"So, where are we going?" June fluttered her eyelashes adorably as if she hadn't tried the same tactic just five minutes ago. Ollie tilted his head and tapped his chin in thought as if he was considering telling her. "You will have to wait and say, baby." The hopeful glimmer in her eyes dimmed, replaced by an exaggerated eye roll. "You are so boring. You must enjoy keeping me on my toes." She pouted. He never thought he would see this carefree side of June. She was always so locked up, and grumpy, that he didn't even know she had it in her. Now, the obsessed part of him wanted to keep it this way. Whatever it took, he wanted to keep this side of June. "It is my favorite pastime." His voice dropped a touch lower. This earned him a jab on his arms from her. "Is this some kind of kink, Ollie? You like when I beg you?" "You know me so well." He drawled. He enjoyed keeping her on her toes and besides, he wanted the excitement from this surprise to hit her like a burst of firewor
LIA "So," June drawled as she rested her elbow on the counter, her fingers drumming lightly. "I have a question from a friend." "You don't have any friends," Lola said as a matter of factly. "Except for me, of course." She gave a cheeky smile. "Who...told you do?" June stammered, eyes wide. Lola sighed, turning to face her and crossing her arms. She stared at her as if waiting for June to call her bluff. A gasp of disbelief escaped June's mouth. She knew she didn't have any friends except for Lola but wasn't going to admit it. "I have friends outside of you." June insisted. "Yeah, whatever." Lola's voice dripped with playful sarcasm. "Let's say you do have a friend outside me." June's eyes narrowed slightly. "So this friend of mine went out with someone." Lola interjected. "Is the 'someone' a man?" "Why does that matter?" June sputtered as her heart rose to her cheeks. "Well," Lola started, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You know to give proper answers." "Let's
"Contact me for a new one." The deep, cold, velvety voice sent shivers snaking down her spine. The man just fumed in the mouth, too intimidated to voice his anger towards Ollie. Ollie's gaze flickered towards her, meeting her gaze and she hated what she saw. Chilling, devoid of emotion with no hint of recognition swirled in its grey depths. As if just four days ago, he didn't take her to Valentina Pyotr's exclusive show, as if the time they spent in the ice cream shop wasn't real. She hated the things she saw in his gaze dearly. "Whiskey." June's brain short-circuited and she just stared at him blankly, her body unmoving and her brain failing to process anything. When he raised an eyebrow, her brain finally caught on. "Right, A whiskey. I'm sorry." With a trembling hand, she extended a glass of whiskey towards him. He accepted without glancing in her direction and said. "Leave." Her heart plundered at the weight of his cold indifference. Cotton clogged her throat as Ju
With ease, he fit between the two of them, his back to June and his face to the man with a death wish. “Can’t take a hint?” His tone was relatively civil despite his anger. “She doesn’t want to dance with you.” He pinned the man with a dead glare. Apprehension lined the man’s face as he staggered backward clearly drunk. “Who did fuck are you?” He stammered. “Someone who is going to kill you if you don’t leave.” He said menacingly. The man’s throat visibly moved up and down and he licked his lips with obvious panic. Ollie raised an eyebrow at the man’s fidgeting. Ollie was six feet three with beefy muscles so yes the man was scared of him. “Yo man…” He stuttered. “Didn’t know she is your girl. Sorry.” “You should apologize to her not me.” He sidestepped and gestured his hand at June. “Go ahead.” Ollie prompted. “Sorry, girl didn’t know you have a man.” She scoffed loudly before crossing her arm over her chest. “I told you I wasn’t interested twice and it wasn’t because of a
Ever since he picked June up from her apartment, he had not been able to peel his eyes away from her. Draped in a red sequin dress with a slit riding too high up her thigh, she was chaos and beauty intertwined and she was going to be his ruin. Like Venus flytrap, she had him trapped in her shackles with no intention of letting go. This was what he was running from. This was why avoiding her was for the best. Because once he got a whiff of her, it was almost like he couldn’t control himself anymore. He’d make blatant excuses just to see her. He’d say things that he never wish to say. She was an obvious trap but somehow his steps still led to her. He should let her go. The contract between them was non-existent at this point. He couldn’t continue with it after everything that had happened anyway. His father thought him better than this. He instilled into him how emotions like this was a weakness and how he should avoid it at all cost. He’d seen in real time how emotions like thi
A frosty splash of fear snatched air off her lungs and she felt an instant squeezing hurt in her chest. Her heart leaped like a wild stag in her throat, sweeping a faint dizziness over her. She gasped, trying to scrape in any oxygen she could get due as an ache tightened her chest. The voices around her blared in high frequency making her head pound heavy. Her thought scrambled a sentence. —Aiden and Amy are with the loan shark. Aiden and Amy are with the loan shark—Oh, God. Oh, God. She’d done all they asked her to do. She’d paid the debt in full even though she wasn’t owing them. She’d even paid the interest with no complaint because she didn’t want to have anything to do with them. Because she didn’t want them to come for the twins. So what could they possibly want from her? Or her siblings? A gale assailed her, threatening to sweep her off her feet. She felt her leg wobble beneath her before fumbling, leading her straight to the floor. A hand caught her around the waist be
“Does it matter?” June averted her gaze and the question sat tight in the air. Deep inside, He hoped she didn’t sign the contract due to the debt. However, the restless shifting of her eyes hinted at the painful truth. Damn.He should have sensed it. He was suspicious of her sudden change of heart. His hunch told him something was up with her.Now that everything was clear in the open, it didn’t take a genius to put it together. “I signed it already, nothing matters anymore.” She spoke, attempting to mask her words with a bitter hint of jest But there wasn’t just in her statement. The fact that she had signed the contract out of sheer lack of choice sickened him to the core. Even more nauseous with the entirety of what transpired between them. After a long strung-up silence, she cleared her throat, then slowly nodded her head. “Yes.” She whispered, the words barely audible as they escaped her lips. He closed his eyes briefly, letting the nauseating disgust slide down his skin. A
As Ollie strode into Max’s office, he reclined into his office chair, accessing him with a measured gaze as if trying to read through him. “A stare is the only pleasantry I deserve?” Ollie stated. Both of them had gotten so busy they couldn’t meet up for their routine golf session regularly. He was busy with his ongoing resort project in France, Max just got promoted to Attorney general, the youngest the state had known yet. Ava was busy with her new film project, Logan was busy being Logan—He is more of going with the flow, letting life lead him, never taken anything seriously, not even his life—. “Why are you here?” Max swiveled the chair closer to the desk, his gaze fixed on Ollie.“That isn’t polite to say to a visitor.” “I know you aren’t here because you miss me so get straight to the point.” Ollie wiggled the wrapper bag in his hands. “Here with your congratulatory gift. I heard you got promoted.” Max sighed, massaging his temple. “I got promoted one month ago.” “Well,
Two years later. She did it. Finally, she was a certified interior designer. Today was another great milestone for her. With the help of the twins, her friend, Lola who couldn’t be here because she was several countries away And most especially her man. Who’d been with her through thick and thin. Whose loyalty never waver. Whose patience never ran thin. Whose love multiplied daily. Even when she moved across the country, to California, he’d followed her, he’d took charge, he’d been there for her. He’d stayed with her. He’d and made her take the backseat which she was very much pleased. He’d made her the happiest woman on earth. Her heart swelled with the ceremonial gown on her. “Oh my fu—“ Aiden’s exclamation was abruptly cut off when his eyes locked with hers. “Oh my.” He muttered under his breath. He’d become grumpier as he grew older. “What happened?” Amy’s puzzled gaze scanned the surroundings, searching for the cause of Aiden’s displeasure. A gasp escaped her lips, and she
Ollie had been practically glued to her side. He hadn’t been apart from her for more than a minute. And that was a stretch. He followed her around the house like a lost puppy. Whenever she took a step, he was around by her side. “What did you want? What do I need to do? Where are you going?” He would say with so much love and care. She wasn’t complaining at all about his clinginess. As a matter of factly, she loved so much. She missed him so much. Now that he was finally with her, she was never going to let go ever again. Being with him felt like she could finally breathe. She was genuinely happy. She couldn’t explain the level of joy his presence alone brought to her. They’d been indoors for four days without a pint of curiosity for the outside world. It could be burning down and they wouldn’t even care. As long as they were with each other. During those periods, they’d caught up with each other’s life. They’d shared their deepest insecurities. They’d made love so many times. Th
She was just out of the restaurant she worked part time when she bumped Rachel, Ollie’s step mother. When Rachel’s eyes met hers, the smile on her face broadened and Rachel instantly enveloped her into an embrace. “Isn’t this a pleasant surprise?” Rachel’s voice carried a warmth of genuine delight. June returned the hug. “It is.” As Rachel withdrew, she added, “How have you been?” “I’ve been good. Thank you. What about you?” June asked. “I doing well dear. What else can this old lady do?” a shared laughter echoed between them. “What are you doing here?” “I work here.” June answered, her eyes meeting Rachel wrinkled corners. Rachel said with a low hum. “I’m a regular here and I never stumble across you.” “I work the evening shift.” She’d switched shift with one of her colleague who’d pleaded with her. “Must be the reason.” Rachel said, her hand resting on June’s shoulder. “By the way, I heard you broke my son’s heart.” June tensed up, unsure of what to response. “I…” She st
Max: Are you busy?Ollie: Yes. Max: See you by 7. At Eden.It wasn’t hard to make out Max in the bar. His blond hair stood out like a beacon in contrast with the subdued ambiance of the bar and his outfit. A black turtle neck with matching trench coat. When he flopped on the chair opposite Max, he said. “This has better be for a good reason or I might just kill you. ” Max leaned back, no words just a raised brow as Ollie’s hand sought for bottle positioned between them. Not caring what it was, he poured himself a generous measure into the glass. It felt dull as it slid down his throat. He’d gotten accustomed to the taste of liquor. They almost tasted like water to him. “Take another swig, you will need it.” Though, Confused at what Max was implying, he took another swig. The burn of the drink a familiar comfort. This was how he kept his sanity. This was how he kept going after June. She ruined him and he couldn’t even hate her for it. He'd accepted June the type of love he co
She’d been an unfixable mess since the breakup. Firstly, because there had been an unending swirl of chaos within her. Secondly, because life was still life. A colossal mess. She had no luxury to mourn a broken heart. Every morning, she rose to her feet, not because she wanted to but because she had to. She showed up at multiple part-time jobs until she broke a nail because she had to. To top it, she had to read for the exams.When she’d told the twins and Lola about her ambition, they were so proud of her. They mattered to her but deep down she wanted someone else praise. The persono who’d told her it was okay to dream and instilled this confidence into her to take a step towards her dream. The actual person who’d motivated her to take this risky step wasn’t there. At 2 am or 6 pm, when she ate, when she slept when she worked, when she studied. He was a constant pillar in her mind. She had no right to think about him but she couldn’t help it. He was everywhere. He was in every
It always worked. Work had always been a perfect distraction for him anytime he needed to push something aside and not think about it. Until now. Workloads upon workloads. It couldn’t stop the image of June burning the pages of his mind. It haunted him with vividness that made it impossible for him to concentrate. Her anguished voice echoed in his ears, refusing to fade. Her cruel words whipped him like a lash. Her pained face that he wanted to console even after everything.His brain had been on a maddening repetitive loop. We’ve had our fun. Fun?The word taunted him. All he wanted to do was drown thoughts of June out of his mind but everything he’d done proved futile. Seated at his cluttered desk, surrounded by towering stacks of paperwork, but the weight of his workload did little to divert his thoughts. Three days. Twenty hours. And June hadn’t left his mind for a millisecond. Twenty hours of work a day had done little to distract him. June, even in her absence, was a r
He’ll leave you. He’ll regret ever being with you and he’ll leave you. Ollie’s father's words stuck to her, not leaving her mind for a tiny moment just like the ghost of his hand on the skin of her neck, she could also his word strong invisible vise choking her. That’s all it is to you. You don’t deserve him. Shaken by the incident, June’s hand trembled as she extended an arm to the car’s window control panel, her index finger pressing down as if seeking escape from the stifling words that had choked her She’d hoped that the breeze would ease the ache she was feeling. No, it didn’t Instead, it stung her skin with its painful lash. June was quick to wind up the window before slumping into her seat. The more her mind pounded on the words, the more it churned her inside and broke her into pieces. Her insecurities build with thick layers.He would leave you. Soon. He would. The words echoed once more, cutting deeper than any physical wound. An involuntary sob broke out of her m
A week later, June was meeting John at the said hotel. June found it weird that the hotel was deserted, and her eyes darted around in search of signs of life. They were just an old red peacock car and a surprisingly manicured lawn in sight. Before June could change her mind, she made a beeline to the lobby’s entrance. She just wanted to be over it as soon as possible. When she entered, her eyes glanced through the person seated in the corner of the lobby. He wore a fedora. John waved to her from the far end of the lobby. His face was hidden behind a baseball cap, casting a shadow over his features. She hadn’t recognized him at first, her eyes narrowing as she squinted to make out his identity.She sighed with relief and made her way to him. The creak of her footsteps on the grimy floor echoed through the desolate lobby. John’s eyes met hers as she approached, and he smiled croakily, the lines of worry etched on his face evident even in the dim light.“Hey,” she said as she droppe
A sense of uneasiness swept over her when she pulled open the door to reveal John. Her brother whom she’d forgotten existed until now. John's hand shot up, his fingers moving in a stiff, awkward wave as his lips formed a tight smile. “Hey.” “What are you doing here?” June raised a brow. It was a surprise that John had stayed away when she asked him to. But she was determined to report to the cops if he showed up at her doorstep back then. Now, three months had passed. It would be a big joke if he thought she would let him in again. John chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “Our reunion went a lot better in my head.” His eyes darted through the dimly lit porch. Her lips pulled into a deep line of scowl. Reunion? After what had happened? The memories of the past twisted her inside into a tight knot.Her grip clenched around the doorknob. “Can you at least invite me in?” John raised a hopeful brow.“No.” she gripped the door’s edge and closed it in on her body, leavi