Arlo’s POVIf Willis was right that she wasn’t Lori, then she and Lori had one thing in common— running.For a moment, my conviction wavered. Her last words terrified me. The sincerity was apparent, but what caught me off guard was the tear that rolled down her face as she closed her eyes.If she really wasn’t Lori, then why did I feel the same way for her? Why was I anxious when I found her hospital bed empty? Why am I falling deeper into her eyes? Why?I, in fact, didn’t want to think even for a second that the person standing in front of me wasn’t Lori. She was Lori, and if she wasn’t, I’d make her.“Let’s go home, pet.” I said.My heart tightened as I saw her small hands fold into a fist, frustration was written all over her face, coupled with fatigue and pain.I did wrong. That was too extreme. I shouldn’t have terrified her like that. She swallowed hard, her eyes flickering over my shoulders. “I…” she stammered, “I’ll go with Willis,” An unfamiliar feeling stabbed my chest, p
Arlo’s POVSlowly, really slowly, Lori reached for the diamond ring. Her hands trembling slightly. Once she took the cold metal, my heart threatened to leap out of my chest. Even though this wasn’t the kind of engagement I imagined, I was confident that I could make Lori remember me. I would make her learn to love me again. “Here,” I said, throwing a document on the table. “What’s this?” She asked.“I’ve learnt that nothing about you can be trusted. So we must have a bit of a deal.” Lori picked up the paper, skimming through it. “A marriage contract?!” She exclaimed.“There’s more,” I answered, rather indifferently. Lori’s gaze flickered from the paper to me as I handed her another paper, patiently awaiting another exclamation. But nothing came. I looked up and found her staring at the paper with parted lips. “Is… is this for real?” She stuttered, not tearing her gaze from the paper.“It is real.”“What?” The exclamation finally came, her voice sharp and alarmed.“I don’t t
Ivory’s POVToday, I realized that the human body and mind are one’s greatest enemies. My mind said one thing; my body did another. But despite them both, I was determined. “I’m not signing them, Arlo” I reached for my face, wiping my lips with the back of my hand as if that would erase the fact that I kissed him so hungrily.Arlo chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement. “Say whatever you like, pet, it’s only a matter of time before you come crawling back.”With that, he turned and waltzed away. Hands in pocket. Even the back of him was enticing— broad shoulders, confident strides.I stared at his retreating figure, every fiber of me resisting the urge to run after him and slam him against that door.“Get a grip, Ivory!” I muttered, slapping myself out of the silly thought. “You must be sick.”Arlo paused, just before opening the door. “I’ll pick you up at six. Dress nicely if you want to impress my parents. Dress sexy if you want to impress me.”When the door clicked behind h
THE NEXT DAYArlo’s POVAnyone would have thought I was a personal shopper for some spoilt princess in her castle. I leaped from one stall to the other looking for the perfect dress for Lori. “I’m losing my mind, I’m sure of it.” I muttered silently, taking one last look at the heap of clothes at the backseat of my car.It was enough to start a department store.For me, my custom-made Louis Vuitton suit had been delivered a night before. I knew I’d be dazzling in it, I just needed a haircut. So I stopped by for a quick makeover. While I was there, seeing the female section of the fashion parlor had me thinking about Lori. Four years ago, she had a neck length black hair, silk pressed to the shiniest degree. It made her look feisty but her look now— I loved it even more. The strawberry blonde made her more feminine, more fragile. I smirked. Lori indeed knew how to switch things up.Suddenly an idea occurred to me; perhaps I could make her remember a few moments of that time if s
Ivory’s POVFor a moment, Arlo just sat staring at me. His expression was blank but his eyes betrayed him. They widened with shock.After what seemed like an eternity, he stood up and headed for the door.“I bought you some clothes, I’ll have them bring everything you need.”“Are… are we still meeting your parents.”He nodded silently, his hand gripping the door knob. As soon as the door closed behind him, I let out a muffled chuckle.You should have seen the expression on his face. It was priceless. Unexpectedly, a knock sounded on my door making my heart skip. But now, I knew better than to hop out impulsively.“Who’s there?” “Willis,” his soft voice echoed.Quickly I ran to the door, and held it open. Willis was standing at the door with a half smile on his face. His eyes glowing with excitement that I couldn’t quite understand.“What’s going on?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.“Nothing,” he replied, “I just haven’t seen you all day.” “I fainted…” I admitted. Someh
Arlo’s POV cont’dI sighed about a hundred times. It was difficult not to. But no matter how much I sighed, it didn’t ease my heart nor my mind. If I was just a bit earlier in finding her. If I had made more efforts in finding her, I would have taken her with me before another man planted a seed in her. My father would be elated that she was pregnant. My father would be broken that the child isn’t mine. My father would not accept her. The Covelli family would not accept her.Suddenly, my phone buzzed, jolting me out of my train of thoughts. Father’s number displayed on screen as if on cue. “Hello father,” “I’ve made an extra reservation at the table just in case you don’t come with your fiancée.”“Dad, I said…”“I know what you said but it wouldn’t be the first time. So I’m just trying to be careful.”I let out a deep breath, and said okay.The last thing I wanted was to talk to anyone, let alone my dad.But he pressed on. “Are you good, son? You don’t sound like yourself.”“I’m
Ivory’s POVThis was my first thought when he opened the door:Beautiful. So damn beautiful. I was rendered blank for a few seconds. None of us said anything.Arlo held the door open, his gaze stuck on mine. We remained that way for a few seconds, until sudden intrusive thoughts began to set in. Did I choose the wrong dress?Do I look weird?Was Camille right? Could I never be attractive? I swallowed, my gaze drifted, I stepped back. Nervously fidgeting with my dress. “I… uh… I’ll go change.” I stuttered.Arlo looked away. His expression hardened.My heart sank. My mood fell. I got too excited. I thought he would be elated to see me in the dress he chose. I was wrong.“I’ll go change in a minute.” I said, my voice low from disappointment.“You had enough time, go wait in the car.” He bellowed, slamming the door to my face. I jumped, startled.As I made my way to the garage, I found Willis already waiting with a convoy of cars. He looked worse than I did.“You look like you’ve b
Arlo’s POVI fought back the urge to run after Lori. She had clearly mentioned the bathroom. I repeatedly glanced at my wristwatch, it was more than twenty minutes since she left. What was the emergency? Was it just an excuse? Unease set in as I unconsciously glanced at the doorway waiting for her to reappear. Unexpectedly, my phone buzzed in my inner pocket. I sighed with frustration, bringing it out to silence it, but as soon as I saw Willis’s number displayed on the screen, my expression softened. “Excuse me, dad.” I said, “I have to take this.”I walked out of the room as quickly as I could, pressing the phone to my ear.“Sovrano, sir…” he began. I paused, the voice sounded too loud, too real. I peered at the hallway, and there was Willis, standing with a bag in hand.“What are you doing here?” I asked, hiding my surprise. “Lori called sir,” Willis said, “She’s in a bit of a situation.” “What’s wrong?”Willis swallowed, looking uncomfortable as he handed me the bag in his