The words sounded and felt right to her. It was also surprising as this was her first time calling Kelvin her husband to an outsider. It was Mariam who called Kelvin her husband all the time and reminded her that she was married. She forgot because it was not a real marriage and they had no real commitment towards each other. Understanding appeared in the woman’s dark eyes, “I would be scared too if I was your husband. I’m sure my husband would never let me out of his sight should anything happen to me or our child,” there was a deep sorrow in the woman’s eyes. It vanished quickly, Ariella thought that she might have read it wrongly. Ariella had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. It was not her fault that something had happened and she was sure she was not the target. It was just unfortunate that she was caught in the middle of it all and was the one that suffered the most. “Come on, sit with me,” Ariella invited the woman to join her on the bench she has been occupying. The
Before Ariella could think of what to say in response to Stella, the two women came to a stop right in front of them.“I’m Ava and this is Mellisa. You are new here, right?” Ava asked as she stretched her hand out to Ariella. Ariella wanted to ignore Ava’s outstretched hand but then she did not want to appear rude and make it seem like Stella had been talking about them. She did not want to gather trouble for Stella because while she was still an outsider, Stella wasn’t. She lived around this area and knew these women. She would hate for the other women to start attacking Stella after today. Ariella stretched her hand out to accept Ava’s outstretched one. She took her hand back almost immediately, not liking the feel of Ava’s hand against hers. “I’m Ariella and yes, I’m new here,”“You live around here?” Ava asked her.“No. No, I don't live around here. I was just driving around and then I found this place.” Ariella explained. Kelvin’s house was very far from here. A drive to his
Ava pressed closer to Ariella, her eyes sparking with a light of gossip, “He has his own company? Really? What’s the name of his company?”Ariella flinched at the question. She knew that answering this would mean that they would know who Kelvin was. She did not know if these women were model fans and knew Hannah. If they knew who Hannah was then they would be quick to add two plus two together and before long, they would find out that she was pregnant with her friend’s boyfriend’s baby. Because she was a small time model, none of them knew who she was but that video that circulated of Hannah accusing her of being a bad friend has made her a little popular.Even if these women did not know who Hannah was now, they will surely go back home and do their research on who Kelvin was if she told them the name of his company and they will end up knowing that she was not married to Kelvin since their marriage was a secret and the public did not know. If she wanted to keep coming here as she ha
Ariella was only able to breathe well when Ava and missa joined their group of friends. Though all of their attention was now focused on her, Ariella did not care. She knew that Mellisa and Ava were telling their friends about what they’ve discussed with her. Ariella knew the exact time Ava told them that she stayed at Blue Land estate with her husband and he owned his own company because their eyes widened and their mouth dropped in shock. Sweet. “Ava and Melissa are telling the rest about you,” Stella pointed out to Ariella.Ariella took her eyes off the group to look at Stella. She has almost forgotten that the other woman was even there and sitting right beside her.“Yeah, I know,”“They are never going to leave you alone now that they know your husband is super rich. Not only do they only want rich people in their circle for competition and stuff, they welcome the rich ones because they want the connections. Now, they will want you to introduce your husband to them and their hus
“Yeah,” Stella responded, “He is also cheating on her but that's a story for another time. When I got to the door of the room, I gently pushed it open and poked my head inside. I heard sniffing and then I saw Melissa. She was huddled up in a corner of the room and she was crying. There was a deep gash on her forehead and there was blood running down her face. Her clothes were torn too.”A bitter bile rose up in the back of Ariella’s throat as a certain thought occurred to her but she refused to entertain it. Melissa's husband would cheat and hit her but he couldn’t have done that thing to her, right?“Her husband had raped her.”“Good Lord,” Ariella slapped her hand against her mouth to keep from screaming out loud. “Why would he do such a thing?”“Because he is a beast,”“What did you do?”“I rushed in to help her. At first, she was angry that I saw her in that condition and I knew exactly what had happened. She tried to fight with me but I made it clear that I was not the enemy. She
Ariella pressed her hands against her ear when the loud ringing sound of her phone filled the room. She squeezed her face in annoyance but smoothed it out when the phone stopped ringing. She adjusted her position on her bed to continue her sleep. In less than thirty seconds after Ariella began to fall back into dreamland, her phone rang again, causing her to open her eyes. She groaned in anger as she slowly sat up and began to search for her phone. It was not on the bed stand, but was lost somewhere along the rumpled bed sheet and covers. She could not find the phone fast enough and its incessant ringing was beginning to give her a headache. When she finally found the phone, she swiped the receiver's icon and placed the phone in her ear without checking who was calling.“What?” She snapped. She just wanted the person to speak fast so she could turn off her phone and go back to sleep. She was feeling too tired, she did not want to move. She was not ready to face the day.“Guess you
Yes, Kelvin has called her beautiful before, on the night they were supposed to meet his family but that night, she was dressed in a beautiful gown and her face was made up. Today, well, he was not complimenting her face or the clothes she was putting on because if he was, she would know that he was mocking her. Ariella has just woken up from sleep and she was so sure that her face was covered with sleep marks, she did not know if there was also drool on her face and her hair was scattered everywhere on her head like a bird nest.He was complimenting her voice or the tone in which she used to apologize to him.“Hey, why do you keep zoning out?”“Sorry?” Ariella asked as she came to and realized that he was talking. “This is not the first time. You need to learn how to always keep your head in any conversation,”A sheepish look appeared on Ariella’s face at his words. She knew that he was correct and she always zoned out anytime someone said something to her. She was always thinking
After much struggle with the thoughts and emotions clouding her mind, Ariella decided that it was best to go back to sleep. She no longer cared if it was later in the afternoon. Her stomach was growling in hunger but she was feeling lazy and with the whole rollercoaster of emotions running through her, she was not sure if the food she would eat would go down well.Ariella closed her eyes after arranging the covers over her, preparing to go back to the dreamland so that she could forget everything, even if for a while when her phone began to ring again.This time, not just a groan but cusses fell from her mouth as she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position and reached for her phone that this time was on the bedside table.She hoped that it was not Kelvin calling her for one reason or the other. She also hoped that the call would be quick and important.Ariella cocked her head to the side, a deep frown squeezing her forehead as she gazed at the unknown number that was calling her
Sophia’s POVThey did not know. I could see it in their eyes as they looked at one another and as they whispered. I knew that my mother and father could hear everything they were saying but these people seem to have forgotten as they continued to talk in hushed tones among themselves.It's been three days since my mother walked into my room and found me looking like I was well over thirty five years. She had immediately raised alarm and called my father into the room. He was just as shocked as we were when he saw my appearance. He stopped at the door as his jaw dropped open in shock before he rushed over to me and grabbed my face in his hands, his eyes wide in alarm as he turned my face left and right the same way mother did. Three days later, I looked like I was over forty five to fifty years old. The first day, we kept it a secret among the family as they tried to analyze the situation and check if I was using something that was making my face look old but nothing I had was harmful
Joanne's POVThe sun shone through my window early the next morning, throwing the light across my room. I woke up feeling refreshed but also aware of the chaos from the night before. My head was still buzzing with thoughts about Poppy and Collins. "I need to blend in today," I told myself as I got out of bed.After getting ready, I decided to keep things simple. I pulled on a comfortable outfit and tied my hair back. “Just a quiet day,” I said, nodding at my reflection. “Nothing too dramatic.”I made my way through the halls of the hotel, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention. As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Mia catching up.“Joanne!” she called out, her face a mix of concern and fear. “I’m so glad I found you! I wanted to talk about what happened last night.”“Hey, Mia!” I replied, forcing a smile. “Don’t worry about it! I’m fine.”“No, I really need to apologize,” she insisted, her hands waving in front of her. “I should have immediately when you saw al
Joanne's POV As the night wore on, I felt energy pulsating around me. The music, the laughter—all of it made me want to keep going. But I noticed Mia and Lila starting to sway a bit on their feet.“Hey, you two,” I said, waving them over. “Are you alright?”Mia yawned dramatically. “I think it’s time for us to call it a night,” she said, stifling another yawn. “I’m so tired!”“Yeah, I’m with you,” Lila agreed, rubbing her eyes. “Tonight was fun, but I can’t keep my eyes open.”“Alright, get some rest!” I replied, grinning. “You both deserve it after a long night of dancing!”Mia smiled back. “Thanks, Joanne. You did amazing tonight!” “Yeah, you really showed Poppy! I can’t wait to hear about all the chaos you plan to cause!” Lila laughed, throwing her arms around me for a quick hug.“Trust me, I have plans for the next two weeks,” I said with a smirk. “Poppy’s going to know exactly who she’s dealing with.”“Good luck with that!” Mia joked. “Just don’t let her drive you crazy!”“Neve
Joanne's POVI sat in the garden, tears pouring down my cheeks. The news about the tournament cancellation hit me hard, and I felt lost. After everything I had hoped for, this moment seemed unbearable. I tried to wipe my eyes, but every thought about the tournament made my heart sink deeper.“Joanne!” I heard Silver call from a distance. I looked up and saw her rushing toward me, worry etched on her face.“What’s wrong?” she asked, kneeling next to me. “You look devastated!”“I am,” I admitted, sniffing. “They canceled the tournament! Everything I prepared for is gone!”“Hey, hey! Don’t cry!” Silver said, her tone soothing. “Wipe those tears away. We need you calm down and see poor Cassian, he is a blubbering mess!”“I don’t even know how to feel,” I said, my voice shaky. “It was everything I wanted. Now it’s all up in flames!”“Maybe it’s not over yet!” Silver said. “You don’t know what might happen next.”“I can’t believe this,” I whispered, struggling to calm down. Silver put her
JOANNE The maids went on to assign us to rooms as they read from their tablets our names and the room we were to be in. “I'm still quite surprised that you followed me all the way here,” I whispered to Amara who stood beside me. “ You make it look like I haven't been here since,” she replied. “ You know, you don't have to accompany me,” I said, genuinely not wanting to burden her. Since this was a contest to select the bride for the Lycan King, we'd be staying at the palace until the contest is over. “ It's a little too much to be saying accompany, though you're not wrong,” she nodded her head not wanting to admit that she was worried. “You make me wonder if I'm weak,” I mumbled. “I heard you by the way and you know that's not the case,” she folded her arms. “I simply need to ensure that you are safe and I mean, knowing how unsociable you are, it would be a lot easier for you if you had your best friend with you,” she gave me a thumbs up and
As Ariella moved from boutique to boutique, buying both the things she wanted and the things she needed, swiping Kelvin’s card here and there, it almost felt like the burden she’s been carrying inside of her was lessening. It was the same as when people cut themselves to bleed out so that they could feel better.Her driver for today was not the one she was familiar with. Anytime she picked something, his eyes would widen but she did not care. She did not know if he was surprised because of the multiple things she was buying or the prices of these things. She was trying hard not to look at the price herself because anytime her eyes went to the price, she could feel her heart beating faster than normal in her chest. He was following her so closely like he was her bodyguard. Maybe Kelvin did care about his child after all. She’s never seen this man before so he might as well be a bodyguard disguised as her driver. This made her relax a whole lot and enjoy her shopping. She ignored Mar
Joanne's POV Silver had already left the room and I was as exhausted as fuck. I wanted to take a walk to clear my head After spending some time in the garden and then at the party, I finally made my way back to my room for probably the 100th time today. I slumped onto my bed, feeling a mix of exhaustion and lingering tension. The events of the day swirled in my mind, and I needed a moment to regroup.“Ugh, what a day,” I muttered to myself, staring up at the ceiling. I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. “Maybe talking to Nathan will help me clear my head.”I dialed his number and waited. It rang a couple of times before I heard his familiar voice. “Hey, Joanne! What’s up?”“Nathan! Just checking in,” I said, smiling a little. “How's everything back at home?”“Busy as usual,” he replied, sounding cheerful. “Dad is still buried in those pack reports, you know how he is. But Mom misses you! She keeps asking when you’ll be back.”“I miss her too! I can’t wait to see h
The people around them let out loud gasps of surprise at the same time Kyra did.Her hand slowly lifted to touch her burning cheek as she winced in disbelief. “How dare you suggest that we find a way to clean up my dress? We? Clean? Do you know how much I got this dressed? It was tailored just for me to wear to this party, yet you ruined it by walking around like a blind bat!” The lady yelled, her face creasing with angry lines.Kyra was still dumbfounded by the slap that she just kept on staring at the lady without a word making its way past her lips. “What? Cat got your tongue now?” The lady continued to yell as if oblivious to the fact that all attention was on them or that Anton was now walking down to where she and Kyra were standing. “Just a few days ago you were sold off like a slave because you shamelessly went to get yourself pregnant with Tristan’s child, and today you think you are a princess again because Alpha Anton bought you and brought you to this party? Better think
Ariella fidgeted nervously and wiggled her hands together. She had received a call from the hospital five hours ago that her mother collapsed. Her mother's surgery that was scheduled for five weeks later has been brought forward because of this. The doctor was demanding money for the surgery, and she also had outstanding debt for the drugs her mother's doctor was kind enough to give to her on credit. After her father's death, Ariella's mother fell ill, so she had to drop out of college and look for a job. In the process of looking for a job, she met an agent, who helped her secure a position to become a model. Since Ariella was beautiful and had a good shape for modeling, she was able to get a spot in the company, but she could never go far. She had no connection, she was not willing to sell her body. Most of her resources were snatched by the other models. Even after two years in the modeling industry, she was not making enough money to take care of her mother's medical bills