After thanking Lauren again and giving her a brief hug, I quickly made my way out of the mansion. The sun would be setting soon, and I wanted to take a stroll in the city for a while to take some photos for what I needed to do next. Although I wasn’t absolutely sure what Dina was up to, I had a very good guess.
The city center felt even busier that early evening when I arrived than I remembered the last time that I was there. It seemed like a few more shopping malls had popped up and some new skyscrapers that were under construction the last time that I was there had opened up as well. As usual, the crowd was a good mix of people ranging from couples, university and high school students and regular working adults. I used to come here with my sister all the time to hang out after high school or whenever we were allowed or had the time.
After finding a good spot in front of one of the shopping malls that my sister and I liked to frequent, I took out my mobile phone and snapped a few selfies of myself. I almost bumped into a man that was walking by while I was too focused on posting my selfies onto my social media account.
‘I’m here now. You better come find me…’
That was what I thought in my head when I pressed the button to post my photos. Dina must have known that just like all those times when she disappeared that she would owe me something or at least an explanation. If I couldn’t find her, then the best that I could do was tell her that I was now back in the country so that she would get in touch with me and find me.
She better find me…
…
“I would like to check in please…” I told the receptionist at the hotel lobby.
“Please wait a moment,” she replied with a polite smile.
While waiting for her to settle the documentation and room security deposit, I took out my phone and took a short video of myself while making sure to showcase a good view of the hotel lobby before posting it on social media. If Dina is watching, she’ll know exactly where to find me.
“This is the keycard to your room. The Wi-Fi login username and password can be found here…” the receptionist informed me professionally.
The rest of her instructions drowned out in the background as I focused my eyes on my phone. Usually, Dina would call me but since she hasn’t done that, she must be scared of someone tapping her phone or tracking her based on her phone signal. I shrugged while thinking that she could easily call me from another number if she wanted to.
Is that it? Has the hunt for her become that bad?
Dina should be very good and experienced at these kinds of things and I shouldn’t have to worry in her place.
“Umm…thanks,” I thanked the young lady politely before heading to my hotel room.
The hotel room was a standard and modest one, but I liked its modern touch, plus the online reviews did say that this hotel was clean and had good and friendly staff. After taking a quick warm shower and washing my hair, I emerged from the bathroom with a white robe wrapped around my body and my hair still dripping wet. It was quite disappointing that my phone had not rung even once even though I had turned off its silent mode.
When is Dina going to give me a call?
I flopped myself down onto the bed before reaching out to grab the hair dryer. That was when my phone started ringing and vibrating on the same table right next to the hair dryer. My outstretched hand suddenly changed its destination as I hurriedly grabbed my phone. Just as I had anticipated, there was an unrecognized foreign number displayed on my phone screen.
“Dina…” I said in a low voice as the line connected.
“Well…someone surely sounds furious…” Dina’s sweet and familiar teasing voice replied through the phone before she let out a giggle.
My eyes narrowed at her seemingly carefree attitude. I knew that I shouldn’t feel at all surprised but that didn’t stop me from feeling irritated at how happy she seemed while I was suffering again while cleaning up after the mess that she had caused.
“Where are you right now?” I asked.
“Does that even matter? Welcome back to town,” my sister replied.
“Where did you run off to this time? Where are you and who are you with? Actually, it doesn’t matter anymore, just come back home,” I told her hurriedly.
“I’m really sorry, Leya, but I really can’t go back this time,” she said while sounding truly apologetic.
“Why? Listen to me, what you’re going through is just another illusion. It will pass and you will come home just like all the times before,” I said before letting out a sigh.
“Nope. This time it’s different. You probably don’t understand but he’s really my true love,” Dina argued stubbornly.
I had no idea how many times Dina had spoken about ‘true love’ to me over the years.
“Let me get this straight and you can tell me if my speculation is correct. You met a good-looking man who came to work at the mansion as a driver. Someway somehow, you ended up sleeping with him and now you’ve eloped with him. Am I right?” I asked although I already knew the answer well enough.
“Pretty much except you missed the fact that I felt in love with him at first sight…” she replied casually.
“Sis, how many times have you fallen in love at first sight?” I asked before pressing my lips into a tight thin line.
“Umm…a couple of times?” she replied in a high pitch voice.
“A little more than over ten times…” I corrected her slowly and clearly.
“Hmm? That many times? Are you sure?” she asked before giggling again.
--To be continued…
“Come back home. This is just another fling of yours and it will be over in less than a month or two based on your historical track record,” I snapped as I clutched my mobile phone tightly in my hand.“You’re wrong, Leya. This time it’s definitely different. I don’t blame you since you’re no longer living with us. You see, I’ve been secretly dating him for almost a year now and we are truly in love with each other,” my sister announced while sounding very proud.A year...“You’ve been engaged to Anthony for over ten years! Also, please don’t make your success in staying in a relationship for longer than a few months sound like a lifetime achievement because it is not!” I barked through the phone.After shouting for so long, my throat had started to hurt. I was panting as my anger started to boil over. It wasn’t that Dina never matured from the days that we were kids but she had matured in a way that was uniquely and completely her own. Her view of the world wasn’t normal but I couldn’
**Back to the present**‘I can’t wait for tonight to arrive…’I had no idea why Anthony decided to say something like that to me. The playful and extremely flirtatious smile that he showed me made my heart skip a dangerous beat and for a moment I didn’t quite know how to react. I wasn’t sure if the Anthony that I knew would say something like that. Then again, it wasn’t like he was in a position to say something so playful and suggestive to me while he was my sister’s fiancé. Just like me, he probably never thought that he would end up marrying me instead of my sister.“Diana dear! Congratulations on your wedding. You have no idea just how long we’ve been waiting for this day to come. You look stunning! This dress looks perfect on you. You couldn’t have chosen a better dress,” a middle-aged woman with light blonde hair said while smilingly widely at me.“Thank you very much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy the party at the reception later on,” I replied smoothly.It felt like a s
His kiss felt gentle and loving yet demanding at the same time. It felt sweet yet slightly aggressive and unlike any kiss that I had ever experienced before. It left me curious and also eager for more. His lips worked to seduce mine until I felt like my body would melt in his arms. My lips slowly parted to grant his seeking tongue entry into the wet depths of my mouth. Anthony let out a satisfied moan as he thrusted his tongue firmly between my parted lips and into my mouth.“Mhmm…” I heard myself moaning even louder this time as my eyes drifted closed.The way his tongue seduced mine in a fervent dance of passion told me just how experienced and skilled he was. I had thought so since the first time that we kissed that he was such a good kisser, and he was probably the best that I have ever had. Although I knew that countless pairs of eyes were watching us, I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him back hungrily. My mind felt intoxicated with the pleasure of his kiss and thoughts of him
Since we are now married, it was only natural that I would be moving in to live with Anthony at his family estate. I recalled the large white mansion with a large French-style garden out front from my numerous visits there during childhood after the engagement between Anthony and my sister had been decided. Although the mansion that belonged to my family was already overly large, the Vulkan family estate where Anthony lived was much larger. I smiled a little to myself when I thought of the many encounters that we shared when we were younger whenever I had the chance to visit his home.After waiting for too long, Anthony and I were finally on our way back to what would be my new home. After leaving my mother and making my way back to Anthony’s side, he welcomed me back warmly before leading me to a large black limousine that would take us back to his place.“I still can’t believe that father invited that many people to our wedding,” Anthony commented with a hint of complaint before he
I automatically looped an arm around his neck as I pressed my body against his. Our tongues ground against each other as we both desired to feel closer and more connected. His hand moved to cup my shoulders before sliding down to caress my upper arm. I moaned softly into our kiss before he began sucking on my tongue teasingly. The jolts of pleasure that flooded my body and made my core clench with desire also made my body feel weak. Therefore, I was thankful when Anthony’s hand caressed its way all the way down my arm to my wrist before he took the champagne glass that I was still holding from me. It was a small miracle that I hadn’t spilled any champagne by that time given how busy we were with each other. I heard a small clinking sound when Anthony placed my glass down on the table.“Ahh…” I moaned before letting out a long sigh of pleasure when Anthony finally broke our kiss.I was panting hard as I stared back at him with almost teary eyes. He was such a good kisser, not that I di
“Anthony…Ahhh…” I called his name.Before I could protest against anything, his face was between my breasts. I felt the hot heat of his breath against my sensitive skin for a brief moment before the hot wet heat of his mouth engulfed one of my nipples and made me cry out. It felt like his heat was being transferred to my body as he flicked his tongue skillfully against my erect nipple. His hand moved to massage my other breasts to feed me even more pleasure. I felt like I was about to lose my mind completely as I ran my fingers through his blond hair. His hair felt like fine silk against my fingers but it didn’t take long for me to be clutching at his hair as my passion took over me.“Just as I thought, you love this as well. Your body is amazingly sensitive,” he commented when he released my nipple from his mouth.“Anthony…please…” I begged although I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to stop or to give me more.Anthony made the decision for me when his tongue lapped at my other nipple be
I thought that this was all his fault when he began sucking hard on my nipple. The pleasure that invaded my senses made me throw my head back before crying out his name. I thought that Anthony would keep on playing with my breasts, but it soon became clear that he had something else in mind for me. Without any warning, he removed his mouth from my nipple before reaching for my shoulders. Suddenly, he turned me around and I found myself facing the wall before my body was pressed up against it. “Anthony…” I whispered his name in surprise. “Let me taste you…” he whispered close behind my ear.His warm breath softly caressed my earlobe before I felt the wetness of his tongue licking me there. My entire body shuddered from the waves of pleasure that invaded my body as Anthony flicked the tip of his tongue against my earlobe. His large manly hands held my arm and my waist to hold my body in place. It tickled a little, but it felt so pleasurable. “Ahh...Ahhh…” I moaned breathlessly as he
I quickly did as I was told. I repositioned my feet so that my thighs would spread apart even further to grant his hand access to my most womanly place. The pleasurable ache in my lower abdomen intensified while my pussy clenched in anticipation of his touch. Anothony stroked the outer lips of my pussy through my soaked panties before pushing hard up against my opening.“Ahh…Anthony…” I moaned before closing my eyes in bliss.I heard a low chuckle from behind me and knew very well that he was enjoying my reactions to his playful caresses. If his teasing lasted any longer, I was sure that I would beg him to touch me there directly. Thankfully, I felt his fingers pulling the fabric covering my wet hole to the side before his fingers delved slightly into the hot wet mess between my legs.“Ahh! Yes…Ahhh!” I cried out as my hips shook when his fingers finally stroked my wet and throbbing slit. He was finally touching my pussy and it felt amazing. His fingers skillfully stroked up and dow
My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I approached them. The three of them were engaged in such an intense conversation that, at first, they did not recognize my presence. Diana's voice was the first that came to me. Her voice was shaky, as if she was barely holding herself together."The doctor said that there's no change in his condition. Anthony is still unresponsive, although it's been months, and this whole thing with the snipers is only making it worse..." Diana said.I came to a stop as my mind struggled to process her words. My heartbeat grew even faster in my chest, and for a moment I thought that perhaps I had misheard my own sister. What did she mean when she said that Anthony is still unresponsive?Diana already knew that Bradon had taken Anthony's place, and that meant that the man who was shot was none other than Bradon. Yet how was it possible that Anthony was the one who was unresponsive? Nothing made sense to me at that moment. It felt like I was missing a very key pie
It hurt me more than anything to realize that I couldn't blame him, even if he did that, because I was the one who betrayed him first. I left him without a word or farewell, running away from him as if he were the one who had done something wrong. Memories of our time together came back like waves. The fake honeymoon that we enjoyed together felt more real than anything, right at that moment. I remembered the way that he would laugh whenever he let his guard down on the nights when we enjoyed each other's company simply as our true selves, and the dangerous world outside and our identities didn't need to complicate things for us.There was a time when I thought that love was enough, but a small voice inside of me reminded me not to be so foolish. As time slipped by, I found myself praying that the door would just swing open and that Bradon would be standing there with his arms wide open. I wanted nothing more than to be held in his arms once again. I had to admit to myself that, with
"Where is this?" I asked without hiding my suspicion. I knew very well where the Vulkan mansion was located and also what it looked like, and the place that we had just parked in front of couldn't look more different than the mansion that I remembered."You didn't think that we would take you to our home, did you?" Mrs. Vulkan snapped before looking away with a clear look of disgust on her face."I guess your home would be the first place that Bradon would look when he finds me missing," I replied dismissively."No more chit chat," Bradon's father said as he urged me out of the car.I told myself that it did make sense that they would find a place for me to stay, but did it have to be such a shabby-looking place? The isolated low-rise building looked like it could use a round of maintenance. The room that they led me to was simple, with a single bed, a television, a desk, and absolutely no windows."How long am I supposed to stay here? I thought we made an agreement that you would h
"Why would my son want to keep you here?" Mr. Vulkan asked as his eyes seemed to search my face for the answer that he was looking for. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe he hasn't had enough of me yet..." I replied before showing them a fake yet extremely sweet smile. "Even if he isn't considered a normal member of our family, I still can't have you associating with him," he continued on as if he was lecturing me of my lack of worth. "I just told you that I'm not the one begging to stay here and with him," I replied coldly. I had hoped that by then it had become plain obvious what I wanted the two of them to do for me. With their help, I was certain that they could find a way to get me out of Bradon's mansion. Bradon wasn't around, so the next in command was Zain, whom I did not think could directly stand up against the head of the Vulkan family. At least, that was where I decided to place my bets at that point in time. "So you want to leave but he won't let you? Is that what you
I quickly followed them inside, sensing that the two of them were here looking for trouble. One glance at Zain, and I could tell that he was already informing Bradon of their unexpected arrival. It wasn't like Zain could throw out Bradon's father and stepmother, so I could understand the pitiful position that he suddenly found himself in. I straightened my back and followed them further inside, thinking to myself that I needed to hold the fort until Bradon returned. Whatever it was that they wanted, I needed to make sure to find out.The two of them sat comfortably on the sofa as if they were in their own house by the time I made it to the living room. The fact that neither of us spoke a single word as I sat down on the sofa only made the tension in the room skyrocket."I'm sure that Bradon will be back soon," I said, more to tell myself than to tell them."Why are you still here?" Mr. Vulkan asked as he turned his cold gaze in my direction.The way that he looked at me left no room f
**A few days later**"How many times do I have to tell you? You can't keep me locked up in here!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, my hands clenching into tight fists. I could feel the blood rushing to my face as anger and frustration took over.Over the past few days, I had already lost count of the number of times Bradon and I had had this argument. For some reason that I could not comprehend, my life as a prisoner inside his household had resumed. There must have been a change in Bradon that I couldn't fully understand-something that had led him to decide to keep me under house arrest. Going out was no longer an option, even if I was escorted."You may leave when I tell you that you can," Bradon replied with the same infuriatingly calm response he always gave, his tone ticking me off even more."Listen, I'm not doing this because I want to be selfish. If there's a reason why you can't let me go outside, then please just let me know, and I'll try to be understanding," I said, taking
"I'll try not to come back late," Bradon replied without any further explanations. I only managed to simply nod my head before he was already out of the living room. The look that Bradon gave me told me to hold my tongue and not ask him any questions. I knew very well that asking him anything would be useless because he most likely wouldn't give me any kind of answer. As I stared at the doorway, my mind became even more unsettled than before. Something was definitely going on and Bradon was keeping it away from me. "Probably just work..." I mumbled to myself. It wasn't unusual for Bradon not to tell me much about matters related to his work, and I never minded. A sigh escaped my lips when I realized that I had officially failed once again. The worst part was that I felt very relieved at the very same time. Bradon's parting words, telling me that he would hurry back home gave me something to look forward to and that made me realize just how much I yearned to be with him. "Stop it,
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