∆ALEXANDER∆"Alex, no!" Eric shouted, wrenching his arms tighter around me not allowing me to go towards Ivory.Shattered glass from the chandelier showered down near me like razor-edged confetti, and the flames of the explosion teased the skin on my arms. I'm too stunned, Eric held my arm behind me as I attempted to move once again."She's there! Ivory's there!" My voice was cracked with fear as I fought him, "Don't stop me, she is in danger! Let me go!" Eric clenched his teeth. "I know Alex, but if you go directly into the flames, how the hell are you going to rescue her? Wait till we get some help." His words aren't reaching my ears, my heart was beating against my chest like a war drum, my brain is messed with a mixture of terror and despair, above the fog of smoke and panic, I saw her.Lying motionless.Too motionless.My blood turned cold and chilling, as shiver ran down my spine at the sight of her like that, the woman I loved lying there unconscious twisted my heart.I pus
∆ALEXANDER∆"I'm fine," Ivory smiled at me, "Don't worry." "Shut up," I growled, gently tucking her hair behind her ear, "You've no right to say that you're fine, how could you even say that you're fine? First why did you do something so reckless? Why did you push me? What if something happened to you?""I'm sorry, I didn't think that deeper," her expression turned serious, while her fingers tightening around mine. "At that moment I was scared," she whispered. "Scared that you might get hurt, I didn't think about myself, because I thought protecting you must be my first priority." My heart clenched at her words, looking into my eyes, she continued, "Even if something were to happen to me, I don't think there would be barely anyone who would shed a tear for me, but you are different from me, you've a family, and...." Before she could continue, I hugged her, just tightly, tight enough to keep her bound in my arms.How can she say that? How can she believe she has no one when I'm read
∆IVORY∆"Why her?" A call from housekeeper Lara surprised me while I was in the middle of the conversation.She never contacted me from the day I cut off ties with my so-called family, if so why did she call me, now? With that thing in my mind, I answered the call only to hear about.My grandfather.A bad feeling settled in my stomach as I was talking in the call, the voice on the other end was hurried, almost panicked. "Miss Ivory, please come back immediately, Mr. Dubrey is in the hospital, he wishes to see you."My grip on the phone tightened and I turned completely silent."We… we don’t know anything yet, but he keeps asking for you, please come soon, we will be waiting for you." "I....I'll be there," I said with a dry voice hanging up the call and glanced at Alexander as soon as I hung up, "I think we need to leave, immediately." Alexander frowned with a confused face. "Immediately? To where?""Grandfather… he's hospitalized, he is sick and wants to see me now." I managed to sa
∆NO POV∆"We will reach in no time," Alexander said with a gentle smile, as they're preparing to leave.Eric stopped Ivory, and handed her a small box, "A small token of gift from me!" "No," Ivory refused giving it back to him, "I can't accept anything given by you." Eric pinched her cheeks gently, "Ivory, you can stop hating me, as I said I'll not be coming in between you and him, he is all yours, why hating such an innocent man like me?" "Stop it," she brushed off his hand away, Eric just chuckled, Alexander came in at the same time, "Are you teasing her again?" Eric shook his head with a fake pain, "I didn't, I'm giving a gift with a kind heart, but she refused to accept my kindness." "This man? What exactly is he doing?" Ivory thought to herself, "Is he sowing misunderstandings in between me and Alexander? Just like in those TV shows, white lotus bitches act all innocent in front of the big boss, only to make the female lead suffer, is he doing the same?" Alexander smacked o
∆NO POV∆"Did you forget?" Ivory rolled her eyes, "That day in the bar, thanks to you dragging me there to cry after my break-up, I found this man in my drunken state." As always, Pearl put on a dramatic expression, "Girl, you've to be grateful to me, throughout your life, you should be thanking me for taking you to that bar, especially that night, where you and he met, thanks to that you're enjoying, along with you, I'm also enjoying." Alexander looked confused after watching both Pearl and Ivory standing right there and not coming inside, "Aren't you both going to come inside?" "Yeah, we are coming," Ivory replied, pulling Pearl along with her to go inside, Alexander shaking his head let them inside, "Young girls are pretty hard to understand!" Those words he suppressed within himself, walking in, Pearl leaned closer to whisper in Ivory's ear, "He is pretty loaded, such a rich man like the big boss in those novels!" Ivory grinned at Pearl's words. "I already knew that.""But th
∆IVORY∆"Don't tell me you already started thinking about it, are you?" Pearl wriggled her eyebrows, as she teased me, using a gentle smack with a pillow bringing me out of my thoughts."Ugh, shut up," I groaned, turning over, and buried my face in the soft sheets beneath me, I'm already tired no more strength to fight or argue, can't even think of anything more.Pearl giggled, but I ignored her and closed my eyes as I'm already tired like hell, just as I closed my eyes, sleep is already waiting for me, and instantly, i was dragged into a comforting wave of sleep.I don't even know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, the first thing I saw was Pearl happily munching on a snack sitting straight in front of me. "What are you eating?" I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes, as I still couldn't come out of my sleepiness."Shrimp san..sandwich," she replied between bites, looking way too involved in killing the shrimp that's already dead in the sandwich, "Tastes so good, do you want so
∆IVORY∆"Are you sure?" Grandpa asked in a disbelief voice, I nodded my head with great difficulty."I'm so happy dear, thank you so much for listening to my request, wait till I get discharged, I'll announce your wedding date infront of everyone." I forced a small smile as Grandpa spoke, but my heart was twisting in pain at his words.His voice was gentle, affectionate too, but the weight of his words crushed me and my heart without any mercy. I clenched my fists tight enough to let my nails dig into my palms, so that I can keep my emotions in control before they burst out."Breathe, Ivory, just breathe," I tried to calm myself as all these overwhelming emotions made me to forget even taking a breath.Holding back everything within me, I spoke as steadily as I could. "You can't stress anymore, please take rest, I'll be leaving now, Grandpa." Without waiting for his response, I stood up from the chair, turned around and walked out of the room. My body moved like a lifeless shell, bu
∆IVORY∆"Pearl, I'll tell you everything later," I tried to calm her first, however Jessica isn't ready to believe me, "You must be bluffing, grandpa would never say that, you're joking, aren't you?" I shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant, despite holding back a turmoil of emotions in my heart, "If you can't believe me, why don't you ask Grandpa by yourself? None are stopping you, right?" Jessica clenched her fist glaring at me. "That’s impossible, I'll not believe you, he would never...." "Oh, but he did," I cut in smoothly, keeping the hair that disturbing on my face, behind my ear, "One more thing, if you think that I'll just sit back and let you people manipulate me into giving up my hardwork, you’re sorely mistaken, those foolish days were gone."Sarah looked furious at me, "Ivory, do you think you can just run away like this?" Bernard’s face twisted in anger as expected, but before they could say anything, I stood up."Now, what I'm trying to say is...." I said, brushing i
∆NO POV∆"Let go of her hand," Alexander said in a furious tone, shoving Eric's hand away as he settled beside Ivory on the couch, Eric rolled his eyes, "It's not like her hand is going to melt just because I touched, right?" Alexander gritted his teeth, as if he mouthed something, the tension in the room thickened, a palpable wave of unease washing over them, as both Eric and Alexander were exchanging glances with furiousness.Ivory’s heart raced looking at the tension filled room, she could feel the heat rising in Alexander’s cheeks, his protective instincts are quite evident."He must be jealous that Eric is holding someone's hand other than him," she thought to herself with a small smirk dancing on her lips despite the situation, "No wonder he looked so furious!" Alexander turned to her, his expression softened slightly as soon as his eyes met her, but the frustration remained the same. "What are you both speaking about?""Nothing," Ivory replied quickly, her voice light but la
∆NO POV∆"I'm here for you," Eric stood at the doorstep, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his coat. Ivory folded her arms, "For me? For what?" His gaze shifted between Ivory and Pearl, and his face holding an usual smirk just like always, "First of all, can I come in, or do I have to stand here and freeze to death?"Pearl swallowed hard, feeling a sudden tension in the air because of Eric and Ivory staring at eachother with no words."Please come in," she said, stepping aside to let him in.Ivory, sitting on the couch with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "Mr. Eric, I have no idea why you're at my house, but how did you even find out where I live?"Eric let out a low chuckle as he stepped inside, looking around. "Is your house hidden in the middle of a forest and cloaked with witches’ magic or something? Because when I checked, it was quite easy to find, am I wrong or am I a wizard?" Pearl rolled her eyes rubbing her temples, "Great, another person with a sarcastic
∆NO POV∆"Thump... Thump...." Pearl stomped her foot against the floor wantedly to grab the attention of Ivory, but Ivory didn't respond, the forks and spoons falling down one by one, yet Ivory didn't even turn around.Looking at Ivory's unbothered nature, Pearl's frustration increased.The air in the room was heavy with tension and frustration, but neither Pearl nor Ivory was the type to sit in silence and sulk.Giving up on silent war, Pearl walked to Ivory and stood with her hands on her hips, the annoyance in her face is quite evident, "Do you even know what you're doing?" She shouted, glaring at Ivory, who was sitting on the couch, flipping through a stack of papers.Ivory let out a dramatic sigh, not even bothering to look up. "I'm working, can’t you see that? Do you want me to take you for an eye checkup or what?"Pearl rolled her eyes so hard that Ivory was sure they almost disappeared into the back of her head. "Ivory, do you think I’m joking?"Ivory finally glanced up, wit
∆ALEXANDER∆"Beep... Beep...." I leaned back in the car seat looking into the laptop, just then my phone buzzed in my hand. Eric’s name appeared on the screen, it looks like he is calling me after checking out my message, I picked it up, and before I could even say a word, his amused voice filled my ears."Did she say that for real?" Eric asked, sounding both surprised and entertained by what I've sent through the message.I smirked, recalling Ivory’s words from a few moments back. "Yes, she said it’s something good, I don’t know what she’s going to say, but I've a positive feeling, thanks to that I'm waiting for her to come out and speak to me." Eric chuckled as expected the excitement in his voice didn't reduce even for a minute. "That’s great then, I’ll be waiting to hear the good news from you, Alex." I shook my head, silently waiting for Ivory to come out, "I’m also waiting.""Don’t worry, I’ll be there in a few days. Let’s celebrate together," he added, with sincerity in his
∆IVORY∆"Pearl, I'll tell you everything later," I tried to calm her first, however Jessica isn't ready to believe me, "You must be bluffing, grandpa would never say that, you're joking, aren't you?" I shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant, despite holding back a turmoil of emotions in my heart, "If you can't believe me, why don't you ask Grandpa by yourself? None are stopping you, right?" Jessica clenched her fist glaring at me. "That’s impossible, I'll not believe you, he would never...." "Oh, but he did," I cut in smoothly, keeping the hair that disturbing on my face, behind my ear, "One more thing, if you think that I'll just sit back and let you people manipulate me into giving up my hardwork, you’re sorely mistaken, those foolish days were gone."Sarah looked furious at me, "Ivory, do you think you can just run away like this?" Bernard’s face twisted in anger as expected, but before they could say anything, I stood up."Now, what I'm trying to say is...." I said, brushing i
∆IVORY∆"Are you sure?" Grandpa asked in a disbelief voice, I nodded my head with great difficulty."I'm so happy dear, thank you so much for listening to my request, wait till I get discharged, I'll announce your wedding date infront of everyone." I forced a small smile as Grandpa spoke, but my heart was twisting in pain at his words.His voice was gentle, affectionate too, but the weight of his words crushed me and my heart without any mercy. I clenched my fists tight enough to let my nails dig into my palms, so that I can keep my emotions in control before they burst out."Breathe, Ivory, just breathe," I tried to calm myself as all these overwhelming emotions made me to forget even taking a breath.Holding back everything within me, I spoke as steadily as I could. "You can't stress anymore, please take rest, I'll be leaving now, Grandpa." Without waiting for his response, I stood up from the chair, turned around and walked out of the room. My body moved like a lifeless shell, bu
∆IVORY∆"Don't tell me you already started thinking about it, are you?" Pearl wriggled her eyebrows, as she teased me, using a gentle smack with a pillow bringing me out of my thoughts."Ugh, shut up," I groaned, turning over, and buried my face in the soft sheets beneath me, I'm already tired no more strength to fight or argue, can't even think of anything more.Pearl giggled, but I ignored her and closed my eyes as I'm already tired like hell, just as I closed my eyes, sleep is already waiting for me, and instantly, i was dragged into a comforting wave of sleep.I don't even know how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, the first thing I saw was Pearl happily munching on a snack sitting straight in front of me. "What are you eating?" I asked groggily, rubbing my eyes, as I still couldn't come out of my sleepiness."Shrimp san..sandwich," she replied between bites, looking way too involved in killing the shrimp that's already dead in the sandwich, "Tastes so good, do you want so
∆NO POV∆"Did you forget?" Ivory rolled her eyes, "That day in the bar, thanks to you dragging me there to cry after my break-up, I found this man in my drunken state." As always, Pearl put on a dramatic expression, "Girl, you've to be grateful to me, throughout your life, you should be thanking me for taking you to that bar, especially that night, where you and he met, thanks to that you're enjoying, along with you, I'm also enjoying." Alexander looked confused after watching both Pearl and Ivory standing right there and not coming inside, "Aren't you both going to come inside?" "Yeah, we are coming," Ivory replied, pulling Pearl along with her to go inside, Alexander shaking his head let them inside, "Young girls are pretty hard to understand!" Those words he suppressed within himself, walking in, Pearl leaned closer to whisper in Ivory's ear, "He is pretty loaded, such a rich man like the big boss in those novels!" Ivory grinned at Pearl's words. "I already knew that.""But th
∆NO POV∆"We will reach in no time," Alexander said with a gentle smile, as they're preparing to leave.Eric stopped Ivory, and handed her a small box, "A small token of gift from me!" "No," Ivory refused giving it back to him, "I can't accept anything given by you." Eric pinched her cheeks gently, "Ivory, you can stop hating me, as I said I'll not be coming in between you and him, he is all yours, why hating such an innocent man like me?" "Stop it," she brushed off his hand away, Eric just chuckled, Alexander came in at the same time, "Are you teasing her again?" Eric shook his head with a fake pain, "I didn't, I'm giving a gift with a kind heart, but she refused to accept my kindness." "This man? What exactly is he doing?" Ivory thought to herself, "Is he sowing misunderstandings in between me and Alexander? Just like in those TV shows, white lotus bitches act all innocent in front of the big boss, only to make the female lead suffer, is he doing the same?" Alexander smacked o