Layla POV
I open the door to find Jo sitting on the couch with her feet resting on the coffee table. She looks at me through the back of the couch, and she smiles.
“How was work?” she asks, and I shrug, flopping beside her. I take a deep breath, resting my feet next to hers, and she looks at me with an eyebrow raised.
“Richard asked me out on a date,” I say, and Jo sits up straight, resting her feet on the floor, and she turns her body to look at me. Her mouth opened, and then she smiled. Clapping her hands as if she was five. I roll my eyes, resting my head back against the backrest of the couch, and close my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“And? What did you say?” she asks, and I look at her.
“I said no, of course,” I say, resting my head back again, an
Layla POV I spent the rest of the week on edge. Richard has been away from the office at business meetings abroad. I think he has gone to London. I wish I could go to London. It’s my dream to travel to Europe one day. Dylan came around twice to keep me company. I bet he was just monitoring me because Richard asked him to. Controlling man. After Dylan caught us in Richard’s office, he has been extremely respectful towards me. He is not flirting as much. My phone rings, and I check its HR on the caller ID. What now? I click on my earpiece, answering while I keep typing the email that Dylan asked me to write. Something to do with a meeting that Richard is going to have in France, and he needs me to send some files over. “Mr. Ashford’s office,” I say as I answer, and I close my eyes, already preparing myself for the hit I am about to take.
Richard POV "Do you really think that's a good idea?" Dylan asks while he brings his beer to his lips. I shrug as I look at the Ice, and Fred gets hit by a hockey stick on the stomach. He falls back, and I frown, watching him stand up immediately and punch the guy in the stomach. The fight begins, we stand up as everyone else does the same, and we want to watch what is happening. This is brutal, and my baby brother loves the game. "That's gotta hurt," I say, bringing my beer to my lips and watching Fred being sent to the penalty box. I whistle as the other guy flips Fred off. "He's going to end that guy," I say through greeted teeth, and Dylan nods while he claps at our brother, shouting some obscenities that make me laugh. Dylan shrugs, looking forward. "Going back to our conversation, do you think to approach her without showing it's you?" Dylan says, and I shr
Layla POV "So? What are you going to wear?" Jo asks as she leans against the door frame in my room. I shrug, looking at my closet. I have no idea what to wear, we have come up with a plan, Jo is going to her parent's house for the weekend, so she doesn't stay here alone, and I am going to that party, and then I will be staying in a hotel. Jo installed the camera in the apartment, trying to catch Leo, but so far, nothing has happened. She starts to think I am paranoid, and he has disappeared for good. But hey, I rather be safe than sorry, and my salary is higher than I expected, so I am pampering myself with a night in a hotel and a day full of massages and skin care. After all, the Spa is included in the price. "I have no idea. What about this one?" I grab a tiny black dress, and Jo shrugs her nose. I know it's not the sexiest thing I have ever bought, but it's n
Layla POV I look around the room, but I can feel Richard's eyes on me. He takes one step closer, his body inches away from mine, inches away from touching me. My breathing is heavy. I am feeling like it's difficult to swallow. What can I say? The man has an incredible effect on me. "Dance with me," Richard whispers in my ear. Every hair on my body stands, and I nod slightly. No one knows me here, and I bet he doesn't want his identity compromised, either. I know the rules of this party, and I know I am not allowed to say his name or mention anything about our lives. He offers me his hand, and I take it just after I down my martini and place the empty glass on the counter of the bar. Richard guides me through the sea of bodies moving together in an incredible sexual rhythm. Richard wraps his arms around my w
Richard POV “I’m staying in the hotel across the street,” Layla says, and I turn to face her. I pull both our masks off of our faces as I look at her while she fixes her hair. She is stunning. This woman has the ability to leave me fucking speechless. We look both ways before running across the street. I guess I am paying her well if she can afford a room here. I feel on edge as I could bump into people I know, and it’s still fucking early. Holding her hand, we walk inside and straight to the elevator. I am well familiar with the location as I used to come here with Sandra. I never took her home. She was Mia’s headmistress, after all. I close my eyes momentarily, hoping to get away with this when I hear my father’s voice behind me. I let go of Layla’s hand immediately. “Father,” I let out through my greeted teeth. Of all the people I could bump into, it had to be
Layla POV As soon as I open my eyes, I close them again. The headache strikes, and I flinch. Argh, I pull the covers over my head and take a deep breath, keeping my eyes shut as I start to feel my head pounding. Great. Migraine, I bet my period is about to make an appearance. I suffer from severe migraines when I have my period. I move my hand towards the side table, trying to get to my phone blindly. I can’t open my eyes in that light, and Jo is not home yet. I hate my life right now. I have been alone all weekend while she visits her parents. At least she has a great relationship with them, and it’s not like my mother and me. I pull the phone into the bed and open it slightly, only one eye, and I dial the work phone. I can’t go to work like this. I can’t even get out of bed, let alone go to work. A female voice answers the phone. “Ashford Media,” she says, and
Layla POV I wake up to the smell of breakfast. That’s the best thing in the world. My stomach growls as I walk into the kitchen to find the empty containers on the side and Jo plating up food for me. “Did you order breakfast?” I ask, and she shakes her head as she smiles and passes me a Starbucks cup. I frown, looking at the coffee in front of me. Jo smiles as she sits in front of me, digging into her scrambled eggs. Her eyes meet mine while she chews, and I really don’t know what the hell is going on. I grab the fork and some eggs, and Oh My God, the explosion of flavors makes my mouth water, and I almost have an orgasm. “Is it possible to have a foodgasm?” I ask, and Jo nods, laughing. We both dig into our food, and when we are done, I finally look at her, waiting for an explanation for the food. “I guess your boss was really worried I wasn’t feeding yo
Layla POV "You have Dylan on the line," I say to Richard through the intercom that connects my phone to Richard's. I have the light of my computer screen on the dimmest setting possible, but in my head, he is getting worse. I haven't had time for lunch, which is not helping. I open my purse, grab my medication, and look around for my water. Great. Forgot it at home. I rush to the small kitchen area where I have the coffee machine and grab a water bottle from the mini-fridge. I put the coffee machine on and walked back to my desk to answer another call. "Mr. Ashford's office," I say before I hear a deep breath from the other side. "Pass me to my husband," I hear, and I scrunch my nose. "I am sorry, but Mr. Ashford is busy at the moment," I say, and I c
Richard POV“I can’t believe this is actually happening” I let out and Dylan smiles as he adjusts my butterfly tie. I take a deep breath and I have to say I am nervous as hell. The door opens and Fred walks through the door.“Hey, how are you feeling, old man?” He asks before he pours himself a glass of champagne. I shrug my shoulders and Dylan looks at Fred shaking his head.“He is nervous as fuck” he says and Fred laughs as he crosses his legs.“I bet you are, after all, it’s the second time you're doing this,” Fred says and I shake my head focusing on his face.“Third,” I say and his mouth opens wide and Dylan frowns looking at me.
Layla POV “What are you doing?” I ask as Richard blindfolds me and guides me to the car. I smile as he places one hand on my lower back while the other holds my hand. “Come on, where are we going?” I ask but again all I get is a small kiss on the lips after we are inside the car. The drive takes more than one hour. I have no clue where we are now. There are so many places that he could’ve taken me in one hour or so. When the car comes to a stop and Richard helps me out of the car I feel the cold wind blow and I realize we are somewhere open, without buildings or trees. My hair flies in every direction and I bet I will look like I have a helmet on my head. “Where are you taking me?” I ask at the same time he scoops me off the floor. I let out a small squeal as I feel him going upstairs. Where the hell are we? “Good evening Mr. Ashford” I hear someone say.
Layla POV“How is she? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” I ask Dylan as he takes a deep breath after telling me that Jo spent Christmas in the hospital. We both had shit holidays.“You were recovering from brain surgery. Do you really think I was going to tell you that Jo had a panic attack and ended up hooked up to fluids in the hospital?” He asks as if I am the crazy one.“Yeah,” I say, grabbing my phone and dialing Jo’s number. She answers almost on the first ring.“I am sorry, I am so sorry, I really am sorry,” she says as she answers, and I feel my heart beating so fast I can’t even cope with it. I place one hand over my chest where my beating heart is and take a deep breath.“No,
Layla POV“I open my eyes, and I find my mom sitting on a chair next to me. I frown and look around, realizing I am in a hospital room. I blink several times until my vision focuses but no luck. I lick my lips, but my tongue is so dry it feels like I have sand in my mouth. Argh, my entire body hurts. I try to remember what happened, but I really can’t.The door opens, and Louise walks in, followed by Mia. When her eyes meet mine, the biggest smile appears on her face while my sister stays exactly the same way. “Layla, finally,” Mia says as she ruses to stand next to me. My mom hearing the voices opens her eyes and walks to me, holding my hand between hers.“Oh my God, how are you feeling?” My mom asks, but as I try to speak, it becomes a little difficult. I frown as my voice doesn’t sound the same. “Relax, baby, you ha
Richard POVWe’ve been sitting in these uncomfortable chairs for hours. Mia is asleep with her head resting on my shoulder while my brothers are wide awake with me. I keep trying to push away the horrible feeling I have in the pit of my stomach. I take a deep breath, and Mia opens her eyes.“Is everything okay?” She asks. I offer her a small smile and stand up. My entire body is aching at this point. We have been here for hours without news because we are not related to Layla. Her mother is on the way, and even though I said I am her fiancé, the doctor, and not saying anything. This is ridiculous.I have tried to throw money around, I tried to offer a big donation to the hospital If they allowed me to go see her, but it didn’t work. My father kept asking me to stay calm. This is a hospital, people are sick, and at least we know she is
Richard POVWhen we arrive at the house, I feel every hair in my body rises. I shake my head as I cross my arms in front of my chest. I am behind the police barrier, and they're not allowing me to go inside with them. This is ridiculous. He could be hurting Layla as we speak, and they are here playing police officers and trying to negotiate with him. Just fucking go inside and bring her out. Or even better, let me go inside, and I will bring her out after I knock him down.Jude is standing next to me, and he is keeping my father and my brothers updated while I walk around like a maniac trying to escape the torture I am being put through. “When are you going to invade the place?” I ask the detective, and he looks at me as if I have three heads. What the hell is wrong with people?“We need to make sure he is alone. I can’t just send my men blind,” he says, and I scoff as I shake my head
Layla POV“James, let me go,” I plea as he tightens the zip ties around my wrists. It hurts me, and I flinch as he stands in front of me, his nose almost touching me. I feel the tears rolling down my cheek while he smiles and rubs his nose over my cheek as he inhales deeply. I shut my eyes tightly, turning my head away from him.“You smell so good,” he finally says, and I feel my stomach turning. I have no clue where we are, it’s dark and there’s only a small light in the corner of the room. I can see windows, but it’s too dark outside to even know where we are.“James, please, let me go,” I cry but he doesn’t move. He stays in front of me, and slowly, he places both his hands on my legs I try to push him away but my ankles, but I can’t. I have zip ties around my ankles as well, holding me on the chai
Richard POV“Pamela dear, there’s been a mistake. You are not sitting here. You’re on my table,” my mother says, and I swear I could just shout at her right now. This woman is infuriating. The way she tries to make Layla feel shit in front of her is crazy. I look at my mother with a smile, and I can tell by Dylan’s eyes he knows what I am about to do. “Excuse me, I need to freshen up,” Layla says, walking away before I even have a chance to do anything.“That was rude,” Pamela says, and I look at her as Mia rests one hand on my arm. “Dad, don’t,” she pleas with me, and I take a deep breath. I take one step closer to my mother, and between greeted teeth, I start talking. “Layla will sit next to me, whether you like it or not, she is my fiancé, and you better keep up with the program
Layla POV After the silent auction, we are all taken to the dining area. This is an event like a wedding, with round tables with beautiful linen spread all around the room. Big vases with red and green flowers and ornaments. I have to say that Cruella can definitely put on a show. She really knows what she is doing. Kudos to her. Mia walks to her table, and she scrunches her nose when she notices who’s sitting next to her. Richard walks to her, checking on the sitting chart, and I can tell he is not happy either. I have no clue where we’re sitting, and when he offers me his hand, I take it, and he places a small kiss on my finger next to my beautiful diamond ring. I can feel my cheeks go warm. Damn, this man has the ability to leave me flushed. “I promise I will make this right,” he says, and I frown, looking at Mia and then at Richard, and that’s when I realize