Eliana"God knows how much I have wanted to kiss you since the minute you walked up to me," Nicholas said in between our urgent kiss, pinning me on the entrance door of his penthouse. I couldn't get over how much property he owned; it seemed the list went on and on."So why didn't you?" I teased, raising my hands as he pulled my top up by the sleeves."And have your mom find out about us?" He sucked on a spot on my neck, making me hiss."What could go wrong?" I shrugged, spreading my legs to accommodate his thigh between them. I wantonly began gyrating on it, moaning at the sensation the friction brought to my throbbing clit."Everything. If Rob hasn't told her, there must be a reason." I froze, stopping the movement of my hips instantly."What do you mean by that? Does Rob know about us?" I remembered the knowing smile he had flashed my way when I whispered something along the lines of fucking with Nick."He figured it out. He said it was easy given the way we look at each other. He
NicholasMy hold around Eliana tightened as Gavin's word-for-word sank in, hisses curling through my mind like smoke tendrils. The audacity of the fucker to drag Eliana's name into the media had my jaw muscles tightening. My glare on Gavin's smug face didn't waver; in fact, it took every ounce of control to not slap the phone out of Allan's grasp."I will fucking kill him," I hissed, letting go of Eliana. The only thing on my mind at that moment was laying my hands on Gavin. Surely he must have known the consequences of a lie of such magnitude on TV."You will do no such thing." Allan blocked my way, standing in front of the door, head raised, his calculating eyes hardening when my upper lip twitched."Move," I spat, balling my hands into tight fists."Babe, please don't go." Eliana's voice drifted into my ears as she wrapped her hands around my arm."Don't make me push you, Allan." I ignored Eliana. "Fucking move," I added, articulating the words clearly in a low, threatening voice."
Eliana"Can we pick up from where we were before Allan interrupted us?" Nicholas spoke in a low, raspy voice, his warm breath fanning my ear. Allan had left after promising to arrange a meeting with Gavin."Impatient, aren't we?" I teased, my breath hitching when he rubbed his nose gently against the skin on my neck."Would you rather I show you around the house?" His voice lowered seductively. I had pushed the issue about Gavin aside because I knew the recording was enough to shut him up. So with a free mind, my body responded to Nick quickly."Oh yes. How about you start with your bedroom first?" I tilted my head when he responded by leaving an open-mouth kiss on the spot just below my ear."That is what I like to hear." Faster than I could comprehend, he was up on his feet, pulling me up with him. With his hand around mine, I followed him to the stunning, curved ribbon staircase across the vast living area. I vowed to come back later and take a good look at the interior design of t
NicholasI bit down a wave of boiling fury the moment I spotted Gavin seated on a lounge chair, tapping his foot on the floor. Beside him sat the man I hated with everything in me, Mr. Hugh, his damned father, holding a glass of what seemed like scorch. His presence was a clue that what Gavin was looking for was something that could impact their company greatly."I can't wait to see you wiping the smirk off Gavin's stupid face," Allan spat beside me, adjusting the collar of his button-up shirt. He had set up the meeting three days after the fucker pulled that stupid stunt on my girlfriend."That is, if I can stand him and his father for even a minute, let alone pretend I care for what they have to propose." My upper lip wouldn't stop twitching, and it only got worse when we got to their table at the most secluded high-end club in the city."I was beginning to think that you bailed out." Gavin's voice had my teeth rattling, but I managed to keep my face blank. The last thing I wanted w
Eliana"What is wrong with you?" Rachel asked from the front seat of Dorian's car. He had just packed up in front of my house and was waiting for us to alight. I was expecting a video call from my mom later on, and she has insisted I be home. She didn't state why, although I assumed she just wanted to keep tabs on me."Whatever do you mean?" I asked, staring at the screen of my phone, trying to ignore the fact that we had arrived."You have been fidgeting on the seat; you keep on biting your nails while staring at your phone on your lap. What's gotten you on edge?" Dorian chimed in; it seemed he had been observing me through the rear view mirror."Is it the issue about Gavin?" Rachel added."No, Nick got that sorted yesterday. It's just that..." I trailed off, trying to come up with words."Just that?" Rachel pressed, turning to look at me over the front seat."Can't you see that she's struggling? Give her a minute." Dorian came to my rescue. The two had worked things out together, and
NicholasI leaned on my office chair, staring at the files on the desk, even though my thoughts were rotating around Eliana. I wanted so much to believe that her mother was spying on her for security reasons. A part of me, however, wanted so badly to get to the bottom of it all because something about Nora screamed secrets."Rough night?" Allan walked into my office as usual without knocking. I had barely slept, tossing and turning and thinking about Eliana and her safety in Rachel's place. My security personnel had informed me that she had driven with her friends home, packed for a few minutes, then left for Rachel's place."Something like that." I shifted on the swivel chair, tempted to call Eliana even though I knew she was at school."Wanna talk about it?" Allan pulled the opposite chair and sat on it, then raised his brows, waiting."Eliana thinks her mother is spying on her." I went straight to the point, straightening up."I wouldn't be surprised if she were. The woman is far f
Eliana"I missed you," I mumbled, tightening my grip around Nick's muscular torso."I was thinking about you the entire night, baby." His admission and his sexy voice sent heated shivers through me."I barely slept," I admitted. Rachel and Dorian didn't make it easy for me with their moans and groans either. When I blocked their noise with headphones, my head was instead crowded with thoughts of my man and how good he fucked me. It was still hard to believe that after so much drama and constant wrangling between us, we were finally together."Then what you need right now is clean up and fed so you can get a good night's sleep." It was barely 7 at night, but all I could think of was enjoying his warmth, smelling his expensive cologne under the duvet as he held me tight against him."I am not hungry." I whined when he stepped away from the embrace, missing his warmth instantly."There's no debate when it comes to eating, babe. Come on, I'll draw you a bath now." He left no room for argu
NicholasI sat down on the kitchen stool by the counter, staring at the pictures Allan had sent me. Daren, Eliana's assigned security had spotted the same black Cadillac Escalade outside Eliana's college main gate, a few minutes before Eliana was picked up by my driver. The vehicle, however, followed Dorian's car; the man behind the wheel must have thought that Eliana was in that car.Allan's name flashed on the screen at that moment. Heaving a sigh, I picked it up and waited for him to talk. I was leaning on the counter with the support of my elbow, facing the kitchen with my back towards the main living area, staircase, and dining area."Have you seen them?" he asked, while I swallowed saliva almost forcefully. I had never thought in my life that my heart would pound so hard because of another person's safety, apart from Rob and Allan. There I was, however, with my heart racing, fidgeting on the stool, and my mind racing, concerned about Eliana's safety."The same car along Eliana's
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