I've been staying at Elliot's home for more than a week now. I was glad that he did not force me again to go home to my family. That discussion ended when he told me everything he knew about Matt. And after that day, when I almost scratched her gorgeous face, I never saw Chloe again. And I was relieved that she never returned. Despite Elliot's explanations, I am still not interested in meeting her or seeing her again. I would rather not see her because, regardless of the fact that she is a farce, I still regard her as a threat, not to my relationship with Matt but rather to Elliot and me. And once again, I realized how messed up I am with my contradictory emotions. I am unfair, and I know that very well. Why do I always put a lot of pressure on Elliot to tell me the truth about everything when it's always me who is not really forthright about my feelings? Why do I always expect him to be honest with me at all times when I can't even be honest with myself? In my heart, I know I can'
"You're talking in circles yet again, hon. Tell me about the issue you want to discuss." He heaved out a heavy sigh. "Um, I, Elliot, I-" He caressed my arms and shook his head. "Hey, Ari, why are you hesitating at all? What's the problem? You can tell me anything without feeling uneasy and anxious because it's just me. You know, you're free to just be by yourself in front of me. I won't judge you, and you know that." My heart started to beat faster than usual. I'm not sure whether this is the right time and place, but I felt compelled to tell him everything I'd been holding back for so long. I know he won't judge me, but I don't want him to assume that I'm on the rebound again. But, I still think that now seems to be the perfect moment to tell him everything. And it doesn't matter to me if he doesn't return my feelings; what's important is that I told him. I just wanted to be honest with him this time. There are also still a lot of things I really have to take care of, including w
"Hey, lover boy, thank you for agreeing to the meeting today, and an even bigger thank you for showing up and spending time away from your lady love." Kyle's obnoxious prodding began the instant I stepped inside my office. I went directly to my place, ignoring his shitty comments. I thought of going to the office to discuss things with Kyle and Briton. Ari asked if she could go out for a little while, and I consented, with the understanding that she would be accompanied by bodyguards to secure her safety. I don't really want to keep her at my place either and bore her. I know she needs to get out there and amuse herself in order to forget about all of the things that have happened to her. As soon as I was seated, Brit peered at me with the same smug expression as Kyle, and I knew these two bastards were probably going to try to irritate and annoy me again. "Boss, it appears you've had a fantastic week, hasn't it?" He begins by asking. I pretended I wasn't paying any attention to the
Ariella was seething with indignation and fury once more. And she doesn't even seem to care either way while she spars with Elliot, Kyle, and Brit, who are all sitting there looking at her incredulously. All she ever wanted was to know the whole truth, but no matter what she got, it was always a lie. A blatant lie. She was always deceived by the people she thought cared for her. She continued to stare at the three men as tears streamed down her cheeks. They were all completely mistaken if they assumed she would recede or if they thought she would feel intimidated by their presence. Elliot Allister is clearly mistaken when he concludes that she is the same delicate girl she used to be. Ariella did not incline to cry. She didn't want them to see her tears, but she couldn't help herself in front of the three bastards who kept conniving behind her back. She is in excruciating pain and is completely going insane with the truth that once again she was misled. And all she ever wanted to do
Darkness. Pain. Numbness. There are no specific words to describe how Ariella is currently feeling. She decided to run away from Elliot after their earlier confrontation, and she just never looked back. She will never see him the same way again. She seriously does not believe Elliot would have been so callous as to kidnap her in order for her to believe his deception. But he did, even if he knew that move could hurt her. Ari had no idea how vicious and villainous her best friend seemed to have become. Elliot is known for being domineering and demanding, but Ari never imagined he could be so unscrupulous. Ari had been traumatized since the day she was abducted. She was terrified. And it was all because of Elliot's idea. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that the hero she had presumed was clearly the villain in her story. Elliot is egotistical and selfish, and Ari will also never understand his barbaric ways, no matter what his justifications and reasons are. One thing is cle
"I'm sorry, Ari. I know I have been put in such a negative light again, but trust me when I say that I would never hurt you. You're aware of how much I love you." "Do you, Matt? Do you truly love me as you claim? Will you really not hurt me? I'm not certain whom to believe anymore. I'm not sure if I know you. You seem to have a lot of secrets kept from me as well." With a deep sigh, Matt quickly admits to Ari, "I am sorry, Ari. I apologize for concealing information from you. I assure you that I have no intention of harming you. I love you, and the only reason I kept my family a secret from you is because I knew you wouldn't accept me. Please talk to me and listen to my explanations." Ari has had enough of crying her heart out. She no longer wants to expose her emotions because she feels it will make her appear fragile and vulnerable. Even though she is in pain, she tries to take a stand and tries to be unfazed. Despite her trepidation, she wants to hear what Matt has to say about a
"Where has she gone? Find her!" I started yelling and giving orders at the top of my lungs. "What the heck is happening to her? Who is she with?" I continued to pace back and forth in my office. I needed to know where she was at all times. She simply can not keep being so defiant and hard to deal with, especially when there are threats on the horizon lurking over us. Brit replied cautiously, "She departed the instant Matt left her apartment. There were no phone calls or whatsoever, but she just left." "Where in the world is she actually trying to go? Have you checked if she's going home? Track down Ethan as well. What happened to that jerk? What happened to Matt?" I continue to lose my patience and control. I'm not sure how I'm going to protect her if Ari keeps wandering around and doing her damnedest to avoid me and stay away from me. "Don't worry, Elliot, we've got some more of our men on her tail immediately after she left. With our guys continuing to follow her, I can guarantee
"Boss, copy. I'll be outside. I'm going to wait for Ariella, as surely she'll be on a rampage when she arrives." Brit concludes, and he leaves the room. When Kyle and I were alone, I turned my attention back to him and urged, "Double-time on the report validation, Kyle. We'll need to have more concrete information." "I'm working on it, Elliot. We'll get to the bottom of this soon, don't worry." I strolled over to the couch and sat down. I'm completely spent. Since Ari's declaration to end our friendship, followed by all the reports that came in about Dimitri, I've struggled really hard. It's steadily draining whatever last strength I have, but I know I can't give up. Not until I've assured myself that Ariella isn't caught up in the chaos. "I want everyone to —" My statements were stopped just short when the door to my office burst open, allowing a seething Ariella, followed by an exasperated Briton, to enter the room. "Leave, Kyle!" Ari ordered before I could even say anything, an
Finally, the story has come to an end. Apologies, as it took longer than I had expected because of a lot of circumstances and my busy schedule. This is not perfect as well, and I know that, but I really want to thank you all so much for the support and for giving this book a chance. I deeply appreciate all the readers and followers who are supporting my stories in GN. Please support and keep reading my other stories in GN: English: (On-going) The Dragster's Mafia Heiress The Runaways' Second Chance Mate Taglish: The Invisible Love of Billionaire (completed) Married to the Runaway Bride (completed) Falling for the Replacement Mistress (On-going) The Rise of the Fallen Ex-Wife (On-going) Entangled to the Hidden Mafia (On-going)
Two men could be seen discreetly bickering over something in the stillness of the night. And although what was happening was visible to the rest of the men on the ground with them, they all chose not to interfere at this moment. They know better than to meddle with something that is not their concern. No one can genuinely understand what the verbal hubbub that is occurring between the two is all about as well. But whatever it is, it begins to appear to be about something big and important for the two to face off on the grounds just like that. The two men exchanged dirty, mean looks as they awaited each other's next move. And it also seemed as if they were about to each draw their firearms and end this ordeal between them, but both of them subsequently changed their minds and thought better of their situation. It really shouldn't reach such an extent once more. They now behave more calmly and rationally with each other than they used to in the past as a result of the changes in their
The wedding ceremony is happening in a blur for both of them. They are just too focused on each other all the time, as they are both holding each other's hands. The couple is so overjoyed about everything that is happening that they were smiling all throughout. And why wouldn't they? They are getting married! "Now that you can, Elliot, you may now recite your vows." The priest directed him. Elliot wasn't accustomed to these situations, of course. He's never been kind to express how he really feels, especially about love topics, and most of all not in front of other people. Kyle and Brit are the only people who could possibly know everything about what his heart desires. Nevertheless, today, he is willing to voice his opinion openly about Ariella and take away all his inhibitions because he wants Ari to understand how important she is to him. Before actually beginning to say his vows, he even took a deep breath to compose himself. "Hey, you know how hard this is for me, Ari, sweetie.
As I stood beside Kyle, my heartbeat was thumping frantically in my chest. I am anxious and excited, and I can tell that every person in the hall is feeling the same way as I am. This is where it all ends now. This is the culmination of everything that we've worked so hard to achieve. Today is a very special day for me and Ari, and everyone present here today is going to celebrate this momentous occasion with us. And I've honestly been eagerly awaiting this moment as well for a very long time now. But, in addition to that, I am currently experiencing a wide range of emotions. And for the very first time in my life, I can feel my hands and legs trembling at the same time at just the thought of Ariella Gregory. A distinct kind of nervousness is what I am starting to experience because, even though I'm anxious as I stand here with my best man, my excitement for what today will bring outweighs my nervousness by a long shot. Today is my most anticipated day. I'm going to get married tod
"There may still be time for you to make up your mind and change the decisions that you made, so are you sure that this is exactly what you intended to be doing?" Markus is acting like an a-hole as usual at this moment. "Sure, everything else with the villains of your lives is done and over with, but are you absolutely able to say that you wanted to marry him, that douche? Just tell me, Ariella, and I am willing to save you from this misery that you are about to get yourself into." I scowled at him as I crossed my arms in front of my chest to just let him know that he was not in the least amusing me and that I was beginning to get upset and clearly annoyed with him. "Markus, are you done grating on my nerves? If you are, can you shut the hell up now?" "What the heck, pumpkin? Why are you being so rude and surly? I'm merely trying to provide some clarity to your muddled and disorganized thinking. And I just want to let you know there is still enough time to back out." "Shut the heck
"It’s alright, dear. It's actually a very sweet gesture from you. And it just shows how much you really love my daughter." "I really do love her." He said proudly. Ari is too pleased, and she can feel the butterflies in her stomach again just hearing Elliot's words of affection for her in front of her mother. "And I love him too, so much, mom." She said proudly as well, then turning her attention to her fiance she said. "And yeah, I'm actually making your breakfast, but I thought that something must have happened because you kept calling and shouting my name that I have to see you. Are you seriously missing me all that much?" He replied confidently, "I certainly do." Then he lowers his voice and whispers to Ari, "Let's go back up into our room and I'll show you how much I miss you and how much I love you." "I like that." Ari answered grinning. She then turned to face her mother asking her, "Mom, will you be an angel and take over in the kitchen? Elliot and I just need to discuss s
Elliot immediately woke up from his sleep when he dreamed about Ariella not being beside him. He tried to reach for her but was surprised to find out that she was really no longer lying next to him. "Ari!" He exclaimed in an instant. He's been so protective of her since the recent incident that the prospect of losing her again fills him with dread. He has lost her so many times in the past that he will not allow it to happen again. He jumped out of bed and briskly walked into the bathroom to look for her. "Baby?" He called out to her again but still got no response. He then tried looking for her in the walk-in closet, but still, she was nowhere to be seen. "Baby, where are you?" He says to himself. Instantly, he began to feel uneasy. How could she have gone anywhere without him? Did she abandon him? But why? What did he do to merit that from her? He tried reaching out to her all the time, but Ari is still finding it hard to get through the events of last time, and as he and Ethan d
It is extremely simple to fool this young man who thinks so highly of himself, and as Mattias nods his head in agreement with Lucio, the elderly man feels he has done an outstanding job. With that being said, he has to leave immediately before Mattias poses a lot of questions that he wouldn't be able to answer. After concluding his report, he said, "With all of that information revealed to you, I will put it to rest at that for the time being." He then grabbed the money and, having to put it in his bag, rose up from his seat and proceeded to go. "I need to leave right now because I have somewhere I need to be. Call me if your big boss has another assignment for me." He declared, turning to leave without waiting for Mattias to respond. "The Allisters—what's up with them then?" The moment Mattias posed that query, Lucio halted in his tracks. "What? What about the Allisters?" "Isn't it that you told me you have information concerning both Gregory and Allister?" Mattias inquired as he
Lucio was so excited about this meet-up that he greeted Mattias as soon as he came through the door, saying, "Mattias, it's been quite some time since I last heard from you. What surprises do you have in store for me now? Did the boss seem to like everything that I had to say about the Gregory and Allister families? I need details about what went through with your plans." The most recent incidents involving the Wilsons, Gregorys, and Allisters are still unknown to Lucio. He still doesn't know that Mattias and his men have been captured and are under direct orders from Elliot, nor does he know that Matthew is already dead. He made the decision to maintain a low profile after receiving numerous threats from an anonymous gang, and since he doesn't have anyone to back him up solidly, he decided to stay put and keep silent for a little while. And now he's overjoyed that Mattias has summoned him. He may not have information now, but Mattias won't know that, so it will be easy money for