ONIKA'S POVThe alarm was ringing but I didn't want to get up.âShut upâŠâ I groaned as I rolled unto my side while blindly reaching for my alarm on the beside table before hitting the snooze button repeatedly.Finally.With a slight groan, I rolled unto my back again and tried to open my eyes. When I finally opened my eyes, I had to use my hand to block the sunlight from the open windows from filtering into my eyes.Why couldn't morning take a little longer to show it's freaking self? I was definitely not a morning person today, I felt tired and my body ached like I had run a marathon yesterday.As I struggled to sit up with a grumble, I looked around my surroundings trying to understand what I was even supposed to do. I was as clueless as ever this morning and I scratched the back of my neck when suddenly there was a knock on the door.âOnika?â A voice from the door sounded.âCome inâ I said without thinking, a loud yawn escaping my lips as the door opened. As soon as the door opene
ONIKA'S POV Nathan and I didn't say anything for a split second, I wasn't even breathing because, technically, the contract would allow him to kiss me because it was mandatory.The photographer seemed to notice our hesitation, and he looked at us in confusion l. âWhat's wrong? Do you need a rest?â He asked, his tone worried. âThis is the last picture, I promise,â he quickly added.That's when I felt Nathan's hand around my waist, gently pulling me to face him, and in my head, the only thing I could think was that he would kiss me without a second thought.I was tempted to knee him in the groin and claim it was a mistake just so that I could disrupt the shoot but I reined in the anger just as Nathan leaned in closer, his mouth by my ear, his hand tightening around my waist.âI want to know, are you comfortable with it?â He asked, his voice soft.Was I comfortable with it? Was that even a question? Of course, I wasn't comfortable with it.âNo, I am notâ I whispered, my voice an indigna
ONIKA'S POVI quickly switched off the lights of my phone when I heard Nathan's voice.âWhat's that? You look pale and worriedâ He pointed out, his tone also worried.âI'm fineâ I said through gritted teeth, my hand gripping my phone tightly.He looked ready to press further as he adjusted his body to look at me. âBabe, what happened?âI scowled at him, not liking the endearment. âWatch it, Nathan, you're this close to pissing me offâ I hissed at him, my voice cold.I had been overlooking everything that he had been saying and doing but now I was already at my limits and I just wanted to remind him of his place.His face fell slightly and he looked frozen like I had said something that hurt him. Good.âDid I hurt your feelings?â I said in a mocking tone, my face scrunched up in a pout before I scowled at him. âDoesn't feel too good, does it? Stay out of my business, Nathanâ I warned.He leaned back in his seat, his expression now void of emotions. âSure as you pleaseâ He said, his ton
ONIKA'S POV Kent excused himself a while later and said he would check up on me again in the night so I concentrated on my work. Just when it was getting to 8pm, my secretary came in, her auburn hair pulled into a tight bun. âMiss Orionâ She said, smiling brightly as was her usual work ethic. I was checking through the financial reports of the company after that last exhibition but I looked up at her, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. âYes, Amara?â I inquired, wondering what she wanted. She dropped the files she was holding on the table and I eyed it suspiciously before I pulled it closer to myself, opening it up to see a few documents for the ownership of my paintings that were auctioned off. âHave the new owners been given?â I asked, confused as to why I still had the ownership documents of this particular painting. âYes, the other owners have been given theirs and their newly acquired paintings have been sent to them which they have receivedâ She explained professionally. I r
NATHAN'S POV It was already dark out and I realized that I should be getting home already. The office was closed for the day and I was still reviewing the documents that the shareholders had given me to go through. As I leaned back in my chair, my phone beeped and I saw a message from Damien. âOn our way home, sir,â It read. I sighed heavily, putting my phone down before rubbing a hand on my face. At least now I could be sure of her safety when I wasn't with her. I had to do a lot to get the man to work for me. He was a highly sought-after bodyguard anyway after he left the special forces. I knew that I could trust Onika with him; he was also a very loyal person to his clients, according to the background check I did on him. There was a sudden rap on the door and I looked up from my work, wondering who was coming to my office at this time of the night. There were a few workers left in the building by this time so maybe there was a report or something. I stood up and pushed my
ONIKA'S POVThroughout the drive home, I couldn't stop stealing glances at the bike that Damien was riding alongside my car.Apparently he was not to be riding in the car with me but following me about like a stalker.Nice one Nathan.When I took a look at Damien, I knew he was just in his early 30s judging by the still youthful face despite the way he seemed to frown most of the times.When I pulled up in front of the house, he also stopped his bike right beside my car, quickly unmounting his motorcycle before opening my car door for me.âThank youâ I muttered, not sure what else I was supposed to say.He nodded and straightened up. âYou may go back inside for the night. Good nightâ he said not bothering to look at me.Typical.I bade him a small goodbye before walking into the house. If I was gonna be stuck here for a while with him, I had to least get along with him even if he looked like he would rather not be here at all.I was beginning to wonder why he was, there was nothing el
ONIKA'S POVâOnikaâ Dion smiled as soon as he saw me. We were at a games and relaxation center and the place was just with a few people.My eyes strayed to the brunette hanging off his arm and I smiled at her, noticing the way she hung on to his every words too. Typical of every girl I had seen with Dion over the years, he had his way with women.âIt's nice to meet you after so long, Dionâ I smiled at him finally before smiling at the lady. âI'm OnikaââBrittanyâ she stretched a hand out and I stared at her perfectly manicured nails for a second before I took her hand, lightly shaking it.After a while, I pulled back and looked at Dion. âShouldn't you go check out what Nathan is doing? He's taking a whole lot of timeâDion nodded and muttered something to Brittany, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered to her, she nodded and he walked off to where Nathan had gone to get the things for bowling.Which meant I was alone with Brittany, I didn't know shit about her and I wasn't
ONIKA'S POVThe next morning, I was sitting in front of my mirror, staring at myself in it.Fuck. What was I doing?I rubbed at my face and sighed, grabbing my phone off the table to text Laura. âHeyâIt was still really early in the morning so I could guess that she wasn't up yet so I decided to text Kent too. âHey. Good morningâI dropped my phone to the table after that. I had a lot of work to do in the office today so I had to go earlier than intended.Grabbing my scrunchie off the table, I pulled my hair into a messy bun so I could start getting ready for my day.All through when I was getting ready, I couldn't help but picture the look on Nathan's face at the bowling game last night. It still unnerved me, the way he kept his gaze on me and refused to look away all through unless he wanted to do something. What was he looking for? Did he see through me? Did he know why I was here in his house? No, if he did, he would have confronted me and who would have even told him that anyway
NATHAN'S POVShe was cradled in my arm and I put her in the backseat of my car, letting her lie down gently, her body curled up.The sight alone was enough to make rage rush through me as I struggled to keep myself in checkă Ąthis was my fault.When I shut the door, I beckoned to Damien who quickly rushed to me, his face blank. I had told Laura to go home as I would take Onika to the hospital myself and even though it had taken me a while to convince her, she finally agreed and she left the venue also.âGo to the police station and make sure that Regina doesn't get out. Call my lawyer, I want her charged for all damages and she must not get out on bail, is that clear?â I asked him.He nodded, got on his bike and drove off. My mum sauntered out of the venue but before she could make her way to me, I had already gotten into the driver's seat where I switched on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot where I was.I had no intentions to begin a squabble with her right now. Not when
ONIKA'S POV"Stop this madness..." I croaked out, my voice barely audible over the noise in the hall as everyone saw me. My legs trembled beneath me, every step feeling heavier than the last. I took one shaky step forward before my knees gave out finally after buckling.Damn it.Strong hands caught me just in timeâDamien. His grip was firm, pulling me back to my feet effortlessly.âYouâre almost there, Onika. Just a little more,â he whispered, his voice steady, grounding me.I had met him outside the venue and he looked more than relieved to see me, he took one look at me, didn't question me but brought me straight here, telling me on the way that I had a few minutes before the vows would be said and they would officially be married.My eyes locked on Nathan. He was frozen, standing at the altar with Regina, but his gaze wasnât on herâit was on me. His face twisted with disbelief, then something elseâpanic. His eyes widened, and without a second thought, he bolted toward me.âOnika!â
NATHAN'S POVI stood in front of Regina, hands in my pockets, trying to keep my cool. She was seated in front of the mirror, fixing her lipstick like this was the happiest day of her life. Maybe it wasâfor her.âThis wedding doesnât mean anything,â I said, staring at her reflection in the mirror, the sight pissing me off to no ends. âItâs just for the company, the board, the media. Thatâs it. Understood?âRegina smiled, not even bothering to look at me. âSure, Nathan. Whatever helps you sleep at night.ââIâm serious.â I moved closer, standing right behind her. âDonât think this is some kind of fresh start orâwhatever you think it is. This is business. We are not getting togetherâShe turned slightly, her eyes meeting mine in the mirror. âYouâre wearing the suit. Iâm wearing the dress. Thatâs all that matters, right?â She gave me this soft, fake smile. âThe rest will fall into place later on.âI scoffed, stepping back. âHow daft can you get?âA knock interrupted, and Dion walked in wit
NATHANâS POVThe next day was hectic as I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection like it belonged to someone else.The tailored tuxedo fit my frame perfectly, the material something that looked straight out of a movie. I shouldâve felt proudâor at least present and more focusedâbut my mind was far from it because I realized that I had caught myself up in the biggest shit I could ever have done.I adjusted the cufflinks, the small silver pieces glinting in the dim light of my room where I stood. If I thought my wedding day would ever come to shit like this, I would just remain single because I knew for sure that this was not how a wedding was supposed to be. The groom was meant to be happy. No calls unanswered. And definitely no bride missing in action.My phone sat on the dresser, silent, the blank screen seeming to mock me by not even lighting up. Iâd checked it at least a hundred times already, hoping for some miracle, an update from Barcelona, a message from her, an
ONIKA'S POVMy head lolled to the side and I could hear voices.Distant yet so close.I couldn't see anything, just a blend of nothing with the sharp feeling of light trying to get into my eyes. I was blindfolded.The idea didn't register for a few seconds before I heard a voice saying âHow long do we have to keep her?âImmediately, I snapped up and struggled in the chair only to realize that I was bound and something was in my mouth, I couldn't even bring myself to scream, I felt really tired weak and the blindfold that shut my eyes were only serving to further piss me off.There was the sound of scraping chair like someone was trying to get up followed by a whistle and the sound only made fear grip me. It was one thing to know that you were in trouble but it was another thing to not know what kind of trouble you were in. The latter just made you feel hopeless and that was not even enough to talk about how I felt right now.âLook who's awakeâ A low confident voice hummed. That was a
NATHAN'S POVI felt like a shell of myself the next day as I sat in my office.Believe me when I said I had tried to get some sleep but that was a luxury that I apparently couldn't afford because I had spent the night tossing and turning, my mind going haywire with thoughts. How was it possible that she hadn't checked into the hotel? I had gotten them to go to the nearby hotels but there was no trace of her. There was no way that she could have slept on the streets.Dread filled my veins and I felt true fear the previous night. I didn't believe that I could be this worried over someone but this was fucking Onika! Of course I would be worried about her! I fucking cared about her and now it felt like a part of me has been violently ripped out, leaving me without a vital piece of my life.I had spent the entire night waiting for a callâany damn callâfrom the people I had stationed in Barcelona, but my phone had remained frustratingly silent. Not a single update. Not from the men I sent t
NATHAN'S POVI pinched the bridge of my nose, sighing heavily, feeling my head ache as I paced across my study. The room was dim and it was dark outside already. I had a long day tomorrow, I had one more day to my wedding but my wife was still missing. Gods.I hit the dial button again, the phone ringing in my ear."Talk," I ordered the moment the call connected.A gruff voice responded on the other end. "Weâre still looking, sir. One of our men is sweeping the northern districts, while the other is covering the downtown area."I halted mid-step, my brain short circuiting. "What?""He insisted that splitting up would be more efficient. Said there were too many areas to coverâ""Goddammit," I muttered under my breath, gripping the phone tighter. "I gave a direct fucking order, and theyâre already doing whatever they want?"The man hesitated. "I told him itâd be best to stick together, butâ""Then why didnât you stop him?" My voice was dangerously low now, my patience thinning fast."He
ONIKA'S POVI drew my hoodie harder over my head, staring at the phone in my hands.The shop keeper kept telling me the details about the phone but that wasn't what I needed to hear, I just wanted him to tell me the fucking price so I could leave this place and go find a place to stay.Apparently getting houses at such short notice in this place was near impossible and I would have to go to the elite part of town because they would have more reservations. I had the money, I just needed to get this phone so I could head next to the hotel.Maybe I could ask this man for help on which hotel I could pick but the way he kept blabbing, urging me to buy the phone and bringing new suggestion had begun to piss me off not to mention that he was constantly cutting me off before he would pull out a better phone, eager that I buy a more expensive one.I couldn't blame him, I probably gave off the air of someone who could afford all these.With a sigh, I tugged my hoodie lower, gripping the phone i
NATHAN'S POVI nodded at my assistant, giving her a slight wave of the hand before muttering. âLet her inâI had successfully kept my mum out because I knew what she was going to say but I really did hope that Regina wasn't here for something like that or I'd have to kick her out.I barely looked up when Regina walked in, but I caught the way she shot my assistant a sharp glare before plastering on a fake smile as soon as she walked in."Thatâll be all, dear," she said sweetly, but I could tell she was pissed off that she had been kept waiting for about 5 minutes. Patience was just not one of her values. Even seeing her now as she had the guts to waltz in, made me sick to my guts when I remembered what she did.Regina turned to me, her smile widening. "Nathan."I leaned back in my chair. "Regina."She strode forward, sitting in the chair opposite me. She crossed her legs, dropping her small purse on my table, my eyes narrowing at the movement but I shut up about it unwilling to say an