~Mia~“Won’t you go back to her?” I whispered as I manage to break the kiss and catch my breath. He heaved a loud sigh, his hand moving slowly under my shirt, right on top of my nipple. “I will, but I don’t want to move away from you.” he muttered, resting his forehead on mine. I was still pinned to the wall and my hands were held up high, above my head with one of his hands, while the other explored my warm, perky peaks. “You have to or she will cause another problem.” I responded sadly, “I don’t think I want to deal with her anymore, Ethan.” “You wouldn’t have to.” He responded, slowly releasing his grip on my hands and they fell to my side. I could feel slight pain in my shoulders, but I didn’t care about it. “She wouldn’t bother you anymore. I am working on a plan to end things with her for good.” He said, and my face instantly lit up.“Really?” My voice etched with hope. “Hmmm,” he nodded. “I just need a little more time. I need to prepare my mother for what is to come. If s
~John~I pulled into the parking lot and stepped out of my car, clutching a bouquet of roses in one hand. I adjusted my suit and shirt, my heart pounded with nervous anticipation as I approached the entrance.Pushing the door open, I paused for a moment, my eyes sweeping across the restaurant in search of her. And then, there she was—seated in a cozy corner.She spotted me and waved, her face glowing with a cheerful grin. A broad smile spread across my own face as I made my way toward her.I approached the table and set the bouquet on it. She stood, greeting me with a warm hug and a light kiss on the cheek.“Finally,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement as she sat down again.“Right.” I chuckled. “Finally. I’m so sorry you had to wait this long.” Sitting down, I picked up the bouquet and extended it to her. “These are for you.”She accepted it with a soft smile, bringing the flowers to her nose for a gentle sniff. “This is so sweet of you,” she murmured, closing her eyes as i
~Mia~ I sat in front of the mirror, my eyes were shut as the makeup brush skimmed over my eyelids. The music from the bar could be slightly heard in the dressing room I was in, and even though it was my favorite song, I dared not move. My Aunt Alexa was doing my makeup which was pretty strange and surprising. Not only the fact that she was doing my makeup, but that I needed makeup tonight was confusing. My Aunt Alexa was never this nice to me. “Oh God, I can’t wait to finish this makeover! Their heads will turn tonight!” She squealed with excitement, causing me to furrow my brows. ‘Their heads? Whose heads?’ I wondered, but I couldn’t say a word, or I was going to get hit, like always. Since my parents died in a car accident when I was seven, I have lived with Aunt Alexa since then. And I must confess that it wasn’t the peaceful life I pictured or always wanted. I was bullied and maltreated by her and her children, my cousins. I never did anything right in their sights. In fact
~Mia~ I rushed down the stage, following behind Aunt Alexa keenly. “Please Aunt, don’t sell me off. I promise to pay you back for everything.” I cried behind her, and she took an abrupt turn, looking at me with a straight face. “You have paid back already. Didn’t you hear that man? $100,000! I can manage that.” She responded, letting out a grin. “But… but, I don’t know this man. What if he’s not a good man? What if he ends up…” “I do not care! You’ll have to take care of yourself, Mia! You are an adult. Listen, you need to act cool when we meet him. Don’t you dare act like you are forced to do this, okay?!” She smacked angrily, and I gulped hard.Tears rolled down my cheeks and I hastily ran the back of my hand across my face, completely forgetting that I had makeup on. “Finally, we are getting rid of her. Argh! I can’t believe I dreamt of this day!” Tasha, my cousin spat, walking towards us and standing akimbo next to her mother, Aunt Alexa. “What about her bags?” Aunt Alexa as
~Mia~He took a puff and nodded before looking at me again. “What can you do, Mia?” He asked. “I do basically anything. I can clean and cook pretty well. I used to do this at the clubhouse and my Aunt’s house. Chores don’t scare me.” I responded, and he nodded. “Great. I guess it’s settled then. You’ll take care of the house, cook, and do all necessary things and I’ll pay you at the end of the month.” He uttered, pressing the end of his cigar on the ashtray on the mini table that separated our chairs. “You’ll pay me?” I asked in awe, and he nodded. “Of course, I would. I wouldn’t let you work for free.” “But… but you bought me already. Why did you buy me if you would still pay me for what I’ll do?” I asked in confusion, and he let out a deep breath. “Listen, Mia. I don’t see you as some commodity or asset, I see you as a human. I paid that money because I was scared you would fall into the wrong hands. You seemed so innocent and scared when you were up there, I couldn’t take any
~Ethan ~ “Good morning, Sir.” My secretary greeted me as I walked towards my office door. “Good morning, Stella,” I responded with a wide smile as I headed into my office. As expected, it was all arranged and cleaned. I placed my briefcase on my table and slammed into my chair. I let out a loud sigh as I stared at the ceiling. I replayed what went down with Mia in my head again. It wasn’t the first time since last night, it was in my head throughout the night. I couldn’t forget how perfect and smooth her body was even though I wanted to so badly. Seeing her naked drove me insane, but I couldn’t show her that. I needed her to know that I didn’t get her out of the clubhouse just to use her. I just felt the urge to make sure she was safe. Last night, I was so hard in my shorts after I saw her and I even tried to distract myself by playing games on my iPad, but that didn’t work. I had to… you know, take care of that myself. ‘I’ll forget about her body soon. I know this.’ I assure
~Mia~I woke up at 11 a.m. and that was pretty strange. I couldn’t remember the last time I had stayed asleep this late. At my Aunt Alexa’s, 5 a.m., I am up, or the next thing I’ll hear is a smack on my face. But, I guess my body has quickly adjusted to this peaceful and serene life. ‘And Mr Ethan didn’t bother to wake me up either.’ I thought as I walked into the kitchen. Getting in, I found a sticky note on the fridge. I walked closer to the fridge and took a closer look at what was written on it. “Hey, Mia. I’m off to work now. I believe everything you need for dinner is in the fridge. See you.” I read with a wide smile on my face. ‘He leaves notes too? Who can be more perfect than my boss?’ I thought as I opened the fridge, and I was stunned by how stacked the fridge was with different ingredients and vegetables. I was excited because it was only going to make cooking easier for me. ‘But, should I make dinner now? It’s still quite early…” “Grrrr! Grrr!” The doorbell cut my
~Mia~ After microwaving the whole meal, I began to carry them in a large tray to the dining room, which was on the right side of the living room. As I walked out of the kitchen, my gaze fell on Mr Cross and his girlfriend on the couch, and what I saw shocked me. Sienna was seated on top of his thighs, facing him, and her mouth, I mean, the whole of her mouth was in his. Her eyes were opened and she stared at me keenly from above the couch. I gulped hard and hastily looked away. It seemed like she wanted me to see her doing whatever she was doing to him. It wasn’t my first time seeing people make out, it was a pretty common thing in my Aunt’s clubhouse, but seeing Mr. Ethan, whom I hold in high esteem doing this… It just felt weird. Especially… with her. I took hasty steps out of the dining room and into the kitchen again to bring out the remaining dishes. Every time I entered the dining room, I saw her always looking at me. ‘I wonder what is going on in her mind.’ “Mr Cross, d
~John~I pulled into the parking lot and stepped out of my car, clutching a bouquet of roses in one hand. I adjusted my suit and shirt, my heart pounded with nervous anticipation as I approached the entrance.Pushing the door open, I paused for a moment, my eyes sweeping across the restaurant in search of her. And then, there she was—seated in a cozy corner.She spotted me and waved, her face glowing with a cheerful grin. A broad smile spread across my own face as I made my way toward her.I approached the table and set the bouquet on it. She stood, greeting me with a warm hug and a light kiss on the cheek.“Finally,” she said, her voice brimming with excitement as she sat down again.“Right.” I chuckled. “Finally. I’m so sorry you had to wait this long.” Sitting down, I picked up the bouquet and extended it to her. “These are for you.”She accepted it with a soft smile, bringing the flowers to her nose for a gentle sniff. “This is so sweet of you,” she murmured, closing her eyes as i
~Mia~“Won’t you go back to her?” I whispered as I manage to break the kiss and catch my breath. He heaved a loud sigh, his hand moving slowly under my shirt, right on top of my nipple. “I will, but I don’t want to move away from you.” he muttered, resting his forehead on mine. I was still pinned to the wall and my hands were held up high, above my head with one of his hands, while the other explored my warm, perky peaks. “You have to or she will cause another problem.” I responded sadly, “I don’t think I want to deal with her anymore, Ethan.” “You wouldn’t have to.” He responded, slowly releasing his grip on my hands and they fell to my side. I could feel slight pain in my shoulders, but I didn’t care about it. “She wouldn’t bother you anymore. I am working on a plan to end things with her for good.” He said, and my face instantly lit up.“Really?” My voice etched with hope. “Hmmm,” he nodded. “I just need a little more time. I need to prepare my mother for what is to come. If s
~Mia~We got home, and I quickly made my way to the kitchen to prepare Ethan’s welcome-back meal.I debated whether to make chicken, one of his favorite dishes, or porridge since he was still recovering. As I started cooking, John strolled into the kitchen and headed straight to the freezer for a bottle of water.“What do you think about Ethan and me?” I asked, glancing at him. He responded with a wide, mischievous grin.“I’ve been waiting for you to bring that up ever since Sienna said you were in his bed,” he said, clearly intrigued. “Did you two actually…” He gestured suggestively, driving his index finger into a circle formed by his other hand.My cheeks flushed, and I gave a slow nod. “It just happened. The night was perfect—so was the morning—until Sienna showed up,” I admitted with a sigh. “But I don’t know, Mr. John. Mrs. Cross and Sienna won’t stop until he marries her.”John nodded knowingly.“But Ethan loves me,” I added, carrying a bowl of potatoes to the sink. As I starte
~Mia~I entered the police station with Mr. John following closely behind. He had explained everything about what happened between them and the charges Charles was about to face in court. The weight of it all made me feel bad.Yes, Charles deserved every bit of the punishment coming his way for what he’d done to Mr. Ethan, but it pained me to think of him wasting years of his life in prison. For what? It wasn’t because he loved me—he didn’t. This was about his ego. And I wanted to look him in the eye and demand an answer. Why? Why had he been so brutal?Mr. John led the way to the counter where two officers were stationed. Their faces lit up with smiles the moment they saw him—it was clear he was familiar to them.“Good day, Mr. John,” one of the officers greeted.“Good day,” Mr. John replied with a smirk. “Another day, another asshole like Charles to deal with. I need a visit,” he said casually.One of the officers nodded and grabbed a large notebook. Mr. John scrawled something int
~Ethan~My eyelids felt heavy as I slowly pried them open. The bright rays of daylight pierced through, forcing me to shut them again as the sharp light triggered a jolt of pain in my head.“Ethan?” A distant voice echoed, as if pulling me from the shadows. My eyelids fluttered open again, revealing a blurry figure hovering beside me.“Doctor! He’s awake!” The voice called out, sharper this time, filled with relief. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here.”A warm hand gripped mine firmly. That voice—it struck a chord deep within me. A faint smile tugged at my lips as recognition blossomed. Even in the depths of unconsciousness, her voice and smile had lingered in my mind.“Mia?” I croaked, blinking rapidly to clear my vision. The haziness subsided, and my heart sank with disappointment.It wasn’t her.Instead, Sienna stood by my bedside, and, to make matters worse, my mother was beside her, worry etched into her face.“Really?” Sienna’s tone dripped with disdain. “Mia? That’s the name you re
~Mia~"I need to go. Now." I brushed away the tears clouding my vision and bolted toward the door.Before I could get far, Sienna lunged at me again, her hand poised for another slap. This time, I caught her wrist mid-swing."If I were you, I’d think twice about that," I growled, my teeth clenched. I didn’t know how much more of her nonsense I could take.She wasn’t supposed to find out—not like this. Not yet. But she had walked into Ethan’s room while I was still in his bed, and now she was a rabid storm of fury.Part of me wanted to rub it in her face, to tell her how Ethan was utterly, hopelessly in love with me. But I couldn’t. Not when he’d begged me to keep it a secret."Let go of me!" she spat, her voice like venom."Get off me, Sienna!" I barked, shoving her back. "I don’t have time for this. Ethan’s in trouble, and he needs me."Her anger momentarily flickered into confusion. "Wh-what do you mean? Ethan’s in trouble?" she stammered."I need to get to the hospital," I said, al
~John~I waited in the bar where Ethan and I had planned to meet, glancing at the clock as the minutes dragged on. It was starting to feel strange—Ethan was never late, not even for casual meet-ups. If something came up, he’d always text or call beforehand.“What’s holding him up?” I wondered, my stomach knotting with worry. I reached for my phone, about to unlock it, when his name lit up my screen. Relief flooded through me as I answered.“Bruh!” I exhaled, half-laughing, half-scolding. “I thought you bailed on me or forgot we were meeting.”“John, listen.” His voice was low and urgent, slicing through my relief like a knife. “I think I’m being followed.”That serious tone yanked me into full alertness. “Where are you right now?” I asked, already pulling out my second phone to dial 911.“I’m stalling near that creepy close—the one that always freaks us out.”“What?!” My voice shot up as I bolted upright, weaving through the bar’s growing noise. “Why the hell would you go there if som
~Charles~I stared at my phone, a smirk tugging at my lips. The post had blown up just as I expected. ‘Who doesn’t love this kind of drama?’ I thought, scrolling through the flood of comments.“You’re mad, bro,” Liam said as he strolled into my room, his phone in hand. He already knew I was the mastermind behind the anonymous post.I chuckled, shrugging with pride. “Well, she’s been acting distant, ignoring my calls and messages. What else was I supposed to do?”“She probably caught wind of your plan. Remember, she went to the changing room looking for you,” he said, dropping into my gaming chair with a thud.“Yeah, that’s my guess too,” I replied smugly, still glued to the screen. “But she’s not the type to just ghost me. Nah, I always come out on top.” I scrolled through another comment and smirked. “The whole school’s gonna see her for who she really is.”“But one thing’s bugging me—how did you even find all that dirt on her? She never talks about personal stuff,” Liam said, his ton
~Mia~‘Bzzz! Bzzz!’ My phone’s vibration jolted me awake. Groaning softly, I groped blindly on the bedside table, trying to find it.With half-closed eyes, I grabbed the phone and answered, pressing it against my ear as my lids slid shut again.“Hello,” I mumbled, shielding my eyes with my hand.“Mia?”My eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice. I bolted upright. “Hello?”“Aunt Alexa?” I stammered, stunned. I hadn’t expected to ever hear from her again. ‘Why is she calling me now?’“You’re there!” Her upbeat voice practically burst through the speaker. “For a moment, I thought the call had dropped. How are you?”“I’m... fine, Aunt,” I replied, furrowing my brows.“I know this is sudden,” she said, her tone brisk, “but I don’t have time to explain everything right now. Can you swing by the club today?”“The club?” I repeated, my voice tinged with confusion. “What’s going on at the club?”Before she could answer, the door creaked open, and Ethan walked in carrying a tray. On it were