DANIELLE’S P.O.V.The rest of the day passed by in a blur and I spent most of it in my bedroom; the one that I had been assigned before the accident with my father in-law, Alfred, had occurred, before Adrian and I had gotten much closer, and before I had started to share Adrian’s room with him due to the passionate activities that we frequently partook in. I spent the rest of the day in my very own bedroom, watching as the morning rolled into afternoon and afternoon into evening while I was deeply buried in my thoughts. By the time the night had rolled by, I was tired and exhausted of the anger that coursed through my veins as I replayed the day’s events over and over in my head.I could scarcely believe that Adrian could dare to speak to me in the manner that he had and my veins nearly popped from the livid thoughts that ran through my head. The only form of recourse that I experienced from remembering the things that he had said were the vengeful thoughts that soared through my mind
DANIELLE'S P.O.V."Shut up!" Layla shouted.I could not help but laugh hysterically at her exclamation of shock."You're not playing us, are you?" Sofia said, imploring me to speak the truth with her eyes wide open."I kid you not." I said with my shoulders still shaking from the fit of laughter that Layla had sent me into.At present, I was on a video call with all three of my best friends and I had just done them the honor of announcing the news of my pregnancy to them. Their immediate reaction was to stay staring at me with dumbfounded looks on their faces; that reaction alone had sent me into hysterics and Layla's dramatic exclamation had only succeeded in causing my chest to tighten and my stomach to squeeze with laughter."You had better not be joking, Dannie. If you are, I am definitely not going to let it slide. You know how vengeful I can be, right?" Janelle threatened.Then suddenly, without any warming, Janelle moved closer to the camera of her laptop with which she was pla
DANIELLE’S P.O.V.I had no idea how long I sat in my bed, my phone held loosely by my left ear with my left hand, and my eyes staring blankly at the screen of my laptop which sat in front of me. I could neither move nor speak, and I also could not fathom why I was having such an extreme reaction to hearing that familiar voice and confirming that I had accidentally picked up the phone call of the third one out of the three people that I wanted to avoid the most at that moment; the first and second people being both my husband and my father respectively.“Hello, Dannie?” I heard Chase ask in inquiry of whether I was still on the phone or not.I could not bring myself to reply him my mind started to race with the most ideal and quickest way that I could get myself out of the mess that my being careless had cost me.“Dannie, I know that you can hear me. I know that you are listening to me.” He said.His statement received no comments from me as I continued to keep my lips tightly pressed
DANIELLE'S P.O.V.“And I am also sorry for showing up at your bachelorette and wedding reception, unannounced and uninvited. It was very rude of me to do so; I should never have overstepped my boundary.” He apologized once more.When I heard Chase say that, the first thought that came to my head was that he was doing what he knew how to do best; and that was lying. I found it hard to believe that he was actually sorry about crashing both my bachelorette party and wedding reception. Even though I had neither enjoyed nor wanted either one of the two occasions at that time, I did not welcome the intrusion of Chase into both of those parties. Given that he had said so many things; the fact that he wanted me to elope with him on my bachelorette party, even if that was the first day that I would be seeing him after he had hurt my feelings and left me completely dejected; and also at my wedding reception, where he had claimed to know more about my affections for my husband than I ever would
DANIELLE’S P.O.V.When I woke up with a heavy head, dry throat, and a groggy feeling, I knew that I had been right in been reluctant to meet up with Chase in the first place; I realized, then and there, that the decision that I had taken was now to be one of my ultimate regrets.With a heavily throbbing head and eyes that felt like they had just been burnt by the sun, I looked around at where I was but I could see nothing except a small sliver of light from a little window. The lighting was poor and the only, very thin, stream of light came from that small window at the other end of the room. I peered around the eerie and unfamiliar room, trying to make sense of my situation and as I struggled to assess my surroundings, my head ached and my stomach retched.I was parched as both my tongue and throat felt dry, and I pondered how in the word I had gotten myself into such a mess of a predicament.How had I gotten into this small room with stifling and suffocating air?Why the hell was my
ADRIAN'S P.O.V.“Our goal is to purchase and take over the Hamilton Hotel, which is currently ranked as number five for the best hospitality in the United States of America, and make it number one here in New York City and consequently one of the top ten global companies in the next five years.” said Drake Montgomery, Vice President of the Valentino Group of Companies; an empire that my father, Alfredo Valentino, my grandfather, and my great grandfather built and grew with their sweat and blood, and which I now, as their descendant, would inherit and was working my way through with my own sweat and blood as well.“As soon as we have publicized the announcement of our acquisition of the hotel, we plan on intensifying the orders of our services from the first world countries, including France, Great Britain, and Germany, to accelerate the growth of the hotel and thereby, achieve our goal.” Drake continued.“What does the financial statement of the business plan look like?” I asked.“Acc
DANIELLE'S P.O.V.I did not know how long I slept for, or how many days had passed by while I was in a state of unconsciousness; all I could remember when I slowly opened my eyes, the heaviness of sleep still lingering in my limbs, was that I had been taken against my will and the culprit of my kidnapping was none other than my former childhood friend and recently reconciled nemesis.As my vision started to clear, I found myself in a dimly lit room; it was not as small as the one I had previously woken up in, but it felt the same to me as I felt the sterile walls closing in on me. Panic coursed through my veins as the memories of the events leading up to my kidnapping flooded my mind. My heart raced and thumped loudly in my chest as the realization of my situation settled in once more. I would give anything to exact as much pain on the culprit of my predicament and source of my pain at that moment.Chase Sinclair!A name that I had once associated with friendship; a name that I had on
DANIELLE’S P.O.V.The days, weeks, or perhaps months, following my abduction felt like an eternity; I had lost track of time as those moments that I spent while being trapped in this desolate room passed in a hazy blur of fear and despair. Each passing moment was filled with fear, uncertainty, and a desperate longing for my freedom, every second spent in Chase’s clutches was a reminder of the very fragile line that separated both my life and death, every waking moment that I spent in that godforsaken room was tainted by the knowledge that I was at the mercy of a man I once called a friend; a man whom I had thought to forgive and let go of the hurtful things that he had done to me in the past; a man that had now turned into an obsessed captor; a man that had snatched me away from my peaceful existence.The room was always dark and even with the air conditioner, who’s hum served as the only other source of sound in the dreary space, it always felt suffocating as the only other means of
DANIELLE'S P.O.VI stirred from my slumber, my eyes blinking open reluctantly. The room was bathed in the soft glow of dawn and a lingering sense of unease clung to me.As consciousness found its way back to me, I felt the sting in my eyes which were heavy from a restless night. My eyes stung as I tried to focus on the familiar surroundings. A few remnants of the nightmares that had plagued my sleep replayed in my mind, their vivid images taunting me.A groan escaped my lips as I tried to sit up, the dryness and ache in my throat were evidence of the tumultuous night I had. The taste of fear lingered in my mouth, leaving me parched and exhausted.When I finally sat up, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. I could still hear the faint echoes of my own screams and I took a quick glance around, half expecting to find shadows lurking in the corners of the room. The sheets clung to my skin- further evidence of my night which had been filled with restlessness.The room, usually a peaceful haven
ADRIAN'S P.O.V.It had been a month since the storm called Chase Sinclair, had hit our lives, leaving destruction and doubts in his wake. The air hung heavy, in my office, with the weight of unspoken words as Omar Zayn, my lifelong confidante and best friend, sat across from me. His eyes, filled with understanding, met mine, as if searching for the turmoil that had etched its mark onto my soul over the past month. The weight of the past month lingered heavily on my shoulders, and I couldn't shake the guilt that gripped my conscience."Omar, I messed up big time," I sighed, rubbing my temples.Omar leaned in, concern etched on his face."What happened with you two, Adrian? Last time I knew, you guys were solid. Tell me everything. Maybe there's a way to fix this." Omar said, his expression empathic.In a flash, I recalled the doubts that had plagued me and the message that had led to my questioning Danielle's fidelity" I doubted Dannie's loyalty, questioned her commitment, and worst o
ADRIAN'S P.O.VThe walls of my office seemed to close in on me as I sat there, utterly drained from the dual onslaught of my demanding position and the storm raging inside of me. The dim lights seemed to intensify the shadows that had taken a place in my life recently and the air felt heavy as the weight of my tumultuous life burdened me.The office room felt like a prison of polished wood and cold steel and the distant hum of the city just outside of the office walls did nothing to ease the feeling of being trapped. The room that was usually a place of productivity and creativity, had. now become a battlefield between my professional obligations to the company and my personal emotions.Rubbing my temples gently, I tried to erase the persistent ache that clawed at my skull, but I couldn't seem to find relief from it. Weariness weighed heavily on my shoulders, and burden on my heart as I could not seem to get away from the shattered pieces of my broken life.The weight of my responsibi
DANIELLE'S P.O.VI woke up with a splitting headache. The piercing pain that seared through my head dragged me out of the depths of unconsciousness. As my eyes fluttered open, I groaned, clutching my throbbing temple. The room spun and my vision blurred as I blinked."Where in the world am I?" I muttered while trying to make sense of my surroundings.As I tried to sit up, the sharp pain in my head intensified, sending shockwaves through my body. It felt like a sledgehammer had collided with my skull and I could hear the faint echoes of my own pained groans. With my muddled senses, I struggled to make sense of my situation. I continued to blink rapidly to clear off the dizzy spell until the dimly lit room slowly came into focus.Suddenly, I felt restraints on my wrists and ankles."What the hell...?" I muttered pulling at the ropes that bound me and restricted my movement. On seeing that they would not budge, undiluted panic started to creep into my body and coursed through my veins an
DANIELLE'S P.O.VThe weeks following my traumatic ordeal at the hands of Chase were a blur of hospital rooms and tests. I had also been offered therapy sessions, but I rejected them as the very last thing I wanted to do was revisit the torture I had gone through. However, I could not seem to run away from those days of captivity as even after I had long been discharged from the hospital, my mind was still trapped in the nightmares that had plagued me ever since that fateful day- the day Chase Sinclair had kidnapped me.It felt like I was trapped in a unending nightmare, unable to escape the memories of what had happened to me- memories of how my baby had almost been taken away from me. I was back in the safety of the mansion Adrian and I had gotten but the house which used to bring me so much peace now seemed as oppressive as it was comforting.I sat on the plush couch in the living room of our grand mansion, surrounded by my friends and family. Adrian was on a business trip and they
DANIELLE'S P.O.V.The hospital corridors stretched before me, a maze of sterile white walls, distant echoes of life, and busked whispers. Their white walls were an unsettling reminder of the captivity I had endured for far too long at the hands of Chase Sinclair. Determination surged through my veins as I made my way towards the women's restroom, a small glimmer of hope guiding me towards the next step in my escape. I walked with purpose and my steps were fueled by a desperate determination to reclaim my life from the clutches of the darkness that Chase had surrounded me with. My footsteps faltered as both anticipation and apprehension coursed through my veins and each footfall echoed in my ears as I made my way to the restroom. Every step that I took felt heavy with anticipation and my heart pounding in my chest as I neared the restroom. It was a moment that held the key to my freedom; the key to reuniting with my family and escaping the clutches of Chase once and for all.As I pushe
ADRIAN'S P.O.V.I sat at my office desk which was surrounded by a sea of important documents related to the impending project that the company was about to start. I was engrossed in the stack of documents that were spread out before me as the impending project demanded my utmost attention.A knock on the door resonated in the room, interrupting my work. The door to my office creaked open, and Karen, my secretary, poked her head inside."Mr Valentino, it's already closing hours," she announced, her voice gentle. "I'm heading home for the night. Do you need anything else before I leave?"Her words jolted me back to reality. Closing hours? I glanced at my watch, realizing that I had lost track of time. I couldn't believe how late it had gotten as time seemed to have slipped away while I busied myself with analyzing every detail of the upcoming project meticulously."Oh thank you, Karen. I had no idea it was that late. Go ahead, call it a day. I'll be fine here for a while longer. You can
DANIELLE'S P.O.V.Chase’s eyes bore into mine, and I could see the rage simmering beneath them. His gaze moved around the room, scanning for any signs of betrayal and then, suddenly, his eyes locked onto my shaking figure. A cruel smile pulled at his lips as he lunged towards me and on reaching me, he grabbed my hand with his grip tightening around my wrist. Panic engulfed me as he wrenched the phone from its hiding place under the pillow and he held it up, triumph gleaming in his eyes.“You really thought you could get away, didn’t you?” he sneered, his voice dripping with maliceI stood there, transfixed to the spot by the fear that caused my heart to pound in my chest, my hands trembling. The stolen phone rested securely in Chase’s grip; a small but strong weapon that I had used against the man who had held me captive for far too long. Chase loomed over me, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and desperation."You think you're so clever, don't you?" His voice was a venomous hiss,
DANIELLE’S P.O.V.The days, weeks, or perhaps months, following my abduction felt like an eternity; I had lost track of time as those moments that I spent while being trapped in this desolate room passed in a hazy blur of fear and despair. Each passing moment was filled with fear, uncertainty, and a desperate longing for my freedom, every second spent in Chase’s clutches was a reminder of the very fragile line that separated both my life and death, every waking moment that I spent in that godforsaken room was tainted by the knowledge that I was at the mercy of a man I once called a friend; a man whom I had thought to forgive and let go of the hurtful things that he had done to me in the past; a man that had now turned into an obsessed captor; a man that had snatched me away from my peaceful existence.The room was always dark and even with the air conditioner, who’s hum served as the only other source of sound in the dreary space, it always felt suffocating as the only other means of