Calming Stormy WatersCLARAThe turnout was great, perfect even. Agatha was one of the women that Velma had liked fast, just like Beverly. Oh, Beverly. I still hadn't talked to her in a minute, but I planned to. Tonight possibly, and it gave me all the kinds of anxiety a person could possibly have.I didn't know how she'd take it, or how to approach the situation in a way that didn't make me out to be a rebelling teen. I was done rebelling, though, and I'd gotten my priorities right, with her.Right now, I was too choked with work. Running two companies wasn't child's play, but it seemed like a lot of people forgot that. I was worn thin, and my need for perfection was wearing me thin. Supervision and management was no easy task. And, oh! I glanced at my watch. It was time to go.It's been about a week since Agatha started working with us, and I'd left Velma in her care simply because she could easily be trusted, and I had cameras set up in the house, which meant I could have access to
Lost, Found. Lost.CLARAI'd lost it, or I was in the middle of losing it. The park, as expected is unapologetically crowded, not a single space for breathing, and there are a lot of children. Where could she have gone? Beverly tried to calm me, and Agatha was out of sight, too, trying to look for Velma.The security before me as he said words that I could barely decipher. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, and I felt like I was going to drop dead at any moment. Jeez. It was my daughter who was missing."What color of outfit did she have on?" Another question of his directed at me while I swallowed hard, trying to keep a calm that I certainly didn't possess. It was torture to stand there, barely alive. I was moving around on my heels, trying to get to wherever I could.My poor baby would be so scared right now, so away from me! I felt a wicked shiver kiss my spine."White," Beverly responded. Velma was on white, just like a bunch of other kids here."And you last saw her when?"Too many
Partners.MIKE Standing before the podium was my job, but what was even more of my job was making sure all these people were listening and willing to buy all that I was putting on the tables. They had to be.Our new products just launched. Not a product in the actual sense, but the amount of turnout the company was getting proved that I could still get things done. I wasn't as useless after all, although I'd be doubting that, all thanks to a certain woman whose face I happened to be seeing everywhere.It wasn't a fun ride, at all. I didn't call or reach out to her, even though it was the only thing I couldn't think of. I was starved of her, of Velma, and I'd promised not to show up at her doorstep like a toxic ex, although that was exactly what I was. The cameras were blinding, and my mind was lost. I waited after the last word dropped from my mouth to acknowledge the applause that rippled through the crowd.It was a big room with no less than two hundred people, if not more, each of
Clicked!CLARAIt wasn't terrible. The idea of doing business with Mike and I would have reached out first if he hadn't. His business was in great bloom and that was exactly what I needed right now. If he hadn't reached out to me for the partnership deal, I wouldn't have done it. It was a one-time opportunity for us to widen our scope.Seeing Mike again, after weeks, wasn't the best kind of torture but it was sweet. Tapping into that boyish charm of his and reveling in it. Funnily enough, today, it was my turn to visit him. I meant his company. I'd spent the entire day perusing the documents and I had agreed to it. We had a deal.I got to Mike 's company and like clockwork, I was let in like there had been some kind of communication about my arrival even before I got there, despite the fact that I hadn't made an appointment. Just like him. Way to do business like a barbarian, but it was charming, just like Mike - the one man I was supposed to hate. His office was demarcated from his
Two to shareCLARA"So what are you suggesting?" He asked like the solution wasn't already plaguing both our minds. I was too stunned to speak because that shouldn't even be part of our options.I was dying under the scrutiny of his gaze, and I fiddled my fingers. I'd have loved to share a room with my PA, but she'd been quick to pick another one of our staff who seemed to be a closer friend. It was no new thing that workers would do anything to avoid being in the same room as their bosses.Looking up at Mike , the words weighed on my lips, and he stared at me so intently, waiting for me to slip and just say it. To just say that we were going to share a room. This was one of the moments when I was required to be an adult.An adult that no one cared to ask if I even wanted to be. "It's a room for two, which means that the facilities are going to be doubled too, including the beds," I began stealthily, though the pride was eating away at me. "I suppose we could share. It's just for a ni
Conscious MistakeCLARAThe kiss was urgent, and rough, speaking of all the restraint I thought it had left in me. He grabbed me, tight, unapologetically exploring my mouth with his, his arms resting on the small of my back.I was breathless. Every whiff of air I managed to exhale had a hint of Mike in it and I reveled there, feeling my heart thump against it like it was about to tear its way out. Jeez. I missed this.I missed what he tasted like. I couldn't wait to get out of these clothes and feel him bare. Fuck the consequences! I stepped away from him to catch my breath and my eyes met his.A shudder raced down my shoulders and I felt faint. Weak in the fucking knees and plagued by thirst for the forbidden fruit who stood calmly, enticing the shit out of me.I could walk away, but fuck that! I killed the distance between us again. But Mike asked, "Are you going to change your mind tomorrow?"I shook my head and told him, "Fuck me."His eyes widened and he looked unsure for a mom
Day Two: Realization And Faults.CLARAFuck!I'd rather walk into a sea of monsters that dare to move an inch from this bed. I felt him beside me and the strange smell of sweat that lingered on the bed sheets. I was living the torture of my life without even knowing.Again, fuck!I opened my eyes slowly and inconspicuously as I winced, feeling the ache settle in my thighs and back. It felt like the bedsheets were going to swallow me when I felt the shame start to seep in, and then they disrespectfully broke boundaries and hit every nook and cranny of me. My hand grabbed the bedsheet, while the other fisted my hair just as Mike had just a few hours ago.One peep and pretentious turn, and I saw that he was still fast asleep. That would buy me enough time to sneak out and properly hate myself. A woman should be accountable for her decisions, Right? Today, I was very sure that I was just a child and, therefore, wouldn't be taking responsibility for my decisions of last night.Or I could
Sinful transactions.MIKE She was going to keep hiding like this and I expected that much. In years, last night was the most amazing day of my life. It felt like I hadn't lived before and the clock just started to count from last night- Clara had breathed life into me.The universe seemed to have heard me cry for more time with her, hence the storm that terrorized the skies and the earth. And while she was all I was fixated upon, she tried to slip away again, expectedly but I wasn't going to let her, ever.Clara was becoming a drug, a necessary evil that I so badly needed to survive, and the sight of her away from me made my skin prick.I needed her like last night. I needed her to talk to me, to beg me to please her. I needed her to look at me in the eyes and tell me that last night wasn't a sham, or a mistake- that everything she'd done, that we'd done, she didn't regret it. But she was eager to run away."But I have a few things to sort in regards to tomorrow, so you all can go to
Chapter 122 :A New BeginningMike pov It’s strange how life changes in an instant. One moment, you’re proposing to the love of your life with sweaty palms and a missing ring, and the next, you’re staring at a pregnancy test that says “positive.” Clara’s still asleep next to me, her hair a mess of golden waves sprawled over the pillow, and I’m lying here trying to figure out how my life got so... perfect. Except, it’s also terrifying. “Dad, I’m hungry,” Velma’s voice cut through my thoughts. I blinked at the ceiling before turning to see her standing by my side of the bed, clutching a stuffed bunny with one hand and rubbing her eyes with the other. She looked up at me with that sleepy little pout that made me realize she wasn’t a baby anymore. She wasn’t even my “little girl” anymore. And soon, there was going to be another little one in the house. “I’ll make you something in a sec, kiddo,” I whispered, ruffling her hair. Velma narrowed her eyes at me, all suspicious-like.
Crossing T's And Dotting I's. CLARA The ride was quiet, tense even, and my head was glued in one position, staring outside the vehicle as the houses blurred by. It seemed like Mike had been an undeniable part of my life for too long. I thought when I got home, I would be able to get him out of my air, but here I was now, in his car. I didn't know what I was supposed to say. I had been judgy and undeniably mean to him, especially about Lucy . No, about everything, and I knew why I continuously did that. I just wanted to push him away, irk him, and show him all of the ugliest parts of me so he could get sick of it and go away! That didn't seem to be happening anytime soon, and the guilt I felt was only amplified. However does one get over this? Jeez. I glanced at him from the corner of my eyes; he even looked good from the side, focused on the road. The silence was so thick that I felt it in my chest. Felt it deep inside my heart like an ice-formed dagger and it was slowly pre
: Viva La Vida.THREE MONTHS LATER.MIKE "Ughh! This dude doesn't know how to give up, does he?" I rolled my eyes as I fell on the couch next to Clara and wrapped my arms around her. She was looking at her phone again, for the second time today. He just wouldn't stop sending her those pictures, would he? Clara snuggled closer, "I should just block him, right?" She joked. "Love really had made him mad. I mean, look at that smile!"I shrugged. "I mean, did you see what it did to me?" A giggle ripped out of her throat and I snatched the phone from her playfully. "Is it just me or does he look fatter here?""Claire must be doing such a wonderful job!" Clara beamed, sighing. "I'm just glad he's okay! He looks so happy!""He does." I pecked her. "But I look happier, look at me alone." Rodney had been on vacation with Claire for the past two months, so we get blessed with pictures like this every second.It was tons of Claire's pictures, literally every part of her had been sent to Clara a
Hope.CLARAMike didn't respond, and more tears trickled down his cheeks as he stared into my eyes. His eyes were red, and swollen, evidence that he had been crying for a longer time than right now. My eyes prickled at the sight of him crying, and tears began to roll down my cheeks as well.Why was he crying? And why was I crying too. I didn't know why but my heart felt heavy in my chest, and it ached terribly. His silence stung me all over like a thousand bees. Why was he answering? What had happened to our baby?"C-Mike ?" I stammered, arching a brow, "What happened to Velma?" The question barely left my lips, but again he was quiet. Almost like he couldn't speak, and I couldn't take it anymore.The silence was killing me, just as much as not knowing what had happened to my baby. Could she-No. I shook my head frantically at the thought of that. No way. I didn't even want to think about that. I couldn't bear the thought of it, and it felt like a part me died at that brief thought.
Where Is She?CLARAI knew it was stupid and I shouldn't be here alone but what else could I do?! Lucy had threatened to harm her if I told anyone. I'd rather get hurt in her place as long as nothing happens to my daughter!I parked the car and looked up ahead at the building. No one lived there and the whole thing looked like it would fall apart at any moment.My heart thumped in my chest when fear gripped me and the possibility of all the bad things that could happen flashed before my mind. I closed the car door immediately I stepped out, my hands balled into fists.I'd rather die than have anything happen to Velma! Oh, god! Oh god! Agatha, too! I desperately clung to the hope that she had nothing to do with this, and that she was safe, just as Velma was.The video replayed in my head in an unending loop and I almost burst into tears.My baby. My little girl was fucking tied to a chair. I was going to kill Lucy ! I was going to rip her to shreds the moment I set my eyes on her. I s
The Foe.CLARAI felt a knot immediately tighten in the pit of my stomach as my eyes scanned the empty room from the doorway. The bed was empty, Velma wasn't here. Velma wasn't here?It was 2 a.m. Why wasn't she in bed by this time? Panic was slowly setting in, and I could feel it claw it way up my stomach. Where was she?My eyes shot to the restroom at the corner of the room, and I felt a bit of calm wash over me. Perhaps she was in there. I swallowed the uneasiness that had crawled its way to my throat, slightly panicking as I dashed across the room to her bathroom. "Velma," I called as I knocked on the door or rather banged it but there was no answer, and I pushed it open, "Velma," I called again.The door swung open, and my heart sank as it turned out empty too. She wasn't in the restroom. My head spun around the room, and my palm was beginning to feel clammy as I released the door and it slammed shut in my face. Where the hell was she? Where could she go?My stomach tightened, a
More Trouble!CLARA I came out of Velma's room after I'd registered that she was asleep and I took Mike into mine.We barely made it past the door. My urges were all over the place and I'd clenched my thighs all through the ride. I needed him so badly.Mike managed to slam the door behind me and pushed me in, crashing his lips into mine! "I'll take care of you," he whispered between kisses. "I'm so sorry, Clara. I'm so sorry I made you doubt me."His breath was hot against my face and he nibbled kisses everywhere. I was dripping wet, unable to contain my hunger.He whispered lovingly as he placed kisses on my naked body. I hastily unbuttoned his trousers, and he pulled it off before tossing it aside."Mike ," his tongue twirled with mine as if I'm trying to taste all his secrets. "I know. And I'm sorry too," I replied, out of breath. "Please. I'm ready. I want this. I want you. I'm done fighting you. Let me feel you, please."I reached down between us and gripped his cock, a little
Misconceptions.ClaraMy eyes locked onto Alice as she stepped inside my home, and I clenched my palm into a fist, feeling the slight tremble of my hands, and body as the rage simmered inside of me. It felt like a fucking earthquake was happening inside of me, and I hated that she made me feel this way-this small.What the hell was she doing here? How dare she even show her face here after what she had done? How dare she? Anger clawed it way up my throat, and I swallowed it back down, struggling to stay in control as my gaze fixed on her.My mind raced with a mix of emotions-Anger, hurt, betrayal, each feeling fighting for dominance, but I kept my expression blank, masking my feelings. I couldn't let her know how much her presence was affecting me or how much she had hurt me. No way. I didn't want to give her the satisfaction of a reaction so I feigned calm even if I felt nothing like that.Even if I felt like I was caught in the middle of a freaking storm or hurricane. My emotions we
Loss!MIKE *THREE HOURS EARLIER*I didn't touch Alice! I didn't do anything with her so who captured these incriminating photos? My eyes burned when I looked down at the envelope once more. The weight had multiplied in my hand, like I carried the problems of the world inside that piece of paper.Fuck! Who the hell took this?Why?I was...just a step away from having my entire life together and this happens? I felt like a car running on fumes. Why was I stupid enough to think things would continue to go smoothly like they had these past few days?My heart had ripped from my chest and my hands wouldn't stop shaking no matter how I tried. I gulped hard as I tottered towards my car from Clara's building.She'd shut down and those entrances were slammed in my face. The ones I'd worked so hard to reopen. It felt like a knife was being carved into my chest and I swear, I couldn't breathe!I couldn't breathe. Who sent those photos? What did I do? If only she'd let me explain! Nothing happene