BellaI saw him alone, sweating profusely in a well air-conditioned room. "Why is he a little jittery though?" It was a sight I had never seen. Even when he lost his grandmother, the emotions were only found in his eyes; he was still as cold as ice.I had realized that my dance partner was infact Hardin. He increased the intensity of his grip on my waist when I tried to go after the person who caused a scene with the broken glass to find out if it was truly Xander. That sneak little bastard. He had tried to kiss me after staring into my eyes for a while. People be kissing just anybody these days, huh? I pushed him away and I pulled away his mask. I didn't understand why Bernice would pay Hardin to dance with me. Maybe she didn't know it was him?I bit my lips to punish myself for enjoying his company in the first place. I hated him! I should have recognized those devil like eyes through a tiny mask.He tried to stop me when I tried to walked away from him, holding me so tightly, I c
BellaI didn't care at that moment who spoke. I was glad it wasn't Hardin. I had three men after me and I had favourites. It was all fun and games as I simply watched, until..."Two hund—" Bruce began but was rudely interrupted by Xander's growl."Stop it, Bruce," he charged in Bruce's direction, ready to strike. He did have some kind of anger issues that only popped up when it had to do with me. He became a hungry tiger."No, you—""No! All of you, just stop!" I shouted with my eyes closed. "I am not some property to be bought and taken home. I am not your slut! I have had enough of your rants." I said on a final note, walking out.They could have killed themselves in there and I couldn't have that. I had gotten their acts up to here and I was done. Xander didn't want me anymore but he wouldn't let Bruce either. Hardin would never stop and I let reality hit.At that point, I did what seemed right and best. I left. After calling Bernice's phone a million times over and receiving the a
Mr. RiveraI paced the full length of the not so large barn, my freshly polished shoes crunching on the straw covered floor. I wrinkled my nose and flared my nostrils slightly at the stench of the environment which I wasn't used to.I stopped right in front of the young woman as I watched her fearful eyes follow my every move."I'm sure you are aware of the very reason why you are here," I said in a low and intimidating voice. I took a step closer, towering over her. I leaned over her chair, grabbing both sides and bringing my face level to hers. "You have been a thorn in my flesh for the longest time but Xander— oh that boy; he won't let me have access to you but you know what, he finally did," I said with a sense of authority, letting out a triumphant laugh into her face.She nodded weakly with her eyes pleading and it only infuriated me even more.I stood up and snapped at one of men. He brought out a stick of cigarette and lit it while it was in between my teeth, the loud clacki
XanderI glanced at my cracked phone on the floor like it was the cause of my misfortune. I proceeded to break it off completely as I stomped on it with the hard sole of my shoes, grunting in frustration with every step.My father sure knew how to get to me and I was never going to play right into his stupid trap! I paced around my office again, running my fingers through my hair.It had been hours and nobody could tell me where Bella was, every lead was a dead, empty end. The news came on again— a young lady was abducted right in front of the Cuisine restaurant.Everyone had heard the story and watching it made me even angrier. I had made sure the restaurant was closed down until she was found!I ripped the television off the wall and flung it aside. I grabbed my keys from the table and stormed out of the office, making my way to the underground parking lot. "Get me a new phone," I instructed one of my men.I drove to the 'den'. It was a bar but not the kind that was visited by the
Xander"Argh!" A deep, resentful groan escaped my throat as I struggled to surpress my rage. He was one step ahead, but not for long. "When I see that man, I'll kill him!" I said through my tightly pressed teeth."Take a deep breath, Xander. We have to focus on saving Bella. The man is deadly. He could kill her first."I wiped my face with my palm in frustration as we proceeded outside the barn. "If he dares, he'll eat his own body parts for dinner until he gives up."I said it and I meant every word."We'll find her. The man can't hide forever," Luke said, placing his hand on my shoulder.My phone pinged again and this time, it was a call from a number with no caller ID. I stared at it for a moment before answering. I waited for the caller to speak first, not uttering a word."Hey, Xander. This is Beck. I heard about Bella. Meet me at the old factory close to the river. I have some information you might need," he said in a hushed tone."But how did you—?" I began but the line went d
Xander"I see you've brought company. How thoughtful," my father said with a dark smirk on his face. "Oh, Hardin. You too? Tell me, what does she have that you all want?" He caressed Bella's thighs and she squealed uncomfortably.I wanted so badly to stop him but I knew if I moved an inch, I'll be looking at pieces of my body scattered all around the floor in the freezing room."Let her go, Mr. Rivera," Bruce spoke first. "Your reign of terror ends now."My father laughed to his heart's content. It was cold and scornful as he motioned one of his men to hand him a tiny remote."If it isn't my 'son'," he said, making air quotes with his fingers. "How are you, Bruce? You see, I wish it was that simple but it's not. This is as much about teaching you all a lesson as it is about my money.""Dad, if you do anything to her, you'll pay for it," Hardin answered, moving his leg a little."Why do all my sons choose to go against me? Xander's shared you some of his guts, right?""What do you wan
BellaThrough blurry eyes, I watched as the scene before me went on. What was I supposed to do? I could barely walk, let alone jump in front of a bullet for the man I loved.Bruce had just strapped me in tightly with a seatbelt. I was starting to think it was so I wouldn't intervene. I was tired. This day came with events I couldn't have imagined or even dreamt of.Watching a friend get shot and almost die in Xander's arms was the least of the things I thought would happen that day. Watching his father die wasn't any better. "It started off great! It was supposed to be a good day!" I whispered, tears rolling down my bloody cheeks.All these thoughts ran through my mind in a split second as I watched Bruce get ready to blast Xander's head off. I didn't want to be a part of that. I never wanted to come in between brothers; everything that was happening in that moment was the reason why I ran away in the first place.The deafening bang from Bruce's gun echoed through the air and I don't
Xander "You're going home with me," I told her, opening the door to the driver's side of the car and getting in. "But I—" she opened her mouth to refuse. "It's not up!" I said, raising my voice. "...for debate," I continued in a low tone. I wasn't in the mood to banter words. She'll be safer with me and I wouldn't have to worry. Bruce fixed me with a frosty look as he got in and sat beside beside her. I couldn't care less about what he thought. I looked up, about to start the car and saw Hardin kneeling beside the man he once called father. I guess it didn't matter how much he claimed that he hated him. His father was still his father. Not mine anymore though. I couldn't feel much since I spent most of my life away from him anyway. Knowing that I wasn't the true first son of the Rivera family didn't hurt— I had absolutely nothing to lose. I started the car, causing Hardin to look into the blinding headlights. I was ready to drive away. I was fucking tired. "You can'