them."
Hailey turned to look at her.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you might be the only one who can reach him. He lets you in, Hailey. That means something"
Hailey looked away, her emotions jumbled.
"You don’t have to fix him" Mrs. Knight said, placing a delicate hand over Hailey’s.
"But don’t run from him either. He’s worth fighting for… even if he acts like he’s not"
The car stopped in front of a quiet café near campus.
Mrs. Knight smiled. "I thought we could talk over tea. Unless you'd rather walk away"
Hailey looked at the building, then back at the woman beside her. Her heart told her one thing, her head another.
But one name echoed in both places: Xavier.
"Why did you do that to him?" she suddenly asked.
Mrs. Knight arched a brow. "Do what?"
"Treat him like he doesn’t matter. Like… like he's invisible"
The older woman was silent for a long moment. Then she let out a weary sigh and glanced away, as though the past was something she kept hidden in the shadows.
"When Xavier was born" she said finally before she continued, "the doctors told me he wouldn’t live long"
Hailey blinked, stunned. "What?"
"They diagnosed him with a rare congenital heart defect. Said he might not make it past childhood. Maybe fifteen, if we were lucky. His heart was fragile… too fragile to handle life the way other children could"
Mrs. Knight looked up at the sky, as though the stars might offer her comfort.
"I was twenty-three. A single mother because the father died before i gave birth to him. I’d already buried one parent, and the thought of burying my child, my baby was something I couldn't bear"
Hailey’s heart cracked as the woman spoke. There was no softness in her tone, no tears in her eyes, but the weight behind her words was enough.
"So you distanced yourself" Hailey whispered.
Mrs. Knight nodded. "I thought if I didn’t get too attached… if I trained myself to be indifferent… it would hurt less when he died. I convinced myself that loving him too deeply would destroy me in the end. So when he got hurt, I looked away. When he cried, I stayed quiet. When he rebelled, I let him because I thought I was doing the right thing by not getting too close"
"But he’s alive"
"Yes, he’s twenty one now. Still breathing. Still here. And every day, I wonder if the doctors were wrong… or if it’s just a matter of time"
She looked Hailey in the eye then. "Do you know what it’s like to brace yourself for loss every single day? To love someone so much it terrifies you, and the only way to survive is to pretend you don’t?"
Hailey didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Her throat felt tight, and Xavier’s face... his smirk, his pain, his loneliness flashed through her mind.
Everything suddenly made sense. His anger. His recklessness. The way he craved chaos and chased danger like he was daring life to take him.
Because maybe he thought no one would care if it did.
And the worst part? His own mother made him believe that.
Hailey stepped out of the car and Mrs. Knight drove off. Just as she shut the car door, her phone buzzed in her hand.
Asher.
His name flashed across the screen.
Her thumb hovered over the green button… but her heart knew better. She closed her eyes and hit Decline.
The silence that followed was deafening. She walked, almost unconsciously, feet moving as if led by some invisible thread. Before she realized it, she was standing in front of Xavier’s house.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
This is crazy. This is reckless. This is real.
She reached out, pushed the door open since it was unlocked, and stepped inside.
There he was.
Xavier, dark hoodie half-zipped, keys in his hand, about to leave. His brows furrowed in surprise when he saw her.
But before he could say a word, Hailey rushed forward, throwing her arms around him and jumping into his arms, her body trembling as she clung to him tightly.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face in his chest.
"I love you" she whispered between sobs. "And you're never alone. Not anymore"
___
💕TBC💕
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