“I want everything about her searched upon thoroughly, do you understand me, Klaus?”
Here in the stupidly spacious room of Doreen, he passed out the instruction without even glancing at his PA.
Klaus was confused — visibly. Ever since he saved that random girl from a shitty hellhole for a pub, he's been so… unsettled.
His employer has never been interested in a woman before.
Regardless of his limitless wealth and ethereal looks, he acted oblivious to females' appeal, but the blue-eyed girl was different.
What does she possibly possess that interests Doreen Williams so much?
“V-very well Master Doreen.”
He bowed and then left while his Master brought out a pack of cigarettes from his drawers.
A stick was picked and shortly got lit then entangled in between his plump lips before his smoking began.
“Tessa Rashford. Why's that the sole piece of information about her? Something's not right…”
*
One would expect their parents and sole sibling to embrace them happily when they return home after a few years of being away.
Well, Tony truly was an expectation.
On the wheels of the limo halted in the overly wide compound of a mansion, a dozen maids emerged from the doors within.
Six stood at each side with heads bowed as the only male child of Mr. Roger Williams alighted from his ride.
“Holy…shit!” Mary, standing with hand entwined with Tony, helplessly gasped at the sight of the mansion — it was so huge.
“Come. You ain't seen shit yet."
Excitement shone brightly in her eyes as both made their way into the mansion.
The greetings from the servants were ignored and truthfully, Mary's ego was expanding greatly.
Stepping into the magnificent living room, his family stood there.
“Father, Mother greetings.” Tony walked straight to them with a smile playing on his lips.
None flinched, not even his once affectionate Mother, as he hugged them.
“Debby!” Tony beamed at the sight of his sister.
It wasn't unexpected that she was a snobby 16-year-old brat, considering the crazy amount of money at her feet.
Those eyes of hers were fixed unshakably on her phone screen, and before he'd hug her, took a step backward.
“Father and Mother ordered me to stand here and welcome you. I'm done, so I'm going back to my room."
She didn't even glance at her elder brother, more or less acknowledging his girlfriend Mary, then walked away.
As she ascended the stairs, Mrs. Valentine glanced at the brown-eyed lady with a visible baby bump.
“It's not unexpected that your girlfriend's void of manners. To think she can't even greet.” She scoffed and in the next instant walked away.
“Mo-mother!” He stuttered watching her leave, yet she walked away and soon, her husband did the same.
“Welcome back son.” A bit insensitively, Mr. Roger spat then left the living room, headed for the staircase too.
Tony exhaled loudly — of course, his family hated him and only brought him back because of Mary.
Their child was the reason he was welcomed back into the Williams family.
“What a bunch of ass wipes!” Mary blurted offended from behind, and Tony glanced at her.
It wasn't a surprise that she stood there, arms crossed and lips sealed.
“It wouldn't have killed you to fucking greet.” He glared at her, yet Mary was far from being remorseful.
“I don't give a shit. Now…” She walked closer and then smiled widely.
“When do I start my ballet classes? I need to become famous — more than that shitty Gracious Angel”.
“Who…?”
••••~•••••
The instant she woke up, Tessa realized she wasn't at home.
After bathing had unintentionally dozed off — the heater, joined with the immense softness of the bed and calming atmosphere, effortlessly pulled her body into slumber.
Once she woke up, Tessa remained lying on the bed with eyes staring at the ceiling. How is her life going to play out now?
“Dad… Mum, I'm confused.” She uttered in a mutter. Their bright, sweet faces surfaced in her mind, and she found herself smiling.
Things were messy for Tessa, and sincerely, she didn't have an idea of what to do. Returning home now would be the biggest mistake of her life.
She couldn't — she wouldn't return as a loser but someone brimming with accomplishment.
The bathrobe on her had its rope untied, and her lower body was exposed.
“Angel… huh?” She caressed that spot, then shut her eyes — her past repeating itself in her mind.
“Fuck”
*
Tessa considered herself excessively lucky since she instantly spotted his chauffeur the instant she stepped out of her room.
He was kind enough to direct her to his room, and currently at its door, inhaled hard.
‘I have to thank him’
Apart from saving her foolishly drunk ass the previous day, he didn't view her as a whore after their nightstand despite her crazy ways and went as far as helping her earlier today.
If Doreen hadn't shown up, Tessa surely would still be there, crying her eyes out.
A light knock was placed on the door and although a response was never gotten, it parted ways solely.
“Oh…!” Tessa summoned courage, then stepped into the dark room.
“Uh… Mister… Doreen?”
Sincerely, she was confused about how to address him but ended up going on with that. In the next instant, the lights came on and so did his figure.
“Miss Tessa?” Doreen, cladded in a simple yet casual outfit, was utterly breathtaking, and coming closer to her, could tell she was nervous.
It was challenging to detect since her posture was calm, but her eyes portrayed her genuine emotion — it always betrayed her.
“I… I'm here to thank you.” She was about to bow when his right hand swiftly went for her face.
A finger brushed against her chin repeatedly while lifting it, so their eyes would meet in a soft ogle.
Doreen was right — her eyes were too similar to the Gracious Angel to be just a coincidence.
“Thank me?” His huskily attractive voice came, and she nodded slowly.
“Then…” Doreen leaned closer until his lips were caressing her earlobe sensually.
Their close contact was so…. Ethereal to her, and helplessly, she blushed.
“Thank me by becoming a ballet dancer again, Tessa Rashford.”
She was tongue-tied.Seconds passed by with the utterly lavish yet spacious room immersed in silence, but their orbs ogling directly at each other.Tessa's dilated continuously in shock, with those plump lips of hers quivering a bit.Who…was this man for fuck's sake?Yes — he has saved her twice within a day; from the thugs, and from that vile emotion known as despair that nearly consumed her due to her house burning to ashes.Yet…she felt there was something more to him — how did he know her house in the first place? And her name, it was quite disbelieving, but she hadn't told him her full name.“H-how do you know my name?”Surely, that wasn't the sole reason Tessa was visibly confused — Doreen could tell she was trying to shift the main subject of their conversation.He had no intention of speaking irrelevantly with her — he must, no, he needed to watch her performance on a grand stage.Her graceful moves captivated his eyes, although they were from clips — the amount of awe that'd
Throughout the entire ride, a word wasn't uttered by any.As the hands of the chauffeur, placed on the wheels stirred the wheels in the right direction, a soft classical song filled the Escalade with such gracious melicious.So soothing was the song that Tessa even though wanted to act cold helplessly shut her eyes then swayed her head gently."It's beautiful, yes?"Being absorbed in the sweetness of such a tune, she spent almost fifteen minutes with her eyes shut and humming to it.It was that good that Tessa became oblivious of time. But as the words of the emotionless green eyed gorgeous man penetrated into her head, her lengthy eyelashes parted them.Glancing at him, she beheld Doreen ogling so... unreadably at her - it was odd. There wasn't a shred of feeling in those eyes of it, and Tessa hated it.Her intentions could be read through her eyes, but Doreen - there wasn't a way to do such."Y-yes. It's so peaceful yet so catchy." She responded, a smile gradually spreading on her l
None were spared from the shock of her sudden flee from their presence, and the senior tutor, rather mistress of the Ballet Academy, Madam Angelica, wasn't impressed.An offended scoff nearly elicited her lips but being the professional she was, composed herself yet Francess, the top student scoffed then rolled her eyes.The abrupt leave of the lady that Master Doreen brought along was plain… mannerous! Why on Earth would someone as dignified as him be with her?“Francess.” The Italian teacher sent a hard glare her way — scoffing and rolling of the eyes were classless.She instantly straightened up then did a bow light.“Please forgive my act, Master Doreen.” As she apologized, the green-eyed Demi god wasn't even standing there anymore.“Madam Angelica, I trust you'll take care of the registration; Klaus shall send her details and all that's needed to your email before tomorrow. Goodbye.” Simply, and in his usual cold tone, Doreen uttered then walked away.He didn't spare any a glance
Everyone has an undesirable aspect of their memory they'd kill to forget — mistakes were something ever being made, but some were too painful to be recollected.Crossing paths with Francess was something Tessa prayed, wished, hoped, and cried to never do. She never wanted to see that dark-haired lady again, since it'd just kick the lid of a likely to erupt volcano.As predicted, it did, and presently, Tessa wanted to disappear from the face of the Earth like three years ago.Yet, that wasn't possible, and this time, there was nowhere she could run to; her past was here to haunt her.Shedding tears in the presence of another was an act she barely did. Those who saw her cry were the closest to her, and Doreen wasn't, yet she couldn't contain her feelings that much.“I'm… I'm sorry.” Tessa sniffed, multiple balls of tears continuously rolling down her cheeks while being stared at by the handsome man sitting some distance beside her.She predicted he'd be angered by her constant change of
Throughout the ride back to the mansion, silence prevailed.The chauffeur responsible for driving the obnoxious couple back home occasionally glanced at them. None were facing each other, but staring outside the window with different thoughts roaming through their mind.Despite the distance the limo shared with the Ballet Academy, the chauffeur heard Tony and Mary's yells.None needed to tell him that both were complete assholes. He assumed they were quiet because they were vexed, but there was something more to it.Mary, for one, was partially immersed in thoughts of that bimbo — Tessa.She could swear that she saw her walk past them and into a luxurious car, but…was that possible?The richness emanating from that car was one Mary had never witnessed — how did she have immense enough wealth to afford that sort of car?“She's a slut. Yes — a fucking slut, and whosoever owned that car must be drilling her. What a bitch!” She came to such a nasty conclusion while scoffing.“Disgusting.”
“Will… Will Klaus be fine?” The instant he strolled away from the emergency ward and towards the metallic bench further in the hallway, she questioned while standing up.Those blue eyes of hers were so glassy, and although they were overly gorgeous, the sadness blended with guilt was excessive.Tessa hated herself.Her suggestion to make dinner led to this bullshit — because of her, Klaus got shot in the chest.The chest of all places.During the ride to the hospital, wild thoughts incessantly roamed through her head — what if the bullet damaged his heart?It was frightening.Klaus had been rushed to the emergency ward, and being his employer, Doreen went ahead to speak with the doctors. It had been roughly half an hour, yet Tessa felt like a decade had passed due to the anxiety circulating in her soul.If anything horrible happens to Klaus before her, then she'd…Doreen needed no microscope to see how profusely apprehensive Tessa was. It was predictable that she'd be unsettled, but t
He was on his way to the garden.Due to his father, Mr. Robert's immense love of flowers, he normalized being surrounded by delicate, gorgeous varieties of them. The garden of the Williams family mansion could be compared to a boutique.It was that spacious, and with every head turn, different bushes of either rare or exotic flowers could be spotted.Again, the servants would either be daft or dense to neglect it — it constantly gets taken care of more.It was almost noon, and one would expect Tony, the partner of his pregnant girlfriend, to get anxious when he wakes up and finds her absent.Then again…he was relieved.With a big smile playing on his lips, he went on with his day — bath, ate, and even attempted to converse with his ever-so-stern mother. While she did respond to a question or two of his, Debby, his younger sister, didn't give a fuck.As expected, she was rude to the core.Tony felt this was a perfect chance to begin patching things up with his father, Mr. Roberts. As t
Regardless of his dissents, she alighted from the car barefooted before dashing straight into the moderately massive hospital.As her feet shuffled towards it, he helplessly gazed at her.“She has tiny feet.” Doreen whispered, then averted his gaze to her pair of heels that were placed in the back seat.Yes — he drove since Klaus was the sole chauffeur he could trust.Both of them had quite a history together.Tessa left Doreen behind and went into the hospital, instantly beholding some doctors, and nurses moving around.“Welcome Miss Tessa.”“Good afternoon, Miss Tessa!”“Welcome!”Numerously they greeted her and more shockingly, began bowing decorously at her. She slowly halted, then gaped confusingly at them.“Good afternoon to you all too!”Ever since she was a kid, being treated so respectfully was something she normalized yet didn't like.So whenever someone older than her bows, she'd unhesitatingly do the same.Her response and gesture left some perplexed — wasn't she the lady
His dark hair was perfectly styled, and his tailored black tuxedo accentuated his lean physique.With the first notes, Tessa launched into a whirlwind of movement and her feet barely touching the stage. Her tutu fluttered like a butterfly's wings, and her pointe shoes whispered against the floor. “Oh!”“Wow!”“Ha!”The audience entranced by the soft rustle of her skirt, the gentle creak of her shoes, and the sweet scent of rosin wafting from her movements helplessly gushed out loud. As she danced, the music swirled around her like a velvet cloak — enveloping her in a rich tapestry of sound. The notes of the celesta twinkled like stardust, and the violins sang with a soaring beauty that left the audience breathless.As she revealed her swan-shaped birthmark, Doreen's eyes became glassy and an uproar; one so deafening occurred. He smirked, knowing the significance of that mark, and he knew that his angel was revealing her true self to the world.The music swelled, and Tessa executed
One would predict the atmosphere of a prison visitation room to be moderately tense. Especially when the inmate was one's birth mother, and got sentenced to prison for quite a significant time due to horrendous charges such as emotional manipulation, coercion, exploitation, and abuse of power. Alongside the rest, the father and twin brother. They've been thrown into prison for weeks. Yet, an ounce of that didn't linger either inhaled. Such calmness wasn't derived from the presence of two female guards stationed at the door, nor the solid glass barrier hindering the inmate from the prisoner. None of that was the cause of her composure — Francess had nothing to be troubled about when her dear friend, Tessa, was seated by her side. “Are you… anxious?” Both were settled on the worn out plastic chairs with backs and seats a shade of faded gray and her hand — placed on the counter got covered by a delicate one. It belonged to Tessa. Those blue eyes — warm and gentle, crinkled at the
“How can you consider your son something like that when all I've done for that fucking company is given it my all?”“You're all isn't enough!”“And so is yours! You — my fucking mother, keeps demanding unattainable shit from me when you failed at a simple task years ago! Years ago, you caused Francess' memory loss and…”“Shut up Francisco!!” Killian screamed ear deafeningly — numerous veins become prominent, and crawling incessantly up his neck; just like his son. Amid the screams, Francess, mute soundlessly, glanced at a feverishly shivering Stephanie, and once their eyes met — for the first time in… Years ago, the brown-eyed saw something in her. Affection she never got from her wasn't caused due to hate or anything, just… Guilt. Stephanie once again began her frantic words to vomit, yet they hung in the air as Francess's gaze drifted away, her eyes clouding over like a stormy sky. The bound wrists, the arguing voices, the slick stage – everything faded into the background as me
It ultimately did, and the restrictions of her hand; bounded behind by thickened ropes, sent more torrents of perplexity raining down her soul. “What's…”“… Happening!” The voice she heard before her consciousness choicelessly left her once more penetrated into Francess' ears from a different direction. Sharply, she glanced at one of the wings of the stage, and emerging from there was… Her family. The entirety of the D'Arcy were here. All donned such elegant clothing yet the atmosphere lingering around two out of three was questionable. While Francisco perpetually had a smirk dancing on his lips, and a printed document in his possession, Killian with his wife were unsettled. Unsurprisingly, Stephanie — her ever anxious mother would've slacked behind, but her husband's linked arm with hers prevented that. He ambled, head up, and eyes — which roamed with determination, tangled with a bit of regret were transfixed on his daughter. “What the fuck is going on here? What in hell's name
There, she got her entire existence thoroughly questioned by her mind due to the massive effect that conversation had. Francess sincerely bore no idea how she got to the opulent junior suite of the Fords Palazzo Ducale. Currently, she laid — back flat, and eyes glued to the complexly designed ceiling of her room with mind thinking solely about Theresa Ford. “I… I came here because I needed answers and now… I'm…!” Her pairs of eyelids, reddish due to excess tears, and eyes sunken into their sockets reddened, blinked slowly while a sigh fell from her lips. “… Confused. So fucking confused!” Francess’ trembling hands reached for her face then flattened on it before inaudible sobs. She was exhausted from everything — of breathing, living, and life itself. She'd be a damn liar to claim life became draining once Tessa came into the Ballet Academy back at home — who was she kidding? Then, she'd constantly practice ballet while ignoring the presence of drugs in her meals. Daily intake o
The few days spent — alone in the ancient of Milan entailed crisp air, and bone chilling winds. It always got freezing cold whenever night befall the beautiful city, and regardless of the hotness the heater of her suite provided, warmth clothing, and lengthy soak in hot baths, cold unceasingly engulfed her whole being. Tessa assumed she'd choicelessly, and all so adversely, grow accustomed to it, but… The good Lord answered her prayers. With arms thrown on his broad shoulders, fingers entwined — locked around his nape, and legs coiled over his torso, their bodies had no space between them. Basking in a bottomless ocean of comfort, Tessa certainly has never felt this…cozy before!“I'm fucking glad I'm here…” His words, whispered closely to her ear, had its accompanying warmth dissolving every ounce of chill in the bones, then wrapped itself so comfortingly around her heart. Not even the fireplace, residing beside them with its burning glow, could be equal to her beloved's warmth.
Parting her thickened wet eyelashes, the beams of the moonlight seeping through the large framed window kissed her face as she sighed. So slowly, she properly began showering with mind torn between two unsettling topics — Doreen's absence and Francess' presence. No… It would've been swell if the two ballet dancers didn't meet — ever again. Back then — their past, although unresolved, wasn't so hurting Tessa; it was never this bad. Confrontations were a lethal catalyst; she assumed leaving Europe would prevent the scene that occurred a few hours ago but….“I should've never started dancing. Fuck!” Slamming her hand hard on the glass walls encasing her, frustration morphed into liquid, took the place of blood in her veins and circulated unwantingly yet unceasingly in her entire being. Back then, guilt was always beside her — making living hard, but gingerly, Tessa realized better than any she didn't feel guilty. She felt stupid for befriending the brown haired — Francesca D'Arcy on
Memories poured into her mind in multitudes, and re-opening them, balls of tears snuck out then gilded slowly down her cheeks. “I wished never to be back here again but… Here I am.” Most ballet dancers would kill to step foot onto the stage of this neoclassical architectural masterpiece, and the passion which flamed it all had gone out in hers. The situation has changed — she has changed. Well, that was a few years ago. Tessa stared from the posh empty seats, curves of ornate balconies and boxes, then gaped longingly at the section for dignitaries. Adorned finely by crimson luster velvety and gold leaf, she chomped hard on her lips mere picturing her parents, and loved ones occupying it. Thousands were going to attend the Nut Bowl — thousands were going to be watching her with jaws dropped, stupor, and reverberation. Yet, it'll all be insignificant and downright unnatural if the one responsible for reigniting her fiery desire to dance once more isn't… Present. Tessa's gaze fell
Once her pair of feet ascended the last step which led to the highly revered stage of the Teatro alla Scala, her brown eyes shone brighter than a single star at midnight. Maria visibly was… Flabbergasted — so happily, tearfully flabbergasted. She wasn't the only one, too. As the Soloists and Principal Dancers needed for the Nut Bowl stepped onto the stage, each was evidently enveloped by the utter majesty of the stage. A stage where they'd perform in due time, and the HeadMistress, in charge of familiarizing them with it, helplessly smiled at their untamed display of amazement. However, as her attention moved from one dumbfounded individual to the other, Angelica's eyes fell on the Prima Ballerina then she sighed. “Oh Tessa!” While the rest moved across the stage, still soaking in its ethereal beauty, the stern Italian woman moved to the prized, overly talented yet… Saddened soloist. Unlike the rest, Tessa's portrayal of awe was short-lived since it took no less than some second