KEIAI was already feeling so bad before I went into work because the day had started out terribly and I was not in the mood for anybody's nonsense at all because of what had happened the night before. Even till morning, I will still unable to snap out of the anger that had taken hold of me because of the things he had done. I was so angry about his childish behavior and the fact that I did not get enough sleep was not even helping matters at all. The moment I stepped my feet into the company building, I could already feel the tension bubbling under the surface and I hoped there was nobody who was going to make it worse for me, somebody who was going to make the tension that I was trying to hold in to explode. I just hoped that was going to be the case because I would not hold back if anything like that happened. I was tired of not telling people to go to hell with their taunts and not putting them in their place. I was making my way to my desk when one of my colleagues decided that
KEIAI did not need a seer to tell me that I had annoyed her when I finished work that evening. I had gone to her office in the afternoon so we could get lunch but she was fast asleep and I did not want to make her anger any worse. And when I finished work late that evening, I expected to go back home with her but she was already out of her office and nowhere around when I got down. I knew what was going on and it was all my fault. I had been too hard on her late today and if anything, I had to apologize. That was because she did not deserve the way I had acted, not one one it. She was doing all she could to avoid me and as much as I hated it, I knew I deserved it. Before heading home, I stopped by a gift store but as soon as I got out of the car, I was confused because I did not know what she liked so I bought a little bit of everything. I got a bouquet of fresh Roses, a box of her favorite chocolate and even a small plush Teddy that seemed childish for sure but then I thought she m
KEIAFor some reason, the day at work felt like a decade. As soon as it was time, I was more than ready to leave the office and get home. Grabbing my bag, I made my way out of the door without caring if Sawyer had left or not. I was at least happy that I had been able to preserve myself from getting into any sort of argument with him or anybody else. The way I had behaved today in the office was not something I was angry about because at least I had been able to push everyone from doing anything that would make me angry. As I made my way down the staircase, I kept my head down even as I passed by some of my colleagues who were talking to themselves around the entrance. I avoided eye contact because I did not want to get caught up in their small talk or give him any reason to start asking those annoying questions later. At the moment, something inside me did not want to make him angry anymore even though I detested how much he affected my decisions. The past few days had been nothin
KEIAThe first thing that caught my attention the moment we walked into the mesmerizing Grand Hall was the warm glow of chandeliers shining down upon us like the night sky. The space below was filled with conversations as people conversed while carrying glasses of champagne on their fingertips. I stayed close to him so I would not get lost because of how vast and crowded the place was, brushing my hand lightly against his arm for a moment but I just allowed myself to enjoy the feeling of safety that his presence gave me. That was the moment the one thing that I had been dreading happened. The moment was shattered when I glanced back to see Artemis approaching us. For some reason, it seemed as if he was trying to catch up because he was moving swiftly and I clearly made out how his jaw was set and his eyes blazed with anger. I could only come to the conclusion that this night might not end well. I turned around and we continued to make our way towards the other guests with Sawyer obli
KEIAIn a trice, he was already standing beside me and without another word, he grabbed my arm gently albeit firmly before he pulled me away from the scene. I was so angry that if he had not restrained me, I would have dealt with her again. She could be disrespectful to anybody she wanted but saying those kinds of words to me to demean my worth was not something I was going to accept no matter what the consequences would be. I gave her a very hot glare as the guards quickly approached and surrounded her before walking her out of the room. We were already surrounded by people but the crowd did not stand out to me as we both hurried out of the hall. The only thing that kept ringing in my mind was how she had insulted me and how I would have done more if Sawyer did not grab me. I was glad also that I had shown Artemis that I was not the person I used to be when I was with him. Even with him walking seriously beside me, I could feel his anger as we escaped from the chaos that had alread
KEIAStanding there in front of him, I did not know what to say at first even though I knew and felt I needed to say something. The words wouldn’t just come out and I did not want to force it because you would not take long before things got awkward. But I finally broke the silence when I came up with something. "Thank you. For being there. For everything." He looked up at me and his eyes softened and for a moment, the harsh person that he had always been to me disappeared and the man I had Always Known before I returned from prison resurfaced. In that moment, that was all I needed, some sort of reassurance that everything was going to be okay. The look on his face alone was enough to give that promise. "You don't need to thank me. I also have to thank you for what you did back there. All right now we must make sure that we are doing okay." I gave him a nod and swallowed before walking over to sit beside him on the couch. I was already feeling better. Not long after, my phone start
KEIAHe let out a sigh before setting his phone down on the table in front of him. "Keia, you should understand that last night-" I raised a finger to interrupt and thankfully he took notice and stopped. "Don't, please don't don't it like it was nothing. Because it was something and no matter how hard you're trying to look, I know it meant something to you as well." When I was done talking, he hesitated for a moment and I saw something flicker in his eyes. I couldn't tell if it was regret, or something else maybe. However, it vanished before I was able to piece together what I'd seen and what it meant. Then he spoke. "What do you want from me, Keia." He asked. I made my way beside him and sat close. "I should be the one asking you that, Sawyer. Can you for a moment just let me know what you want." He shook his head subtly but I was able to see through the whole thing he was doing. "Nothing. I want nothing." He replied. I felt a pang of disappointment rip through me when he said
KEIA My phone buzzed with a message later that day and I opened it to see a message from Sawyer. There was really no message but a link to some kind of website. I clicked the link and waited nervously as it redirected me to a website. When the video and headline came into view, I froze. Artemis was sitting in a plush chair, and he looked so calm but the words he said were anything but calm. "I'll tell everyone the same thing. I don't care how she looks. Keia is not who she seems to be. She is very manipulative, vindictive and is a snake in the grass. I wouldn't trust her with anything. Why do you think she's she's ex-convict?" My heart jumped when he said that, calling me an ex-convict. The interviewer seemed thrown off when he said that. She leaned forward with her eyes wide. "Are you saying that she's dangerous?" Artemis gave her a nod that was both slow and deliberate. "Absolutely. We are going to see what's going to happen soon. A year, six months maybe but I promise you Saw
KEIAIt was Impossible getting what she had said to me off my head. It stayed with me all night and kept replaying and coming back to me like some broken record."You'll wake up one day and realise that you deserved better... and you will send me away like I never existed." If that's what she thought about me even after everything that we had been through this whole time, then I had no idea where this was getting to. I used to think that maybe things would fall in line, but from what I had heard her say, it was clear that I was very wrong.Nothing was falling in line. Nothing. Keia really thought that I didn't care about her and that I was going to throw her away whenever I was done with her. Did she take me for Artemis? The thought that she could think of me like that was the reason I was angry. Why the hell would she have that opinion of me despite all that I have done to make her know that I loved her. She thought she was just a temporary fix and some sort of convenience.What did
KEIAI couldn't believe my ears when he said that. I stared at him for a long while, before looking back at my laptop, realising that I had been up all morning, stressing over nothing."Wait, you did what?" I asked as my brows came together in surprise.That was the last thing I expected to hear, especially with how lazy he had been acting since I tried waking him up. I thought last night had been too exerting, and he was just tired. He smirked before leaning casually against the headrest."I canceled everything for today. Called the company, cleared the schedule, and officially declared a holiday for us. Do you want to hear it again?" He asked, still smiling at me like there was something funny written on my face. I was no doubt surprised as I stared at him, then I folded my arms and asked."And why would you do that? Lemme guess- you're too late to go to work because you had a lot of wine last night. You remember telling me that this work never stops. That we have to get up each day
KEIAThe first thing that struck me the moment my eyes opened was the feeling of warmth beside me. It was comforting and familiar as well, so much that it made me smile even before I rolled over to see who it was. When I finally did, I realised that I was lying next to Sawyer.Another smile ripped out of my lips as I stared at him. His heart was draped over the pillow and his face was so relaxed and peaceful. It was very hard trying to look away from him. His features were just mesmerising. I'd seen him that way this whole time but last night was special, and it had created a different kind of bond between us, one that I prayed would last for a very long time.Last night was all I could have asked for, a moment of respite from all the madness that was going on around us. And he didn't shy away or reject my advances. He'd taken me passionately, and I wasn't going to forget any moment of it. It was simply magical."How did I end up with someone this good-looking?" I asked myself in a wh
SAWYERThe moment I started driving, my hands instinctively gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than usual as I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes. She wasn't saying anything and it gave me quite the fright. She was sitting stiffly in the passenger seat when her arms crossed and her eyes focused out the window. What I had done was very wrong. I should not have spoken to her like that. What was I thinking?"Keia," I started, hoping that our conversation was going to solve the problem. "My driver had to step out to handle something. That is the reason I am driving tonight."That was complete bullshit. My driver was perfectly available but I didn't want him here because I needed to be alone with her this time. I had a lot of talking to do, and her reaction with everything that I had said this whole time just confirmed it.The silence inside the car was just so unbearable. And I couldn't admit it even to myself but I didn't like how distant she seemed. I had done a terrible
KEIAThe moment he was gone, I slammed my hands down on the desk, and slammed my door shut. What the hell was he thinking and why the hell did he keep doing this to me? One moment he was acting like someone who truly cares and the next moment he was acting like he hated every bit of me and that I disgusted him. I couldn't just figure out why he was being so rude to me.The bossy and cold behaviour he had just let out made me want to punch him in the face or hit my head against a wall because I had done nothing to deserve any of it. I thought we were on good terms. No, I knew we were. Last night, we had worked together like the perfect team and I saw that if we continued that way it wouldn't be long before we cracked down on the one that we have always wanted, but then he had suddenly changed all of a sudden and was acting so strange. He had even kissed me last night.As it felt so real and full of emotions I was still trying so hard to come to terms with. But with everything that was
SAWYERThe next few days were very good because it felt like life was finally starting to make some sense after this whole whole thing. Everything was finally falling into place and there was no better feeling than that. She was here in my house doing this with me and as much as I didn't want to admit it to her, it was one of the things that I had dreaded about for years. At some point I blame myself for the times when I didn't make the move when I was supposed to. I should have approached her during our school days, maybe none of this would be happening in the first place.She wasn't just my long-time crush- she was also one of the very few people that made me feel alive when the world seemed to have gone mad. I always thought that I was never going to be able to gather the courage to approach her and tell her about the way I felt about her, but with everything that was going on now, I felt so happy and fulfilled.We were now sharing our deepest secrets and doing almost everything to
KEIAWhen we were done with dinner, I dropped the glass down on the table and glanced at her. The past few days had undoubtedly been looking good on her. And I didn't know if that was because I rarely saw her since she was busy getting everything together- the evidence and the people she needed to make this dream come true. I could only hope that it all came out perfectly in the end. I hesitated for a moment and decided that it was finally time to let it out to her."Keia," I called her, focusing my attention on her and on nothing else. She raised her face and her face brightened even further."Yeah?" She replied. "I was wondering if you could meet me in the study after this dinner and I want you to bring a notepad along. I have something important to tell you about." I said.She blinked at me and looked clearly confused. "What do you need a notepad for, and what's the important thing you want us to talk about?" She asked.I gave her a nod and replied. "You're going to see." I replied
KEIAI leaned in and kept my voice low as I spoke to her. "I am going to need your connections. I'll be using them for some things and I hope you're not going to mind. I have been able to bring some private investigators into it, but I need somebody that you and I can trust. Doesn't mean I completely trust the people I hired. I do trust them, but I need someone that I can share everything with. Someone that won't hesitate to reach out to us if they find anything. Your boyfriend works as a private investigator, right?" I asked, making myself comfortable on the seat. She glanced around a second time before turning to meet my eyes, then she nodded. "Yes, he does. And he is good also. Is there anything you need him for since you have hired other investigators to handle it?" "I want him to look into Artemis separately. I have already got Sawyer with me detectives looking into it but this is a kind of back up plan should anything happen, you understand where I am heading, right?" I asked
KEIAThe days after that passed quickly but not the anger inside me. In fact the anger inside me only seemed to get stronger and all I wanted was to make sure this was all done and taken care of as soon as possible. Artemis had gotten away with too much for a very long time. I was pretty sure that I was not the only person he'd dealt a card since this whole thing began, I was pretty sure there were other people, other innocent and unsuspecting victims that had faced even a worse fate than me for something that they knew nothing about. I loved him, yes, but my biggest mistake was thinking he loved me back when he just wanted to use me and cast me off. Right now I hated him more than anything or any person and all I wanted to see him fall, crash and burn. I sat down with Sawyer as soon as we were back from the beach that night and laid out my plan to him. It was risky, yes, but we had to make sure that we took our chance. At least we had and we could get people to be on our side so we