Estelle Biggs“Damn!” Jeff cussed as he hit his release before pulling out.Estelle lay in bed with her eyes fixed on the ceiling, just as she was when this whole act started. Saying she wasn’t into him would be an understatement. She hadn’t been into it in the last three months since they began dating and having sex, but she knew that wasn’t healthy. She needed sex; she needed that heart-racing, leg-quaking feeling that made her feel like she’d been taken.The only one who came close enough was Jared, her ex, but he proposed marriage after six months of being together, and she told him she couldn’t marry him. Not because there was anything wrong with him—goodness, he was perfect—but because she wasn’t good for him. Not at that time. She was in a deep, dark place, and she made some very poor choices.She ended the relationship a week later because she couldn’t stand to see the look of hope and optimism his eyes had for her. Also, she declined his offer of friendship because she knew it
The university student union heads received information about a meeting held today with the vice chancellor and other high-ranking officials, and it was geared towards positive publicity for the university. As part of the student union leaders, they invited Estelle Biggs and seven other elected student representatives to the meeting because the factor they needed the most to push this movement forward was students, and this body represented them.Estelle was the president of the student union at the university, and they always needed her presence at this sort of gathering. Despite her clinical, hectic personal life, and heavy study while she headed towards her graduation, she had to show up. Mr Phillips, the vice chancellor, stepped into the meeting room with his PA, holding a journal in his hand. He took a seat, and his PA placed the journal before him.“Good afternoon, everyone.” He greeted.“Good afternoon, Mr Phillips.” They all chorused the answer.He opened up the journal. “Thank
As the meeting ended, Estelle made her way out, unlike the other excos, who stayed to meet and greet the new sponsors. She had so much more on her mind, and they still had a week of meeting and greeting before the march kicked off. Running into Jeff was the last thing she expected or wanted. She ended things with him a few days ago, after three months in the relationship. She knew she should never have given in to his pressure to turn their friendship into a relationship. He got his feelings involved fast and professed his love for her a month after they began dating, and it put her off. How she managed to stay two extra months still came as a shock to her. “Hey,” he said, stepping towards her. “Hey,” she answered. “How are you doing?” “I’m doing good, and you?” “Not good, to be honest. I’ve been a mess since the breakup.” She didn’t know how to respond to that, so she kept quiet. She didn’t feel sorry. She did what she had to do, and she did it for herself. “It was for the be
She didn’t give him any answers. She couldn’t. He wanted a chance, but she didn’t want him close. She didn’t even know if she had it in her. Perhaps back then she would have, but not anymore. Now she just wanted to live her life without any significant other holding any form of power over her.“Hey, I saw Jace Henshaw on the news today.” Darcy started up, pulling her out of her thoughts. “Isn’t the guy your father’s best friend?”“Yes...”“Yeah, I knew I recognised him from somewhere.” She nodded and came to sit down, picking up the remote and scrolling through the list of channels until it got to BBC. “Perhaps we might see him again. You didn’t tell me he was among the new sponsors for March?”“I forgot,” Elle mumbled, not very keen on this discussion.“He also spoke about expansion. Apparently, he’s taken over the Harvey Trust company here in Oxford, renamed it Henshaw Trust, and has been working to bring the company back to where it once was. Did you forget that, or you didn’t know?
Jace HenshawJace’s eyes searched the crowd of those gathered for the last meeting before the one-week march would commence, looking for Elle, but she wasn’t a part of them. She had been present in the last two meetings because of her role at the university, and she had to meet him. He had listened to her words to keep his distance, but finding her face in the crowd at the previous meeting was a sort of compensation. It made him know she was okay.He knew she didn’t forgive him; she didn’t forget what he had done, and he didn’t expect her to. He had yet to forgive himself. He was a coward and an asshole for taking for granted someone who loved him genuinely. If it was black and white, the decision would have been so much easier, but it was black, white, and grey. What she wanted was what he couldn’t give and couldn’t afford to give, yet he took what she offered without hesitation. If he could go back, he would have done some things differently. He would have been a better man for her.
He set the plate down in the sink and washed it before returning it to the plate rack. He turned around and found Darcy standing at the kitchen door.“What exactly is your endgame here?” She asked, sounding protective.“I have no endgame,” he replied, a little hurt that his reputation had made him someone who wasn’t trustworthy.“Then why are you here doing all this? You had your chance with her, and you blew it. You do not know the pain you caused her or the number of times she cried herself to sleep because of you. What she had to do! And give up—” She held herself back and pressed her lips together. “Because of the scar you left, she can’t even love or let herself feel vulnerable. You don’t get to come back and act as if you did none of that.”He felt miserable at her words, and he was mad at himself for everything he had put her through. He only wanted to make amends. “You’re right, I am an asshole. I hurt the one person I was meant to protect, and I want to make up for that. I kno
He slept better with her beside him than he had in the last few years. It could have been his senses finally finding peace for the first time. Whichever way it was, he felt content. He returned to consciousness with a smile on his face at the sight of her still in his arms. She was going to be the death of him, and he wouldn’t mind at all. He planned on telling Lyon as soon as he got the chance. It was something he had hidden away for so long and no longer wanted to.He loved his best friend’s daughter, and he knew that might make him the villain in Lyon’s book, but he had been one for a long time.His finger toyed with the strands of her hair, and he leaned in and placed a fleeting kiss on her shoulder. She shivered against the feel of his lips on her skin.She turned around, and her lashes fluttered to reveal those adorable brown eyes of hers. He couldn’t help smiling down at her, even as her consciousness returned. She pouted and scrunched up her face as she did a brief stretch befo
Partnering with the march had brought positive publicity for the company as well. There had been an increase in clients of over twenty per cent in the first three days, about thirty-seven per cent in the last four days, and then the past seven days.The March, just as he expected, was hectic and energy-draining. Nothing, however, kept him going more than knowing that at the end of today, he would have Elle in his arms.It gave him joy and filled his heart with contentment. It’s been seven days since the march started, and today was the last day of it. He felt happy to have reached his goals for the company, and even if he hadn’t, he’d still feel happy just at the thought of Elle.They had barely had a chance in the last seven days, and so they sort of satisfied themselves with the slightest opportunity they found. She was insatiable, perhaps more than he remembered from years ago, but he didn’t mind. It only made his desire for her grow.He grabbed a bottle of water from one of the coo
“Wake up already!” Darcy tugged on Elle’s shoulder, but she only turned to the other side and continued as if she felt nothing. “Come on already. If you don’t wake up, you’ll be late for your graduation!”Estelle’s eyes snapped open at the last word, and she pulled herself up to sit down, a yawn leaving her mouth. She rubbed at her still sleepy eyes as they settled into awakening.Darcy had been staying with her the last couple of days, heading towards her graduation. She wanted to be present for the celebration and took leave from work to be beside her and support her.The graduation, as planned, would have been held a month ago, but Lyon and Jace stepped in to request a shift. Their positions and impact on the university made the heads consider their request.The vice chancellor, Mr Phillips, intends that Estelle is important to them as well since she has been heavily involved in the institution’s affairs since joining, and they wouldn’t mind going out of their way for her. It was pe
Jace was barely out of the shower when his phone rang. He walked over to the bed stand where he kept his phone with only the white towel around his waist and glanced at it. The caller ID read Lyon, and he wasted no time in answering the call.“Hello, Lyon.”“Elle is awake,” was all he said before ending the call.Jace arrived at the hospital thirty minutes later. He had made plans to meet with the board of directors this morning and discuss prospects for the company amidst his battles with the authorities. However, he changed those plans after getting a call from Lyon about Elle’s awakening. He called his PA, Becky, and asked to have the meeting shifted from nine a.m. to eleven a.m.It was a sudden change but a necessary one, and he took advantage of that and headed for the hospital, where the woman he loved waited for him. His heart raced in excitement with every minute that went by, and he wanted to see her. He needed to and couldn’t wait to be in the same room with her.He came to t
Elle could hear faint voices from not so far away as her consciousness returned. Her heavy lashes pulled apart, and her eyes fixed on the ceiling, trying to wrap her head around her environment and also how she got here. She heard the heart monitor beeping on her left side. Beside it was an IV pole stand holding a drip bag hung on top of it, which was connected to her left hand through its little tube.She stared around, trying to figure out her environment. She figured she was in the hospital, which meant something bad had happened. She wondered how bad it was and how long it had been since she had been in the hospital. Her head hurts a little, and they made her eyes dim.She stared around, despite her pain, and found someone beside her with his head lowered and his hand holding onto her right hand. She knew it was Lyon—his hair, his touch, and the smell of him.Her head hurt a little when she tried to recall the past event that brought her here. Could it have been that bad? She wonde
The next dayJace couldn’t remember the last time he was here, but his mother had spoken about doing this when things got out of hand. After silently waiting a few hours in the waiting room, he left for the hospital chapel a few wards away to his right. Things had gotten out of hand, first with Elle and then his name, which would affect his company eventually. The investigation was still ongoing, and he was still the prime suspect, as the only thing he had against Orlando was his words.Two days ago, following Julian’s advice, he hired a private detective on the case to look into things and find the blind spot of the entire event. His back was against the wall with every passing day since the accident, and he had to get one step ahead.There was still no positive news from the doctor on Elle’s case, and as long as she was here, he knew he could not function properly. She had to wake up, if not for anything. At least she had to wake up to make his life hell a little longer.He stepped i
Jace found his seat, being too weak to stand around for long after the doctor took his leave. Lyon, however, stood at the door, staring at him like he was some sort of monster. Lyon blamed him for his daughter’s state, and Jace couldn’t fault him. He blamed himself as well, and he would never stop blaming himself.It was barely a minute after the doctor left the room when two men walked into the waiting room. Jace moved his attention to them, wondering what they were doing and what it was they wanted.It turned out they had begun the investigation into the accident at the scene and had now come to the hospital to ask questions.“Mr Henshaw,” the first man called out, stepping forward and digging his hand into his pocket to pull out his badge. “I am Detective Rivers, and this is my partner, Detective Moore. We need to ask you a few questions.”Jace and Lyon told them everything that had happened to the best of their knowledge. When they asked what happened to Jace’s face, he told them i
“What happened?” he asked as they pulled away from the hug.Darcy shook her head, wiping her face. “I don’t know. She called four hours ago but never spoke, and all I heard was a bang followed by a crashing sound when I called her name. She didn’t speak, and when I called back, she didn’t pick up.” She explained. “I tracked her location with Dylan’s help and gave it to the emergency line, which I called immediately after. It’s been two hours since we came here.”Jace nodded his head at Dylan, who stood behind Darcy, and he nodded back. “How is she?” he asked, despite dreading the answer.“She’s been in the ICU since she came in.” She answered, “The doctor’s first call was to stabilise her. Since she did her last clinical here, they took her as one of their own.”“Where is she?” Lyon’s voice boomed through the hallway as he stormed out of the elevator and towards where they stood. “Where is my daughter?” He asked again, this time turning to the nurse at the counter to ask.“What’s her n
Jace had woken up with a wide smile on his face this morning, knowing what today meant. It was Ellen’s evaluation, and knowing her too well, he had confidence she would crush it. He could not wait to see her. Yes, he had a party to plan, but she was important.Lyon’s appearance yesterday had changed things, but Jace remained optimistic. He didn’t think they would make it through one month of staying away from each other, but they did, and now he was certain they would make it through.He had also kept his eyes out for news and gossip outlets to see what about him was on the news each day. Although he trended a few times in the past month, it was because he gained major deals and broke a record in the UK with the Henshaw Trust.Nothing about his personal life was known.A few sites hinted that he hadn’t been seen with any woman since he came to Oxford, and they wrote about him turning a new leaf. He almost agreed with the site when they speculated he had had a fill with the female gende
After ending the call with the attendant, Estelle came downstairs only to find Lyon there, as if he’d heard the call as well. He looked calm for a man who almost incapacitated another and had the rage of flipping the entire house upside-down last night. However, his knuckles didn’t look good. They were sore and needed medical attention, which he hadn’t given them yet. She worried for him, but her worry for Jace overshadowed her and fixed her mind on what was important. He asked if she was going somewhere, and she told him she was going to Jace, but before he could object, she told him she wasn’t returning to her room. She planned on going to him, and that was what she was going to do. He asked her if Jace was worth her defiance of his instructions, and she told him she loved him. He stepped out of the way without another utterance of words, and she ran out of the house to her car. She drove off, speeding just to get to her destination. Estelle arrived at the lounge lot and got out o
Lyon and Elle drove home in silence, neither of them willing to speak to the other. They were both mad at each other’s actions. Elle was mad at Lyon because he had given into his fury and turned into a man she didn’t know. Lyon was mad at Elle because she had left him in the dark, and she and Jace both made him out as a fool in their doing.They could barely bring themselves to even look at each other. As soon as the car stopped before the penthouse, Elle got down and walked over to it, and Lyon followed behind her. She entered the house but didn’t lock the door. This was his house, and she couldn’t lock him out of it even though she wanted to. Darcy wanted to come over after the celebration ended, but after the fiasco at the party, she knew her friend would not come back today. She would stay at her fiancé’s place until the smoke cleared.“How long has it been going on?” Lyon asked with a furious voice as she made her way towards her bedroom.She halted but didn’t turn to look at him.