5 YEARS LATER.Vega POV. "I dare you to hit the casino tonight. We need to waste some money" Andrianna said, her hair bouncing as she jumped excitedly.I glanced up from the paperwork in front of her, then shook my head. "I'm busy and I have to get this done before tomorrow so I won't be taking that dare".Andrianna rolled her eyes. "Chicken" she muttered under her breath and I looked up at her in exasperation. "You really need to stop with the peer pressure, and your stupid dares. Just go out on your own for once and have fun ok"."Going out alone is no fun hence why I'm always hounding you and who will take me home if I get drunk and can't find my way back home huh?".I sighed. "I have to get this done Andrianna. Your rich ass doesn't have to work, but I do".Andrianna huffed. "You're getting more boring as the years go by. I won't be surprised if you're a grandma in the next few years, and not in the real sense, cause that would be weird" she rambled and I gave her a pointed look
Vega POV We hit the club instead, and as I waded through the dancing sweaty crowd I almost regretted my decision.Andrianna was busy drowning shots like it was her last day on earth and it was no surprise, she'd been drinking a lot lately, and I knew it was something that bothered her but since she refused to talk about it, I wasn't going to push but I wasn't going to let her get wasted either."You really need to fucking slow down," I said, snatching a shot from her.Andrianna made a sound in her throat before frowning at me. "You're no fun at all. I thought you said you were going to let go tonight, although I have no idea why you suddenly decided to do that when I've been trying to get you to go out for ages".I shrugged. "I'm just doing what you've been suggesting forever" I snarked and she nodded sluggishly. I guess she had more drinks than I thought she did."Why are you drinking so much anyway, you were all excited just a while back, and if I'm going to hook up with anyone, do
Vega POV.I went home alone. After screaming at Ryan about what a douchebag he was and how he was wrong about my breath stinking. Long story short, I wouldn't be going to any club soon, and I hoped no one got it on video.Ryan fucking Mickelson! I should have known it was him from the get-go but he'd grown up to even be more gorgeous than he was before. It was so unfair.I stepped into my room and turned on the light as I kicked off my shoes. My phone rang and I answered when I saw it was Andrianna."What was that about at the club? Ryan is devastated"."He should be!" I muttered under my breath, even tho I felt petty for holding a grudge for so long and exploding all in his face the first chance I got. "It's nothing. I was just drunk talking. What are you still doing there anyway"."The night is still freaking young, and I'm just starting it, whoo!" She screamed over the music, then yelled at her bodyguard to let go of her.Another voice came on the phone whom I recognized as one of t
Vega POV.Jake got to my room before me and when I arrived, he was cradling Markus who was groaning on the floor."What happened," I asked, my gaze frantically, looking around the closet."There's no one in there. I tripped that's all", he grunted, like he hated the thought of being seen as vulnerable. But it was a freaking relief because I knew I and Jake had thought something worse had happened.Jake looked at me. "It's pretty bad, so we might have to go to the hospital".I nodded, grabbing my stuff as he helped him get to his feet. I got the files I would be needing for the meeting I had in the morning, then my laptop, and I was done."I'm so sorry you got hurt, Markus"."It's fine. We'll do anything to make sure you're safe.".Jake nodded in agreement. "Especially because we don't want you murdered in your own house like Nicole, I still get shudders when I think about it".He was right and even tho she'd been my bully, I wasn't cool with the way she was murdered, and that too by
Zach POV Watching Vega squirm throughout the meeting scratched a bit of the itch of anger I felt, she'd been fearful too and she had every right to be because I was back to collect, collect everything she'd achieved with the money she made off me while I suffered.I was going to take everything back without batting an eye, just the way she had when she ripped out my heart even after I allowed myself to be vulnerable with her. Vega hadn't loved me at all despite how she claimed to. It was all about the money, it had always been about that.I've made sure to sabotage her for the last few years but she was resilient, nothing seemed to break her so I figured if all I'd been doing for the past five years didn't work, then when I ruined her company, she'd finally feel the pain I've been feeling all these years.And she dared to dance with that guy at the club. I still saw red when I thought about it, but I'd been particularly angry when I saw them at the club together, hence why I went to
Andrianna POV.Father looked around the house disapprovingly but I was used to him and his criticizing ways."No daughter of mine should be leaving this way. I cannot accept this" he spat, then met my gaze."I'm very comfortable in this big house father I bought it with my money, Papa, and I will continue to stay here and I'm sure you know why," I said, meeting his stare. Mother squirmed beside him as if my defiant attitude affected her more than it did him."I know you don't want to be involved in the family business and I accept that but we've been making a lot of sacrifices for you, don't you think you should repay us"."By marrying Ray right," I asked, crossing my arms. "I never knew you to beat around the bush father and I believe I learned everything I know from you, so I'll be upfront with you about what my answer is. It's a capital NO. I will not be marrying him."Andrianna, what is wrong with you, how can you say that to your father, is this how we raised you to be? So freak
Vega POV.Getting a good night's sleep was not an option after Zach just showed up again in my life, because just some days before I'd been thinking that he was dead, so I was not surprised when I woke up from my attempt at sleeping with a riotous headache. I was so out of it that I didn't even ask about how Andrianna's parent visit turned out. I hated to make everything about me but with the way the past kept catching up to me, it couldn't be helped. I had Maya go through all the documents Zach's company had provided in case I missed any clause in the contract that could be detrimental to me. Zach knew I owned the company, so he, trying to help me after everything, felt very suspicious and even Andrianna's reassuring words couldn't take that feeling away. What could he possibly be plotting after all the time that had elapsed? He still seemed mad and I noticed that because I'd hopelessly obsessed over my memories of him and memorized all his facial expressions by heart that I could
Zach's POV."Argh!" I groaned as I tugged on my hair so hard that sharp bites of pain shimmered through my scalp. I stared at the door that Vega had walked out of, my head and mind conflicted between wanting to go after her to explain and wanting to crush her.She wasn't even fucking remorseful. It was as if my showing up in her life meant absolutely nothing to her, and she'd even had the audacity to call me a coward. She was wrong, I hadn't been hiding at all. I'd only been waiting for the right time. Her words affected me too much, but it was more fucked up that throughout our conversation I'd had to shove my hands into my pockets just to quell the urge of doing something crazy, like pulling her closer and pressing my lips against those pouty cherry red lips of hers, if only just to get a taste of her, to relieve a memory that kept me up at night with a desperate yearning.Why did I feel that way about her? Ugh! She was even more alluring than in college, she looked like a boss who