semi final update of the month. :(
CHARLOTTESean’s dad… turned out to be a hard ass.We couldn’t go to the beach house. Not yet at least.Apparently, the enforcer had meetings… in a beach house? I had no idea why. So he told an infuriated Sean that he couldn’t have his weekend getaway till much later than we planned.That was a week
CHARLOTTEI pawned Caeson’s car two days ago.And now I was swimming in more money than I knew what to do with.The first thing I did with my sudden wealth was to move Da’ana into a new care home, the kind of place I’d stared longingly at in the magazine when I was picking a home for her in the firs
CHARLOTTE I was sixteen again. The cover of the threadbare comforter barely kept out the cold as I held the blanket up to my neck. I was shivering. But it wasn’t because of the weather. It wasn’t the chill in the air that rattled me to my bones. It was the sound of his footsteps. Tap. Tap. Tap.
CHARLOTTETap. Tap. Tap. I sat up with a gasp that bordered on a scream.My hand flew over to my mouth as short gasps burst out of me unrhythmically. My heart was racing, my vision was filled with splotches of darkness and every part of me trembled with fear.I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t think an
Like he sensed my presence, he turned when I walked in and to my surprise, he shot me a small smile that made me give him one too. Our gazes held for a moment and I quickly crossed the expanse of the kitchen to hand him my plate.“Done?” He mouthed.We stood close to each other, a once uncomfortable
CHARLOTTE The ranch was a couple of hours away, so we had to leave a lot earlier than I expected. There was a buzz in the air as the triplets and their friends settled into the cars they’d be riding to the ranch. I avoided everyone as best as I could and navigated through the crowd in search of M
He tilted his head to the side with a smirk and gestured for me to get in. I smiled and muttered a word of thanks before slipping into the car. On my way in, my eyes locked with Taide over the roof of the car as he came up by the driver’s side. It was only for a brief moment before I chose to look
CHARLOTTEI shuffled about to avoid getting elbowed by excited partygoers.Half of these faces, I’d never seen before. And I was sure a good percentage of the people here didn’t attend Lupin prep.The music was turned on at the loudest possible volume, but I could somehow still hear the shouts and c
CHARLOTTE I sat on the bed, trying to calm my breathing. My chest felt tight, and my hands trembled in my lap. I couldn’t stop replaying what had just happened. King Aurichad been here, in this room, and now he was gone. But the memory of his cold, cutting gaze lingered, wrapping around me like
CHARLOTTE Caeson shot to his feet as soon as the words left my mouth, startling me. He turned toward the entryway, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the empty space. After a moment, he turned back to me, a deep furrow forming between his brows. Without saying a word, he spun on his heel and strod
CHARLOTTE I watched as Taide stepped away from Sean, smoothly sidestepping him without another glance. Sean looked after him for a moment, but Taide didn’t seem to care. I caught Madeline’s eyes, and she grinned before doing a subtle little happy dance. Her excitement was almost contagious. Taid
CHARLOTTE The seamstress stepped back, letting out a satisfied hum. I stood in front of the mirror, smoothing my hands over the soft fabric of the dress I was wearing. It fit perfectly, hugging my body in all the right places. The sweetheart neckline and shoulder-less design gave it an elegance
The hell?I blinked, trying to understand. Then it hit.He was talking about yesterday, when I’d abruptly questioned him and then walked away without waiting for an answer.“You wouldn’t have participated anyway,” I said, using his analogy as I crossed my arms.“You don’t know that,” he replied.I
CHARLOTTEThe morning light streamed through the tall windows of the dining room, illuminating the grand breakfast spread that covered the long table.I could hardly believe how much food there was—it seemed like enough to feed ten people, if not more. The table was piled high with plates of fresh f
CHARLOTTEThe palace was something out of a dream.No, more than that—something out of a world I didn’t belong to.The long driveway was lined with perfectly manicured gardens, each bush and flowerbed so precise it looked as though someone had sculpted them by hand. Towering trees stood around, thei
CHARLOTTE We had our things packed and ready for the trip. Madeline’s birthday ball was this Sunday and now it was Friday already, the day of our departure. By the time we returned home it would be about a week before our junior year finals. And then, graduation. Which meant that we would be
I gave her my thanks and followed her instructions, up the stairs and down the calm, clean hallways of the care home. And like every time I came here, I couldn’t help but be struck by the difference between this care house and her old one. I was just about to walk in through the open threshold but