"Pleasure to meet you." Michael's cold eyes bore into Damon's as he shook his hand.
"What's going on here?" Lana's hand wrapped around Michael's arm as she leaned against him."Oh! Arya, is this your boyfriend?" She looked surprised, then she narrowed her eyes at me."Yes, he is.""Maybe we should go on a double date some time." She suggested, and I forced a smile."Please excuse us," Michael said as he whisked Lana away and disappeared into the crowd. I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding."Are you okay?" Damon asked, and I shook my head."Seeing him here, I'm not even sure how to feel. It's been a long time. Plus, he's still with his ex. That says a lot." I frowned, and he cupped my chin."Hey, they have nothing on you, Arya. You're an amazing woman." Damon kissed my cheek, causing me to smile.I was happy to not bounce into my ex and his girlfriend for the remainder of the evening. I didn't know that the feelings I used to have for Michael would come up and choke me. I felt like I couldn't breathe.Damon offered me a ride home, but I declined. I just wanted to be alone with my thoughts. The limousine that dropped me off had picked me up, and right now all I wanted to do was go home and sleep.Today was an exhausting day, with the highlight being Michael. He took me by complete surprise and stirred up some old feelings I had buried deep within myself.When I arrived home, I changed out of my dress. I looked really pretty tonight. Then I showered and changed into my pajamas. I texted Yasmeen about everything that happened, and she was surprised, to say the least. She was upset that I didn't kiss Damon to sell our relationship and make Michael jealous.I really doubt he would have been jealous, though. He seemed to really love Lana, considering they were still together. A sigh escaped my lips, and I sipped some tea.Some part of me wondered what Michael was doing right now.~Michael's POVI was on my third bottle. I sat in the office of my home. My mind kept wandering to her. How could she just show up and make me feel this way? I felt sick to my stomach. She looked gorgeous, and the way she stared at me with those mezmerizing eyes made me feel a certain type of way.I took another swig of alcohol and sat down. After all this time, why was I feeling this way?"Michael?" Lana called from outside of the room. Before I could answer, she barged in."Michael, what are you doing?" She asked me as she walked over to me."Get out, Lana; I'm not in the mood right now.""Michael, it's because of her, isn't it?" She snared."I am not doing this with you right now Lana so please just let it go.""Your eyes were on her all night and I know that you feel something for her," Lana said as walked up to me."You can think whatever you want Lana, it's not like you and I are together," I said and her eyes widened.“Fuck you,” she stormed out but I knew she would be back. She was tied to me. She couldn’t leave me alone ever.It was true though, our relationship was complicated and it has been for the longest while.Seeing Arya changed everything. I didn’t know I was even still capable of feeling such emotions.The notification on my computer caught me off guard. It was an email from her which she outlined the details of the acquisition. I contemplated what I should do. This is so fucking stupid.I couldn’t believe I declined the acquisition offer. I chose to merge the companies instead. I know my father would be pissed but I would deal with him tomorrow.My friend, Alex, messaged me and forwarded a bunch of pictures of Arya and her boyfriend, Damon. It annoyed the shit out of me.What the fuck was I supposed to do with that information?My nightmare didn’t stop there, on the tabloids there was dozens of articles published talking about the mystery woman, billionaire playboy, Damon showed up with.That beautiful red dress was plastered all over the headlines. The person wore it, even more beautiful.Arya.I screamed into a pillow as Damon chuckled while reading the headlines. “Look at you little miss celebrity,” he mused. “This is all your fault!” I pouted as I threw a pillow at him which he easily caught. “You’ll get used to it don’t worry,” he winked. “Besides they’ll get bored eventually and leave you alone,” “Not if we keep seeing each other,” I frowned. “C’mon it’ll give your ex boyfriend something to think about. He was totally jealous and I’m sure you liked the way it felt.” Yes the thought of Michael being jealous made me feel a certain way. But I wasn’t going to admit that.“I don’t think he was jealous. I think he’s really in love with Lana.” “She doesn’t seem like a nice person,” “No shit.” I rolled my eyes. Damon plopped down on the bed beside me and pinned my hands above my head. “Careful Arya. You better watch that mouth of yours.” He growled as pressed his leg between my legs. A soft moan escaped my lips as he smirked. “I want you to ride me like crazy right
“Put your best foot forward and be sure to make this company a great working environment. I’m still in the process of laying off employees so I implore you to act in a certain manner. I know management around here had some loose ends but I can assure you that I’m perfectly fine with cutting loose ends. Return to work. You all are dismissed.” Michael’s words cut like a knife as his voice was cold and sharp. “Damn, your ex is intense,” Yasmeen muttered and I nodded. “He was always serious about his work. He takes it to heart and he’s very hardworking even though he had everything handed to him.” “Miss Sterling, have you already responded to the foreign investors? How is my schedule looking for the day?” His voice snapped me out of my conversation. “Sir, I didn’t have time to look at it,” I confessed. “Your position is not permanent so I suggest you get on board quickly. Your desk has been relocated to my office. Get to work.” He snapped and I flinched. Why was he talking to me like
I groaned as I rolled off the bed; my stomach hurt so badly that I didn't even feel like moving. Fuck! My period was here. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this, but to be fair, I don't think I'd ever be in the mood to deal with this, I quickly hopped into the shower and ran myself a warm bath. It felt good and relaxing, and I wished I could stay here all day, but I had a job. After I got dressed and made my way to work, I took a few pain relief tablets. They never worked, but I still took them, hoping that they would magically work at some point. By the time I arrived, I felt like the pain was radiating from my body. The only thing I didn't do was cry. I trudged up to the office and began doing my work for the day. We had such a busy schedule today especially since we had a meeting with the shareholders. I hadn’t seen Michael all morning. That’s good because I wasn’t in the mood for his bullshit. Before lunch time I was already doubled over from the pain. I knew it was
I felt a warmth on my stomach, which caused me to wake up. Looking around, I saw that I wasn’t at my home. I remembered Michael carrying me to the car but everything went blank after that. There was a heating pad on my stomach and I was wearing an oversized jersey and my underwear. “I see you’ve woken up,” Michael said as he entered the room. He was still in his work clothes but his sleeves were rolled up. He had a tray in his hand with food on it. My mouth watered instantly. I didn’t even know I was so hungry. “I could really go for some food right now,” I said and he chuckled. “Yes that’s the plan. I made you some chicken teriyaki and noodles.” “Yum, bring it over here.” I immediately dug into the food and began scoffing it down. It was really delicious. If it’s one thing about Michael, he could cook really well. “You were really hungry I see,” he said and I nodded. “Yeah I didn’t really eat today.” “That’s not good Arya. You have to do better.”“My period is so bad sometim
“Lana! What a surprise?” I faked smiled as I steadied myself. “It is a surprise. What are you doing here?” She asked. She looked like she had seen a ghost.“Just had a meeting with Michael, that’s all.” Her eyes bore into the bag I had in my hand. The bag that Michael gave me with all the chocolates and snacks. “I can see that,” she managed through gritted teeth. As I was about to step inside, she blocked my path. “After all these years, you can’t come crawling back to Michael and acting like nothing happened. There’s a reason he’s with me and not you. If I were you I’d back off.” She whispered in my ear.“If he’s with you, then why are you threatened?” I smirked and she scoffed. “We both know—“ she started but I cut her off. “Both know what? That he’s a two timer? That he’s a cheater? That he could leave you at any moment without an explanation? Yes we both know that but one of us is smarter here. If I were you I’d keep my head low and mind my business.” I smiled and her eyes
"This is really nice." I smiled as Yasmeen and I walked into the cinema. It was Friday evening"Girl, you needed it. We both did." Our popcorn was stacked in our hands, along with sodas and nachos. This was our girl's night, which we would have every now and then. As we waited for the movie to start, Yasmeen's phone rang, and she stepped outside to take the call. My mind wondered back to Michael and the way he treated me so coldly when we were together. He just ignored me. Quite frankly, I didn't care, but the thing is, it still made me feel a certain way. I texted Damon, and he told me that he couldn't hook up this weekend, much to my surprise. Well, that's a good reason to go clubbing. Yasmeen reentered the room with a sullen look on her face. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. "Yas, what's going on?" I asked, and tears began rolling down her eyes. "It's Raine; there's been an accident. She is hurt. I'm not sure what happened, but it doesn't sound good." She sobbed, and
“What am I doing here? That’s a bold question to ask, considering what you just said. So let’s try again, what the fuck are you doing here?” I retorted and he released a frustrated sigh. He turned away from me and I quickly put on voice recording on my phone. I needed to record this for proof. “Look, it’s not what it sounds like.” “Okay well what does it sound like? What is it? Because I’ll be damned if you think that I’m just going to stand here and let you spit bullshit to me.” “Look Arya, you’re a nice girl and I really don’t want you to take this the wrong way but you should really mind your own business.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is that a threat?” I raised a brow and he smirked.“It means that you shouldn’t be in things that don’t involve you. It could get really bad for you.” His smirk widened. “Is that a threat Troy. Just because your parents have government influence and power because they’re politicians doesn’t mean I have to be af
Yasmeen's face was twisted in disbelief. "What? That's... that's insane. He was my boyfriend, and he proposed to me. How on earth is this even possible?" She staggered back. I nodded solemnly. "I know it sounds crazy, but Troy admitted it to me just now. He tried to brush it off as if it were nothing, but it's clear he's been involved with her. It is clear that something happened." Helen's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "But why would he... Why would he do something like this? Raine is only a child. She's my sweet, precious baby." Her lips quivered. "Because he's twisted," Yasmeen said, her voice trembling with anger. "He's always had this weird obsession with Raine, but I've never seen it like that. I figured they were getting along. He would just always talk to her and try to include her in our activities. I figured he was trying to be a part of the family. I just never thought... I never thought he'd go this far." "We have to do something," Helen said, her eyes darting toward
My eyes fluttered open. I looked around to realize I was not at the club. I groaned as I held my head and sat up on the bed. Immediately I recognized it as Michael’s apartment. A gasp left my lips as I clutched the bed sheet. What on earth happened? A soft sound was heard at the side of me and it was only then I realized that Michael’s hand was wrapped around my waist. A bead of sweat formed on my forehead as I looked around in confusion. How did I even get here? “How are you feeling?” His deep voice interrupted my thoughts. “Fine,” I croaked. “How did I get here? What’s going on?” I asked. “You called me at the club. Some bastard was bothering you and I came to you. I brought you home here. You were really drunk and begging me to not let you go.” “Oh my gosh!” My face flushed in embarrassment at thought of me begging him. How could I possibly say something that stupid? I could recall some guy following me but I wasn’t sure what happened after that. “I’m
Michael’s POV Lana was out of town for the while, she said she had to visit her parents up North because her grandma had fallen ill. We were off and on. Before she left we had a huge argument about us. She thought that having Arya work for me was a bad idea. Arya had been plaguing my mind lately. I just wanted to talk to her. My phone rang snapping me out of my thoughts. I was at a bar having a drink, thinking about Arya and how scared she was of thunderstorms. It was actually cute, the way she scrunched up her nose and whimpered every time thunder echoed. She was just the same as back then but she had also changed a lot. Answering the phone, Arya’s slurred voice came over the line. “Hey, my head is spinning where are you Yas?” Clearly she was mistaken but I didn’t want to hang up. Before I could say anything I heard her again. “Hey! Can you not touch me like that?” She shouted. I immediately grabbed my keys and walked to my car. “Where are you?” I asked
My head was pressed against the headboard as I listened to the soft hum of the AC that chilled the room. My mind wandered back to Michael, what was he doing right now. Was he thinking about me? Did he even care? Him remembering those little things about me made me feel a type of way. “I need a drink,” I muttered as I rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen. After I poured some wine , I was about to sit at the table when my door bell rang. Opening the door I saw Yasmeen standing there looking worn out and tired. “Mind pouring me one of those,” she pointed to the glass and I nodded. “Girl come on in.” “What’s going on? How’s Raine doing?” “She is fine but I can tell she is ashamed of her actions and she doesn’t really want to speak to anyone about what happened. She is withdrawn. I tried to talk her and she just started crying in my arms. All she to told me was that she was sorry for what happened and she wished she could fix it. I wish things could have been diffe
Damon and I had a wild night and a memorable one too. I was beyond exhausted and so was he. But I had a job to do so I snuck out of bed while he was sleeping and got ready for work. After taking a cold shower and brushing my teeth, I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and got dressed. Thank goodness I left spare clothes here because of Damon’s and I little moments that usually spill over into the morning. “Sneaking out on me Arya?” Damon’s raspy voice penetrated my ear. “Well I didn’t want to interrupt your beauty sleep.” “If it’s to see you before you go, you can interrupt me all day princess.” His finger glided against my lips. “As much as I would love a round two, I’m satisfied as fuck. I’m going to be walking side to side all day.” I said and he smirked. “I fucked you pretty good, didn’t I?”“Don’t flatter yourself.” Damon smacked my ass causing me to yelp as I walked out of the door. He had that smirk on his face as he winked. I arrived at work on time and went to the o
After Yas disappeared in the room, the severity of the situation collapsed on me, and I had to excuse myself to the restroom to try to get some sort of composure. Checking my phone, there was a text from an unknown number. 'If I were you, I'd mind my pretty little mouth.' That's all it said. I chose to ignore it and decided to text someone else. My hands were shaking as I sent a text. I was worried now. This wouldn't usually get to me, but it did. Hearing about what Raine went through really hurt. My phone buzzed as Michael's ID popped up.Here I was, having a low moment, and my ex was the one to bail me out. I didn't want anything to do with Michael, but I wasn't sure who else to call. "Hey Arya," Michael's voice came through the line, soft and concerned. "I saw your text. Are you okay?" I hesitated for a moment, feeling a lump form in my throat. "Not really. It's been a rough day. " "Do you want me to come over to the hospital?" His offer was tentative, but genuine. I pau
Yasmeen's face was twisted in disbelief. "What? That's... that's insane. He was my boyfriend, and he proposed to me. How on earth is this even possible?" She staggered back. I nodded solemnly. "I know it sounds crazy, but Troy admitted it to me just now. He tried to brush it off as if it were nothing, but it's clear he's been involved with her. It is clear that something happened." Helen's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "But why would he... Why would he do something like this? Raine is only a child. She's my sweet, precious baby." Her lips quivered. "Because he's twisted," Yasmeen said, her voice trembling with anger. "He's always had this weird obsession with Raine, but I've never seen it like that. I figured they were getting along. He would just always talk to her and try to include her in our activities. I figured he was trying to be a part of the family. I just never thought... I never thought he'd go this far." "We have to do something," Helen said, her eyes darting toward
“What am I doing here? That’s a bold question to ask, considering what you just said. So let’s try again, what the fuck are you doing here?” I retorted and he released a frustrated sigh. He turned away from me and I quickly put on voice recording on my phone. I needed to record this for proof. “Look, it’s not what it sounds like.” “Okay well what does it sound like? What is it? Because I’ll be damned if you think that I’m just going to stand here and let you spit bullshit to me.” “Look Arya, you’re a nice girl and I really don’t want you to take this the wrong way but you should really mind your own business.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “What’s that supposed to mean? Is that a threat?” I raised a brow and he smirked.“It means that you shouldn’t be in things that don’t involve you. It could get really bad for you.” His smirk widened. “Is that a threat Troy. Just because your parents have government influence and power because they’re politicians doesn’t mean I have to be af
"This is really nice." I smiled as Yasmeen and I walked into the cinema. It was Friday evening"Girl, you needed it. We both did." Our popcorn was stacked in our hands, along with sodas and nachos. This was our girl's night, which we would have every now and then. As we waited for the movie to start, Yasmeen's phone rang, and she stepped outside to take the call. My mind wondered back to Michael and the way he treated me so coldly when we were together. He just ignored me. Quite frankly, I didn't care, but the thing is, it still made me feel a certain way. I texted Damon, and he told me that he couldn't hook up this weekend, much to my surprise. Well, that's a good reason to go clubbing. Yasmeen reentered the room with a sullen look on her face. Immediately, I knew something was wrong. "Yas, what's going on?" I asked, and tears began rolling down her eyes. "It's Raine; there's been an accident. She is hurt. I'm not sure what happened, but it doesn't sound good." She sobbed, and
“Lana! What a surprise?” I faked smiled as I steadied myself. “It is a surprise. What are you doing here?” She asked. She looked like she had seen a ghost.“Just had a meeting with Michael, that’s all.” Her eyes bore into the bag I had in my hand. The bag that Michael gave me with all the chocolates and snacks. “I can see that,” she managed through gritted teeth. As I was about to step inside, she blocked my path. “After all these years, you can’t come crawling back to Michael and acting like nothing happened. There’s a reason he’s with me and not you. If I were you I’d back off.” She whispered in my ear.“If he’s with you, then why are you threatened?” I smirked and she scoffed. “We both know—“ she started but I cut her off. “Both know what? That he’s a two timer? That he’s a cheater? That he could leave you at any moment without an explanation? Yes we both know that but one of us is smarter here. If I were you I’d keep my head low and mind my business.” I smiled and her eyes