Aaron gets off the bus.He takes a deep breath. He missed this place. He lowers the hood of his sweatshirt and for the first time in a few days, he feels truly liberated. He's out of prison, and he doesn't plan on going back. He never wants to leave LA. This is his home, his only home.With the bit of cash he has with him, he takes a cab. He still remembers the address. It's engraved in his memory. He spoke to Malcolm before he left the prison, but apparently, things were a bit rough. Sebastian had finally taken control, but he already knew that. The problem is that everyone's sore about the fact that Amelia is working for that Keller fuck. Now, he doesn't quite know what excuse he'll give them yet, but he's got to keep the fact that she's working as a spy a secret.He's going to protect her at all costs.Amelia should never have gotten involved in this, but he doesn't blame her. He blames Devon. He'll find him. He knows he's hiding somewhere until all of this blows over. And when he
The most fucked up part?My mother isn't even sick. I have no idea how I'm going to drag her here. He'll know I was lying about the whole thing the minute she arrives. Why do I keep getting myself in trouble? I was trying to get out of one, but I'm entangled in a much bigger web of lies.And I can't even leave.I'm seriously considering disappearing without a word. What will I say to Damien in a week's time? That is, if I even have a week left. I didn't take the bus home like Sebastian wanted me to. I thought Damien was the lesser evil, but after today I've changed my mind. If I leave, he'll find me. He has the resources to do so. Devon's entire career revolves around keeping his identity hidden, but Damien managed to find him.We're moving to a new location, that's all I've been told. Everyone's running around like headless chicken. They've been carrying numerous bags of files and documents from Damien's office for about an hour. The strangest part? I haven't seen Ethan at all today.
I pull away. His lips are plump and red, moist.My head is spinning. Is this really happening again? Where's my common sense? I should've stopped this when I had the chance. "Mr. Keller—"I'm walking backwards until my ass hits his desk. He's right in front of me. His hands are on my waist and his nose is buried in my neck. "What were you trying to do earlier? Are you deliberately provoking me, Yara?"Fuck. I don't know what he means. "What?""You wanted me to ask you to stay, didn't you?" He forces me to meet his eyes. His pupils are dilated. He looks like a lustful beast. "Answer me, Yara."I nod, even though this is the exact opposite of what I wanted. I'm just going to agree with him on everything. "Yes."He grabs the backs of my thighs and lifts me so I'm sitting on his desk. He's rough, and I didn't even know I was into being rough until now. "You're driving me crazy, do you know that? I don't know what your deal is. Are you a good girl or a bad one?"He doesn't let me answer hi
I use the spare key Devon gave me to get inside.I can't believe that happened. I feel like I just stepped out of some kind of nightmare. I had sex with Damien Keller, right over his desk. God, this has taken a turn for the worse. Before it happened, I thought I had lost control. It's nothing compared to how I feel now.What was I thinking? I'm convinced that if I hadn't had that wine earlier, none of this would have happened. I clearly wasn't sober, but I wasn't that drunk. I knew exactly what I was doing, and I enjoyed every miserable second of it. I wanted it, fully aware of who he is, what he does. That he'd have me killed if he ever discovered my true motives for wanting to work for him.I'm relieved that Devon isn't here to see me in this disgraceful state. I don't know how I would react if I came face-to-face with him right now. I run straight to my bedroom and put my bag down. I thread my fingers through my hair and take a deep breath. First things first, I have to clean up. M
Devon's phone rings. It's Amelia. His heart is in his throat. He's been waiting for her phone call for the entire day. Has she made the right decision? He's about to find out. "Tell me what I want to hear. I've had a long fucking day. Are you on your way home?""I knew you were alive, motherfucker."Devon nearly drops his phone. He would recognize Aaron's anywhere. Even in hell. He contemplates switching the phone off, but that won't change anything. Aaron has already heard his voice, and if he has Amelia's cellphone, that means he either met her in the streets or he was at the apartment. "When did you get out? I was under the impression that you still had about twenty years to go."He knows exactly why he's out, which is partly why he wanted Amelia to leave as soon as possible. He didn't want Aaron to find her here, but it's too late now. Also, he wasn't expecting him to find out he was alive.Aaron says, "You son of a bitch. You were using her. You lied to her this entire time. You
He can't stop thinking about Yara.He leans against his chair and holds his glass to his temple. In all his life, he never met a woman as complex as Yara Huxley. She's hot one minute, then cold the next, what transpired between them this afternoon being the perfect example.She wanted him just as much as he wanted her. It was a mutual agreement. In no instance did he force himself on her, so why did she react so emotionally? She left his office in tears. She slammed the door on her way out, but she was moaning in his ear five minutes before that. He can't tell if her reaction was spontaneous or pre-planned. He realizes that he knows virtually nothing about her, apart from her name, where she was born, and that she's a damn good secretary.Getting sexually involved with her was an impetuous decision, but one he doesn't regret. Truth be told, he wouldn't mind having her again, on a bed this time. His bed. If it weren't her for erratic, incomprehensible behavior, perhaps that's exactly w
I can't sleep.The encounter with my brother is still fresh on my mind. I'm in the living room wearing an oversized t-shirt and drinking Devon's finest brandy. I'll wake up hungover tomorrow, but am I even going back to work for Damien after what happened? It's clear that he's attracted to me, he wanted me. I could feel it in his touch and in his kiss, but this just serves to exacerbates my situation. How do I get out of this city? What if he comes after me? If I was mildly paranoid before, I have every right to be now. I drink from the bottle deeply.And for Aaron to come here and treat me like that, it's depressing. All I tried to do was help him, but it seems like it was the wrong thing to do. I should've just stayed home, working at Donnie's. It was an unremarkable life, but at least I was safe. All of this is weighing my shoulders down, and Aaron's condemnation has added even more weight to the already prodigious mass I'm carrying. I expected his disapproval, but I thought that
It's a good thing I remembered the name of the building, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to get to work on time.I take a deep breath before entering.I greet everyone I come across, and ride the elevator up to the seventh floor. I'm trying to convince myself that I'm calm, that there's nothing I should be nervous about, but I know that that's far from the truth. Yesterday, I was a downright mess; I even yelled at him. I lost total control of my emotions and I let them get the best of me.Devon's plan is solid and I do believe I have a better chance now. I know I shouldn't trust Devon, he's given me a million reasons not to, but I'm running out of options. I've accepted that it's my only solution at the moment. However, I'm still mildly repulsed by what I'm about to do. I never thought I'd find myself in a position where I would have to have sex with someone in order to gain something. Donnie back home always made passes at me, but I always rejected him, even when he promised to g
Six months have passed.They've been peaceful and for the most part, quiet. Tremendously busy, but I'm used to that part now. Working alongside Damien is the best part about it. I get to be with him all day and make sure that he isn't exerting himself. He has a lot more work now; he had to take over Ethan's duties. Theo helps, but there are certain things only Damien can handle. When Ethan was here, he took care of it, but he's been gone for half a year and there's no one capable enough to replace him. I think that deep down, Damien doesn't want anyone to take over Ethan's job, but he'll never admit it out loud. I help him whenever I can. There's a lot I still don't understand, but I'll get there.It's only a matter of time.He doesn't ever ask me to go home when there are people coming over to meet with him. We never talked about what happened with Ash, but it changed a lot of things. I gained some respect after I killed him. I see it in the way people look at me whenever we're at so
I help him peel his blazer off.This day has been mentally exhausting for him. He rarely leaves the office early, but I'm glad he did today. I'm glad, because at least we have the whole day ahead of us. It's going to be just the two of us. Theo rarely comes here, she prefers to stay in the city. It's closer to everything else. I love it here, because it feels like we're all alone in the world. I stare out the window and all I see is the vast sky, green hills, nature. I don't even see the guards surrounding the house. They're invisible to me.It's peaceful here, and breathtakingly beautiful. It's home. I understand why Damien is so attached to this place. It's not simply because he grew up here. I feel safe, here, untouchable. The first time I was here, I felt like an intruder. Our relationship was so different back then, I can't help but marvel at how everything is so different now. I never would have guessed that we'd end up here, closer than ever, madly in love. We've come a long wa
Today's an important day.I've been on edge all morning. Damien has called for a Keller family meeting. We're all going to be there, including Ethan and Penelope.He announced that there'd be a meeting only last night during dinner, and he asked Theo to give Ethan a call. I was startled by the news and so was she. He didn't tell me what he'll say to Ethan, but we can guess what it is. He wants closure. Ethan owns a third of everything, and that matter needs to be resolved. I doubt that Damien will allow him to return to the company. I just don't see it happening. Ethan himself never mentioned it to Theo, not that he'd dare to.Theo told me that he's out of the hospital. She said he hasn't left the country yet because he wants to see Damien first. Damien, however, wanted nothing to do with him until yesterday. He's asked after him, but he didn't want to see him. He's still hurt by what Ethan did to us, his betrayal is a wound that will never quite heal for him. And if it ever does, it'
I'm afraid of opening the door.I've been standing here for a full minute with my heart in my throat. My hand is on the knob, ready. I can't bring myself to turn it, though, simply because I know that Damien's on the other side. There's a lot we need to talk about, so much in fact that I wouldn't know where to start.I hold my breath and close my eyes. I've been standing out here for too long. I remind myself that he's my husband, he's the man I love, and we'll get through this. We'd get through anything together. I've been in a far worse position before. This time, I was actually focusing on the well-being of our family.I open the door slowly.Only the bedside lamp is on. I see him right away; he's seated on the couch across his bed. He's staring out the window with a distant look in his eyes. I take a few steps towards him, my eyes on his handsome face. My heart's thumping against my chest. I'm overcome with emotion, but I put a hamper on them for now. He's a little pale, I notice
Amelia's going to hate him for this, but that's okay, because he doesn't plan on ever seeing her again.He means it this time. He's done with this shit. He had his chance, he fucked it up a hundred years ago. It's time to get over it. If there was ever a part of him that thought he'd get a chance with her, that part of him died a while back. She loves Damien Keller. He lost her a long time ago. That doesn't necessarily mean that he's content with the outcome, but he'll admit defeat. Staying here is slowly killing him.She's going to be alright. Leaving her back there was a dick move, sure, but he stands by what he said to her; when everyone finds out that she did it, there will be no revenge. He helped her along the way, but no one needs to know that. The Huntingtons won't dream of touching her, especially when the truth about Damien comes out. It would be an entirely different story with him.He glances at his watch. Five more minutes in there and he'd miss his flight. He can't miss
I've never been so glad to see him in all my life."Devon," I say, the word a gasp. "How did you—"He doesn't let me finish. "Did he hurt you? Are you hurt?"I shake my head. "No, but how did you—""I'll explain later," he assures me. "Right now, we've got to get this asshole tied to that chair. Quickly, before he wakes up. Bring that chair over there. I have rope under the bed."I grab it and Devon grabs a duffel bag from under the bed. He opens it and fishes out rope and a couple of knives. He's been lying under the bed the entire time. It's clear that he planned this thoroughly.He didn't abandon me. He said he'd help me kill Ash and here he is. I tell him, "I thought you weren't going to show up. I thought you tricked me.""I don't blame you for assuming the worst," he says, looking up at me. His eyes are glinting with mischief and something else, something I won't dare name. He points at my gun. "You know how to use that thing?"I stare at it. "Yes."He's watching me intently. "A
It's quarter to midnight.The clock is ticking and my heart is racing. I'm ready, my small gun is hidden in my underwear. I've made sure to wear an extra tight pair just for the occasion. The dress is scarlet and flowy, perfect for tonight.I'm waiting for him in the lobby. This time, I'm early. It makes me feel more in control of the situation even though that's far from the truth. I take a small sip of champagne and look back at the entrance. My heart's in my throat, making it hard for me to breathe. I have to remain cool, though. There's a lot at stake.Everything depends on this."Anything else?" the bartender asks me while pouring someone else a drink. I shake my head, I can't even speak at a time like this.I'm taking another sip of champagne when I finally spot him. There are two men walking behind him. He's saying something to them as he looks around. For me, no doubt. I fix my gaze on him and hold my breath as I wait for him to see me. He doesn't, which is fairly disappointin
"Leave," Damien says to the nurse. She scurries out of the room as soon as he mutters the word.He's in a terrible mood and he doesn't want anyone around him. He has finally moved from that awful, desolate place and he's home. He made sure that they didn't change any decorations. They lost a lot of antiques and furniture that was in their family for decades, but he's made sure that everything else remained the same. He's sure that he'll recover in no time here, he already feels better. He's not in bed, he's sitting on the sofa beside his bed. He's supposed to be resting, but he's done enough of that.He can't sleep when he's worried sick about Amelia.The fact that no one gives him any news is a bad sign as it is. They're hiding something from him, he can feel it. The last time he spoke to her, she told him that she wasn't going to turn back, that she'd go ahead with the plan. He has no idea of what her plan might be, but he knows it won't be anything he'll agree with. He wonders if p
I can't stop chewing my thumbnail.I force myself to put my hand down. I'm in agony; I don't know what to do and I'm running out of time. I'm supposed to be meeting Ash tonight. This was supposed to end it all, according to Devon, but he let Ethan go so what happens now? The only reason why I'm agreeing to everything is because of him. It isn't, but that's what Ash thinks. Am I still expected to show up? Why would he do this?I can't figure it out.I wish I had a way of contacting Devon to let him know that everything went to shit, but I don't have his number. I don't know where he's currently residing. I don't think I'll be seeing him anytime soon; tonight, maybe but not earlier. In the meantime, what do I do? I can't ask anyone's advice. My family is against me entirely. Theo probably thinks that our negotiations with Ash have come to an abrupt end, but she doesn't know half of it. I'm planning on killing him once and for all, I made a promise to myself that I would.For Damien.I h