Anne stared at the poison vial which she held firmly. Taking a deep breath, she let her gaze wander to her reflection in the mirror. Hidden beneath all the make up were the god-awful bruises Barron had left on her skin. Thinking about the beating she'd received from him brought tears to her eyes.
'Stay calm', she told herself.
She had no choice but to do what Emperor X had asked her to do. Now, she was trapped in a web of disorientation. How would she get out of this mess?The plan was to visit the Monteros in pretence of just coming to see her best friend. She was to slip the poison into Alexandre's drink when no one was looking. Anne's nerves were already acting up because of how scared she was. What if she got caught? What would happen to her? Inhaling shakily, she grabbed her silver purse and stepped out of the bedroom and left the house. She boarded a taxi which took her to the Mon
"I'm sorry about what he said to you" Noelle said to Valentino when they got into the car. He sighed, turning away from her."He wasn't supposed to say that to you....""I hate therapists, Noelle. Now, I hate them even more" he said."You wouldn't mind me being your therapist?" She asked with a sheepish grimace.He stared at her, puzzled."You aren't serious, are you?" He asked. "I want you to get better, Val. You can't get better if I don't help you"He heaved another sigh, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know, Noelle...."She squeezed his hand reassuringly and pulled out of the parking lot. When they got to Noelle's home, Valentino inhaled sharply and got out of the car."Have you made up your mind yet?" Noelle asked."Not yet""It's for your own good, just so you know"As soon as this got in, Noelle froze. Val stared at her confused. Then, he saw
"Are you sure about this?" Xandre asked Dominic who was standing beside him with Dmitri."A hundred percent sure, Xan. He was with a red head" Dominic responded. The trio was standing by the large window in Dre's study."I guess it's time for us to pay him a visit" Dre said."Any time you're ready, Xan" Dmitri stated. He sighed."I want the two of you to go with two other guys" he said."We understand. We'll get going, then" Dom said."Make sure you're armed, just in case. Don't kill him if you find him. You have to make him come here, got it? Bring him to me""Yes, boss" Dominic responded. They left Dre's study and he lowered himself onto his chair, thinking about the possibility of Valentino not being Emperor X. When Dre's men got to the house, Dmitri felt a shiver run down his spine. The house itself looked like a haunted one and it had an ee
Noelle slowly sat down on a chair in the dinning room, her eyes drooping sleepily. She hadn't been getting any sleep lately, ever since she was stalked. She would always get nightmares each time she fell asleep. She couldn't keep going on like this, but she couldn't help it. She was on edge. Rubbing her eyes with her left hand, she brought the cup of coffee to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. Just then, the door opened and Valentino stumbled in. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked very tired. His eyes held dark bags and his hair was a horrible mess. She guessed that she wasn't the only one bothered. He hadn't been doing well either. Most nights, he would have night terrors and nightmares. With everything he had gone through, Noelle really didn't know how he was coping. He wouldn't say anything. He always had a blank expression on his face."Morning" she greeted."Morning" he replied, his
The constant threats coming from Emperor X still wouldn't die down and everyone in the Montero household was on edge. Ellise was worried about her boyfriend who seemed to be even more stressed as the days went by."I understand that you're concerned about all this, but you should know that we're working on it. The bastard seems to know how to play his game right and that's what makes it even more annoying" Dre said to Ellise, leaning back on his chair. Ellise was in Dre's study alongside Dominic and Dmitri who was sitting on one of the couches. She sighed, flopping down on the couch."Dominic, you have been receiving threat letters, haven't you?" She asked, her gaze meeting his.His eyes went wide."Yeah, Jade told me. Whoever emperor X is, he isn't giving up. What do we do? Everything is not alright. For starters, we know that Valentino is running away from something or someone. Could it be that emperor X is also after him?" Ellise s
Corey was a really nice guy and Noelle was convinced that he was a very close friend to Valentino. Although they were safe at the moment, she still didn't feel certain that they were safe. As far as she knew, Baron was very dangerous and she was almost certain that he wasn't done with them yet. Noelle wondered how Val had managed to endure being under him. Brianna, Corey's girlfriend was nice too. She was a regular visitor to her boyfriend's home and they all seemed to be getting along quite well."Hey, Noelle" Brianna said when Noelle opened the door to the sound of her knocking on the door."Hey, Bree. Come in" she responded.She grinned and stepped in.They settled down on the bed and began to chat about random stuff."So, you and Valentino" she said, wriggling her eyebrows.Noelle raised a brow."What about us?""You seem to have something nice going on between you two""I do
Staring at empty space, Valentino tried to wrap his head around what had happened a few days back. Despite everything he'd done to Alexandre, he'd been willing to forgive him without hesitation. Valentino didn't want to believe it. How could Alexandre forgive him so easily?"I can't believe you asked your brother to whip you" Noelle said from her position on one of the couches in Corey's sitting room. Val ignored her, his gaze directed at nowhere in particular. She sighed."I hope you know that he means it. He forgives you. You need to forgive yourself and let go of your self hatred. It really isn't healthy" she told him.He lowered his gaze.She was right, but what if they were both wrong?What if Alex actually wanted payback and would get it by pretending to forgive him. Valentino felt so confused. Noelle pinched Val on the arm and he winced, glaring at her playfully. "Ow! What
Alexandre stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep. It was barely few minutes past ten and he was having trouble sleeping. He didn't know what it was, but something kept bugging him. He heaved a sigh, laying on his side. It didn't help that he kept tossing and turning. The ringing of his phone awoke him. So, he sat up, pushing his messy hair away from his face. He picked the call and brought the phone to his ear. "Sir"Dre frowned at the sound of the chief security's voice."My apologies for waking you up from your night's rest" he said."You don't need to apologise, Dante. I wasn't asleep" Dre replied."There's a woman at the gate. She said she needs your help. She has an injured male in her car" Dante stated.Dre frowned, his brows creasing up as he rose to his feet. "Alright, I'm on my way" he said as he started to make his way out of his room."Dre?"He turned bac
SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, "Lizzy! I missed you!" Lilly piped as she ran into Ellise's embrace. She'd travelled to Canada several months ago to complete her treatments. With how strong and gorgeous she was looking at the moment, it was evident that she was feeling very much better."How are you?" Ellise asked.She grinned."I'm okay. Where are the others? Why isn't Lexa here to welcome me home?" She pouted. "Oh, actually there are a lot of surprises waiting for you"Her adorable blue eyes shone with excitement."Really? I can't wait"Ellise chuckled and took her hand, leading her to the sitting room. The lights went on and everyone yelled 'Welcome home, princess Lilliana!" She squealed in delight and embraced her mother. Alicia kissed her forehead, a giant smile on her face."Thanks, mum" she said, before embracing her father."Mummy
NOELLE "Hey, mum" I turned to look at my thirteen year old daughter as she sauntered into the kitchen, dressed in a pink dress and a bow tie on her hair. "Hey, sweetie" I said as I closed the cupboards."Dad isn't home yet" she said, leaning on the counter.I shrugged."He'll be home soon. Hope you remember that we're heading to your grandparents' home for Thanksgiving dinner?" I said and she beamed."Nope, I haven't forgotten. Rick is being such a lazy boy. He wouldn't get ready for dinner" she frowned."I'm not being a lazy boy, Hayden. You're just being insensitive" Richardo, my eleven year old son said as he strolled into the kitchen wearing a pair of dark blue jeans."Mum! Richardo just called me insensitive!" Hayden exclaimed."Rick! That's not a nice thing to say to your elder sister!" I scolded.He frowned, staring at the floor."Apologize to her" I said."But-""I said, apologize to her""I'm s
Ellise let out a sigh, leaning against the wall as she watched different people move around in a lively manner. The whole place was nicely decorated. Men and women of high class moved about with glasses of champagne in their hands.She sighted Valentino in the far corner of the hall. He didn't look happy despite the fact that a celebration was going on. Noelle was standing beside him with her head on his shoulder as she talking to him. Ellise watched him sigh and embrace her, his eyes slipping close. She felt a painful jolt in her heart watching them embrace. She could picture herself in Noelle's position with her Dre replacing Val. It was so hard to look at her husband's brothers and not break down. At the other end of the hall stood Xanthis, he looked just as gloomy as Valentino. Tasha had embraced him from behind, whispering something in his ear. Flashbacks of her doing the same to Dre appeared in her mind and she bit her lips trying to stop the tears. A strang
Dre's knees buckled and Ellise went down with him, cradling his head in her arms."El-""Sh, save your strength" she said, tears filling her eyes.He shook his head, more blood pouring out from his mouth."I'm s-sorry. It isn't supposed to end like this" he rasped, tears filling his eyes."Stop saying that!" She cried, trying to stop the bleeding."Y-you don't understand... I don't think I c-can survive this" he wheezed.She was sobbing at this point.Xanthis hurried to Dre's side, his face paling at the sight of his brother.Valentino had dialled 911.Dre coughed again, more blood staining his lips and chin."B-but I want you to know that- none of this is your fault. I-I might never see my kids again b-but I want you to raise them like the good mother you are-"He gasped, his eyelids slipping close. "T-tell them that I love them" he croaked, his bloody hand weakly grasping he
Ellie had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched Zack and his brother pull out guns. All she could think of was the possibility of loosing Dre tonight. She tried to take her mind of it but it wasn't working. Some other men walked into the room, fully armed. The fight had begun. She wasn't scared.She was purely terrified.She hugged her arms to herself as the cold air hit her skin. The thin hospital dress did nothing to warm her up. The temperature in the room had dropped considerably, she was shivering. Through the rising fog, she tried to find Dre to make sure that he was safe.All she could think of was his safety.She needed him alive.She needed him safe.She grimaced at the sounds of pained groans and moans coming from the room. She nearly gagged as the unmistakable metallic scent of blood hit her nostrils.The fog was clearing and she could see the number of bodies lying on the floor, unconscious.
"We were wrong, Dre. We were so wrong. Look, Fletcher had three sons. They were fucking triplets! The names.... It was just to confuse us, they were three different people! Their supposed last names seemed different because they were only using their first names and middle names! There was no accident. Zack is Zack. He didn't have a face transplant. As I'm speaking to you right now, we've got two of them with some psycho men, trying to barge into the base. I don't know where the last one is but I have a bad feeling that something isn't right. Are you still at the hospital?" Xanthis asked through the phone."Yeah" Dre replied, distantly. He turned away from the exit, changing his mind completely. He needed to get back to Ellise."Go back to Ellie, mate. Things are pretty much unstable right now""I know, but you sure you guys are okay down there?" Dre asked, hurrying towards the ward."Yeah, for now. They are psychos for real. This is harder th
'Okay, breathe Ellie.You can do this' Ellise thought as she stifled another scream. She'd woken up from a nap, only to find her sweatpants wet. The babies were coming and she was so scared. The contractions were increasing and it hurt so bad."Oh God, I can't even walk" she muttered, picking up her phone to call her husband. She bit her lower lip, her eyes glassy. When she dialled his number, he picked the call."Ellie?""Dre...oh thank God. I think the babies are coming" she croaked, sniffling weakly."Oh shit" Dre cursed under his breath. "It hurts, Dre" she whispered."Keep breathing, honey. I'll be right there in a few minutes. You can do this" he said and she nodded frantically, placing a hand on her stomach."Please, keep talking to me. I'm... scared" she whispered."I'm right here, baby. You're going to be a wonderful mother. You're going to make me a proud father. You're okay. You're doing great" he said.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?" Val asked, gazing into Noelle's eyes. She smiled, giddily."No?""Then, I'm saying it now. Your eyes are stunning, Elle" he whispered.She blushed hard."Your eyes are beautiful too, Val" she said, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "But, yours are more beautiful" he winked. "I'm not having an argument with you" she pouted.He laughed."Well, we've been dating for months but I feel like I've known you far more than that. I- I just.... I don't deserve you, you know. With everything that-"His voice was shaky with emotion, her heart ached for him. She stroked the scarred side of his face. "No, don't say that. You deserve even more than me, Val. You're a great guy. You have a big heart and you're so sweet. I couldn't have asked for anything less. You're perfect" she said, caressing his face. Tears filled his eyes and a tear rolled down his left cheek. "Don't cr
"I don't get it. How is this happening right now? How did I not recognize him? I dated him for nearly a year but..... Elvis.... This is giving me a headache" Ellise frowned, pacing back and forth as she rubbed her temple."Hey, hey. You have to calm down. Stress isn't good for the baby. I'm sure there must be an explanation for all of this. Why would your ex do something like this?" Alex said, sitting her down on the couch. She frowned, biting her lower lip."Why would he send Cornelia? Why would he send her to do his dirty job for him and why did she do it?" She said."It just doesn't make sense. Cornelia has been ranting about her wanting to avenge Gomez's death. What does it have to do with him?""I guess we're about to find out" Valentino said walking in with a file. Dre stood up, giving him a puzzled look."What's in there?" Ellise asked."Information. Everything you need to know about Zack Thompson is here"Dr
Shocked to silence, Ellise stared at her husband who was showing her the dark part of him for the first time since she'd married him.He seemed to have become a different person entirely. He looked so relaxed and he had a very evil smirk on his face even while he was bleeding a lot. Ellise found it rather scary.Cornelia cried out in pain when another knife lodged itself on her right thigh."How does it feel? Tell me, do you like it? It's called pain. The pain you caused me can't be compared to this. I know you're insane but I'll punish you. I warned you, didn't I?" Dre said, plunging the blade of another knife into fire until it became red hot. "Please" Cornelia whimpered."What did you say?" He whispered, mockingly.She remained silent, tears rolling down her cheeks.Ellise almost felt sympathy for her but when she remembered what she'd done to her family, how she'd almost killed her husband, she felt no remorse, n