## Layla's POV
I walked hastily ,after Mrs George whose shoulders were slouched forward . Her steps were neither fast nor slow.
“ Get in !” she ordered , her face stern . She threw at me a frown with a ‘start talking’ look .
I swallowed , blinking my eyes hard .
“ I did not take the money .” I spoke holding the hem of my skirt tightly .
“ You'd better speak up before I send you off to the discipline office ” Mrs George warned, wagging her index finger in my face.
My heart raced, and I looked down, avoiding Mrs George's piercing gaze . She waits patiently for a response from me .
“ You still chose to keep quiet right ? Take this note to the disci—”
“ I will speak up Mrs George. ” I interrupted before she completes her statement .
“ You will ? ”
“ Yes , I saw some dollars bill on the table under the books, but I did not take it .” I uttered
“ Who did , if you did not ? What brought about the disappearance of the money ? ” Mrs George half yelled staring at me .
“ Adrianna did.” I dropped the bombshell. Mrs George eyes darted to the table and back to me
“ Get Adrianna for me .” Mrs George said with a tone of finality in her voice .
I uttered nothing in response to her order , my heart palpitates and steps heavy .
Did I do the right thing in spilling the truth about the missing money , this question throbs my mind till I got to class .
I informed Adrianna, that her attention is needed, at Mrs George's office .
she gave me a cold stare same as minions before leaving the class .
Adrianna Proenza is a bully and messed around cause her father is a known and wealthy tycoon .
He is one of the wealthiest amongst the board of directors of Blue Bell High School.
“ she took the money right ? ” Lydia asked interrupting my thoughts .
“ ummm.....” I paused for a moment with Lydia giving me a go ahead look
“ Do not dare lie to me. She did it right ? ” Lydia ask folding her arms beneath her breasts .
“ Yes ,I saw —”
“ I just knew it ,she is such a silly brat despite her father's wealth .” Lydia cursed cutting me off .
I tried to hush her from spilling more names but she threw my hands off , batting her lashes .
“ Well, I have good news” Lydia added while I beamed expectantly .
“ What is that ?” I inquired earnestly
“My betrothed will be back this week and I would be meeting him for the first time .” Lydia said softly in my ears before letting out a loud squeal in excitement .
I smiled and hugged her for the good news .
Lydia's POV
I shared the good news to my best friend Layla. She was so happy just as I am .
I am the only daughter of Alpha Kingston of White Rays pack ,
And been engaged since I was sixteen to Ashton,an Alpha-in- waiting, I never knew what he looked like or his personality but Layla and my mom urged me that I would love him .
My heart really longed to see him before proceeding with the marital rituals.
Snapping out of my thoughts , I grabbed Layla so we head to the cafeteria to eat lunch .
* Blue Bell High Cafeteria *
Lydia and Layla walked into the already filled cafeteria, Layla searched for an empty spot whilst Lydia attended to getting them meals .
Layla seldomly ate when she was in the restaurant except when the customers tipped her in an unnoticeable manner or Lady Sia would seize it greedily .
Lydia drops the mouth watering meal in front of Layla who is salivating.
“ Thank you Lydia ” Layla appreciated with a little smile.
“ Nahhh ..do not do that Layla . you are my best friend .” Lydia cooed and then gestures at the food indicating they should dig in .
About ten minutes later, Adrianna Proenza and her minions stepped into the cafeteria, it made a lot of tongues wag and lustful eyes roaming around.
Adrianna gleefully walked lifting her face cockily in pride, she enjoyed the attention she got from all angles she got but she was not here for any of that but to deal with a brat who ratted her out .
She sights her culprit seated at a corner, eight tables away .
Wasting no time ,she cat walked to the table shaking her butt cheek vigorously making her way to the ninth table .
“ You ! ” Adrianna exclaimed banging the table hard with both hands .
Lydia and Layla lifted the eyes from the drink which was the center of their discussion .
“ How dare you ? ” Adrianna speer angrily staring at Layla who avoided her gaze .
“ I can see you are dumb. ” Adrianna utters reaching for Layla's long hair when Lydia stops her by pushing her hand away .
“ Go away .” Lydia ordered
“ You stay put . You have no business in this. ” Adrianna warned waving her index finger .
“ And why should I stay put and watch you bully my friend ? ” Lydia pressed sipping from her drink
Adrianna ignores her and reaches for Layla's hair and grabs it hard .
Layla yelps in pain , Lydia got annoyed and pushes Adrianna hard and she falls on her butt.
“ How dare you bitch ? ” Adrianna fumes angrily as she stood up reaching for Lydia .
She lifts her hand wanting to hit Lydia hard on her cheeks but Lydia caught her hand mid-air.
“ Enough ! ” Mr Jones thunders
“ Now , move to the principal's office ” Mr Jones added wearing a stern face .
The girls walked out of the cafeteria while Adrianna grumbled and cursed at Lydia for embarrassing her .
“ The battle just began ” Adrianna mumbled to Lydia and Layla's hearing.
## 3 After a long day at school , Layla and Lydia left with aching knees and throbbing ache in the head as a result of the punishment meted out by the principal .To make matters worse, the girls were suspended for two days , one Layla dreaded with every fiber in her .“ I'll come see you in the evening Layla .” Lydia breaks the silence that ensued between them immediately they got to her aunt's restaurant .“ u..mmmm...see you in the evening then ” Layla answers absent-mindedly , Lydia pulls her into a warm hug ; she understood what is going through her best friend's mind but if she doesn't return home first, her Mom would be worried sick . “ I'll come later , you can trash that Aunt of yours into the dustbin ” Lydia joked as the girls burst into laughter . “ You are such a nitwit to decide to stand right there and laugh when loads of work awaits you . ” Lady Sia remarks sparing the girls disdainful looks .“speak of the devil ” Lydia mutters to herself before leaving the s
ASHTON'S POV “ There she is ” I whispered to myself when my eyes meet hers . She wore a cute frown whilst picking a book that looked like a menu or something more than that .She twitched her lips nervously staring at me, I could hear her heart race a million times faster than usual and she averted her gaze from mine. Nate jumped in excitement pushing me to go and meet her already at the counter area where she stood , I hushed him against it but the man was not even interested in knowing my reasons so I shut him off completely . She finally left the counter heading to my table with the book in her hands and my eyes never left hers for once . She reached my booth and stretched the book out .“ Good day and welcome to Crunch and Chew, what would you care for ? ” She added placing a book in front of me and another in front of Jerome . I merely glanced at the menu in my hand picking anything I saw first and returned it back to her making our hands glide softly against each othe
## 5Ashton's POV “ Betro... thed ? ” I speer rhetorically igniting a puzzled look on my father's face . He adjusts his robe gently,his watchful gaze not leaving my sight for a second and then he turned suddenly who has being quiet since we sat at the table .“ Jerome , talk some senses into your friend maybe he is suffering from amnesia . ” My father spoke authoritatively and with that he left the dining table leaving Jerome and I to ourselves. “ what was the meaning of that ? ” Jerome inquires not sparing me at least a minute to inhale or exhale “ what is what ? ” I responded feigning absolute ignorance of the situation he mentioned .“ You know the reason we came here is that you meet your betrothed , why act astonished ? ” “ Not in two days ” I fired back at him sparing him no room for saying further to me .“ it has to be sooner than later ” Jerome said tapping my back in a soothing manner before heading out leaving me all alone . Nothing made sense to me at this mo
Layla “ What are you doing here ? ” My Father bellowed after he had knocked my head harshly . My eyes suddenly became watery as I thought of a response .He came at the wrong time as Lady Sia will not hesitate to spew all that occured in the restaurant a few minutes ago .My heart raced fast . He is very dangerous and unpredictable especially when it comes to Lady Sia .I could only plead my innocence for pleading sake, my father would deal with me in tremendous ways . Sometimes, I wondered why he bore so much hatred towards me and nothing about me concerned him . He would rather pretend to be good to a random stranger than see to my needs .Everything I wanted right now was somewhere I could go to , someone who could love me more than this people that I was related to by blood .“ Have you suddenly become deaf ? ” My father asked, taking me aback . I nodded my head in disagreement and tried to move away but he seized me roughly by neck .“ Arrgghh ” I groaned in pain t
Layla I headed home after the harsh encounter with my father . The capes of my neck was red and aches badly . I mopped around my neck with a soothing balm Benjamin had offered me .It felt so good to be home after a week . I had a space that my Father leased out to me due to my aunt's request so I wasn't sent to the workhouse .It contained all my mother's belongings and a torn photo of her carrying me in her arms . It was just her arms , never knowing what she looked like .My room was a moderate sized one , it had a large bed and old fashioned curtains which Lady Sia insisted I kept using .I threw my tote bag on the bed , it contained my school uniform , worn out shoes and a few gowns I used at the restaurant for the week . Yawning widely ,I made for the kitchen to grab ice cubes for my neck . I grabbed a handkerchief and filled it with five ice cubes before closing the freezer gently . I placed it gently on my neck enjoying the sweet relief when I heard murmurings in t
## 8 Ashton My peering sight never left hers for once . I merely acknowledged the presence of my would be Luna all because I was lost staring at this damsel whose soul called out to mine .Everything seemed like a fairytale to me and I could find myself getting up from the chair i sat on .A gentle nudge against my shoulders brought me back to reality with a peering sight on me . I cleared my throat gently and glanced at my betrothed before averting my gaze from her .“ You have to focus Ashton ” Jerome cautioned in a calm but firm voice .I nodded my head slightly in agreement with his statement. If I wasn't focused this entire occasion could be ruined because of my actions . It was time for the introduction and I rose to bow to my would-be- Luna. She was beautiful as well but not as strikingly beautiful like the other who stood behind her .Her face was round and had patches of moderately applied red powder on both cheeks . It became more obvious each time she smiled .H
# 1 - ** Crunch and Chew Restaurant**Layla's POV The cool morning how breeze blew gently soothing my sweaty skin , my eyes tired and puffy at the same time .I yawned loudly, counting the croissants I had baked since last night. My shoulders and palms ached , I decide to take a short nap before Lady Sia arrives.I moved the little bag of flour off the table, dropped and leaped back on the table. Without wasting much time,my tired body submits so nature takes it course .It was not long ,I felt a hand shake me roughly and droplets of water trickle on my face .I jerk wildly off the dough making table ,my eyes wide with my hands up ready to attack such disruptor of my sweet sleep .The smears of fluffy dough filled my face like the contour of a brown foundation primer used for a make over . “ Will you get off the work table you Nitwit ” Lady Sia yells . She is dressed in an orange gown coupled with a cream coloured shawl wrapped around her neck. Her jewelries dangled fr
## 8 Ashton My peering sight never left hers for once . I merely acknowledged the presence of my would be Luna all because I was lost staring at this damsel whose soul called out to mine .Everything seemed like a fairytale to me and I could find myself getting up from the chair i sat on .A gentle nudge against my shoulders brought me back to reality with a peering sight on me . I cleared my throat gently and glanced at my betrothed before averting my gaze from her .“ You have to focus Ashton ” Jerome cautioned in a calm but firm voice .I nodded my head slightly in agreement with his statement. If I wasn't focused this entire occasion could be ruined because of my actions . It was time for the introduction and I rose to bow to my would-be- Luna. She was beautiful as well but not as strikingly beautiful like the other who stood behind her .Her face was round and had patches of moderately applied red powder on both cheeks . It became more obvious each time she smiled .H
Layla I headed home after the harsh encounter with my father . The capes of my neck was red and aches badly . I mopped around my neck with a soothing balm Benjamin had offered me .It felt so good to be home after a week . I had a space that my Father leased out to me due to my aunt's request so I wasn't sent to the workhouse .It contained all my mother's belongings and a torn photo of her carrying me in her arms . It was just her arms , never knowing what she looked like .My room was a moderate sized one , it had a large bed and old fashioned curtains which Lady Sia insisted I kept using .I threw my tote bag on the bed , it contained my school uniform , worn out shoes and a few gowns I used at the restaurant for the week . Yawning widely ,I made for the kitchen to grab ice cubes for my neck . I grabbed a handkerchief and filled it with five ice cubes before closing the freezer gently . I placed it gently on my neck enjoying the sweet relief when I heard murmurings in t
Layla “ What are you doing here ? ” My Father bellowed after he had knocked my head harshly . My eyes suddenly became watery as I thought of a response .He came at the wrong time as Lady Sia will not hesitate to spew all that occured in the restaurant a few minutes ago .My heart raced fast . He is very dangerous and unpredictable especially when it comes to Lady Sia .I could only plead my innocence for pleading sake, my father would deal with me in tremendous ways . Sometimes, I wondered why he bore so much hatred towards me and nothing about me concerned him . He would rather pretend to be good to a random stranger than see to my needs .Everything I wanted right now was somewhere I could go to , someone who could love me more than this people that I was related to by blood .“ Have you suddenly become deaf ? ” My father asked, taking me aback . I nodded my head in disagreement and tried to move away but he seized me roughly by neck .“ Arrgghh ” I groaned in pain t
## 5Ashton's POV “ Betro... thed ? ” I speer rhetorically igniting a puzzled look on my father's face . He adjusts his robe gently,his watchful gaze not leaving my sight for a second and then he turned suddenly who has being quiet since we sat at the table .“ Jerome , talk some senses into your friend maybe he is suffering from amnesia . ” My father spoke authoritatively and with that he left the dining table leaving Jerome and I to ourselves. “ what was the meaning of that ? ” Jerome inquires not sparing me at least a minute to inhale or exhale “ what is what ? ” I responded feigning absolute ignorance of the situation he mentioned .“ You know the reason we came here is that you meet your betrothed , why act astonished ? ” “ Not in two days ” I fired back at him sparing him no room for saying further to me .“ it has to be sooner than later ” Jerome said tapping my back in a soothing manner before heading out leaving me all alone . Nothing made sense to me at this mo
ASHTON'S POV “ There she is ” I whispered to myself when my eyes meet hers . She wore a cute frown whilst picking a book that looked like a menu or something more than that .She twitched her lips nervously staring at me, I could hear her heart race a million times faster than usual and she averted her gaze from mine. Nate jumped in excitement pushing me to go and meet her already at the counter area where she stood , I hushed him against it but the man was not even interested in knowing my reasons so I shut him off completely . She finally left the counter heading to my table with the book in her hands and my eyes never left hers for once . She reached my booth and stretched the book out .“ Good day and welcome to Crunch and Chew, what would you care for ? ” She added placing a book in front of me and another in front of Jerome . I merely glanced at the menu in my hand picking anything I saw first and returned it back to her making our hands glide softly against each othe
## 3 After a long day at school , Layla and Lydia left with aching knees and throbbing ache in the head as a result of the punishment meted out by the principal .To make matters worse, the girls were suspended for two days , one Layla dreaded with every fiber in her .“ I'll come see you in the evening Layla .” Lydia breaks the silence that ensued between them immediately they got to her aunt's restaurant .“ u..mmmm...see you in the evening then ” Layla answers absent-mindedly , Lydia pulls her into a warm hug ; she understood what is going through her best friend's mind but if she doesn't return home first, her Mom would be worried sick . “ I'll come later , you can trash that Aunt of yours into the dustbin ” Lydia joked as the girls burst into laughter . “ You are such a nitwit to decide to stand right there and laugh when loads of work awaits you . ” Lady Sia remarks sparing the girls disdainful looks .“speak of the devil ” Lydia mutters to herself before leaving the s
## Layla's POV I walked hastily ,after Mrs George whose shoulders were slouched forward . Her steps were neither fast nor slow. “ Get in !” she ordered , her face stern . She threw at me a frown with a ‘start talking’ look .I swallowed , blinking my eyes hard .“ I did not take the money .” I spoke holding the hem of my skirt tightly .“ You'd better speak up before I send you off to the discipline office ” Mrs George warned, wagging her index finger in my face. My heart raced, and I looked down, avoiding Mrs George's piercing gaze . She waits patiently for a response from me .“ You still chose to keep quiet right ? Take this note to the disci—” “ I will speak up Mrs George. ” I interrupted before she completes her statement .“ You will ? ” “ Yes , I saw some dollars bill on the table under the books, but I did not take it .” I uttered “ Who did , if you did not ? What brought about the disappearance of the money ? ” Mrs George half yelled staring at me .“ Adrianna did
# 1 - ** Crunch and Chew Restaurant**Layla's POV The cool morning how breeze blew gently soothing my sweaty skin , my eyes tired and puffy at the same time .I yawned loudly, counting the croissants I had baked since last night. My shoulders and palms ached , I decide to take a short nap before Lady Sia arrives.I moved the little bag of flour off the table, dropped and leaped back on the table. Without wasting much time,my tired body submits so nature takes it course .It was not long ,I felt a hand shake me roughly and droplets of water trickle on my face .I jerk wildly off the dough making table ,my eyes wide with my hands up ready to attack such disruptor of my sweet sleep .The smears of fluffy dough filled my face like the contour of a brown foundation primer used for a make over . “ Will you get off the work table you Nitwit ” Lady Sia yells . She is dressed in an orange gown coupled with a cream coloured shawl wrapped around her neck. Her jewelries dangled fr