Ivory’s PovI grabbed the stranger's hand, and he followed me. "Careful," he said, "Don't trip." Something about that sounded funny and I let out a soft laughter. I didn't realize how drunk I was— too drunk to walk without staggering. "Okay, let's stop and think for a moment." Alec said"What's there to think about?" I asked, "Don't you wanna make a baby?""Oh, I want to.” He replied with a smirk, “I just don't think we can make it to bed if you trip and fall." "I can walk just fine, look." Letting go of his hand, I took a few unsteady steps, trying to prove him wrong. But before I could get far, I lost balance, falling backward— straight into Alec’s arms.He laughed. "I can't help it, are you always this cute?""I'm embarrassing," I replied, the weight of my reality crashing back into my mind."I'm weak, and shy, and vulnerable, and embarrassing..." Before I could finish, I felt a hand on my arm, tight and firm, yanking me away from Alec. I snapped my gaze up to find Arlo sta
Arlo’s POVWhat do you do when your heart plays games on you? What do you do when you’re losing your mind? When Lori texted—the real Lori— I feared I might drop dead from excitement of seeing her again. I feared I wouldn’t be able to look at her without wanting to kiss her. Hold her. And tell her how much I missed her. Because of those fears, I sought for Ivory’s help. I married her to keep me in check. To remind me that Lori was wrong for me.Those were my thoughts. Those were my reasons. But when I saw Lori, seated on my couch across the room; when she finally resurfaced and our eyes met for the first time in four years. I realized I’d feared for nothing.I hated the way she sat on my couch. I hated that she looked down on Ivory. I hated her cunning and deceitful smile. I hated her brazen attitude, the way she carried herself like she still owned me. I hated her hair, her indecent clothes, her poise— the lack of warmth in them. Hated her audaciousness to waltzed back into
AUTHOR’s NOTEThank you for following the story up to this chapter. I will now be using third POV for the story and only interchanging to Arlo and Ivory’s POV when necessary. Thank you for understanding.AUTHOR’s POVThe one disadvantage of being human is our inability to know what the other is thinking. The inability to understand the real reason for some silences, some frowns and some gazes. Arlo had it all— the fame, the money, the respect, not to mention the beauty. He had it all. The one thing he lacked was the ability to decipher his feelings before it was too late. Perhaps it was the way he grew up. Losing his mother at a young age to grow up with a father who basically buried himself in work to suppress his grief, Arlo had little to no knowledge of his own emotions.And there, right there was his flaw. The one flaw Lori could manipulate to her advantage. Just as Arlo could see through her fierce facade, Lori could see through his eyes. She knew when his heart was playi
Meanwhile, Ivory had also come up with her own plan. The next morning, the mansion awoke before its master as usual. While Arlo Covelli slept on, Ivory Hollis… now Ivory Covelli arose as early as dawn and began to prepare for the day ahead. Her plans for the day were neatly arranged in her mind. She was going to kill her feelings for Arlo Covelli. “Having this feelings isn’t doing me any good,” she thought to herself, “If I don’t have them killed, they’ll kill me.” With that thought, she intentionally turned on the cold water shower as if she expected the cold water to wash off whatever tingles remained from their passionate time last night. She wanted the flutters that came with the memories of last night gone. She wanted them all gone. But every time she got close to suppressing them, his voice echoed in her head. “You take me so well Lori.” “The fuck?!” She spat, “I took him well, and he was praising Lori?” Sitting at the mirror in the room, applying the finishing to
His mind was made up. Without fully understanding why the need to find her consumed him. He grabbed his infamous Tommy Shelby hat— a classic piece that complimented his mission of the day. He slipped into his tailored double breasted black suit, the material smooth and rich, hugging his frame like it was made for him only. The black shirt underneath added a sleek, dangerous edge to his appearance yet remained effortlessly classy.As he stepped out of his room, Willis was already waiting, dressed in a grey suit of an equal luxurious degree. Both men exuded an air of elegance, completely overdressed for a simple mission of going and grabbing.However, Arlo was surprised to find him already waiting and ready. In the past, Willis made no offer to follow him to find Lori. He flatly refused. “You don’t need to come with me,” Arlo urged, “I can find her myself.”“What if she refuses to go with you. From our recent experiences, she hasn’t exactly been eager to follow you home.”Arlo scoff
Chapter 33Ivory froze at the threshold, her heart skipping a beat.“Honey?” The word echoed in her mind. Damian never called her honey so he couldn’t be talking to her. The unspoken question was answered when a woman’s laughter rang from inside the house, light and familiar— painfully mocking too.The hairs in Ivory’s neck stood up, a feeling of disgust churning her stomach.For a moment she considered turning and leaving, but she wasn’t here for closure. She was here to retrieve what belonged to her.She hesitated for a bit, then forced her feet to follow Damian inside. Her heels clicked differently here, it was no longer the confident echo it had been at the office. It was now filled with uncertainty and an unfamiliar rush of memories. There she was. The woman Ivory once called her best friend— the same woman who had cheated with Damian, shattering every dream she had.“What’s with them and sitting on the couch legs crossed?” She scoffed, remembering a similar scene with Lori
The absurdity in thinking that a simple phone call was enough to threaten her made Ivory laugh.She was going to stay away from Arlo mot because she said it, but because he wasn't good for her. As she thought about it, the anger she was trying to ignore kept gnawing at her. "So they realized I left, yet no one has called? Not even Willis?"Every day, Arlo worked hard to prove that Julian was right, which means he fired her for speaking the truth."I guess he's like that," Ivory shrugged, "He hates to face the truth."But she wasn't going to be like that, she was in fact already facing the truth. "If no one loves me, I will love myself." That was her resolve. That was the resolve that brought her to Greenville. She needed her degree for work, but ehat would she do if those bastards won't let her have it?Arlo's father finally opened his after what seemed like forever. He was surprised to find his son, seated by his side, hopelessly staring into his phone."What's wrong, son?" The ma
Both Willis and Lori were taken aback. Lori blinked in disbelief, the words lingering in the air as it sank slowly to her mind.“Me…?” She pointed to herself as if she couldn’t believe Arlo was talking to her.“Is there any other person in this room, Lori? Yes, you. Now go get dressed.” He bit back.As Lori stormed out of the room, her hate for Ivory increased. “Arlo found her cheap ass and now thinks he can order me around?”As she shut the door behind her, the pale room made her even more upset— a reminder of her displacement in Arlo’s life.She used to live in the room next door, now it was off limits?“Huh,” she scoffed angrily, “I’m going to make her pay. I’m going to take back my place…”She paused, a new idea striking at the same time. “This is an opportunity to take back my place…”But did she really want the place? “No,” she shrugged, “This is an opportunity to make money.”With that, she stormed back to the study where Arlo was seen pacing around like a caged animal.“Wha