The prince went through a very rebellious phase that I wasn't sure was entirely over, and somehow I was dragged into it. Perhaps it was because I was also going through a similar phase myself that I found myself being absorbed into his world so easily. We both wanted to do things that we were not supposed to as if we wanted to prove our point that our opinion mattered and our decisions should be respected. We wanted to show everyone that we could make decisions by ourselves and for ourselves. However, that ended in chaos for both of us, especially for me. I might have felt some resentment for the prince for using me had I not been in the same boat for using him as well for my own benefit. Our relationship was always one of give and take, and because of that, I could not bring myself to blame the prince for anything that happened. Looking back I never regretted what we did or how our relationship ended.“The prince will see you now…” one of the palace staff informed me politely before
After all that we've done together and all the time that we'd spent together, despite our hearts failing to connect, it seemed like the time that I spent with the Prince made him know me quite well. It did occur to me that he might understand me more than I understood myself at that moment because he seemed to sense my fear. Perhaps I have changed as a person because I found myself feeling uncomfortable and detesting what I could have so easily done in the past.“Come over here, Dahlia. I want to get a closer look at you,” the prince instructed as he gestured with his index finger for me to approach him.His gray eyes stared at me before flickering slowly down the length of my body and then up again until our eyes met. Despite the dark situation that was going on regarding his father and the associated political instability of the country, there was an unmistakable look of desire in his gray eyes. The look in his eyes sent a chill down my spine along with my realization that the Princ
While I had been thinking about myself and how to make use of the prince, he had been genuinely thinking of me. “I’m sorry…” I repeated again even though I knew that my apology wouldn’t help solve anything but lighten my own guilt.Once again, I’m doing something for my own sake instead of for others…“If you don’t want to play Gomoku, shall we play another game instead?” the prince suggested as he slowly stood up from his seat. It felt like I could hear the sounds of ice breaking right beneath where I was sitting, and I knew that I had ventured into dangerous territories. Desmond kept his eyes locked on me as he slowly approached me. My entire body froze as my pulse quickened while my mind wondered if I still had it in me to give him all that he wanted. The prince leaned down until his face was mere inches from mine. “What are you doing?” I asked in the shaky whisper.“What do you think I’m doing?” he replied to me with a question of his own. His hands reached out towards me befo
“We don't talk about much honestly, just a bunch of random things and whatever comes to mind,” I replied honestly.There was no reason for me to lie because there was nothing worth keeping secret between us or worth keeping from my parents. Our meetings were so planned and predictable that I would have considered them boring had it not been for the prince’s entertaining attitude and the interesting game of Gomoku that he taught me. Although slowly, I was learning the tricks of the game and I could feel myself getting better. If nothing else, the meetings with the prince came at the exact right time when I needed a very good excuse and a very tempting distraction in my life.“Can you be sure to tell us some more insight or at least something interesting the next time you return from seeing the prince?” my father ordered before rolling his eyes at me and clicking his tongue to show his dissatisfaction and annoyance.“I'll try…” I replied vaguely although I knew that nothing new would ev
At first, I thought that it was going to be once or twice and that it wouldn't hurt to go out with him because I had gotten a little bored of our repeated meetings. Our first date outside was in a quiet private setting although we were out of the palace. The prince took me on a perfect date where we went to a private luxurious restaurant, a private afternoon tea session together, before he took me shopping at a private jewelry boutique.Despite my active refusal to accept his gifts, I ended up going home with a luggage filled with precious jewelry. I can still remember the wide-eyed excited face of my parents when they found out that I did not return home empty-handed.“I couldn't turn him down on the spot, so I ended up accepting all these gifts. Anyways, I think we should send it back to the palace so that it can be returned,” I told my parents without any excitement. I truly had the intention to return all the gifts that I had received back to the prince because I couldn't see why
I did not at all share the prince’s confidence and an uneasy feeling developed inside of me when I wondered what exactly our relationship was. It wasn’t hard for me to imagine what we would appear like in the view of other people when we made our appearance together. People were always so ready to gobble up gossip and they were undoubtedly prepared to get the wrong idea about us. However, I didn't even understand what my relationship with the prince was actually like. Were we just close friends, or are we something more? To say that I was confused would be an utter understatement. “If that's something that you would like to say, you can go ahead and say it, Dahlia,” the prince said as he stared directly at me. “I actually don't have something to comment or say but I do have something that I would like to ask you,” I replied as I sat up slightly straighter than before. After reminding myself that I didn't actually have much to lose, I decided to ask the prince directly.“What are
“Well, if I had to put it frankly then I would say that I want us to start dating,” the prince replied. “That's not possible,” I replied immediately with the response that came naturally to my mind. “Really? Well, that is interesting…” the prince replied softly as he began rubbing his chin. I was still stunned by my sudden response; however, I already had a pretty good idea why I blurted out that response. Surprisingly, the prince didn't look surprised and neither did he look disappointed. Just when it seemed like he was ready to say something else, the car came to a stop and it seemed like we had arrived at our destination. “Don't worry, we'll pick this up later,” the prince told me before he reached out a hand and patted my shoulder.I stared at him silently for a brief moment as I tried to find the words to say to him. After failing to find the right words in time, I just let out a long sigh of resignation as I waited for us to arrive at our destination.Had I known what was go
“I hope it helps that I'm here to share your pain,” I muttered sarcastically. “If you keep on talking, this event will surely get less boring,” he said before chuckling softly. “Is that so?” I replied back while making sure to keep my voice down so that no one would overhear us. I kept staring straight ahead although I could feel the prince’s gaze resting on my face. He clearly wasn’t paying any attention to the presentation and he didn’t even bother to put on an act. “Of course. It’ll get even better if I can hold your hand,” he replied before reaching his hand out for mine.I moved my hand away from his at the last moment and the prince ended up laughing at my attempt to get away from him. He was clearly enjoying himself and that meant that he had made the right decision in bringing me along with him. After what I thought was an excessively long presentation, the main part of the event finally came to an end. However, it seems like the role of the prince at the event wasn't yet
I needed to leave him and as soon as possible, but I didn't know how I could achieve that. My past experiences have taught me quite directly that I couldn't truly run away from Bradon. Escaping from the mansion was unquestionably impossible. I could not run away, so that meant that I needed to get Bradon to agree to let me leave. My legs already felt weak, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and shut my eyes to escape reality. I knew that I needed to talk to Bradon about ending our fake marriage as soon as possible, although I had no idea how to bring up the topic. Something told me that it might prove to be difficult to get Bradon to agree, and there was always a risk that he might react unpredictably.However, if everything he did was simply him just acting out his role and his feelings for me didn't truly exist, then that might be the solution to all of my problems. If he felt no attachment to me, then he should have no problem letting me go just as planned. After all
The party ended early, yet it was quite eventful, at least for Bradon and myself. I felt like there was a storm raging inside of me all the while that we rode back to his mansion. It felt like there was something right at the tip of my tongue that I wanted to say, but yet I couldn't bring myself to say it. There were times when I thought that I fully understood myself and what I wanted, and yet at the very same time, I felt so confused and lost. The feelings that were struggling to take dominance inside of me did not make sense, and it made me feel as if my thoughts and my feelings were heading in the direct opposite direction of one another.Bradon's words of defiance as he confronted my father came back to me loud and clear:"Dahlia is not your daughter anymore, and neither am I one of the Vulkans. I will never let you take my wife..."I should have known that entering into this contract marriage with Bradon, while taking my sister's place, would somehow lead to blurring the line be
"But..." I mumbled, but I could not bring myself to say anything else when my eyes met his. His beautiful lips curved into a teasing smile, and there was a certain sparkle in the depths of his eyes that captivated my attention. That was when I knew that although he probably disapproved of what I had just done, there was a part of him that was actually quite pleased. I found myself smiling sweetly back at him like I was some fool."You hit me? You vile bitch! I'm your father. I raised you!" my father screamed at me at the top of his lungs. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who had forgotten where we were and the fact that we were surrounded by other high-profile guests who were attending the party."Dahlia, how could you do something like that? How could you hurt your father? We never raised you to become like this," my mother said, with clear disappointment and shock on her facial features."Really? Because here I honestly thought that I was already disowned. Well, to be more accurate
I was certain that just as many people hated her and blamed her for going against societal norms, there were probably just as many people who admired her, either openly or secretly as her fans. Perhaps to them, our sisterly duo act was the spice they needed in their endlessly boring lives."Don't you feel better from just seeing how everyone is welcoming us with open arms?" Diana continued before she raised her hand to wave at someone that she knew."Fine. I admit that you got your point across," I said as my eyes scanned the crowd that had gathered for the party. I could feel Bradon tensing at my side, and I knew that he had just spotted the two people that I least wanted to see at that moment. "Did you know about this?" I turned to ask Diana without hiding my shock."That they'll be here? I guess not, but why does it matter? You'd have run into them sooner or later. If you ask me, the sooner the better," Diana said with a careless shrug of her shoulders.I narrowed my eyes as I gla
"You should go to bed," Bradon told me the moment that we stepped into the mansion. I knew that his suggestion was spot on because sleep was exactly what I needed to deal with what was to come. The media and everyone had undoubtedly gone wild as they both communicated and speculated on what was the truth and what were twisted lies from all the events that happened in the past that I shared with my sister.I switched off my phone when it wouldn't stop vibrating, without bothering to read the caller ID on the screen. I could already guess who would be calling me and also exactly what they had to say."It feels like my head is ready to explode," I confessed before smiling weakly at Bradon."Which is precisely why you should stop thinking or caring about anyone else and just get some shut-eye," Bradon said as he peeled away the mobile phone that I held in my hand. I let him do so without putting up any resistance because all I wanted to do was crawl into bed and hide under the sheets wit
"My name is Diana, which can only mean that the Diana standing over there is, in fact, my twin sister, Dahlia. In fact, for the past months, I wasn't present, and the Diana that you knew had always been my sister acting out in my place," Diana explained as if it was something to be proud of.The crowd went wild, but I decided to focus my attention on the two figures that seemed so intent on ruining my life along with my sister’s. Our father had officially become our enemy, and at that moment, he looked like he might have started to regret pushing both of us over the edge. Mr. Malton, who, after all this time, clearly never regretted his actions and never realized that he should have been man enough to take responsibility. I was certain that even now, he was willing to destroy our reputation and our future—all for the sake of the money undoubtedly promised to him by our father. Desperate times truly call for desperate measures; that applied to our father but also to us as well.I could
I found myself praying silently that Desmond could bring everything under control, but my prayers probably fell on deafened ears. Instead of Desmond stepping up to the podium, it was my sister who approached it instead."What is she doing?" I asked in a shaky whisper as I felt myself breaking into a cold sweat. It felt like my eyes were about to pop out of their sockets as I continued staring in bewilderment and disbelief at my sister, who stood with a beautiful smile behind the podium, the microphone very close to her lips. I turned to stare at Desmond and managed to lock gazes with him. I could tell that he was staring right back at me, and the way he nodded his head reassuringly was supposed to bring me some relief and keep me at ease, but it only made me even more nervous.I could tell that everyone in the crowd was staring daggers at my sister, even from where I was standing. It wasn't surprising, considering that everyone thought Diana was me. It felt like tight knots had formed
Back to the present"Homewrecker! Homewrecker! Homewrecker!"The violent chanting continued and began seeping into my consciousness, dragging me back to the present. Disaster seemed to be staring me right in the face."Leya..." Bradon whispered my name right beside my ear.His presence close to me reminded me that, unlike that day back then, I wasn't alone. I had Bradon by my side, and, on top of that, everyone was here with me: Desmond and my sister. I suddenly felt a surge of confidence that made me believe that there could be a way out, one that would save us all from this dire situation my father had plotted against us.I had to admit that after leaving the country, I hadn't spared much thought for what would unfold after my departure. I never took care to follow up on any news-not that they would be made public-related to Mr. Malton's wife and child. I had no idea what happened to him or his family after that incident. My parents completely cut me off, and there was frankly no on
"What have you done? Have you completely lost your mind?" my father yelled at me immediately when our family was gathered in private. His face was completely red with anger as his voice echoed in the room. My mother looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I could tell that she was more worried about our family rather than her own daughter. "News of your ridiculous and scandalous behavior is now all over the place!" my father continued yelling. As if to drive his message home, his mobile phone began ringing non-stop. One glance at the name displayed on the screen drove my father to the brink before he switched off the phone and threw it onto the floor. My mother let out a scream at my father's sudden violent outburst before sinking down onto the sofa as if she had lost all strength in her body.I took the opportunity to slowly take a seat, and Diana was by my side in an instant. I knew that the best way to brave out this storm was to keep quiet and not let his words get to me.