Before they could say anything else I stood up from my seat and ran out of the living room. “Dahlia, wait!” I heard Diana calling after me and then I heard her footsteps as she ran after me. By the time that we both reached my bedroom, I felt like I needed to cry it all out so that I could deal with all the stress and the pressure of the situation that had built up inside of me. It felt like someone had wrapped their hands around my neck and had started squeezing it. Diana entered the room after me and pulled me into her arms right away. She must have realized that I needed comforting without me needing to voice it. “I told you that he is interested in you. You should have listened to your sister…” Diana said before letting out a giggle as she continued stroking my back. “Shut up…” I muttered as I buried my face into her hair and held her tightly. “Did you have a fight with him?” Diana asked after a moment of silence. “No, we didn't fight. At least, I didn’t think we did…” I rep
“What the reporter is saying isn't actually accurate. Sure, they have some evidence, but it’s not super airtight. If we could just do something, we still have the chance of sweeping this all under the rug,” my father said thoughtfully. Suddenly everyone was silent as we all seemed to wait for him to come up with another genius plan to get us all out of this trouble. For a moment, I felt so far removed from the troubles of my family because I felt like it had nothing to do with me. That was what I thought until I felt my father's gaze stop and then stared at my face as if he was expecting me to say something. I stared back at him with wide innocent eyes as I silently questioned what he really wanted from me. He can’t possibly...“I am not doing it. I am not doing anything to help you with this,” I stated before my father got the chance to say anything.I might not know much about life, but I could clearly tell when someone wants something from me that I didn’t want to give. The way m
I wasn't sure what Diana told them or what she had done, but nothing seemed to have moved forward during that week. Although no new evidence was found and no progress was made on the case, the press continued to cover the story non-stop. I wondered if our entire family would be under investigation or if we had to go to court. My parents were always stressed and on edge, and I would be lying if I said that their anxiety we're not getting to me. Diana seemed to be the most calm out of all of us, and it made me feel that she knew something that we all did not. “Will Dad end up in prison?” I asked her one evening while we were alone. “Is that what you wish for?” Diana asked with a teasing smile. “It doesn't matter what I wish for. I simply want to know what is going to happen,” I replied to her honestly. “This might be disappointing to you, but I don't think anything significant is going to happen to our family,” Diana replied with a shrug of her shoulders. I stared at my sister sile
“Where are you going?” My mother asked when I suddenly stood up. “My room,” I replied in short before making my escape.Did the prince do this? I didn't dare voice this question or my thoughts out loud while I was with my family, but now that I was alone inside the sanctuary of my bedroom, it dawned on me that it must have been the prince or someone from the Royal Family. In this country, the only family that ruled over the court and could directly influence its decisions and rulings was none other than the direct royal family members.Had the king decided to help my father and our family out of mercy because he felt thankful for all that we had done for him as his loyal servant? It wasn't impossible; however, something told me that that wasn't very likely. Desmond's handsome face and warm smile suddenly entered my mind and I was convinced that the prince had something to do with this. I had not asked him for help so I began to wonder whether my parents or even my sister had asked h
“Can you tell us more? Now you’ve really got everyone's attention and we can't wait to learn about this owner of the name,” another reporter quickly chimed in. The prince seemed to hesitate a little as he continued smiling before he nodded his head. It felt like his impressive gray eyes were right in front of me and that our eyes met although he was just a figure displayed on the television screen. “I'm thinking of naming this building after someone that I find very interesting and also impressive, but as I said, I think that I should get her permission first before any official naming,” the prince replied with his eyes staring straight into the camera. “Can we take a wild guess, Your Highness? Is this lady that you're referring to the one that you're dating?” another reporter asked without missing a beat. I felt my stomach churning into knots and I suddenly felt very restless. It seemed that Diana was quite excited by the sudden development because she began gripping my hand tigh
I knew that they were complimenting me only because I was now once again a useful leverage for them to use to further the position of our family. Ever since the prince started to show interest in me, my parents started paying me more attention. They made sure to take care of me and give me what I want all for the sake that I would maintain my relationship with the prince.It suddenly felt like the world around me went dark and suddenly multiple spotlights were shining down on me. Regardless of his intentions, it seemed that the prince had successfully put me right on the spot. “I think now I know why there are so many reporters gathered outside today,” Diana pointed out. I hated to admit it but she was probably right that all the reporters that we thought were gathered outside because of the court case might actually be here because of what the prince had said about me.“This is really amazing! He is so romantic. You need to attend the event with him, and of course, you need to allo
“I suggest you turn up to the event to at least help him save face. It would reflect very poorly on you and also on the prince if you don't turn up. The prince has always been kind to you, so even if you don't like him back, you shouldn't do things that will publicly throw him under the bus. You do know this right?” My sister continued on patiently. I nodded my head a few times solemnly because I couldn't help but agree with her. Desmond had always been kind to me, and I knew that many things that he did were for my sake. Even I knew that I shouldn't throw him under the bus, both in public and in private. “You also need to act a little smarter, my sister dear. You do realize just how our parents have been much kinder and considerate to you ever since you managed to secure the prince’s favor. I'm not saying this to scare you, but if anything were to happen, I am sure that the prince will defend you and keep you safe. Maybe he can defend you much better than I ever could and that trul
My response drew a laugh from the prince as he looked at me with sparkling gray eyes. I could tell that Desmond was very glad to see me because I could feel the life returning to his beautiful gray eyes. To my surprise, it wasn't at all difficult to reunite with the prince and talk to him again.“I guess it's good enough for me that you did actually turn up,” the prince said before grinning my way. The way he looked so thankful for my appearance made me feel slightly guilty inside. “My sister told me that I shouldn't throw you under the bus so publicly, and I had to agree with her,” I replied before I found myself smiling quite naturally. “I guess I have your sister to thank for this,” the prince replied. There were many things that I wanted to ask the prince, but there was one burning question that felt like it could no longer wait until later.“My father's corruption case and its relation to my family businesses, were you the one who stepped in to help us out?” I asked directly.
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