BELLA “What’s your schedule like today?” I asked, voice soft as we lay tangled in each other beneath the warm sheets. My head rested on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “I’ve got a pretty busy day,” Vincent murmured, fingers absentmindedly weaving through my curls. “Need to check on a few shipments, then some back-to-back meetings. Why? Are you thinking of stealing me away?” I smiled, savoring the warmth of his touch. “I was planning to take you out, just something simple. But it can wait. Work’s important.” His hand paused, and then he shifted slightly, guiding me gently until I was straddling his waist. His eyes searched mine as he cradled my face in his hands. “What did you just say?” he asked, voice low but curious. “I said I wanted to take you out. Nothing fancy, just us. But, it’s okay, we can do it another day.” A spark lit up in his eyes, and he looked at me like I’d just handed him the stars. “You want to take me out on a date?” he repe
VINCENT“This better be important, Bianchi,” I snapped as I shut the door behind me, the weight of the moment I just left still clinging to my skin like perfume. I stalked toward my desk, fingers itching to be anywhere but in this room. “You dragged me away from something important.”“By important do you mean your little date with Bella?” he asked, bitterness laced in every syllable.The edge in his voice made me pause. Just slightly. But I didn’t appreciate the tone.“What’s with the attitude?” I asked coldly. “I get that you don’t like her, but what I do in my free time is none of your business, Bianchi. You interrupted a moment I’ll never get back.”He gave me a flat, unimpressed look. “Were you about to fuck her?”I scoffed, leaning against the edge of my desk with my arms crossed. “No.”“Good.” He tossed a manila envelope onto my desk. “Because that would’ve been the biggest mistake of your life. And possibly your one-way ticket straight to hell.”My stomach tightened. I didn’t m
VINCENT“Good morning, Don. Hope you had a pleasant night,” Bianchi said, and I gave him an annoyed look.“What is it this time around?” I asked, drained. I just wanted some time alone to think.“Someone’s grumpy,” Bianchi grinned, and I rolled my eyes.“Last night I hacked into her phone, and it’s amusing how she foolishly left everything there. She didn’t even bother to delete their messages,” Bianchi said, and I sighed as I looked up at him.“I’m actually surprised you didn’t call me because I already sent it to you,” he added, glancing at my phone that sat untouched on the desk. I hadn’t looked at it since last night.I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything. My heart felt heavy, and there was still that lingering anger and irritation. Notifications kept popping up, but I ignored them. I was afraid of what I might do if I gave in to the rage, afraid of how far I’d go, especially when the person who hurt me was probably out there lounging without a care in the world.“I was too b
BELLA“He slapped my butt!” I yelled for the upteenth time since everybody was forgetting that fact and acting like I was the wrong one for slapping him, “he has no right to do that.”“I know Bella but you work at a bar, these type of things happen with the job and you just have to be reasonable, besides he is a VIP client.” A colleague at work responded.I was taken aback! What did they expect me to do? Stand there and let him touch me even after I had warned him twice to keep his hands to himself. It was bad enough that this was the only job I could find and I had to work my ass off to make enough money to pay for the rent and at the same time settle some of dad’s debts. That was the only thing keeping us alive because the kind of people he got involved with were always the dangerous kind that did not understand the word, please.I was standing beside the bar and waiting for my boss to step out of the VIP’s lounge. He had gone in there to pacify the customer I had slapped since he
BELLA I groaned softly as my eyelids fluttered open slowly. I winced in pain as the slight throbbing in my head turned serious and I couldn’t move as fast as I wanted to.It took a few seconds before I was able to keep my eyes open and take a good look around my surroundings. I was in an unfamiliar room and it wasn’t bright enough for me to take everything in but I knew one thing for sure, I wasn’t in my room.“Where am I?” I whispered to myself as I tried to sit up but something pulled me back down and that was when I noticed the chain and the fact that I had been tied to the bedpost.My heart skipped a beat as I struggled against the chain. I knew it was useless but I was panicking and unable to keep calm any longer. What was going on? I glanced around in fear just as the memories of what had happened earlier began to pop up in my mind.Dad was with some strange men, they had beaten him up badly and when I tried to stand up for him, Dad said something really odd and there was this
BELLAHe really had me locked up in the room like some animal. An entire day went by and he didn’t show up, the maids came up frequently with food but I simply refused to eat or touch anything.All I wanted was for them to just let me go. So when they brought breakfast the next day, I grabbed the table knife in the tray and held it out to them as I yelled at them to stay back.“I don’t want to hurt anyone, I just want to go home. I don’t belong here so let me out.”“You can’t just keep me in here like this when I didn’t do anything wrong. I won’t stop until you let me out.” I kept pleading with them to let me go but the maids kept saying the same thing: that it was their boss’s order that I wasn’t allowed to leave the room.I was so angry! Who did he think he was to take away my freedom like that?They tried to take the knife from me but were unsuccessful so one of the two maids slipped out to get help. I was certain he was going to show up and that was exactly what I wanted. “Let m
BELLA“There’s an event tonight and you’re coming with me,” I stated in an authoritative manner.“And why would I do that?” She shot me a glare.“You’re holding me here against my wish so why on earth would I go anywhere with you?” She clapped back at me angrily.“Because I said so.” I hissed, she opened her mouth to say something again and I just knew she was about to counter me so I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to me.She tried to shake me off but I held her still by grabbing her chin roughly,“Don’t get me wrong, that wasn’t a request and for your own safety, when I say something, you fucking do it without making a single sound.”I had lost a drug shipment for a client and was not in the right frame of mind at that time plus I hated how she always fought back, she was supposed to be submissive. For a man like me that was used to people being afraid of me, she was definitely different.“So what am I to you? Some kind of puppet or what?” She countered. I scoffed in disbelie
BELLA GEORGECold sweat broke out on my forehead and I felt like I might faint as my heart started beating rapidly in my chest. I felt all the adrenaline melt away and fear take over.I could not bring myself to turn around and look at the person whose hands gripped mine so tightly. It could only be Vincent or his guards, and the thought terrified me.I would be dead before I even stepped outside, why was life so cruel to me?“What's a pretty lady like you doing so far away from the party?” A deep masculine voice cooed.I felt irritated as I turned around and came face-to-face with a gruff-looking man. He had a sweet smile on his face and I glared at him as I tried to pull my hand out of his hold.“I could ask you the same thing but I don't care. Now let go of my hand!” I angrily growled and he smirked as he tightened his hold and pulled me closer to him.He leaned towards my neck and I shivered as he took a whiff of my scent. His eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn't understand as
VINCENT“Good morning, Don. Hope you had a pleasant night,” Bianchi said, and I gave him an annoyed look.“What is it this time around?” I asked, drained. I just wanted some time alone to think.“Someone’s grumpy,” Bianchi grinned, and I rolled my eyes.“Last night I hacked into her phone, and it’s amusing how she foolishly left everything there. She didn’t even bother to delete their messages,” Bianchi said, and I sighed as I looked up at him.“I’m actually surprised you didn’t call me because I already sent it to you,” he added, glancing at my phone that sat untouched on the desk. I hadn’t looked at it since last night.I wasn’t in the mood to deal with anything. My heart felt heavy, and there was still that lingering anger and irritation. Notifications kept popping up, but I ignored them. I was afraid of what I might do if I gave in to the rage, afraid of how far I’d go, especially when the person who hurt me was probably out there lounging without a care in the world.“I was too b
VINCENT“This better be important, Bianchi,” I snapped as I shut the door behind me, the weight of the moment I just left still clinging to my skin like perfume. I stalked toward my desk, fingers itching to be anywhere but in this room. “You dragged me away from something important.”“By important do you mean your little date with Bella?” he asked, bitterness laced in every syllable.The edge in his voice made me pause. Just slightly. But I didn’t appreciate the tone.“What’s with the attitude?” I asked coldly. “I get that you don’t like her, but what I do in my free time is none of your business, Bianchi. You interrupted a moment I’ll never get back.”He gave me a flat, unimpressed look. “Were you about to fuck her?”I scoffed, leaning against the edge of my desk with my arms crossed. “No.”“Good.” He tossed a manila envelope onto my desk. “Because that would’ve been the biggest mistake of your life. And possibly your one-way ticket straight to hell.”My stomach tightened. I didn’t m
BELLA “What’s your schedule like today?” I asked, voice soft as we lay tangled in each other beneath the warm sheets. My head rested on his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “I’ve got a pretty busy day,” Vincent murmured, fingers absentmindedly weaving through my curls. “Need to check on a few shipments, then some back-to-back meetings. Why? Are you thinking of stealing me away?” I smiled, savoring the warmth of his touch. “I was planning to take you out, just something simple. But it can wait. Work’s important.” His hand paused, and then he shifted slightly, guiding me gently until I was straddling his waist. His eyes searched mine as he cradled my face in his hands. “What did you just say?” he asked, voice low but curious. “I said I wanted to take you out. Nothing fancy, just us. But, it’s okay, we can do it another day.” A spark lit up in his eyes, and he looked at me like I’d just handed him the stars. “You want to take me out on a date?” he repe
BELLA“So relaxing,” I mumbled, running the towel over my dripping hair, the warmth of the steam still clinging to my skin.“Beautiful.”The word was soft, almost a whisper but it jolted me like a slap. I gasped and jumped back, clutching my chest, heart hammering.“When did you get in?” I asked, eyes wide as Vincent stepped forward, casually picking up the towel I’d dropped.He chuckled, the sound low and teasing. “I’ve been here for a while. Had the best view in the house. Worth every second.”His gaze dragged over me like a slow caress, and I could feel the heat rise to my cheeks despite the towel wrapped snugly around me.“Pervert,” I muttered, trying to hide the fluster in my voice. “What are you doing here?”Vincent stopped just inches from me, his expression unreadable for a moment before softening into something warm. He lifted the smaller towel and began patting my damp hair with surprising gentleness.“Why wouldn’t I be here?” he murmured, fingers threading lightly through m
BELLA“Look at you! You look so amazing!” Carmen squealed, yanking me into one of her signature bear hugs.“Wait a minute…” She pulled back and sniffed the air. “Is that a new perfume I smell? Girl! I swear, I need to find a man. You’re out here glowing like the main character.”“Stop it,” I said, laughing. “I look the same as I did the last time you saw me. If anything, I got darker from all that sun.”Carmen gasped, clutching her chest like I just offended her entire lineage.“This is you darker? Please. You’re glowing so hard it’s blinding. My poor eyes,” she said, shielding her face dramatically.I laughed and grabbed her arm. “Stop being so dramatic. Have You seen yourself?.”“Yes but you're gorgeous. And you need to tell me how you met Vincent, so I can go hang out wherever that was and get me a man just like him.” She gave me a knowing side-eye.I rolled mine. “As if you don’t reject every single man that so much as breathes in your direction.”“Not my fault they don’t meet the
VINCENT“Did you have fun?” I asked as we walked into her room, our hands still intertwined. She was practically draped over me, her body leaning against mine like she had no intention of holding herself up anymore. But I didn’t mind. I loved the weight of her. The way her warmth pressed into me.She let out a soft laugh. “Do you even have to ask? I had so much fun. Especially when you almost got lost. The look on your face was priceless.”I groaned dramatically. “Oh, so that’s what we’re doing now?”She smirked.“Because if we’re roasting each other, let’s not forget your face when you saw that sculpture of the naked man,” I said, already laughing at the memory. “You looked like your brain short-circuited.”She gasped and smacked my chest. “Vincent!”I looked down and caught the pink rising to her cheeks as she tried to hide her face. The sight made something warm settle in my chest.“You’re blushing,” I said with a grin, pulling her in front of me. My hands came up to gently cup her
BELLAVincent stood frozen, his eyes locked on mine, wide with guilt and disbelief. I didn’t bother hiding the fury burning inside me. Disappointment twisted in my chest as I pushed myself off the ground and walked away without a word.Footsteps echoed behind me.“Bella,” he called softly.“Bella!” he said louder this time, desperation lacing his voice.I scoffed but kept walking, making my way toward the hotel’s entrance. The elevator doors slid open and I stepped in. He followed, slipping in just before they closed. I was grateful for the two strangers riding with us, it kept him from trying anything.The second the elevator dinged at our floor, I bolted out like the walls were closing in.“Bella, just let me explain,” he pleaded, reaching out to grab my hand.“Don’t fucking touch me!” I snapped, yanking my hand away as if his touch burned me.“It was a mistake. You know I’d never do that to you,” he called after me, but I didn’t slow down. I shoved the hotel room door open and walk
BELLAI don’t understand what’s happening. One minute we’re fine, and the next he’s cold, like I suddenly became a stranger. I told myself I wouldn’t let it get to me, that I’d be unbothered, but the truth is it hurts. And I’m tired of pretending it doesn’t.My eyes followed him as he stood a few feet away, speaking into his phone in low, clipped tones. His brow was furrowed, jaw clenched, the way it always is when he’s deep into work mode. I could tell it was serious but that didn’t make the ache in my chest any easier to ignore.“Trouble in paradise?” a voice whispered close to my ear.I turned and found Miguel standing there, he flashed a lazy smile before dropping down beside me onto the warm sand.“Hey you,” I muttered, forcing a smile.“It’s good to see you out here. You vanished on me last night.” His tone was light, but his eyes scanned me like he was looking for cracks.I sighed. I wasn’t in the mood for banter, especially not now. I just needed air, maybe even a moment to cr
BELLATo say I was shocked to see Vincent would be an understatement. My heart lurched as fear surged through me, and my phone slipped from my hands, hitting the floor with a soft thud.How long had he been standing there?Did he hear anything?I forced myself to breathe, my fingers trembling slightly as I looked up. His face was unreadable, with that calm aura surrounding him.“Are you okay?” Vincent asked, his tone gentle. I nearly exhaled in relief. There was no anger or suspicion. That was a good sign.“You scared me,” I said, trying to sound casual as I crouched to pick up my phone. “What are you doing here?”“I was just passing by and thought I’d check on you. What was that all about?” he asked, eyes narrowing just a fraction.I avoided his gaze. “How did you even get in here? I know I locked the door. And I told you last time to stop sneaking up on me.”“I didn’t sneak,” he said smoothly. “Your door was open. I got worried.”Open? My stomach sank. How could I have forgotten?“W