DON'S POVMy eyes wandered around the interior of my SUV and searched for anything familiar as I tried to clear my mind and collect myself.When I was able to focus on something other than my chaotic thoughts I turned to glance at the man slumped across the seats and saw that he had fallen asleep. His breathing was steady and deep, and if I wasn't staring at his sleeping figure then I wouldn't have known he was asleep. He was dressed casually, just jeans and a white shirt. His brown hair fell freely over his face and covered his left eye, obscuring the scarring on his face.My face turned into a scowl as the memories crashed down on me like a tsunami. I knew why I hadn’t recognized him at first sight. It was because he looked so much younger than when I last saw him. He had been thirty seven when I last saw him - almost eight years ago, after all. But that had barely been the case then, at least, not compared to now. At that time, he didn’t look old enough to go bald yet, though.
ACCALIA'S POVI ran after Bentley and grabbed her hand immediately we stepped into the kitchen."What's wrong Bentley?" I asked worriedly. She had been acting strangely lately, and now that I was thinking about it, I realized that she hadn't spoken much in days, or seen me at all really, but I ignored that in favor of asking her what was wrong. I saw her gaze flick towards me for a moment before her face blanked once more.She shook her head frantically, "It's nothing, don't worry I'm fine."She gave me a strained smile, but there was clearly something off. Something was bothering her, and I needed her to relax. So I sighed heavily, dropping her hand, and walked over to her side, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her close to me."Tell me now if something's bothering you." I whispered softly. I kissed her temple tenderly.Bentley hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly in response. "I don't want to lie..." She trailed off quietly."Then just tell me." I encouraged
ACCALIA'S POV"You will not marry him. I forbid you." She repeated loudly, a crazed expression on her face."You can't... you can't force me!" I choked out hoarsely.She stared down at me angrily, "You will not marry him!" "It's a contract marriage." I whispered, closing my eyes."What?" She asked in surprise."It's a three month contract marriage. We will go our separate ways after three months." I answered."So you're telling me that you would only be married to Don Donato for just three months?""Yes.""Why? I mean, why did he offer you such a contract?" Her voice became calmer."Because he pities my current situation." I replied, unsure of myself, I had never really asked myself why Don had offered to be my contract husband and paid my debts."I see," Bentley said thoughtfully. "So this agreement means that he is willing to keep you as his wife until the debt is finally paid off?""Yeah."She frowned, There was a silence between us. The tension was thick enough to slice through
ACCALIA'S POVLuca glanced at her, "This is not a movie, Miss Bentley."She winked, "Call me Bentley, and lighten up a bit, will ya? You're like a walking iceberg."I could not stop myself from giggling at the banter unfolding before me. Bentley was determined to crack Luca's icy facade.Luca, however, was determined to maintain his composure, "I'm here to ensure the young miss's safety, not for amusement."Bentley nudged me, "Well, Lia, seems like your bodyguard needs a crash course in humor."I smiled and nodded in agreement, "Maybe he's just saving his laughs for special occasions."Luca's eyes flickered towards me for a moment, his cold exterior showing a hint of amusement.Bentley crossed her arms, "Alright, IceMan, challenge accepted. Let's see if we can get a smile out of you by the end of the day."Luca merely nodded and remained unresponsive to Bentley's playful challenge.Bentley has a mischievous glint in her eyes so she turned to Luca and asked him, "So, Luca, what's it li
BENTLEY'S POV“Let's go to a cafe, I'm craving a drink or something.” Accalia suggested as she stared at Luca and I. “What about you guys?”I chuckled and replied, "Sure, I could use a caffeine fix. How about you, Luca? Any preferences?"Luca remained silent for a moment before he finally said, "I don't have any preferences."I raised an eyebrow, surprise glimmered in my eyes. "Not even for coffee or tea? Come on, everyone has a preference.""I consume what is necessary." Luca said and shrugged nonchalantly.I smirked and said sarcastically, "Alright, Mr. Mysterious. We'll find something that fits your needs.”As we walked towards the cafe, I continued my banter with Luca, I was attempting to crack his stoic exterior with jokes and playful comments. I was surprised that Luca responded with occasional subtle smirks and very rare, short-lived chuckles.We settled into a corner table at the cafe and we ordered drinks, soon our drinks came and casually, we sipped our drinks, I couldn't re
BENTLEY'S POVIt took a couple of minutes for us to reach the park but after Luca parked my car in the nearest free parking lot, Luca got out first, quickly opened both our doors and waited for both of us to follow.After we entered the park, we headed toward the playground. We sat on one of the swings and I swung myself back and forth slowly as I allowed my mind to drift back to fantasizing about Luca. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted him.It was odd to consider this. In fact, I hadn't ever considered wanting someone so much before. I let out a sigh, knowing I needed to stop and concentrate on the here and now. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing, slowly inhaling and exhaling.Suddenly, Accalia reached forward and placed hee palm across mine, stopping me from swinging. I glanced at her and noticed that she seemed somewhat amused and I grinned.She turned to Luca and said, "I would really love some ice cream right now.""Okay young miss." Luca said and I quickly
DON'S POVI sat down on my office chair in my study and Butler Roy stood beside me as I wiped the blood off my wrists with the handkerchief he had handed to me earlier. It had been hours since I left Accalia with Luca watching after her. My mind drifted back to Accalia's best friend, Bentley, and for some weird reason, she looked very familiar. Not familiar in the sense of me seeing her pictures when I had carried out a background search on Accalia but familiar in the sense that she looked awfully familiar, like I had seen her somewhere or maybe she looked so much like someone I once came across.“Is the master perhaps worried about the young miss?” Butler Roy asked, it seemed that he had noticed how deep in thoughts I was."Don't be ridiculous, Roy," I snapped, my tone dripping icy. "I'm not worried about her. I was just... thinking.""But of course, sir," Roy replied with a smirk, his sarcasm dripping like honey. "Because it's completely normal for the master of the house to be sit
DON'S POV"Luca, where the hell is Accalia?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the air like a knife.Luca's voice on the other end sounded nervous. "I-I don't know, Don. She was with me and Bentley a while ago, and I haven't heard from her since or Bentley since after I went to get some ice cream.”"You let her go with that woman, and you don't even know where they are?" My frustration boiled over as I felt my blood heating up with anger.“I thought she was just going out for a bit. I didn't expect her to disappear like this." Luca stammered.I clenched my fists, the anger flowing through my veins. "Find her, Luca. Now. And find Bentley too. I want them both back here immediately."Luca rushed to reassure me, "I'll do my best, Boss. I'll call you as soon as I have any information."As the call ended, I glared at Roy. "This is unacceptable, Roy. How could you let this happen?"Roy's icy demeanor remained intact. "I assure you, sir, I had no control over Miss Accalia's actions. My du