JasmineLisa's behavior that I had noticed some nights ago still troubled me. I always knew she was not someone to trust, no doubt. But everyday it got worse. Now, the new one that she had suddenly learnt was to keep herself in isolation, and act like the person treated wrongly at every opportunity.Initially, I felt that she was just fighting for Hardin, considering that it was the excuse she had used to stay in the house for long, but everyday was taking her farther away from what she claimed to be.Even Hardin had become wary of Lisa as he shunned her at every occasion that she tried playing the emotional blackmail part.Earlier today, I rushed to look for mom not long after I woke up, as I remembered that I had to talk to her about not doing anything big for me on my birthday. She always tried to go out of her way to make me feel good on my birthday which was now having the opposite effect on me. And it was not yet my birthday already, but the maids were already talking about it,
Chapter 35Hardin's POVIt was hard to not hit the steering wheel of my car with my fist in anger as I drove back to the mansion.To be very honest, it was not hard. It was just that Jasmine was sitting so still in the car, trying to stop herself from shaking even though she was failing horribly at it and I understood that anything could scare her into crying because she looked like she was an inch away from breaking into tears.And I swallowed the growl that was making it's way up my throat and continued driving down to the mansion.But as I parked in front of the mansion and Jasmine jumped out of the car, heading inside, I rushed after her and grabbed her hand, turning her around to face me, with a growl that I could not stop anymore."You don't need to lecture me, I already know that I could have been hurt out there." She said shakily, her eyes avoiding my gaze and I released her, frustrated beyond measure at the fact that she had come so close to being mortally wounded."I don't t
Chapter 36Jasmine“How are you doing this morning, Jasmine?” That was the first thing Lisa said to me as I ran downstairs, heading to the kitchen to help mum prepare breakfast.The smile on her lips , clearly fake, made me to almost want to puke.“I had a good night. Thank you” I simply said, then left immediately.I did not have the time for any fake care and attention she wanted to show, and ever since the incident where I almost got killed back at the forest, I became a little bit weary of her.Well, I did not have concrete proof that it was related to Lisa, and I still could not boldly say that the attack was aimed as me, as much as I forced myself to believe that lie.I was certain it was aimed at me.I had no enemies that I could think of asides from Lisa, and maybe Hardin, I doubt Hardin hated me as much as wanting to kill me. Or was it some other enemy that I had unknowingly made?“Mum,” I greeted with a smile immediately I got into the kitchen, and hugged her for some minute
Chapter 37HardinI could feel the walls of my room shake as I slammed the door to my bedroom in rage and even though I had thought that I could take off the edge by taking out my anger on Jasmine sexually, which had worked for the most part, I could not for the life of me get over how Lorenzo thought it was okay to provoke me. And how he had stood up to me, with a frown that challenged me and wanted to see what I could do to him. The fact that it had been in public was even worse and I knew after hitting him that I had made a mistake because now, not only would the news reach my father, it would not matter what my side of the story was. It never mattered to him anyways. I was definitely going to have no choice but to attend even more sessions with the guidance counselor than before. And it was all Jasmine's fault. There was a knock on the door and when I opened it, a servant was standing outside, her gaze on the floor as she spoke shyly. "Your father would like to see you in h
Chapter 38Jasmine's POVSomething had changed with Hardin since that fight with Lorenzo and I knew it.I could feel it in the way he looked at me that night when I came out of his father's office after telling him about what had happened because they had called from the school about the incident, a situation that I wanted to avoid. It was exactly the way he used to in the beginning, when my mother and I first moved here.No, it was worse. I noticed it the next day when the principal had called all three of us to his office and the disciplinary committee had asked to hear our sides of the story and Hardin hadn't said one word, only asking what his punishment would be. Lorenzo had gotten one week suspension, with three days out of that week in school, to be served working at different places according to the discretion of the school. Hardin's was worse. And by worse, I meant infinitely worse. And it was not the fact that he was going to be at home for one week. It was that for that
Chapter 39Jasmine's POV"Thank you for coming out." Lorenzo said with a smile as we sat in one of the booths of the town's diner and I nodded, knowing that I had only one hour before Hardin started looking everywhere for me. Because since the shooting in the woods, Russo had unofficially made him my bodyguard even though I had tried to argue against it. But last night when he had finally broken the news at dinner that Hardin would be the one to go with me since he felt it was better than a stranger, I had been too afraid to tell him no, especially because I could not tell him that I wanted to be nowhere around his son, especially after what had happened at my birthday party three days ago. It still gave me nightmares anytime I closed my eyes because I wondered if the door to my bedroom would burst open and he would come to molest me again. I had even tried to go to school the next day after it happened but all that anybody could talk about was what had happened at the party. I h
Jasmine As I stood in the crowded party, surrounded by people and music, my thoughts were far from the festivities. I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety every time Hardin was nearby. Every touch, every word, made me cringe with revulsion. And the way he had mouthed the words that I was next made me want to puke. “Come with me Jasmine, let’s go over to the balcony,” Nadia mentioned, but I simply shook my head with a forced smile, while her eyes searched mine worriedly.“You are sure you don’t want to go?”“Yes,” I voiced out, then Nadia gave me a warm hug before leaving to join the rest of the crowd.My mind was consumed with doubts and questions about what I did feel for Hardin. I had accepted the fact that whatever I shared with Hardin was mainly because I had no choice, and I definitely had no romantic feelings for him. But still, the thought of him being with other girls made my blood boil with anger. How dare he violate me whenever I was with Loren
Chapter 41HardinGuilt and frustration were the exact words to describe how I felt every time that I made Jasmine break out in tears. I was toxic, and I did not need to be told.I was gradually becoming the image of me that my mother would not like and anytime I thought about how she felt watching what I suddenly turned out to become, I cursed severally. From where I stood at the balcony, I watched Jasmine leave the party with Nadia tagging behind her confusedly. I only realized that I had been staring at her for so long, when the twins came behind me, calling me out of my thoughts."Weird right? We also feel that way, I mean the way you pay special attention to her. Is there something we do not know?" Sandro pointed out, and I furrowed my brows like I had no idea what he was talking of."Who?" "Your step sister, man. I don't think we can hold back from saying it," Alex joined. "Ohhh... Jasmine. My father suddenly added a responsibility on me by making me her personal body guard w