I didn't want to stay here anymore. I wanted to leave but I couldn’t do that. If I leave there will be consequences. So I stood in the same corner looking at Nicolas who was busy laughing with Ava.
I felt a presence next to me, and when I saw it was an unknown person I frowned. “Hello Aria, how are you?”“Do I know you?” I questioned the stranger“No, you don’t but I know you.” He smiled, forwarding his hand for me to shake. I was hesitant but reluctantly shook his hand. I felt a fierce gaze on me and when I turned Nicolas was glaring daggers at me. I gulped but immediately withdrew my hand from the man’s hand.“I’m Eric Johnson by the way.” I looked at the man who was looking at me with the same smile. I forced a smile and nodded my head.“How do you know me?” I wondered who and what this stranger wanted with me.“Oh, I completely forgot.” He smacked his head as if he couldn't believe he had forgotten something so important. “I am Mr Anthony Lorenzo’s assistant.” My eyes widened at that. Anthony Lorenzo was one the owners of one the richest empires in the country.The Lorenzos are considered royalty just as the Kings. But why was this man talking to me? As if reading my expression he continued.“Oh, remember the jewellery piece you made for Mr. Lorenzo. He loved it so much and he wanted you to make a few more designs for them.” He said with a grin.“What? Really?” I said with an excited smile. The design I made for Mr Lorenzo was one of my best designs. It took nearly five months to perfect the design. It was a huge project for our company and it gave us really good exposure.“Yes, and he wants to meet with you so that he can discuss further details.” I still felt the burning gaze on the side of my face. When I turned around Nicolas was glaring daggers at me. If looks could kill I would have benb dead by now. I felt a shiver run down my spine. “Aria,” Eric called.I broke eye contact with him and focused my attention on Eric. “Yes, yes. I’m sorry. what were you saying.”“Mr.Lorenzo wants to have a meeting with you whenever you are free. What do you say?”“That would be a great honour for me, Mr.Johnson. I will ask the manger of my company to contact you regarding the meeting.” I assured him.“That won't be necessary, Mr. Lorenzo asked me to personally give you his number. So that you can contact him directly.” Saying that he pulled a card from his suit jacket and gave it to me.“This is his contact information. Don't forget to call him okay.” I nodded, feeling giddy inside at the prospect of working for someone like Mr. Lorenzo. They are one of the noble families in the country if I worked with them and word got out it would be a huge boost for my career.“I will call him Mr.Johnson.” I smiled. He nodded and I was about to say something when I was interrupted by a cold voice.“Mr. Johnson, What a pleasant surprise,” Nicolas spoke from behind me. I stiffened, why is he interrupting my conversations?“Mr. King!” Eric exclaimed, forwarding his hand to shake Nicolas’s. I was avoiding eye contact. I don't want to look at him. I just want this night to end as peacefully as possible. Nicolas shook his hand but I felt his hard gaze on me.“I was just talking to Aria here.” Eric smiled at me.“Aria huh,” Nicolas said with a dangerous tone. I looked at him but he was already glaring at me. I gulped.“Yes, she is amazing. I was just discussing her designs.” Nicolas nodded but his attention was still on me.“I don’t think her designs or her company are that good to be discussed, Mr.Johnson.” I gasped at his statement. Tears immediately gathered in my eyes as my chest squeezed painfully. Because he was the one who encouraged me to go after my dream and always said my designs were the best.Now he is stating my designs are not that good. “Mr.King, what are you saying? Aria is the best; she is wasting her potential in her present company. If she wasn’t so adamant about not leaving her company I would have hired her in our company.”“I don’t think that's-” Before he could finish Nicolas’s bodyguard called him.“Sir, Mrs. King is requesting your presence at the table, and dinner is about to start.” Nicolas glared at me one last time and walked away from there. I wiped my sweaty hands down my dress taking a shaky breath.“Don’t worry about whatever he said about you, Aria. He is a complete asshole. He only cares about himself and his family.” Eric glared at Nicolas’s retreating.“It’s okay Mr.Johnson. I don’t mind.” I forced a smile. He nodded.“Okay, then I will take my leave now. Don’t forget to call Mr.Lorenzo.” He said, shaking my hand. I nodded as he walked away. I placed the champagne glass down and walked towards the restroom.After I was done with my business I was retouching my make-up when the flung opened. I was startled and looked to see Ava Brown standing there with a menacing expression on her face. She walked in and locked the bathroom door.“What are you doing?” I asked, the confusion evident in my voice.“Aria Williams.” She smirked. “How are you holding up? Must be hard to break up with your boyfriend and to have a family that doesn’t want you.” She looked at me with a mocking pity expression.“How dare you talk about my boyfriend and relationship.” I sneered. I knew she was not the goody two shoes she pretended to be.“Your boyfriend huh? A peasant like you can never be Nicolas’s girlfriend. He is mine and will always be mine. I made the mistake of rejecting him in the past but now I’m back and I’m going to take my rightful place as his, the King Enterprises owner’s wife.” She sneered.“I know you are not the innocent woman you pretend to be. You just want Nicolas now because he decided to take over King Enterprises.” I said, looking at her in disgust.“It doesn't matter. I am here and I will take my rightful place, so I suggest staying away from things and people that are out of your league.” I shook my head.“Talking with you is a waste of time and you can do whatever you want.” I tried to walk away but she held my hand in a bruising grip.“Remember I will make your life a living hell if you try to come near Nicolas again. Do you understand? Don't test me.” She warned in a chilling tone. I looked at her to see if she was serious and I saw nothing but hatred and disgust in her eyes which made me somewhat fearful.“Nicolas is my boyfriend, you can't tell me to stay away from him. Yes, we are in a rough patch right but we will eventually solve it. So you are the one who should stay away from him. You are the other woman in our relationship right now.” I spoke, mustering the strength I didn't feel.In a swift move, she lunged forward and grabbed my throat stopping my air supply. I struggled to breathe as I tried to break free of her hold but she only tightened her finger around my throat.“Listen here you little bitch, you a whore who seduced him, he took pity on you and encouraged you and fucked around with you because he was bored. But that ended the day you fuck around with other men. He hates you right now but mark my words I will make him so disgusted with you that he can't even stand your sight that he will be ready to kill you.”I was struggling to breathe all the while she spoke. My nails scratched her hands still her hold didn't loosen around my neck.“L—let go” I wheezed out trying my best to push her away.“If I kill you right now no one is going to bat an eye because you are nobody. Not even that useless father of yours will fight for you. You are all alone so stay the fuck away from me and my man before I kill you and throw you in the river.”She pushed me so roughly that I fell against the counter and the sharp edges hit my ribs. A breathless gasp escaped my mouth at the pain that shot through my whole body. She looked at me one final time and walked away while tried to control my breath.It was a week after the anniversary and I am currently in my office bathroom trying to control my breathing as I have just puked my guts out for the fourth time since morning.“Are you okay in there Aria?” Bella, my friend asked in concern. I washed my face and slowly made my way out of the bathroom. Bella approached and placed a hand on my forehead. “Aria, you’ve been like this since the past week. You are going to the hospital today and I don't know what excuses you make, you are going, that's it.” “I think it’s time I need to go to the hospital. Tomorrow I have a meeting with Mr. Lorenzo and I can’t go on like this.” I said as we started walking towards our cubicles. “Thank god! Let's go now Since we don’t have any work.” I nodded and we both collected our things after informing our manager we left for the hospital.In the hospital Bella and I wait patiently in the waiting area for my turn. “Aria Williams.” I stood up and walked inside the examination room.Inside, a pretty doct
I gulped as the doctor gave me all the instructions for what to do and what not to do. I was barely listening because I was panicking at the prospect of carrying not one but two kids inside me. “Aria you need to be careful. Follow a proper diet and make sure you are taking your prenatals properly, okay?” “Okay, doctor I will,” I said. After that Bella and I walked out of her office. Bella was talking nonstop about what to do next. But I was barely paying any attention as I was panicking over how I was going to do this alone and that too in my father’s house. As we reached the entrance of the hospital we were greeted by the last people I wanted to see right now. I stopped dead in my tracks when I noticed Nicolas and Ava standing outside the hospital talking about something. But they stopped talking as soon as they saw me. “Look if it isn't a cheating whore.” Ava sneered looking at me. I glared at her. “Ava you don’t know shit so I would suggest you stay the fuck away from me.” I sn
“Let me go, you are hurting me.” I whimpered when guards dragged me into an old-looking building. “What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” I tried to pull away but the guard who I never saw with Nicolas slapped me hard.“You bitch. Just shut your trap. I don't want any noise coming from you or else I will be very hard on you.” he sneered. I cowered away from him.He dragged me into a room where already two men were sitting. “Boss, you are here. Who is this?” the shorter one amongst the two asked licking his lips as he levered at me.“Boys she is our special guest, she was sent here by our boss and we have to take extra care of her, okay?” he said with a cruel smile.“Yes boss.” the men replied in unison and burst out laughing. “We were paid so much money to just teach you a lesson. You know that.” The guard who brought me here sniffed my hair. “Did Nicolas tell me to bring me here?” I asked, praying that Nicolas wasn’t behind this. He can not be this cruel.“Of course who else
“I want to break up with you.” Those are the first words I heard from my boyfriend of a year after not seeing each other for two weeks. The love of my life. “ What!? Are you serious? Why would you say something like that Nicolas?” I cried. But he just looked at me with angry eyes.“ Don't touch me with your disgusting hands.” He jerked away from me. “I don't want to see your face ever again.”******Three Hours earlier.I had been waiting for my boyfriend Nicolas King to come pick me up from my house for our weekly date. We have been dating for a year now and we have been inseparable since we started dating. I met Nicolas when he came to my half-sister's birthday party. He was my sister’s best friend and they are still best friends.I walked down the stairs carefully so I didn't make any noise. My father Peter Williams and my stepmother Rachel Williams are sitting in the living room talking about something.If they found out I was going out with Nicolas there would be hell to pay. I
It was after two hours that there was a knock on my door. I wiped my tears and slowly walked up to the door and opened it to see Natalie standing with a plate of food and an evil smirk on her face. “I was already to break you guys up but it looks like I don't have to do anything. Nicolas looks like he hates you and is done with your bullshit.” She sneered. As I continued looking at her not understanding what was happening.“You know what just happened down there, Nicolas asked not to call you for dinner because he couldn’t digest the food with you sitting there.” She laughed maniacally.“Why do you have to be so cruel? I never said or did anything to you.” I questioned with a raised voice feeling frustrated with all the things that had been going on.“You being born is the biggest mistake you ever made. You shouldn’t have come into our life and most importantly you took something that was mine since I knew what love was. You took Nicolas from me and I will never forgive you for that.
He wrapped his hand around my throat and pushed me against the wall. “I didn't end us, you did. You couldn't keep your legs closed. If all you wanted was someone to fuck I would have done that. You were going to Jackson to fuck right. Let me do that. Why go somewhere else? I'm right here.” He pushed me into the bed roughly and climbed on top of me. He started kissing my neck aggressively as I tried to push him while he held my hands above my head.“Nico, no. Stop, why are you doing this? Let me go.” I screamed as tears streamed down my face. “Did you ask him to let you go while he was fucking you?” He growled. I shook my head. As his hand started to wander over my body.“No no no please stop. Stop.” I sobbed trying to push him off me. He froze above me, then pushed himself off me while cursing.“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He ran a hand down his face. While I pulled myself in a foetal position. This was the first time I saw Nico’s anger and it truly scared me. He was always so sweet and kind
It has been a week. A week of hell. A week of humiliation. After the day at the office, I tried calling Nicolas many times but he has not answered a single call or text. I went to his house three times and I was escorted out of the house three times by the same staff that would greet me warmly when I used to come over in the past.My situation at my house is not any different. Natalie and Rachel have gone brusque as they learn that Ava has returned. The day I came back from the office after finding out Ava returned, the whole house was trashed.Natalie was hysterical and Rachel was not able to stop her. But as soon as she saw me all her anger was directed at me.“This is all because of you. If you hadn't come in my way I would have been with Nicolas and that bitch Ava would have never returned.” She shrieked as she came at me. I tried to back away but Rachel was standing right behind me. “Where do you think you are going?” Rachel asked as she gripped my hair in a painful hold.“Nata
As if feeling my gaze on him Nicolas turned towards me. He looked at me with a cold expression. I continued staring at him until he reached my father. He completely ignored me. The King family and the Brown family followed them. My father greeted both Ava and Nicolas and their family while I stood watching them like an outsider.“How are you, Ava? You’ve been gone for long and now you are back.” Rachel talked to Ava with a fake sweet smile.“I’m good Mrs Williams, it's good to be back,” Ava replied. “By the way, where is your other daughter Mr Williams?”“Oh, she is right here. Come here Aria.” My father acknowledged my presence for the first time.I stood rooted in my place not knowing what to do. My walked towards me and pushed me gently towards the group. Seeing Nicolas after two whole weeks brought a new kind of pain.“Don't do something to embarrass me or William's family.” My father hissed in my ear. As I was standing next to them all of them looked at me with condescending lo