***DON'T FORGET TO ADD THE STORY TO YOUR LIBRARY, #Comment #Like #VOTE #HannahSmith #GoodbyeMyLove Feel free to check my other stories here: Hey, Stranger! and Alpha's Last Chance
AFTER a week...At Grand Bistro Pub, Xander, Toby, and Ashton are drinking with different expressions on their faces. Xander looks cold with a dark gaze while drinking his whiskey on the rocks. Toby, on the other hand, is calmly chugging his beer while scrolling down his phone and occasionally chuckles at different videos he sees.Meanwhile, Ashton firmly sits while his legs are crossed and his right hand is brushing his hair. The bruises made by his father are still faintly visible, but they are no longer painful.Soon, Toby heaves deeply, breaking the awkward silence in the air, “Your father really gave you the beating.” he commented while closing his phone and putting it in his pocket.Ashton can only smirk at his remarks and hold his bruised face, reminiscing about how his father beat him. Xander grunted, "I think it's still lenient compared to the severity of your misdeed," he said while shooting cold gazes at Ashton. Ashton grinned, "Well, this time I learned my lesson." He re
Xander and Denise are left in the booth. He did not say anything, but his face showed a look of realization as if a cold bucket of water had poured on his head. Everything Ashton said was true. Without Hannah’s help, everything would have fallen apart. He massages his temple and tries to remember how he ended up married and naked on the same bed with Hannah.~4 years ago in California, he was heartbroken and betrayed. When he left Toby and Ashton at the restaurant, he ran outside and took his car keys from the valet and wanted to drive far from the place, as if running away from the problems.He even turned off his phone to completely shut up everything. He just wants peace and quiet when suddenly a woman wearing a skimpy outfit and oversized coat knocks on his window and offers to drive for him. He thought she was a prostitute and was about to turn her down, but when he saw Ashton and Toby looking for him, he took her offer and let her drive.He orders her to drive to any body of wa
In New York City...As Hannah completes the paperwork they need to enter the Dallas Project bidding, she can’t stop feeling guilty for using Ashton to gain the upper hand against Xander. While she was typing on her computer, her hands couldn’t stop shaking, and she couldn’t set aside the feeling of longing for him. She stops typing and stares at her trembling sweaty palms, “What’s wrong with me?” She asks herself.Soon a wave of memory flashed into her mind.~That day after their steamy encounter, they went to brunch, then drove around the city and went shopping.It looked like they were lovers. He held her hand while they walked from Bloomingdale’s to the streets of Manhattan. Opened doors for her and fixed her tangled hair. She felt surreal going around the city with Ashton. At first, she just agreed because of the guilt, but soon she enjoys his company.Her demeanor surprises her, she feels secure and happy to be around him. Soon she noticed that she couldn't stop smiling, her he
At the Monroe Mansion...Ashton was summoned by his father to his study area. Today his father will give him the ultimatum to fix himself.Ashton's heart was pounding loudly as he sat on the chair opposite his father, his head lowered and hands trembling. As sweat forms on his forehead, the memories of his wrong deeds flicker before his eyes. As if Riktor can see what’s on his mind, he then says, “Does your foolishness flash before your eyes?”His voice startled Ashton, and he almost jolted out of his seat. He was terrified of his father and could only hum in response. Riktor then told him about his condition and he quickly agreed to it. In reality, he couldn’t do anything. All his inheritance and trust fund from his grandparents were handled by his father, even though he worked and had significant influence in the company and collaboration with the Millers, Moores, and other wealthy families.Everything was handled by his father and he was only given allowances per month. Riktor knew
Fearful that his brother was still mad at her and cut all her allowance. Katarina behaved herself and stayed at home waiting for the best moment to ask him to let her celebrate her birthday. She'd been waiting for him to be in a better mood night after night. She waited in the living room for his return. One night, Xander returned home around 10 pm, and he saw Katarina asleep in the living room. He walked to her and stared at her for a while, checking if she was breathing. As if she could feel her brother's gaze, she opened her eyes and almost jumped off of the couch when she saw him. Her heart was pounding and she began to hyperventilate. “Y... You startled me!” She uttered while trying to calm herself. Xander did not speak to her and was about to leave and Katarina felt that this was her last chance to ask him. As her birthday was right around the corner and one more delay, they could no longer set up the garden properly. She immediately stood up and held her brother’s hand, “wai
After several setbacks, Katarina’s birthday finally came. It’s 4 PM and the party starts at 6 PM. The event coordinator is adjusting minor details on the setup to make sure everything is perfect. The garden is in full bloom, the pink dahlias complement the motif of the event. The tables are covered in baby pink silk fabric and the tables are a full set of fine dining cutlery with a centerpiece of 22 pieces of pink roses that are neatly arranged in an expensive vase. The seats are made of the finest materials and the seat cushion is so soft and comfortable it feels like sitting on a marshmallow. As the time reaches 6 pm, guests start to arrive and the maids usher every guest to their respective seats as per the seating arrangements made by Katarina. Most seats in front of the stage are for family, friends, and special guests. In comparison, the seats at the back are for their acquaintances. Though Katarina wanted a big party, she only invited 70 people, mostly her schoolmates and frie
It was a gloomy Sunday afternoon and heavy rain was about to pour.It is as if the weather wants to grieve like Cyrene and Bella who were accompanying Ashton to the airport.Cyrene kept crying during the ride. While Bella, being the youngest child, is close to Ashton as she finds his brother as childish as she is. For her, her brother is the best among her other siblings. She finds it unfair that her brother needs to leave Texas because of Denise. In Bella’s mind, their father should have punished Denise instead of her brother. Ashton, on the other hand, hugged his mother and sister. Soon, the car was put to a halt. They finally arrived at the airport. Ashton suggests that they stay in the car, as it might be harder for all of them if they saw him depart. Both Cyrene and Bella agreed to his suggestion; shortly, another wave of tears flooded the car and they hugged each other harder. “See you in a year or whenever Dad wants me back!” He uttered jokingly as he walked out of the car
One week before Hannah returned to Texas...After months of preparation, numerous closed-door meetings with Charles, and unimaginable overtime. Charles gave her a week off from work to calm her nerves before she dives head first once she returns to Texas.To make her short vacation productive, she called the private investigator she hired when she first arrived in New York.The investigator gave her a folder that had all the information he had gathered throughout his search. Hannah took a quick glance at the images and documents inside. Though the investigator she hired was working nonstop to fulfill her request, the data he gathered was still not enough to locate the person she was looking for. Despite that, she gave him a brown envelope filled with cash.Her meeting with the investigator was short and straightforward and that only lasted a few minutes.She held the folder firmly in her hands, "Where are you?" She uttered under her breath and soon stood up to leave.As she was leaving
In the blink of an eye… Months had passed and Ashton still hadn’t proposed. He started to become busy with his company, despite that not even once did the ring leave his pocket.During that time a lot of things happened. Charles had successfully dominated the shipping business and ended Hannah’s contract. She’s free to work for any company she likes. Toby continued to visit Xander and was happy to know that he was starting to respond to psychotherapy.Lani is still in maximum prison, and she is treated like a slave by everyone. She never thought in a million years she would be pushed around like trash by women half her age. That she needed to massage someone's callus feet just to have protection from other inmates.Aside from the hellish treatments, no one had visited her ever since she moved there. Ron even stopped sending her letters. She never felt alone and helpless in her life.Meanwhile, for Clarise and Zane, the day they had been waiting to arrive. It's a love story more than a
In Hannah’s ward. It was already 8 pm when Ashton returned. When he got to Hannah’s room, only Heidi was in there. “You’re back,” Hannah uttered in glee. She could sense that he was a bit calmer than before.“Have you eaten?” Heidi asked Ashton. He shook his head.“I’m buying us some food. Hannah wants some pasta. How about you? Anything particular you want?” Heidi asks. “Let me buy the food for us,” he suggested.Heidi shook his head, “You stay here. You should be resting not roaming around.” She insisted. “You kids stay here.” She added as she headed outside.He smiled and swiftly walked to Hannah to hold her hand. “I asked Clarise to buy me a hair clipper.” She blurted out while showing them to him.He narrowed his gaze, “Why?”“To cut my hair. So it will grow back the same length as my bald spot, and it would be all-natural. My hair grows back fast and it would be presentable enough at the time of Clarise and Zane's wedding. Would you help me cut my hair?” She asked as she ha
At Texas Southwestern Medical Center...“Ashton, where are you going?” Cyrene asked as she watched how his son got up from the bed and headed outside.“I want to see her. Where is she?” He replied in worry.She sighs, “She’s in the next room. Her friends are in there, and she’s still asleep. So calm yourself down. You just had 14 stitches on your chest and leg,” she explains.He shook his head, “I’m fine—”.Before he could finish his sentence, beeping sounds from the other room roared in the air, followed by shouting and cries.“Nurse!” “Nurse!” He heard Clarise and Zane’s voices in the hallway.He stood up immediately and checked what was happening.“Ashton!” Cyrene yelled, but all she could do was follow him.He entered the room next door and there she was being coaxed by Clarise and Zane to calm down.She’s having nightmares. Keeps seeing that she'll wake up in captivity and seeing a hospital ward is not helping her condition. She felt like she was still trapped in the cabin.She
After lunch, Zane and Clarise drove to one of their vendors.Zane couldn’t stop staring at his soon-to-be wife. She tried her best to smile, but she could not hide the uneasiness in her movements.He could no longer take it and finally voiced out his concerns. He closed the binder he was holding, "Do you want to postpone the wedding and wait for Hannah to return?" He asked in a soft voice.She shook her head, "She won't like that. She would hate to know that we delayed our wedding because of her. Aside from that, we have already paid for our vendors," she explained.He sighs, “I don’t want to say this... You know that... I love Hannah. She’s like a sister to me but… What kind of friend leaves her friends like that? She knew we were getting married, and she just left.” Her hands trembled. He felt fear in her. She inched close to him and glanced around the room, “The type that’s been abducted.” She said in a low voice.“Abducted?” He repeats in a louder tone.She covered his mouth imm
~Toby and I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer.~Ashton’s voice woke up Hannah from her slumber.“Ashton?” She called out. Her eyes expressed glee to hear his voice. She glanced around only to realize she was still trapped inside the room. ~You know I need to go back to dating~~You know I need to go back to dating~His recorded voice kept on repeating for a few more hours. Shortly, Xander arrived with a smug look on his face. “You’ve heard the recording. Ashton is back to his old ways. Drinking and partying with a random woman in the bar, like the filthy animal that he is. He'll sleep with anyone available.” He says mockingly.“Do you still think he is better than me?” He added as he caressed her face.She evaded his touch by hiding under the blanket. She remained silent. There’s a part of her happy that he is moving on with his life, but she can’t ignore the fact that it hurts so badly. It's like confirmation that she has already lost her chance to be happy.“How long am I i
Hannah woke up with the smell of savory food in the air.She could feel her stomach gurgling. “Are you hungry?” Xander asks her. She nods. He smiled eerily, “I made tomato soup and salad. Come get your food.” He suggested as he motioned at the table. She slowly rose from her bed, but before she could take her first step she noticed one of her feet was chained to the bed. There was confusion on her face. She slowly turned her head to him.“What games are you trying to play this time?” She asks with a trembling voice.He shrugs, “Say ‘Please’ and I'll move the table near you.” He uttered. “I will even throw on a piece of bread if you sound a little sweeter.”She doesn't want to do it, but she's hungry, thirsty, and weary. She lowered her head to hide how annoyed and angry she was, “I want to eat, please.” She uttered in a low sweet voice.He moved the table near her and then patted her head, “See, that’s not hard, is it? I knew you just needed to be retrained to be obedient. If you
Ashton’s hands are sweating. Now that his and Clarise’s suspicions were proven correct, he needed to act fast to look for Hannah. Despite that, everything must remain in secrecy as one wrong move might alert Xander, and he might move her somewhere farther away. As he stopped his car at the intersection traffic light, he began to utilize Galvin and his team to help him search for her. He dialed Galvin and he was soon answered. “Galvin, how are we on the list of Xander's properties?” “Check your email. I just sent it to you.” He replied.“Good. I want you to do something for me. Station a person in the Miller Mansion and document any movements.” Ashton demanded.“Sure, anything else?” Galvin uttered. Ashton sighs. Something is bothering him. First is the letter, then Xander is staying in the Miller Mansion, while Hannah is in Asia.It doesn’t add up and it doesn’t make any sense. A dozen questions are inside his mind. “Did Xander threaten her to write the letter, and she chose to l
“Come on, eat your pancakes,” Xander suggested as he pushed the paper plate at her.She began stabbing her food with the plastic pork in exasperation. “What did I ever do to you for you to treat me like this? You already know the truth that I’ve saved your life and this is the thanks I get. Imprisonment in this place…” She yelled at him. He raised his arm, and she flinched in fear and shielded her head with her hand. He lowered his arm and sighed deeply. “Why won’t you just be obedient? Like before?”She laughs mockingly, “And where will it take me? Years of misery? Whatever I do, you end up hurting me.” She remarks.“You don’t understand I’m just protecting you from making more mistakes in your life.” He explains.“How about you protect me against yourself? Let me go and never show yourself ever again,” she suggested.He shook his head, “I can’t. I won’t.” He held her shoulders firmly, “You’re the only one that genuinely cares for me, and you’re the only one I have.”“I used to car
Ashton effortlessly carried the boxes of Hannah’s files inside his room. Searching for anything that might point to where she is.But all he could find were the documents about her research into Denise, Lani, Ron, Donnie, and Hector Reese and the crimes they committed.On how she will convince Donnie to bring down Hector and Denise. While reading through the mountain of paperwork she had, he felt so proud of the effort she put through.“You are so amazing,” he mumbled.He then remembered Clarise’s words.~Someone might have threatened her.~“Xander,” he thought to himself.Soon he decided to message the investigator to get him a list of all of Xander’s property as he might have her held captive. “If he took her, could she be in the Miller Mansion?” He asked himself.Soon Toby’s statement lingered in his head.~He locked himself inside the mansion.~He starts pacing back and forth as he questions everything that has happened.“But… If that’s the case, how did he get her? If she’s in A