MAX'S POV"Come on, Max..." she whispered tenderly, "I'll drive you to the hospital."I climbed into the front seat, waiting patiently for her to buckle her seatbelt before starting up the engine. When she finally turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking space, I was curious about why she had agreed to a blind date that had been arranged by her family, especially since she was infamous for being the strong-headed one who hated arranged marriages."So, why did your family arrange a blind date for you?" I asked, hoping to spark a conversation in hopes it would give me an answer to some of the questions bouncing around in my head."My sister is a lawyer, and my dad wanted me to meet someone. I think it was supposed to be some sort of business plan if everything went well between me and the guy." Bentley replied to me without taking her eyes off the road. For a split second, there was something about her expression that hinted at sadness, though I couldn't quite make
BENTLEY'S POV"Come on, Max..." I whispered tenderly, "I'll drive you to the hospital."I watched him climb into the front seat, making sure to wait patiently for him to buckle his seatbelt before I started up the engine. When I finally turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the parking space, I could sense his curiosity. He must have been wondering why I, known for my strong-headed independence and aversion to arranged marriages, had agreed to a blind date set up by my family."So, why did your family arrange a blind date for you?" he asked, clearly trying to start a conversation, perhaps looking for answers to the questions swirling in his own mind."My sister is a lawyer, and my dad wanted me to meet someone. I think it was supposed to be some sort of business plan if everything went well between me and the guy," I replied, keeping my focus on the road ahead.For a brief moment, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me, but I struggled to find the right words to express it.
BENTLEY'S POVI dragged him all the way to the ward as we walked past all sorts of patients who were lying unconscious in beds. The nurses and doctors stopped in their tracks when they saw me. They were clearly shocked to see me with Max, much less talking to him in a civil manner. I heard the whispers amongst the staff: "Is that Max? I heard Bentley's date did not go well." "I'm sure it's because she is now dating Max."Everyone was obsessed with getting married to me because I was the last daughter of the 'Romanos' everyone wanted a share of their wealth, even the doctors were interested in me and I found it extremely annoying.And even though I already knew this, I was very adamant that I was single and I wouldn't settle down until I found myself a man that I really love.I knew they were probably wondering, what kind of man would catch the eye of such an incredible beauty? One with money, brains, a great career and an amazing personality? Who would not fall in love with a woman
BENTLEY'S POVI turned around to find him standing there, staring at me with so much love. "You okay now?" I asked him and he nodded.I let out a shaky sigh, then hugged him tightly. It felt good to hold him like this, I realized myself and withdrew from the hug and cleared my throat nervously.This was the part of my life I hated most - when people showed affection to me. When somebody said they loved me. And I would just stand there like an idiot because I didn't believe them. Because I could never trust someone else after what they had done to me. "You should rest," I told him. "I'm going to call my parents now and explain things to them " "Would they understand?" He asked, he knew the kind of parents I had.They never understood anything."Yeah," I replied, trying to sound convincing as I looked away and tried to hide the tears that welled up inside me. I was not supposed to cry when anybody else was concerned, but this time I was not holding back. This wasn't normal, this was
BENTLEY'S POVI flinched, "Dad, calm down—""Shut up!" He interrupted. Dad, he hit me." I tried my best to explain but my dad was not having it."I don't care if he did, Bentley!" My father shouted, "We are not raising you to be some kind of slut!"My entire body went stiff and I stood rooted to my place, unable to move for a second."I am ashamed to call my own daughter a slut!" My father continued, his tone harsh and full of hate. "You're just like your mother." This new onslaught of words felt like a physical blow and it was definitely cutting deeper than any wound I had ever received. Each word was a confirmation of my deepest fears and insecurities and was spoken aloud by the one person who was supposed to protect and uplift me."I... I just wanted to tell you that I'm at the hospital," I managed to choke out, my voice barely above a whisper as I fought against the tears that threatened to drown me."The hospital?!" His voice dripped with disdain. "What, did you finally manage
BENTLEY'S POVMaybe if I could get behind the wheel I could forget about my father for a while and focus instead on the task at hand, which right now I found utterly fascinating.I unlocked the door and pulled out my keys before I slid into the car and closed the door. My father hadn’t lied when he told me I was worthless. If only he knew. As I got comfortable in the driver’s seat, I looked up through the windshield at the sun glinting off of the cars around me and wondered where I should start. My fingers tightened around the steering wheel as I glanced up at the road sign above me. For once, I didn't have any plans in mind, I just wanted something to do.I buckled my seatbelt, turning the key in ignition and pulling out of my driveway. I headed down Highway 101, passing several other cars as I went along, each one filled with their own occupants.Some were laughing loudly or playing video games on their phones, others were driving, their expressions contorted with anger or smil
He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a husky whisper that sent shivers down my spine. "Alright, I'll play your loving boyfriend. But remember, you're playing with fire," he paused, his eyes darkening with an intensity that made my heart skip a beat. "And I'm not known for playing it safe.”His words, heavy with an unspoken promise and laced with a dangerous edge, left me feeling both exhilarated and vulnerable. The closeness of his body, the warmth coming out from him and the intensity in his eyes made my heart race. There was something undeniably sexy and commanding about his demeanor now, a complete opposite to the cold distance he had maintained before. I was completely drawn to his manliness, the authoritative tone of his voice and the way he seemed to claim the space around us. It was as if he had cast a spell over me, leaving me yearning for something I couldn't quite name. "Yes, Luca," I managed to reply, my voice barely above a whisper and I felt utterly captivated by his
BENTLEY'S POV“You stupid bitch!!” My mother screamed as she lounged herself at me.She pushed me away roughly, sending me stumbling backwards and onto the couch. “How dare you?! We were waiting for hours for you to come home!”“Well, I’m here now aren’t I?” I snapped defensively. What gave these two the right to act like I wasn’t important."You have ruined everything once again!" My mother said as she slapped me across the face.She picked up a decorative vase that had been left out on the table and threw it at me as hard as she could, causing the shards to stab painfully into my arm. A few drops of blood oozed out, dripping down my skin like hot wax."Ouch…" I winced, clutching the bleeding wound. ‘Stupid bitch’. Was all I heard repeated over and over in my head. 'Worthless whore’ and ‘stupid slut’ were hurled repeatedly until I felt as though my ears were ringing.‘ I tried to block out their voices, hoping to forget everything that had happened but they were relentless. I hated m
DON'S POV"I spoke with Bentley, her father is the police officer that ruled your sister's death as suicide." Luca said."So?""According to Bentley, Accalia family has no hand in it. Her father was threatened by the other gang and their new leader."I nodded slowly, understanding what he was saying. "We better get the truth out of Ken then, have you handed Florella over to the police?" I asked."Yes boss.""Good."We both headed down to the basement where Ken was being held captive, I needed to torture the truth out of his mouth.He was sitting against the wall with his arms tied behind his back, his wrists chained. His face bruised and bloodied, and his clothes covered in dried blood, he was still shivering, despite his cold exterior."What are you going to do with me?" He spat, spitting blood onto the floor of the dungeon."Well Ken Peterson , I'll give you an opportunity to answer a few of my questions and maybe I'll release you."Ken narrowed his eyes at me, "Why should I believe
DON'S POV "You need to calm down son, I have no reason to kidnap your wife!" My father screamed in annoyance as I held him by the collar, accusing him of being responsible for Accalia sudden disappearance. it has been two days since I've heard from Accalia or seen her.i recalled telling her to go home first after the press conference but when I got home, she wasn't there and no one knew anything about her disappearance.I was beginning to go crazy over her absence, I felt like something bad happened to her and I couldn't control it, I was scared shitless.I was furious that I did not know what had happened to her.who the hell dared to kidnap my woman?!!!"I won't let anything happen to her!" I roared while I tightened my grip on my dad's neck and squeezed harder.After I released my grip, my father gasped and began coughing loudly."What the hell are you?!" He questioned me as he took several deep breaths."Do you really think that I am a weak minded coward like you?!" I replied
ACCALIA'S POVI noticed alot of crowds at the company today but I had no idea why but for some reason Enzo seemed tense and clinged to me."Is the company doing something today? why are there a lot of people and reporters outside?" I asked but before I could hear Enzo's response, an egg hit me on the head."She's the one that hurt our kitten!" The man shouted and everyone's attention was turned to me, I was so confused but had no time to process that confusion because people began hurling insults at me and the eggs kept on flying.I tried to defend myself but people would not allow it, many people were throwing eggs at me and they kept on hitting me and I had no way to avoid the hits. One egg managed to land on my head causing me to stagger.I wanted to defend myself, the insults weren't hurting anyone they were just getting their point across.Someone picked up a bottle and threw it at me. The impact of the bottle hitting me made me flinch.Enzo guided me through and I finally made
FLORELLA'S POVI frowned as I watched the new model, Accalia walk into the studio. She had a radiant smile on her face and everything about her just screamed beauty and perfection, no flaws or imperfections in sight.Her hair was styled in perfect waves that framed her face beautifully, her makeup perfectly complimented her gorgeous olive brown orbs and bright pink lipstick.She looked good. So good! So incredibly good that she could probably win any contest she was in! I almost gasped in admiration as I saw how breathtaking she really looked.I hated how beautiful she was, I never understood why anyone could want to look like that, but she was definitely an exception. She had a unique personality that drew people to her in a different way than everyone else did.I hated the fact that she was pretty that me and could easily over take me in the modeling world, there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen. i have been bullying her for over two weeks since she came but she
ACCALIA'S POVAfter hours of modeling and posing for countless pictures, it was time for me to go home and rest before I had to return to the studio again for another day full of work. My clothes were all wrinkled and dirty after being used so many times for clothing shoots.But I was tired and hungry. So, with only mild hesitance, I walked out of the studio to head back home. my phone chimed and I looked at it and saw it was a text from Don asking me to use the back door of the company and meet him at the car park where he was waiting for me.I smiled weakly at the text before I took the elevator to the car park tiredly.I exited the elevator and walked out of the building and saw Don standing at the entrance of the parking lot, he waved as soon as he saw me approaching and headed over to the car to help me inside. Once I was seated, he walked around the car to the drivers seat."Where is everyone?" I asked curiously, noticing no cars."They had to go somewhere." Is all he told me.
ACCALIA'S POVI smiled as I dressed up for my first day at work, yes, my first day at work. I was so excited when Don told me to dress up today that I would resume work at his company as a model.I wanted to make a good first impression so I needed to dress up nicely. A white button down shirt and a black blazer were the two pieces of clothing I selected from my closet after I finished dressing in bed this morning. I also wore some light makeup but it wasn't much. Not too much, just enough to look like I hadn't slept with it all off last night. That made me think about something else - Don's lips... I shook my head trying to get rid of those thoughts.I brushed through my hair once more then applied one last coat of lip gloss before leaving my room, closing and locking the door behind me. I took a deep breath of air and exhaled deeply, hoping to calm myself before I headed down the stairs to meet Don."Good morning!" Don chirped happily when he saw me. I grinned back at him and walk
ACCALIA'S POVDon squeezed my hand reassuringly, his gaze filled with unwavering determination. "We can do this, Accalia," he said, his voice steady despite the tremble in his hands. "Together, we can face anything."With a heavy heart, I nodded in agreement, drawing strength from Don's unwavering faith in our future. As we boarded the bus and took our seats, I cast one last glance back at the village of Arinthia, its familiar streets now fading into the distance.And as the bus pulled away, carrying us towards an uncertain future, I knew that it was time to go back to my old life.As the bus journeyed towards the city, the landscape outside morphed from rolling hills to towering skyscrapers, a stark contrast to the quaint charm of Arinthia. With each passing mile, my heart grew heavier, the uncertainty of our future weighing heavily upon me.But as we finally arrived at our destination and stepped off the bus, a sense of anticipation tingled in the air. For the first time in what fel
ACCALIA'S POVDon wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close as he felt my body tremble with suppressed sobs. "It's okay, Accalia," he whispered, his voice gentle yet filled with unspoken sorrow. "We'll be alright."But the dam had already broken, and I could no longer hold back the flood of emotions that surged within me. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I buried my face in Don's chest, my heart aching with the pain of leaving behind everything I had ever known."It's just... so hard," I choked out between sobs, my voice muffled against Don's shirt. "Saying goodbye to everyone, to everything..."Don held me tighter, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know, Accalia," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But this isn't goodbye forever. We'll come back someday, I promise."His words offered little solace in the face of our imminent departure, but I clung to them nonetheless, finding comfort in the warmth of his embrace. Together, we sat down on the worn wooden b
ACCALIA'S POVWe climbed into the of the truck, I couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought of leaving behind another dear friend. Kito had always been there for us, offering his help and support whenever we needed it, and the thought of saying goodbye to him was almost too much to bear.As we settled into the worn leather seats of Kito's truck, a heavy silence hung in the air, punctuated only by the soft hum of the engine. I glanced out the window, watching as the familiar sights of Arinthia faded into the distance, my heart aching with the weight of farewell.The ride to the bus stop was a somber one, the only sound the steady hum of the engine and the occasional sniffle from one of us. Kito tried to lighten the mood with some of his trademark jokes, but even he seemed to be struggling to find his usual cheerfulness.As we neared the bus stop, Kito pulled over and turned off the engine, the silence that followed almost deafening in its intensity. "Well, this is it," he