IZZY’S POV,
After about half an hour's drive from the mall where I had spent the whole day shopping with my gang of crazy girls, I found myself outside the restaurant that held many memories. The place meant so much to me, I wondered if Tyler thought about it at all when he asked me to meet him there.My brother was right, I shouldn't have agreed to meet him, but I needed to know the reason for his betrayal. So, without thinking about it I opened the door and walked inside, with my head held high. I wasn't the one in the wrong after all. A few people paused their conversation and turned to look at me.
“Good morning, Miss. Mr. Black is waiting for you, follow me.” The host approached with a bright smile on her face.
We frequented the restaurant, so she already knew who I was and took me to the table Tyler had booked for us. However, I soon realized it wasn't our regular table on the balcony; rather, it was at the very back of the restaurant. It was one of the tables generally booked by the businesses, so I knew Tyler was meeting for serious reasons.
“Thank you, Eva,” Tyler stood up when he saw us and went to pull my chair like he normally did. It was probably to show Eva what a gentleman he was, but I couldn't help but feel special by his gesture.
Looking at him, I noticed he was wearing makeup to hide the bruises on his face, but even with the makeup, some of them were hard to hide. There was a big cut on his lips and a visible bruise on his jaw. I laughed internally but hoped he wasn't meeting me to complain about my brother.
“I will be back with the starters in a few minutes,” she said before leaving.
Tyler sat across from me and cleared his throat to cut the awkwardness between us, while I looked at my lap, trying not to let my tears fall because I knew it was the end. I could feel it under my skin.
“I ordered the starters so that it won't take long,” he said, picking up the wine glass from the table. “I hope it's okay.”
I wasn't hungry, because I had some snacks with my friends, but couldn't bring myself to tell Tyler that. There was a lump in my throat and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to speak normally. The last thing I wanted was for Tyler to see how pathetic I was without him, and how much emotional control he still had over me.
“I-I don't know what to say or how to start,” he sighed, tapping his shoes against the floor nervously. “I… I know what I did was wrong and you might never want to see my face again, but I don't think we should cancel the wedding.”
“WHAT?!” I raised my head to look at him in confusion and shock. I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but the stupid little smile on his lips told me I hadn't made any mistake.
He actually said that.
“I know, I know,” he leaned forward and reached for my hand but I pulled it away before he could touch me. “As I said, I made a mistake and I feel terrible about it. But, I'm in a bad situation and only you can help me, Izzy.”
I snorted, “You feel terrible about it, Tyler?”
“Believe it or not, but I am feeling terrible for hurting you. I will forever be sorry for breaking your trust,” He sounded sincere in his apology, but I told myself I wasn't going to let him speak his way back to me. “And for causing you the pain. I'll forever regret hurting you.”
“Yeah, I am sorry too.” I wiped the tears forming at the corner of my eyes. “And I hope you don't have to go through this, because it really hurts… you know, to learn that the person you loved more than your life, never loved you back the same.”
“Izzy, I do love you.” His eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and the rawness in his voice made me doubt my words. “I have loved you every single second of my life. I made a mistake and I'm ready for any punishment, but please marry me.”
He pulled out my ring from his pocket and placed it on the table. I had thrown it at him when I found him on our bed, with the girl he promised was just a ‘good friend’ and nothing more.
“Have you lost your mind?” I wasn't sad anymore about our past at this point, I was just mad at him. “H-how can you even expect me to marry you after everything you have done?”
“I know it's bad, but please hear me out,” He had his hands folded in front of him. “Forgive me an-and… you'll be free to do whatever you want. I won't stop you from going after anyone.”
I looked at him, puzzled because I didn't understand a word he was saying. “What are you talking about?”
“I am talking about open relationships,” he said, and seeing how casually it came out of his mouth made my blood boil. “We can see other people even after our marriage, we won't be bound to each other.”
“Tyler, why do you want to marry me if you are interested in seeing other people?” I asked, trying to control my anger because if an open relationship was what he wanted, then our whole relationship was a lie from the beginning.
He took a deep breath and looked around before explaining, “I won't get my inheritance if I'm not married, both of my parents agreed to that. I tried explaining to them, but even with their failed marriage, they just can't let me live my life.”
“So, it's about your inheritance?” I was burning from the inside but maintained the same smile on my face as him when the waiters came with the food.
“I hope you enjoy your meal,” Eva said before leaving and we both thanked her for the food.
“Yeah, but that doesn't mean I don't love you. I very much do, and that's why I want to marry you and not some other random girl.”
He thought his words meant something special to me, but they only made me look at him in a new light, and I don't know how I missed what a disgusting person he truely was. Just looking at him angered me, and hearing him go on and on about me getting the freedom to do whatever I wanted and him financing my hobbies once he got the money, irritated me to no end.
“What do you think of me?” I asked, glaring at him. He stopped talking to look at me from his food, and when he saw my eyes, his smile vanished. “Do you think I'm with you for your money?”
“I-I mean, I know you love me and stuff, but that's only because I have money.” He let out a nervous chuckle as I tightened my fist. “You wouldn't have looked at me if I was poor.”
That was it, that's when I lost it and grabbed the glass of wine on the table in front of me. Feeling the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I gave in to the violence and threw the expensive red liquid on his face.
IZZY'S POV,I looked at him in horror, even though it was me who had him covered in the red wine.“W-what the hell, Izzy?” he screamed at me, clenching his jaw in anger. He was on his feet, maintaining a good distance from the table, probably because I still had the glass in my hand. He must have remembered my brother and would have thought that crazy was in our blood. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”I stared at him for a good half minute, not saying anything, not feeling anything. Previously when we had our disagreements or fights and I ended up saying something harsh, I would have felt bad for days. But that day I didn't feel anything, even after emptying the glass in his face. Which was probably the harshest thing I had done to him.“What's wrong with me?” I asked, standing up to look him in the eyes when I saw irritation itching in them. “I don't know, maybe it's the fact that my fiance cheated on me a few days before our wedding, asked me to still marry him and suggested that
IZZY'S POV,“Can I help you?”Jasper's secretary asked, almost running out of her desk to get in front of me when she saw me making my way towards his office. She was wearing a knee-length pencil skirt with a pair of matching heels and an off-white blouse that had her cleavage on display for people who didn't even want to look. The shirt was a few sizes too tight, and made me wonder if she could even breathe comfortably.I was being reckless, there was no doubt about that, but the way she said that line to me almost felt offensive. She knew who I was, we had met before on multiple occasions, yet she was acting like she didn't know me. Apart from that, she was the secretary of one of the biggest businessmen in the country, and one would assume she, out of anyone else in the office, should have known how to talk to a guest.“I am here to see Jasper, it's important,” I said, matching her bitchy tone, and in a commanding voice ordered, “So, can you move to the side?”“Huh?” She stepped cl
IZZY’S POV, “You are amazing!” Jasper said before kissing me once again on the lips. “I actually thought I would never get to see you again after this morning.He buckled his belt while making his way towards the couch on the left side of the office. I followed after him, looking around the office instead of looking at him, because I was feeling awkward about the way I threw myself at him. However, the big smile on his lips told me he enjoyed my mouth service.“What happened, Elizabeth?” Jasper asked when he turned to look at me. I shook my head, looking at him for a second before diverting my gaze to somewhere else. “Are you not feeling good? Do you want water or something?”“Uhh? No, it's not that.” I felt even more embarrassed after that. “Then?” He sat down on the couch and gestured for me to come towards him. “Is it about what happened between us just now? Did you not like it? Was I too rough with you?”“No… no!” I sat next to him, placing my hand on his thigh to make sure he k
JASPER'S POV,“The sales are down by seven point two percent this year. We need new plans for our…”Henry was giving reports on our annual sales record to make sure we invite the right people to the Gala. There have been numerous times in the past when the Gala saved our company from huge losses.The sale wasn't doing well that year because several new small businesses were opening right, left, and center. I was well aware of the fact that we needed to move away from our old business practices and find new alternatives that spoke to the current market, and buyers.However, I could hardly think about the sales or whatever they were saying in the meeting. Elizabeth had my head since she left my office the day before. I couldn't figure out what was the right thing for me to do in that situation.I liked her.No, I was in love with her.And I didn't want to lose her, but at the same time bringing her as my date to the Gala meant a great deal. My family and some of the staff knew well abou
IZZY'S POV,“Are you sure about Jasper, Izzy?” Grace asked out of the blue. We were on a call, talking about the latest season of The Bachelor as I drove to my mom's house. She sneaked that question between us discussing our favourite contestants. “As a friend, I should warn you against it.”“Let's not talk about men right now,” I tried to end the conversation because I knew Grace. She was one of those girls who believed in moving on and was against my petty revenge idea. "We will have this conversation when I see you on Sunday, and not over the phone.”“Okay,” she agreed, but I noticed the subtle disappointment when she sighed. “Any idea why your mom called all of a sudden?”“I don't know, but I get the feeling it's something important,” I said, staring at the familiar street. “But, I am not sure what it is about.”“Oh! give me a call after you meet your mother, okay?” I heard noises in the background and realized her sons must be back from school. “I have to go now, the demons are b
IZZY'S POV,“You were in love with me? You aren't now?” Tyler asked, staring at me with teary eyes. “I made a mistake, and I swear I am going to change.”I almost laughed at him because I knew it was all a facade to have me back, but I controlled myself. He wasn't in love with me, he just wanted his inheritance and I was the best tool to help him with that. He had no true feelings for me, and I didn't feel anything for him either.I was done being his puppet, and the last thing I wanted was to have him back in my life.Even though it did hurt me when I caught him because I was in love with him for all those years. But, in the last few days, I realized what needed to be done. I wanted more than what he had to offer. I knew I deserved happiness and love, and as I thought about that I found myself back in the arms of Jasper.‘I have been in love with you since the first day I saw you.’His words echoed in my head, and that brought a smile to my face. I felt his fingers on my skin and the
JASPER'S POV,I always knew Elizabeth was too good for my son.Tyler had her over dinner one night, and I was confused, to say the least. He did mention a few times that he was seeing a girl but we never had any conversation about it. None of his dates lasted for more than a month, so it was surprising to see someone had captured his interest for that long.Elizabeth walked into the house that night with a little awkwardness in her movement. Her hand was wrapped tightly around Tyler’s arm the whole time we talked before the dinner. She was a little shy, and couldn't look me in the eyes for longer than a few seconds. I found that extremely cute and it made me smile a little.She was breathtaking with her big and curious eyes, sharp facial features, full lips, straight nose, and genuine smile. She had an energy about her that filled the whole house with positivity. My cold house felt alive once again when her voice echoed through the halls.“Dad, this is my Izzy.” I still remember the w
IZZY’S POV,I had no idea where Jasper was taking me, he didn't tell me the exact spot even when I asked him directly.When he told me he was going to pick me up at 7 o'clock, in my head, I was expecting a fancy restaurant or maybe a fine dining experience in one of those places. The five-star restaurants where the waiters wore gloves and the plates cost more than my rent.That was billionaire behavior, right?But what he did was something else entirely, and I could have never even thought about it in my wildest dreams. Tyler had never done anything like that for me, and I was almost in tears when he showed me the surprise he had planned for us.His black town car pulled up to a private airstrip. A goddamn airstrip. I was awestruck and couldn't even blink at the sight of his sleek, white jet waiting for us. Its steps were already lowered like it had been expecting me for hours.I could feel my heart beating like a drum with every step I took forward.“What is this?” I couldn't help but
“I guess you didn't know, we're acquiring this company.”He had a proud look in his eyes when he announced it, not just to me but also to those around us. I glanced around the room and felt embarrassed by all the eyes focused on me. I wanted to run away, knowing well that it was going to lead to another round of gossip about my life.They barely moved away from the wedding drama; now, thanks to Tyler, they had another topic. I sighed and focused on the man in front of me. His eyes were sparkling, and the way he was leaning against the wall made it look like he already owned the company. I took a deep breath before speaking. “What do you mean by that?”His smile only deepened when I was done with my question. “We are in the early stages of negotiation, but it's pretty much a done deal.”“Why would Mr. McKelly sell the company all of a sudden?” I mumbled, trying to think about the conversations that occurred around the office, in the past few days. “I didn't even know the higher-ups we
IZZY'S POV,I was back at my desk, leaving the Castle and the magical life I had to live for the past two days behind. However, my mind never came back with me to the corporate life of Austin. It was still wrapped around the scent of roses and old stone walls that I fell in love with. I was still in front of that giant fireplace, wrapped in a blanket while it rained outside. Jasper was with me, kissing me on the neck while reading me one of his favorite French romances. We were both naked—it was his idea—to get in the head of the characters. It was a stupid idea, but when he started stripping, I couldn't help myself either. So, while he translated the story for me, I played with him. It was my way of connecting with the eighteen-year-old maid, the naive girl who fell in love with her master, the duke, thrice his age. “Everyone around warned him that she was going to poison him one day for his riches, but he was so in love with her that he never listened to them,” he read, and that
JASPER'S POV, I never knew Elizabeth was so outspoken and wild. I always thought of her as a timid little girl who was a little bit opinionated, but I had never known her other side. She hid it well, and now I couldn't help but feel like learning everything else about her. She is what I always wanted, yet this distance between us didn't seem to disappear. At times, looking at her I couldn't shake the feeling that her affection for me wasn't true, making it seem as though she wasn't in love with me. Yet, other times, I could only see love in her beautiful eyes, leaving me both confused and uncertain. Despite the mixed signals, the only thing I was certain of was my feelings for her. I knew that my love for her was genuine and unwavering, and it would remain so till the very end. With each passing day, my feelings for her were only growing stronger. Initially, I thought it was Daniel's words that got to me because he wasn't happy about me dating her. We talked before I left for
IZZY'S POV,I felt Jasper's hands on my hips, and his warning sent chills down my spine. Weirdly enough, that made me want him even more. On one hand, I didn't want to feel those emotions because I knew it was going to end soon, and quite badly, while on the other, I wanted to surrender myself to him. “I am going to have you now!”He turned me on my back and soon he was inside me, connecting us together once again. I was so perfectly filled that it began to hurt, but not physically. Instead, I could feel Jasper in my chest, buried somewhere under my ribs. He felt like a cluster of nerves that throb with each stroke. He moved slowly in the beginning, and that only emphasized the pain. I felt every inch of him, erupting fire inside my body, and the pleasure of it chased the pain that his words had left in their wake. He was grinding into me and it felt like a weird combination of pleasure and pain. When he started pumping faster, pinning my hands above my hand, tears sprang to
IZZY'S POV, “I... I love you, Izzy.” The words echoed in my head as I woke up the next day, feeling thoroughly exhausted. My body was loose like every single muscle and tendon had been reduced to the finest thread. I was sore, too; just shifting my hips sent sparks of electricity flying throughout my body. I also realized that I was pressed up against Jasper, the same way we did that day. His muscular arms were draped against my small frame, securing me in place. I wasn't sure how we ended up in that position, but I wasn't complaining about it because it felt nice. Waking up dad after day, on an empty bed reminded me of the betrayal. I yawned because, once again, parts of what happened after the time we spent in the backseat of his SUV were a blur to me. I clearly remembered that we went for a hike, got wet in the heavy rain, got hot in the truck, and did the deeds two times in a row—the first time he was on the top, while on the second, I rode him. After that, everything was
IZZY’S POV,“Your panties, take it off.”I didn’t hesitate as I removed the only garment that covered me and tossed it to the ground. I reminded myself that I wasn't second-guessing my decisions anymore and trying to live in the moment. I smiled at him because now, both of us were under that thin blanket. Our bodies were pressed together, and heat was radiating from both of our skins. I noticed that we were breathing in sync, and I was sure even our hearts were beating in the same rhythm.I latched onto Jaser like he was the only thing keeping me grounded, keeping me from floating up into the black sky.Jasper ran his hands slowly over my body, massaging the buds on my breasts, and his teasing made me curl my toes. I reached out to welcome Jasper with my hands as he collided our lips again. I was desperate for his touch, and every time he sucked on my tongue, I found myself loosing more of me into him.This kiss was different; it was an inhibiting kind of kiss, one that made both of
IZZY'S POV, “You were saying?” In just a few seconds, both of us were soaked to our bones, and needless to say, the weather forecast turned out to be a big joke. As we speed-walked, I couldn’t help but laugh even more than before. It was a funny situation, and seeing Jasper stressed only made me laugh harder. “Stop laughing and run. The forest is not far, the canopies would protect us from the rain.” Jasper said, pulling me along with himself. But I kept laughing. “Seriously, Elizabeth?!” My hand was in his the entire time, and I wasn't complaining about it either. However, when he fastened his pace I started to fear for my life. I wasn't sure if running on a slippery mud trail, under heavy rain was such a good idea. And in that moment, risking the chance of falling, twisting an ankle, or losing my teeth were my topmost concerns. But the grip Jasper had on my wrist was tight enough to ensure that there was no chance of me slipping and falling. He kept me steady all the way bac
IZZY'S POV, We had been walking for a few hours, yet we were nowhere near the destination. It was still a few miles away according to Jasper, and by the afternoon, I was exhausted from the hike. We were resting near the waterfall that he had been mentioning the whole time, and I have to say, it was truly breathtaking. The falling water and the way it transformed into a creek was mesmerizing. I loved the surroundings and how unrealistic it looked. We were sitting on a big stone—there were many of them scattered all around the banks of the creek. My only regret was that we didn't find any interesting fauna the whole time. There were only a few deer and nothing more. I was hoping for more diversity, at least near the water source, but that didn't happen. “Don't pout like that.” Jasper had the backpack in between his legs as he took out the food wrapped in aluminum foils. “There are many birds that nest near the top of the hill. You will love them.” I had yet to tell him that I
IZZY'S POV, “Let's begin the hike, or else we won't have enough time to see the waterfall.” Jasper kissed the top of my head before he started walking towards the trees that stood like pillars reaching for heaven. I walked next to him through the narrow trail that five minutes later faded into the forest. Everything around us looked the same, there weren't any designated routes that we could follow. Jasper said he knew where he was going, but that didn't ease the fear in my heart. Very little sunlight passed through the canopy, so it wasn't as hot as outside. Thankfully, enough light passed through to make the things around us visible. The forest floor was moist and the leaves still had dewdrops on them from the night, which further cooled the air around. Jasper was moving through the forest without a care like he had been hiking all his life. While for me, the whole thing was a little out of my comfort. Yoga was the only physical exercise I was into, and that didn't help me m