SAMANTHA'S POVGreat! Now, we are done with shopping and spa treatment and checking up on my mom; now we're heading to West's suite to rest, and tomorrow will be the elite event. I wonder if it's against hotel policy for a staff member to stay with a guest; besides, can't West find another facility to accommodate me?"It's not against the company's policy." West turns to me, taking his eyes off the road.What? How did he hear me?"Because your lips are moving, and you're talking out loud." West turns to me once again. After a silence, he asks. "Why do you have to work there anyway? What did you study in college?"What is he thinking now? No more favors! "I haven't gone to college.""How old are you?""I don't tell strangers my age." I fold my arms and watch for his reaction."Strangers? Am I a stranger? We have come this far, and you're calling a stranger. He lifts a brow to me."Well, I'm 20." I finally answer.He just nods and returns his attention to the road."So... how old are yo
WEST'S POV"Hey, uhm... from the mall?""Yes." The lady nods in agreement.I open the door wider and step aside for the lady to step in. I can't wait to see the reaction on Samantha's face when she is presented the dinner dress and the promo package from the designer. The thought alone is so funny, I laugh out loud and step outside for her to enter the suite."What's funny?" Sam calls from the kitchen. It's funny how last night we broke down and went to bed angry, and today everything is alright. "You have a delivery." I enter the living room and sit down on the couch, crossing my legs together, while the sales rep stands uncomfortably in one corner of the room. The moment I hear Samantha's footsteps moving out of the kitchen and into the living room, I open up my computer and start scrolling through already read emails and business plans, but there's something new from Luca. I click on our correspondence and open the new mail. My eyes grow wide as I lower my eyes to the screen, for
SAMANTHA'S POVThis has to be the most classic event I've ever attended. Everyone looks so posh, with luxurious dinnerware, statement heels, and chandeliers beaming golden rays on the attendees, laughter filling the air. I move steadily beside West, my mouth aching from plastering a fake smile on it all night. "You shouldn't have worn such high heels." West whispers against my ear with his hands resting on my lower waist."Says the man that bought them for me.""Let's not fight, not here. This event tonight means a lot to me and is consequential to our being together." "Our being together?" I raise my head up to challenge him, but I'm silenced by his very devastating features.""Yes, it's for the estate business. We haven't really gotten the full acceptance of the... authority.""Oh...so this, um...dinner is all politics and business? I thought it was..." Was what? A romantic dinner? My subconscious literally laughs at me.West doesn't seem to notice my reaction; he looks around war
WEST'S POVWhy can't I control myself about her? Why do I keep getting drawn in? I've never had to force myself on a woman before; women always came to me. I mean, I have the face, the muscles, and the cash, and for the longest time, I've always had the pretty girls in the pretty car. I push my way into the suite. It's understandable that Sam will not talk to me now. I know I messed up."I'm sorry." I try to touch her arm, then think better of it; she doesn't like being touched; she suffered in her previous relationship... I have no idea; I'm guessing.She turns to me; there's a tired expression on her face. I'm not mad at you." She smiles sadly. "I'm just mad about myself that...I can't be normal." She smirks."What do you mean you can't be normal? Did you suffer abuse in a past relationship?No. I've never been in a relationship." She moves to the couch and takes off her shoes. She breathes in. "I miss my mom."I rub my hands together and move in closer to her. "Your mom is okay. I
SAMANTHA'S POVWow, I have never felt so good in my life. I stretch my hands above my head and look around to find myself on a bed and a hulking man beside me. I'm not a whore. I start hyperventilating, trying to remember what happened last night.I went to an event with West. We fought as usual and got home. Home? This is West's hotel, not your home. Okay, whatever. We started drinking, starting talking... No, no. I raise the bedsheets up and look between my thighs; there's a smear of blood. I lost my virginity, but I'm still here, in his bed now; he didn't discard me yet. I should go and clean myself and be gone before he wakes. "Not so fast." West stretches his big hands over my bare ass and smacks it. "Good morning, beautiful." He kisses me.I try to pull out. "I should start going."To where. He looks at me, confusion dancing in his features."We have had sex; this is the point where I get out of your bed.He stops me again by pressing half of his weight on me. "Sex is not the m
WEST'S POV "Why is he not answering my calls?" I mutter to myself. I turn to Gina. "What do you mean you don't know where Jordan is?""I don't know Mr. West." Gina looks genuinely sincere. "But you two were together last night at the event." I keep checking my phone for a follow-up on my text from Jordan, but nothing. He hasn't been picking up my calls either."I wasn't with him at the party; we went together, but... Jordan kept ghosting me and going to discuss with some top industry experts, he claims will be relevant to... the estate project." Gina rubs her temple and looks around the empty cafe and back to our table, the same spot we sat a few days ago when everything was still okay and we were still a team."Why does the story differ?" Jordan claims there were no industry experts and relevant authorities there last night. I ordered him to send the statement of account and financial report, and he disobeyed. Can you call him?""He is not answering my calls either." She sighs in f
LILY'S POV "Aunt Tiffany." Austin pulls away from me and runs to hug Tiffany, who is struggling to enter our living room amidst the movers."How was the trip?" Tiffany lifts Austin into the air in a playful manner. "I didn't even know you all had arrived if not for the bulb in your living room that's reflecting off my porch.""Trip was fine, and yes, we're here. I look at her thoughtfully. "You don't have to stay there all alone. I know when we bought these houses next to each other, we planned it for a... huge family vacation, but since you don't have..." I look down, suddenly stupid for bringing up her messy separation with West. "I'm just saying if you're bored staying up there alone, our doors are always open. Ha ha.""Where's Luca? You packed your whole house over; how long do you plan on staying?""Luca is here for business, and he made it clear that we are not leaving until business is done." I straighten my dress and look around the cozy living room. This is one of the many p
SAMANTHA'S POV"Stop." I hit him weakly against his shoulders, he already has the upper hand because I'm pinned to the wall."Why? I thought what we shared the other night was good." "It's not about what we shared the first time and what we did not share. I can't keep doing this, sleeping with you just because I'm staying in your suite"No.no." He rubs his temple. "You're not sleeping with me because you're staying in my suite, but because I like you, you like me too." His fingers start trailing the waist band of my pants while his knee nudges my thighs apart.I don't want to do this. I'm tired, I just returned from the hospital visiting my mom, I still need more time to erase the whorish mindset that my biological environment has marked on me but West won't understand, I told him that the first, but he is still coming he thinks sex and attraction had heal everything some people are broken fixing and I need time and I know the only to do that is by calling him off...His fingers star
SAMANTHA'S POV I feel so stupid right now. After everything my husband has done for me, this is how I repay him—by ditching him on our wedding.The grumpy officer bangs heavily on the metal gate of our cell. "Wake up; your family is here; you are going home." He unlocks it and holds it open for us. I tap my girls to wake up, and I rush over to the officer. "How did they know that...""Don't ask me any questions." He spits.We all run out of the cell to meet everyone. Luca looks pissed, Lily looks really mad, and West... well, West looks disappointed. In me. "I'm sorry." I try to touch West's hands, but he flinches. "It's 6:45 am. The wedding is by 7:00 am." West walks out without another word to me. Lily and Luca walk out as well. Great! I collect my property and rush out to join them in West's limousine, with Stacy, Alice, and Maria following behind me.It doesn't take up to five seconds for us to reach the mansion, or maybe it's just my thinking, but I don't dare to check the time
SAMANTHA'S POV "Come on, wear something hot." Alice tugs at my arm."Are you crazy? I'm a married woman.""You are not yet a married woman; it's still tomorrow. For what it is worth, today is your spinster's eve."I'm not dressing indecently, and that's on period. This is a little too much now." I light the dress with the tip of my finger to show how disgusting it is. "This is the kind of thing I should wear for my honeymoon, for West's eyes only, not to a damn club full of people.""Huh," Alice shakes her head. "You have not really enjoyed your life; now you are getting married?""Why are we even still going through? Lily is not coming. The men are having theirs in a cafe, and we are going to the club. I don't know why, but I don't feel right about this. I don't know what my mind is making me feel like something bad has happened or is about to happen. I don't know if it has something to do with Lily warning me to be careful. "Of course we are ladies; we have to go to a club." Alice
SAMANTHA'S POV "How do you feel?" A voice calls out to me. "Sam." The voice is familiar. "Are you still asleep? Wake up!"I stir on the bed, obeying the order; my eyes fly open; the room is too bright. My eyes close on their own accord; taking time to get acquainted with the light, they reopen, and that's when I look around. I'm on a hospital bed? "Why am I on a hospital bed?" I mutter to myself. I can't really remember clearly the events of the last few hours, but I know I'm pregnant. My fingers roam across the bump on my belly...but it feels flatter. I look down. "Where is my baby?""Relax. Our baby is fine." The familiar voice reassures me as I feel a set of strong fingers wrap around my fingers. West.I turn to him and notice a plaster on his shoulder; red backs and bruises on his exposed skin bring back the ugly memories. I was kidnapped; I was taken care of. Tiffany brought a doctor that tried to cut my belly open; my West helped me push out our baby. I smile. "Thank you, honey
LILY'S POV"Everybody in this van is bleeding and needs medical attention; please, driver, speed on!" I tap on Maria's seat.Maria triples the speed of the car, flying over road bumps and bumping into lightweight trees, and we are lucky we are still driving in the lonely part of the city; else those light trees would have been people.I turn to Samantha, whose eyes are now shut. "Sam?" I look up to West, who is holding her in his arms; his neck is hanging loosely to the side. He is asleep, and his shoulder is bleeding. "There is no first aid box in this van?" I turn to Danny, who is being attended to by one of the females in his gang, Clara. He signals me that she will come to us soon. I turn back to Samantha, whose eyes are still closed. "Samantha. Samantha!" I shout and shake her body, drawing the attention of Luca and West. "What is wrong?""Is she okay?""She is not answering." I reply to them, my eyelids wet with tears as I continue shaking her."Samantha!" West rested his head
WEST'S POV"Run!!" Luca shouts. "Go with the baby and Sam."Thank goodness, I'm a hulk; I place my baby on my back and wrap another cloth over her tightly on my chest. I do everything with demon speed. I lift my fiancée in my arms and walk out through the back door. I check both sides; it's really cleared. I memorized the map in my hands before shoving it into my pants pocket, and we started moving out through the bush tracks.We are still in close range of the building when a voice calls out. "You need any assistance, though, man?"I turn to my left to find a redhead watching me. I shake my head. "I don't need help.""Why? We could really be of help."The next voice is from my right side. Another man is watching me. That's odd. No one was supposed to be on this bush track. Don't panic. West. Don't panic. I ignore them and try to refocus on my task. "West!" That voice is familiar. Too familiar, and that is because I have known the bearer my whole life, or almost my whole life.I turn
WEST'S POVMy first thought is to carry her out of here and take her to a hospital, but the van we brought is packed more than 100 miles away. There is still a set of bodyguards waiting for us at the entrance or already coming after us, but the way I'm seeing Sam right now, I don't think we have the luxury of time to waste. We will deliver the baby!I fold the sleeves of my hoodies, and my eyes land on the bedside desk, which looks like an operation table because of the things on it: a syringe, a pack of hand gloves, cotton wool, a pad, towels, a blanket, and a knife. "Is it safe to use this?"She nods. "They brought a doctor. She wanted to force my baby out."What? Is that how devilish Tiffany can be? I want to find her and kill her right away, but I have to wait and attend to Sam first; she is more important. I stretch to the table and open the pack of gloves, and I remove a pair.A loud gunshot pierces through the air as violent men rush in. I cover my body partially over Sam, look
LILY'S POV"Oh my gosh! I feel like I'm in a movie scene right now. I told you, Maria. I felt like something crazy was about to happen to us." I look around the silk van that was arranged by one of my husband's friends. It is screaming top assassin machinery with the black leather seats, speaker, radio, and TV on the top and dark-tinted glass and all of Maria's electronic gadgets and wires, and oh, don't get me started with the demon speed of this vehicle. "Well, here we are." Maria laughs. She had successfully arranged the fake business deal between us and Viktor. "Yes, Clara, keep moving." She says.We watch Clara and Austin carry briefcases each and confidently stroll through the gate. The empire is in the middle of nowhere with tall bushes surrounding the skyscraper kind of fence. It's the kind of building that screams danger from afar. The guard by the gate is well stocked with rifles and arms on every part of his chest and arms. We can see him stretch out his hands to Clara and
LILY'S POV"Welcome in! I hear you have news about my sister. How is she? My husband informed me of your arrival." I adjust the denim dress I have on as I step aside and open the door wider for the guest to enter in."Hi, good morning." He enters in, tall and tough-looking; the man I believe is Donny walks in. "Your sister is perfectly fine." Assures me.I move to close the door, but a tougher-looking man enters in, and another, and soon a small battalion is congregating in my living room. I look around in confusion; my husband had only informed me of one man, Donny. "Welcome all." I smile, trying not to look receptive."After they are all seated, it doesn't take long for the familiar sound of my husband's car to roll in. Luca, West, and Maria, a girl Tiffany had introduced to us as her friend from New Voices Co, help themselves into the living room, and we begin the business of the day.Donny takes the floor to talk to us all on the current state of affairs. "Sam is in Vicktor's camp
SAMANTHA'S POVTiffany! I should have ended her when I had the chance. I rise to my feet angrily, causing the chair to stumble and fall backwards. "A restraining order couldn't fucking do it?" Sam. Is Sam missing? No. I start pacing around, tousling my hair like a lunatic. Where do I find her? Tiffany! I'm so mad at myself to think that I waited this much precious time chasing after dust when... How do I even find Tiffany?"What is going on in that mind of yours?" Luca's voice draws me back to reality."I...." How do I put everything I'm feeling in one word? "Tiffany...Sam. Sam is missing!""What?""How can Sam be missing?" Two distinct female voices cry from the doorway.I turn around to see two ladies rushing into the office. Alice and Stacy. "Do you know where she went to from the mall?""Home." She turns to the other girl. "Isn't it, Stacy? Where else will she go? What happened to her? The girl's eyes look so glassy as if she is about to cry. Why?Luca stands from his chair. "I w