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Chapter: 07
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Something Gained. Chapter: 08
ELENA "You have a beautiful room, Ava!" She looked up at me, a toothy grin splitting her face. It was all shades of pink put together. Pink was probably Ava's favorite color. Explained her obsession with strawberry milkshakes. The bed was in the middle of the room, almost filled with plushies. My eyes fell on a drawing, presumably the one Ava was at before she got distracted. "Do you like butterflies?" I asked picking up the sketchbook. "Yes. They're so pretty!" I smiled at her. My eyes were still lingering on the partly coloured wings of the butterfly when Ava blurted the question out of the blue. "Are you Daddy's girlfriend?" My hand stilled on the sketchbook before I put it down. "Who told you that?" I casually asked. "I heard Daddy telling Stacey that you're his girlfriend." She replied, unhesitant. Did she snoop in on our conversation? I sighed. "Well, that's true." "Are you going to marry him?" Ava fired the question just as soon. I l
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 09
ELENA "Girl, I still can't believe you bagged that God-like man." Liv's eyes sparkled with excitement as she loudly whispered to me. I chuckled. Me neither! "Such a cliché! The hotshot billionaire falls in love with the beautiful little waitress." I resisted the urge to scoff at her dreamy expression. Love! Right! She couldn't have been farther away from the truth! A week back, Liv wasn't this ecstatic about the whole affair when I first broke it to her. First on the list was suspicion. Can't blame her! You just don't one day out of a sudden announce your boyfriend to your best friend. They know from the very first eye contact. So this abrupt relationship was a bit much for her to stomach. It took a whole lot of convincing and when we were finally past that phase, she felt betrayed. She said that I had curbed her rights as my best friend and it was an absolute breach of best friend policy. Yep, she could be a bit dramatic. It made me feel even worse about lyi
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 10
ELENA I was going through my mail when the phone rang. "Elena speaking, how may I—" A familiar voice interrupted. "My cabin. Now." And there was a beep indicating that he had hung up. I blinked while still processing it. Did no one ever think of teaching him some manners? "Sure!" I answered the line which was, well, dead. I took the elevator to his floor and was very soon in front of his cabin. The CEO'S cabin was on a completely different floor, just the one above mine. He grunted a 'Come in' on knocking. Except his gaze wasn't trained on his laptop screen unlike usual. It was on me. "How may I help you, Mr. Parker?" Rylan's eyes twitched for an imperceptible moment, what I had picked up from our interactions, was a sign that he wasn't pleased about something. "It's Rylan for you." "I'm afraid you're my boss here." "And that's why you do as I say." He stated, too calmly, as if raising his voice was beneath him. "You're infuriating!"
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 11
RYLAN "Tell me, does Rylan treat you right?" Grams seriously asked her like Elena was dating a depraved or morally questionable man and not her grandson. Elena forced a smile on her face. "He does. He is a gentleman." Grams nodded to herself in approval before I saw her eyes shining with excitement. "So, how did you two meet? I asked Rylan but his vague answers didn't do it for me. I want the whole thing. Besides, he said that I would like it a lot better from you." She rambled and I saw the slightest trace of nervousness flickering in Elena's eyes. Something told me the reason wasn't Grams but Dad. His silent watchful presence could be a bit unnerving. "I used to work at a diner where Ava used to visit with Stacey. Rylan had come along one day and that's how we met." Well, this part was technically true. "I don't believe it was love at first sight and all. This guy here doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body." Grams spoke with disapproval in her voice
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 12
ELENA Ten minutes into the drive and we still hadn't exchanged a word and I wouldn't have traded this silence for the world. I prefer him looking pretty and his mouth shut but rarely get what I want. "So, you have been narrating this to your family and everyone else, I was after you like a love sick puppy." His tone told me that he was anything but impressed with the story. Well, I wasn't aiming to do that either. "Nice, isn't it?" I kept my eyes trained outside the window. "With all that shit you made up about me, flowers and the sunset proposal, I'm surprised that Grams believed you." "What would you prefer I say? We signed an agreement and you slid the engagement ring across the office desk? I bet it would sound like you!" I snapped. He could have just told them about our 'meet cute' himself instead of pushing it to me. Frankly, it wasn't just his remarks that had annoyed me. It was Rose. I saw her hanging on to every lie I told. She was genuinely
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 13
ELENA It was Saturday, hence the day I was to move in with Rylan. I had been staying with my parents for some months and Dad had grown very much accustomed to my presence. He was heartbroken that I was moving out just like the first time I did when I graduated school and went to college hostel. Mom was upset but happy for me. Liv on the other hand had been really excited and she promised to visit as soon as she could. Lately she had been drowning in work and her boss wasn't too amiable to say the least. I flopped back on the bed, totally exhausted and I wasn't even halfway done with all the unpacking. Organizing my room has always tired me more than anything. Here we were talking about settling in at a new place. Rylan had Chris get my things to his house before he left for some meeting. That had explained his formal wear when he was earlier at my home to pick me up. That made me wonder why he was there in the first place. Chris was perfectly able to pick me up.
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 14
RYLAN It was one of the rare days when I felt that I would get a proper sleep. The endless meetings at the office today had truly and utterly exhausted me. Walking inside my room, I dropped my suit jacket on the bed. I was unstrapping the watch when the sound of the bathroom door clicking open alarmed me. A startled squeak followed. The fact that Elena had moved in had flown out of my mind. I wasn't used to sharing space with anyone, much alone in my bedroom. So it was weird seeing her standing in my room in nothing but a tiny towel that covered very less of those long pale legs. Elena was fresh out of the shower. A water droplet from her sleek wet hair dripped onto the skin right above the swell of her breast. My mind wandered to places it shouldn't. Like how one tug was all it would have taken to witness what was hidden beneath the towel. Or how her soft skin would feel under my hands. Fuck! I felt all the blood r
Last Updated : 2024-10-29Something Gained. Chapter: 15
ELENA The footsteps of Ava and Stacey retreated down the hall taking away the last bit of sound with them. There was deadly silence looming over us as Rylan sat pinning me down with a stare. Scary. Unnerving. Blank. "Dog shelter. She meant we are going to a dog shelter." I don't know what made me say it. No response. Nothing. Not even a muscle movement or a flicker of anything in his face. "I uhm understand if you don't like dogs or something." I blurted before deciding to shut up. Obviously he wasn't concerned about some dogs at the moment. Another long second of deafening silence passed. "What are you trying to do?" The crisp coldness of his authoritative voice slashed through the air thick with tension. "Huh?" I blinked, not really catching the meaning of his words. "Ava is referring to you as her mother. What game are you playing?" I blinked again, stupefied by his question. How were the sentences even related? "Why
Last Updated : 2024-10-29
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Something Gained. Bonus Chapter
ELENA“Mom, I’m hungry!” Alex said in a sing-song manner while hopping into the kitchen. He was six now, the dreadful age and he wasn’t the most agreeable kid either. He was fussy with almost everything except for food. He loved food, all types of it and I counted it as a blessing. “Well, sit down. Dinner’s ready.” I brought the tray in and set it on the table. Aiden ruffled Alex’s hair while passing his chair before taking a seat. Normally we would have dinner together but today it was past time. So I served them two plates. Alex dived in the very second. “I go upstairs and bring Ava here for dinner.” I said before pointedly looking at Aiden. “Don’t bring that up.” Only after he offered a curt nod, I went down the hall towards Ava’s room. The door was locked as expected. I knocked. “I don’t wanna talk to anyone.” Ava’s muffled voice came through. “Not even me?” Took some seconds before the door finally opened. There she stood with a long face.
Something Gained. Epilogue- II
RYLANThe door to my office creaked open and my pouting wife came into view. “I miss you.” Fuck. I really needed to work. Elena was in thirty-eighth week of her pregnancy. Even after Stacey was always at Elena’s heels, I had been working from home for a month. That way I could keep from stressing my ass off. I made a split second decision and logged off. Some things at work needed my attention but my wife came first. “Come here.” She flashed me a huge grin before walking inside. I watched as she slowly lowered herself on the couch. I did too, pulling her closer so that her weight was resting on me. She had been really clingy throughout the pregnancy and I wasn't complaining. In fact we had some great sex owing to her increased levels of horniness. I was a happy man. “I want a boy.” Elena said gently caressing her bump. Only last night she wanted a girl. I, on the other hand, was rooting for a boy. Another daughter would be too much work. As it is the t
Something Gained. Epilogue-I
ELENAIt’s beautiful! I wondered to myself. I didn’t realize the words had come out loud. “If this amazes you, let me show you another property. It's a ten minutes' ride from here.” “I don’t want to see another property. This is everything I could ask for.” “You like it?” Rylan had been standing silently until now. We had been to two more properties before this and every time he had been quietly staring at my face, trying to read my thoughts. My head whips around to face him. “Did you see the library?” “That property has more amenities than this one.” The agent pressed. Rylan looked from his face to mine. “Want to take a look?” “Do you?” I asked. He surely did have his preferences and I wasn’t sure this one appealed to him as much as it did to me. He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I’m fine with whatever you want, Love.” “Well, let’s see. This one has a waterfall, a swimming pool, a huge ass lawn for our kids to play, an outdoor kitchen
Something Gained. Chapter: 53
ELENAI was awake lying on my side. Rylan wasn’t sleeping either, figured from his uneven breathing. There was at least a foot distance between us. I knew he was hurting too but I was too fucking lost to be there for him. Lost under the weight of everything and there was no one I could blame for anything. It was all on me. The guilt was slowly suffocating me. “Talk to me.” I stiffened, not realizing that I was holding my breath. I let it out when his fingers gently weaved through my hair. “Look at me, Love.” I did. Rylan’s soft command compelled me to turn around. Those warm brown orbs always did comfort me. “I can’t see you like this. And there’s very little I can do if you shut me out like this.” His voice held a certain helplessness that I wouldn’t have ever expected from him. He had always been so composed, so in control. Staring at him, I felt this tightness in my chest. Another beat of silence passed between us before I scooted closer to him. Rylan w
Something Gained. Chapter: 52
ELENA“Dad, I can’t.” I whined. Water has always scared me. That’s precisely the reason I was twelve and still didn’t know how to swim. This summer I was going to learn, I vowed. But now as I sat by the pool with Dad, I was backpedaling pretty fast. Dad smiled. “You can, sweetheart.” I was immediately shaking my head in disagreement. He sighed before stepping into the pull. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here, aren’t I?” “But I’ll drown.” “No. You won’t.” He outstretched his hand for me to take. I took it, stepping in. “I’ll always get you.” He looked into my eyes and I believed his words more than anything in this world. We both dipped in but just as our heads were under water, I felt my grip on his hand loosening. He was drifting away and no matter how hard I tried I couldn’t grasp his fingers. “Dad?” As soon as I opened my mouth to scream water filled in. So much water. I couldn’t breathe. I knew I was drowning but Dad wasn’t here. “Dad!” My eyes shut and the wate
Something Gained. Chapter: 51
RYLANI stole another glance of Elena sleeping peacefully with her hair sprawled all over the pillow. I didn’t know how to do this. These were probably a few last moments of her peace for a while now. However selfish or irrational it might sound, I didn’t want to break the news to her, but I had to. I sat down and gently touched her cheek. Her eyes peeled open before she flashed me a lazy smile. “Good morning.” I licked my lips, unable to offer even a tight lipped smile. “Get up.” “What happened?” She sat up with furrowed brows. “Your Dad.” Her face immediately paled a few shades. I swallowed before completing the rest of it. “He suffered another attack.” Elena gave out a shaky exhale before letting out a weak “When?” “This morning. Dean called a minute ago.” “We need to go.” I nodded. “Go change.”Elena looked worried out of her mind. Another attack after that big a surgery? She knew the possible consequences. She almost stumbled her way up to
Something Gained. Chapter: 50
ELENAAlmost half an hour was spent and I was still reading the same page. Distractions came in forms. Like at the moment I was completely preoccupied by this huge distraction that walked into the room in the form of my husband. It should be illegal to look this attractive in just sweats. I was too sore from last night to entertain thoughts about this gorgeous man. I forced my eyes back to my book, determined to finish the confrontation part within the next five minutes. Well that was until he sat down right in front of me, scrolling through his phone. Damn it! He smells nice! "Glad you think so." I could feel the pure male satisfaction oozing out of him. I clenched my eyes shut, completely horrified. "Of course. I said that aloud." A deep resounding chuckle rumbled from his chest. I playfully rolled my eyes and went back to my book. I wasn't completing it anytime soon. His constant stare was making it even harder. "What?"I snapped my book shut, finally
Something Gained. Chapter: 49
ELENARylan's fingers traced the length of my upper arm. I let myself enjoy the feel of his smooth muscles under my palms as I lay with my eyes closed, allowing myself a few more minutes to bask in the moment. "I know you have been awake for some time now." I unconsciously bit down on my lower lip feeling like a child who had been caught stealing candy. Peeling my eyes open, I raised myself up on my elbow and set my gaze on him. The refracted rays of the sun accentuated every feature on his strikingly handsome face. I could literally spend hours just admiring this fine specimen of a man. "Good morning!" I drawled. His responding smile was slow, almost lazy. I was a tad bit envious of his thick long lashes. "Now the morning wouldn't be that good without a kiss, would it?" He looped his hands around my waist. "I'll take a hard pass. Morning breath." I said sitting up. Kissing without brushing my teeth? Just wasn't me. His eyes slightly narrowed before he gave a sl
Something Gained. Chapter: 48
RYLANElena was more addictive than anything I had ever come across. Every time she peered up at me with those intoxicating blue eyes I was lost a little more in them. From the moment I had sunk into her, I knew I was done for. I couldn't have stopped even if I wanted to. Honestly I didn't want to either. It was around four in the morning that we were laying in bed. I had my hands wrapped around her waist as I spooned her from behind. I was thoroughly exhausted but still not sleepy. From what I could make out listening to her uneven breathing, she wasn't sleeping either. "After I broke up with Mason...it was just too difficult for me." I had gone stiff against Elena at the mention of his name. I didn't know why she brought him up again but something heavy was settling down on my chest. The amount of emotions loaded in her voice felt like a pinch. Why did the gulp feel so painful? "I had been with that guy for so long and he just...his betrayal had shaken me." I wasn't
