SCARLETT'S POV.The moment Luca's lips touched mine, I melted into a puddle. My knees had gone weak and I feared they were going to buckle soon if I wasn't careful. Damn. The man knew how to kiss. He made sure that he ravaged my mouth with intensity, showing me with the kiss just how much he really wanted me. From my face, his hands travelled to my spine and then all the way back up to my hair and then he pulled. Shit, the force of the action caused a sting, but it was sweet. The pain was delicious. I loved it. He continued to kiss my mouth like his life depended on it until he decided that he'd had enough of it and wanted to taste my neck. Once his mouth touched there, I straight up melted into him, to the point he had to hold me up. "Woah," he laughed, amsued. "I haven't even touched you. You don't even know all the things I have planned for you.""Stop being cocky and kiss me," I demanded, pulling him back to my mouth and he let out a satisfactory growl."You're so damn sexy,
SCARLETT'S POV."There's nothing we can do, Scar, you have to marry him."My heart shattered into a million pieces immediately I heard that, and I felt my breathing cut short as I stared at both my parents in shock.I blocked out everything my mother was saying as I pondered what everything they'd just said meant for me. I was going to have to get married to one of the most ruthless billionaire's in the country all because of some stupid debt my father owed? No way. I wasn't going to allow this to happen to me. There was no way I was going to marry Luca Nicholas. "No way," my body finally swung into action and I got up from my seat. "I'm not marrying that monster, you can't do this to me."Dad heaved a frustrated huge sigh and said, "Scarlett we know this might sound too much for you, but I want you to know that I've thought about this properly before making my decision. There's no other way—""You can't tell me that, Dad," I cut him off sharply, forgetting my manners. "Can't we th
SCARLETT'S POV. My heart was pounding so loud, I thought it was going to burst right out of my chest. I couldn't believe this was actually happening. Why had fate decided to play such a sick game on me like this? With shaking hands, I looked up at the men standing beside Luca and their faces were far from nice. "What are you going to do to me?" I asked, lips trembling. Luca didn't say anything, he just kept staring at me with a cold, hard expression on his face. I could see the anger in his eyes, and I knew that he was furious.Soon my whole body started to shake with fear. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't move. Couldn't speak. I was just frozen in place.Luca took a step towards me and when I looked hard, I saw that he was holding a gun. He pointed it at one of the men behind him, using it to motion for them to get Henry out. Quickly the men opened the door and pulled him out. Henry tried to fight back, but they were too strong. They dragged him out of the car, threw him to
SCARLETT'S POV.My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. The room around me was unfamiliar, the air heavy with silence. Panic prickled at the edges of my consciousness, gradually seeping into my veins. How did I end up here? Then, like a cracking dam, the memories came rushing back.A surge of horror filled my chest as I took in my surroundings. The room was vast, adorned with opulent decorations that oozed with extravagance. Gold accents glistened against the dim lighting, and the air smelled of stale perfume and dominance. My gaze shifted downwards, and I froze.I was tied to a large bed, my wrists tightly bound by ropes that dug into my skin. Fear gripped me, squeezing my throat, as realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. Luca had trapped me in his house, a prisoner of his whims, and there was no escaping his clutches.With each passing moment, the reality sunk deeper, swallowing me whole. I began to scream, raw, guttural cries that tore th
SCARLETT'S POV.The sound of the knife hitting the floor echoed throughout the room, and next came the loud gasp from the old housekeeper. I fell lifeless back onto the bed and then the horror of what I'd just been about to do dawned on me. I had just been on the verge of stabbing myself because of this man. What the hell had come over me?I felt disappointed in myself as I thought about how everything I'd worked for in life would have all gone to waste if I hadn't stopped myself. Not only that, Dad and Mum would have been disappointed in me too if they found out that I'd given up just like that.I mean, there was still my dream of finishing college and then going to law school. Then there was my small cake business that had recently started blowing up, and there was Kevin. I couldn't take my life until I was certain that he was actually dead. And for some reason I just had faith in him still being life. All in all, what I'm saying is it was very unlike me. Suicide? Hell no. I was
LUCA'S POV. I was having the most fun I'd ever had in my entire life, and it was all thanks to the Damiens. Call me crazy but the looks on their faces as I tormented them made my heart swell with pride and satisfaction.It was funny to me, how dumb they thought I was. Did they really think they could hide their daughter away from me and I would just watch them—doing nothing? No way. From the moment I'd called Ramson and informed him that I'd be visiting their house to talk about the marriage, I'd known that he'd try to act smart. And I was very ready for anything they tried to do. A smirk formed on my face as I watched Scarlett's eyes widen when my boys brought her boyfriend in. She looked beyond shocked at first but then she sighed, relieved that he was still alive. She'd really believed I'd killed him, huh? She was completely wrong though, I knew I was a ruthless man but never in my life would I have thought of killing someone. Even when I'd pointed the gun at her back then, I h
SCARLETT'S POV.The deal had been sealed in the end. And now there was no going back. I was going to be Luca's wife until my dad could afford to pay back the shit load of money he owned him. At least that part, I'd seen very clearly stated in the contract. The rest of it, I hadn't paid attention because I really wasn't interested.All I'd been thinking about while signing those papers was how my life had gone to this, and how I could no longer be with the one I loved. Kevin and I had met at a coffee shop back in my neighbourhood, and I didn't like to believe in connections and all that but I could swear that from the moment we locked eyes, we'd immediately developed a connection.I wasn't one who liked dating and all that, so I'd been single since middle school, but then there was something about Kevin that I hadn't seen in other guys. He was cute, funny, romantic, and overally just a nice guy—just everything I'd wanted in a man. And so it didn't take time for me to accept him as my
LUCA'S POV.I got up the next morning with a large smile on my face, feeling satisfied with the events of yesterday. However when I got to the shower, the loud music I heard had my lips curving into a frown. What the fuck? Who the hell was playing such loud music?I quickly brushed my teeth and put on some decent clothes before making my way out of the room and following the sound of the music. I finally traced the sound to the room I'd designated to Scarlett and immediately I felt my blood boil.I knew there was no way she'd known, but I hated music with a burning passion. It had been ever since I was fifteen and my dad died. My father used to love music so much that he'd once attempted to go into it professionally, but sadly when he got to meet some people in the industry, he changed his mind. And finally the music buddies he'd made ended up being the reason why he was gone.They'd all ganged up on him and ended his life by putting some harsh chemicals in his drink at a party he'd
SCARLETT'S POV.The moment Luca's lips touched mine, I melted into a puddle. My knees had gone weak and I feared they were going to buckle soon if I wasn't careful. Damn. The man knew how to kiss. He made sure that he ravaged my mouth with intensity, showing me with the kiss just how much he really wanted me. From my face, his hands travelled to my spine and then all the way back up to my hair and then he pulled. Shit, the force of the action caused a sting, but it was sweet. The pain was delicious. I loved it. He continued to kiss my mouth like his life depended on it until he decided that he'd had enough of it and wanted to taste my neck. Once his mouth touched there, I straight up melted into him, to the point he had to hold me up. "Woah," he laughed, amsued. "I haven't even touched you. You don't even know all the things I have planned for you.""Stop being cocky and kiss me," I demanded, pulling him back to my mouth and he let out a satisfactory growl."You're so damn sexy,
SCARLETT'S POV. THREE HOURS LATER. The party had started to get heated. People were popping in from every corner now. And the place started to get a bit crowded and tight. Many had decided to go out to the garden but it still felt like we were at a concert or something. It had been a bad choice Matt had made to organise the party at the house. The set-up was beautiful no doubt but it was becoming too suffocating. Or maybe it was just my body's reaction to Luca sitting beside me on our table.The rest of the guest looked like they didn't mind at all. Maybe it was just me actually. "So, how has therapy been?" Luca's voice sounded so close to my ear and I practically jumped in my seat, embarassing myself further. "It's been really good," I smiled tightly. "Uhh... The therapist has been really good and understanding. I-I feel like a totally different person now."I could remember giving him the same response some time ago when he'd asked. Shit. Why was I acting that way?And where t
SCARLETT'S POV. Abby arrived not long after and after we were both done getting ready and checking each other out, we said goodbye to mum and headed for the venue in an Uber. Matt's two storey house was flooded with people when we got in, it was crazy that the guy knew that much people. "Shit, this is way more than I expected," Abby said, looking around the garden that was filled with several cooperate looking people. "Yeah thank god that you convinced me to wear this dress," I said, looking at the dresses of the other women aroun. It was like we'd come for some sort of fashion show or something. "Exactly why you should always trust my opinions," she smiled, smoothing down the skirt of her royal blue dress. She looked amazing actually in that dress and her hair slicked back. We both looked amazing actually. "Come on let's go inside," I pulled her hand and we both walked with our heads held high into the house where soft music was playing from the speakers. "Sheesh, nice design,
SCARLETT'S POV.FIVE MONTHS LATER. This was the fifth time I'd checked my appearance out in the mirror and I was still nervous. God, why did the thought of him still make me so nervous? I finally made up my mind that I looked really good in the dress. It was a red dress that Abby had picked out for me two weeks after I'd been discharged from the hospital. It had been crazy expensive and I'd wanted to abandon it because I couldn't pay, but then Abby had offered to pay, saying that it was a gift to me, celebrating my release from the hospital and the fact that I could finally walk on my own two feet. I'd been discharged from the hospital way earlier than the doctor had expected. The doctor had told us that my case was very special and unusual, and he'd never seen anything quite like it before. He'd made sure that I'd spent another two weeks extra in the hospital just to make sure that there were no further complications. And finally after a whole month and a half of being in the hosp
LUCA'S POV.After Belle left I stayed for a while outside, watching the sky as it got darker and darker. I kept thinking about Isabella and dad, and everything that had happened, but this time I found that the more I thought about it, the more I started to see Belle's point clearly. That was the problem, I was holding onto the pain and bitterness for too long, I didn't even know how to stop doing it. I'd thought I was ready let it all go for Scarlett, but today had made me realise that there was still a part of me that wanted to be mad at her, at somebody for everything. It wasn't fair at all to Scarlett. She didn't deserve to get hate for something that she knew nothing about. After a little more time reflecting, I slapped my palms and decided that I had to go talk to her. About everything. Just let it all out. And see where we can go from there. I made my way back to the room where I saw Marilyn and Scarlett hugging from the glass doors. Abby just stood watching them with tears i
LUCA'S POV. On getting outside, I bumped into a nurse that was carrying a tray and we both let out string of curses. "Shit I'm sorry," I said, getting down to help her pick up her tray. "I'm so sorry."She picked up the last piece of equipment and looked up at me. "It's fine. Why are you in such a hurry anyways? Is the hospital on fire?"I turned down my lips. "No of course not.""Then why did you almost knock me all the way to hell?" She asked, smirking. "And why do you look like a wounded puppy?""I'm just in a really shitty mood, I don't even know how to feel," I said, wondering after I'd said it, why. Why did I just tell her that? The nurse balanced her tray and gave me a look of sympathy. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" I thought about it for a long while and decided, "no, not everything at least."The nurse smiled. She had such kind eyes and an equally kind smile, funny enough, she kind of reminded me of Isabella so much. They had so much similarities in their facial
LUCA'S POV. I wasn't sure if I'd heard properly. Had Marilyn just talked about Isabella? Isabella, my sister. How the heck did she get to know."How did you?" I started but then trailed off, stunned. "You know about Isabella?""Yes I do," Marilyn offered me a sad smile. "Wait... Isabella?"Scarlett questioned, she and her friend looking completely lost. "That's... What did he to her?"I couldn't respond. I couldn't say anything more actually. It was like my throat had gone completely tight and no sound could come out. What the heck was with that reaction?"What he did to all the other girls," Marilyn answered. "She used to work as an intern at the company, and your dad he... h-he was abusing her for the longest time.""Fuck," Scarlett gasped, voice shaking. "How? W-why was she? Oh my God... Dad is such an asshole."Abby looked horrified by the news too, she went over to offer Scarlett some comfort when she saw the was her friend was reacting. This was not good for Scarlett. She didn
LUCA'S POV. "Thanks so much for your time, officer," I reached out to shake hands with Raymond and he reciprocated. "It was my pleasure," he smiled. "I'm kinda pissed though, that that turned out so easy."I smirked at him, thinking the same. "Yeah, that was a waste of so much planning. I thought I was going to get my movie scene moment, but I guess not ..."Raymond chuckled. "Go back to your wife now. You don't want to miss anything, do you?""Yeah, sure I don't," I threw him a salute. "I'll see you when I see you then."I was about to leave but then he stopped me by saying,"Hey hold up."I turned around and rose an eyebrow. "What's up?"He gave me a weird look. "Aren't you a little bothered about what happened though, I mean you guys are related because of Scarlett.""What do you mean?""Ramson Damien?" He questioned. "You haven't heard yet? He's been arrested after several charges that have been pressed against him.""What?" I gasped. "How the fuck did I not hear of that yet?""
LUCA'S POV. "Why are you not scared?" Penelope asked, eyeing me from head to toe. I just shrugged. "You're not really very scary now that I know you're the one.""But you saw what I did to Scarlett," she sounded really pissed. "Wasn't that scary enough for you? I'm pointing a fucking gun to your head actually.""Yeah, I know," I stuffed my hands into my pocket and bounced on my toes. "I'm still not scared of you or that guy. Who is he anyways? Your lapdog?"The guy behind her growled at that and came towards me so fast to throw a punch. He landed the blow, but immediately he did, I got mad and decided that I could actually beat the shit out of him.He landed another blow to my cheek and then he tried again, but I dodged and realised that if I wanted to have the upper hand, I had to find a way to take him down. "You stop that now, tiger," Penelope warned, pointing the gun at the two of us, confused. I used the opportunity I got once the guy turned to look at her to my advantage. Ti