ACCALIA'S POVI raise my glance to see everyone awaiting my answer, I begin to get cold feet.“Huh?” My voice trailed as I watched everyone's eyes on me“Uhm, the thing is Don and I_” I wanted to say something when he cut me short glaring at his father,“Is that necessary? We're here to eat and not chitchat.” Everywhere went silent, the hatred for his father seemed too much but I wondered why, I was in no place to ask, as it stands I do not know my stance in his life right now.“C'mon, it was just a harmless question.” Mr. Santis said and Dad couldn't believe how much power his son had over his father, he quickly resumed his food, and everyone ate in silence with just the sound of the forks against the plate breaking the silence.The door opened and a young man walked in,“Whooaa…. You all are eating without me?” His voice finally broke the silence, I turned to see him, and he swagged into the room, his eyes taking in the expensive furniture and decor. He's dressed to the nines, his c
ACCALIA'S POVDad and Clarissa had gone already, I stayed back to search for Don, he stormed off earlier, and nobody knows where he had run off to.Walking back into the house for the third time after searching, I saw Mr. Santis, looking through the window with his hands behind him.“Papa, What are you thinking about? Do you have an idea where Don could be?” His small smile reminded me of the good old days with dad,“You know I wonder how you ended up with Don. “ I gave an awkward smile as I averted my gaze to the window,“Well, we just happened, Papa”.“Don's a dangerous man, Accalia. I'm afraid of what he might do to you”. Fear crept into my heart, as my stomach tightened.He looked at me and then laughed,“Not that Dangerous.” He sighs.The points at the picture on the wall,“That's Jasmine. She was the most precious person to Don. He cherished his sister more than he did with me” My eyes traveled to the large picture of her hanging prominently on the wall. She had dark hair and pie
DON'S POV"Don," I heard her call my name softly. I didn't turn around but acknowledged her presence with a slight nod.Silence hung between us, heavy and pregnant with unspoken emotions. I heard her approach me, I knew she was approaching me cautiously, the gravel crunching beneath her shoes. As she reached my side, She hesitated before placing a hand on my shoulder."I heard about Jasmine," She said gently. My shoulders tensed, but I didn't push her away. "I'm so sorry for what happened." She continued.I remained silent, and I guessed that my silence would make her believe she could feel the weight of my grief in the stillness of the night. The garden was like a sanctuary to me, it was a place where I could confront my demons under the soft glow of the moon."Sometimes, it's okay to let people in," I heard her whisper, her words were barely audible in the quiet night. "You don't have to carry the burden alone."I finally turned in her direction, my eyes were reflecting a mixture of
DON'S POV"Boss."I turned to find Enzo and Luca walking towards me, "Take her home." I didn't wait for him to catch up with me before I turned and continued walking ahead. Luca stopped in front of me, his eyes searching mine in concern, he had never seen me this angry. I hated to lose control of my emotions, I liked to appear cold and stoic to the outside world, yet, I couldn't hold it back any longer anytime I clashed with Lia."Take the young miss home." Luca ordered Enzo and Enzo nodded and walked away, leaving only me and Luca alone. "I'll take you home boss."I complied and followed him to the car he had parked and in a few minutes we were on our way to my house.When we got to my house, Luca stopped the car and stepped down and opened the car door for me. As I got out, he called my attention, "Boss ""Hmm?" I responded."Life is already hard enough, no one chooses the family they would be born into." With that, he entered the car and drove off to park it elsewhere without wait
BENTLEY'S POVI stared at my reflection in the mirror as I tried to pack my red hair into a messy bun. My face was pale and wan with dark circles under my eyes. I looked exhausted, but still had that air of calm confidence around me. It had been a very long day.I sighed as I turned on the bathroom light, leaving the door behind me open. In my room, the clock struck nine as the first few drops of rain hit my bedroom window. The sound echoed throughout my quiet house like a warning bell.My house was just across from my bar and I had decided to freshen up before heading back to the bar where I knew I would have a lot of stranded customers because of the rain and they would have no choice but to buy drinks even though I had already planned to stay the night off.So much for having a relaxing evening alone. This is why I didn’t want to leave home today. I was exhausted. I really wanted nothing more than to get drunk on whiskey, or maybe even vodka, and forget everything. Maybe then
BENTLEY'S POVHe pulled me closer to his body and leaned in close, whispering in my ear. I could barely understand what he was saying.He slurred leaning forward until he almost kissed me. His breath reeked of alcohol. His eyes seemed almost glassy. He leaned in close to me again, pressing against my body. "Do you wanna fuck?"I pulled away and straightened my dress, giving Max a cold glare. "Get your hands off me asshole." I snapped, shrugging his hand off my shoulder and stepping away from him. Max simply smiled and shook his head, chuckling as if I had just told him a particularly funny joke. He then stood up and swayed dangerously before slamming his fist down onto the counter top loudly."Why won't you let me have you Bentley? huh? My family is rich again." He slurred drunkenly as he looked up at me with his bleary eyes. "You could never compare.""Max," I spoke firmly, ignoring the question as I looked around trying to figure out if anyone else could hear what he was saying,
MAX POVCome on, Bentley, we've paid off our debts, my family is at the top again.""Did you just say we? No Max! Your sister was sold into marriage to pay off the debt, She paid off the debt." "But it doesn't matter anymore. Now my family owns the entire company again and everyone knows who and what we are now. You know how people treated us Bentley, just because of a little debt.""Your sister's happiness doesn't matter?" She replied incredulously. "And if it does Max how can you justify using her to pay off you guys debt?" She paused. "She loves you all Max and she deserves to be happy.""So do I, Bentley, I deserve to be happy too, and you're my happiness." I argued gently. I cupped his hand around her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Please?" I whispered, my soft brown eyes pleading with her. “I know you love me, don't hide it. I feel you care so much about me.""I care only about Lia and not your selfish ass!"“I care about you Bentley.”"Why do you even care? All you do i
MAX POVShe ran over to me and held the umbrella she was holding over my head and I felt my breath get caught in my throat as I marveled at her beauty and how sexy she looked under the rain.Her red hair was matted to her scalp and face because of the rain, clinging to the sides of her face but it suited her nonetheless. I found myself smiling as I saw my Bentley struggling to remain upright under such heavy rain. She looked adorable and sexy as hell in spite of the fact that she was getting soaked. Her dress was drenched and completely transparent, exposing her curves underneath the fabric which made me smile and groan at the same time. I felt my heartbeat quicken as I imagined her naked and wrapped only in my arms.My heart pounded furiously against my ribcage. It hurt. It hurt to think about how much I wanted to touch her and make her mine. How much I craved for her...my Bentley. I needed her. I needed to have her in my arms, I needed to make her mine... forever. I needed to tast
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