Realizing just how close they were to each other, Arialla jerked back but that was a mistake on her part because she stepped on her dress with her high heels and stumbled backward. Her eyes widened in horror and her hands shot out to look for something to grab and she ended up grabbing the lapels of his jacket at the same time his hand wrapped around her waist and he drew her to her former position. Only this time she was closer. The only space between them was the one created by her baby bump.Kelvin brought his head down until his lips were closed to her ear, “What are you trying to do? You were going to hurt yourself. Why are you running away?” Her hot breath fanned her ear and she could not help but shiver.“I’m not running away,” her voice was low and less audible“Could have fooled me,” his mouth brushed her against her ear as he spoke and Kelvin could not resist the urge to close his teeth around the soft flesh.Ariella’s hold on his jacket tightened as his sharp teeth sank i
Why did he even bother to even bring her out to dinner if he was going to forget about her existence? She thought that the pressing of his phone would stop once they got down from the car but she was mistaken because he continued to do so even after they were seated and had placed their orders.She peered at him from under her lashes and her anger spiked up when she realized that he was now on a call. His food has gone cold by now.Arialla wanted to snap at him, tell him to drop his phone and have the dinner he invited her for but she reasoned that what he was doing might be a business that was more important to him than having dinner with her . The food was good and it smelled nice, she did not feel like throwing up or anything. I’m fact, she was enjoying herself. Ariella had nothing to complain about except for the behavior of the man sitting opposite her.She wished he would drop his phone and focus on dinner, talk and tease her like he did in her room before they got here. She h
“No,” Kelvin shook his head, “I’m not hooking up with her,” Though he did not think she would still insist on an answer, he did not hold back from responding. She was cool headed now and if things were going to work out between them, they had to live in peace and get along well. There would be no getting along if she thought that Hannah was in the picture. He also felt like he owed it to her to give an explanation. God, he was doing so many things he has never done before and it was all because of her.“Really?” She asked as she reached for her glass of juice again. She took a sip before she peered at him over the glass, “So how come the both of you decided to hop on a plane and land at the same time?” Until he gave her a believable story, she was not going to take his word for it.“It was a coincidence,”“Well, I do not believe in coincidence and I’m not a fool. I was there for a long time and you never cared to visit. All of a sudden, you appeared at the door, then I saw your ex-gi
“Oh my God, what are you doing here?” Arialla asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she gazed up with Steven. He was a man with blonde hair and his eyes were the color of blue skies.“I came for dinner with my…” Steven trailed off as he glanced at the woman who was hanging on his arm, “Beautiful friend,Amy,”“Nice to meet you, Amy,” Ariella stretched out her hand to the woman with a wide smile. She realized only too late that she should not have done that because the other woman just stared at her hand in disgust and refused to take it. The smile on Ariella’s face froze and everything became awkward.Amy looked a little familiar but for the life of her, she could not place where she had seen her.“Amy,” Steven called with a red face as he poked the other woman’s side.“Oh, yeah, that’s right. It is really nice to meet you, Ariella,” Amy said with a wide smile that did not touch her eyes as she grabbed Ariella’s hand that she left hanging. She squeezed tightly, causing Ariella
Gladys was crying outside the room Ariella was locked in with the doctors and Kelvin was trying his best to console her. Their private doctors had been waiting in front of the house with a gurney when Jude drove inside the compound. They quickly took her away into the underground room that served as a hospital room in his house. The doctors had been in there for a few hours and Kelvin was beginning to panic but he knew that he needed to be strong for his mother.“How could this happen again? What if something happens to her or the baby?” Gladys cried into Kelvin’s chest, “I don’t think she will ever recover if anything was to happen to her child. This is wrong in so many ways.”“Shhh, mom, we cannot think the worst right now. She will be fine. She is a fighter,” Kelvin did not know if he was consoling himself or his mother. Maybe he was consoling the both of them.“Your father and I should have taken care of this years ago but we couldn’t. I’m so sorry Kelvin, I’m so sorry,” Gladys c
Amy was sitting anxiously in a private room in hotel De La Cruz as she waited for the person that sent her a message attached with an incriminating video of her.Amy had turned white and nearly threw up when she got the first video and the message. She was being blackmailed. First, she panicked but then the panic disappeared only to be replaced by anger. She could not understand how this person got hold of this video Did this person know who she was? How dare the person try to blackmail her? Once she knew who this person was, she wouldn't hesitate to put him or her in the ground.She immediately asked who the person was and what they wanted but all she received was a message to meet up here. She wasn't expecting that person would want to meet up. She was expecting the person to demand that she send money. Seems like she had a stupid person on her hand.She asked her personal investigator to search up the phone number but it was untraceable so she carried herself to the hotel.This
The room was quiet as Kelvin stepped to the side to make a call and Arialla knew that he was going to call Mariam. How did he get her friend’s number? She wondered if Mariam met this man when she was brought to the hospital after her accident. After talking on the phone for a few minutes, the man turned to look at her, “Mariam is on her way.” “Okay,” “Before Mariam arrives I will like to introduce myself and my mother to you,” “Okay,” Ariella’s eyes were glinting with curiosity. She was going to finally find out who the handsome man was. “I am Kelvin Patrick and this is my mother Gladys Patrick,” Kelvin pushed and stared at her inquisitively. It was as if he was waiting for a reaction from her. The curiosity in Ariella’s eyes died and she frowned. Why did the two names sound familiar? Thinking about it now, she felt like she knew this man and the woman but she could not understand why she felt this way when she knew that she had never met them before. “Why does it feel like we h
Ariella peered at Kelvin under her lashes. He was here, sleeping on a chair when she woke up in the middle of the night and he was still here in the morning. He had changed out of the clothes he had been wearing in the middle of the night and was working on his laptop while sipping coffee in between. Ariella wished she could ask for a cup too, she could use a strong cup of coffee right now, but she knew that she wouldn’t be getting one if she asked. Sick people do not drink coffee. She knew that because of her mother. Ariella could not understand why he was here and even working from here. What was their relationship with each other? He wasn't her boyfriend, was he? It was not a bad idea, but he has not said anything about his relationship with her. Yesterday, when she first woke up, she thought either him or his mother was driving the car that knocked her down but then when she realized that she must have known but had forgotten about them, she did not know what to think again.
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