01.

Chapter One

NaTHaLie

"Martini," I tell the bartender as I twirl the locks of my hair around my index finger subconsciously.

I roll my eyes at my bodyguards who are scowling at anyone who as much as glances in my direction. Gosh, this is so suffocating, I mean must they follow me everywhere I go? Even to the club? I understand my parents for wanting to protect me though, me being kidnapped by my father's enemies for revenge purposes or for ransom is as scary as it is. It's just that they get overprotective sometimes, my dad especially.

My mom has more than ten five-star hotels and suites in different places all over the country while my dad is a successful CEO, he has a construction company and food manufacturing company with their branches scattered in almost every state, so my parents are stinking rich, they are multi-millionaires and I'm their only child, heiress to their fortune.

I drop some cash for the bartender as I take a look around the ocean of people in the dimly lit club while taking a sip of my drink. And where the hell is Betsy when we were supposed to meet here about twenty minutes ago?

Betsy is my best friend, we met four years ago when we bumped into each other in our freshman year, we were both running late for class then but we couldn't get the building right, I helped with her building and she helped with mine. We stumbled into each other again the following week and gradually we became friends. She comes from an average family and but that’s not an issue, I am not the kind of person that chooses her friends based on their social status. She is studying biochemistry while I'm studying art, it has always been my dream to become an artist. Most people think I'm taking over the family business once my parents retire but that's not it. I'm not interested in the family business, mom and dad knows this but they don't mind, they still support my dream and for that I'm grateful.

Betsy and I have identical honey-brown hair and height, looking at our backside sometimes you can mistake one of us for the other. She became my roommate last year after mom and dad finally allowed me to move out to my own place but with the condition that my bodyguards also live with me in the same apartment. She agreed to live with me only if I let her pay a monthly rent. Typically Betsy.

My phone to vibrates in my hand, I take a quick glance at the screen and a wide smile makes its way to my lips when I see that it's an incoming call from my boyfriend, Ethan. Even though my parents do not approve of our relationship, Ethan and I have been dating for about six months now. I thought he was rejected because he is not from a rich and influential family but it turns out that they are planning to have me engaged to someone I don't even know about.

I made it clear to my parents-my father especially-that I'm not ending my relationship with Ethan but they were quite persistent, so I had to make them believe that I'm no longer seeing him so that they can stop breathing down my neck about him.

"Hey, baby," I say with a wide smile immediately after I pick up the call.

"Babe." He breathes into the phone. "I miss you."

His admission brings a wider smile to my face. "I know and I miss you too but..."

"How about we meet at my place tonight? I will prepare something nice for dinner."

I bite my lips in frustration as I glance at the guards behind me, they will surely inform my parents of my whereabouts. "Ethan..."

"I know what you're going to say but please." He pleads desperately.

"You know what baby? Let's meet for a dinner date tomorrow. I promise I'll be there."

My heart drops when I hear him sigh in disappointment. "How long do we have to keep this relationship a secret? We have been at it for months now."

"Ethan just give me some time to sort this out with my parents. Please."

I am met with silence that lasted for a full minute before he finally replies. "Okay."

"Okay baby. You know I love you?" I ask with a smile.

"Yea. Me too. Bye." He replies and hangs up.

My smile drops and I am filled with overwhelming guilt, I have to make it up to him.

I'm about to drop my phone into my bag when my wandering gaze suddenly lands on him. A small gasp makes its way out of my lips as his eyes lock on mine and his eyes roam over me intently, it was almost as if he's analyzing everything about me from where he is seated across the room. He is dressed in a white dress shirt with its first three-button undone and the sleeves rolled up a bit. Even under the dim light, I can see that his hair is a deep brown combed to the front neatly. He licks his lower lip briefly as lifts his drink to his lips but he keeps on staring at me over the rim of the glass. Holy moly, he's handsome, a perfect model for the male specimen with a chiseled body and irresistible eyes, eyes that have me spellbound. He winks at me while licking his lower lip and I almost fainted, damn. I can't help but flash him a flirty smirk, his gaze hardens suddenly and his face is blank, it is like I'm staring at a different person all of a sudden. He looks away from me muttering under his breath.

"Nath!" I jump in surprise at the familiar voice of my friend and I'm forced to break eye contact with the hot guy. "I am so sorry I kept you waiting, there was an accident on the highway and the traffic was damn!" She rambles as she takes her seat on the stool beside me. She left last week Friday to visit her uncle who lives thirty minutes away from here with his family and we agreed to meet here today by 11. “Tequila please," she shouts at the bartender. "Christ Nathalie! You look smoking hot!" She exclaims dramatically with her eyes fixed on my knee-length blue gown.

I couldn't have been able to stop the laughter tumbling out of my lips even if I tried. “Calm down girl, gosh!" I shake my head at her in amusement. "Well...you are not looking bad yourself." I motion at her knee-length red gown.

"Of course," she smirks as she takes her drink from the bartender.

"Don't get too cocky." I tease while glancing across the room discreetly to see if the guy is still there but to my disappointment, his seat is now occupied by someone else.

‘What is wrong with you Nath? You have a boyfriend.’ I bite my lips, reprimanding myself mentally.

"F—cking hell." Betsy almost chokes on her drink as her gaze finally lands on the statues behind me. "What the f—k are they doing here?" Gosh! She cusses a lot.

"Shouldn't you be used to it now? I am supposed to meet Ethan now but because of them, I can't." I sigh, sinking in my seat in resignation.

"Really? How long do you plan to keep this from your parents?" She asks with her eyebrows drawn together in concern.

"I don't know." I shrug. "All I know is that I have to tell them soon."

A comfortable silence falls between us as we both sip our drinks quietly.

"You know what?" She whispers suddenly while eyeing the bodyguards behind me. There is this telltale evil glint in her eyes that tells me she's up to no good.

"Betsy, no."

"No? No to what?" She asks with a smirk.

"No to whatever plan you're scheming in that head of yours."

"Common now, hear me out first." She pouts. "You have to lose these guys if you really want to have fun tonight."

I hate to admit that but she's right about that. "So...what are you thinking?"

She let out a wide smile as if she has just won the lottery. "Come closer." She urges and I do grudgingly as she whispers her plan in my ear.

....~....

Betsy is crazy! Why the heck did I let her talk me into this? I wonder with a huge grin while adjusting her short red gown. I'm sure my guards are now following her around thinking I'm her, let's just hope my shade works for her for a long time. I let out a peal of uncontrollable laughter as I try to imagine the look on their faces when they eventually find out that they have been tricked. This is so hilarious.

I walk back to the parked club and make my way outside while keeping my head down. I am trying to bring out my car keys from my bag when I bump into someone, the wall of muscle tells me it was a guy. I look up to see a blond guy with a terrifying stance dressed in all black. I mutter an apology quickly and rush into my car. I start the ignition and off I go, on my way to my boyfriend's apartment outside campus. There's no telling how surprised he will be when I suddenly appear at his doorstep looking all sexy and hot. I glance at my boobs which is almost spilling out of Betsy's dress with a smirk.

A few minutes later I'm standing in front of his door. I am about to open the door when a thought suddenly occurs to me, 'what if he's not at home?' No, his car is parked outside. I twist the door handle and walk inside in excitement, gosh! I miss him a lot.

"Ethan?" I call out only to be met with silence.

"Baby?" I hum as I start making my way to his room.

The door is partly open and I'm about to burst inside but a familiar masculine voice had me pausing. "How long do we have to keep up this act?"

"Just give me a few more days I'll definitely end it with her." I gasp when I hear Ethan's voice.

I take a shaky breath as I peep through the partly opened door just to see Ethan and Justin, the guy he introduced to me as his best friend both naked and cuddled together under the blanket.

"I bet she doesn't even know, does she?"

"That I'm gay?" He chuckles. "Nah, she doesn't."

"Then she's such a fool."

I place my hand on my mouth in shock as tears start rolling down my cheeks.

"I tried to be normal you know? Didn't want to accept the truth about my sexuality, I thought if I stay with her long enough I'll overcome it but I just couldn't. At some point I thought I am bi...but I am not. It was even harder getting intimate with her, I couldn't..."

I can't listen anymore, I can't. They both glance my way in shock when an uncontrollable sob breaks out of my mouth.

"Baby..."

I wipe my tears angrily and start making hurried steps out of the goddamn house. The signs were all there, it has been there all along but I was such a fool.

"Nathalie." I flinch when I feel a familiar hand grab my wrist. "Listen, I..."

I slap Ethan's hand away, his once warm and comforting hand cold against my skin. I break into a sprint and I ran till my feet hurt, I ran till I can no longer continue. I'm now in the middle of nowhere, I can't recognise where I'm but I don't care. My knees give up and I fall onto the rough street, my tears rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably.

.

"I bet she doesn't even know, does she?"

"That I'm gay?" He chuckles. "Nah, she doesn't."

"Then she's such a fool."

.

Their voices keep on ringing in my ear till I can't take it anymore, I throw my ringing phone across the dark street and let out an ear-piercing scream. Ethan and Justin's betrayal hurts, it hurts so much and I feel like my heart is breaking inside my chest.

I sit down there crying for a while before I start wiping my tears angrily, why the hell am I even crying over him? He is a jerk! He isn't worth my tears so I'm no longer shedding a single tear over him. I stand in the middle of the street in confusion, how do I retrace my steps back? I glance at my shattered phone on the floor, they must have found out by now and I'm sure my parents have been told. They must be worried. I sigh now feeling drained, I just want to go back home, crawl under the sheets of my bed and lick my wound alone.

I jump when I suddenly feel a hand around my mouth pushing me to a hard chest harshly.

I try to scream but my attacker whispers into my ear in a deadly voice. "It will be better if you keep your mouth shut and do as I say, Ms. Monroe."

I still on the spot as shock takes over. He knows me, this isn't just a random attack. From the corner of my eyes, I spot another guy with a knife glistening under the moonlight. It was the guy I bumped into at the club, they must have trailed me here...they may be what my parents have been trying to protect me from.