The Beautiful Monster

Alyssa asked him, deciding to skip the part about talking to Scott for now. She was more interested in seeing if Scott was telling the truth about her being a problem or not.

Elias gave her a confused look as angled his body more toward her.

"An issue? Why would you think that?" he asked her, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Am I?" Alyssa asked, pushing for him to answer her question first. She didn't want him to just dodge around it.

Elias held her gaze for a few moments before finally speaking.

"You're not an issue," he told her.

Alyssa didn't say anything at first, wondering if he was actually telling her the truth or not. She hoped that he wasn't lying to her.

There was already a lot of drama surrounding them. She didn't also want it in their relationship when it came to the two of them.

"Okay," she said. "You would tell me if I became one or if your family said that about me, right?"

Elias nodded, his jaw tightening slightly.

"I'm guessing someone said something to you?" he questioned her.

Alyssa realized that she had been found out. Then again, who else from his family would talk to her and cause drama? She sighed as she crossed her legs.

"He basically cornered me in the library when I went to see Zoe," she explained. She didn't want to talk to him, but he was insistent that she did. He would've just chased her down if she tried to get away.

Elias shook his head as he stood up from the couch. He started pacing in front of the coffee table, muttering to himself.

"He just keeps prodding me," he grumbled. "He's never going to learn."

Alyssa watched him with a frown, wondering exactly what he meant about Scott learning something. Learn what? It sounded like a threat.

"He told me that I was an issue. Is he right?" Alyssa asked again now that he knew the full story. She didn't want him hiding that from her.

Elias stopped pacing and walked over to her. He looked down at her with a small frown.

"He's trying to get under my skin. Making you upset gets under my skin," he replied.

Alyssa nodded as she listened. She figured that was the case, but she had to be sure. There was so much mystery that surrounded his family that she didn't know what was true and what was not.

"I really tried not to talk to him," she said. She wished that Scott hadn't put her in that position.

Elias shook his head as he reached down to caress her cheek.

"I'm not upset with you. I'm mad at him for bothering you. He knows that he can piss me off through you," he said quietly.

Alyssa didn't like being a pawn in this game. She didn't sign up for this, and she hoped that Scott eventually got the clue that she wasn't going to play any longer.

"He's really set on making you mad," she said. She was worried about the lengths that Scott would possibly go to just to get under Elias' skin. She was also worried about her involvement in that.

Elias nodded as he pulled his hand away.

"It's nothing new. He's my family's pet. Always trying to be the best and most submissive," he muttered.

"Does your family treat him better because of that?" Alyssa asked, wondering if there was some sort of hierarchy in his family.

She also wondered where he was at within that. It seemed like he was placed above Scott, who kept trying to pull him down.

Elias shook his head as he turned away from her.

"He thinks it does, but he just shows how weak he is," he replied. He stared off into space for a moment before clearing his throat. "I'm not trying to please anyone. I'm just trying to make a clean break."

Alyssa nodded, kind of understanding where he was coming from. There was a lot going on in his family, and he was ready to get out.

Honestly, that seemed to be the best decision for him to make. If he stayed near them, there was no telling what pressure or corruption they would enforce upon him. They were already stressing him out.

"Let me know if I can help," she told him. She doubted that she actually could, but she wanted him to know that there was someone in his corner. She had been exiled from her blood family, but she found a new one at college.

Elias smiled at her, parting his lips to speak until his phone started ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket, reading the number and frowning.

"Just a second," he said before pressing a kiss to her forehead and then disappearing into the bedroom. He shut the door behind him.

Alyssa chewed on the inside of her cheek as she remained seated on the couch. Silence filled the apartment for the most part, but she could hear a little bit from the bedroom, even with the door being closed.

She didn't mean to totally eavesdrop, but she did hear a few words from him through the door.

"Stop… in the dark… before she… you better…."

Alyssa frowned, wondering who he was talking to and what he was talking about. She couldn't help but think that he was talking about her, but she just wasn't sure.

She hated being in the dark like this, but maybe it was for the best. She didn't want to be caught up in his family's mess more than she already was.

"Okay. Don't… whatever," Elias' voice sounded before the door opened. He walked out and pocketed his phone before smiling faintly at her. "I'm starving. Want to get some dinner?"

Alyssa nodded as she stood up from the couch. He seemed to be okay, but she just wasn't sure nowadays.

He was good at hiding his emotions, which made it hard for her to know if he was okay or not.. She needed to get better at reading him.