In the evening, when they had gone home after seeing Mason, Raven stood in front of the open fridge, her brow furrowed as she searched the shelves. Damon leaned against the kitchen door frame, watching her. "Something wrong?" He asked, though he already knew the answer. Raven slammed the fridge door shut, her eyes glistening with tears. "There's no ice cream," she whispered, her voice trembling. Damon quickly crossed the room; concern etched on his face. "Hey, it’s just ice cream. We can get more tomorrow," he said, his voice calm and reassuring. But Raven wasn’t having it. She sat on the floor, her back against the fridge as she sobbed. "I just wanted some ice cream, Damon," she choked out between sobs. "Why can’t I just have that? I want Mason, but he's in a coma, and now I want ice cream, I can't have that either?" Without hesitation, Damon crouched beside her. He gently rubbed her back, his voice soothing as he spoke. "It's okay, Raven. I’ll go get some right now if you want.
It was soft at first, one that could have been brushed off as a moment of comfort. But when Raven kissed him back, it became something more. Something dangerous. Her lips were warm against his, and for a brief moment, Damon allowed himself to forget. He forgot that this was his best friend’s wife. He forgot about the guilt that had been eating away at him for weeks. All that mattered was the way she felt in his arms, the way her hands gripped his shirt as though she needed him. She pulled him closer until he stood so close and wrapped her arms around his neck. He ran his hands down her back as he deepened, their breathing becoming shorter as they melted against each other. Damon had gripped her waist while her finger began undoing the button of his shirt. The moment his grip tightened on her waist, they both froze and pulled away from each other. Raven dropped from where she sat and moved away from Damon, her eyes wide with shock. "I... I can't," she stammered, her breathing errati
Blair’s hands shook as she clutched the phone to her ear, hearing Mr Clinton’s devious voice so cold it sent shivers down Blair’s spine. "You better come back now, Blair. Or else, your mother’s going to rot in jail. Mark my words." Her breath hitched and her heart hammered in her chest as the call ended. She knew her mother and Mr. Clinton had some sort of connection from years ago, but she didn’t know what it was about except that it made Lenora willing to sell her off to the disgusting, sweaty old man. She was going to give him Raven but that had never bothered Blair. Until now. Blair felt sick when she realized what they had put Raven through for her entire life and wondered why her mother hated her so much. Blair wasn’t even sure what she, herself, had against her simply that it was the way she was raised. She was envious of Raven, but she never really knew the real reason behind her mother’s hatred for her. Blair realized, as she climbed into the car to make her way back to
Later that evening, Blair paced her apartment, her mind swirling. She couldn't help hearing Mr Clinton’s voice, the things he had said about her and her sister, and couldn’t help watching the video over and over again. She couldn’t believe her mother, Lenora, for everything she may have done over the years… Blair couldn't believe her mom could do something so horrible. Blair couldn’t let herself become a partaker in this crime. She refused to let herself be anything like the woman her mother had been in Blair’s memories, and certainly not the real Lenora Mr Clinton knew so well. Blair’s fingers shook as she sent an anonymous tip to the police, attaching the video file. Her heart ached as she did so, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She wasn’t just doing the right thing, she was taking hold of herself, taking control of her life for the first time. ~~~~ The next morning, Blair went straight to her mother’s agency. She walked into the office without knocking as she alway
"What are you doing here?" Raven asked, standing up abruptly as if she had to be ready to fight to protect herself if her sister was around. Blair hesitated at the doorway. "Please, can we talk? I don’t have anyone else to go to. I know you hate me, and you don't want to see me, but I'm sorry." Raven crossed her arms. "If you’re here to talk about getting Mom released, then I’m sorry, but I don't think I can help. Wait, no… I don’t want to help. I don't even know what goes on in your lives, so how do you expect me to help you?" "I was the one who reported Mom to the police, which led to her being arrested." Blair swallowed, her voice trembling. "When I saw the video, I didn't know what else to do... I thought I was doing the right thing, but now... I don't know." Both Raven and Julie’s eyes widened in shock. "What?" They said in unison, sinking into their seats. “You? You reported her?” Raven asked, confused. “But… how… why…” “Mr Clinton said he’d report her if I didn’t marry
TWENTY YEARS AGOCharles Barrett and Michael Prescott sat across from each other in the drawing room of the Barrett family estate, the room was decorated with dark wooden panels. Charles leaned back in his chair, a glass of whisky in his hand, while Michael gazed thoughtfully at an old painting that hung on the wall. Both men sat across from each other in the drawing room, their expressions filled with anticipation."This has been the best idea we've come up with so far," Michael said with a big smile spread across his face as he broke the silence. "So it's settled, we've come to a decision." Charles began, his voice holding the same excitement as Michael's. "This alliance between our families will guarantee our family's union for generations to come."Michael nodded thoughtfully, his gaze fixed on a particular painting on the wall. "The marriage would be between our firstborns, your son Mason, and my unborn daughter." He replied, his voice holding hope.Charles took a sip of his whi
Mason's POV Candice's response didn't guarantee whether or not she was coming to New York. I had invited her last night, but her hesitation stung. "It's too soon to plan a wedding when we just got engaged," she said. The frustration gnawed at me.My father had already invited the Prescotts over for dinner today, and this whole alliance fiasco had thrown me into chaos. One moment, I was planning a romantic dinner for my fiancée, and the next, I was dealing with a wedding my father was arranging for me and some stranger. Yes, I am aware of the relationship my dad has with the Prescott's but I thought it ended when Michael Prescott died years ago.I sent Candice a text, asking her to come to New York so I could explain things to her properly. I headed to the bathroom to freshen up, awaiting her response with bated breath.~~~~On my way to the office, a reply came in. "Fine, but I'll be arriving next week. I still have a ton of photo shoots this week."I groaned upon reading her text, n
Mason's POV The dinner table was filled with different kinds of food. When I first walked in, I thought we were having a feast and not just some casual dinner. Dinner with the Prescott’s seemed to be the longest I'd ever had, my first instinct when I saw the face of the girl I was supposed to marry was to find a way to escape this dinner. Yes, she was undeniably beautiful, but she seemed like the kind of girl who would become super clingy once I gave the wrong signals; I already had a woman I loved very much. So no matter how pretty she was, Candice would always be the most beautiful woman in my eyes. "Blair here has always had a huge crush on Mason ever since she was in high school." Lenora, Blair’s mother announced. I hadn’t been following the conversation closely, so I had no idea what they were discussing for her to say that. A crush from high school? It was irrelevant and, quite frankly, annoying. I could care less about some stupid crush."Mom! Why would you say that?" Blair’s