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Silent Lair
Last Updated:
2023-04-22 04:52:17
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Got Too Close His move
Clutching Mia's hand, I ran into the main headquarters of La Belle in Umbria, Italy. I glanced up at the high buildings, feeling my tension oozing out. For the first time in years, I wasn't so sure of myself.The company was mostly empty, and except for the receptionist standing at the side, who looked at me strangely when I entered, there was no one.I walked up to her and tried on a smile, "Elen Santos, please."Her face dawned in recognition, and she quickly came out of the counter and was in front of me in seconds, directing me towards the meeting room, where my fate would be decided.With what Char had said on the phone, hearing of the ruined show the day before, Mason had decided he couldn't wait for us to return to Vegas before giving me a piece of his mind. And he came along with other officials of La Belle. I knew this wasn't just about me messing up the show.Finally, we stopped before a door."Here we are," The receptionist said.I nodded, "thank you very much."Then she pe
Last Updated : 2023-04-22Got Too Close His move (2)
AUTHOR'S POV."what is going on?" Char muttered, watching Nikolai glare hard at Mason, whose confusion intensified the more, looking from Elena to the president whose eyes on him seemed to burn him down.Elena could swear she never saw his eyes get this fiery before; it made her stop squirming, looking at the side of his face wondering where all of this was coming from.From the side of her eyes, Elena saw the paper in Joey's hands drop, watching as the President suddenly stood before Elena, unbuttoning her dripping jacket and throwing it at the door.Elena faced the door in time to see Noah catch the jacket and then tip his head toward her direction, muttering respectfully. "You don't look too well, First Lady."She was about to pinch herself, so she woke up from this damn nightmare rendering her speechless.Mason laughed nervously, "Your Excellency, I'm sure you're mistaken," he pointed to her, "This here was a worker in this company; Elen Santos can not be First Lady,"Nikolai's re
Last Updated : 2023-04-23Got Too Close Pulled in
She'd never seen the great Nikolai Rossi flinch, she'd never seen his eyes weaken, but right there, she got more reaction than she had expected; The President was knocked off his feet.No sound was emitting from him, she wasn't sure, but she thought she saw his hands shake, eyes on his daughter.Mia left her shoulders turning to take in her father again, and as brown eyes watched each other, Nikolai suddenly dragged his hair backward, swallowing and inhaling deep breaths."Years, and you kept her hidden, Elena? But for how long were you intent on keeping this up?" He demanded palms spread."For as long as it takes me, so you don't take her from me.""Are you kidding me right now?!""No, I'm not," she broke eye contact holding Mia tighter, "You powerful men get what you want with just a snap of your fingers, but she..." Elena inhaled, "she's all I have""Quit that bullshit!" He snapped through gritted teeth, his hand about to clench to a fist when his eyes met her fearful, wavering one
Last Updated : 2023-04-23Got Too Close Pulled In (2)
"I beg to differ," he had said, and next, he was in his office, sitting opposite her, eyes holding hers, demanding answers.Answers for?Entering the office, she'd felt Deja Vu; the night she left, she remembered the moans, his groans, and her pain finding the papers right on that damn desk he placed beautifully manicured fingers on.She remembered her tears.But then here he was, demanding she returns, peering at her from his gold-framed glasses.Whether she agreed or not, one thing was sure; he wouldn't have it easy with her.He pulled his glasses and sat back on his seat, twirling the chair, eyes searching hers until she looked away."You still haven't made up your mind, have you?" he raised a brow, "Or you enjoy making it hard for me, Elena? You want me on my knees, groveling at your feet."It wasn't far from the truth; she felt like shrugging. Now that she was open to the world, there was nothing to hide anymore..."Considering how I found the divorce papers, that isn't enough to
Last Updated : 2023-04-24Got Too Close Limelight
"... she's back with my kid, name's Mia, and she can't stand the sight of me," Nico grimaced, glaring at the clock, "And Milo, don't fucking make me repeat this shit one more time when all you do is..."Milo's hard laughter filled the phone again; Nico swallowed his annoyance. He wasn't expecting anything else when he told his brother about the events."Are you done?""No man," Milo wheezed, Finding fun in his brother's misfortune, "Mr. President, aren't you a wild one? Donna's going to be thrilled hearing about this one.""Don't you fucking tell Mum""Eissshh, too late, dude.""You never left the fucking phone; how did you...""I didn't tell you Aunt Abby is here. Did I?" Nico could almost see his brother shrug, "She overheard, and now she's on the phone"Those two..damnit."And you say she got my mole?" Milo inquired, and that was his only fascination in all of this, that and Nico panicking.How stupid of him to think he'll get comfort from Milo."Yo, Boris," Milo shouted, "Nico got
Last Updated : 2023-04-25Got Too Close Holding breaths
Nico's POV.Coming back from Rome was usually being in a car, with Noah driving, while I placed my head against the seat, struggling to catch a nap, which was futile when the sounds of sirens blaring behind us as we made our way to the airport made it even harder to straighten my thought.Today was different, for immediately I got into the waiting car, and my phone vibrated against the car seat.Father."I heard about the new development, Nicolas," he sounded like he had just woken up from a deep slumber and found out I existed, for it had been a week since the new development.Father took his time on a lot of things; it was like he feared overreacting, and that caused us a lot of anxiety growing up, like when we were fifteen and helped Milo leave the house when he wasn't supposed to.After Aunt Abby's wedding, he decided he needed to smoke his grief out, and Dad caught us after Milo went into a seizure.I could still hear Zayne laughing right on Milo's hospital bed while I crazed myse
Last Updated : 2023-04-26Got Too Close Just getting started
"Your room," She repeated, her eyes beginning to tear up just at the thought, hoping it had to be a dysfunction in her ears. "Your room?"He raised both brows, his face still formal yet challenging, "Yes, my room; you've been there before, haven't you?"She swallowed hard; of course, she had been there once, the greatest mistake of her life, No, she did love Mia a lot, more than her life, But that night could have been avoided if she stayed in her lane.Especially when she remembered that that night he gave her a chance to leave, watching her sitting on his bed, his back placed against a wall as he sipped from a glass cup.So entirely, it wasn't his fault she had been so slutty.Now she shook her head, "There's no way you can ask me that; remember the rules, Your Excellency."He began to pull her as he walked toward his room, knowing she wouldn't fight him off so as not to cause a scene; clenching her fingers, she gritted, "Sir, we had a deal; once you touch me, you know it's all over.
Last Updated : 2023-04-26Got Too Close Motivo nascosto
My fingers trembled throughout the journey to Umbria, from the jet down to the car; whereas Noah drove me, he kept watching the rearview mirror, saying nothing, but his eyes spelled everything.I wanted to spill out my wail of embarrassment as I buried my face in my hands in the backseat of the car, but Noah's warning about women crying was enough motivation to keep the tears at bay.I felt hot all over, remembering the roars of the press, more camera flashes, and above all, I couldn't get the expression on Nikolai's face out of my head. It wasn't a blank stare; that eyes had shaken me up; it was like he had forgotten his script, and the real him— glared at me. It seemed to burn me down, my apologies frozen on my lips.So even though Noah angered me, it felt like heaven being pulled away from Nikolai.What have I done?I pulled the pins from my hair, my two hands raking my hair backward as I struggled to catch my breath, "I need air," I whispered more to myself than Noah as I clutche
Last Updated : 2023-04-27
Latest chapter
Got Too Close Oops
"Is that it?" Gianni frowned when I finished. "You've got to be kidding me." Midway, I had almost burst into tears, explaining in as much detail as I could that the men's beachwear collection, which would have been next week, had to be postponed because of the lack of models."You don't get it." I sniffled, dabbing my cheek. "It's bad for business. Bad publicity goes a long way, and the investors...""Hey," Maya says, wrapping her arms around my shoulder, shooting Gianna, still sitting, a glare. "There has to be something we can do about it." "You've got to be kidding me!" Gianna retorts again, "That's why you're crying?" "I'm so sorry," I sobbed. "I don't know why I'm so emotional; what's wrong with me?!" "Oh, I know." Clara mumbles."Gianna!" Maya's tone is laced with a warning tinge. "Be nice." But she was right. This was nothing to cry about; I was a grown woman. It was shameful that once they thought I was the epitome of strength, but now they knew I was just a crybaby."Do
Got Too Close Reunion (3)
The next few days we spent indoors; still, it was hard to see Nico. The air in Calabria was hearty, the laughter infectious. It wasn't hard to notice that Nico and Zayne still stayed away from each other. They had tried to hide it, but they didn't try hard enough to take off our suspicions.Milo, sometimes in the middle of a conversation with the whole family, set up opportunities for them to exchange a word two, but like two peas of the same pod, we found them, mouth full and chewing slowly until the attention was taken off their back."You want me to do it for you?" I asked Nico when we were alone in the room, watching his face as I applied my lipstick, "I could talk to Zayne, Nico. It doesn't have to..." I wasn't done when his arms curled around me, flattening his opened palm against my stomach, sending my heart racing, and then he kissed me, shutting me up briefly.When he broke it off, sending me breathless and wanting, he searched my eyes and murmured, "It's all right. It's my
Got Too Close Reunion 2
Authors POVElena didn't look back as she walked away with the others, Milo staring at the top of her head with amusement as he pushed Gianna out of the sitting room.Nico didn't like that look in his eyes. It was the same look he held for Gianna, and now, whenever Milo was around, Zayne had to work for a bit of time with his wife.He pulled his eyes off the door they just walked out of, and when he turned to Zayne, who continued to give Matteo audience, his countenance a mixture of pride and sadness, Nico felt his stomach churn.He wasn't prepared for this, wasn't ready to be knocked down from the truth he believed in. He thought that Zayne would let the children die, all for petty malice, but all this while, it had been him who did nothing to help.Then why did he hide it? Why did he go through all that only to give all of the praise to Milo? Was that why Milo distanced himself for so long? Suddenly, he felt like he wasn't part of a family he had always known."How are your injuries
Got Too Close Reunion
Author's POV.Matteo continued to chatter, "...He said you were coming for us, Dad, and you came." his innocent smile didn't match the struck expression on his father's face, which also mirrored mine."Can I say hello?" He askedSeeing Nico couldn't say a word, I took charge, "Of course, Matteo, go tell your uncle Hi.""My uncle?" His eyes widened, "Cool Ma," before he was running off towards his sister and Zayne, who, on seeing him, seemed unsure at first, but then slowly, he went on his knees and wrapped his arms around my son.That first hug held a lot of warmth for someone who had ensured he avoided Matteo initially."What's going on?" Maya asked Nico, "Why is everyone so quiet?"Nico, appearing utterly helpless, felt his tense muscles relax as he gazed ahead, overwhelmed by guilt and discomfort. Without even making eye contact with his mother, he softly responded, "Yeah, just surprised," his voice almost trailing off, "Mia doesn't talk to strangers."Although Maya wasn't entirel
Got Too Close Who again?
He returned to tell the kids they could move before he was gone again.After a bit of fun with them, to which half my attention was not in, I left them an hour later, only to discover Nico was gone.Out of the Manor, no information, just like that, disappeared into thin air, making me wish I had stayed long enough at work, for in my head, I was running wild, helpless, and perspiring.The deja vu kept coming repeatedly; it hit me out of the blue. Standing there, watching her get into his car, his chin up, refusing to spare me a glance as she planted her thumb on his chin.My stomach churned as I let out a bitter laugh. Adding to the already complicated situation, I was pregnant. It felt like the only missing piece to complete that agonizing scene from years ago was walking into his office and discovering the papers on his desk.But I wasn't going to do that; I folded my fist against the window pane, and neither was I going to cry; that girl was gone, and in her place was a grown woman
Got Too Close Unbreak my heart (2)
"You're so choosey." Joey huffed, biting into a doughnut, the chocolate toppings sticking to the tip of his nose as he narrowed his eyes at Charlotte."Well, I'm sorry for wanting to make everything perfect instead of just picking out anything my lazy ass tells me to," Charlotte retorted, shuffling through the pictures on my desk, "And believe me when I say, I still haven't found that perfect model."Joey sipped noisily from his coffee cup, and when Charlotte narrowed her gaze at him, he rolled his eyes at her.Seeing this made me wonder how La Belle had endured two people who would fight about everything, including what toppings they wanted for their doughnuts.If I had come to La Belle with the hopes of finding everything for the launching of the men's beachwear project finished, then no surprise, it wasn't even half done.With all of the models unappealing to Char's taste, everything was left on standby.Remembering I left all of the work to them for weeks, the least I could do was
Got Too Close Unbreak my heart
"Can't believe you're giving her thirty million, Elena," Noah huffed, "There are a million reasons she doesn't need it but wants to see your pride smolder."Complaining was never Noah's thing until I came to him that morning, cheque in hand, and explained everything that had happened while he was away.His reaction made me understand why Alexa demanded he didn't come alone.I did feel as if my pride was smoldered, but the feeling was nothing compared to how it would have been if she had eventually waltzed back into Nico's life.Nico had written the cheque immediately after he walked into the room, even before he strolled into the bathroom. When I entered the room, while the showers still gushed, it was sitting pretty at the edge of the bed.The first action I took when I picked it up was to inhale it, proving my desperation. The unbelief was gone. In its place was a dripping heart that he was bent on proving me wrong on all of my beliefs.He hadn't asked. Yet I had been digging up a l
Got Too Close All good.
Nico and Noah were unavailable for two days straight until, watching the news, I discovered the campaign for this year's election was about to commence.There he was, the smile on his face giving the aura that he had no problems, shaking hands with his shoulders straightened and chin held high.The control he exhibited standing right on that platform, the mic close to his face, talking to crowds was unnatural, and although I was just behind the TV, it was as if he was staring straight at me.I spent most of the time in the sitting room, losing my attention at the slightest distraction. 'That's a small sum for the two people that mean so much to me.'When I told Clara, she didn't look as affected as I was; instead, she frowned, "I'm surprised you don't have that amount on you right now."It dawned on her immediately, "Really, Elena?"At first, the decision to be financially independent had come from a place of keeping up my esteem; I mean, being paid to be a wife was low enough. Or t
Got Too Close Falling apart
"What did you just... What?!"The sterile white walls and the scent of antiseptic were starting to affect me, along with the news that Clara had just uttered in the most awkward imaginable.She knew this wasn't good news; she knew how much this would ruin my life. I didn't need something like this now! Not when I wasn't sure I could even hold myself up..."You're six weeks pregnant, Elena," she repeated, the papers in her hold; she seemed to be scared of my reaction had to explain why she was a safe distance away.I clutched at the buttons of my shirt, fighting to breathe, every damn passionate night returning to me.That was what the morning sickness was all about, the emotional roller coaster that had me weeping my eyes out with every bit of provocation.I thought it was stress, the children's abduction, and now the fear that Nico would leave me.And here I was, within the four corners of a hospital that I and Clara had driven to, with Noah waiting in the car.Nico had been called t
