Zoe's POV
"We need to talk," I heard the person say. It was Louis! He had a hand on my mouth and my back to his chest. He pulled me into a classroom. The moment we entered the room, before he even closed the door, I knew where we were. The room had the rather choking smell of expensive cologne, and the words written conspicuously on the whiteboard screamed at me: "NO PEASANTS ALLOWED!!!" The words spoke directly to me. It was the place where my humiliation had taken place, the single most embarrassing day of my life that had shown me where I stood in this school. The thought alone made me cringe and grit my teeth. He let me go as he sat on a seat, facing me. He left me standing, and I stood there rigid and quiet. Our eyes never left each other. His voice finally pierced through the odd silence. "You owe me." "Owe you?" "I rescued you, didn't I?" I blinked back at him. I should have thanked him, even though he was being a jerk about it, but my pride spoke first. "Rescued me? From what exactly. I didn't need your help, and neither did my brother." I was being unreasonable, but something had already taken over. For a split second, shock took over his face, and his expression changed again as he smirked at me. Unexpectedly, he started to chuckle as he clapped. His laughter was starting to get hysterical when he got up, instantly scaring me out of my skin. He walked closer to me, and with each step, my panic rose as I backed away from him. He had a look in his eyes that I had never seen before. I turned to run, but he reached for me and caught me. He turned me back around and slammed me against the whiteboard. I opened my eyes to see him towering over me with his arms on either side of my head, effectively trapping me. The fear I had was now completely overwhelming me. My heartbeat frantically under my chest. Every fiber of my body was telling me to fight or escape, yet my body seemed unwilling to move any other way. He leaned close and whispered menacingly in my ear. "So being forced turns you on." My eyes widened at his remark. Was he implying that I instigated the whole situation? I tried not to let my embarrassment show on my face. He laughed loudly. It wasn't a nice laugh. A laugh full of malice, a chuckle that sounded as if it came from the bottom of his stomach. He looked me in the eye and said, "You are really as dirty as your mother." I kept quiet under an intense stare. "But that's just a theory, I need to experiment on that." I raised a brow. What was he suddenly talking about? I had no time to react as his head dropped to my neck. He sucked gently at a spot below my ear. I froze. My whole body shuddered involuntarily, unable to control it. I wanted to scream out, but I couldn't do anything else. All my senses seemed numbed, and all I could feel was his warm breath on my neck. Then I started to resist, pushing against his unmovable chest. I heard him chuckle against my skin before he buried his face in the nape of my neck. I continued to push and struggle against him, but his body held me in place. I felt him graze the tender flesh of my neck, slowly nibbling on it like he had all the time in the world. I wanted to scream, but as though he heard my thoughts, he said. "If you scream," taking a pause and biting my neck again. "I will shut you up with my mouth." I knew he would carry out the threat. And even if I did scream, he would probably turn the tables. Who would believe that a prostitute's daughter in this situation? He wrapped his arm around my waist, my body molding to his. His mouth traced from my nape and my jaw and nibbled rather gently on my lips. My hands grabbed at his shirt to pull him off me. He ignored my attempts, his lips brushing against mine. A soft moan escaped from my mouth, which startled us both. We separated quickly. His eyes were filled with lust, and a glint of triumph flashed across them. "I guess my hypothesis was correct." I was still dumbstruck by my own reaction, and I couldn't speak. "You didn't need my help after all." With those words, he pulled his arm away. Then he turned around and strutted out the door, leaving me frozen on the floor. It had never happened before. I didn't expect my hormones to react that way, but at that moment, they did. So much so, that I started shaking, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes. Again I had made a fool of myself. Of course, I needed his help, and he had helped not only me but my brother. I was afraid that the only reason I was resisting was because I was in denial of what I felt about my tormentor. Yesterday had only left me more confused. I wiped my tears and made my way to the bathroom to clean myself up. ----------- Louis' POV I fucking hated her! Every fiber in my body wanted to make her suffer, break her down, and destroy her. Her presence drove me crazy, but sometimes not in the way I'd like. But that didn't matter. She had the bitch's blood in her veins. Her bitch of a mother was the reason mine was depressed and hurting. The woman without a status dared to destroy the person that held my family together. That woman bewitched my father to dance to her tunes. Now he barely spoke a word to the woman who had loved him for decades. Now the woman's daughter was in my school? The moment I saw her with her unruly brown hair and determined jade eyes, I knew I had a mission to see her mangled and helpless, totally at my mercy. My sister joined in, and being in the same economic class as the rest of the school helped. From her first day, it was either she submitted or she was punished; either way, she was the loser. She had not one friend after two years. All the other scholarship students had transferred, but she had hung on anyway. I despised the fact that she had earned a bit of my respect by doing that. I had eyes on her at her workplace and home. And other times, I did the monitoring myself. I just needed to catch her lacking, but everything I had seen had proved me wrong about her. It was so fucking annoying. She was resourceful despite the eyesore she called home. She was indifferent towards her elder sister but seemed to adore her nine-year-old brother. The boy looked nothing like her, with his brown eyes and red hair, and knowing what their mother did for a living, it wouldn't be difficult to imagine why. I hardly saw her interact with her mother or the shabby-looking man named Todd. She was a loner. I loathed that I knew so much about her, but she intrigued me. The bitch bruised my ego by daring to tell me she hadn't needed me. I just wanted to tease her, but I got too close. She had an earthy fragrance that intoxicated me into delving further into the mystery of Zoraya Carter. The way she had pushed against me drove me wild. I needed to taste her, even if it had consequences like a forbidden fruit. Her lips were parted ever so slightly, beckoning me to meet them. I thought I was going to drown. I needed to hear her whimper, moan, or something. I grazed her lips with mine, forgetting why I was doing all of that to her in the first place. It was to tease her and not the other way around. But that had changed; it was now about me, her, and my craving. The moment she moaned. It was soft and pleading. It mirrored my own desire. If I had kissed her, I would have reached the point of no return. But I didn't. I remembered who she was and on which side I belonged. I was the victim's son, and she was the tramp's daughter. And she was an enemy. ***** “The party was amazing!" Jennie squealed. "Yeah, it was, but it was probably amazing to you because Louis was there," Franky shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. "No, it was probably for the party," Sandra's unsure voice spoke out. "Girl," Franky snarled. "Who asked you?" Before she turned to Jenny. "I told you not to invite her, but you did anyway, and now she thinks she can speak without permission." Turning her attention back to Sandra, who was already regretting opening her mouth. "Don't even think you are on our level yet; remember your dad is just a former deputy governor." Jenny seemed preoccupied and added nothing to what Franky said. "Lisa's father owns a law firm, but even she kept quiet." Franky gestured toward a contemplating Lisa, who, just like Jenny, was paying no attention to the topic of discussion. She was thinking about what she had seen when she skipped physics class. She had planned to wait it out in the girls' bathroom. Instead, she went to the Elites' classroom. The room was less of a classroom and more of a hangout for the richest kids. Not the rich kids, the 'richest.' The students who did not make the cut could only be allowed in by invitation. But those were rare. Even after six years in the school, she had only been invited four times. She had been a low-key part of Jennie's friend group as one of the servants, of course. Despite that, she had not been boosted at all in the school's student hierarchy. She peeked through the window of the class to take in a little of the room. It was big, like a mini-hall. The curtains looked like the ones used by royals; heavy and regal. The loudspeakers for music and a 70-inch flat-screen TV. The three expensive vanity makeup tables. Games for the guys. It was heaven. She tried the doorknob, and her mouth nearly hit the ground when it was a mystery not locked. She entered it without a second thought. Taking it in now that she was alone in it, she used makeup, and threw some hoops that she missed. She even took pictures of everything there. She went to the toilet and used it. No invitee had ever been allowed to use it. But today was her lucky day. Or was it? After she had inscribed her name on the wall where all the 'richest' had written theirs, Lisa's heart almost jumped out of her throat when she heard the door open. She hid behind one of the heavy curtains that were obscuring the sunlight. If they caught her, she would be dead. It would lower her already low student hierarchy. What if they start treating her like a scholarship student? It would be over for her. She said silent prayers as she waited. She did not peek until she started to hear voices. She saw Louis with a girl. The surviving scholarship student. Zoe Carter. The first time the girl had been here, Louis strangely invited everyone to watch her get humiliated in the worst possible way. Lisa didn't understand why the girl had not withdrawn after that day. She switched to video recording on her phone and started to film them. Louis was the hottest and richest student, along with his younger sister, and Jennie had liked Louis for such a long time everyone knew. He was off-limits. So this would interest her. From what she heard, Zoe owed Louis something which she denied. He seemed angry and started to laugh. The next thing he was up and pinning her to the board, he insulted her, and what happened next almost made Lisa drop her phone. He was kissing her neck. He wasn't just teasing. No, he was doing it. It looked like he was forcing her until Lisa heard her fucking moan. He pulled away and made fun of her again and left. As Lisa looked at her phone now, she knew she had something that could make Jennie favor her more and even upgrade her level. Who would care about how she got it? They would be too preoccupied with making Zoe pay. And it would be good for the girl if she left anyway, so Lisa believed she was doing her a favor. Lisa made her decision. “Jennie." She tapped her shoulder to get her attention. "What?" Jennie snapped. “I guess I spoke too soon." Franky rolled her eyes. Lisa ignored Franky, and with her attention still on Jennie, she said, "Sorry, but I believe there is something you might want to see."Zoe's POV “Shit!“ I basically yelled at my reflection. On my neck and jaw, were hickeys. Conspicuous hickeys lined the places his mouth had touched. I had already missed a class and I am about to miss lunch. The thought of walking through school with them was enough to drive me crazy. “Ptttts, ptttts Zoe.“ I heard someone call me. I turned to see a student I didn't recognize. She had red hair that reminded me of Andrew. She flashed me a gummy smile and waved at me. I waved back and returned a limp smile. She walked out of her hiding spot. In her hand was a tube of foundation.“You might need this.“ I immediately used my left hand to cover the hickeys which made her giggle. “Don't worry, I already saw it.“ She put the tube into my hand wrapping my fingers around it. “I came to help.““Why? I don't even know you.“ “I am two grades ahead of you, call me Sandra.“ As she put out her hand for a handshake which I took with some trepidation.****I walked back to class. Every step was de
She was joking, she had to be. I turned to her. She had a hopeful, nervous smile forming on her quavering lips."You want to waste my time so bad," I scoffed and watched her smile disappear. "You would make up some shit and expect me to believe it like the idiot you take me for!" "I... but... I," she stumbled over her words as tears welled in her eyes. By now every one had eyes on us. Wondering what two school girls were discussing that led one to cry. "It's probably about a boy," I heard a woman murmur.I almost cringed at her words. A boy indeed! "Ok, ok," I finally said after a moment. "I'll listen." I took her by the hand and led her to the place we were before. Well,l she did help me, I reasoned inwardly.Once we settled, I waited for her to spill her guts."I know it's hard to believe," She whimpered wiping her tears. "Sometimes it feels like a dream even to me." "But how have they not snuffed you out." I was choosing to go along with her story. For now."I had planned it f
Mum had not been home for a week now. It was the weekend already. Andrew was at a friend's place, Regina was where she always was and Todd could go to bloody hell. It was lonely being in the house all by myself. I skimmed through the pages of my biology note. It was boring to be honest because I had read it a zillion times already. “… the human heart is divided into four major parts…” I read out loud hoping it would reduce my boredom but I was only disappointed to find myself getting tired with each word. “…the left auricle, right auricle, left ventricle and right auricle. They…” I pushed on, my eyelids getting dropped. “Zoe!“ I heard someone call me, jolting me awake. I heard the horn of a car too. The room I shared with my sister had no windows so I got up and went to the cramped living room. I peeked through the window to see an unfamiliar car. It looked like one of those cars whose days of vogue had passed. It had a tinted window so I could see neither the driver nor the passen
I froze. This was new ground. "Uh yeah... She is..." I lowered my head and because of the awkward silence, I raised my head slowly to see her looking thoughtfully at me."There is no need to be ashamed of that." Was she joking or was she mocking me?"We all have to survive somehow," She reasoned. "Dignity is nothing compared to that."I should have felt offended because she was inferring something that should have made my blood boil but surprisingly I felt consoled and as though someone understood that some people have no choice. People like my mother."And I find it blatantly unfair that she gets called names when the man is also willingly involved gets called a victim but that's just the life we live in." I nodded and smiled ruefully. It was hopeless because she was right; that was just how the world worked. I took another munch of the sandwich satisfied at least that I could talk to someone about the issue without being judged. "What's your sister's name?" I asked"Sarah." She r
Zoe's POV "We found it," The men were back. "We took a picture. We figured it would suffice." "Let me see it," I said, ignoring the man berating me. "Here," He brought his phone closer and allowed Sandra and me to have a look. It had diamond patterns on its back. "God!" The girl named Lucy exclaimed clasping her hand over her mouth. "It is a diamondback!" I looked up at Lucy and asked. "How deadly is its venom." "Extremely," She told me. Luck was nowhere near our side. "How long did they say they will get here?" I asked the driver. "Twenty minutes," He answered, looking as panicked as everyone else. About five minutes had passed already. I examined Sarah again. She was slowly losing consciousness, her eyes fluttering. They would not be able to get here in time to save her leg or her. "How will the ambulance make it here on time?" Someone finally asked the obvious question. "Why don't we go and see what the problem is all about first?" The two men once again sprint towards t
Zoe's POV I squinted as I tried to adjust my eyes to the bright rays of light. It took a while but once I could keep my eyes long enough to know where I was, I realized that was in a hospital. I raised my head in a bit of a rush and startled the person whose head was resting on my bed. "Zoe," The person was Sandra. "You are awake." She said, gleefully. I was disoriented and asked her. "What are you doing here?" I looked around my white surroundings. "What am I doing here?" "You don't remember," She asked as she got up. "I am trying to..." It was coming to me in flashes but still nothing distinct. "Sarah..." I groaned as I held my head in pain. Gosh! it was spinning. "She is fine," She told me "I will call the doctor and dad." she headed out. Did she just say 'dad'? It was coming back now in slower flashes. The snake, Sarah, the ambulance... But how did I end up as a patient? Sandra came back not too long after with a doctor and a tall, middle-aged man in a suit. "How do you fee
Zoe’s POVWhen we got home, Andrew was sitting on the stairs waiting for us. Once he saw us highlighting from the taxi, he ran up to us and held on to my leg.“Don’t disturb her, Andrew,” Mum scolded. “She needs to rest.”Andrew looked up at me worriedly and I gave him a wink just to assure him that I was fine. Mum unlocked the door and we all entered. Regina and Todd were at their usual hang-out spots and were not at home. Mum led me to my room and sat me down on the bed. There was long awkward silence since being as caring as she was now was very uncommon. “How are you feeling,” She asked as she sat on the bed with me. I shrugged. She sighed. “What were you doing with that girl?” She asked. I frowned at her question, hurt. And to think she actually cared when all she wanted to do was to interrogate me. “We went to the park,” I told her. “She is my friend.” “You are friends with a Callahan?” “So?” I moved away from her to look her in the eye. She had the same look of horror sh
Zoe's POVI did not know exactly how unstable I was until I stumbled. Luckily, Mr Callahan caught me before I hit the ground. “Easy there,” He sat me down on one of our lumpy couches. He knelt in front of me. “Zoe, I…” My mom stuttered. “I am sorry,” I could not even react to her apology because I was still busy trying to make sure that my brain did not fall out of my ears. “Are you okay?” Mr Callahan asked me with a gentleness that no man had ever awarded me with. It was the way I imagined a father would talk to his daughter. “Yeah,” I assured him. “I just need to sit for a while.” He looked at me, disbelief very well apparent in his brown eyes, “You should not be up,” He criticized, his voice hard. “Sorry…” I found myself saying. He smiled warmly. “No worries. Have you taken your medication?” I nodded. He turned to Sandra, who was still standing there with her palms covering her mouth. “Take her to her room.”She did as told and assisted me to my room. Once she had me lying
Louis~I did not know exactly where she would have gone to take a call. I retrieved my phone again to call and ask when I passed the path leading to the balcony."...in the whole world," someone said. I halted in my tracks. That had been her voice.I took several steps back and looked into the balcony to see her there. She had a perplexed expression on her face, and she was listening intently to the person on the other line.Her eyes were glazed over with tears, and I could tell that a few had already fallen. Who was so important to her on a call that she would look so bothered and almost heartbroken?I thought of the only logical possibility: a lover. That green, ugly feeling reared its head again. And I actually found myself hoping that it was not the truth. Why was I so bothered? Us being a couple was simply pretense for this event. But I could not help but hang on to every expression and action as she listened intently to the person on the other line.There was so much love in her
Louis~An hour before...I watched her exit the party after excusing herself. I narrowed my eyes at her back as she left. She had sounded distraught after the phone call. What has happened? I wondered. It was not like it was any of my concern, but it was human to be curious.Just then I received a phone call of my own. I retrieved my phone to see that it was Adam Warner. He was the COO of BioGenix Pharma.A lump formed in my throat. We had sent the proposal a month ago, and I was looking forward to a partnership with a pioneer company like BioGenix.I picked up the call. "Hello, good evening," I said into the mouthpiece."Good evening, Mr. Rodriguez," Adam said. "I am calling about your proposal."My heart pounded as I braced myself for the news. "Yes, Adam. What about the proposal?" I tried to keep my voice steady, masking the anxiety creeping in.There was a brief pause on the other end, and I could almost hear Adam's reluctant sigh. "After careful consideration, we've decided to go
Zoe~We retired back to our hotel room. The moment we entered, Louis pulled away from me, recoiling as though I was suddenly diseased. I was confused—he had been quite okay not too long ago, so I wondered what had his ruffles in a bunch.I had not really planned how we were going to manage sharing a room for the rest of the wedding event without getting into any awkward situations. But to my absolute shock, Louis pulled off his shirt in one smooth motion, followed by his undershirt. Soon, he had his hands on his buckle, loosening it. He was undressing in front of me without a single care."Louis," I silently gasped. "I am still here."He turned to me fully, and I had an eye full of the broad expanse of his chest and promptly looked away."So?" he asked, his tone dismissive.To my horror, I heard the clinking of his belt buckle. I didn't even bother to try and ask him to stop; I escaped to the bathroom. I took a breath of relief.Until I heard the door click open. My heart lunged into
Zoe's POV I surveyed my surroundings for the nearest D'Amato, only to notice the youngest D'Amato son, Alexander. He was smoking. It looked like my mission to get a DNA sample would be simpler than I had anticipated.I just had to wait. Then my phone rang. When I checked the caller ID, I realized it was Regina. A lump formed in my throat, but I picked up. Hearing her voice would be nice, but I knew by now that Abel would be asleep, so I would not get to talk to him."Hello?" I said into the mouthpiece."Mummy?" Abel whispered. "It's me, Abel." He sounded like he was holding back his tears.I looked around, panicked, hoping that no one heard his voice. But I was just being paranoid; the phone was not on loudspeaker. Yet, I had to be careful. "Louis, I need to take a call, I will be right back," I excused."Of course," he replied. I headed for the exit. I got to a terrace, overlooking the entire city. "Abel, dear. What's wrong?" I asked."Mummy, I miss you," he sniffled. "Please, co
Zoe~I returned to the party, my cheek still stinging, but at least my plan had already been set in motion. The engagement ceremony was in full swing, with Sandra and Lucien at the center of attention, exchanging rings. Guests surrounded them, offering congratulations and well wishes. The air was filled with laughter and the clinking of glasses.Sandra and I locked eyes, and I gave her a wink; she nodded appreciatively. Even though I had ulterior motives, I was genuinely happy to see her starting a new chapter in her life with a man she obviously loved.As I made my way through the crowd, I spotted Francesca at the bar, downing glass after glass of wine. Her frustration was consuming her, and I knew she would soon be close to her breaking point. Perfect.I caught Louis's eye across the room and sauntered over to him, a seductive smile playing on my lips. "Having fun, darling?" I asked, wrapping my arms around his neck.He smirked, his hands settling on my waist. "Always, when you're a
Zoe's POV I was doing a greater job than I thought I could manage. The whole act was probably Oscar-worthy. It was all fake, even if I felt every desire radiating off his body. The music stopped, and someone taking the central stage clinked a spoon on a champagne glass to get everyone's attention. I looked up and saw Victor Callahan standing there, his presence commanding the room. "Ladies and gentlemen," Victor began, his voice resonating through the crowd, "thank you all for joining us on this joyous occasion." Everyone turned their attention to him, the room falling silent in anticipation. "As you all know," Victor continued, "tonight we celebrate the engagement of my beloved daughter, Sandra, and her fiancé, Lucien." He gestured to the couple, who stood together, smiling. Sandra's eyes sparkled with happiness, while Lucien's gaze was fixed on her with an intensity that spoke of his devotion. A round of applause and cheers erupted from the guests, and Victor paused to let the
Louis' POV I downed a glass of champagne, feeling it bubble down my throat. I would need alcohol to get through this night. With each new introduction, my patience was depleting. And with each new woman that approached me making advances, that little patience was thinning. I looked over to where my 'date' was. She was speaking casually with Sandra. She even smiled at something Sandra said, then proceeded to laugh not even a minute later. She was a vision of calm and comfort. A beautiful one at that because I began to notice unwanted watchers. Their eyes were on where the two women sat. Sandra was not ugly, I had to admit, but compared to Zoraya, she could have been rated as average. And there was little chance that the men who had their eyes on where the women sat were pinning for the bride. A green ugly thing reared its head. Then one of the men began to make his way towards Zoraya. I guess it was time to get my date. But before I could move, a woman's arm hooked through mine.
I sighed deeply. "So you have heard? What he did?" I asked.She pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a huff of frustration. "Everyone heard. It made national headlines," she said. "But even if we digress, what about what he did to you?" she asked. "I heard that too."I did not like the pity in her voice; it took me back briefly to the vulnerable, broken girl that I had once been. I was no longer the pariah, Zoraya Carter. I was Agent Zoraya Pierce. I had to remind myself not to delve too deeply into the haunting memories."It is all in the past," I unwittingly mirrored what Louis had said. "Times have changed."She noticed the change in my tone and said nothing. We sat there for a few moments in awkward silence."Tell me this is for revenge for what he did to you," Sandra said, cutting through the silence. "You are only pretending; you are getting close to him to destroy him, aren't you?"I hid my true expression under a mask of casual neutrality. "That is actually absurd, Sandr
Zoe's POVShe most definitely had pride, I noted."Thank you, Mrs. D'Amato," Louis replied graciously. "I'm glad to hear it's been of help to you."Her demeanor thawed a bit more, and she nodded approvingly. She did not even look in my direction any more. It was like I was not there, like I was not important. Cold reception, I guess.I couldn't help but notice the shift in her tone. The tension between them eased, and Louis was treated with a bit more kindness. His position had been the cause. Leo seemed pleased with the outcome and continued the introductions."And this," Leo said, gesturing to the elderly gentleman seated next to Charlotte, "is my father, Dominic D'Amato.""Pleasure to meet you, Mr. D'Amato," Louis said, extending his hand.Dominic shook it firmly, his eyes sharp and assessing. He looked regal in his custom Giovanni suit but had the appearance of a shrewd old man in a luxury suit. "I've heard good things about you, young man. Keep up the good work.""Thank you, sir,