LUCA'S POV"Welcome back, kiddo." Smith pulls me in first for a tight hug, squashing me in his big belly before patting my back. "How are you?""Luca!" Shareholders and executives shout my name from different corners of the party, all trying to get a hold of me."Ignore them." Smith whispers loud enough over the blasting music in the hall for me to hear but not loud enough for the others to hear. Why the hell are they fucking pretending to care now? They all left me to rot except... my Lily. I strain my eyes to search the congested hall for that blonde hair, blue eyes, tall form, and plump tits... I just had to. Smith is still pulling at my arms, probably trying to direct my attention to something; I'm not sure. I turn around to follow Smith but bump into a giant-sized banner that reads, Welcome home, Luca.' I push it aside with a grunt.Smith drags me out of the noisy hall into the more quiet part, where we sit on the sofa. "I'm sorry." He clasps his meaty palms around his face and
LILYI can't make sense of anything Luca is saying, so he is leaving tomorrow. Why didn't he tell me earlier on? Wow, I stand to my feet, shaking my head in ; this really deserves an award for best heartbreaker. "Our first kiss, first sex. It has always been me... pushing us." I wait for him to hold me, say something, anything; I will listen. I will believe him, but as usual, Luca doesn't say a word. I nod. Me thinking he cared isn't enough. He has to say it, prove it. His one moment of kindness and show of bravery and his hundred acts of rejection and indifference are not enough. I want to be loved.I turn around and run back towards my home to cry like I always do because of him. I bump into Tiffany as I take the turn to my room. "Lily, are you okay?" She cups my chin and looks at my teary eyes.My shoulder shudders as heavy breath escapes me, and suppressed sobs try to break free. I blurt out in tears. "Luca broke up with me." I rest my head on her shoulders and let her smother m
LILY'S POV"What are you doing in bed with an eighteen-year-old?" My mom shouts angrily."Eighteen is an adult." I retort, trying to protect Luca.My mom had walked in on us this morning in bed. How on earth did I forget to lock the door last night?"How long has this been going on? You have been fucking a high schooler right under her parents roof?" My mother shouts loudly as she steps further into my room, attempting to pull the sheets down from our body. We clutch the sheets further to our chests, holding it like a life jacket."Kat, please be calm. I didn't rape her."The door creaks open, and a plump figure walks in with a lens hanging low on the bridge of his nose. All the noise from my mom must have woken him up."Look at your shameless daughter."Why does my mom enjoy berating me so much? I lower my gaze, afraid to see the disappointment in my father's eyes. This was another thing I feared they would not approve of my relationship with Luca."But why can't I just have this one
LILYBut Luca called. He came back. I waited five years.Standing on my toes, I can feel the ache in them from endless stretching and twisting, but more importantly, I can feel the weight on my shoulders as I stretch my hands out in the air waiting for the first chord of music to direct my body. I take a deep breath as the cheers from the crowd rise to my ears, signaling to me that the curtain has been drawn. I open my eyes to the bright sides. I can feel the urgency in the moment, the expectant faces staring at me, but more importantly, I see my mom, my dad, Isabella, and my Luca. This is my first time performing on an international stage.I twirl in a 360 spin, lifting my legs high in the air as my soul connects with the melody from Tiffany's music. I feel it in my bones, the aches and pains all giving way to the... the feeling of joy and freedom.As the music fades, I perform one last dance step and courtesy. The room erupts in applause and cheers. I see the pride on the face of m
LILY AND LUCA'S STORY HAS COME TO AN END. This is Isabella's story, Lily's younger sister, who everyone thought died in the air crash accident that took the lives of her whole family, twelve years ago. She is the only survivor, but she suffered a loss of memory. She was picked up by an Indonesian woman, who took her in as a daughter and called her Samantha.SAMANTHA'S POV Living in a slump like mine, it was impossible to have big dreams, to aspire to have a college degree, to become a personality, and leave this slump; don't dare tell anyone because they will only laugh, ridicule, and remind you that as a girl, once you're fully developed, you will join the sex factory because that was the only way to survive out here. "I like the way your ass moves in that dress," a random guy calls after me. I'm wearing a dress 10x my size, and it's intentional. Just so that I can walk back home from school and be invisible, but with the perverts in my neighborhood, it's never possible. "H
SAMANTHA'S POV"Hey Sam." Alice and Stacy call out to me. They are not my friends; they are just girls I came to know in my years of growing up in Indonesia. How I look American with blonde, filled hair while my mom depicts the ancient Indonesian woman is eye-raising most times; people always wondering if I'm adopted, but Alice and Mia here never seemed to care."Hi." I lean against the wall and look up to the sky. It's already dark; I put my hands into my pocket to prevent catching a cold. Alice and Stacy are leaning against the wall; they are not even wearing jackets, and the length of their macro skirt and shirt showing exposed cleavage tells me that they are really immune to cold. Why did I accept to come here again?"Alright, come in." Alice pulls at my wrist. She lives alone, so I don't bother asking if her parents are home or not. Between the time of morning and now, Mia had stopped at our house to inform me of a new gig that could earn me some dollars. I have no idea what the
SAMANTHA'S POVHe pulls me towards a room, trying to push me in with him. I struggle against. "Let go of me." I look at the prettiest eyes I've ever seen. Mint green, so light you'd think they were gray. I'm not supposed to be admiring him at this point."Why? I'm going to be easy on you, baby; we had a deal." He starts moving his fingers under my hoodie.What deal? "I didn't have any deal with you; let go of me." I try to punch him, but he easily grabs my wrist; I attempt with the second one, and he easily grabs it too. My both wrists are now imprisoned in one big hand."I like you in this position, Amy, submitted and under my control." He presses me against the wall, his hulking structure hovering over me."I'm not Amy!"He traces his hands on the tag hanging around my neck, his fingers touching my breasts over my hoodie in the process, and I've never been touched before. I'm as virginal as a nun, so even this tiny, accidental touch from an arrogant stranger is enough to ignite a w
WEST'S POVI adjust my tie properly, rubbing my eyes that are still hazy with sleep due to last night's party and the girl... "Hey, Luca." I respond to my boss's greetings over the phone as I step out of my hotel room and walk the distance to take the elevator."West, how is the survey process going?" Luca's deep voice resounds over the phone. "Well, there is a lot of good land here for estate business, but I haven't really been able to pitch the idea to the local authority yet." I walk over to the small cafe that's at the left wing of the Sailor's Suites, scratching my head as I wait for Luca's scolding on how delay in business is delay in profit, but it doesn't come."Where are you now?" He finally asks after a long silence."Sailor Suites, one of the best in the area." I nod at the lady at the cafe, signaling I need my usual, and by usual, I mean black, bitter, and too hot. "I'm staying here so that I can learn and copy a few things to make our estate surpass this.""Good. Good bu
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