Richard's point of view... What the hell was wrong with me...! I couldn't understand why all my senses were blocked when I saw her. As we reached her house, I turned to her to say that we were here but as I saw her leaning against the window glass and sleeping soundly, my heart fluttered.I stopped the car and my fingers reached out for those hair strands on her face, blocking my view. It was the same feeling I had in my dream that day, but then I couldn't see her and now she was here with me. I shouldn't be doing this, I shouldn't be harboring such feelings for her but it was still out of my control. I couldn't stop myself from touching her. As my hand brushed her face, that tenderness under my fingers jerked me. I can't explain that feeling. She was so soft that I stressed that I would hurt her with the touch of my fingers on her and so I hesitatingly pulled my hand back. I just wanted to whiff off those hair strands from her face so leaned closer. But before I could blow, s
Juliette's point of view... In just a blink of an eye, a week passed away. I have been dead busy lately with all my assignments and reports that I have to submit by the end of this month and didn't have enough time to help Mom. Though I barely stayed at home, I tried my level best to assist her. But I still felt squeamish listening to the arrangements they were making. My Mom was so excited about the circus going on but I don't know why I think Anna wasn't serious about this ceremony. She stayed at the gallery all the time. Actually whenever Richard's Mom visits her. This was quite weird. Shouldn't she be impressing her? Yeah...! I know I must be happy for my sister and I would have been, definitely, if she showed me just the slightest interest in her engagement. Damn, that girl...!Mom was overly enthusiastic whereas that girl didn't even try the expensive dress they gifted her for this ceremony.If it was me, I would have tried that on more than a hundred times by now. What a
Author's point of view... Juliette's mind stirred as she saw her Mom crouching and her eyes red. She was trembling and her tears refused to stop. Juliette scanned the room in panic and other than her Mom, there was no one around. Anna was nowhere to be found and the dress which she was supposed to wear was dumped on the floor. Was that because of Anna? Did she do something again? Where is she? "Mom, what's wrong with you? What happened?" Juliette rushed over to help her mom stand again but was unable to do it. "Jul..." her Mom cupped Juliette's face and attached her forehead to hers. "It's all over...!" she started crying again. Juliette couldn't think straight but all that she knew now was to comfort her Mom. "Calm down, Mom, you call me your superhero, right? Just tell me everything" Juliette insisted. Gasping for air, Juliette's Mom, Nancy started explaining what happened. Though reluctantly, Anna got ready and was waiting for the ceremony to end quickly when suddenly Rich
Richard's point of view... "What the heck do you mean by that, Mr. Stones" I grunted above my pitch, everything in me was uncontrollable, my anger, my emotions, my thoughts almost everything was not in my control for a second. My fist clenched on the doorknob that I had been holding ensuring that its engraved design had printed on my palm in red. I am not sure what I would do if I couldn't contain my anger anymore. This is just testing my patience. "I... I am so sorry for you, Mr. Richard but I have no other options left. You know very well about the rules, don't you?" those freaking rules...! He heaved a deep sigh before continuing, "Let's get to the point, the next condition according to your father's will is, you have to get married within twenty-four hours or you won't be able to keep anything of the property" Seriously...! The moment I heard those words, my teeth gritted and I clenched my jaws too much that I was afraid that I would break them in half. I had been bearing w
Richard's point of view... Mom stiffened her expression while wiping the teardrop that escaped the corner of her eyes and took a deep breath, "Fine, you started the game, didn't you? Then you will end it up" she said firmly "Go and find her, Richard, with a better offer this time." I stared at her, she was serious, "Convince her to get married to you and we can gift her any good future she desires"Mom said determined, standing up and getting ready to leave. "But she is just my friend, Mom" I protested only to get smacked by her, "Yeah, a good friend and that is why we have another reason to convince her. Offer her money, status, or anything she wants, Richard. But now stop messing around and let's go. We don't have much time left" She had made up her mind, I don't have a say in this. She would never lose Dad's company at any cost. I still couldn't figure out how am I going to keep this thing before Anna. How would she take it? As I reached the community hall, I strode straig
Author's point of view... "I want to talk to her alone," Richard said but as Nancy gave him a cold look, his commanding tone changed into requesting one and he hung his head in guilt. "Please..., let me talk to her alone," Richard requested as Juliette was still begging her mother to believe in her. Richard's mom leaned slightly toward her son and whispered into his ears, "Good, just somehow convince your bride, no matter what you need to do. Remember you have to do this, Richard" After feeding her son with the pedagogy, she shoved some kind of paper in his hand and walked over to Nancy and Dorcy. "Yes, Mrs. Stanford, let's go out for a while and let the bride and groom talk it out thoroughly" Richard's Mom was so excited, as if everything that happened was good on her terms. In fact, she always wanted a bride that her son loved. And that little girl was a perfect choice for her. She had always adorned the two sisters but Juliette's behavior had long impressed her. Nancy brushe
Author's point of view... Everything passed very fast, just like it hadn't been a day but just a fraction of a second. Like a wind passing through the desperate hearts just to turn everything upside down. Juliette's life has taken an unforeseen turn which was still unacceptable for her. She never thought she would be married today and with the man, she couldn't even imagine as her husband for what had happened. "Mr. Richard...! Mr. Richard Solomon...! I can't be marrying him. No way...! It must be a dream...! I must have been sleeping all this time," her thoughts smacked her back when she pinched herself for the tenth time in just a minute. But the pain that made her jerk told her that it was indeed not a dream but a living nightmare. All this thing was more like a TV drama or some kind of fantasy story she was reading or watching. But unlike in the dramas, there wasn't a happy romantic ending for her. The dust settled as all the things for the wedding were arranged personally b
Author's point of view... The ceremony was completed, and the certificates were signed but when the priest announced them as husband and wife, Juliette felt a jerk as if those words were not just words but a slap on her face. "You may kiss the bride" the priest continued. Juliette lifted her head and stared at the groom's eyes whereas Richard's heart skipped a few beats. Wasn't it the same dream he had this morning? Kissing his bride...! Is it going to come true? He took a step ahead, his gut filled with fluttering butterflies. Despite the trouble between them, she was still the girl he always dreamed about. But before he could touch his bride, she snorted, "I will never let you touch me..." she grabbed her dress and ran away leaving him behind in shock. He stared at her retreating. Richard had anticipated this before but at least he thought she would put on with it till the end. Richard's mother walked onto the stage and patted his shoulder, consoling him, "You need to take i
The ground was bustling with almost all the students from the school and the University. Richard took Juliette towards the ground and made her sit at one of the safest corners. Juliette never expected that Richard would bring her here. Soon Scarlett and Lissa joined her. The game began and it was then that Juliette spotted a known figure among the players. "Richard..." she exclaimed in shock to find Richard joining the team. "What was going on? Why is he there?" she mumbled to herself and stared at the ground puzzled. The refry whistled and the ball was tossed. Though it was the university guys to grabbed the ball first, it didn't take a minute for Richard to snatch the ball and throw it in the basket. "Wow...! That was the fastest basket that I had ever seen in this game" the commentator announced excitedly. Juliette felt a strange pride in her heart. When she looked up, Richard saw her in her direction which made her heart flutter. The whistle started the game again and Richard
Juliette's point of view... Though Logan managed to hit the break right on time, the car collided with the truck and stopped. I bumped into the deck that raised a strong pain in my head and gradually, lost consciousness for quite a while. When I finally got my senses back, I saw we were still in the car. Nobody cared if we were alive. I quickly check on Logan. He looked fine as the car was not damaged that bad but when I tried to wake him up, I was dumpfonded. His forehead was bleeding so much. I searched for my phone and called Harway right away. I struggled a lot to stop his wound from bleeding, while waiting for the ambulance. Soln Harway showed up with an ambiance following him. On the way to the hospital, I was still in a maze. My hands were still trembling. Seeing my condition, Harway reassured me that Logan will be fine. With the help of the staff, he took Logan on a stretcher and carried him to the Emergency Wing. I sat outside in the waiting area and started praying to
Author's point of view... "How about having fun with us...!" the man sneered and Juliette's heart skipped a beat as she quickened her pace, hoping to slip by unnoticed. But the menacing laughter that followed her every step told her she wasn't going to be let off that easily."Hey, sweetheart, where do you think you're going?" one of the guys called out, his voice dripping with malice. The alley was dark with almost no street lights nearby. The light from far away was barely enough to point out any moving creature in that way. That man switched on his phone light and focused on Juliette. The others followed him on their bikes, focusing their headlights on her as well. Juliett's pulse quickened, her mind racing for an escape route. She was like a deer caught amid city lights. Panicked. Terrified. She wanted to scream for help but being an isolated alley, it was doubtful if anyone could hear her. Yet she didn't want to give in, but before she could react, a voice cut through the an
Author's point of view... Both of them stood before the bed staring at it as a battlefield that was waiting for them. The bed in Richard's room was hardly sufficient for one person to sleep comfortably. Juliette swallowed hard at the thought of lying beside him. She awkwardly stole glances at him thinking that it was exactly like stepping on a triggered explosion. The burning sensation of her cheeks grew worse but Richard's condition stopped her from making any discussion. She strode towards the bed and grabbed a blanket to roll it and place it on the bed as a wall between them. They both lay down quietly. Her fragile body hardly covered one-fourth of the bed but no matter how long they tried, they couldn't sleep a wink. After twisting and tossing on the bed for a few minutes, Ricard finally started a conversation. "Juliette, is this necessary?" he removed the blanket slowly from the middle and Juliette jerked sitting up on the bed. "Yes...it is" She tried to snatch it back but
Juliette's point of view... "Miss... Miss Alissa" I greeted her trying to get up but she smirked pushing me back. "Juliette, right! I will remember you" I saw Alissa looking at me menacingly then she walked passing by, deliberately stepping on my hand. "Hey...!" I hissed in pain but she didn't see back. That woman is really something. I entered the class rubbing my hand and sat on my place. Lissa instantly turned around to ask me, "Jul, why was Miss Grey asking for you? Did you meet her just now?"Miss Grey...! So she was the new teacher they were all talking about. Beautiful and flirting with boys on the very first day...! I wonder what kind of a woman she is. Few more classes gone by at ease but before the long bell, an attendee walked in from the room and called my name. He said that Miss Grey wanted to see me in her office. I was not in the mood to face that woman at all but the man before me said that she just wanted to give me some materials about the class I missed toda
Juliette's point of view... The way he was staring at me, with his eyes narrowed and his forehead all creased, I thought he would shout at me or even worse. A fear crept into my heart when I slowly hung my head.Did I do something wrong? He stepped forward and I stepped back immediately. The temperature in the room seemed to be dropping every second. I was shivering inside out. "What do you take me for? Where did you get this money?" he asked in his husky voice but in a chilled tone. I gulped down to wet my throat before answering him. "I...I...sold my chain..." I stuttered and closed my eyes. He was very angry. I couldn't help but feel the anxiety building up inside me. But soon I felt his hand over mine, the one that I had extended towards him and opened my eyes. He kept a few more notes on top of that envelope. "Return the money to your friend and get back your chain, today" he said domineeringly and I looked up at him completely blank. "But..." I wanted to tell him that I d
Juliette's point of view... We reached his office and that shameless woman was still waiting for him inside, sitting on his chair. I sheepishly stood aside peeking at that woman. What an indecent creature...!!"Richard you are back..." she instantly stood up with a smile across her face but as she saw me, her smile faded away instantly."Richard..." she called so intimately, they look so close, "Why did you bring that kid back here?" she asked as her eyes rolled over me in disdain, stopping straight at our hands, still binding together.I twisted my wrist to free myself. Richard turned around and grabbed my wrist again while closing the door behind us."Miss Alissa Grey," he turned around and called that woman's name, "I want you to meet my wife, Mrs. Juliette Solomon" he pulled me closer and wrapped his arms around me so intimately. A cold shiver run down my spine. I wiggled trying to free myself but he leaned closer and whispered. "Stop resisting or I will kiss you right before
Juliette's point of view... Even when Mr. Thompson was taking classes, my mind was swirling in a whirlwind of thoughts. Clutching the notes bundle in my hand, I recalled what that shop owner said. Richard was so much worried and was reluctant to remove that ring from his hand. I couldn't understand where to keep him, in the good side or the bad side. What is he in reality? The man who wanted to help me or a pervert who brought a woman to home? Where should I count him!! As I thought about it, if he did want to help me, why didn't he gave me the money directly? He didn't pay it directly but instead he asked Mr. Thompson to do it, just why? I am not the idiot that he thinks I am. He might be having ulterior motives behind his deeds. Fine, I won't accept his help, anyway. During the lunch hour, I strode towards his office to return the money I owed him but as I opened the door of his room, I was dumbfounded. He was crouching before a woman with his hands on her thighs and that w
Juliette's point of view... When Richard dropped me near the intersection, I saw Nathan and Scarlet waiting for me before the cafe. I initially planned to tell Richard everything about the money I needed but after hearing his mother scolding him, I was clear about one thing he himself was in short of cash, what would he possibly do to help me? I wish I was a Cinderella and he was my prince charming or at least a hidden billionaire or something like that. But...! Fictions are fiction and reality sucks. He was just a normal man with a low bank balance who could not help me right now with my situation. I called Scarlett earlier to ask her to accompany me to the pawn shop as that was my only way out. I needed the money so badly and as my family was not responding, I had no other choice but to pawn the only precious thing with me, my platinum chain. It was a gift from Mom when I stood first in my tenth standard. I never wanted to lose it but today I am hopeless. Though I called Scar