I was dreaming about dancing with Victor when something began to tickle my nose. Then my whole body began to shake until my head flopped around like a rag doll.“Victor, what’s happening?” I asked him in my dream. “Why is everything shaking?”I heard a feminine giggle. “I’m not Victor. Wake up, goofy.”My eyes flew open, and I realized I had been dreaming when I saw Amy sitting on my bed next to me.Was this a dream too?I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “Amy, what are you doing here?” I asked. “What time is it?”“It’s nine o’clock, and I need to talk to you,” she replied. “After your butler let me in, your dad said I could come up to your room and wake you up.”I stretched and yawned. “I tried to call you last night when I found your messages, but you didn’t answer your phone.”“Yeah, I fell asleep and found the missed calls from you when I got up this morning,” she said.Amy seemed normal, but I could tell something was on her mind.She always tries to hide it when she is upset. But I co
After one brief text, I didn’t see or hear from Amy until the following morning when I arrived in front of the school.She sat on the bench near the tree. Her facial expression told me nothing as she stared at her phone screen.I hurried over and sat next to her. Relief flooded me when she flashed me a quick smile before returning her attention to a sitcom on her phone screen.“Whatcha doing?” I asked.“Catching up on my show,” Amy replied. The pain I saw yesterday in her soft brown eyes was gone. “There are only three episodes left this season.”What happened with Justin to put her in such a good mood? She wasn’t volunteering any information, so I’d have to ask.“I’m glad you’re feeling better,” I said. “Did you hear from Justin?”“We were on the phone for half an hour yesterday.” Amy looked into my eyes and smiled. “He said he loves me, and he will return to the city soon.”“That’s great news.” I gave her a side hug. But was it really great news, or was Justin putting off the inevit
Victor took me home, and I told Benson I was expecting company. Before I could ask, he told me that Alex was in the living room watching a news broadcast.I hurried to tell him I was home.“Ah, there you are, Daisy,” he said. “How was your day?”“Okay,” I replied. “But I think my evening is about to get more interesting.”I told him about the girls coming to visit.“You should ask them to stay for dinner,” Alex advised. “I like their parents very much.”“I hope I like their daughters,” I said. “But I don’t think we have much in common.”“If you give people a chance, you may find you have more in common with them than you think,” Alex said.“You are right,” I agreed. “It would be a good thing for me to get to know them.”“It never hurts to have a few more friends, honey,” Alex said a moment before Benson announced my guests.“Hi.” I waved the girls into the room. “This is my father, Alex Wilson. Dad, this is Megan Thomas, Becky Foster, and Hallie Edwards.”“Delighted to meet you girls,
Victor’s POVMy dinner meeting had wrapped up, and I was walking out of Gilded when I spotted William walking toward me.“Victor, I’m glad I ran into you,” he said. “We need to talk about Daisy.”Before I could speak, the valet pulled up with my car. I handed them a tip and told William to climb in.I drove a few blocks to a city park. It was almost dark, so it was easy to find a parking slot.William and I got out of the car, and I beeped on the security system with my key fob before we began to walk through the park.“What’s on your mind?” I asked.“Have you noticed how different Daisy is these days?” he asked.“In what way?” I inquired.“She’s turning into… one of us. And that’s not who Daisy is,” William replied. “All she thinks about anymore is business, contacts, and raising money.”“She recently accomplished something many Alphas only dream about,” I explained. “And she did it while under attack from a leader of the Alpha business world.”“I understand that,” William said. “But
Instead of going to my room, I hurried to the music room and sat on the piano bench. The soft light from the hallway made the freshly waxed antique wood glow.I was upset and didn’t want to talk about it with Jennifer. It wasn’t something she would understand. I knew she would be hovering near my room, waiting for me to get home and get ready for bed.My fingers brushed over the smooth ivory piano keys as my eyes began to mist with tears.I hated being at odds with Victor. He was always good to me, but he made me so angry tonight.My instincts told me that the young Alpha I was speaking to was not to be trusted. I was looking for a way to turn him down gently when Victor swooped in and acted like a jealous jerk.Everyone except the people closest to me have been treating me with respect since I passed the test. But Victor was the worst. He still acted like I was a child who needed to be watched every second.His eyes were on me the entire time we were at the party. At any other time,
I had wanted this to happen for such a long time. I’ve even dreamed about this moment many times.Yet, I couldn’t not notice it made me feel totally different from when Victor almost kissed me.I didn’t understand why, but being almost kissed by Victor felt like being struck by lightning, while with William, it was more like the exhilaration of watching the storm from my balcony.My body responded to him but in a different way.I needed time to think. Maybe I was just frightened by surrendering my first kiss. It should be perfect and with a person I loved and who loved me.William sensed my shift in mood. He released me from his arms, and I pulled away.It was confusing. I always thought I would feel something magical to have a male who looks like William want to kiss me. Like in the movies and in books I’ve read.After all, William is the school’s football star and a muscular blonde Adonis. Many girls would love to be in his arms like I was. They would gladly accept his kiss.Why did
William stopped a moment before I reached his side and turned him to face me.“I want to go with you to the lake,” I said. “Truly I do.” My voice and body were trembling with emotion. “I promise I will go with you unless there is a disaster happening with the company.”I had to make things right with my friends. I knew I had changed, and was still changing, and it must be hard for everyone around me.My closest friends, Amy, William, and Victor, saw I wasn’t the same person I used to be. It had to be hard for them when I didn’t react or think exactly like I used to.They needed to know that just because I was becoming successful and had ambitions, it didn’t mean I didn’t care about them. I still needed them in my life. I had to show them how much they still meant to me.Without my three best friends, my life would be lonely beyond bearing. I realized I must make time for them and make them feel as important as they are to me.“I’m sorry if I seem different to you,” I said in a shaky v
Victor shut the driver's door and walked around to the front of the car.“Daisy, I’m sorry if I seemed angry,” he said. “But you should go inside. It's getting late, and you need your rest.”Frustrated, I put my hands on my hips. “How am I supposed to rest when my friends keep getting mad at me?”I kept going, releasing my anger. “If it’s not Amy making me feel guilty, it’s you or William. I’m doing my best to make everybody happy and keep up with my obligations at the same time.”I was shaking, and I turned away, not wanting Victor to see the tears starting to well in my eyes. But I had enough of feeling guilty.Victor turned me around to face him. “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. And I’m sorry if I was too bossy earlier. I really was trying to help you.”“Two of the men you were speaking with tonight have horrible reputations as scam artists,” Victor said. “I wanted to spare you the hassle of making a mistake by dealing with them. And getting into a car alone with them could