Her phone vibrated on the small table beside the bathtub and Lana reached around to answer."Hello?" "I need your address, sweetheart," his voice felt warm across the phone. Her body reacted to just his voice, curving in the bath as she spoke the digits without hesitation."Six-six-seven," she called out before telling him she would call after her bath."Next time, you're taking one with me," he teased, and Lana thought how much she would love to take a bath with Xyrus. Soaking in her deep bath, she tried to make sense of her life after everything had seemed to flip upside down in the matter of two days. Xyrus had swept her off her feet, dropping her back at her apartment with just enough time to be whisked off her feet once again. It was fabulous and unbelievable all at the same time. Glancing at the clock resting on the wall of her bathroom, she decided it was time to get out of the tub. Tina had agreed to help her with her hair and make-up and would be arriving soon.
“This is beautiful,” Lana Reign gasped, as we entered the dining area. “I just can’t believe I'm here. Not to mention that I’m on your arm,” she shook her head in disbelief, and Xy pulled her in close, smiling at her modesty. She had no idea that she was the star of the night and it tickled Xy to no avail. “Mr. Ashington, you’re over here,” a young brunette pointed to a table where he saw Akira nd Wind chatting away.Although they were only a few feet away, neither of Xyrus’s good friends took notice of him, lost instead in their own conversation. He smiled watching them, knowing how much each of his friends deserved someone special.With Lana on his arm, it felt like everyone had gotten the partner they needed, and he led Lana to the table, excited to introduce her to his friends. When they arrived, Akira finally looked up, jumping to her feet as she rushed to meet Lana. “I cannot tell you how excited I am to meet you. I have been pestering Xy all day to make sure you were com
“Did you see him out there? He’s so hot!” A woman’s voice shrieked from the sinks. Lana Reign was still in the stall when she caught the tail end of the conversation.“You know he donated everything, right? He’s like a billionaire!” Another woman chimed in as Lana readied herself to leave the stall.“He’s with some model in a purple gown,” the first woman answered, as they both turned to see Lana stumbling out of the stall as she realized they were talking about her.“I’m sorry. We didn’t know you were in there,” the woman rushed to explain, but she wasn’t offended at all.“It’s okay. I’m not a model though,” she corrected the girl as she washed her hands.“You sure do look like it,” the other added, and they all three laughed together.She had never found it difficult to make friends, and there in the bathroom of a charity event she had created what she thought could become a friendship, after meeting two women gossiping about her date.The interaction made her wonder what Xy was to
Hearing her name belted out in such an elegant setting stopped Lana in her tracks. Danny's voice bellowed so loudly that everyone turned around, curious as to who could be so absurd. Dressed in the world’s most expensive designer labels, the who’s who of Taguig City were not used to the behavior they were being forced to witness. Humiliated, Lana stopped, feeling as though everyone in the conference hall knew it was her the crazy man was after. She could feel herself shrinking as Dan stormed across the room. He seemed larger than she remembered, his broad shoulders pushed back with the arrogant confidence that comes with power. After leaving Xyrus to go to the bathroom, she was almost certain she had made up the sighting, thinking her paranoia was getting the best of her again. It wasn’t uncommon for her to think she saw Danny when she was out, but it had rarely actually been him. Mostly, he sent his security staff to do his dirty work, and Lana would run before the
“What the hell was that?” Wind asked, turning towards the exit of the gala. His charity event was going perfectly until that man had barged into the party screaming from across the room. Thankfully, Wind's awesome staff had quickly diverted the guests from the outburst by kicking up the bass from the band. The party had moved so swiftly, hardly anyone in the conference room was thinking about the brief chaotic moment by now. “I don’t know—” Xyrus answered, his words fading as he watched the front doors, waiting for some sort of explanation.“She knew who he was,” Akira noted, her face twisted quizzically, like she was trying to figure out a puzzle. Xyrus paused, watching the wheels turn in the minds of his two oldest friend, as they tried to help him make sense of the night. Akira had been as excited as he was when he’d decided to bring Lana to the charity event. And after Xyrus had played the matchmaker, getting Akira and Wind together after years of harmless flirting,
With the left side of her body pressed against the car door, Lana fought for as much space as she could find in the backseat of the taxi. Thankfully, Danny had been able to hail a driver pretty quickly, adding a quick ending to the worst night of her life.It was surreal, watching the city she had grown to love fading by as Danny hurled profanities in her direction. In the darkness, B.G.C looked gloomier than usual, and Lana wondered to herself if it was a sign. Could she have been wrong in thinking this city was for her?Just when she began to doubt herself, the concern in Xyrus's green eyes burned into the forefront of her memory. When Danny led her out of the charity event, squeezing her arm in a way that was sure to leave a bruise, she glanced back to see Xy standing like a statue, watching with a fiery gaze.It was a new emotion she hadn’t seen him wear, but it was enough to help her remember that something strong was growing between them. Leaving with Dan was the best way f
Still in shock, Xyrus stood on the stairs of the hotel for much longer than he anticipated. When an older man disrupted his thoughts by asking for the time, he decided to return to the event.As Xy walked through the front doors, Wind excitedly walked towards him with the look of a man who needed a favor. Knowing it was time to put on a brave face, Xyrus straightened his shoulders and took a deep breath just before Wind arrived with a graying woman beside him.“Mr. Ashington, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she introduced herself, stepping in front of Wind to extend her hand to Xyrus.“The pleasure is all mine,” Xyrus took her hand into both of his.“Samantha Hughes,” she said, before Xyrus could ask her name. She was a sassy gal, and the men shared a smile thinking of how hot she must have been in her day.“I’m very glad we got to meet,” he added.“I asked Wind here if you would be at the event tonight and he promised to introduce us,” she explained, turning the spotlight on
Awakened by a painful ache in her back, Lana blinked slowly, trying to place the contemporary crown molding on the ceiling. It surely wasn’t her bedroom, and the memories came rushing back when her eyes landed on Danny's scowl. Even in his sleep he was intimidating.After a long night of fighting, Lana found it difficult to sit up, her abdomen sore from a collision with a wall. After berating her while finishing off a bottle of brandy, Dan began shoving Lana between threats. He couldn’t believe she had actually moved on and started a new life without him, and vowed to take her to pack up her apartment first thing in the morning. He wanted Lana to pack everything up and move back to California, but the more she thought about it, the more certain she was that giving up her life as she knew now it wasn’t an option.It had taken too long and too much effort for Lana to build up to the safe space she now depended on. Her life wasn’t perfect, but she had the freedom to be herself and