DAHLIA
I opened the box gingerly, slipping my finger under it and flipping it up. I breathed a sigh of relief, seeing it just contained packaging foam peanuts and a few polaroid’s stuck in the middle - I really didn’t want to have to face another dead rat again.
I reached for the pictures, scooping them up. I gasped as I felt something tickle my finger. I was about to brush it away when I saw a horrifyingly large spider crawl up my hand, scarily fast. It was two inches long and my heart plummeted. Fear drowning me, I let out a piercing scream, whacking it off. I felt a sharp sting on my hand before it went flying. My heart was thumping wildly as I stumbled back, seeing another crawl out of the box.
"Mama!" I heard Aria call.
"I'm ok, I just slipped." I lied, backing away from the large atrocities.
My hand stung but I was too focused on thinking about how to kill them. Hurrying forward, I crushed the first spider beneath my foot.
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DAHLIA My heart would have surged if it wasn’t already beating way faster than it should. "What’s wrong with you? You look really ill." He said. "I need to go to the hospital. I’ll be fine… It’s just a little…." I tried to stand up, my entire body felt heavy. "What happened? You looked better than this earlier." He asked, helping me to my feet. I could only focus on his concern. "A spider bit me." I said, holding out my swollen and painful-looking hand. He looked at me stunned before taking my hand tenderly. "This looks infected… Dahlia what spider?" He asked sharply. "It was in the box…" I mumbled, my vision swaying. "I kept them; I’ll be fine." "You should have gone sooner." He said coldly. "I…" I trailed off. Not wanting to say that it was because I didn’t want to let him down. He seemed to realise anyway, his eyes filling with pain. He now crouched down, wrapping his left arm a
DAHLIA I said it, wording the feelings that inflicted and caused a storm within me. I couldn't stop myself. Seeing the worry and concern in him as he held my hand, made me falter. When he told me he’d be there for me, I wanted to believe it. To hope he’d never get angry and leave. I was terrified of having my heart broken again but I was also terrified of losing him. I’d hold on to him for as long as possible, to hope I could win his heart someday. His thick lashed eyes were filled with surprise at my words, before they seemed to darken, and I saw the emotions in them. "I’m sorry for getting angry." His deep voice came. He let go of my hand and instead caressed my hair. Leaning forward, he placed his forehead on mine. My breath hitched and my heart thumped at his closeness. "It’s ok, you had every right-" "No. I didn’t. I didn’t let you speak and left when you needed me. There were other things that were bothering me." H
DAHLIA I looked at Dane as he sat there, a frown on his face. What did he make of it all? It felt like forever before he stood up from the side of the bed and looked down at me. "Move over." He commanded. My cheeks flushed but I did as he said, my heart racing as I watched him take his shoes off before he slid into the bed next to me. I was sure he’d hear my heart. His closeness was making me go crazy and I dared not look up at him. He slid his arm under my head and gently pulled me into his chest. I closed my eyes, inhaling his scent as I placed my bandaged hand on his chest and curled the other under his arm, placing it on his shoulder. Tingles of pleasure rushed through me and I had to bite my lip to stop from letting out a sigh of pleasure. I could feel every inch of his body against mine, right down to the bulge in his pants. Oh, dear lord, the images and thoughts that were rushing through my head were making my lower region throb
DANE I saw her face fall when I told her I wouldn’t have accepted the job otherwise. It was a truth I had to mention now rather than keep hidden, it could ruin stuff for us later otherwise. I tried not to look at her chiffon plum-coloured blouse that showed off the outline of her bra, or her skirt that displayed her long legs and curvy thighs. Last night had been a mission for me to keep my hands to myself, I had ended up getting a hard-on and had left her bed before she even woke up. "Oh." She now said, her face looking crestfallen before she schooled it to passiveness once more. "I don’t want our relationship to start on a lie." I said, taking a deep breath. This was hard for me too. She had enough going on and here I was, about to burden her with more. I began telling her how my father had screamed for a post-mortem and for answers, but it was ruled a simple suicide despite how she was pregnant at the time. How my father had even tried getting the
DAHLIA My stomach was going crazy the moment he lifted me onto the counter and said those words. I wanted nothing more than for him to fuck me, but I didn’t voice that. Warrens remarks that I was too vocal and upfront, that it wasn’t fitting for a woman like me, crossed my mind. But something about Dane treating me like an equal, asking me what I wanted, made me want to be myself completely. I felt tired of having to fit into this box of perfection, being the ideal woman. I wanted to be me and something about Dane gave me that confidence… "As you wish, princess." He murmured seductively, his deep voice making my entire body heat up. His hands fell to my thighs, slipping under my skirt as he pushed it up and parted my legs, making me gasp at the bold move as he positioned himself between them. His hand didn’t leave my thigh, sending rivets of pleasure through me. The other cupped the nape of my neck as he kissed me passionately, but it was different th
Dane That night we had slept together, and I knew she wanted to know why I said no to sex. There was something else I needed to tell her, something that was a lot more personal, but the timing didn’t feel right. As much as I wanted to bend her over and fuck her, I couldn't. I cared for her and I was not going to ruin that trust. Sure it wasn’t a big deal for some, but for Dahlia, it may be. I had to remember she was raised as a princess, and despite being married to Warren, I wasn’t sure if she had had many relationships. Inevitably, it would be a conversation that we would need to have, and by the looks of it - soon. Dahlia had scolded me for lifting her onto the counter too, something I had found amusing as she had forgotten about my injury at the time, but to be honest I was feeling a lot better now. Although I teased her for a while before that. Dahlia and I had attended the press conference and Dahlia had done most of the talking. It had gone wel
DAHLIA "N-no…" Amal said. I frowned looking at her, she looked pale… I looked at Dane who was smirking victoriously. Lord, did he love to win. I resisted a smile at how handsome he looked sitting there with Aria, who was busy fiddling with his watch. I really did see what Baba meant. I smiled. My favourite people… I looked back at Amal and then Baba to see that he was lost in thought. "I like it Mr Altaire. I think I shall have the lawyers do the draft, but we will need to do this test…." Baba said. "H-how can you? Are you doubting me?!" Amal shouted. "You know, with my treatment and everything, the chances of me impregnating you were less… I think this is a fair point." Baba said. "We have a child present." I said pointedly. In all honesty, I didn’t want to talk about my father’s bedroom activities. "You don’t seem surprised about my health?" Baba now asked Dane. "Of course not, I heard someone discussing it on the pho
WARREN It had been so long, no matter how many gifts and messages I sent her, she didn’t seem to care! I now threw the empty alcohol bottle. "I thought your plan was working?!" I snapped at Kendra. I wanted Dahlia, I needed her. Even making love to Kendra, all I could think of was how it had been with Dahlia. Now that I didn’t have her anymore, I wanted her even more. "It was! She got scared. She was… but that new CEO has been staying there so often, and she’s upped her security, I haven't been able to get inside!" She whined. Even her voice was annoying me. "Then scrap that shitty plan!" I hissed. I paused, now turning to her sharply. "Wait? Dane Altaire has been staying there?" "Yeah…" She said, folding her arms. "And you didn’t think I needed to know this?!" "It doesn't matter Baby!" She whined. I slammed my hand against the wall. "It does! It means there’s something between them! He was smart
TWO AND A HALF YEARS LATER… DAHLIA "Careful there Cain!" Dane’s mother scolded her grandson despite the smile on her face. "You will get your mother's clothes dirty." She kissed the chubby little boy on his cheek. He pouted as he tugged at her necklace. I smiled watching them, my little boy with his large grey eyes like mine and his hair was the same as his father and sister. "Let me fix that for you." Amanda said adjusting my veil that Cain had just tugged. I looked in the mirror, I was dressed in a stunning white wedding dress with jewels and beads. My hair that now almost reached my waist, was open and in its natural curls, pinned back in an elegant puff. The scar on my face was faint and I didn’t hide it any longer. My face glowed with the dewy makeup my stylist had applied, and my jewellery glittering. Today was the day I was to marry the love of my life. Dane. Life had changed so much since the day we ended Joaqui
DAHLIA I didn’t know where he had taken me or why he had the sudden need to come out with his true identity. We hadn’t driven far when the van stopped and I was being dragged out of it, all I could see was it was some sort of car park. My stomach sank as he pulled me into the darkness and down the ramp to the lower floor, I couldn’t see anything much and I did my all not to stumble whilst Joaquin didn’t seem to care. There were a few dim lights but for the most part, it was dark here. He pushed me against a post and began tying me to it roughly, I winced when the rough rope singed my skin. "I’ll make quick work of this." He muttered. My stomach twisted in fear, what was he planning? Every worst-case scenario flitted through my mind and I just felt sick. Maria… Zara… Amal, who was carrying his child… Kendra, who could have been his daughter… The moment he removed the cloth from around my mouth I thought of what I could say.
DAHLIA It had been a few weeks since Kendra’s body had been found and Dane had stayed true to his word. Emily would not get away with it and the doctor who had attended to Aria had given his statement. I was officially free from Warren completely and I couldn’t be happier. Dane’s relationship with his family had been strained, but regardless of that fact, I had invited them to our engagement. I knew deep down, they were still his parents, and I also knew they would treat Aria well. They had treated her well before too. I just hoped one-day things would work out. Family was not always pleasant, and many of us had parents who made mistakes, but that does not mean we should immediately disown them. I just hoped with time things would work out and they would realise what they were missing, because I would love it if Aria had more family around. The news of my engagement and pregnancy was swirling around, but we had not confir
DAHLIA My heart was racing as he spoke those words. Dane was proposing. My chest rose and fell as I tried to speak. My throat felt dry and I got choked up. He reached over and took the ring from my fingers. His gorgeous dreamy hazel eyes looking into mine for an answer. I couldn’t reply, so I nodded. Breathing deeply as I held my hand out. A devilish sexy smirk crossed his lips. "Use your words, princess." He purred teasingly. I poked my eyes at him. "Yes, I would love to." I whispered, holding my hand out to him. He took it, kissing it softly before he slipped the stunning ring onto my finger. "I love it, and I love you." I said, cupping his face as he stood up and pulled me into his arms. I kissed him passionately, hoping he could feel all my love for him in that kiss. He moved away when I gasped for air and I smiled at him. "Love you too, princess." He said running his fingers through my hair.
DAHLIA It had been a few days since we had visited Devin in the hospital, yet still we were unable to track Kendra down. Although Dane did tell me that there was a high chance she may be dead. I just hoped it wasn’t the case, for Devin at least. Malcolm had tried to find more details on Kendra’s birth father, but he wasn’t even mentioned on the birth certificate. There were a few places Malcolm went to ask around, people who knew her mother, but he had drawn another blank. Tonight, Dane was taking me out. He had said it had been a while since we got a break and just a change would be good for us both. I was excited about it. I had taken some time to pick out a crystal-encrusted mini dress, which I wore over a nude bodysuit that emphasised my curves. The dress had a high collar and shoulder pads, which only had more tassels. It was probably the shortest dress I’ve worn, the dangly bling strands just about covering my behind, but it felt right. I paired it with silver
DANE Was she a woman or an angel? She was so selfless that here she was willing to help the brother of her ex-husband's mistress… I had seen her looking around the hospital earlier with a frown on her face. "I haven’t got the money for the bills, and the doctors said they can’t keep me on dialysis-" "Devin. I’m here. Don’t worry. I’ve paid the bills on Kendra’s behalf. No one will bother you. Calm down." Dahlia said, placing her hand on the boy’s shoulder. He noticed the cuts on her hands and looked at her sharply. "What happened to your hands?" "I… was attacked." She said, giving him a small smile. "Oh… I’m sorry…" "It’s ok, I’m alive. That’s the important part…" Dahlia stated with a gentle smile, "Is it ok, if I take a seat?" "Of course, any friend of Kendra’s is a friend of mine. I mean… I don’t really have friends, so…" "Do you get to go out?" "Yeah, if someone takes me, but Kendra’s busy… Sh
DAHLIA It was several days later and luckily, it seemed like that was the end of Emily. There was nothing she could do to us or try to claim Aria. There was plenty of proof of her neglect, after all the doctor had seen the state Aria was in when I had taken her to the hospital that night. Thanks to the cold that night I had fallen ill too. We had to go through legal terms to register her as there was no proof of any child being born in any hospital in the city that was unaccounted for, there was no way she could do anything. Today, Dane and I had decided to head to Maria’s old apartment. We had planned to ask them if there was anything they saw or heard before Maria was killed but we had drawn a blank. Maria’s friend had passed away and her son had renovated the entire building and had a shop built in its place. "Another dead end." Dane said, tapping the steering wheel as we drove away. "Dane, shall we visit The Hope Trust Hospital? Kendra’s brothers
DANE There was only one Emily I knew, and for her to be here… felt unreal. I was done and dusted with her, so why now? I didn’t need her, nor did I want her anywhere near Aria or Dahlia. I looked towards Dahlia, who was standing there looking stunned. Her large eyes were full of emotions, her chest heaving. "One moment…" I said to the watchman. Closing the door, I walked over to Dahlia. I was about to pull her into my arms when she stepped back, sending a stinging pain through me. Her breathing was heavy, and I could tell she was beginning to panic. "Don’t worry… She cannot come between us… or Aria. If she thinks she can worm her way back in, then she has another thing coming." I said quietly, tugging her by the elbow. I pulled her into my arms forcefully. I didn't care if she wanted to or not, I needed this. "Have faith in yourself beautiful, and in me… No one can mess this up." She nodded, but I could still feel her shaking. I didn’t
DANE We had just arrived home when we heard Aria laughing as she and Hadid sang some Arabian song. "Finally home…" Dahlia said with relief. I was glad she was feeling better now. "Home indeed, speaking of which… I have a few things I wanted to show you." "Sounds perfect." She said. "Mama!" Aria said as she hurried over. Dahlia hurried forward worriedly. "Careful Ari." She scolded lightly catching her carefully and kissing her head. "Mama, Grandpapa and I are singing songs!" She said. "That’s lovely, now how about you go and enjoy yourself? Mama will go shower and then we will join you all for some pizza?" "Oo yummy! Takeaway?!" "Yes." Dahlia laughed. Aria gave me a hug before she walked off to tell Hadid. Dahlia stood up, smiling as she turned to look at me, taking her coat off slowly. If only she realised how enticing that move was… "Mind ordering?" "Not at