[Three years later…]
"Breathe in… breathe out…" Ayla was mumbling to herself as she tried to calm down her jittery nerves.
She was standing before a floor length mirror, her eyes focused on her own reflection as her dress glinted under the warm lighting of her new room. Bringing her palms to the front of the dress, she ran them down in attempts to smoothen down the nonexisting creases. She couldn't help the worrying thoughts resonating at the back of her mind, her frown only deepening. But before she could delve down further, a knock at the door brought her out.
"Is anyone inside?"
The voice was so familiar to her that a sigh of relief left her lips unconsciously.
"It's just me in here." Ayla breathed out as a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had sent everyone out including the make-up artist and her team once they had
"Ayla?" Through the silent corridors of the mansion, a worry filled voice resonated. A slight tap of a cane followed each of his steps as his restless eyes jumped from one shut door to the other. It wasn't like her usual self to go missing without informing him beforehand. Especially not when there were guests waiting downstairs for her: an entire hall full of them. "Ayla?" He called out again, hoping to get a reply this time. But to his dismay, he didn't get any just like the previous time. "Why don't you wait downstairs or in your room, Old Master? I'll look for Young Miss and bring her to you." A meek attempt to bring the old man to his room was made by the maid who had been quietly following him all this while. She didn't want her old master to end up tired with all the searching. But she knew better than anyone when to step in or not. There was no one on this planet who could make him change his mind when it
Thud. A faint sigh left her blush lips as she brought her face down burying it in her palms. Her thumbs slowly worked around her temples. 'What have I gotten myself into?' The question resonated in her mind as her temper began to build up slowly. To say that she was angry at her own self would be an understatement. She was beyond enraged by the decision she had come to make. But did she even have any other choice? No. She did not. She pulled her face back to look up at the sky. It was a clear night. There weren't many clouds marring the midnight blue sky that night. One could easily make out the stars dazzling in the distance, dancin
For the next two days, things were going rather smoothly. Or at least they seemed to be returning back to normal. Ayla had managed to get her old man looking after his own diet while taking care of the things back at the company headquarters. She herself ended up getting twined in the mess of her university. Her sessionals were just around the corner, and there was a lot left of the syllabus for her to cover. With her attention diverted away from her abode, she failed to see the storm which was brewing in the depths of its tranquility. ---------------- Four days before the celebratory party… "I am home." Ayla made her way into the entrance hall, announcing her arrival at the mansion. To say that she was tired out already by the day's ordeal would be an understatement. She was beyond burnt-out. Her steps were brought to a sudden halt when her eyes landed on a familiar figure standing
"We were just discussing your marriage." His words echoed through her mind, giving her a hard time in believing her ears. Marriage? Never in her life had she ever thought of this. The day had arrived when she was going to get the talk. "Father!" Her thoughts were interrupted by her father's raging tone. She found him to be staring back at the old man with nothing but contempt. He was obviously outraged by his act. "There's no need to get your blood pressure shooting high, Mathew." The old man scoffed. "I am only talking to my granddaughter about it. After all, she has the final say in this matter." The more he talked about it, the harder it was getting Ayal to comprehend the meaning lying under his words. There was clearly something she was missing on. What did her father know that was kept away from her? "I have already turned the offer down. More so, you have no right to bring my daughter into any of t
A marriage for business? The words revolved around her mind, the voice of the old man echoing in her ears. Her father married her mother just so he could save his company? The more she thought about it, the more difficult it was starting for her to wrap her head around it. "Dad?" A small whisper left her lips, her eyes trailing across the table to meet his own. "You married Mom for the same reason grandfather wants me to marry someone." She managed to force the words out, but it wasn't a question. To say that she was shook down right to her core wouldn't be an understatement. Based on what she knew, or what she saw during her childhood, her parents clearly married for love. Now that it was revealed to her that it wasn't the case, she didn't know what to make out of her memories. "That's not it." Ayla saw him shaking his head before he continued. "She was someone who belonged to one of t
No matter how hard Ayla's father tried to dissuade her, she had made up her mind. All she asked from the old man was to give her a day to think about it. She ended up locking herself inside her room, asking for some privacy. Other than Nina, her personal maid, nobody else was given the permission to disturb her until she said so; not even her father. She spent the rest of the day going through some old albums from her childhood. It was the hope of gaining some clarity about the matter that was making her reminisce about her past. Her lost gaze jumped from one picture to another as her fingers flicked through the pages. A tear or two would become eminent, filling her eyes up, only to be blinked away. She didn't want her emotions to get in the way. Whatever decision she was to make, it had to be rational. Ayla was clearly not ready to give up on her dreams, neither did she want to leave her father behind. The prior was something
The next day… The clock had struck twelve and the sun was shining in the sky with all its might. It's bright rays striking against the glass panes, trying their best to seep into the room. Inside the spacious room, a demineering figure could be seen sitting at the head chair of the table. His cold gaze was sending shivers down the spines of others. "I don't know how you guys managed to mess this up even after my clear instructions." He was holding everyone responsible for the slightest drop in the value of the company's shares. "Boss, it's not our fault that news about grandfather's deteriorating health got out." One of the men sitting around the table spoke up on behalf of everyone in the room. He failed to understand why they were getting scolded for something they had no hand in. "Do you think I don't know about that?" He scoffed, glaring down at the man. "That is exactly why I had given you all clear instructions not to l
Claude not only wanted to have a proper chat with her, but also wanted to meet her in person. He was hoping that it would give him some sort of insight. He wanted to see for himself the kind of person Ayla was before coming to a decision. Not that it would matter, but he still wanted to do it for both of their sakes. He made Ethan find out her routine before making him drive all the way to her college. "Are you sure, Boss?" Ethan pulled the car over before the main entrance. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that his boss was not doing things in a rush. "Don't make me change my mind now, Ethan." Claude threw a glare in his direction. "There's no harm in meeting her in person." "You do realize that you can ask your grandfather to set up a meeting." Ethan still wanted him to give it another thought. He couldn't help but wonder how the meeting would be going down. "I didn't hire you for not using your brain." Claude
[Three years later…]"Breathe in… breathe out…" Ayla was mumbling to herself as she tried to calm down her jittery nerves.She was standing before a floor length mirror, her eyes focused on her own reflection as her dress glinted under the warm lighting of her new room. Bringing her palms to the front of the dress, she ran them down in attempts to smoothen down the nonexisting creases. She couldn't help the worrying thoughts resonating at the back of her mind, her frown only deepening. But before she could delve down further, a knock at the door brought her out."Is anyone inside?"The voice was so familiar to her that a sigh of relief left her lips unconsciously."It's just me in here." Ayla breathed out as a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had sent everyone out including the make-up artist and her team once they had
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] Claude sucked onto the soft spot as his finger moved inside her, earning her moans in return which were not less than a siren's call for him, luring him to continue. He felt her insides tightening around his finger as he moved it relentlessly. He knew that she was close to finding her release and deliberately slowed down his movements. Ayla could feel her orgasm building up, inching closer to the edge. She let out a frustrated groan when Claude slowed down his movements. "D-don't st-op." She managed to say in between her gasps for air. "Oh! I am not planning to, my love, not tonight." Claude murmured against her skin and moved his lips to her cleavage, biting and sucking on her fair, smooth skin. "This might hurt a bit." He said as he inserted
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "You don't think that it makes me unworthy of you?" She managed to mutter out as she held Claude's gaze. "You must have hit your brain if that's what's going through your brain." Claude scoffed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. This time she didn't push him away but responded with the same passion. It wasn't until both of them ran out of their breaths did they pull back. "Do you understand now how much you mean to me?" Claude flicked her forehead as if he was reprimanding a small child. "I do… you mean no less to me." She smiled for the first time today and it was enough for Claude to know that everything was going to be just fine. All she needed was a little time and his love. "I love you." Claude mumbled
[The following chapter includes mention of self harm. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Ayla?" Claude knocked at the door as he glanced at the clock. "Are you done, love?" He made sure that he was loud enough for his voice to go through the thick door. It had already been an hour. But she hadn't come out yet. Claude was starting to get worried. "Ayla?" He called out her name again only to be met with the same reply—silence. Though he could hear the water running constantly, he wasn't able to hear her voice. "Ayla?" He tried it one more time before making his way to the other side of the room. Claude searched through a drawer and then moved to another one. If only he could remember where he kept it. "Found it." He mumbled under his breath as soon as his eyes landed on a golden key. It was the master key
"Take your hands off her!"Ayla's eyes flickered to the owner of the voice and a long sigh of relief left her trembling lips."Claude…"In between the chaos, Claude could only see her lips moving before her eyes rolled up and she fainted."Ayla!" He didn't waste another second and rushed to her, not paying any attention to the culprit. He would have plenty of time for him later. At the moment, the only thing which mattered to her was the wellbeing of his girl.With hurried steps, Claude walked to where she was and started to untie the ropes which were holding her in place."How the hell are you here? Where are my men?" Gavin kept babbling but even then, Claude paid him no attention. He was so busy sheeting with rage that he didn't bother paying attention to anything else. Not the men, who were dressed in black from head to
[The following chapter includes mention of sexual assault. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Let me tell you a story, kitten." He pushed himself off the wall, dusting his coat in the process. Gavin walked to the other side of the room to pick a chair and dragged it to the centre of the room. He settled down on it so that he was facing Ayla. "What story?" Despite the fact that she was scared for her life, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that she had to put up a brave front until Claude could reach her. He would realize sooner or later that she was missing. With a smile, Gavin began. "My father and a friend of his started a business together. The kind which was to grow into a big one over time. But the old man got played by his so-called friend. My father spent everything we had or owned on his dream. When our family w
[Three weeks later…]With a jump in her step, Ayla made her way to her favourite store. Things were going great with Claude finally. Everything in her life seemed to be on track. Well, almost everything.Though Claude and her were spending more and more time together with each passing day as if they were in a relationship. They kind of were, but the man never asked her to be his girlfriend despite the fact that's how he had been introducing her to everyone who saw them together.There was one other thing which was bugging her at the back of her mind. Because of peer pressure about them dating—if it could be called that—the two of them inadvertently started using black masks whenever they were in public. Neither of the two wanted to let others throw in their unwanted opinions about their relationship. Though somewhere deep inside her heart, she wanted the whole world to know that Claud
"So…"Ayla dragged it out as she turned around to stare at the man who was still standing by the doors."Mr. D'Souza?""Call me Gavin, please." He still has the same charming smile playing across his face as he walked further into the room"Umm… I am pretty sure I can not do that." Ayla let out a nervous chuckle. There was something ominous about the way he stared back at her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she was sure that it wasn't only her mind playing with her. Something about him had shifted since the moment they walked in."Oh, please. Claude and I may not be the best of friends, but we are on our way there. It would mean a lot to me if you'd call me without any formalities." He paused before adding after a while. "Only when it's us… three."'What the f*ck!'Ala
"Because it looks like I interrupted something important."Her frown was the only thing which Claude could see but the helplessness which filled her eyes was enough of a giveaway for him. She was feeling guilty for interrupting their meeting. Well, it was more of a tour now. The actual meeting had already been wrapped up a while ago. It was what had Claude believing that her interruption was not going to have any repercussions. Even if there were any, he didn't care."It's fine. Don't worry." Claude rubbed his hand up and down her back to calm her down. Turning his attention to the group, he began. "Apologies for the interruption everyone, but let me introduce you all to my girlfriend." He was smart enough to not announce her name to the team. Though he wondered where Ayla was going with the secrecy."I am sure she must have a name." It was Mr. D'Souza who spoke up. There was a small smile playing acros