His eyes ravaged her body, devouring every curve and contour from head to toe. She wasn't just beautiful – she was intoxicating, a siren who had hijacked his senses. He could only see her and no one else. Lexi fidgeted, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her skirt. She couldn't meet his intense gaze so she averted her gaze, her eyes skirting away to rest on the floor. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of his unspoken desire. She steeled herself and approached him, resigned to giving him what ever he wanted and ending this uncomfortable encounter. But to her surprise, he didn't move or speak. He simply stood there, frozen, his eyes fixed on her with a haunting intensity, as if he had seen a ghost. She scoffed, finally meeting his gaze. "Are you going to say anything or not?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance. No Answer. "I have things to do at home, so let's get this over with," she pressed on, her patience wearing thin. But he rema
He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the air. "Duck!" Jericho shouted, and Vincent pulled Lexi to the side; they barely escaped the bullet, but they did. The bullet drilled into the wall behind them.Lexi's tears had already dried up on her face, and the look on her face was one of shock and fear, which was an understatement. It was the same for Vincent too; he could feel his heart racing in his throat. If they hadn't ducked, he would have been dead by now. Everyone on the ground floor ran away in fear.The look on Antonio's face could kill, as he was glaring daggers at them, especially Vincent. Emmett and Nickolai had just reached the ground floor and were more than shocked when they saw the gun in Antonio's hands and the bullet plastered in the wall. Jericho, who had alerted Vincent and Lexi earlier, wore a relieved face; he had actually followed Antonio down here when he saw the killing intent in his eyes when he left the game room.Antonio could be ma
The Thompson's HouseLexi sat down in front of her dressing mirror, combing her thick, long black hair. The soft glow of her bedside lamp cast a warm light on her face. She had just had her bath and was clad in pink pyjama shorts and a crop top shirt that hugged her curves. The faint scent of her jasmine body wash lingered in the air. She packed her hair to the back and stared at her reflection in the mirror, then sighed. "I can't believe I'm going back to that school... tomorrow," she said, her voice quivering. "I don't want to go... I don't want to go," she repeated, as tears streamed down her eyes.A knock sounded on the door, and she quickly cleaned her face before Angela stepped in. "Mom, why aren't you asleep by now?" Lexi asked, avoiding eye contact so her mother wouldn't see her reddened eyes."I should be asking you that, my love," Angela replied. "If it's the stupid math teacher that's troubling you, I can go make a complaint in the school, you know?" Lexi felt a pang of gu
Flashback 6 ~ He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "Get on the bike while I'm still being nice, or I'll spank your stubborn ass so hard that whenever you sit down, you'll remember this day." He said, his voice devoid of a threat, but his eyes told a different story. But she wasn't a girl who would just back down because of a threat. She raised her chin in defiance and smiled naughtily. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and read my lips: DO...YOUR...WORST." His face hardened, and his jaws ticked as she said that. "Are you challenging me now, Bella Mia?" he asked with an amused smile. She frowned. He wasn't supposed to smile; she had planned on getting on his nerves and pushing him to his limits. "What's that? What did you just call me?" she asked, fisting his shirt in her palms like someone ready to fight. He smirked as an idea popped into his head; he stared down at her tiny fingers caging a part of his shirt. He looked back at her and chuckled. She was tiny in compari
Flashback 7~She walked to the door and opened it, but stopped when her phone rang. "Mom, calling! Mom calling!" her iPhone assistant announced, and she picked the call. "Mom—" Lexi said, and was cut off by her mother's stern voice."Where are you, Alexis?" her mother asked, and Lexi bit her lips, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "Mom... mommy... I—" Lexi stuttered."Alexis, I asked you a question, and I demand an answer," her mother said, and Lexi looked at Antonio with pleading eyes. 'Help me out here,' she whispered, removing her phone from her ear. He mouthed a 'no' and she frowned."Are you still there?... Alexis," her mother asked, the worry in her voice growing. "Yeah... I I—" she said, and was cut off by Antonio, who took the phone from her ear and put it on speaker."She is with me," he said, his voice calm and confident, while Lexi's eyes widened in shock. 'When did he even get here?' she thought."Who is this, and what do you mean by my daughter is with you?" her mo
Flashback 8HD Italian Clubhouse ~After leaving her house earlier, Antonio thought of going back to the mansion, but he thrashed the idea. He decided to come to HD, one of the most notorious clubhouses in Italy. Now, he was sitting alone, staring at nothing in particular; she clouded his thoughts - her scent, her words - and he could only fold his fists as he remembered what she said. Her words rang madly in his head:"I appreciate the fact that you saved me yesterday from those guys,""But what I do not appreciate is you calling me by my surname and scaring my friends off. I do not want anything to do with you, not now, not ever. So, the faster you get out of my sight, the better for you."His jaw tightened; he inhaled sharply through his nose. His eyes were red, and his veins popped out on his arms, visible since his sleeves were rolled up.'Her surname? Who cares about her fuçkin surname? She said she doesn't want anything to do with me! Oh, she will regret that statement by the t
Flashback 9~As Antonio and Rania walked by, hand in hand, his eyes met Lexi's, and for a fleeting moment, Lexi felt like she was frozen in time. Antonio's gaze lingered on hers, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Rania, sensing his attention, turned to follow his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in Lexi's stricken expression.The sound of cheering and whistling gradually faded into the background as Lexi's focus remained fixed on Antonio. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of emotions, unable to look away from their direction. Sasha, noticing Lexi's distress, placed a gentle hand on her arm."Hey, are you okay?" she whispered, concern etched on her face. Lexi nodded, trying to compose herself. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, forcing a weak smile onto her face.Raven chimed in, "Let's go then, the show is over." Sasha replied excitedly, "Not yet, the talent show is next week, and I couldn't be more thrilled!" Lexi's curiosity got the better of her, "What's the talent
Flashback 10 -6 days later~The Thompson's House, 7:00 pmLexi and her friends were in her room, helping her practice for the talent show tomorrow. Lexi wanted another rehearsal, so Sasha decided they should have a girls' sleepover at her place. They were all dressed in their pyjamas, and Raven brought the idea of wearing catty head warmers."Ahh! I'm so fuckin' tired. These heels are wearing my legs out," Lexi complained as she took off the heels she was wearing and threw them on the floor in frustration."You see, that's the point," Sasha encouraged, sitting down on Lexi's bed. "A model always has her struggles, but instead of voicing it out, you throw your frustrations on the crowd-the audience who are watching.""C'mon, let's do this again. You can do this, Lexi! Woohoo! Wow! Wow!" Sasha cheered, clapping her hands. She tapped Raven, who was on her phone, and Raven looked up, clapping too."Yes, Sasha's right, you can do this, Lexi," Raven said, cheering her on as well. Lexi smil
Flashback 11—"Oh my fuçkin’ Gawd," he exclaimed. His hand was still on the phone screen, his fingers tracing every curve, every contour of her face. He badly wanted to take off every piece of clothing on her body, rip it off and pin her to his bed, under his mercy. She wouldn’t like it, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. And he didn’t care either.It took all his self-control to stop looking at the picture. He went back to the group chat and typed a response. When he was done, he left the chat, and his eyes caught another message from a contact saved as 'Bella Mia'.Bella Mia: Let’s meet.He smirked after reading her message. She finally texted him, after he had waited so long. Yeah, he waited, 'cause he knew she would come running back. Nickolai had been right when he said he took Rania to school to make her jealous. She probably hadn’t realized it, but he saw it, the shocked look on her face, replaced by jealousy and anger. It was satisfying.He went to Google and searched '
Flashback 10 -6 days later~The Thompson's House, 7:00 pmLexi and her friends were in her room, helping her practice for the talent show tomorrow. Lexi wanted another rehearsal, so Sasha decided they should have a girls' sleepover at her place. They were all dressed in their pyjamas, and Raven brought the idea of wearing catty head warmers."Ahh! I'm so fuckin' tired. These heels are wearing my legs out," Lexi complained as she took off the heels she was wearing and threw them on the floor in frustration."You see, that's the point," Sasha encouraged, sitting down on Lexi's bed. "A model always has her struggles, but instead of voicing it out, you throw your frustrations on the crowd-the audience who are watching.""C'mon, let's do this again. You can do this, Lexi! Woohoo! Wow! Wow!" Sasha cheered, clapping her hands. She tapped Raven, who was on her phone, and Raven looked up, clapping too."Yes, Sasha's right, you can do this, Lexi," Raven said, cheering her on as well. Lexi smil
Flashback 9~As Antonio and Rania walked by, hand in hand, his eyes met Lexi's, and for a fleeting moment, Lexi felt like she was frozen in time. Antonio's gaze lingered on hers, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Rania, sensing his attention, turned to follow his gaze, her eyes narrowing slightly as she took in Lexi's stricken expression.The sound of cheering and whistling gradually faded into the background as Lexi's focus remained fixed on Antonio. She felt like she was drowning in a sea of emotions, unable to look away from their direction. Sasha, noticing Lexi's distress, placed a gentle hand on her arm."Hey, are you okay?" she whispered, concern etched on her face. Lexi nodded, trying to compose herself. "Yeah, I'm fine," she lied, forcing a weak smile onto her face.Raven chimed in, "Let's go then, the show is over." Sasha replied excitedly, "Not yet, the talent show is next week, and I couldn't be more thrilled!" Lexi's curiosity got the better of her, "What's the talent
Flashback 8HD Italian Clubhouse ~After leaving her house earlier, Antonio thought of going back to the mansion, but he thrashed the idea. He decided to come to HD, one of the most notorious clubhouses in Italy. Now, he was sitting alone, staring at nothing in particular; she clouded his thoughts - her scent, her words - and he could only fold his fists as he remembered what she said. Her words rang madly in his head:"I appreciate the fact that you saved me yesterday from those guys,""But what I do not appreciate is you calling me by my surname and scaring my friends off. I do not want anything to do with you, not now, not ever. So, the faster you get out of my sight, the better for you."His jaw tightened; he inhaled sharply through his nose. His eyes were red, and his veins popped out on his arms, visible since his sleeves were rolled up.'Her surname? Who cares about her fuçkin surname? She said she doesn't want anything to do with me! Oh, she will regret that statement by the t
Flashback 7~She walked to the door and opened it, but stopped when her phone rang. "Mom, calling! Mom calling!" her iPhone assistant announced, and she picked the call. "Mom—" Lexi said, and was cut off by her mother's stern voice."Where are you, Alexis?" her mother asked, and Lexi bit her lips, trying to come up with a convincing lie. "Mom... mommy... I—" Lexi stuttered."Alexis, I asked you a question, and I demand an answer," her mother said, and Lexi looked at Antonio with pleading eyes. 'Help me out here,' she whispered, removing her phone from her ear. He mouthed a 'no' and she frowned."Are you still there?... Alexis," her mother asked, the worry in her voice growing. "Yeah... I I—" she said, and was cut off by Antonio, who took the phone from her ear and put it on speaker."She is with me," he said, his voice calm and confident, while Lexi's eyes widened in shock. 'When did he even get here?' she thought."Who is this, and what do you mean by my daughter is with you?" her mo
Flashback 6 ~ He took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "Get on the bike while I'm still being nice, or I'll spank your stubborn ass so hard that whenever you sit down, you'll remember this day." He said, his voice devoid of a threat, but his eyes told a different story. But she wasn't a girl who would just back down because of a threat. She raised her chin in defiance and smiled naughtily. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and read my lips: DO...YOUR...WORST." His face hardened, and his jaws ticked as she said that. "Are you challenging me now, Bella Mia?" he asked with an amused smile. She frowned. He wasn't supposed to smile; she had planned on getting on his nerves and pushing him to his limits. "What's that? What did you just call me?" she asked, fisting his shirt in her palms like someone ready to fight. He smirked as an idea popped into his head; he stared down at her tiny fingers caging a part of his shirt. He looked back at her and chuckled. She was tiny in compari
The Thompson's HouseLexi sat down in front of her dressing mirror, combing her thick, long black hair. The soft glow of her bedside lamp cast a warm light on her face. She had just had her bath and was clad in pink pyjama shorts and a crop top shirt that hugged her curves. The faint scent of her jasmine body wash lingered in the air. She packed her hair to the back and stared at her reflection in the mirror, then sighed. "I can't believe I'm going back to that school... tomorrow," she said, her voice quivering. "I don't want to go... I don't want to go," she repeated, as tears streamed down her eyes.A knock sounded on the door, and she quickly cleaned her face before Angela stepped in. "Mom, why aren't you asleep by now?" Lexi asked, avoiding eye contact so her mother wouldn't see her reddened eyes."I should be asking you that, my love," Angela replied. "If it's the stupid math teacher that's troubling you, I can go make a complaint in the school, you know?" Lexi felt a pang of gu
He pulled the trigger, and the sound of the gunshot echoed through the air. "Duck!" Jericho shouted, and Vincent pulled Lexi to the side; they barely escaped the bullet, but they did. The bullet drilled into the wall behind them.Lexi's tears had already dried up on her face, and the look on her face was one of shock and fear, which was an understatement. It was the same for Vincent too; he could feel his heart racing in his throat. If they hadn't ducked, he would have been dead by now. Everyone on the ground floor ran away in fear.The look on Antonio's face could kill, as he was glaring daggers at them, especially Vincent. Emmett and Nickolai had just reached the ground floor and were more than shocked when they saw the gun in Antonio's hands and the bullet plastered in the wall. Jericho, who had alerted Vincent and Lexi earlier, wore a relieved face; he had actually followed Antonio down here when he saw the killing intent in his eyes when he left the game room.Antonio could be ma
His eyes ravaged her body, devouring every curve and contour from head to toe. She wasn't just beautiful – she was intoxicating, a siren who had hijacked his senses. He could only see her and no one else. Lexi fidgeted, her fingers nervously clutching the hem of her skirt. She couldn't meet his intense gaze so she averted her gaze, her eyes skirting away to rest on the floor. The air was thick with tension, heavy with the weight of his unspoken desire. She steeled herself and approached him, resigned to giving him what ever he wanted and ending this uncomfortable encounter. But to her surprise, he didn't move or speak. He simply stood there, frozen, his eyes fixed on her with a haunting intensity, as if he had seen a ghost. She scoffed, finally meeting his gaze. "Are you going to say anything or not?" she asked, her voice laced with a hint of annoyance. No Answer. "I have things to do at home, so let's get this over with," she pressed on, her patience wearing thin. But he rema