Sebastian has been distracted the whole day. After he snooped on Clara, he couldn't think about anything else. He had gone back to the office to wait for her when she said goodbye to her father. Anticipating her to come to his office the last few hours, but she didn't.
Where was she? Did she just go back to her hotel? To occupy his time, he tried to find out her room number at the "V" but they wouldn't give it to him.
Waiting was driving him nuts. He couldn’t go out looking for her because he was not supposed to know she was there. So he started pacing in his office.
Earlier, he texted Max and Jeremy, telling them what he witnessed. They were tight-lipped about it for a while, but when he said he wanted to help, they told him where she was staying and when she was coming back. He didn't know why they truste
Sebastian needed to sober up a little after the amount of food and beer they’d consumed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to drive them both home. She drank a little too much because she was too nervous and needed to do something with her hands. So she kept on drinking whatever she had, which seemed to be unlimited amounts of beer. He invited her to take a seat on one of the park benches, so he could clear his head and spend more time getting to know her. They bantered about her eating habits and food choices for a while before she invited him to walk around the park instead. He was surprised, for sure, he thought he was going to get the boot for keeping her too long. That she was going to tell him this date had run its course and instruct him to take her back to her hotel. But he was glad she didn’t because they got to spend more time together.
Clara was tinier than he thought and lighter. Not that he thought she’d be heavy to carry, but having her in his arms made her seem very frail and small. Sebastian was able to get her into the front seat without her waking. She had a rough day, and he pondered whether they should go back to his house or her hotel. He picked her up at the “V” earlier and successfully got her room number, which was convenient because he knew that bringing her to his house would freak her out. It was already 10 pm, and he did not want to drive to his house, only for her to freak out and have him take her back to her hotel. Not that he wouldn’t do anything for her, but he didn’t want the day spoiled by misunderstanding. Sebastian laid Clara in the middle of the bed. Kissing her for
Sebastian He told himself he would stay for an hour or two at the latest, just to make sure she won’t wake up from any nightmares, but he slept more than that. It was already morning, and he could feel her stirring. Sometime during the night, while they were fast asleep, Clara wrapped her arms and legs around him, but now they were spooning, and he was the big spoon. ‘Dammit, I overslept. I should have left when she started taking off her clothes. How am I going to explain this to her? This will set us back to where we started. We were making progress and having fun last night.’ Then he remembered the letdown. ‘It wasn’t the response I wanted, but at least she opened up to me,’
Clara could not remember enjoying herself this much before. Sure, she went on dates before, during her college days, but she always thought it was her duty to make sure that her dates or boyfriends had more fun, most of the time compromising on what she wanted to do. Maybe that was one reason her relationships didn’t work either, because she did not find pleasure while being in one. Being a nurturer, she always felt like she needed to take care of everybody’s wants above hers. As soon as she was old enough, she started working just so they wouldn’t kick her and her siblings out of the orphanage. She wanted to make sure if none of them ever get adopted, they would always stay together. The orphanage usually made kids leave when they turned 18. At that age, they considered them to be adults, which meant they could get a job and lodging somewhere in the city. It
As soon as Clara got back to work, she got bombarded with emails and a very lengthy complaint from Lana, Max’s secretary. In her email, she sounded very, very frustrated, and that didn’t sound good, but Clara thought she would have to deal with that later. For now, she had Max and Jeremy in her office, and they needed to discuss her plan. Finding out that her dad loved her all those years, and always remembered her on her birthday, gave her the motivation to move forward. To find out if they really were her parents and finally find her kidnappers. She was still apprehensive about telling the Jacobs family her true identity because she needed proof. Springing this kind of information to unsuspecting people would be disastrous if it ended up that their facts were wrong. But if she was right, then she would love to get closer to her family and try to find out wh
Heather first saw Jeremy when he was in high school. He was 15 at that time, and she was 12. She fell in love as soon as she saw him. Clara always brought them with her to volunteer. He didn’t really want to be there. All he wanted to do was play with his video games, but Clara asked him to come. This was their way of helping the community and making sure the kids in the orphanage won’t feel so alone as they did. Heather was a very quiet kid, but when she saw Jeremy, she would open up and would have the confidence to follow him around and talk to him. She wanted to know more about him and hoped they could be friends and maybe later more than that. She would make sure that she was there every time he volunteered, but he was oblivious that she was trying to do all the chores with him all the time. Everybody b
It was Heather’s first-day training with Lana today, and she was nervous and excited at the same time. Finally, she will get to spend the whole day with Jeremy once she graduates, but she has to pass the dragon’s test first. Some people call him the dragon. And just like a dragon, you can see him only when he passes through or when he breathes fire on you. He was as moody as a dragon, and he hid in his lair all the time. The only time people have seen him laugh was when he was with Clara and Max, but these days, Heather hasn’t even seen him hanging out with his siblings. Lana was there to train her, so she would know what to do. And be able to anticipate what he needs when he needs it. ‘It’s really simple to be his personal assistant. He mostly keeps to himself, stays in his office and the lab,’ Lana starts.
It had been a few weeks since Sebastian sent Clara home, and it’s been bugging him. First, because she was not texting him back. He thought they had established some form of connection the last time they spent the night together. Even though she warned him to back off. ‘Why am I wasting my time with this woman when she won’t even give me the time of day?’ he had a murderous glare in his eyes while he was mulling over his drink. Second, he can’t even close his eyes without seeing her half-naked in bed with her arms and limbs wrapped around him. She invaded his thoughts when he was most relaxed. ‘I’m such a pervert, ugh!’ he thinks as he rubs his forehead, ‘I just have to see her again to get her out of my head, then maybe if she rejects me again, then I’ll be okay.’
-=- Downstairs, the hotel staff had cleared the entire outdoor area to accommodate the most important event happening today. They place an arch covered in vines and calla lilies on the outer edge, overlooking the beach and the sea. Sebastian tried to do everything not to let the cat out of the bag. This event was going to be a surprise. And even though deep in his heart he knew her answer, that she wanted to marry him, he still couldn’t help but feel apprehensive about her reaction. Clara was not a simple person. She was very complex in her reactions and outbursts. He prayed to all the gods in heaven to help them today. There was no denying that as soon as Clara steps in front of the doors that led to the patio, she would know what he had planned for her because waiting at the door was her father, Nathan Jacobs.
Max, Jeremy, and apparently her sister, Celine, were inside waiting for them, waving their hands and screaming simultaneously. Sebastian walked them back into the hallway to keep her state of undress from prying eyes. The couple laughed at their predicament as she unwrapped her legs around him. Clara gave him one last lingering kiss, and when they were ready, headed back into the room. ‘Why are you guys inside our suite? Who let you in?’ ‘We got in last night, and you said you wanted to rehearse and set up the equipment before the presentation, so here we are,’ Max said with jazz hands waving in the air. She just rolled her eyes. ‘You guys are too early. I still need a nap. Can you leave?’ she plopped down on the sofa and snuggled with a pillow. The
I was sitting in my living room writing up Max’s story when this alternate ending came to me and got me excited. The following chapters were going to be part of his book, but I decided you need to be rewarded for reading all the way to the end of Clara’s story. I hope you enjoy this alternate ending. -=- ‘Clara! The plane is leaving in two hours, and there is a major accident in the 405. If we do not make it in time, you will not make your appointment.’ Sebastian yells as he walks to their bedroom. Their meeting at 2 pm is irrevocable, and nothing should impede them from keeping it. This will be the most important appointment of their lives. Clara rolls her eyes. ‘We have two hours, relax. Even in this traffic, we have enough time to make it. Your driver knows all the shortcuts. Plus, Jeremy and
Ariana was found tied up and gagged in one of the hotel’s janitor closets, one that was not normally checked until the morning. Because she was resilient and determined to alert anybody to Clara’s disappearance, she made enough ruckus for one of the hotel guests to notice and call for help. Clara felt relieved to have found her the next day. Thankfully, she had been released from the hospital with a few scratches and bandages on her head and arm. The bad guys banged her head enough to give her a concussion, so she had to be kept overnight for observation. She twisted her arm from trying to get out of the restraints, and when she continued to throw her body against the door to attract someone’s attention. Ariana was very resilient, and Clara liked that she fought until the end. Now that the threat to Celine and Clara’s life had been eliminated, with the bad gu
-=- This chapter is R18. If you are not over 18, please skip this chapter and proceed to Chapter 124. -=- Clara laughs. Sebastian knew this was a serious situation, but after being rejected earlier, he trod lightly and opted for the easygoing route. ‘I love you, Baz. Thank you for being patient with me.’ Clara looked at him lovingly and caressed his face, kissing his lips lightly as she closed her eyes. The fire was back in her eyes. He hated being the one that took it away from her by making her worry and question everything they were to each other. But now, he would make sure that he would do everything in his power, never to extinguish that again. He would do everything to make her happy.
Boss runs away as Nathan and Clara bend down to tend to Nicholas. But the cops had already surrounded the house by then, and they apprehended him as he tried to run away, just like the other goon that tried to escape earlier. Sebastian, on the other hand, fought off Spike, disarming the gun from him when Boss fired the shot. Spike had no fighting chance, and he knew as soon as Sebastian got his weapon, he was going to jail. With the criminals arrested and Clara’s uncle carted away to the hospital, they were all finally able to settle down and take a seat. Everybody was pretty shaken up, and the women sniffled from time to time as they recounted what happened. They huddled with each other, Emilia Jacobs holding onto her daughters to seek comfort and assurance that the nightmare was over. Sebastian took
The house was eerily quiet when they got home. ‘Mom! Dad! I’m home!’ Clara called out as she came in through the door. That should have been an indication that something was wrong because they had left the front door unlocked. When none of the regular security was present around the property, she just assumed they blended in with the background. But her excitement at getting away from her abductors got the better of her. She did not apply the regular protocols for security. Her mom, dad, and sister sat on the sofa in a neat line, with their hands behind her back, their mouths covered with tape. The gun she felt pointed at the side of her head made everything click into place. The kidnappers had a backup plan, and they were waiting at her parent’s home. They took the whole family hostage as a las
Spike proceeded to tape Clara’s mouth but didn’t expect her to be awake. She bit down hard on his hand, inflicting so much pain that he slapped her across the face, dislodging her blindfold enough so she could see through the bottom. Clara kicks Spike between his thighs, rendering him immobile for a few minutes. Enough time for Clara to bring the hands tied behind her back under her knees. She had to bring them in front of her, making it easier to get out of the zip ties that bound them together. Clara falls flat on her face even before she can get anywhere. Spike had come out of the sensation of having his balls kicked enough to slide his feet and trip her. He holds a knife to her neck, pinning her to the floor. She had no choice but to surrender. She fights him again when he pulls Clara up to tie her agai
Nicholas Jacobs had been watching Clara and Celine as closely as everyone else ever since the kidnappers came back and threatened to take them again. When he saw Clara sneak out into the restroom with nobody following her, he decided to take it upon himself to do it. Clara did not trust him after what he did, but he did not care. It was better to be safe than sorry. Clara could yell at him if that's what she wanted. He deserves it, after all. He pretended to make a phone call, hiding near the men’s restroom doors. When he saw two uniformed hotel staff come out of the women’s restroom with a hotel trolley, the kind used to carry all the sheets and linens from rooms that have been emptied and he grew suspicious. These men didn’t look like the regular hotel staff. They looked more buff and were suspiciously gruff-looking, covered with all those tattoos. So when they left, he checked inside the restroom, and