Richard POV
“Are you two stuffy asses ready?” Dylan asks as he enters the living room, followed by Mia, that is dressed like a whore. In what world did he think that what she wore was appropriate for a sixteen-year-old? She looks like she is twenty-something, her makeup is dark, and it’s too much. No way in hell my little girl will be dressed like that.
“What the fuck are you wearing?” I bark at her, and she flinches, looking down at her dress, and her eyes meet Dylan’s and then mine.
“It’s just a dress and some makeup,” she says, and I shake my head, pointing at the stairs. “Go get changed right now, and while you’re there, wash your face,” I say, and her eyes meet Dylan’s again before she groans in frustration and walks up the stairs. She knows better than to argue with me about that. I am not changing my mind, and I will never allow her to get dressed like tha
Layla POV Today is my first day at my new job. I managed to get something straight away; I knew that working for Ashford Media would open up a lot of doors for me. I just never thought I would work at a hospital, the same hospital where James works. He managed to get me an interview for secretary checking in patients. “Layla, it’s time for your break”, my new supervisor says, and I smile as I place my headset down and stretch my arms above my head. I am starting in the middle of the day shift. I started at four in the afternoon and will finish at midnight, and tomorrow I will start at two and finish at ten, so it’s not too bad. “Okay, thank you, do you want a coffee or anything?”, I ask as I pull away from the desk, and she shakes her head. I smile, grab my purse and walk around the desk toward the cafeteria area. James is meeting me there for coffee if he can. I grab my phone and dial his number, but there’s n
Layla POV I walk back to work, and as I sit at my desk, I open my laptop and type "Ashford," and Amelia Ashford appears first. I guess that's his daughter. I open the file, and I start reading everything that it says. She needs a transplant, and she's on the list. Poor thing. I keep reading, and I close hers. After all, I don't really understand the medical terms in there, and it's none of my business what is happening. Then I scroll to find Richard Ashford's file. I open it and see he's been discharged with some bruises and nothing too significant. Poor Richard had six stitches on his head. I flinch at the thought. I take a deep breath, put my headset back on and focus on work. There are people needing my help right now, and I can't get distracted by Richard, even though he is the only thing on my mind. He is the only person I can't stop thinking about. Even after everything that happened, my heart still beat for him.
Layla POV"So, what are you going to do?" Jo asks as she takes a small sip of her tea. I look at the tv, but I am not even paying attention to what is passing. I close my eyes momentarily and rest my head back against the back of the couch, shaking my head slightly."I don't know. I don't think I should meddle", I say. Jo takes a deep breath, and I can feel her shifting in her seat. She puts her tea down and turns to face me, bringing her feet up onto the couch."Look, I know I have a thing for meddling in your life, and I know I cross many lines that I shouldn't, but…" she says, pinching the bridge of her nose and taking a deep breath if gathering the courage to speak. "I think you should go see him. You have some sort of history with the guy. He is going through some tough shit, and you can't let your sister bully you for t
Richard POV “Darling, go home and have a shower,” I hear my mother’s voice behind me. I raise my head from my hands and turn around on the chair to see her resting her back against the closed door. I don’t know how long she’s been here, hell I don’t know how long I have been here, in this position, without moving a muscle. All I keep thinking is that this is all my fault. If I didn’t force her to go change, if I allowed her to go out wearing what she wanted to, we wouldn’t be here. She would be safe at home, in her bed asleep, or studying for some test. Or using her phone to hide from me to chat with her boyfriend. “I’m okay,” I reply, and she nods slightly, walking towards me and resting one hand on my shoulder. I feel like I have been living in a nightmare, and I can’t wake up. I feel like I am stuck here. I can’t move, I can’t sleep or eat, I can’t breathe. Mi
Layla POV I blink several times before opening my eyes completely. A sharp pain makes me hiss as I try to move. I look around to find Jo sleeping on a chair beside me, machines attached to me beeping softly in the background. The lights are off, so I assume it’s late. I move a little, but the sharp pain in my lower abdomen makes me close my eyes and take a deep breath. I stretch my arm, trying to grab the little controller to call the nurse. “Argh,” I say as I can’t reach it, but I see Jo standing up and grabbing it, pressing the button straight away. “How are you feeling?” she asks, and I offer her a small smile. “Never better,” I lie, and she smiles as she grabs my hand and takes it to her lips, placing a small kiss. She takes a deep breath and sits back down when the nurse walks in.
Layla POV "Do you need anything before I go?" Jo asks as she puts her jacket on. I shake my head, focusing on the laptop resting on my legs. I have been reading the news every day, and I have been following how Mia is doing. The newspapers seem to have an incredible pull towards the Ashfords. "No thanks," I reply, scanning the New York Times to find an article about"Amelia Ashford, the teenager billionaire." I open the article, and it's like a small compilation of everything she has ever done in her sixteen years of life. She really lives in a world of luxury because, in every single picture of her, she is wearing very expensive clothes, shoes, and bags. It must be nice to have that kind of money and not to worry about saving to have food the week after. I remember the times my mother didn't eat to feed us. I shake my head and slam my laptop shut, looking a
Richard POV“Come, I’ll help you to your room,” I say, and Mia shakes her head.“I am not an invalid, dad. I can walk by myself, see, look, watch, one foot in front of the other, see I learned to do this when I was around one,” Mia says, and I take a deep breath. This is not the time for an argument. She has been in the hospital for so long, and being home is the best thing in the world for her right now because she will be herself again.“The nurse is coming in one hour, so please come downstairs when you hear the door,” I say as she walks up the stairs, still slowly, but she is making an incredible recovery, and I am finally breathing.Angie walks out of the kitchen, greeting me. “How is she?” she asks as she watches Mia walk up the stairs. I smile at her,
Layla POV“I missed you,” Richard whispers as he moves his nose up and down my neck. His touch makes my skin burn; I am on fire, and I can’t see it changing.“Why are you here?” I ask him, and he takes a deep breath, resting his forehead against mine. I look into his deep blue eyes. I can feel his heart beating fast, almost erratically.“I came to get my girl back,” he whispers at me right before his lips collapse on mine, and he spins me, carrying me towards my room. We bump into furniture, and I can’t help but giggle as he curses under his breath. When we reach the room, he puts me down and locks the door behind us. His eyes scan my body, and I can’t help but smile.“Take that dress off,” he says as he pulls his tie off and peels his jacket off his shoulders. I watch in amazement as he strips his skin, the small amount of hair on his chest trailing down toward dreamland.I pull m
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