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Elena hugged herself close, letting the cool breeze of the evening beach dance around her, play with her.Not that she was in the mindset to really enjoy it. Her mind was elsewhere. Lost in the thoughts of its own. Not able to find even a minute rest.“Auntie Elena, look at my feet,” Caleb yelled from the shore.Elena forced herself to snap out of the bustling of her head and watched her nephew getting his feet wet in the waves. The huge grin on his adorable face always soothed down her restless mind. Even right now, she could feel herself warming up to his presence, her chest unfurling in ways she couldn’t really explain.“Don’t get too far, sweetheart. The waves are not as friendly as you think.”“I know, Auntie Elena,” Caleb whined, before running back when the next waves came rushing towards him. “But this is so fun. Even the waves can’t catch me. See? Did you see that? I’m so fast.”That made her laugh. Despite everything going through her head—every question, every doubt, every h
“Are you sure you want to stay?” Josh asked gently as he gazed at his sister.Elena glanced over her shoulder and locked eyes with Simon. “There are some things I need to take care of,” she said, turning back around to face her brother. She smiled. “But don’t you worry, I’ll be back soon.”“Are you sure you can trust him?”The way Josh had been glaring at Simon made it obvious the two did not see eye to eye. And yet, there was something—a reason—they weren’t declaring war against each other. Perhaps they had reached some kind of understanding—a common ground. From the way Simon had described his relationship with Josh a few hours ago, it was obvious he hated her brother with a passion.But look at them now.Not only was her brother ready to respect her decision to stay on the island for a while, but he also trusted Simon with her safety. And not only was Simon letting her brother leave without a scratch, but he also arranged a plane of his own, leaving no reason whatsoever for any kind
“Three months,” Elena said and waited for him to say something.Simon, however, looked pissed off. It wasn’t usual for him to grow angry as quickly as he did this time, but he couldn’t help himself either. It was as if she had found his weakest nerve, and was now pressing it slowly, making him feel as if the walls were closing in.“No!” He replied, looking as annoyed as he looked.“Three months is a fair time, Simon. You should be glad I’m not breaking everything off at least.”Simon huffed. “There’s nothing to be glad about.” He leaned back against the car, his strong arms folded across his chest. At the distance, the sun had almost hopped out of the horizon, and the cool breeze of the morning had started to grow warmer and warmer by the minute. Not that he was bothered by the rising temperature. Nothing bothered him more than the words coming out of her mouth right now. “Three months are too long. I can’t even give you three days.”“Now, you’re just being an ass,” Elena grumbled, cro
*SEASON 2*...*One Month Later*“Auntie Elena! Auntie Elena! You’re coming to see me at the annual function, right?” Little Caleb asked, his eyes as big and bright as ever.Elena looked up from her plate and smiled at him. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Especially when you are playing the most adorable butterfly ever.” She pinched his cheeks, and he scrunched up his little nose.“I’m not a butterfly, Auntie Elena. I’m a firefly,” he said, pointing at his costume—the one he had been wearing for the rehearsal that day—, his face flashing with pride and excitement. “You have to come because it’s very important. And I am a very important character, so I need you to be there.”“I will be there, baby,” she promised again, smiling. “Did you ask your daddy? Is he coming to cheer you on or not?”At the mention of Josh, Caleb’s smile faded into a frown, and he dropped his gaze to the small plate in front of him. “No. I have not.”Elena couldn’t help but raise a brow, curious. “An
The man laughed. “I can’t believe you fell for it,” he said, laughing more and more eerily by the minute. When he was done laughing, he leaned down and grabbed Elena by the jaw, yanking her face up so she faced him. “Such an innocent little lamb you proved yourself to be, princess. If only you knew what you just walked into.”Elena (aka Princess Sienna) glared, her eyes shooting daggers full of deep hatred at him. “You’re going to pay for this, Xander. My father will chop off your head and hang it on the streets for everyone to see what a pathetic loser you are,” she practically spat at him.That’s when the man sitting away from the scene grabbed the mic and yelled, “And cut! Perfect shot, guys. Let’s reset for the next scene in ten.”The actors relaxed, stepping out of their intense characters. Elena felt someone tap her shoulder and turned to find her co-actor, the man who played the main villain and her evil archenemy on the show. She grinned widely at him.“Great shot, Matthews,” h
“It’s your fault, just admit it,” the driver frowned, staring at the bent metal of the car, before looking at the woman whose scooter had slammed into it. “It doesn’t hurt to be a little more cautious while driving, does it?”The woman gasped, taken aback by the words of the middle-aged man. Her perfect brows pinched and a frown formed on her lips. “Are you kidding me? This is clearly your fault.” She was so pissed—so damn pissed. She was already late for her class, and this man—this damn old man—was backing off from lecturing on how to drive. For Angelina, it was simply too early for a lecture, especially when she was already late enough to have to skip her breakfast.And clearly, an empty stomach Angelina was a very cranky Angelina.She took a few breaths before replying, her hands pressing hard on her hips as she tried to calm her anger and not explode at the man. “Sir, my scooter hit your car because you suddenly and illegally switched lanes without notifying or signaling to anyone
Elena was heading towards her car when a black Mercedes rolled up in front of her.Surprised for a moment, it didn’t take her long to recognize the car’s owner.However, before she could say something, the backseat window rolled down and Richard’s familiar face appeared. “May I drop you somewhere?”Elena adjusted the strap of her purse, feeling awkward once again. Perhaps working with her ex wasn’t such a good idea after all. Josh had warned her against it, but she had decided to trust her instincts and signed the movie, mostly because she had instantly fallen in love with the script and knew such stories and opportunities were hard to come by.“I’ve got my car, but thanks.”He nodded, still smiling. “Sure. See you tomorrow at the crew meeting?”“Wouldn’t dare miss it.”“Good.” He nodded once again, spared a lingering glance, put on his dark shades, and instructed his driver to leave.Once Richard’s car was out of sight, Elena sighed deeply.God, she didn’t know how much longer she cou
Elena was ready for bed when her phone chimed, and she reluctantly dragged herself to see whose ass was on fire so late at night. Her eyes widened, and she silently stared when Simon’s name flashed on the screen.A month of not seeing him—at least not for longer than a minute or two—and there she was, suddenly anxious and so damn nervous for her own good. ‘What does he want now?’ she thought, nibbling on her bottom lip, her heart pounding in her chest as if ready to break through.She sighed, not sure what to do. But before the call disconnected, she rushed to answer, cursing herself almost instantly when his deep voice grazed her ear.“And here I thought you were planning to ignore me,” he said, and Elena couldn’t describe the way something stung at the back of her eyes.She didn’t even know why she was being so emotional; it wasn’t as if she missed him or something. Right?She shook her head and sat down on the edge of the bed, fiddling with the hem of her nightdress. “We talked abo
Hey lovely readers,First of all, I would like to say a huge thank you if you’ve made it to the end. It wasn’t an easy journey, I know, but you stayed, and that means everything to me. :)Secondly, let me get straight to what I said I would be talking about in this note.I know a lot of you (probably all of you) must be wondering what happens with Josh next, and what about Angelina, Betty, Caleb, and the other kids.No worries—the reason I decided not to continue their stories here is that I’ll be exploring that story arc in a new book. It will probably be published soon (I’ll do my best, I promise). I realized that Josh’s story needed its own space because there was so much I wanted to write for him, and that couldn’t happen alongside Simon and Elena, who were obviously nearing their happy ending.But yes, it’s impossible to write about Josh without Elena, so Elena and Simon will be making appearances in the new book as well. Maybe sometimes more than I intend, because God knows I lov
After their little party was over and everyone went back to the guest rooms to rest, Elena laid their sleeping daughter in her crib and tucked her nicely.A pair of warm hands slid around her waist from behind, a kiss landed on her shoulder. “Thank you for today. How long have you been planning all this? And how the hell did you manage to invite Josh? I didn’t take him for a party person. Not these days.” He whispered into her ear, making her skin tingle.“You have to ask me how I got your brother to attend? I have my ways of making people do what I want.” She grinned as she turned in his arms and looped hers around his neck.He grinned as well. “Is that right? Do those ways include threatening? Do I want to know the details?” He said jokingly, knowing how Elena is, and she was very much the kind of person who’d go out of her way to make the things that were important to her, happen.“Oh, I think you don’t really want to know. But, I just had to do it for you.”She gave him a light kis
Simon woke up in the middle of the night, his heart racing.He looked around himself, patting his hand around in search of the person he was hoping to find. But to his dismay, there was no one else on the bed with him.“Elena?” he said out loud, frowning at the darkness.His hand patted the sheets and pillow again, trying to feel for her body, but he found nothing. Where was she? Where did she go?“Elena?”No response.He was starting to worry now. Where was she? He could feel a sense of dread slowly filling up inside him. He needed to find her. He needed to know if she was okay.Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from outside his room. He quickly got out of bed, put on his sweatpants and a t-shirt and opened the door.There was no one in the hallway. It was eerily quiet.He frowned, he could swear he heard someone walk by just now.“Elena, are you here? Please say something, darling. It’s me.” He said as he walked slowly to the end of the hallway, bare feet.Just when he thought he
Elena stood outside the doors, clutching the bouquet tightly in her hands. She was shaking, and she knew that anyone who could see her right now would notice, including her brother, Josh.“You’re not a very confident bride, are you?” he teased.She rolled her eyes, wanting to punch him but refraining from causing any casualties at her wedding.“I’m just nervous, that’s all.”“Understandable,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Trust me, you’re not the only one.”She looked up at him, unsure of what he meant. “What do you mean?”“Simon probably feels way worse. I mean, did you see him before he went into that room with his friends? He was sweating bullets.”She shook her head. “You’re making that up.”“I’m not, I swear!” He chuckled. “He’s just as scared as you are, if not more. And that’s a sight I never thought I’d see in my life.”She smiled a little. “I guess you’re right. He is pretty intimidating.”“Exactly. So you have nothing to worry about.” He patted her shoulder. “You’ve got thi
Richard whistled, and Danika watched as Greg, standing outside the room, appeared and uncuffed him.“What the fuck?” Danika was shocked. “How did you… How did you do that?” She turned to face Greg. “You… you work for me, not him! Cuff him back to the door, you giant imbecile!”“Sorry, miss,” Greg said in a deep voice, “I don’t think I will. Mr. McDowell here paid me a lot more money than you to change sides.”“What?!”“That’s right.” Richard stood up, rubbing his wrists. “This is over for you, Danika. Let’s just end this before anyone gets hurt.”Shocked and now furious, Danika was not someone who would give up so easily. Her fingers tightened around the scalpel in her hand. She would fight. She would not go down without a fight.“You think you can win, Richard? You think you’re so smart, don’t you? Well, you’re wrong. I’m not going anywhere. If I can’t have Elena, then no one can.”Without warning, she lunged at Elena, swinging the scalpel towards her throat. But before she could eve
“Is everything set up?” the first man who carried the unconscious bride asked.“Yes,” Greg, who stood outside the operating theater, nodded. “The room is ready. All the equipment is working fine. Just leave her inside, and that woman will handle the rest.”“Sounds good to me,” the other man said, wiping the sweat off his forehead.“Yeah, me too. I just want to get this over with as soon as possible. I don’t want to be here for too long. My wife and daughter have been going on and on about this wedding, and if they come to know I was part of it, they’ll never let me hear the end of it,” the first one said.“Don’t worry. You’ll be paid handsomely,” Greg assured, opening the door for them. “I’ll make sure of that. We just need to do our jobs and get out of here. Simple as that.”“Fine,” the two men said in unison.Danika was waiting for them next to the table, a smile on her face. “Ah, there you are. Any trouble?”“No. Everything’s fine.”“Excellent. Place her on the table, please.”They
Danika was so damn ready for the final stage of her revenge.She had planned everything meticulously, and now all her efforts were coming to fruition. She was smiling to herself when the phone rang, and she picked it up, already aware of what she was about to hear.“We got her,” the man with the deep voice said. “On our way now. Will be there in twenty.”“Perfect. See you then.”She hung up, unable to stop the grin from forming on her face. Everything was going according to plan. And it was just getting started.She looked around. She was standing right in the middle of an abandoned hospital, the perfect place to host her little celebration. She couldn’t wait to see the look on Simon’s face once he realized his bride was gone. And this time, for good. He would be devastated, broken, destroyed. The thought alone was enough to make her laugh.“What’s so funny?” Richard asked as he walked into what looked like an operating theatre.“Just imagining Simon’s face once he realizes I’ve taken
Simon was pacing outside the bridal suite, restless and nervous. One of the servers had informed him that Elena wasn’t feeling well, and he had dropped everything he was doing to rush over and see if she was okay, or if they needed to cancel the wedding. Because he totally could. Nothing was more important to him than his soon-to-be wife’s well-being.“Come on, open the fucking door! Let me in. Just once. I swear, I won’t even say a word.”“Not yet, Simon,” came the familiar voice of Diana. “We talked about this. You can’t see the bride before the wedding.”“Fuck that. This is a fucking emergency. She’s not answering the phone. What if something’s wrong?”“Relax. She’s fine. She just needs a few minutes alone. The excitement is getting to her. But she’ll be out soon. Don’t worry.”“Diana, I swear to God, if you don’t open the door right now, I’m breaking it down. I don’t care if I have to chop the entire thing down.”“Go away, Simon. Or I’m going to tell Elena what you did the other da
And while celebrations and laughter were being shared in one part of the world, in another corner, a different kind of gathering was being planned—a more sinister, dark, and twisted celebration.“I knew I’d find you here,” a familiar voice whispered in his ear. Richard glanced over his shoulder, frowning at the face he hadn’t seen in a while. But there was no mistaking it. The woman was actually here, and the first thing he wanted to do upon recognizing her was to wrap his fingers around her throat and squeeze until she stopped breathing.“What do you want?” he growled, turning back to his drink as he sat at the bar of one of the elite clubs.“Why? No welcome? Where are your manners, Richie?”He hated it when she called him that.“What are you doing here, Danika? I thought I made it clear you were not to contact me again.”“And I thought I made it clear that I have no intention of backing off until you realize that we both have the same enemy. Until you agree to work with me.”“You are