Novels by Nkele L

Eight months later. Later as we watched the sun set above the white sand. I thanked Simon for walking me down the aisle, he beamed at me and walked away. Yes, the funny man was back at the Petrov residence. The wedding reception had been exquisite, but I expected nothing less with Vera planning the whole wedding on the beach, picnic style. Now that the main event was over. The different couples were scattered around the sand enjoying themselves. Vera was sitting with Marcelli. They had danced the day away and now they sat feeding each other what looked like strawberries. After the outburst at the dinner, Vera had filed for a divorce and she and Ivan had gone their separate ways. Something she said was long overdue. She now stayed in Italy with Marcelli, the man she said was the love of her life. Ivan was also in attendance. He was now a single father raising Boris. A difficult task, given that Boris was in his late teens and becoming a young adult. But he had the best team money

_Meghan The following morning I woke up to an empty bed. I walked into the ensuite and prepared for what I knew would be a long day. I made my way downstairs and found Vera in a bathrobe sitting on the kitchen table with tea between her hands. "Good morning, dear. Did Neon come home last night?" she asked the minute I walked in. It felt like someone had died. I'd never seen her in a bathrobe before and her face was not done. She had bags under her eyes."No, he still hasn't shown up." I poured myself a cup of coffee, I needed something stronger than tea. "Do you think that's a good idea, I also noticed that last night you were drinking wine. Im sorry I don't mean to pry." She nodded at my coffee cup and blushed scarlet. "Im not pregnant, if that's what you're worried about." I smiled at her in answer to her unasked question. "Oh. I assumed-""The will," I said, knowing full well what she thought. "I never understood why Neon put that clause in there. He had everyone worried for

_Meghan The day had been a beautiful one. I finally had a dress to wear to Ludovic's wedding tomorrow. But I couldn't have done it without Vera's help. She truly had an eye for fashion. When the car drove up to the driveway, I noticed that there was an unusual bursting activity at the house. And there were more cars parked outside. "Are we having guests over tonight?" I pointed to the parked cars."Yes. But it is only family. Neon's Uncles and their better halves are joining us for dinner, it's the least we could do for Ludovic and Miriam." Vera said, picking up her clutch bag. "That is so kind of you and Ivan.""Ludovic insisted that Miriam didn't want any grand parties, so I thought this would just be us having dinner.""She has always been reserved. I can not imagine her in a party." I said, thinking what a pair they made with Ludovic. They fit perfectly together. *** "This is an interesting arrangement." Uncle Alek said as soon as I was seated and Uncle Lev surpassed a laug

_Neon Three weeks flew past fast, and it was already time to go to Ludovic's wedding. We were leaving this evening and I was still at the office going through the last batch of work when the phone rang, reminding me that I needed to get a move on.I took the elevator down to the basement. I was busier than I'd ever been. To make matters worse, I had deadlines I wanted to meet before we started with our wedding preparations, which would start the minute we came back from Ludovic's wedding. But amid the chaos of work and everything, I was happy to report that Boris was doing well in his new environment and with his new nurse. He was joining the family in Russia for the wedding. Nothing was ever without a wrinkle, as Adelita would be in attendance as well. They both had left the previous night. Meghan suggested that we all share a plane. But the thought of enduring a flight to st. Petersburg with Adelita was unthinkable. I was still searching for answers about her wealth and her gener

_Meghan Going to the doctor with Neon would at least get me away from my mother, who was in the party spirit. The car stopped in front of the entrance. Neon got out and opened the passenger door for me."I love this car." I looked at him as I settled into my seat."Does that mean you didn't like the one before this?" he raised an eyebrow."I did. But I like this one more than I liked that one. You get what I mean." I shrugged."I get what you mean. So…how's that headache of yours?" he asked. "On and off." It depended on where I was. "We should still check it out. It may be nothing or it may be something." "So where are you taking me?""To see the doctor." He grinned "Why are you happy?""I have news." he pressed the ignition and the car came to life."OK. Don't keep a girl waiting." I folded my arms over my chest. "I spoke to my lawyer on my way here. I'm looking into buying a pharmaceutical company." he beamed."Oh? Are you interested in the pharmaceutical business?" that was

_Neon I was officially back at the office for the first time after a long time. I parked my car at the underground parking and took a lift to the last floor. When the doors opened, I felt like I'd come home. The layout of the place was still the same. Not much had changed in that regard. But most of the faces were new, including my assistant, who looked like she was ready to bolt the minute she saw me. god, bless his little creatures. "Good Morning," I called out when I passed her desk "Good morning, Mr. Petrov," she replied with a bold voice for someone of her small stature. I couldn't remember her name, it must have been between Maggie and Mandy, but I remember thinking it was close to Meghan. I had to look it up, I didn't like not knowing someone's name. Someone as important as my assistant. Before I could settle down my phone rang."Yes?" I said to the receiver. "A Miss Dowels is here to see, sir. She doesn't have an appointment and she says she not leaving until you see he

"Watch your step." Nickolas walked behind a blindfolded Grace."You know how much I don't like surprises. Are we there yet?" They had been walking for a while now and she was getting suspicious about the so-called surprise. "Almost. You gonna love this one." He was praying he hadn't gone off the mark. They took the last step and he stopped them both. Grace could smell the salt In the air. It reminded her of the smell that was a permanent fixture in their old basement. "Now you can open them." He let go of the cloth that was covering her eyes.When Grace opened her eyes, she couldn't stop blinking at the sight in front of her. "No!" She screamed in delight. "Yes." He couldn't stop grinning as he took in her happiness. The yacht had been an impulse purchase but he was glad he had bought it. "I thought since we met on a cruise ship, for our second honeymoon, we could recreate that experience on a more intimate scale." He was usually very confident but in the past months, he had be

Grace put a steaming cup of coffee before Nickolas on the kitchen island."You are starting to behave like the wife I was meant to have." He looked at the steaming cup and she raised her eyebrow and glared at him."I will take it back if you don't behave." She sat down on one of the high stools and looked at him, her face softening. "Can I ask you something?" She cleared her throat. shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Nickolas raised his eyes and looked at her. "Anything." She shifted in her chair. "When we were clearing out the mansion, I saw a jewelry box in your study…" She let the sentence trail off. "What about it?" He took a sip from his coffee without looking at her. "Is it yours?" "Yes. Pretty much everything in the study was mine. Say what you mean and mean what you say kiddo." He eyed her suspiciously."There was a picture with a woman and a child inside.""And you wanted to know who the woman was, if you must know, she's not my woman.""Of course, I know that I'm your w

The following morning, Grace, Nickolas, and Luther walked into the Meyer mansion. The furniture on the first floor had been removed, giving the place an overly open feeling. As much as the light came through the big glass windows, the air inside was stifled and cold, giving the illusion that the house had been vacant for a while. The dust had started to settle on the marble floor, causing a scraping sound as their feet moved against the floor. Nickolas opened the door to his office, the only room on the first floor that had not been touched. Except for the mess that was on the floor, the room was intact. He also felt strange being there, given the fact that he hadn't been gone for over a week. Maybe the mansion had always carried a heavy presence without him realizing it, what was worse, he had gotten used to it. The office looked like someone had ransacked the place or the windows had been left open causing the papers to fly in all directions.He crossed the door threshold, insta

Nickolas made a move to walk towards the bed. But Grace opened her mouth and shook her head. "I don't think I'm ready to go there just yet." He stood next to the bed, hearing what she was saying but not understanding her. "What do you mean by that?""That I don't think I'm ready to share a bed with you just yet." It didn't get any louder than that.He gathered his wayward thoughts and mumbled something before walking into the ensuite bathroom, to take the longest cold shower of his life. Grace sighed with a smile on her face and changed for bed. She picked up the red dress from the floor, shook her head, and smirked at it. Nickolas looked at the two water taps and didn't understand how the cold tap could feel so hot against his skin. He needed it cold. Ice cold to freeze his bruised emotions. Grace was rejecting him. She had been ready to walk out through the front door with her chest barely covered to meet another man and do god knows what but she wasn't ready to share a bed with

Grace looked at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress looked, as though it had been sewn on her body. The neckline was too low, and the bodice that was supposed to cover her breast barely covered the whole breast. One mistake and they would be out on display for everyone to see. She put on her matching fuck me heels and did a final twirl in front of the mirror. Satisfied, she took her purse and carefully walked downstairs. She paused at the last step and looked around. With the furniture installed, the house looked more like the home she had envisioned. They had delivered everything she had ordered right to the T. Now all she had to do was to enjoy it. Starting this coming Saturday, with the get-together with her friends. She walked into an open plan that includes the lounge area and kitchen, next to it, the dining area. She walked to the kitchen and took out her wine glass. She needed to calm her nerves before she left the house. After pouring the wine, she gulped

The following morning after he spent a miserable night on the floor. Things seemed to be abuzz at the house. Grace was already up and having a merry time with Niells Nanny. "Good Morning. Hope you had a relaxing night, after all that work you and Luther did." She said when he approached them, moving to the kitchen, to take out two cups. The nanny disappeared at the same speed. Nickolas followed her to the open-plan kitchen h he had a miserable night. While She, on the other hand, looked as radiant as ever, liked someone who had a night's rest in a plump bed with supporting pillows. "It was okay. Not one of my finest. But it was okay, thank you for your concern." He thought his body would snap at the slightest movement. She busied herself in the massive kitchen and brought him a cup of coffee. After last night's events, he hoped it was not poisoned. He closed his eyes and took a sip. It tasted amazing. He looked at the cup in surprise. "What would you like for breakfast?" Grace wa

_Isabella As Kate got dressed and modelled out of the room, I folded my arms and stared at Dominic. “What the hell is going on here?” I asked, we were both surprised at my tone. “It's nothing you should concern yourself about. There is nothing between me and her. I don't know how she got in here.” That was saying a lot for someone who seemed to know everything all the time. “You're right, you don't seem to know anything lately.” I blindly threw my weapon, and it seemed to land on its mark as he blinked twice before looking at me again. Maybe he had been right all along. Dominic was losing focus, and this was no place to raise kids. Everyone did as they pleased, any time. “The stress is unhealthy for the baby. You've had a long night and need some rest. IL sort this out.” He said as he recovered from his mini shock. Even though I didn't believe that he was thinking about the baby at that instant, I got worried as well. I felt my cheeks getting heated. I was embarras

_Isabella The mansion felt strange after my time in the cabin. Although I hadn't been there long, the tension between Dominic and me was palpable. After he picked us up from Nick's truck, he'd only asked if we were hurt before retreating to his study. I spent time with the chef, who made me a delicious steak that I devoured in seconds. If anyone noticed the tension between Dominic and me, they were too polite to mention it. "Don't mind him, he's under a lot of pressure," Joseph said from nowhere, tension must have been written all over my body, as he was speaking from behind me. "I know." there was no point in pretending that I hadn't been thinking about him. Embarrassed that I'd been caught, I got up from my chair and headed to the sink to put my plate. "You bring warmth to this place," Joseph said, He was leaning against the wall. "I thought I brought trouble," I replied, taking my sit to sip on my juice. I realized with a pang that my dietary needs had been changed; the ch

_Isabella Nick took a sharp left, switched off the pickups lights, and then we zigzagged into a country road, before coming to a stop behind an overgrown hedge. I looked behind us and our pursuers were nowhere to be seen. “How do you know they won’t find us here?” now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I felt numb and shaken. “Because not many people know about this off-ramp, it has saved me many times before.” There was a story there, but maybe later. He turned off the engine and opened his door. “Where are you going?” I asked, wanting some fresh air myself. “To take a leak, that was close.” He shut his door with a bang. I opened the passenger door and jumped out. The night was still, without a leaf rustling out of place, but the midnight air still stung. I wrapped my arms around myself and stood against the body of the pick-up. “The stars look more bright from here than anywhere else.” I said, enjoying the gulps of the fresh air, making the most of the gift that

_Dominic Once everyone had settled, the drinks started flowing and so did the conversation. Even Ludo's speaking volume had gone up another annoying inch higher. When a waiter surfaced from the back to take out orders, I could tell Ludo was well on his way from the slap he gave the young woman's behind. "As I was saying, Montego, the shipments of girls is increasing..." I fet my body tense up at the mention of the flesh business, but I made a mental note to keep my body relaxed."Which means more money for us." I said enthusiastically and took my glass to wash off the bad taste in my mouth. "Yes, it's more money." He said with a more sombre mood than I expected from him."Then why do you sound worried?" I asked and Ludo leaned back on his chair with a worried expression on his face. "The quality of girls has been dropping in recent months, it seems like someone has been taking a dip into our business." into his business he meant. I didn't want my name tainted with such."Mm..."

_Dominic Everything was set, and the chef was already at the back preparing the meal of the evening, but Ludo was nowhere to be seen. “Where is that fat bastard?” I asked Joseph, who shrugged in response. I was getting agitated with each passing second. “He will be here, calm down. Everything is ready to go.” He finally said when he noticed that I was blowing air like an angry bull. Plus, I hated the fact that he was calm, while I felt like a boiling kettle. “Stop checking your watch, it will not make the time to move any faster.” He said looking at my wristwatch, I hadn't even been aware that I was checking it. We were at the restaurant that Ludo had picked. It was empty because we had booked the entire place for the night. And now the idiot was running late. The bell on the door ding donged, to signal that someone had arrived. I fought the edge to turn my head and look, but once the door closed, I heard the sound of a women's shoes clicking against the floor. Now I had

_IsabellaNick's truck was as reliable as him. The pickup drove steadily out of the woods and towards the city.Although I watched the woods slowly fade away and the scenery change into a flat road that stretched on for miles, my mind was a few miles ahead of us, playing different scenes of what sort of outcome was going to come out from the trip. Nick kept on stealing glances in my direction, and I was very much aware of his glances, but I kept quiet. In the short while that I had known him, I knew he wanted to say something, maybe ask about the money. So I thought I would make it easier on him.“You must be wondering where I got all that money?” I said, my voice feeling croaky. “No.” he answered softly. I sat up straighter and looked at him. “What do you mean, no, I've seen the way you have been looking at me since we left the cabin.”“I'm worried about you, Isabella.” He said, looking at me before focusing on the road again. “Why?” I asked, and as soon as the words left my mo

Olivia The sound of birds chirping woke me up, and I stirred. I’d been sleeping against a tree and my body felt it, but that was the least of my troubles. I felt the damp earth from underneath me and sighed. I looked at the golden sky. The sun would be out soon. Standing on my feet, I picked up the duffel bag and threw it on my shoulder. I needed to get moving before the morning rays shone through the trees. This morning was better than last night. I could navigate better in the light than I did in the dark. I shifted the duffel bag to my other shoulder. It weighed a ton than it did last night. All the little trinkets from the estate, a ticket to my freedom.Now that I knew which direction the sun would come from, I started walking in a new direction but away from the estate. I needed to hitchhike and get as far away from Leonardo’s claws as possible.Another decision I had come to during the night when my buttocks froze against that tree trunk was how much of mysel

LeoMy car came to a stop in front of the mansion, the front door opened and Anna came out. She needed to stop doing this, waiting for me.“You didn’t have to stay up.” I say to her.“Where you able to fix the problem?” She asked, and I stopped. “What problem?” I was being deliberate in not giving into what she wanted. “Stan said there was a security breach at the warehouse.”“Stan has a big mouth, that’s all.” I didn’t feel like fishing about what else Stan must have told her.“And did you hear what I said? She is gone, Leo.” She reminded me, holding my hand. I knew that because it had been the only thing I could think about all the way from that deserted field.“She couldn’t have gone far, ill send some men to go look for her.” I removed my hand from her grip and walked ahead.“Was the problem that bad?” she took gigantic steps behind me and we entered the mansion. “Trust me, you don’t want to know any of it.” the night’s events were the last thing I wanted to talk about, even t

LeoThe cold of the night as we stepped out of the car in a deserted field made me wish I had taken a thicker coat.Stan threw the shovels to the ground, took off his jacket, and started working. I didn’t envy his job.While he worked, I walked around the empty field, thinking of all the possibilities of how I was going to stick it to Diablo when he discovered I knew of his secret graveside.When I got back, Stan was knee deep into what was supposed to be a shallow grave. Maybe the man was wrong about this spot, but I refused to let my hopes fade.“Anything?” I asked Stan.“Nothing yet, Boss.” Stan stood and wiped his brow. Although the moon was out tonight, it was not enough to give us light. I had brought with me a flashlight to make the work run more smoothly.I took out the small paper where I had made notes while the man was talking. “We are in the right spot.” I said, more to convince myself than anyone else.Not only were we at the right spot, in fact if the man was right, the e

LeoI took long strides as I entered the warehouse. My shoes made an irritating sound against the concrete floor. The closer I got to where I knew Stan was keeping our guest, the air smelled of sweat and fresh blood.As I approached the door, I rolled up the sleeves of my shirt. The difference between the event I was at and the hell-hole I was about to enter, the irony of it all, did not escape me. Stan immediately came over when he heard me. “Hows our guest, the usual, I hope.” I asked him. “I’m sorry boss, this one doesn't have any of the marking on Diablos’ man, and he won’t say who sent him.” "Ok. interesting." They all kept their mouths shut at first, in the name of honor. But they always talked in the end, always.If he was not ready to play along, we just needed to wait it out.The smell of blood filled my nostrils as I entered the lit room where our guest was.“My men say you refuse to talk.” I said, no time for pleasantries.“Who the fuck are you?” the man shouted from

OliviaWe watched as Rachel joined the men, her body swaying from side to side.Anna’s narrowed, but she said nothing. Before Rachel could get Leonardos’ undivided attention, his phone must have rung as he excused himself and took it out, walked away from the group with his phone in hand.“Well, well, it’s time for us to mingle and be merry.” Anna’s voice was light and without a catch of jealousy in it. I nodded as she pulled me along and introduced me to the ‘right people’ as she framed it.Her definition of the right people turned out to be more of the De Luca women. It was now easy for me to spot them. We all had the same wristwatches. And for what it was worth, most of them were pretty decent and friendly. They didn’t seem to mind that I was an addition to Leonardo’s fold.As the night wore on, Anna’s confidence rubbed off on me and I had a good time, and forgot how I got there.Leonardo was now talking and to Rachel, who, from the looks of it, was not having a good time.Anna le

Olivia "Follow my lead. " Anna winked at me as I followed her to the entrance and I gasped out loud when I peeked inside the hall. She pulled me to the side, pretended to smooth out my hair "Take it all in and get used to it." She said while keeping her eyes on my head. I took a deep breathe and nodded, butterflies soaring inside my stomach. This was the most exclusive event I had ever set foot in. How did anyone in their right mind get used to something like this? We entered the function hand in hand and everytime I thought of squirming, I gave her hand a squeeze. If it hadn't been for her, I would have stood out like a sore thumb. We took drinks from a passing tray and looked around. Us looking around was more for my benefit than hers, as she seemed to know everyone present. "There he is." She pointed at Leonardo in a distance and I wanted to roll my eyes. No wanting my mood to get spoiled I looked elsewhere. "I'd rather we didn't." I said looking everywhere but at