Hannah's POV I rushed downstairs to the breakfast table. I was quite late. Mrs. Ryker had left and Olivia was already done eating and was mindlessly pressing her phone. It, however, didn't stop her from noticing me as soon as I walked in. “Finally, you're are hear. Your pancake stack was desperately calling out to me to rescue it from getting cold and provide it warmth in my belly." I giggled and slipped into my seat. She was right. My stack had gone a bit cold. Well, it was all my fault. “Mr. Dalton is very thorough with his work. If you are going to have to stay late like, try not to get his questions wrong." I laughed dryly and sarcastically. “You make it sound easy." I ate my stack in silence. Mrs. Ryker was a miracle worker. She gave my stepdad a taste of his own medicine, healed my head injury, and made delicious pancakes. She probably had superpowers. Olivia was lucky to have her a mother. I sighed internally. I wish mine was like that, or even remotely close
Hannah's POVI got to Carlos' house and knocked on the door. It opened almost immediately, and Carlos stuck his head outside.It made me wonder if he had been waiting at the door all day, for me to come.“Hannah! Finally!"I went inside and I was graced once again by the splendid home. It smelled fresh and the room was pristinely clean."Before we start,” he started, closing the door behind me. "I need to know why you have been acting all weird. I need answers.”I rolled my eyes."I thought I came in here to help you study. I didn't know that you were also interning as an investigator. Do I have to take a polygraph test as well?”He rolled his eyes."I need closure, Hannah. I need to know why you seemed so comfortable in breaking our deal in the first place.”I sighed and gripped the strap of my backpack a little tighter."Well, it seems that you only called me here for questioning. I unsubscribe. See you later.”I made for the door but Carlos blocked my way."Okay. I'm sorry. I'll st
Hannah's POVI couldn't believe my own disappointment when Carlos breezed through his Spanish like it was nothing. I wasn't so good at Spanish but he made it look effortless and didn't even seem to struggle. He sounded sexier too. Fuck!“Alright. Stop."He stopped immediately and looked at me in confusion. I could tell that my cheeks were blotchy. Why wouldn't they be?“Did I do something wrong?" he asked innocently.I grabbed my pencil and threw it at his head. It was right on target but he caught it.“Why are you acting like this, Hannah?" He asked, looking even more confused. I wasn't buying it.“Why are you acting like this, Hannah,” I repeated with a childish mocking tone. "Don't act oblivious! Why didn't you tell me you were good at Spanish?”I was about to chuck a book at him but he grabbed my arms and held them there. I was stuck but I was ready to leap over the table and kick him in the face.“Hannah, calm down. I speak Spanish. Carlos? It's in the name."“Screw that!" I snap
Hannah's POVI started to panic. Carlos looked at me suspiciously but I ignored him. My mind was slowly unraveling, and I was fighting to get myself under control.Breathe, Hannah. Breathe.Maybe it wasn't really something that I had to worry about. Maybe she just wanted to check in on me because she was bored.Yeah. That was probably it. I just needed to be calm.If I panicked, I would be guilty.“Hannah? What's wrong?"I didn't say anything. And when he tried to look into my phone, I pulled away and gave him the death glare.“Geez. Sorry. You don't need to look at me like that.”I didn't respond. I left the kitchen. Staying with Carlos was only going to make me more anxious. I needed to be as calm as possible if I was going to take the call.The phone stopped ringing and I used the extra time to do some breathing exercises.“Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out,” I chanted to myself as I took slow and deep breaths.The phone rang again. My breathing hitched. I couldn't i
Hannah's POV I left Carlos’shouse. He tried to ask me what was wrong, but I didn't give him a chance.I gave him something to practice and told him that I would text him later to make sure that he was studying.I left and continued and kept trying to call Olivia. Each time I grew more and more exasperated. She wouldn't pick her calls. Her phone was still switched off. I sighed angrily.What was her problem?I decided not to give myself any more stress and I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. The evening was growing darker and darker. I still didn't realize that I had stayed so long at Carlos’ house. Who knows? Maybe if Olivia hadn't called, I would have stayed even longer without realizing it.I walked past the Library on my way back to Olivia’s house and got the chills as I passed the building. I should have been here. If I had been where I told Olivia I would be, things would have turned out very differently.I would have been cruising in the car with Olivia and her mom, coughi
Hannah's POV“Olivia! Calm down! I didn't…”Olivia's tears were loud and well above my voice. I was trembling. I didn't want her mom to come downstairs and have the wrong idea of the situation.If anything, it looked like I said something hurtful to her, and she burst into tears. This was not a good look for me.“Olivia," I said again, a little more gently than before, “you need to calm down. I'm sorry if I said anything that upset you."Her louding sobbing went down a few octaves but it was still causing a ruckus in the house.Was Olivia always this loud when she cried? The entire time we had been friends, she had never cried. This was a first for me.I managed to get her to sit. I caught a glimpse of the maid peeking at us. As soon as we locked eyes, she acted like she wasn't spying and disappeared.I rolled my eyes and went to the kitchen for a glass of water for Olivia.I needed one, too; I was already having a terrible headache.By the time I returned, she had already curled up o
Hannah's POV I was silent. I turned away from Olivia and fell deep into thought. She had every right to be angry at Carlos. I would hate him too if I was in her shoes. But all of this happened a long time ago. Carlos was a bit of an asshole sometimes be he had changed. I was certain about it. Well, not entirely. But I had gotten to know him better. “Hannah?" Olivia pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked at her. Her face was still moist, and I noticed that her mascara had begun to run just a bit. I could barely notice. “Olivia, I understand that you are hurt by what he did to you. He is a jerk. But I think that he has changed. I've seen it and he is very kind…” "All fake and pretentious. I'm not buying it.” Olivia's voice sounded a little better. The harshness in her voice was back, and she folded her arms angrily. Anger jumped back into her gaze and I was relieved that part of her was back. "Olivia, I'm simply tutoring him. He needs help in his classes and I jus
Hannah's POVMonday came soon. I overslept. Olivia and I were up all night glossing over the hottest gossip. I owed her that after all the trouble with Carlos and the lies.It was good to see her smiling again.“Hannah!–"Olivia burst into my room and I tumbled out of bed in shock. How did she have so much energy?! We both tuckered out at the same time?!“–School starts in an hour!”Her yelling made my eyes pop open even wider and I managed to get myself off the floor.An hour?!I scrambled into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I was going for a warm shower but the icy cold water sprayed all over me.“Oh my God!!"The shock seized me and I nearly slipped and fell.I held on tight and tried to calm myself down. This was not what I was expecting but I was wide awake now.I had the cold shower as fast as I could and hurried out. I was still drying my hair when Olivia came in, fully dressed, and her makeup and hair were done.My jaw dropped. How..?“Stop gawking at me,” she cried lo
Hannah's POV. A few minutes after I had settled beside Carlos at the back of the bus, the car was kicked into ignition and we left the parking lots. Carlos's demeanor was a sharp contrast to Dalton's and I couldn't resist the only feeling I got from him. Was that too much to ask now? To be pampered, to be treated like a human, to be cared for in a way that suggests desire and endearment. As I leaned on the headrest, my eyes caught a glint of the sun dancing on Carlos's face and for a moment there I thought he looked like a piece of art.This thought brought a smile to my face, and I wasn’t quick enough to hide it before he noticed."What are you smiling about?" He asked. "Do you see us winning the competition already?"Reflexively, my cheeks shifted farther, until I had to place my hand over my mouth to cover my smile. "No," I said. "It's something entirely different. And speaking of the contest. How did you manage to get in? I have been meaning to ask." Carlos raised his broad s
Hannah's POV. As the moon rays broke through the window to land on my face, the sharp light shot into my brain and forced me to open my eyes. Slowly, my eyes began to adjust to the darkness and the shape of the objects in the room. The window was opened, and the breeze gushing inside was cold enough to freeze me to stone. I wrapped my hands around my naked body but it was still not enough to grant me the warmth I desperately sought. In a split second, I threw the covers off my body, preparing to get off the bed, but as my body mistakenly bumped to the side I discovered that I was alone. Mr. Dalton was not in the room beside me on the bed. He had leftThe space beside me was now ruffled, my stomach tightening into a knot not only as a result of hunger but as an impact of the pain that now gripped my frail heart. I had been happy some hours ago, when Mr. Dalton had wrapped his arms around me, whispering sweet nothings into my ears.Was this all I to him? A playthings? A bed warming a
Dalton’s POVSweet moans of pleasure filled the room as I came into her wetness it felt so insanely good it was driving me crazy. “You feel so fucking good, Hannah,” I muttered under my breath, and her sexy eyes batted at me as she threw me a heart-striking smile.“I could say the same about you.” She managed to say through numerous gasps and eye rolls.I felt her tighten up around me, and I couldn't stop a moan from escaping.“Damn, Hannah!” I grunted; she had me in a stronghold and wouldn't let me go.I felt heat rise inside me as she ran her fingers into my hair, tossing and tugging at it uncontrollably.“Hannah, free up a little,” I said, but she did the exact opposite. She just tightened up even more around me, and I let out a husky moan. “Hannah…” At this point, there was no talking to her; she was already lost in the pleasure.And the fact that I was making her feel good only made me feel good. She looked beautiful under the dim lights of the room, and I couldn't help kissing
Hannah’s POV"Oh yes, I'm sure. I mean, I didn't quite pay much attention to it, but later on, I caught a whiff of authority lingering in the air, but I wasn't able to place my finger on it." I explained further, leaving no information out. Olivia placed a finger under her chin staring at me. "I understand that you probably read too many meanings into things, but this is quite perplexing. Do you think that he is hiding something?" She whispered. I rolled my eyes at her suggestions. "Of course not, what could he be hiding away from us?" I fired back at her, refusing to allow her to fill my head with doubts. She looked away and scrunched her eyebrows in some type of way making me feel weird. She had never been shy to speak about what she felt, and now I believe there was something more to what she was willing to share. "Do you have any suspicions, Olivia?" I inquired so that I knew my next step. Her response was a shake of the head which even meant more than I was willing to accept.
Dalton:I parked two streets away from Hannah's house. How she ever expected me not to come after her was still a wonder. I didn't think that she was going to go alone but I needed to respect her wishes. She wasn't just a little girl whom I could command to do whatever I wanted. I had to show her that I respected has so much that she would also reciprocate that in return. My phone buzzed in my pockets as I strolled towards the front of her house. She didn't invite me but I was going to do so myself. I wouldn't take any chances that would make her land in a compromising position simply because I was trying to be the good guy. I would rather be the bad guy and save her than the good guy who lets her die. I shook my head. Who was calling again? I swiped across the phone screen without looking, "I hope you are calling for something important." I asked my beta."Yes sir, I have everything under control but still need to know if you are getting ready for the final phase of the plan." He s
Hannah's POV. I released a breath after I was able to pry her away from hurting Stephanie. That girl was going to be a pain in the ass, especially tomorrow. I could already envisage it, and trust me, it wasn't looking pretty. I would rather engage myself in something boring like a painting than talk to her, especially when I knew she was fishing for trouble. The bell rang, signaling the end of the day, and I quickly picked up my bag, threw it over my shoulder, and continued my journey to his office. I walked past the garage hoping that I saw Mr Dalton and was surprised that he, of all people, was not present. Whoa, he must have been really busy then because he had never failed to show up, especially when he wanted to speak to me, probably also to take me home. On cue, Mr Dalton opened the door with his bag in hand and stopped in front of me. "Let's go home for some preparations." He said with a wink, which vanished so quickly that I imagined that I thought about it. I squinted f
Hannah's POV. My eyes widened in shock as Carlos moved closer to me with a friendly smile on his face. My goodness did he even consider the implication of what he was doing? I tried to find expression to my surprise but realized that I was only wasting my time. Feeling a pair of eyes on me, I glanced at Stephanie, and true to my thoughts, she was gazing at me with intense hatred. I had never done anything to warrant such treatment from her but I guess, it was one of those things she wanted to settle with me I was not even in the mood for all of that "Is there anything you want me to do for you?" I whispered to Carlos, who smiled at me. "I think she wants to sit with you." I nodded in Stephanie's direction. Carlos doesn't look bothered by my announcements, "Oh, then she is highly welcome. I don't think I've ever stopped anyone from coming closer to me no matter what." How oblivious could a man be? Maybe because he didn't have any special interest in her? I pondered. I smirked
Hannah's POV. "Gring!" The sound of an alarm clock jolted me awake, making me massage my temples in worry. My core ached. It was a lovely reminder of the activities I had gotten engaged in the previous day.Scanning the room, I realized that I was alone and reached for my phone, which was on the bedside table. I stretched and let out a yawn, to help awaken my muscles. They didn't look like they were going to do so anytime soon. My eyes finally focused on a bottle of water and a glass in an empty tray with an after-morning pill beside it. I jumped up instantly, not allowing my weakness to make me lose my mind, and popped the pill into my mouth, washing it down with water. Just a few feet away, a bag lay on the ground and I fished for its contents. My clothes lay in there neatly folded. Hmm, Mr. Dalton– the ever-prepared man. I glanced at the clock again and jumped in shock. It was almost 7:00 a.m. I couldn't afford to be late to school. I needed the final brush-up before doing it f
Dalton's POV "How old do you think I am, Hannah?" I inquired from her, watching her fidget slowly as she tried to find her words to defend herself from me but I knew that she was obviously lying. She wasn't a liar I needed to try her best at doing this because it clearly wasn't working with me. "I..." She swallowed before looking away."You..." I asked in an amused tone, waiting to hear how creative she could get with her excuses. "I... Was thirsty and needed some water and decided to come to the kitchen! I mean the kitchen is where the water is, right?" She asked a rhetorical question making me laugh at her cuteness. She didn't even have to do much before getting me into a state of amusement which was quite a chore for many women. "I see," I responded, waiting for her to counter my words, but she kept on looking at me. "I'm sorry if I'm taking up your space. I mean I should be studying and not sitting on your counter." She apologized and tried to hide her face under her hair jus