Eliana"What happened?" Dorian asked the moment I got inside the car, my eyes glistening with tears as I attempted to swallow the lump in my throat. I had sworn not to let Nicholas affect me to the point of expelling any tears, but that seemed to be crumpling at that moment. I never imagined that I'd find him deep inside another woman when I pushed on his office door."Nothing; I didn't see him; I was told he was in a meeting," I lied, covering a sniff with a cough. My chest felt like it was being clawed from the inside, making me press my teeth together and swallow the pain."So why do you look like you're dying on the inside?" Dorian pressed, making me almost scream at his refusal to just leave me alone."Because I am battling with feelings for a person who doesn't care about them!" I snapped, and it wasn't entirely a lie. After seeing Nicholas's modern office building and the lady he was fucking, I was convinced I was never an option for him. He was a rich man and probably wanted a
Nicholas"Aargh!" I almost threw the phone across the room but instead opted to put it in my pocket."I'm guessing she said no?" Allan spoke with a light laugh that made me growl. It was not a laughing matter, and yet he was seated in my own office chair nonchalantly, relishing in my frustration."Well, what were you expecting? You have dragged her through hell and back." He added, making the upper left side of my mouth twitch."Didn't you tell me feelings make someone forgiving? Weren't you the one who fucking told me she'd listen?" My voice rose as I turned and faced the glass window, running my right hand through my hair."I didn't say it was going to be easy." I heard my leather swivel chair squeaking as he turned around on it. Then he added, "she will make you beg for it; that's what women do, but at the end of the day, it will be worth it." I let out a bitter laugh at his statement, pinching my nose between my thumb and index finger."You really are stupid, Allan. Either that, o
Eliana"No you don't hate me," Nicholas said back, then abruptly held me by my side arms and pulled me closer to him."Let me go!" I screeched, wiggling forcefully to get out of his hold, but he held tighter, wrapping his arms around me."Not until you forgive me," he spoke."I will fucking scream if you don't release me," I threatened, still trying to put distance between our upper bodies. Such proximity was not good for me; it reminded me of the intimacy we had shared before he decided to unleash his monstrosity on me."Go ahead, scream all you want." I stopped moving at the sound of his voice. It was the same tone he used when he was moving inside of me, hitting my g-spot over and over again. I closed my eyes and began taking deep breaths, trying to ignore the warmth he was providing."Thought so." He chuckled when I kept my mouth shut. Not knowing I was fighting for control over my own body and voice."Let me go," I repeated, this time dragging each word between my teeth."Eliana,
Nicholas"Slow down on the whisky, would you?" Allan snatched the bourbon bottle from me despite my protests."Give it back," I slurred, extending my arm to reach for it across the table where he put it."Water, please?" Allan asked a passing bartender as I glared at him."Give me my bottle, Allan," I demanded yet again. All I wanted was to drown myself in alcohol until my chest felt numb. I was desperate to get rid of the pounding sensation inside my head and the burning one on my chest. Every time I blinked, Eliana's pretty face as she rejected me flashed right behind my eyelids. I needed to push it away, and the only way to do so was by getting shitfaced."You're allowing your feelings to turn you back to the same spot you were seven years ago." I sat upright at his statement, then belched."Shut the hell up!" I warned, pointing a weak index finger at him. Even through the loud music in the high-end club in town, he could hear me, maybe because we were in the VIP section."Someone
Eliana"Who was the man that dropped you home last night?" my mother asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had ensued at the dining table."A friend," I responded, forcing myself to take a short sip of coffee from my favourite mug after dinner. The last thing I wanted was to be reminded of how Nicholas ruined my date night with Gavin. It seemed the two of them knew each other, even though Gavin refused to admit it. I refused to accept that he just wanted to warn Nicholas against looking at me, as he claimed. After all, he wasn't the only man in the club who was eye-fucking me."So nowadays you have friends who are wealthy enough to own the latest Mercedes Benz?" she pressed, making me tighten my grip around the mug."Mom please," I whined, pushing my chair backwards while seated so I could stand up."This is far from over." A relief washed over me. "There's something else that we need to talk about, though," she added."What is it about?" I dragged the words out, resisting th
Nicholas"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, looking at Ellie as her lips trembled. I was tearing on the inside, overcome with the need to embrace her and apologise over and over. The problem was, I knew she wasn't about to let my hands near her."Good night, Nicholas," she said, but I didn't have it in me to respond. I just stood there as she left for her room, wondering why I had agreed to her mother's crazy request to stay over. I knew she had nightmares, and because my brother had already planned a perfect sleepover with her mother, I agreed to be left with her. I took it as an opportunity to get close to her and mend the broken things between us, but so far it was proving futile."Wait up," I called after shaking my head, reprimanding myself for just watching her go. I jogged after her and caught a glimpse of her ass bouncing as she took the last stair into the hallway."I want to be left alone," she stated in a hushed voice without sparing me a glance."What are you so afraid of
ElianaThe moment I locked the door, I threw myself on my unmade bed face first. With my voice muffled by the pillow underneath my face, I let out a scream, gripping the sides of the soft material. It was one thing to let Nicholas touch me and an entirely different one to have my body melt in his arms. I was ashamed of myself for struggling to control my feelings when I should have been able to say no without hesitating."I hate this," I said out loud, turning and lying on my back. For some reason, I was expecting him to knock, but when I heard his footsteps retreating, my heart just sank."Get hold of yourself," I chastised myself, fighting off the tears and the burning feeling in my chest. I couldn't believe I wanted him to ask me to let him in. Muttering a few curses, I sat up and picked up my laptop from the nightstand beside my phone. I knew I wasn't going to get any sleep, so I made up my mind to watch The Originals as a distraction.Minutes later, just as I was beginning to get
Nicholas"Thank you so much for looking after Eliana; I can't imagine what would have happened if you weren't here," Eliana's mother spoke in a shaky voice, my brother's arm holding her around her waist."He had already le—" I nudged Eliana on her side gently with my elbow to stop her from talking further."No need to thank me; she is safe now." I cut her off. Her mother and my brother didn't need to know that she had kicked me out earlier. For the sake of them not finding out about our feelings, we didn't need to give them more reasons to start digging about why we supposedly hated each other. I was relieved when Eliana just scoffed but made no move to discredit my lie."This needs the involvement of the state, honey," Robert addressed Nora, fishing out his phone while he glanced at Eliana, who was quietly seated beside me."No!" I was caught off guard by her outburst, my eyebrows creasing."I mean, um, I don't want Eliana to go through what she went through after her father was kille
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