Ryan's POV While I stood in the elevator, I tried to fathom how long it has been since I last stepped my foot into it, has it been two? Three? Or four? That was how long Richard had taken what I had done to Nina to heart, he had changed drastically, and I didn't know if I was supposed to be glad or feel so awkward. “ You are here” his face came into view and I could tell how relaxed he was. I could even swear that he had aged a few years back, and I didn't need a soothsayer to tell me who it was. Reina's magic was the cause of it. His face radiated love, peace, and he looked happy, far more than I was ever or could ever be. “ Your time counts now” he said immediately as I placed a foot in, not lifting his head to even take a glance at me. “ Is it that bad?” I threw my hands apart. “That you refuse to take a look at me now?”He continued scribbling on the paper before him. “ You lost that right when you treated Nina like trash.”I nodded. “ I deserve it anyway” I wasn't going
Nina’s POVMy hands fastened while I watched the doctor as he tended to her. His brows crested, but I knew that it was going to be fine.Julia had woken up, my hands clasped around hers while she stared at me. “Mother…”“ Yes, princess” my hands stroked the side of her face gently while I waited for her to say what it was that she intended to say. She threw a glance beyond my shoulders as though she were searching for someone that she couldn't see. “ Is something wrong, princess?” “ I can't find him” my heart hitched at what she meant when the doctor stood. “ She is fine, you can take her home” I held her hands, taking him as he walked away. “What are you talking about? By him, do you mean Brian?” She grunted, trying with so much effort to sit up properly and when it was beginning to look difficult, I held her shoulders. Julian was chattering endlessly by her side, happy at the fact that she was fine. “ He sang me lullabies last night, and he said he was my father, his voice wa
Ryan's POV Walking out of Richard's office was relaxing in a way, it felt a bit like old times but without the usual dragging and sort. I filed out walking close to my car when I saw a figure standing close to it. Dezreel in all of her glory had a green gown on, short red heels and a clutch to match. Her face beaming even more excitedly when she saw me approach. “ You know… I didn't believe you were the one, I mean, your car pretty much gave it away, but I didn't want to believe it because you had a falling out with the CEO of Gray, Richard, was that his name?” I took a quick glance around and only after making sure that there wasn't any other person around, or a press around did I ask. “ What do you want?”She snorted, rolled her eyes, trying to touch me when I dragged my feet to the side, evading her touch.“ You can tell me what it is without touching me” “ Come on” she waved me off. “ Why are you acting so uptight? I mean, come off it, you should know that I would do anythin
Nina’s POV He left, and when he did, the hollow in my stomach deepened. He hadn't even fought for us, fought for our love. Whatever it was that we had. He hadn't even shown any sign that he appreciated it, and now I was left all alone to my mother. I couldn't find the right words to say, just couldn't conjure them. She looked wretched, like the whole world was crashing in on her, and she was letting it close up on her. She stumbled forward, counting her steps as she held my hands. “ Nina, please…” she shook her head. Her tears ran out. “Tell me it is a lie. Tell me what I heard isn't true, tell me Ryan was lying and that you aren't dying”. I chewed my lips, pain digging into my very bones that, I hoped, would change the fact that any of this happened, but when I pulled closer into her arms. Her pained expression tore through me while I wept on her shoulders and she held me like her very life depended on it. “I am sorry, mother” I apologized countless times until I couldn't fee
Ryan's POV My hands circled the decanter as I poured a decent amount into the crystal glass, my eyes burnt with rage while I did so. I didn't know how exactly she would do that, tell me that if I wanted her to settle I had to tender the papers. My head plopped downwards before I threw a gaze around, my heart soared as I nodded along to the beat of the song. My hands slammed the table in front of me, the glass swirling for a bit before I wrapped a hand around it. I wouldn't have let her go if she hadn't made it look like I was holding her hostage. I would have been adamant about every single thing, still hesitant until it hit me that I had to do it, that in order for her to know how serious I was, I had to do it. “Get your hands off me” I pushed off the hands that circled itself around my shoulders before flicking my head to take a look at who it was when I saw it was Richard. Disappointment shrouded his face, before he let out a sigh. “Darren said you would be here, but I never
Ryan's POV “ You can't be serious,” Reina uttered, stunning me. What exactly did she mean by that? I was and I am always serious. “ I am” I shrugged at her. She looked dumbfounded, like she wasn't expecting that. “ I will be sincere. Hell no, I don't like you one bit, but at this rate, you are even better than Brian would ever be. Now that she is single and divorced, he will keep pushing for them to get married again” “ That isn't the issue here. Reina, Nina would believe whatever you tell her. You both can talk to her mother about your suspicion, but I guess she wouldn't believe. She loves Brian”“ Yes, that is expected. She chose him for her, so she would certainly love the idea of him being her daughter's husband” That was it. Her mother hated me and it wasn't clear to me why, but I just couldn't think about what exactly I might have done wrong for that to happen. “ Her mother knows, I guess it is only a matter of times before she would have told Reina also, she wouldn't have
Nina’s POV A gentle tap at the door jerked my attention back to it, I watched as my secretary stuttered in, her eyes dimming in on me. “ Yes?” I asked when she was a step away from me. She gave me a smile, one that tugged at her lips for a while. “ You have someone at the door. He is requesting to see you”“ Tell whoever it is that I don't want to meet him or her”“ He is from Ryan's law firm, he said I should inform you that he is going to wait out there now matter how long it is going to take” My nails clawed my palm. It was Ryan all right, he was here for what I had promised him, in exchange for the divorce papers. With a grunt, I nodded at her, dismissing her. I waited for his scent to drift into my nostrils. That woodsy scent that I was used to. When the door pulled open, my eyes met with his dark orbs, not flinching. He held a bulk of papers which he dropped on the papers, sliding one to me. “ I am here to finalize the contract. Here, that is where you are supposed to sig
Ryan's POV I was done with it, but I knew that it wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want it to be over. I have never wanted it to. Standing there, trying so hard not to say a thing wasn't easy, I had to try so hard. So fucking difficult to make sure that she didn't notice anything. I had done it, tendered the papers, and I was hoping that it was going to make her happy, but why did she look so sad? Like she didn't want it to happen? Like I was breaking her whole world down?“ Sir…” my secretary tried to get my attention several times until I threw my head at him. “ Speak” “ They are here. In the meeting room, they are waiting for you” I waved him off with a flick of my wrist, watching as he stormed off. Inhaling deeply, I stood up, pushing the chair to the side while I walked toward the meeting room where they both stood, waiting for me. “ Here” I extended the contract to them, watching their faces as they stared at it for a while before letting out a grunt. “ Is something wrong
Nina's POV My hands squeezed around Reina as as we waited for the judge's verdict, my heart slammed so hard as she made a point on how he had committed murder, and had burnt an orphanage killing kids as well. Everyone had watched the video and it had been brutal. So brutal that I had shut my eyes through it all. “ Brian is sentenced to death by shooting for mass murder, and it should be carried out immediately” she snapped the pen she held into two. He stood up, eyes bloodshot as he glared at the judge. My heart spiked as I recalled what he had done the last time, thinking of how he might make a repeat of the same thing, it was going to be heart-wrenching. “ You won't be able to kill me. You won't be able to, what makes you any different from me? You do the same thing as I do, and you are still alive, you can't!” My eyes brimmed with tears in them, as Ryan punched a hand up in the air, his eyes were on me as he mouthed out. “ We did it” I knew he was also trying to tell me abou
Ryan's POV My eyes slithered into red when I saw him pinning her against the wall. “ Fuck” I cursed, pushing against the chair in my way before shoving the door open. It came open in a crank and shoving him away from her, I threw a punch into his face. He collided against the wall, before aiming one at me. He threw one on my face, which I returned before we were pulled away. “ I will make sure you live the rest of your life behind bars” I yelled at him, venomously. Even if it was going to take my last breath, I was going to make that happen. Nina stood at the far edge, a hand around her neck as she took in gasps of air, pulling off the jacket I had on, I threw it over her before guiding her out. I made sure we were safe in the car before zooming off. I didn't know what I was going to know if he had hurt her more than this, maybe send his body rolling, I would have made him regret every single thing about his life. I might have ended up punching him to death, the rage in me st
Nina's POVMy heart sledged against my rib cage while I watched Ryan navigate his way as he drove down. I thought of how Brian was in cuffs, how all of those girls were going to be served justice soon, even my secretary and I couldn't have been happier. The thought of her stabbing him even when he had shot her still sent shivers down my spine. I didn't understand why she had done that, I wouldn't have known until she had told me that I was the first person who had treated her in such a way. My hands moved on my gown, tapping on it repeatedly when a hand clasped around it, trying to get me to stare at him. “ I am fine, just focus and drive” “ You are agitated, are you fine?” “ I am” I answered, my voice betraying my words. He swerved off course, slamming the brakes before peering at me. “ I am not a fool, fluffy bear, what is in your mind?” He questioned again. I chewed on my lips, gazing at him before the words came out. “ I just think he should have been found earlier, I m
Nina's POV “I am fine” I tried to shrug his hands off. He was being a worrywart. “You don't have to come with me’’ I tried to get him off my back. I mean we were in the penthouse together, and although the kids weren't here, I knew they were okay. I was fine as well, but Ryan wasn't so sure of that, seeing how he was constantly on my heels. “Really? It is the same spot, it isn't that far from the stairs” I glanced up, directing his gaze to the spiral step. He shook his head, nor listening to me. “You can't understand how I felt when I saw you being bonded into the car, I had never felt so helpless, I mean, in the courtroom everyone knew me as the best, but there, I couldn't do anything” he confessed. My heart stilled while I watched him. “I know that I shouldn't think about that, but I was already doing so. I thought about what would happen if he used you as one of his trophies. I was already thinking of how to make him pay, but inwardly, I hope that you would be fine, for me,
Nina's POV When I had felt the needle prick my skin, I couldn't move an inch, no matter how hard I tried to, it was impossible for me to. I had pleaded, bawled my eyes even before I lost consciousness. When I was awake, I found out I was lying on the ground, not tied up, but I was lying down on skulls, and sharp bones which jabbed into me. I had tried to stand up, but a closer gaze at where I was had me wobbling, a scream had left my throat at what I was seeing while I had stumbled backwards. I hadn't known this, knew that he had this. He had always lived a spotless life, at least that's what my mother and I had known, we hadn't known about this, hadn't thought that he was capable of decapitating humans, of storing humans, of killing them, making trophies out of them. We hadn't known how much of a psychopath he was, that he had a habit of collecting trophies, human ones. Chills had run down my spine, countless times that I had forgotten to breathe. When I had finally pushed o
Ryan's POVI kept muttering out words which were incoherent even to myself while Nina was in my arms. I tried to get up, tried to think, I knew that she needed to be out of here, that we both had to be out of here, but my knees were stamped to the ground. A hand grasped my shoulders, jolting me up. “You have to leave, get her to the hospital” I flickered my gaze around, a string of curses leaving my lips as I did so. I searched around, for his gait, to see him with cuffs clicked on his wrist, but he was nowhere to be found, I threw the thought that told me he had fled away, that couldn't have happened. “Brian, where is he?” I questioned Richard, whose face gave an answer I didn't want to believe. A cackle left my lips, reverberating across the room. “You can't let him go, the kids, our kids, Reina, they are there, he might hurt them” He shook his head at me, peering once more in my arms. “Get out of here, let me handle the rest”I forced myself up, nodding at him before I tra
Ryan's POV A dip, that was what I had felt when I had pushed the door open, and she wasn't in there. I had tried to convince myself that she would be in the room, she would be in the bathroom, she might have taken a walk, but I knew that wasn't it. My third senses didn't just agree with what I thought it was, so I had pleaded with Richard to get access to the CCTV, and he had. “ She is heading towards the back door, I am going to give an order for all doors to be locked right away, get her back man”His words would have sounded right if I hadn't chased down like a mad man, and watched as she was yanked into a car, a midnight black sports car. I had raced down, sprinted down the stairs with both hands on my hips as I took in gaps of air. I chewed on my lips, until I could feel the crimson taste, the coppery taste sluicing through my senses. I heaved, before punching into the wall as I slipped into my car, chasing after them. I was going to be a fool to let him take her away from
Nina's POVI felt like a mess, the only thing that no one else wanted to associate with, I didn't want to think about what exactly Brian would be thinking, I didn't want to know why I hadn't even thought about the fact that he had such tendencies, was I ever in love with him? No, so why was I unable to see it? I hated it, with each fiber in me when people were in such an uncomfortable place because of me. I could sense it, the hesitation, the hurt that filled Reina's eyes. I was the cause of all that. I always made things happen, and when they did, they always hurt everyone around me. I chewed on my lips before breaking off my thoughts. “ You aren't the cause of anything” Ryan cupped my face as he whispered at me. I tried to believe that I wasn't, it was going to mean a lot, but I couldn't do so. I always did this, I had done this to mum, and it hadn't been funny. “It is fine, I want to go home” she insisted. Home wasn't going to be the little white bungalow that Ryan had built
Ryan's POVThere was no way I would have known what exactly she was thinking, now that I was thinking about it, she had always kept her emotions cladded. So tight that I couldn't see through. Why would she ever think that? Why was she going to think that she would ever wreck my life? Even if she did, she would do so in a good way. She was the only thing that sparkled in my life, so what exactly had she been thinking? Was she really going to act as if she didn't know? That she didn't have a clue of how much she meant to me? What she actually meant to me? How I will raze everywhere down if it meant me being with her again? “ My fluffy bear” I flicked the tears off her cheek. “ Why would you ever think that? Why would you ever think that you wreck anything?”The tears ran down her cheek, while I patted her back, letting her lean on my shoulders. “ You will never be a wreck to me, you mean the whole world to me, don't you know how whole you make me feel? You made me love, you made m