For the remainder of the party, there was a tension that never fully left. Jared seemed happy that he had succeeded in upsetting his brother. It made me feel disgust towards him.I couldn't even focus on the conversations around me. After Dax had left, my mind was being filled with concern for him.How could anyone do that to their own sibling? Jared should not have brought that up so publicly. That matter should be between the two of them. This made me dislike Jared even more than I did after he made a move on me.Dax never returned to the party after his brother's words to him. I hardly remembered anything about the party once he was gone. It was like everything had flipped upside down after seeing such drama.The rest of the evening flew by, and it was time to go to sleep. I crawled into bed and hoped that Dax would be okay before going to sleep.When I woke up, I decided to get ready quickly. After I got dressed, there was a knock on my door.Dax stood outside and asked, "Are
The rest of the drive made me nervous. My heart wouldn't quit racing at the speed of light. I also felt my palms starting to sweat.I hoped that Dax couldn't tell how I was feeling. He continued to drive without a care in the world. I still hoped thatthis was only a friendly lunch. I may have been jumping to conclusions. A man and a woman could have a meal without it meaning something more.I tried to distract myself and attempted to talk with Dax. "So, can I have a hint at where we're going?"Dax shook his head and replied, "I'm afraid I can't do that.""Are we even close to it?""We'll be there in a few minutes. Someone seems excited to get there.""I'm just dying to know where we're going. You're being too mysterious."Dax chuckled a little and said, "I thought women liked mystery."How could he say something like that so casually? I had no idea how to respond to his comment. It got quiet as he kept driving, so I turned the radio on. The silence was suddenly weird to have
After I left the bathroom, I headed for the door. I was so ready to get out of there. It was another place ruined for me. I doubted that I would ever return there.I slowed my walking when I saw Dax waiting outside the car for me. The sight of him made me feel repulsed. It was hard to see him after what I had learned.Dax opened my door for me, but I couldn't even look at him and climbed in without a word. He said, "Did you enjoy your lunch? I hope you liked it."I flatly said, "Yeah. It was good food."He noticed my change in tone and asked, "What's wrong Danica?""Nothing's wrong. I just want to head back."For a brief second, he looked like he wanted to say something but stopped. Dax didn't press further and continued to drive us back. I looked out the window and wanted to put the whole lunch behind me. I couldn't believe I was starting to get fooled by Dax. No way would I be someone's fling. I wanted an actual relationship and not someone to play around with my emotio
I knew something was quite wrong. Just a few minutes ago, I had been absolutely fine. There had been too quick of a change. It seemed unnatural that I could just get ill again.The last I had seen Dax was when he went up the stairs. He headed towards his room as I figured that was the best place to look.Dax would still help me, even if we had just argued. I knew he still cared about me. Despite pushing him away, he didn't seem to want to give up on me.It didn't make sense and made me confused. He should've been ignoring me back, but instead he was trying more than ever to be a kind man.My strength was continuing to leave me, as I got closer to Dax's room. He was the only person I could go to. His door was closed. I continued heading towards his room slowly, as my stomach felt as if it was unsettled. But it wasn't just my stomach.My whole body didn't feel right. Everything was off with my system. I just wanted to almost lie down and take medicine for whatever was occurring.
Dax POVMy heart sunk at seeing Danica unconscious. I immediately got her off the floor and carefully put her back into her bed. I had no idea that she had gotten sick again. It was surprising that she had even come to me for help. But I'd never let her be ignored even if I was mad.I immediately summoned my private physician to look her over. He began tending to her mysterious illness as best as he could, but I knew that he may not be enough.She wouldn't have just come for help if this wasn't serious. I knew it wasn't just her morning sickness like before. Danica was incredibly pale and was barely able to get to me.I continued to check on her throughout the day, and it seemed she was getting even weaker. Her breathing wasn't very regular either; it seemed as if her body wanted to give up and couldn't fight the illness. What was she going through? This was so nerve wracking to watch. I didn't want her to get any sicker. The baby was being affected greatly by this illness too.
Dax POVWhen I woke up, Danica was still sleeping. I didn't want to disturb her and left without trying to make too much noise. She needed all the rest that she could get, and I didn't want her to feel sick anymore.While she was sleeping, I thought she looked so innocent and angelic. I took a risk and leaned in to give her forehead a kiss.Danica smiled in her sleep after my chaste kiss. I allowed myself to smile at seeing her look so peaceful in her sleep. I didn't want to stick around until she woke up and started to head back to my room.There was no point in lingering around in her room. I wouldn't get anything solved by looking at her.When I got back to my room, I picked out a quick set of casual clothes. Then I styled my hair, even though I wasn't going to work for the day. I always wanted to look presentable in case anyone important dropped by the house.After I left my room, I knew what I had to do. The culprit was out on the loose. I wouldn't let them get away with doi
I was eating breakfast when Dax came over and sat beside me. He looked at me and asked, "Would you like to get away from here for a few days?"This was so sudden, I wasn't sure what to say right away. Where was he planning on taking me? Would we be alone? Maybe that wasn't the best idea. I had just started to be around him again recently.My heart couldn't handle any more of his hot and cold behavior. I wasn't going to give him endless chances. I knew Dax had some good characteristics, but were they enough to convince me to go on a trip with him?After a few seconds passed, I answered, "It depends on where we're going."Dax had an amused expression and told me, "You'll like it. Please say yes. I'll have one of the maids pack your suitcase."Maybe it would be nice to get away. Plus, I had leftover anxiety from staying in the mansion. A break could be good for me."Okay. Let's go. When are we leaving?""Today.""That soon?""Yes, it's no problem for me."I finished eating and s
I kept replaying our dance from the other day. It was one of the nicest times I had with Dax. I especially enjoyed how he made me feel safe and sound in his arms. That kiss kept coming back to me as well. It was so gentle and sweet and made me want to share more kisses with Dax.He made sure that I had a say in certain activities that we did together too. I couldn't believe how considerate he was being towards me. Was this even the same man I met months ago? Dax was beginning to be someone more likeable. The romantic setting didn't help my new feelings I was getting either. I didn't want to admit that something was happening between us, as we had been by each other's sides constantly. It was starting to be a risk for my heart, and it was hard to open myself up to Dax.He had hurt me before with his actions. I still had some of my guard up, so I wouldn't get too caught up in the moment. Being careful was better in our situation. Someday I would be out of his life. Everyday brought u
Danica POVDax rushed me into the hospital and talked to a nurse immediately. I was put onto a gurney and taken down a long hallway. I got more nervous as this was finally happening.We got to the delivery room quickly, and doctor was already prepared with his team. The contractions were bringing me a lot of discomfort in my lower abdomen. I wanted this to be over as soon as it could be.I knew my mom had taken hours to deliver me. She said it had been the most pain inducing experience of her life. More nerves started to build inside me at the thought of having to go through that.The fear and nervousness must've shown on my face. The doctor came to my side and looked at me with kindness in his eyes. He spoke in a calm tone and said, "I've delivered a lot of babies in my lifetime, so there's nothing you should be worried about. Everything will be okay."His words gave me some reassurance, but I couldn't calm down. I was worried that something could go wrong. I had gone through too
Dax POVIt was so hard to believe that my own sister-in-law would stoop so low for Jared. In the past, I had never cared for Wendy that much. There was something about her that felt off at times.At least she would never be able to return to my home. I would have to ban Jared from coming back. There was no way that I could trust him ever again either. He may have been behind Wendy's actions. It was if I couldn't trust anyone these days. I definitely couldn't let my guard down quite yet. Things had been quite dangerous. I'd make sure to keep Danica safe for the remainder of her time with me. Almost losing her made me value her even more than I used to.A little after Wendy left, I wanted to offer Danica some comfort after that close call. I had seen that she had gone up to her room and headed there myself.I knocked on her door and she let me in. Danica was lying on her bed, and I looked at her."Would you like some company? I understand if you want to be alone for awhile.""Sur
Danica POVAs the next few days went by, things started to get back to normal. Each day I got less and less anxious. Dax made sure to be around as much as possible and was trying to do some work at home. I was shocked that he had given up being at the office for me.He was really showing off how much he cared for me. I knew he was still feeling terrible that I had been kidnapped. It was easy to see on his face when he thought that I wasn't looking. Part of me wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault.No one could've prevented that from happening. I didn't want anyone to feel guilt for that. I would try to reassure him as the days went by.The first day back, I had been more nervous than usual. Dax helped a lot that day to calm me down. He made sure to stay around me for most of the day. At one point, he made me popcorn and cuddled me on the couch. I knew he disliked seeing me suffer like that.I was glad to have been back to routine at the mansion after my experience. As much a
Danica POVDuring the car ride, Dax held my hand and glanced over at me often. He seemed very concerned about my well-being which made feel appreciated. We didn't converse while we drove along. I wasn't quite ready to talk again, or my voice would betray me. I still wasn't over the stress of being imprisoned by criminals. It had felt so unreal, almost as if it hadn't happened to me.Dax must've understood that I didn't want to talk and didn't try to press me to say anything. We had comfortable silence in the car. I wanted to thank him for getting me out of that situation, but no words could describe how grateful I was.He had gone beyond what I expected of him. I glanced at him and noticed that he looked at ease now that I was back with him. I had no idea how Dax was so affected by hearing about what happened to me. I didn't like how I had caused him more stress by getting involved in that mess. It made me feel guilty that I hadn't tried to tell him about it before. But back the
Dax POVSweat started to drip down my forehead as he kept his gun locked on me. He gave a sinister grin at me.I stood my ground and wasn't going to go down like a coward. I narrowed my eyes at him and showed him that I wasn't afraid.Was this really the end? My mission was going to be in vain. I had been so close to saving Danica. It would be all for nothing if I died. But I was out of luck, since no one else was around to help me out.Suddenly, there was a shot fired from the doorway. When I looked over, one of my security team members was there. He must've have been quietly following me the whole time. The gangster gripped his leg and went to the ground. He deserved getting shot. My heart wouldn't stop beating. That man had almost killed me. It had been one of the most terrifying moments of my life. I was glad that it hadn't been my final moment.I turned to the staff and said, "Thanks for saving my life. I won't ever forget this."He gave a nod of acknowledgment and kept an
Dax POVI tried to figure out the location of the gangster's hideout for a few hours before I made a breakthrough. There had been rumors about suspicious activity happening at this abandoned facility. A few people had said they had seen some shady looking people around that area within the past few months. All of the accounts from eyewitnesses seemed believable. I had to go with my gut feeling that this was their location.Besides, it was in a location that not many people knew about. Where else would they hiding out in? They couldn't be found by the police. I met up with the security team shortly after discovering this information and shared it with them. I also told them information they should know, "Everyone must keep on high alert when we arrive at the location. These are dangerous individuals we'll be facing."We got into separate vehicles and headed out towards the facility. As I drove along, I was getting more anxious about Danica's wellbeing. What if they had been negl
Dax POVAfter I set the ransom note down, I felt an immense rage come over me. This whole situation was terrible and shouldn't have come to this. Danica was in danger because of this gigantic mistake on their end. I wished this had all been a nightmare. The woman that I deeply cared about was gone. She must've been absolutely terrified. It was too hard to imagine her in such a situation. The thought of her captors made me feel sick.They could do unspeakable things to her. I needed to stop myself from thinking of anyone harming her. It would make me even more enraged. There was nothing I could do yet. I wasn't sure of the location of where she was being kept.Those people would pay once I figured out where they were hiding. They wouldn't know what was coming their way. I had to take them by surprise or else this would all fail.I knew I had to get to her and rescue her before it was too late. I almost lost Danica once and wouldn't lose her for good. She was the only woman I ever
I hoped that what had happened earlier had been a nightmare. I slowly opened my eyes; when I saw that I wasn't in my bed at the mansion, I knew that it had to be real. I felt rope tied around my wrists and ankles and could feel the coolness of the metal from the chair. There was even a piece of cloth covering my mouth. I felt the urge to scream but knew it was pointless. Nobody would be able to hear my cries for help.This was the worst possible situation I could've been in. I never imagined that this scenario would happen to me. How had I gotten caught up in this? Maybe I shouldn't have been so careless earlier. I wished I wouldn't have been walking in that shady area. I knew better than that, but it was too late to blame myself for what had already gone down.I tried to get a sense of where I was by looking around the room. I didn't want to lose all of my hope for getting out of here. It was too dark to see anything to give away where those men had taken me. The one lightbul
Danica POVI continued to walk towards the car and looked behind me. The security detail was still following me and kept glancing around often. He was checking for any signs of trouble, which made me feel relieved. I felt very safe having someone look after me.Not that it looked too dangerous. We were the only two people around the area. I didn't see anyone suspicious around as I made a brief scan of the area.Nothing bad could happen as long as I had this person around. I completely trusted that he wouldn't let anything happen to me. Dax wouldn't let any of his people fail me, especially after Jason had broken into the mansion.I knew Dax still felt guilty about that happening. Neither one of us had brought it up since Jason had been taken away. I hoped nothing else like that would happen again. It was unfortunate that the car was so far away this time. The chauffeur couldn't find an easier parking spot. As I came to an alley, there was a very scruffy looking young man. His ha