XAVIER'S POVRhea's voice was like nails on a chalkboard, “I’m far better than Ella in every way. I could give you everything she can’t.” Her lips moved closer, her intentions clear.As she made an attempt to kiss my lips, I couldn't help but notice the glints of desire glistening in Rhea's eyes. She was obviously jealous of my interest in Ella and had been trying to get my attention ever since. I noticed my response to her actions had a toil over Ella. The only reason I continued was to make Ella jealous and see where this act could lead on to.I caught her wrist before she could close the gap, a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth. But then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Ella standing at the door. I hesitated, and then, on impulse, I let go of Rhea's wrist and pulled her in for the kiss she was so desperate for. It was all for show, all to provoke, to remind Ella of something that still lingered between us.Ella didn't make a sound, but I could see the way her eyes wid
CHAPTER SIXTEENELLA'S POVI woke up to the first ray of sunlight, the golden brown sunlight piercing into my eyelids. With a disorient yawn, I stretched my arms lazily as I felt a wave of tiredness hit my insides. For a moment, I just laid there, letting my mind cool off on the series of events today held. Today was the charity event day, and as much as I've been planning it, my mind was still a tangled mess. I yawned again, this time raising my body as I tried to wipe off the remnants of sleep.The clock, if i was currently, read 6:00 AM. Early, but I was used to it now. The event launches at the evening of today, a strategy to have all our schedules guests present. Today, I needed every extra minute to get ready. This event was my chance to prove myself, not just to the hospital but to everyone who had ever doubted me—including myself.I slid out of bed, the cold tile floor bracing my feet in a chilling embrace as I padded my way over to the bathroom. After bathing, I proceeded to
ELLA'S POV I glided briskly as I made my way past the hallways in the direction of Mr. Anderson's office. As I progressed through the hall's walls, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread wash over me. Mr. Anderson's call was another testimony to confirm the rumors.Rhea had always been like this towards me, cruel, cold and jealous. I still couldn't place the reason she was jealous of me, my life was just as imperfect as any other nurse in the hospital. I felt a twinge of anger—Rhea had always been a thorn in my side, and it seemed like she’d found a new way to undermine me.As I finally arrived at the entrance of the door, my breath hitched in my chest, anxiety growing in my veins. I sighed deeply, reassuring myself that Rhea's accusations were going to be an easy squeeze. But a glance at the double doors of Mr. Anderson's office gave me a reason to rethink it.From the transparent glass, I could see Mr. Anderson mouthing some words in which I couldn't quite read. I ran my fingers
ELLA'S POV I was standing near the balcony, gasping for air and steadying my nerves. I could see the evening was coming and the charity event was in full swing, however, my brain was still spinning from the day's events. I needed a moment, just a few minutes of peace from the distress that had been going on in me since the day… well, since that kiss. But then I heard him before I saw him. Xavier. His presence was like a storm, which could be seen from miles away. The atmosphere around me was becoming a little bit heavier with his arrival. I didn’t turn around, nor did I acknowledge him, but he was not the kind of man you could easily ignore."So, you’re hiding now?" His voice was velvety, tinged with that arrogant charm he wielded with ease. "You know, it is not like you to run away, Ella."I took a slow, deep breath while my eyes were focused on the city lights through the glass. "I’m not hiding," I said, my voice steady. "Just… taking a break." He came nearer, filling the room wi
XAVIER'S POV I carried Ella into the mansion, her body heavy with drunkenness, though she wasn’t entirely out. Her head lolled against my chest, the scent of alcohol thick on her breath. As we stepped inside, I motioned for my men to help me get her up to my room. Her words were a jumbled mess, half slurred, but the challenge in them was unmistakable.I followed them as I walked past the tight security at the gate all the way to the main mansion. As we proceeded, several maids all bowed and offered greetings. Normally I would dismiss the greetings but today, I acknowledged them lightly with nods and slight hand gestures. With Ella being helped by my men, we entered into the mansion, it's tall walls hinting elegance upon every stare. The coloring were elegant, yet mature— just the way I wanted it to be. I continued in my tracks, veering and turning as we grew closer to my room.As we grew closer, my mind wavered back to the thought of Ella. If I hadn't stepped in back then, she would
ELLA'S POV "CAN I LEAVE NOW?" I managed to utter with a feigned arrogance. I stared at the his cold pair of eyes, his face was almost that with a warrior's mask. My body throbbed from the ache, I tried to rise up to the floorI slowly sat up in bed, finally feeling some strength returning to my limbs. The room smelled of him—fresh, clean, with a hint of something darker underneath. I couldn’t decide if it was comforting or unsettling. Either way, I needed to get out of here. At the same time, my head was beating with the loud noise of a hangover, however, I toned it down, and put my mind on the mission: leaving.The bathroom was just a few feet away, but amidst my steps there, I couldn't help but have seen the surrounding luxury. Everything about this place screamed wealth and power, from the polished marble floors to the massive windows that offered a breathtaking view of the city. It was all so... Xavier. When I entered the bathroom, I washed my face with cold water, but I hoped
ELLA'S POV I stepped out of the sleek, black car Xavier had organized to being me home as the evening breeze embraced my curls causing it to go in the air. Tugging some loose strands behind my ear, I stared back at the shady figure of my apartment. With a sigh, I continued in my tracks as I walked in the direction of the building,my mind flashing back to the thought of Ivy at Mr and Mrs Thompson’s.They had offered to help watch Ivy down till the night as I had told them I would return late since I had to supervise the event down till it's end. As I walked past the group of security at the gate, I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.My heels clapped against the hard floor as I made my way towards the door of my apartment. My plan was to enter, freshen up before going to pick up Ivy at the next apartment. But to my shock, when I arrived at the door, I felt a frisson of pure shock in my veins. A low growl escaped my throat as I stared at the unfamiliar lock. That bastard landlord
ELLA'S POV My stomach churned at her words as I felt a rush of anger searing in my veins. My gaze flashed back at the heart wrenching view of my college best friend, Maggie, curled up in the arms of Matt, my ex-boyfriend. The view of the two of them together made my skin crawl as I face twisted into a sneer of disgust. I froze in my tracks, the evening breeze sending cold shivers down my spine. Maggie flashed me a look of undisguised disdain as she said, “Guess even leftovers get reheated.” Her words fueled my anger even more as I felt an urge to tear into them, how dare she? Even after betraying me years ago, she still had to courage to throw insults. My jaw tightened as I masked my anger with a serious frown not hinting any emotions. “My mommy's not trash,” I felt Ivy's grip over my fingers loosen as she squealed in my defense. My heart burned as Maggie broke into a giggle, one that only ensued my anger. “Well, what do we have here.” She turned in Ivy's direction about to beg
MADAME BROWNE'S POV As I raced down the hallways, the heavy thudding sound of my heart thumping against my chest clouded my senses. My breaths came out in ragged, fractured puffs as I paced towards the elevator at the end of the hallway. I took slow strides towards it and when I finally got close enough, my fingers trailed over to the open button and as I pressed it, the doors chimed open.Before I stepped in, I felt a heavy pull from behind as I snapped my head in the direction of the dark hallway and at the president's door. His words repeated in my head and I just couldn't help but clench my fists and sigh.Lucas’s plan was about to go down hill and the fool wasn't aware. My gaze stayed frozen on the door as thoughts pulsed through my mind. Right now, there are only two things I could do. It was either I told him or I kept it to myself.Since he decided to pull me under the rug after all my years of commitment and loyalty to him, I guess that was what he deserved for being a total
MADAME BROWNE'S POVWhat the hell just happened?Did Lucas just bail on me? Did he, for the first time in a long while, pull me under the rug? Rage rolled into my veins as I nearly froze on the spot. Even now as my fingers shakily perused the hem of my dress, I still couldn't believe he would hide something from me. I used to be the one he confided in, the one he always went to whenever he had a big plan but now…Now he was hiding things from me? How dare he?I first tried to get him to break the full plan to me fully but instead of that, he waved me off skillfully like some god damned fog of smoke. How funny? My fingers stiffened slowly as thoughts started running through my mind.It was obvious there was something else to his plan? He was hiding something?Something dark, dangerous and worse still, something I wasn't aware of.With my face fixed in a frozen smile, I waited patiently until the D.P.O stepped out of the room and was escorted out by the president before I brushed off
LUCAS'S POV I was in my private quarters when my assistant raced into the room. Her footsteps echoed against the walls of the room and I immediately stopped what I was doing. The stripper whose breast I was fondling raked her gaze against my features as her thin fingers brushed over my shoulders over to my chin as she gripped it lightly.“Spare me a glance, handsome.” Her sickeningly sweet voice rolled into the air in neat, smooth beams as I brushed her fingers off me as I flung my gaze in the direction where my assistant stood.Her tall, lean figure stood out in the room. I wasn't really sure if it was the bright contrast of her red gown or the alcohol but she just stood out. The lights in the room buzzed over her features as I narrowed my gaze slowly.She stood comfortably on 6 inches and clutched a file in her hands. Her dark eyes took in the raucous sights in the room before they shimmered with urgency. She paced towards me slowly with her heels clip-claping against the marbled f
MR MCKINNEY'S POV After the interrogation was done, I opened the door and stepped in to find the police officer seated casually on the chair opposite Madame. As their eyes shifted over to my figure, I noticed a sudden stifled gasp escaping madame Browne's lips as I paced towards where she was seated.“Is anything the problem?” I asked, my voice warm as I took my seat on the chair beside Madame Browne. Xavier soon stepped into the room and as he walked over to one of the chairs sitting lazily in the room, I shoved my gaze in her direction.Her eyes shimmered with an innocence that seemed to fake to be real. For a normal person, they'd say she was just shaken by the seriousness of the interview but I knew her— in, out. She was like a viper, the moment you take your eyes off her, she rears her head in your direction with her venom riddled fangs and tongue wagging through the air.I tapped my fingers over the clear smooth table as I slowly took my eyes away from her. I moved it over to t
MADAME BROWNE'S POV “Is that really you, Lucas?” The words quivered through my pursed lips as I gripped the hem of my dress tightly. My heart raced in my chest as I tightened my fingers grip over the fabric as his voice rang out shortly.Smooth. Low. Grating.Those were the right words to use in placing how it sounded. His voice raked its way into my ears as I stiffened almost immediately. “Yes, I hope you haven't forgotten how much of a powerful figure I am. If I want something, I make sure I get it and right now, I want revenge.”My blood ran cold at the mention of the last word. Revenge. As much as I was the brain behind most of his schemes, I couldn't help but imagine how far he was going to go in getting it. He was like a wild bull.The second its tamer got out of the picture, it'd go rogue on any one that crossed its path. In this case, Lucas was the bull and I was his tamer. Without me in the picture, the McKinney mansion could as well kiss their sanity goodbye because…The to
MADAME BROWNE.A hot drop of sweat raced down my oily forehead as the police officer took his seat in front of me. “Good day officer.” I greeted him calmly but he ignored me. My heart raced in my chest as I heaved out a sigh.“So, Madame Br—” he paused halfway in his speech just to get a glance of my name on the file in his hand. He was writing my name on a file and as he raised his brow in my direction, I nearly stiffened on the seat as his gaze raked over my features.“It's Browne.. sir.” My lips quivered as I struggled to find the right word to use as the heat of his gaze braced my sides. “Okay, so Mrs Browne.” He muttered as he tilted his head up in my direction and I stiffened on the spot as my breath hitched in my chest.“I have some questions first,” The police officer said and I adjusted my back on the chair. I straightened my spine and dusted off some unseen dust off my laps as I stared right back at her.“What's that?” I mumbled as he glanced back at the file in his hands be
MADAME BROWNE'S If you thought I wouldn't get this plan through successfully, blink twice. I was almost done hatching this plan. Xavier had fallen. Ella had done the same and even the president that I thought would be a hard nut in the way had already given into my plan leaving me with nothing but full control over their minds.I could now control each and every one of their thoughts. They were all in my firm grip and I wasn't going to let go. At least not now. Not when my plan was reaching its climax and I was about to have the final say— well, Lucas was the one with the final say but still, I was the one who brought the plan to life.I was always the one who brought each and every one of our plans. I mean I was the brain behind each and every one of our plans but this particular was double crossing. Lucas didn't tell me the full details of the other end of the plan and I couldn't help but wonder what that bastard was up to.After he got out of jail, we lost communication and lack o
XAVIER'S POV.When the D.P.O stepped foot into the mansion, I was called aside by one of the president's private assistants. “Mr Xavier.” She called out softly as I turned my gaze in her direction. “Yes,” I responded slowly in anticipation for her next words but she didn't speak.Instead, she tilted her head in the direction of the door and signaled for me to walk to the other side of the room. Before I followed her, I made sure to glance at Madame Browne and the president first.The atmosphere surrounding them carried a heavy tent of tension. I could sense the president's doubts from where he was. I could tell that he was having double doubts about doing any of this but there was no time left to think now.We didn't have any more time left. If Lucas found out we were about to contact the police he could fi something bad and that was what I was afraid of. I couldn't have him going around free when we all knew he was a threat to not only my life but that of the entire McKinney family
D.P.O’S POV“Why did it take you so long to call, Lucas?!” The instant my finger tapped on the accept buttons displayed on my phone, I lashed out as my voice echoed against the walls of the elevator. The cold beams of my yell rolled back, slithering into my ears as rage spiked my veins. I clenched my fists slowly and pressed it to my side as I grabbed the phone with my right hand while the other was tightly clenched to my sides.The air in the room intensified as tension oozed in followed by nothing but the heavy puffs of heated air rolling out of my nostrils. My heart raced in my chest as I waited patiently, listening closely for a sound to confirm he was listening to me. After waiting for a few seconds, my voice roved out in a rough beam, “Lucas?!” This time around, I made sure my voice was louder and more authoritative than the last time and just before I gave up, I heard it. His voice. It was as rough as sandpaper and rocks yet it held an edge. A dangerous edge.“Stop.” One wo