Antonia’s pov.The feeling of waking up after being drugged is different every time.The last time I was drugged was in college. Someone slipped something into my drink, and you’d think that since I've woken up once before with such a severe headache, the second time wouldn’t be so bad, and it isn’t so bad.It’s worse.My vision reels when I open my eyes. They’re immediately struck by the glare of the lights above. I groan.“Oh my god, Antonia! Are you okay?”Bridget’s voice rings in my ears with the intensity of a foghorn. That just makes me groan even more. I don’t believe the groaning is helping either. My head is pounding so bad.Bridget grabs my jaw firmly, tips my face to look at her and blocks out the light shining from above, casting a shadow on my face and finally enabling me to open my eyes. Her gaze is tense and her voice - even more as she speaks, “Are you in any pain? Blink once for yes, twice for no.”I blink twice.I’m not in any pain. It’s just the rebound that’s affe
Of all the possible things that could have happened.This is the one I least expected.“People are obsessed… over the dress.”Bridget chuckles and taps on her iPad. She hands it over to me and I take in the homepage of the social media platform. Bridget knows I can’t search anything or anyone up on the internet without Malachi finding a way to get that information too. The post is a hazy one.The picture attached to it is of me, and I believe it’s been expertly enhanced several times, because what was meant to be me running under one of the streetlamps of the Starlight Hall pathway, has now become something of a photo shot of its very own.Under the light of the lamp, and with the wind blowing the dress every which way, it looks immaculate. I brace myself for the comments.They blow me away.The majority of the comments all say the same thing. “I want that dress.”Bridget is smiling widely when I look at her and there’s pride in her voice when she speaks, “Starlight hall is a trending
“Hey!”Malachi ignores me totally . He acts like I'm not even on his back and his arm isn’t clamping around my waist right now. My vision spins and I try to infuse some more fire into my tone.“Hey! What do you think you’re doing Malachi?”His response is acid, “What these incompetent fools should have done hours ago.”With his long legs and powerful strides we’re back to my room in no time and Malachi drops me unceremoniously onto the bed, “Ow.”He shoots me a glare, and it’s such a scathing one that I feel my courage retreating and panic overcome me, but he doesn’t get to glare like that at me anymore. Even if he does, I'm not allowed to care. He beats me by speaking.“What the hell is wrong with you Antonia?” Malachi’s question wipes the scowl building on my face clean off and I frown instead. What the hell is wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?He’s the one here acting like he actually cares about what happens to me.I respond in the same vein, “What happened to your plans to mu
No one is allowed into my room. Malachi wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to keep a close watch on me. The same cleaner has been mopping the hallway outside for the past hour and a half and I think everyone can tell from the amount of muscle work he has going on, that he is not a cleaner.No one has been allowed close to my door except for the nurses and the doctors. Even if I wanted to concoct a plan with Bridget to get me out of here, I can’t plot with who I can’t see. Frustration makes me release another heavy groan…. Maybe this is Malachi’s plan. He wants to make me depressed. He isn’t going to punish me for hurting his mother, not physically at least. He’s going to punish me through this, and he has. The doctor just prescribed a dosage of laxatives, which means in the next few minutes I will be asleep and I'm sure before I wake up, the internet would have found something else to talk about. My dress would have been buried under the pile of content on social media, and ev
Malachi’s pov.“Mr Finn, your meeting starts in the next ten minutes.”I ignore the voice and at the continued existence of the owner of that voice in my office, I raise my eyes to look at her. She leaves immediately.I should have her fired. Anyone stupid enough to believe that since my wife was once my secretary, I must have now developed a lingering lust for anyone who is my secretary thus giving her a chance with me…. Anyone who’s stupid enough to believe that should be fired.I will fire her. As soon as I can get her replacement.My eyes go back to the monitor and the footage being displayed on it. I’ve been sitting in front of this monitor, watching this same feed, for the past couple of hours. Even when I try not to keep my focus on it and direct that focus elsewhere, I end up coming back here, back to this. Like some sort of junkie. Yet I'm not afraid to indulge myself in this.The footage is blurry. That hospital has bad cameras.Antonia’s form lays on the bed, immobile be
Antonia’s pov.I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Bridget is out there, making my dream happen while I'm laying on the bed in here, unable to leave the room. I can’t even use my phone. I have no reception.I begin to pray.Everyone prays sometimes. It just depends on what you believe in. My grandma was Catholic. She took me to church when she could whenever she went.I begin to beg my grandma, asking her to take a little stroll up the streets of heaven and speak to God for me. He must see what Malachi is doing and he must know it isn’t fair.I just need a bit of a break.The door flies with a sudden slam against the wall. My tongue flies into my throat and fear grips me. What’s happening?Malachi’s assistant Liam comes in, panting by the doorside. He checks his watch and then looks over to the security camera on the wall. Liam has been Malachi’s assistant for as long as I have, and at some point I hated him. I really disliked the way he treated me.It didn’t take long to figu
Malachi’s eyes roam whatever open skin i have showing right now, and then his eyes land on a particular area. That area just beneath my chin and above my stomach. “What the hell!”Malachi brings his attention back to my face and i see amusement in his eyes as i scramble to cover myself up properly. I didn’t know the hospital gown could ride so low on my shoulders. I changed into a very light innerwear earlier because the feeling of the scratchy fabric seemed to be irritating my skin.“You’re going to act like you had no idea that thing was riding so low on your shoulders, or that you wore that sheer silk thing you know i like.”Malachi sounds bored, and that bored tone just grates on my nerves. I look directly at him, and i flip him a middle finger. A dark glint enters Malachi’s eyes but i face that glint head on. I didn’t starve myself to bring him here all so he could think i was trying to seduce him.I am NOT trying to seduce him.Heck, i didn’t even know he could be seduced. But,
Malachi’s gaze is hot and heavy on my skin. His attention is rapt, and the look on his face is stone-cold as he watches me.“What do you think you’re doing, Antonia?”Malachi’s voice is husky and dark, so I know he likes what he sees. It’s more than me knowing it even. I can feel it.Malachi’s attention has always had a tangible presence to it. That’s why I always know when he’s around, because he’s probably cast a disdainful glance my way earlier. Even his employees feel it whenever it lands on any one of them. So by the weight of his gaze on me, I can tell that Malachi Finn is wound up very tight right now.He’s not going to jump on me and ravish me in a fit of lustful passion. He still has his pride.But the body wants what the body wants, and the thought that enters my head is downright naughty. I even feel like laughing at it. I do.A small chuckle finds its way from me, but it’s from half nervousness as much as from the giddy unbelief coursing through me. I ask Malachi a question