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'
XanderI opened my eyes to the warmth of the sun that made its way through the curtains. I didn't know when I slept off after thinking all night about my deal with Bruce.I sat up, my arms reached above my head and my fingers interlocked as I pushed myself, causing my spine to arch slightly and give off a cracking sound to relieve my aching body.“Good morning,” she whispered into my face from the side and her morning breath made its way right through my nostrils, causing me to jump to my feet really fast.It was then I knew that she slept beside me, in my bed!“Lil? What the fuck are you doing there?!” I shouted, as she went back to her lying position, her tousled curls forming a sharp contrast to the pure white sheets. “Nobody sleeps in my bed. Are you insane?! Get the hell up!”She jolted to her feet and watched me, tugging at her fingers and pouting her lips.“Bu— but Xander…”It always surprised me how she seemed like a smart, independent woman on the outside but was a huge pain
Bella My hands were shaky as I poured myself another glass of the amber liquid and the ice cubes clicked against the glass when I threw some in. I had been pushed away cruelly by the man I loved— no, the man I used to love. The same man who gave me the entire world and snatched it away with only a few cold words. I poured the liquid down my throat in a single gulp and the painful burn in my throat that caused me to squeal brought ease to my suffering. I stood up and adjusted my breasts in the blue dress I was wearing. It was the same kind Xander said didn't look great on me and I wore it that day because I didn't give a shit about his opinions on what looked good and what didn't. I was expecting a guest. A really handsome one at that. He brought healing to my aching heart and I didn't know what else to offer him but myself. Every other person left me to rot, including Bernice. I looked at my already packed suitcase, standing at the corner of the room. Bruce and I were going o
BellaMy hands couldn't hold the weight of the sheet of paper and envelope anymore and they fell to the floor. I followed suit, sinking to the floor as well."What is it?" Bruce asked, his face etched with concern. "Is everything alright? What does it say?" He asked again, picking up the paper. He read it really quickly and his mouth wouldn't close. "There must be a mistake. Mr. Rivera can't be my father," my voice trembled. "Tell me it's not true, Bruce. I fucked Hardin. It— can't be. Please tell me it's all a prank. Tell me!""I'm your brother?" Bruce asked and as soon as he did, I ran into the bathroom to throw up. I threw up until it felt like my organs were going to jump out as well.I turned on the tap and bent over in the sink, watching the water mix with the colors of my makeup as I scrubbed hard over my face.I sat on the floor, screaming my lungs out, wondering where I was going to go from here. I stopped suddenly and helped myself up.I walked out and didn't find Bruce the
Bella The next morning, I went out for a run. I needed some air. I had enough and accepted that there was no point crying over spilled milk. If the dead man was my father, then so be it. When I got back, I made myself a glass of warm milk and took out some cake from the refrigerator. It wasn't the most healthy breakfast but who cared? I went in to have a bath and sat on my bed in my robe, deciding what to do that day. The will reading was slated for later that evening and I had already decided that I wasn't going anywhere even if the world fell. With Xander out of my life— because that was how I chose to look at it to feel better, I couldn't show my face at Versa Link to avoid the embarrassment of a lifetime. I couldn't just stay at home without a source of income either. I had quite a lot of money but it wasn't going to last me a lifetime. I remembered that Versa Link and the Rivera group of companies were rivals. This was the perfect punishment for Xander. I decided that I