ONIKA'S POVMy heart was pounding as I still gripped Mr Sam Damon's hand tightly in mine.After a short while, he retracted his hand, a soft look still on his face. âMy son is a huge fan of your work. Perhaps he could drop by sometime?â He asked uncertainly. âIt's fine if you don't want to, I told him I'd ask because he's been bothering me for what feels to be eternityâ he quickly said, ending it with a light chuckle.Would I be willing to see his son and show him around my works personally? Hell yeah.âOf course, let my secretary know when he'll want to drop by and I'll make time for him. Thank you for this opportunity to work with you, Mr Sam DamonâHe chuckled and nodded. âThe pleasure is all mine, miss Orionâ he said.I nodded to Amara who understood what I meant I was trying to say to her by that gesture. âThe documents will be sent to you in an hourâ she quickly said, coming to stand beside me.âOh, of course, I'll go over everything as soon as it's sent. Now..â he clapped and l
ONIKA'S POVâSeriously?â I called out as soon as I entered the house that night, my eyes wide as it landed on Nathan who was sitting on the couch, a cup on a saucer in his hand as he looked up at me.âYou're quite lateâ he muttered, looking at me silently.I scoffed at his words and went to sit, kicking my shoes off. âLet's not get ahead of ourselves, Mr McAlison. Since when did you start to control when I came home?â U spat out.He raised a brow and looked down at his cup. âMr McAlison?â He asked, his tone low.âYes! That's not even the point!â I glared at him. âThat's not what I meant and you know it. Let's just get this straight, you don't get to tell me when to come homeâHe seemed to be brooding over something, his finger lightly tapping the rim of the cup, his gaze fixed on it before he finally spoke. âIf you didn't want to come home. You could have just let Damien knowâThat elicited a laugh from me and I ran a hand through my hair. âSeriously? Have you seen that man?! I'm not
NATHAN'S POVOne moment, I had been so sure that she would say yes, that was what we had agreed on. I had firstly thought that we would just go for the court wedding to sign the papers to make it official but being the fool that I was, I had decided to up things a notch so I had spent quite a lot on this ring just to impress her but clearly she had other plans as the next moment, she had said no like there was no need to even think about it was I was truly baffled by her words.âWhat?â The question spilled from my lips before I could even fathom what was even happening.She shrugged and cast me a second glance before she looked back down at the empty album. âYou heard me, Mr McAlison. I said noâThere it was again. That âMr McAlisonâ that seemed to always get on my nerves anytime she happened to say it which happened to be a lot tonight.My left eye twitched and I gripped the box tighter in my hands, trying to ignore the ache in my chest. âI don't get itâ I croaked, looking back at he
ONIKA'S POVThe look on his face was priceless and I secretly marveled at how easily I had changed his mood severally in an hour.Starting from the defeat on his face downstairs to the smile on his face when he came upstairs then cocky look on his face as he proposed to the confusion when I said no and now the shock and anger warring in his face.âDeal?â I asked to be sure, wondering how he expected to do it.He shut his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line. âYesâ he gritted out.I smiled at him, folding my hands. âYou can now leave the room. Two daysâ I reminded but this time he didn't bother to answer me about that, he simply muttered a good night and stalked out of the room, his steps filled with determination.As soon as he left the room, I let out a deep breath that I didn't know I was holding before. That was one thing out of the way now. The question was that âwould he do it?â His mum would rather die than do that but either way, I wouldn't care what she said. If she wanted
NATHAN'S POVâDrive fast. I need to be at the office in an hourâ I grumbled to my driver, not really feeling in the mood to drive myself today.Everything has been going shitty but the worst of all was my mum's reaction when I had told her that she had to apologize to Onika. I hadn't even gotten to explain to her before she went ballistic and said she would never apologize to Onika and then she called her names that were far from appropriate.She had not let me say another word before she cut the call so I had to call her back again. She had accepted at last and I promised to see her after work. She would have to do it, I couldn't afford to risk Onika getting angry over this and I could understand Onika's anger, she has always endured my mum's words in the past since she didn't want to anger me but now, there was nothing left to lose so she refused to be insulted by my mum again and now, I was caught in the crossfire because I couldn't put a leash on my mum around her.Fuck, I was rea
ONIKA'S POVâUp or downâŠ?â I muttered, looking in the mirror that evening, my hand in my hair as I mulled over how to wear my hair for the evening.Nathan wasn't still back so I guessed that he had gone for the business trip already meaning there was no one to bug me.Kent had sent the details for the dinner and it was at this really fancy restaurant. This wasn't a date, it was a celebratory dinner and I just wanted to forget everything and have fun this night.The paparazzi was already aware of Kent's and I relationship before the announcement of my engagement to Nathan so it wouldn't be too surprising if people saw Kent and I in public, we were friends before and we went out for stuff like this so I knew that this couldn't implicate me.As I finally decided to leave my hair down, I quickly put on my gown, a fairly long dress that was loose and pretty comfortable. I had paired it with black boots and my small silver bag then I was ready to go.As I got downstairs, I looked around the
ONIKA'S POVBy the time dinner was over, I was still staring at Damien, a frown on my face. He hadn't still explained what he was doing here.I had thought he would stay behind. Did Nathan ask him to come with me even though I had told him not to?The thought made me mad instantly and I felt like calling Nathan, not caring if he was busy or not.Laura who was still sitting beside me, kept staring at Damien, a dreamy look on her face. âYou look really hot right nowâŠâ she whispered, a smile on her face.That was the fifth compliment that she had thrown at him in the last two minutes but he hadn't replied to any one of them.I was more focused on my food and just enjoying this night but I knew that Kent wanted to say something.He was staring at me pointedly and when I couldn't put up with it anymore, I sighed and spoke up. âKent, can I see you outside?â I asked.He looked taken aback by my request, his eyes widening slightly. âWhat? Oh yeah sureâ he quickly said.I nodded and stood up,
NATHAN'S POVThe meeting was stressful as hell and by the time I had come back to the hotel that night, I was exhausted and ready to just have a good night's rest yet several thoughts plagued my mind, making sleep flee from me.Gina had been in my office as she had said yesterday and for once I thought the woman would have something to say but just as guessed, it was just to throw shade on Onika and say that I was making a big mistake by choosing Onika over her but it wasn't too late to change that.Luckily, I got her led out of the company before I could hear any more of that bullshit.Going to see my mum was another hill on its own and the conversation was seared into my brain.When I had gone there, she looked mad at me but she offered me food and made me sit down before she started telling me all the reasons why Onika wanted to ruin our lives but I had just cut her short, wanting to explain to her what I had said over the phone.âMum, that's not importantâ I had cut her off impati
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
NATHANâS POVI gripped my phone so tightly it nearly cracked. My knuckles were white, my patience nonexistent as I walked back into my office."Barcelona," I muttered, rubbing my temples. Onika was in fucking Barcelona.Seriously? Once more, I found myself complimenting her despite my shitty situation because damn, she was smart.Who would ever think to go look in Barcelona? It was such an unlikely choice for her so I could understand why she chose it but the problem was I didn't know where in Barcelona and I had been sitting here for a few minutes, contemplating if I should go straight into action or just make sure I was right first of all. Make sure she was actually in Barcelona.I thought about the flight line that Mr Sam Damon had supplied to me when I had asked what flight she had flown so that I could keep a track on her so I'd know what time the plane took off to time when she would be back. Big fat lie.I forced myself to take a deep breath before dialing the airport. It rang
AUTHOR'S POV Regina leaned back against the chair, her eyes shut close as she hummed to herself.She immediately sat up as Willow came into the room.âAre you okay? You look tenseâ Gina pointed out, her face contorted into one of mock concern.Willow collapsed on a nearby chair, burying her face in her hands. âI'm not fine, Gina. That bitch has ruined everything for my sonâ She lamented.Gina smiled to herself, this was going exactly as she wanted it to but she couldn't let Willow know that right now, even though they were practically partners in crime at this point, Gina knew that telling Willow about her plans would only lead to more questions which she couldn't answer right now because as usual, it would mean exposing herself.Who would have thought that it'd be this easy to trick everyone in the city by spreading a bit of fake but not so fake news. She wasn't wrong about one thing in that article but she would rather die than tell that to anyone.âOh, Nathan can at least see her
NATHAN'S POVâWhat do you mean she's not home?!â I yelled into the phone, my other hand running through my hair.Damien who was beside me looked just as panic stricken but he didn't show it, he was still as cool as ever but how I could be calm when Onika had suddenly disappeared. I didn't even know if she was safe and that was what truly bothered me.Was this what she was planning? That nightâŠ. Is this what she was thinking about? She was fucking smart and I would give her that. She had all of us fooled but I knew I couldn't blame her if she had actually chosen to run away. The pressure right now was too much on her but for her to not tell Laura? Damn, she was serious about this one.Laura could be in on it but as I saw her back into the store, tears pricking at her eyes as she looked at me with hope which quickly deflated when I shook my head, I knew she wasn't in on it. She looked just as struck on me.With a strangled sob, she leaned back against the wall, sliding down to the floor
ONIKAâS POV"This is insane." I muttered to myself, pulling my hoodie lower over my head as I walked through the busy airport terminal. If Paranoia was a person, it would be me right now. My heart was hammering in my chest and beads of perspiration rolled down my forehead as I pulled my hoodie lower to obscure my face more.I had done it. I had actually done it.No goodbye. No explanations. Not even to Laura. That was one thing I was yet to come to terms with yet because that was so wrong but I knew what would happen if I had told her that. She would be the logical one and tell me not to leave, she would be the one that tells me to stay and something in me told me that if she urged me to stay, I would so that's what I didn't tell her. She would be worried sick. And NathanâŠI swallowed, shaking my head as I moved toward the departure gates. Nathan would be livid. But I couldnât let that stop me. Not when I was one step away from doing what I wanted right now.I had to disappear.For go
NATHANâS POV"Mr Nathan, this is madness."I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Across the desk, Richard Foster, one of the event planners I had hired, was staring at me like I had just suggested we hold the wedding in a burning building. Why was everyone so worked up about my wedding?"Itâs a wedding, not a business merger," he continued, tapping a pen against his notepad that was resting on the table. "Youâre giving me less than two days to finalize everything. The media frenzy alone is making it impossible to secure vendors without doubling the cost, and half of them are hesitant because of the recent scandal and the fact that they won't want to be caught upâ""Then offer them triple," I cut in flatly, arching a brow so I could look at him.Richardâs eyes widened. "Triple? Nathan, thatâs not how negotiations workâ""Thatâs exactly how negotiations work," I shot back. "You find their price, then you make it impossible for them to say no. Thatâs Business logics, Richard. I sugge