Eliana Two Years Later "Hurry the fuck up, Eliana. I do not want Rachel's wrath on her wedding day," Nicholas shouted from downstairs, making me roll my eyes as I strapped my silver 4-inch heels on, right at the top of the staircase. "Stop cussing around E.J," I responded, running down the stairs. Nicholas was carrying our son, tapping his foot on the floor while staring at his watch. "Well, you made me do it," he defended himself, shrugged, then headed for the door while our son giggled. "How? We agreed that we wouldn't be using that language, especially now that E.J. is learning to speak." I walked after him to catch up. "I'm sorry it slipped. You can be so annoying, especially when you are required to keep time," he defended again, nodding at our chauffer as he opened the passenger door and the back seat door. "Wait until he starts cussing; your sorry won't make sense anymore." I stood behind him as he strapped E.J. into his baby car seat, then used the other side to
"Please, dad, stay with me," I breathlessly whispered, cradling my father's head on my lap."I-I..l-ove..." My father sputtered, gagging on his own blood as he attempted to speak."Ssshhh," I soothed, blinking back tears."I know you love me, but right now, I don't want you to strain. The medics will be here soon." I didn't know who I was trying to convince—my dad or myself. I wasn't stupid; I could see his eyes beginning to close while his face began to pale."Muum! What's taking too long?" It was a miracle I could still speak coherently. My mother was pacing frantically, her phone on her ear, trying to get through to the emergency call line. She ran towards us, her stilettos clicking on the wooden floor."Help is on the way; the ambulance will be here shortly. Honey, I need you to look at me; don't you close those eyes on me." She knelt beside us, placing the phone on the floor."El...iana." He called, spitting blood from his mouth. My mother worked on pressing his bullet wound with
Eliana (Three Months Later)"Are you insane? How can you be getting married barely three months after dad was shot and killed? Have you forgotten you nearly died too?" I snapped at my mother, shooting up from the couch as if I was possessed."Weren't you the one who kept on worrying about me staying alone? About getting a person to protect me? Well, this is me doing just that," my mother calmly replied, uncrossing her legs as she remained seated. Her nonchalance on the matter did not sit well with me. It reminded me of how oddly calm she handled my father's death."But I didn't hint at you getting married! The case hasn't even been solved yet; dad's killer is still at large, and you're...you know what? I'm leaving." I wasn't dressed up, but the last thing I wanted was to stay anywhere near my mother at that time. She was betraying my father in the worst possible way, yet she didn't seem bothered at all."So you do not want me to be happy. You want me to stay miserable for the rest of
ElianaNicholas sat beside me in the restaurant, much to my dismay. "You haven't touched your food, Eliana; is it not to your liking?" he asked nonchalantly, his deep voice making me fidget. I threw a glance at him, only to find him staring openly at my lips. I always bit my lower lip when I was nervous, an action that had the man's eyes openly devour me, or maybe I was just overthinking."I'm not hungry," I curtly replied, chuckling nervously. I directed my eyes to my plate when my mother and her fiance looked at me."Why don't you tell Ellie how we met?" My mother sparked up a conversation, making me scoff inwardly. I wasn't interested in knowing about their love lives; heck, I didn't even want them to get married."Of course!" Robert seemed delighted as he put his fork on the side of his plate. I visibly tensed, my grip on the wine glass tightening."Relax; you'll break the glass." Nicholas whispered beside me, his voice making my heart leap."She came to my office in need of my se
NicholasThick tension settled amidst Eliana and me in my Silver Mustang. I kept on throwing glances at her, and each time I would catch her looking at me, only for her to pretend she wasn't. Lowering my gaze, her creamy thighs peeked under her dress that had ridden up slightly. I remembered the way her smooth skin felt against my hand. I turned quickly, staring at the road ahead, careful not to get distracted."He is a good man," I started, trying to ease up the tension and rid my mind of getting glued to her inviting thighs."And your mom...she is good for him. I only met her today for the first time, but it was crystal; she makes him happy," I added when she turned to face outside through the window.She let out a loud sigh before talking. "Of course, it's good enough to start dating a woman who tasked him with investigating her husband's murder.""There's no need to be sarcastic. Your mother deserves happiness; she needs to be loved and taken care of." I earned a warning glare fro
ElianaI went upstairs the minute we got into the house for a change of clothes. I still couldn't believe that he had volunteered to stay with me. As I ascended the stairs to go back to the living room, where Nicholas was, I felt like I shouldn't have accepted his offer. I was scared, though, of being alone at night in the same house where my father had been murdered."I didn't know what you liked watching, so..." Nicholas referred to the TV with a slight shift of his hand. He was going through a list of movies on Netflix, his muscular back right in front of my hungry eyes. He was still standing, but he had removed his jacket and his boots. His biceps had my hands itching to touch them. To trace every tattoo on them while he grunted in pleasure."I figured since we'll be here for a while, why not enjoy a movie and get to know each other?" His calmness made me question my racing heartbeat. His presence alone made my legs jelly."I'm not really a fan of watching. I prefer reading novels
ElianaThe next day, when I woke up, I was all alone in the house. I checked every single room, starting with the guestroom, thinking that maybe Nicholas had decided to sleep. After my efforts proved futile, I busied myself with preparing breakfast. I felt the urge to give him a piece of my mind for leaving when he had offered to stay."Maybe he left at sunrise," I consoled myself. It wasn't until hours later, before my class at the local university, that my mom arrived. She was with Robert, giggling and laughing like teenagers in love. The sight made fire begin to light up on the inside, ready to run through my veins and explode."Good morning, honey. Had a good night?" my mother asked as soon as she got in. I was all dressed up and ready for a drive up the college with Dorian and Rachel. They would pick me up in 20 minutes, and I couldn't have wished more for them to arrive earlier."Morning Eliana," Robert followed, helping my mom out of her trenchcoat, the same one she wore the pr
Eliana"I still can't believe your mother is getting married," Rachel chatted as we took off our clothes on the lake shore, outside Dorian's car. The lake was simply magnificent, away from city life and with all the quiet that I really needed. There wasn't a single soul except us, and we were determined to use that to our advantage. Only a big cabin near the lake existed, but we never saw anyone there, even though it was in good shape. Whenever any of us was low, the small lake was the place to go to unwind."Hey twerp, we came here to have a good time, not to remind Ellie what she's going through," Dorian called from the other side of his car, his ripped chest visible through the windows. I found it mouthwatering in the past, but at that moment I envisioned how Nicholas would look without a shirt on. I wondered how his muscles would feel under my fingers."As if you aren't curious to know the whole story?" Rachel hit back, shrugging her shoulders when Dorian flipped off at her. We al
Eliana Two Years Later "Hurry the fuck up, Eliana. I do not want Rachel's wrath on her wedding day," Nicholas shouted from downstairs, making me roll my eyes as I strapped my silver 4-inch heels on, right at the top of the staircase. "Stop cussing around E.J," I responded, running down the stairs. Nicholas was carrying our son, tapping his foot on the floor while staring at his watch. "Well, you made me do it," he defended himself, shrugged, then headed for the door while our son giggled. "How? We agreed that we wouldn't be using that language, especially now that E.J. is learning to speak." I walked after him to catch up. "I'm sorry it slipped. You can be so annoying, especially when you are required to keep time," he defended again, nodding at our chauffer as he opened the passenger door and the back seat door. "Wait until he starts cussing; your sorry won't make sense anymore." I stood behind him as he strapped E.J. into his baby car seat, then used the other side to
Three Months Later Eliana "I hereby sentence you to life in prison without the possibility of parole." The judge finished, staring right at Gavin, who hung his head, closed his eyes, opened them, and then outright glared at me with moisture in them. His father protested, violence ensuing between his security men and the Court's enforcement officers. I was quickly escorted out by Nick and his security, shielding me from the violence. Despite the adrenaline levels rising inside of me, the smile inside me couldn't be wiped off. My efforts had totally paid off, and I could finally breathe a long sigh of relief. My mother had already been sentenced to death, Matthew to two consecutive life sentences, and the family doctor and lawyer getting reduced sentences of 15 years each for entering a plea deal. Finally, my father's soul could rest in peace. "You did it, Ellie; you put him right where he deserves," Allan stated with an equally big smile as we descended the stairs leading to the p
Nicholas "How can you even say that?" Eliana shot up, closing her eyes suddenly, while the doctor rushed to her side. "Do you really think so low of me to even imagine me carrying Gavin's child?" Her voice rose. I could feel the pain in it, making me wish I hadn't mentioned Gavin. "I will have to ask you to leave, sir. My patient needs peace right now, and you aren't exactly providing it," Dr. Dave sternly said, adjusting his spectacles. "Leave us." Eliana lowered her voice, her chest rising as she let out a loud breath. "But Nick is not exactly habitable right now," Allan argued, looking at Eliana, trying to make her change her mind. I could, however, see the determination in her eyes as she scooted back to the bed. "I need only a few minutes, please," she added, looking at the doctor. "We just stabilised your pressure, so I need you to know that stress might force it to rise—" "I will be right outside; if things go south, I will intervene," Allan chimed in, assuring the doc.
Eliana I ran into the ladies washrooms, trying to lose a number of paparazzi who were coming after me. The last thing I wanted was to do an interview about what had transpired. I leaned over one of the sinks, letting out a short sigh of relief. "It's done. I did it." I whispered, looking at my reflection in the mirror above the sink. What I saw were dark circles peeking from some concealer I had tried applying. I attempted to put on a smile for pushing Gavin out of Nick's way, but instead my lips trembled. The pain I had managed to push down while dealing with Gavin was knocking, threatening to consume me. "Why?" Nick's voice filled the space, making me close my eyes. I could feel his presence, but I wasn't sure I could face him. "Why didn't you tell me?" He pressed, his steps sounding louder the closer he came. The smell of alcohol hit me, making me close my eyes while I attempted to swallow the lump that was forming in my throat. I lowered my eyes, unable to look at his reflecti
Nicholas "Come on, Nick, we'll miss the most important part of the event," Allan nudged, looking at the time on his wrist watch, while I leaned on my leather couch. "I told you I am not going," I responded in a bored tone, the urge to open another bottle of Hennessy Paradis brewing up inside. Attending the Annual Excellence Business Awards was out of the question, knowing that Eliana would be there with Gavin. "But that is a great opportunity to meet other businessmen and women. You know the best deals we've bagged so far usually originate from this event." I covered my face with my hand, closed my eyes, and pulled my brows together. "You always do that without me, Allan. You know I have always hated parading myself out there for any media attention." I sighed, just yearning to be alone in the quiet, with a bottle of alcohol to numb my burning and broken insides. "Eliana is going to be there," he spoke, making me swallow heavily. "The very reason why I am not going," I mumbled,
Eliana "Finally, I was beginning to think that you had backed out of the deal," Gavin said when I walked into his study, one of his men holding the door for me. "Aren't we impatient?" I rolled my eyes, sitting down on the office chair opposite his. "I thought your head would be killing you after all the clubbing last night," he said, dismissing his employee with a wave of his hand. "Clubbing?" I asked, removing my cat-eyed glasses. He squirmed a bit but quickly covered it by moving his swivel office chair. In fact, if I hadn't been so keen, I would have missed his quick reaction entirely. "How do you know I was clubbing? Are your men following me?" I put the glasses on the desk, then leaned over, looking at him in his evil eyes. There was nothing in them except malice, which sent shivers down my spine. "What? Ha ha, no. Uuh, I mean, why would they?" He stuttered, making me place my clasped hands on the desk, right beside my glasses. "I just saw your red eyes and puffy lids," he
NicholasI covered my head with my pillow when my phone rang somewhere on the bed. The ringtone felt like it was playing inside my ears, tormenting my banging head. I almost shouted "hallelujah" when it stopped, only for it to ring again after a few seconds."The fuck is wrong with some people?" I groaned, wondering why the person hadn't just left a simple voicemail instead of being stubborn. The only way to stop the disturbance was to grabble on the bed for the phone with my eyes still closed. When I finally found it, I blindly pressed on the screen, hoping it would end the call."Why in the hell aren't you answering my calls? Been calling since 8 and you just let it ring, are you ignoring me?" Allan went all loud, shouting over the phone like a madman, while I struggled to cover my ears. It wasn't enough, though, because I heard everything. I was pretty sure the phone wasn't on loudspeaker, even though Allan was clear."Shut up," I weakly responded, with my eyes still closed."Wait,
Eliana"I want to be left alone," I said when the guestroom door was knocked."Open up, Ellie; it's me." Allan's voice drifted inside."If he's there, I will close the door on your face," I warned, dragging my feet."If you mean Nicholas, he left without a word as soon as you closed your bedroom door." I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath to stop emotions from taking control over me. The Nick I knew would have followed me, but to hear he had already left? I couldn't pretend that it didn't make my chest ache."Come in." I stepped aside when I opened the door as Allan stepped in."He is hurting, Ellie," he said, his words making me swallow thickly to soothe my drying throat."I attached the chip to his SIM card slot," I uttered, deciding not to comment on Allan's previous statement."For real?""Haven't you seen anything from your end?" I asked, sitting on the bed."I was a little caught up," he rubbed his neck sheepishly, avoiding eye contact."I understand. Catching up with friends
Nicholas"Shit! Eliana." My stomach constricted into a tight ball. The thought of her in the presence of Gavin had my brain freeze for a moment."Relax; Gavin wouldn't dare hurt her. He knows she's important in his stupid plan." Allan stood, placing his hand on my shoulder and making me step aside."She is out there," I pointed at the door, then continued, "right now, with him. What if he just snaps and decides to..." I couldn't finish up the sentence because the next words jammed in my throat."I'm calling her," Rob stated, fishing his phone out. Their relationship seemed to grow stronger with every passing day, given the fact that she had chosen to stay with him.I watched as he placed his phone against his ear, triggering the waiting game. Tapping my foot on the floor, I began counting the seconds. When she didn't pick up, my adrenaline just shot up. Without a word, I turned for the door, my vision kind of tunnelling before me."Nick wait!" Allan called, stopping me right in front