ISLA’S POV“What!” I cried into the phone as the words of my manager floated into my ears.The words.Crisp.Fire.Destroyed.“Can you hear me?” the manager asked, and I had to shake the glistening tears away from my eyes to get back into reality.“Whatever you do, don’t look at the news,” came his response, and goosebumps engulfed my body.“Everything will be under control, but I thought I would warn you first. Things are not looking rosy in the office right now, and your attention is heavily needed, but I can hold down my own just until you finish your leave. I can do damage control just until you come. Maybe it would have been a bit better if you came down last week? But I’ll handle everything, I promise,” he said.I didn’t give him a chance to speak another word, and I ended the call for fear of the worst.Damage control, he said.What control could he possibly have for such a ghastly calamity?Somehow, I knew this was my fault. If only I had gotten there last week, like he said.
ISLA’S POV“Hi?” I spoke up as Dante answered on the first ring.“I wanted you to know that I would be at the office and may need you to come in. The crisis - just make sure you attend. Please,” I said, trying not to sound too desperate.“Sure. Anything else?” he asked, and my brows furrowed.I mean, I get that he was upset with me and that we had unfinished business, but did he have to be that cold?“The kids send their greetings,” I said, too obvious a lie that Axel turned in his seat from the driver’s side and looked at me for a bit before grunting.Dante scoffed, “Right, see you at the office.” Then he hung up.I stared at my phone in disbelief at what had just happened before turning to Axel, but he only gave me a look from the side but said nothing.I remember when I happily made Dante on my board of directors in the company, how it felt right to have the man I owed my life and my success story to be a part of it. Now, I didn’t know if that decision was going to bite me in the a
ISLA'S POV"Are you ok?" Axel suddenly asked me, tapping my shoulder lightly.I looked at him and nodded my head, trying to pretend as though I wasn't hurting.Last night, after the awkward confrontation, Axel left me to go to a hotel, and Dante finally agreed to let me inside the house.I tried to start a conversation with him, but nothing seemed to be enough, and just when I thought I had gathered enough courage to speak again, he announced that he was going out and didn't return till morning.Axel had picked me up from the steps just as he had dropped me off yesterday. I had texted him and my manager earlier because I needed to know what exactly had been destroyed.I directed Axel towards one of my fashion storage houses, and the white smoke that forced itself into my nose made my stomach churn, but it wasn't from the intensity. It was from sadness.After he had parked, I got down from the car, and my eyes began to water.I walked toward the rubble, and my eyes made out a figure -
TRISTAN'S POVStephanie finished making the call and passed a grin towards the kids."Who's hungry?" She asked the kids, and Tessa immediately raised her hand excitedly at the mention of food, whereas Tristan was as silent as a mouse.Stephanie noticed and immediately came beside the boy, hoping to get an answer from him."What about you, Tristan? Won't you eat?" She asked him, trying to sound as lovely as she could.Tristan was about to shake his head to say no when he looked into Stephanie's eyes and saw them change color, and his own eyes widened in shock as he backed up a little."I take that, as a yes?" She asked Tristan sweetly, squinting her own eyes for effect, and Tristan nodded his head visibly in discomfort."Great! Follow me." She sounded childlike, and Tess was immediately behind Stephanie while Tristan started to wring his fingers.'Mommy would never treat me like that,' he thought to himself.He looked at Tessa all of a sudden, feeling the urge to talk to his twin about
ISLA’S POVMy heart skipped a beat, and guilt filled every part of it as Dante looked down at the picture and then at me with empty eyes.Axel snatched the picture from Dante’s hands and took a closer look, making me feel more uncomfortable. What did he want to see aside from what was already there, a normal picture of me placing my hands across Dante’s neck while I posed with him, showcasing my engagement band?Instinctively, I placed a hand on my ring finger, and I saw Axel’s eyes catch my movement.Axel looked at me and frowned.“Why is there a picture of the two of you buried in the ashes, and how did you know about it?” he asked Dante, but he ignored him and then Axel started to strain his eyes and flipped the photo, and his demeanor changed immediately.“What is it?” I asked, my mind already weak with worry.“You have to see this,” he said, giving me the picture.I flipped it, and a gasp escaped my lips before Dante snatched the photo from my hand and started to read aloud.“You
ISLA’S POVMy body ached, and I was sore all over.I managed to lift Dante's hands off my core and sat up, my body craving some form of relief from last night's experience.I was plagued with memories of everything that had happened, from Axel's accusations to Dante's sex.It still wasn't making any sense. Despite Axel having his claw marks in Dante's name, it still didn't add up because Dante could never do anything that would harm me. After all, harming me would be harming himself.But if I didn't know the assailant, who did all of this? I wish there were a way for me to go back in time and make everything right.I looked over at Dante, his sleeping form very peaceful.Suddenly, it occurred to me.There was a solution, and it was sitting right outside of my door.I quickly got off the bed without waking Dante, my steps light, and movements swift.I nearly ran towards my goal, my legs increasing in pace.My hands touched the doorknob that led to my home office. It pained me that it t
ISLA'S POVMy world spun around and collapsed on my head as I raced back inside the house, desperate to understand what the hell had just happened.How did everything fall?I grabbed my phone, looking for someone to call, for anybody to listen to me as my mind played the voice of Dante screaming over and over again how this was my fault and how my mind betrayed me in believing it."Hello?" I said, my voice breaking as more tears streamed down my face."What happened?" Axel's voice came through from the speaker, and sobs raked my body."I'll be there," he said, my body already collapsing before he hung up.Almost simultaneously, my phone rang, and I hurriedly picked it up, my eyes catching a glimpse of the caller ID and seeing that it was unknown."Hello?" I asked, trying to mask the fact that I was crying before."Is this Ms. Isla?" A man's voice pushed through the speaker, and my body tensed."This is she," I replied, running at my eyes to still my tears."You have to come down to th
STEPHANIE’S POVI smiled against the door frame and watched the children sleep after letting them consume more than twenty potion-induced sandwiches.After ensuring they were genuinely asleep, I marched towards my own chambers, my steps carefully placed in front of the other.It was high time I checked in with my master.I carefully closed the door and locked it before standing in front of the mirror. Then, I began to wave my hands, and my voice changed.I started to recite some incantations, and my body began to deform. The once beautiful skin I was wearing seemed to melt away from my skin, the smoothness of it fading rapidly as pain shot through me.Grey hairs stood still as I continued the incantations.When I was done, I placed a now shriveled hand on the table, and my reflection showed my true nature, and a wicked smile crossed my face.I stood back, this time taking a knife and slicing the inner part of my palms and allowing blood to coat my fingertips. Then I went back to the m