Becca.The moment I took my last exam was the moment I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I couldn't believe after all the hard work I had put into getting my degree, I was one step closer to finally being done with everything. A smile filled my face as I walked out of those doors for the very last time and made my way towards my apartment.I would move in just two days down to Neal's apartment to live with him while I did my internship with his company, something that, after much thought and consideration, I had accepted without hesitation because I felt it was the best move for me.It was strange making those choices for me. For so long, I had followed in Tally's footsteps, but only because I had been so blinded by the truth of everything. For once in my life, I was doing something for me. Not to mention being around Neal made me smile. Made me forget about… someone else."Hey there, gorgeous," a voice said from behind me, causing me to jump as I spun around
BeccaI wasn't sure what I had expected when I took Neal up on his offer and leave that night. However, it definitely wasn't riding in his private plane all the way back to New York City, only to have a sleek black limousine pick us up from the airport. Nor did I expect him to proceed in taking me to a fancy dining restaurant I was completely underdressed for.The moment we pulled up outside of Fratelli's, I completely lost it. I had wanted to go to this place for quite some time, and when I was back in New York visiting during fall break, we couldn't get any availability, even with Neal's social status. Yet, here we were outside of a very high-class restaurant, and I was wearing leggings with a cute, flowy top and my hair pulled into a ponytail."Neal, are you serious…? We're eating here?" There was excitement and shock in my voice as I stared wide-eyed out the window."Yeah, last time we were here you were looking slightly disappointed that we didn't get to visit it, so
JamesI wasn't sure what to think about the meeting that I ended up having with Katrine. Yes, I had f*cked her senseless, made her scream for me multiple times, and every single bit of it was out of hatred. However, it had to be done. I had to make her and her father believe that I was on their side, and now with Sergie happy, he was adamant about another meeting.A meeting that, honestly, I didn't want to have.But it was exactly the response that I needed to help Greg be able to bring Sergie down. The problem was that all I could think about was that I had betrayed Becca by sleeping with Katrine, even though we weren't together.The photo of her with Neal in New York, happy, smiling and kissing, had just torn my heart apart. She was happier than she had been in a while, and it wasn't because of me that she was happy.No, all I did was upset her. I was a f*cking fool in so many ways.I didn't understand why it was that I felt the way that I did. But under the circumstan
Becca."What are you doing today?" Neal asked from the bed. We had spent another glorious night wrapped in each other's arms, and as much as he wanted me to stay there… I had shit to do."I told you yesterday…" I laughed as I peeked my head around the corner of the bathroom to look at him. His cool eyes stared back at me with his arms resting behind his head. "I have shopping to get done. Christmas is right around the corner, and if we're going to be leaving, I'm not going to leave people empty-handed.""I'm not telling you that you have to leave people empty-handed. All I'm merely asking is, why do you have to do it today? Come back to bed."Shaking my head, I rolled my eyes and continued finishing up the rest of my makeup. If I was going to beat the masses, which I highly doubt I was going to do, then I needed to hurry up and get my ass out there so I could get my shopping done.Looking down, I stared at the small bump protruding from beneath my shirt. I was closing in o
Becca.I was frozen in place, unsure what to do or think as I stood staring at Katrine. She watched me with a smirk on her face as if she had me right where she wanted me.The last thing I ever expected was to run into her while I was shopping in New York. However, here she was, as if seeing me was the expected. Which it wasn't.New York was so big that you could meet someone once and never see them again. So for her to find me or run into me like this… meant she was following me. Which also didn't sit well.Glancing around, I took in my surroundings to find she was not alone. Two other men were standing nearby, trying to remain hidden, but as their eyes connected with mine, I knew.Son of a bitch, I knew."What is it that you want, Katrine, and why are you following me?"Her eyes shot up as the smile spread even wider across her face. "Honestly, I'm surprised that you even remembered me. I only met you once. Maybe twice, and that was in passing.""Well, I make it
Becca.As soon as I got back to the apartment, Neal waited. His eyes looked at me with nothing but concern, and I knew right away things were not okay. It was obvious he knew something I didn't, and because of that, I was wary of what he would say."Are you going to start telling me the truth about what is going on? We promised each other that we would never hide secrets." I said softly, staring at him.Neal's eyes cast from me down to the ground as he fiddled with his hands, trying his hardest to find answers that I obviously wanted. "It isn't that easy, Becca. I'm not trying to hide anything from you. James came to me not long ago asking if anything should happen to him to protect you. That's what I'm doing.""He told you to protect me, and you didn't think that was something I needed to know?" Guilt filled his expression as he sighed. "It was a conversation between James and me. It wasn't anything that you needed to know. He asked me to take care of you, and of course,
Time seemed to travel fast as I prepared for my journey down to Miami. When Saturday morning came, I was packed; the gifts were wrapped, and everything was ready to go. The only problem was, I wasn't sure now if I was ready to face him.Taking my time, I wandered around the apartment, making sure that I had everything that I needed while Neal was downstairs loading the bags into the vehicle. The driver assured him that he'd be able to take care of everything without his help, but Neal knew how important it was that the gifts were placed safely in the car, considering some of them were fragile.It wasn't that he didn't think that his driver could handle it. Neal was just trying to be sweet and knew how hard I had slaved away to make sure that they were wrapped perfectly.After one last check around the apartment, I grabbed my purse and made my way towards the door. "Are you ready to go?" Neal said with a small smile across his lips as he appeared in the doorway."Yeah, I just di
The flight went by quicker than I thought it was going to, and by the time the wheels of the plane touched the tarmac in Miami, I was ready to see everyone. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around Allegra and spend much-needed time with her."If you wait here a moment, sweetie, I'll make sure they load everything into the car, and then I'll come back for you," Neal said as he stood and kissed my cheek.Casting my gaze up to him, I smiled with a nod. "Sounds good."Since the moment we took off from New York City, Neal had been wrapped in a fury of emotions. I wasn't quite sure what was bothering him, but I had a feeling it had to do with our trip to Miami in general. I understood he was concerned about the issues revolving around James, but he couldn't let that ruin our trip.These plans were made long before he had told me about the issues with the Russians, and it was my job to show him that we didn't have anything to fear.After all, we didn't do anything wrong.It was Jam