EMELIA I'm running to and fro around the house, looking for the boys in every room of the house with Aurora on my arm, looking for my fiancé in every room of the house. It takes a whole drink before we can go outside, Aurora and I both holding a wine beer in each hand. I'm eager for Aurora to meet my husband to be, something always comes up. With him and if not, then it comes up with Aurora. I've shown Aurora my engagement photos, and she must have seen pictures on my social media but most are always with his face hidden in the crook of my neck or under a hat. We do it to avoid the press attention, considering he is very well known, and the most eligible bachelor that hasn't sunk his dick in every female he meets. Ryker hasn't seen a picture of Aurora either, except maybe one or two but I want them to meet in person. I need my best friend to meet the man who makes my stomach flutter, the man who makes me feel like I'm floating and need not be brought down to earth. And for
CAELUM’s PovMy wife is making a scene beside me, complaining about what happened earlier this afternoon when I forbid Aurora from leaving Cassian's house. I didn't want her there, I was going to see her tonight, pick her up from Fantasy Elite and drag her to my sex club. But when I pissed her off, it not only got her mad, it got Emelia mad too. That was why I ordered Aurora to stay, if I had let her walk out that gate, Emelia wouldn't have let anyone see peace for the rest of the afternoon. How the dots never connected in my head is beyond me, Emelia always talks about her best friend, Ryker has also mentioned once or twice that he was jealous of the best friend Emelia gained herself. I never would have guessed it would be her, I was aware of the name of her friend but I let it slide, it's a pretty common name. Emelia left Cassian's house with Aurora, after they spent half of the afternoon in the pool, drinking and talking about something that seems to have made them both happ
(Caelum’s POV continues)“Wait, so this is her kid?!” Cassian gasps. “Rumor has a baby?”Buzzkill, that's what Cassian is. Sending a praising message to Scarlett, I dropped my phone once again. “Yes, she does.”“So she's married? Or at least in a relationship. You're looking to fuck another man's future wife?” he teases, a grin spread on his lips, eyes dancing with mischief.“Getting in her panties is not an objective, I've been in them, nothing special.” “Well, I want to get into her panties, I have no doubts it's special. But come on, seriously? She has a kid?” his grin fades. “I would not guess just by looking at her.” “Wouldn't guess she's a viper now would you?” “Viper?” he laughs. “That woman is harmless, except for when she's performing her act.” I roll my eyes, grabbing my phone once again, I text Aurora to come outside in exactly five minutes.Five minutes later, the car pulls up at Fantasy Elite but Aurora doesn't come out just yet. Fifteen minutes later, she's stil
AURORA I don't know if it's what I said or what I did but it surely got me into trouble. Instead of going to their club like he had informed me earlier tonight, we were driven back to that apartment he had kept me in the night he had kidnapped me. Maybe it was the name calling? Well, I didn't mean to call him a pervert, he could be one but he wasn't back then, if anything I was the perverted one back then and it's most likely what got me here. Cassian left ten minutes ago, leaving me in the lions den, where I now stand in nothing but my underwear with the lion that intends to consume every last bit of hope I have left staring at me from across the room. I'm nervous, he's quiet, too quiet for my taste. What is he thinking? Is he comparing me to Brielle, his other toys or something much more inappropriate, his wife?Caelum sits on the couch he sat on that night, still in his suit, with the tie now loosened.“Get on the bed.” Caelum orders a second time, and again, I hesitate to re
CAELUM I promised Scarlett I would be home tonight, and I am. But at what cost? Leaving Aurora passed out in my bed is haunting me, but I know she's safe there, my security team is discreet but efficient, they won't let her notice their presence but they'll not let anything harm her, even when a mosquito aims to bite on her, I'll be essentially notified.My phone lies on the side of the bed where I always keep it, but this time I'm more alert to any vibrations. Scarlett is asleep now, but I reckon when I walked in, she wasn't asleep but pretending to sleep. I could see her eyes fluttering, contemplating peeking at me and not.I'm glad she didn't, I'm wasted, intoxicated in the scent of Aurora's body perfume.Goddammit, Aurora.There's something about this woman, not only something alluring and captivating, but also something dark, and it calls to me, calls to the darkness inside me.I want to brighten it, it's clearly haunting her. Her patterns infuriate me, I hate how she spaces o
EMELIA Love should be easy.But it never is, even when everything appears to be moving in the right direction, some circumstances will smack it into the opposite direction. I hated love, but I also loved love and now, I live it, it's all I can breathe, thanks to Ryker. Ryker healed me from every trauma I didn't know existed within me, and he says I made the demons that lived rent free in his head tea and it quieted them. When I realised that I was falling for one of my brother's best friends, I knew he would have a rant about it. Ryker, Bishop, Caelum, and Cassian have been friends since before they could walk. Well, not in the literal sense but yes, they have and of course, Caelum would presume all his friends saw me like a sister, to which I somehow understood. They were–are a brotherhood, four most problematic men in the city, under the sun, they're simply perfect and when the night unravels, they truly come alive as the men that rule this city from the shadows, the da
(Emelia's POV continues) I laugh, “Yeah, Emilio is like that sometimes. But don't worry, you can still talk to me about it, pretend he isn't my brother.” Aurora laughs, her hand ruffling her hair. “Hmm, but he is.” “I know, and you're still my best friend so talk to me because you can't tell Olivia or your other friends about him.” “Actually,” she pauses, “I could.” My hand reaches behind me, grabbing a pillow and tossing it at her. “Aurora.” I whine, “Just tell me what happened because between Scarlett being bitchy, and your silent arguing, yes, I say silent because it's clear you're at war without any words said. I am losing it.” “Fine, I'll tell you.” “Go on.” I urge, laying down on the bed but I stay propped on my elbows to keep my face up. Aurora squeezes the sofa pillow, “The other night, he took me to his house again.” I arch an eyebrow, Caelum owns too many houses. “The very one?” She nods, “He picked me up from the club, and he was mad, I'm not a typical subm
AURORAIt's Monday night again, I love Monday nights. I have so much steam to blow over, with Caelum on my ass all weekend, I've developed a strong penchant for hurting men. My client tonight will have the worst night, or the best. I plan on fulfilling all the depravity I was taught tonight, and I hope the client has a degradation kink among other kinks. If he does not have one, that's fine too, he's going to have Aurora in the showroom tonight, Rumor won't be playing, I won't.“Aurora, so we're not talking about the man that dropped you off a few days ago?” Olivia asks from behind me.My gaze shifts from the mirror, to over my shoulder where Olivia sits with my daughter in her lap. “Not right now, I have to get to work.” “You are hiding something from me, why does it seem like nobody tells me shit anymore.” she frowns.“Oli, you know what I do for a living, he's a company driver, that's all there is.” I lie, my gaze shifting back to the mirror where I fix my makeup, heavy bright m
CAELUMThere was a time when I was desperately pleading with Scarlett for a baby, and now that there's light of us having one? I'm not thrilled, I want to be thrilled, I want to be happy about it but I can't find one fatherly bone in my body to help me. Possibly its the wrong timing that hasn't sat with me but I'm having a hard time connecting with Scarlett on the news. Still, I have to consider her feelings, I shouldn't have reacted as irrational as I did because at the end of the day it takes two to make a baby.We made that baby, regardless of how drunk I was, it's time to face up to my actions. I was going to divorce her but now, I'm not sure what to do but I do know that I can't let another man raise my child and I don't want Aurora to further suffer.I'm drunk, and high as a kite, craving more because what I already took isn't doing the job, making me forget. My phone lights up with yet another message from Aurora, she's ecstatic planning for her store opening. I've given her a
CASSIANI've spent the last week with my fiancé and her family, as annoying as she is, we've got some common ground. She's not my ideal choice for a bribe but close enough, she'll have to do. My choice in a woman is near to Caelum's choice but less fiery, the kind of fire that Aurora exudes would scorch me a little bit. I've been in contact with Aurora throughout my trip, and her near death experience that rattled Caelum appears to have done the same to her too.I had ordered a few beers and texted my party people about the party I would be holding at my place tonight, to celebrate my return from my short trip but if I'm being entirely honest, it's to celebrate the misery that has not yet befallen me as I prepare for my marriage. Emelia and Aurora said they were not coming because they would be enjoying a night out in the city by themselves. Those two have formed what Ryker, Bishop, Caelum, and I had built the moment we met and it comes just as effortlessly. It's pure, my fiance will
EMELIANAI park my car outside a familiar neighborhood, I've been to it during my high school days I must say there's been major improvements made. I used to have a boyfriend that lived here and now I don't even remember his house. The feeling of nostalgia hits, but I ignore it and focus on my phone, checking the red dot until I see my location close in on a gated household. The gate is open, so I hurry inside, sure to close it behind me.Gianna called me an hour ago, she sounded hysterical and I couldn't catch what she said was happening so I decided to drive to her, using the tracker on her phone. She knows about it, which is why she insisted that I go and get her, minus her providing me with an address. I assume she just had an argument with one of her spoiled friends and now she wants her big sister to get her. This is nothing new there but it's usually Sienna's craft not mine. Hell, I'm just glad to be called.Knocking on the door, I wait for someone to open it for me but I get n
SCARLETTI've waited up for Caelum all night, he didn't respond to any of my text messages or calls, and eventually I couldn't get through to him. My parents are beyond mad at the way he stormed out, Mom was worried it could have been a family emergency so she called Caelum's mom and she said, according to her knowledge nothing alarming had transpired.It's seven in the morning, I have a magazine shoot at exactly 9 a.m and I'd be dammed if I breached the contract because my husband went MIA on me, again. Eva will be coming to pick me up, she already texted me to say she's on her way.I'm ready, trying to hide the bugs I have under my eyes from waiting up all night for Caelum to show up. I had spent the entire day decorating this room to surprise him, and now I want everything in this room gone, I don't want it taunting me to recall what I thought last night would be like vs what it actually went like. I'm about to open my bedroom door when it opens, the door slamming into me.“Fuck.”
CAELUMMy heart is racing, I just saw her this morning. How is she not okay? She was fine when I left her yesterday, ecstatic even. I'm speeding through traffic to get to her but I fear I might be too late. Bella called an ambulance to her apartment right before she called me. When I declined her call, she texted me saying Aurora wasn't feeling well, and from there, the messages got worse, alarming. I couldn't sit in that restaurant any longer, I wanted to get to her. Bella is no longer answering my calls, and I'm still far from Aurora's apartment. With Bella not responding to my messages, I fear the worst has happened and if so, I hardly believe in miracles but if anything happens to Aurora, God better perform one or get two for the calling of one. I don't know how it is that I stayed sane without Aurora, but I can't do it twice. I've had year's of therapy to get over Aurora, until I realized it wouldn't work and quit, I'm not ready for an eternity of therapy to cope with never bee
SCARLETTMy parents are in our city, and Caelum, and I to be having dinner with them, and after that Caelum is taking my mom to see her favorite opera while my father and I go to a twenty-four hour running amusement park. It's tradition, one we don't break but now, as I stare down at my phone it would seem like I've seen the last of this tradition.“Scarlett,” my mother calls out from across the table, her voice startling me.My phone slips out of my hand and drops to the floor beside me. My gaze instantly jerks up to meet my mother, “Sorry.” I blurt out, proceeding to pick my phone up.“Honey,” my mother squeezes my fathers hand but I know she's addressing me because her gaze doesn't leave mine. “Where is Caelum?”And there it is, I can't make up any more excuses for him, I don't know what lies to form for them. Caelum has been putting off dinner with my parents for the longest time now, and it's not like him. Caelum is punctual with his schedule but lately, his schedule means nothin
**************Fifteen minutes after Caelum rudely ended our call, Cassian's driver arrived to pick me up. I insisted on driving behind him because after whatever nonsense Caelum is wasting my time on, I will need to pick up three more little girls then go back to my parents house for Paulina. Cassian's driver left me ten minutes ago, he led me to a newly constructed yet famous shopping complex. I'm familiar enough with the place to know that his family owns a jewelry store here, one run by his other sister, Sienna. I've seen no sign of Cassian, despite seeing his BMW in the parking lot there's nothing else suggesting his presence. I've left him four unanswered messages and I'm just about pissed off by his temerity. Stymied, I fetch my phone and open his contact card, calling him one time before I follow through with my already made decision to leave this place. The phone rings and just when I thing it's going to die out, in the very second, he picks up. “Hey pretty girl.” I can a
AURORA“Paulina sweetie, did you get your backpack into the car?” I ask, seeing her run past me. Paulina, Everleah and Layla have a girls day party at my house tomorrow and to start, I'm having a sleepover for them tonight. I had to invite Layla's sister too because I want to grow up around her siblings seeing as I'm not planning on giving her any, perhaps I could adopt in a few years but right now, just Layla is fine.Paulina doesn't respond but a few seconds later she runs back, “Auntie?”“Did you put all your things in the car sweetie?”“Yes,” she nods. “I'll go double check to see if I didn't forget my fluffy bunny.“Okay, hurry up because we have to pick up Everleah too, and Sapphire.”“Aurora!” my mother yells from the kitchen, she's been confined to it for the last hour. I was starting to think she was simply avoiding me, and I would have thought it if she didn't order Chinese takeout specifically for me.Entering the kitchen, I see my mother in her apron, with prints of white
CAELUMThe hospital chose to keep me under observation under mom's request. I stayed to ease her worries, if not I would be back to work, or tinkering weak for Aurora's attention.“I love you.” I whisper to her, watching her sleep on the bed. It's been two days, I get minor headaches and my arm right hurts, I've been told to not overwork it but it's my favorite of late, I am both left and right handed but my right touched Aurora better. She came over as soon as she dropped Layla off at school, we had been talking nearly all night so I know she hardly slept. Looking at her now I feel contend, like I have my old Aurora back.The bed was swapped out for a bigger one by the physician because every time Aurora walks in, I want her laying next to me. The door to hospital room opens, revealing my sister on the other end, with a bouquet of flowers. “Hey,” she faintly smile, walking past me to set the flowers in a vase. “From mom.” she tells me, her gaze shifting to Aurora on the bed. I see a