AMELIASix months. I sank deeper into the mattress as I watched Roman's departing figure. My heart pouring so fast that I could hear it in my ears, my limbs trembled, it felt like I’d just escaped death or something similar. When I saw that heated look in his eyes, the determination to get in bed with me, my panic overshadowed everything else I could’ve felt in that moment. I couldn’t— So I chose the easiest way out. I let out a heavy sigh, running my fingers down my face. That was close. Too close. But what is this disappointment I feel? “You’re so stupid Amelia!” I cursed at myself, “He's a stranger! A stranger!” I reminded myself repeatedly. Burying my face in my pillow and proceeded to scream all of my pent up emotions into the poor cotton. Late that night, I still tossed and turned. Painfully aware that Roman was in the next room, sleeping. Is this what it’s going to be like for the next six months? He and I being under the same roof her feeling like we're
AMELIAGrayson Holdings is a construction company my father and mother built from the ground up when they’d been in the early years of their relationship, at least that what my mother told me whenever I asked. I always wondered why she didn’t add her name to it, probably because she believed my father loved her just as much as she loved him. She trusted him enough to put everything under his name. Once I was eighteen years old, my father labelled me as too wild and unpredictable, so he forced me to sign away all of the shares my mother had left behind for me, all of it to Bertha. Which left me to wonder, how on earth I became the company’s director. As I begrudgingly picked out a pant suit from the closet, I made a mental note to go shopping soon. I also needs to know how much money I had in my account. After Roman had agreed to help, he then shocked me by asking me to prepare for work. I trusted he would keep things under control, but that didn’t stop me from panicking
AMELIAI returned her smile, not wanting to cause a scene. Just get through today, Roman will handle the rest. “You are the new head of operations?” I asked with surprise in my voice, my sweet smile similar to Bertha's never faltering. “Yes, dad felt it was only proper now that I've returned from Europe for good,” Bertha replies with a smug looking grin, tucking a stray lock of blond hair behind her ears and then meeting Roman's eyes. She immediately looked innocent, nothing like the actual rude bitch she was. Roman was silent, stiff and avoiding her gaze. How does she manage to have such an effect on the man? I mentally shrugged away the faint pang in my chest. It was non of my business. They can fuck themselves with their eyes for all I care. All I need right now is to figure out the next step to take, moving forward. Grayson Holdings is my mother’s legacy, one I had lost before…now I have it in my palms, now I have the opportunity to make it all that she wanted it
Roman didn’t say a word to me till we got back to his house. I was surprised that I’d actually expected such an attitude from him but then again, I needed him to help me adjust, I didn’t want to offend him. Then you shouldn’t have called him sloppy seconds… Ugh. I turned to look at his face a few times, hoping to catch a glimpse of whatever it was the cold man was thinking but nothing. When we walked through the large double doors, his strides became slower and Trenton was right at the entrance, like he was waiting for us. “Mrs—Amelia,” He greeted, catching himself before he called me by Roman's surname. I offered him a smile. Roman walked past us and headed upstairs. My nerves were all over the place as I looked around, wondering where his mother was. He said she was here, how come I don’t see anyone? “Is Roman’s mother really here?” Trenton nodded and proceeded to gesture a maid forward. “She will help you change,” I raised a brow, “I need to ch
My father never really cared about what went on in my life, after my mother died, it became even worse because not only did he not care, he only gave a fuck when I had something Bertha wanted. Now there’s Roman, handsome, enigmatic, asshole. Who I supposedly fell in love with, with no support from my family or his parents, just his grandfather and an unknown agreement made with my mother before she passed. I let out a heavy sigh, staring at the ceiling like a lost child. Probably because I was utterly lost, I felt like I was float on space, hands trying to grab on to a solid handle. After changing into different clothes, relieving myself of the juice stained suit, I spent about thirty minutes staring into space and trying to convince myself not to have a mini-mental breakdown from just how overwhelming the last few days have been. But sometimes I feel the tears just at the brim, threatening to fall. Then I through my contacts again and realized just how sad my life was.
ROMANThe sun had fallen into the horizon and the moon had risen, yet clouds shielded it’s light and left the night dark and gloomy. Much like my mood. I sat in the garden, a glass of whiskey in hand as I stared off into the distance. I sat there wondering when I’d become a man with misplaced priorities. There was so much at the company I needed to set straight, so much with Bertha I needed to fix yet, here I was, staring up at the sky like a fool, her voice ringing in my ears, her words repeating like an omen. ‘Why don’t you let go?’ She had asked. ‘I’m a person too,’ she had said. Those words resonated in my and now they plagued me. And it made me wonder if I’ve ever given her a reason to think otherwise. Of course she’s a person! Or, maybe it’s just me, who hasn’t seen her that way since we married. When we had only just met, I had no impression of Amelia because she practically blended into the background like she belonged there, and when she was finally out in
AMELIAThe next morning came slower than I wanted it to, my night though, was over the second it began. Looking around the spacious room, I felt so cold and lonely on that king-sized bed. What use is having a mansion if it’s this empty? Thinking back to me and Matteo’s final conversation the previous day, my eyes began to water and I had to fight back tears. I will not cry over it again. Soon, I’ll leave, I just need to grasp everything properly, understand what my role in my mother’s company truly is, understand why I was poisoned. Then I’ll move out of this mansion, get a small place by the country side, assign someone capable or work from home. Anything will be better than living with a man who hates me. With a frustrated sigh, I got off the bed and made my way to the bathroom, washing up and fixing my hair. Staring at my reflection longer than necessary, the sight never did appeal to me. Even now, I looked worse. My eyes were bloodshot and my skin was pale, my cheek
The first challenge is getting accustomed to everything new. The advanced smartphones, the changes in the city that made me feel lost though I was raised in it, an apartment. I thought to myself as the car pulled to a stop in front of a small building that had a large sign in front of it. ‘For The Specials And For The Lost’ My brows pulled together as I turned to look at Vincent with a questioning gaze. “Where are we?” I asked. “A place where those clothes would be much appreciated,” He replied, gesturing at the large luggage behind us. I nodded, strangely I trusted the man. Maybe because he was the first friend I was making since I woke up or maybe it was just his smile. Somehow I knew I could trust Vincent. The place turned out to be a home for kids who had aged out of the system and had no means to go on. Kids my age, or at least, the age I remembered. They reminded me of myself, being all alone with no one, with no favors, no luck. Vincent and I were welc
"My... aunt?" The words felt foreign on my tongue, like speaking a language I'd never learned. My mind raced through memories of my mother, trying to recall if anyone had ever mentioned a sister of my mother's. But there was nothing – just empty spaces where family history should have been.But then again, my mother had led me to believe that her parents were dead and she was the only child. Alexander had told me that was a lie and that I had a few aunts and uncles but…I never imagined I would meet one. Much less one that looks so much like my mom. The woman took a step forward, and I instinctively backed up against the marble counter. She moved with a grace that seemed almost predatory, her designer dress whispering against the floor. Even her mannerisms were eerily similar to my mother's, down to the way she tilted her head slightly when she spoke."Isabella," she said, her accent carrying hints of something Italian. "Your mother never mentioned me, did she? Of course not. Diane a
The restaurant hummed with a soft, elegant ambiance that seemed to cocoon us from the outside world. Soft jazz played in the background, its mellow notes dancing around our intimate table. Roman had chosen a secluded corner, giving us the privacy I hadn't realized I needed after the day's emotional confrontation."We should do this more often," I said, taking a careful sip of my sparkling water. The crystal glass felt cool against my fingers, and I watched Roman's face – the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled, the way the soft lighting caught the sheen in his dark hair.He raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "Go out to dinner? We do that quite frequently, my love."I rolled my eyes, the tension of earlier melting away with our familiar banter. "I mean just... be. Together. No work, no family drama, no complications. Just us."Roman's hand reached across the table, his fingers intertwining with mine. "Always," he said simply, and those one word carried more promise
The Carlton merger meeting had dragged on longer than expected, but we'd finally reached an agreement that satisfied all parties involved. As the board members gathered their papers and began filing out of the conference room, my phone buzzed against the polished mahogany table. Roman's name flashed across the screen, right on time as promised. A smile tugged at my lips as I reached for it, already imagining his impatient tone asking where I was.It was time to leave, I realized. We were supposed to have dinner. I'd been too lost in my thoughts and constant feeling of dread along with the meeting to remember our plans. But he did. I felt sort of bad. I could feel the weight of scrutinizing gazes from the remaining board members. They'd always viewed me with a mix of skepticism and barely concealed disdain, after all I had stopped letting my father control all of my decisions and I took charge of my position, dismissing Bertha when it was proven she could barely handle her role pr
The moment we stepped through our front door, the tension from the disastrous lunch seemed to melt away. Roman's hands found my waist, and before I could even set my purse down, he pulled me into a kiss that made my knees weak. His fingers traced delicate patterns on my face, thumbs brushing my cheeks with such tenderness that I felt tears prick at the corners of my eyes. The familiar scent of his cologne mixed with the underlying warmth that was uniquely him enveloped me, making me feel safe, and warm all over. His tongue traced my bottom lip before slowly entangling with mine and reached for his hair instinctively, burying my fingers in his silky locks and deepening our kiss. He pulled away slowly, his breathing was steady and his eyes were so intense I'd almost looked away. "I can't believe you kept this from me," he murmured against my lips. His blue eyes, still rimmed with residual emotion from our earlier confrontation with his parents, now held a different kind of intensity
“What?” Roman's eyes narrowed as he looked at his parents. Victoria seemed to be more shaken than she was surprised which meant that she knew about this decision. Roman, on the other hand, looked lost. His fists that rested on the dining table clenched tightly and I noticed how his breathing had slowed. Of all the things I expected Yaakov to say, this was not it. “I understand it came as a shock but…your mother and I have come to this decision after much deliberation,” Yaakov explained firmly, looking unfazed by his mind shattering announcement. Victoria scoffed, her lips twisting into a disdainful frown, “Did we both come to the decision or did you and your new cock sucker decide on it?”I'd never heard such vulgarity from Victoria before. She looked so pissed, face red with anger like she was about to explode. Yaakov's expression darkened when he heard her words and he turned abruptly to face her. For a moment I thought he was going to hit her but instead he slammed his fist do
I stared at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, running my fingers over my still-flat stomach. A part of me still had doubts but the three pregnancy tests hidden in my makeup bag, all positive said otherwise, and I still couldn't quite believe it. What I now realized was morning sickness among other things, had started weeks ago and I was constantly thinking I had a big or something My hand trembled slightly as I applied my mascara. Today would be perfect to tell him, after the meeting with his parents of course. I would tell him everything and we would figure it out together. Right? But something held me back, a nagging uncertainty that made my stomach clench with more than just morning sickness. Roman appeared in the doorway, looking unfairly handsome in his tailored black suit. His hair was still slightly damp from his shower, and he smelled of that expensive cologne I loved so much. But there was tension in his shoulders, a tightness around his eyes that made me hesit
AMELIAAt first, the words were at the top of my tongue. He felt so warm, so perfect holding me and in that moment that was all that mattered and I was going to tell him, I really was. But then I remembered how we parted and I went still in his arms, unable to look him in the eyes. “Did you manage to do everything you wanted to?” I responded with a question of my own, taking a few steps away from him, my tone more distant than I'd intended. I noticed the change in his expression, the confusion of my sudden mood change and then realization darkened his features. “Are you still mad at me, Amy?”“That depends,” I crossed my arms over my chest, “Are you going to tell me why you went to Russia and barely communicated with me for two whole weeks?”There it was. The chill in his expression I had now grown used to. What exactly was I to him? His wife? Or just another obligation to add to his list of responsibilities? A heavy silence descended between us and Roman let out a frustrated s
AMELIAI looked down at the test results with shaky hands. At that moment, I was emotionally and physically a mess. I hadn't eaten breakfast and the strong scent of the hospital seemed to upset my stomach, making me throw up a few times which of course added to the throbbing pain in my head that hasn't gone away for the past week. “I'm…pregnant?”And now these test results were saying the reason I've been feeling like shit for the past two weeks isn't because my brain damage had worsened but because–“Oh God, I'm going to be sick,”Jessica immediately reached for the trash can in the corner and handed it over to me as I emptied the contents of my stomach into it. Over and over again until there was nothing left but liquid and a bitter taste on my tongue. “Oh God…” I gasped, my knees trembling and my stomach feeling like it had done a backflip a few times. Everywhere was spinning and my ears were ringing so loudly that I could barely hear my panicked thoughts. Pregnant. Me? “Ta
JESSICA What do you do when faced with a man who has plagued your dreams for months, a man whose face has consumed your waking moments and even your attempts to sleep. I let him in. I knew I shouldn't have, but he looked so goddamn pitiful! He looked…vulnerable. But then again, every drunk man looks like a child that needs their parent. He on the other hand. I watched as his chest rose and fell steadily, he was sprawled on my couch which I once considered big but seeing how his large frame struggled to find comfort in it I began to think otherwise. Why is he here? Why is he drunk? That's were the questions I would've asked if he didn't just walk in and lay on my couch like he was only here for it. I let out a low, even breath, watching him with countless conflicting emotions swirling in my chest. I wanted to move closer, see every detail of his face because I feared after this time a few more months would pass again before I can get a glimpse. But I opted to stand