Trisha. In all her annoying glory stares back at me with barely concealed anger. I look back at her already coming up with various theories as to why she would be here looking for me. "How long has she been waiting for me?" I ask the girl at the front desk. She stops typing on her phone for a second to look at me, "I don't really know. But she's been here for like thirty minutes." I nod in response. I had been right. This girl had done research on me while we were still at that stupid event and found out where I stayed. She probably rushed down here immediately I left with Roman and also most likely already knows that I went out with Roman. Her supposed fiancé. When I walk towards her direction, she probably feels like she has won the lottery or something. She has a little victorious smirk on her face probably from getting me to do her bidding. "I don't like to be kept waiting, Ms Aella." Trisha says with her nose in the air. "How can I help you, Trisha?" I ask, going straight
"Oh my God. This feels like a betrayal of our friendship." Ashley says, collapsing on her bed. "Well, it's not." I manage to croak out. "Then why are you not saying anything, and why are you looking at me like I've two heads on my shoulder." Ashley says, burying her face in her palms. "I'm just shocked, that's all." I say genuinely. The truth is that Travis had never done anything particularly wrong to us. We disliked him on sight due to all the stories we've been hearing about him and also because of the little run-in we had with him the other day when he called me a 'teasing slut'. "But he has a girlfriend, Ash." I say to her, trying to be the voice of reason. "He says they're broken up." Ashley says with a look on her face that tells me she doesn't believe that bullshit even for one minute. "But……?" I say, trying to get her to tell me the other side of the story. "But of course I don't believe that bullshit. He's been with Keisha since the beginning of time, why would he lea
"Hey." Lily greets with a smile like we hadn't just seen ourselves out in the down floor. "Hey." I greet back in a voice I pray is not evident of my fear. "I'm sorry for the way I responded to you earlier, I shouldn't have snapped at you. I brought this for you to show you how sincere I am." Lily says while bringing forward the arm that was behind her back. It turns out she was just holding some flowers which had been packaged neatly in a transparent pack. They were roses. I didn't particular hate roses but I sure didn't like them. They made me remember my mom a lot. The last time I was at her graveside, there was an unhealthy number of roses laying on her coffin. I preferred irises. Which Roman had guessed correctly on his first try. "Thank you very much Lily. And don't beat yourself up for it, everyone has a sore spot they wouldn't want others prodding at. And thank you for the flowers, they are beautiful." I say all this with a very huge smile that I do not feel inside. She vi
"What are you doing here, Roman?" I ask in a shaky voice, not totally sure I'm in the right frame of mind to hold any kind of conversation with him. "I just wanted to see you. It's been too long." Roman says in a very clear tone that does not scream drunk at all. "You just saw me this evening, Roman." I say with a huff barely holding myself back from hissing like an angry cat. "You shouldn't be here. What would your fiancée say if she knew you were here?" I ask in a sad tone. "The only fiancée I have is standing right in front of me." Roman says while pulling me into his chest for a hug. "What do you mean by that? Did your father finally call off the engagement?" I ask, with my heartbeat constantly increasing.I tap his shoulders when he doesn't respond only to find out he has fallen asleep on my shoulder. I don't know whether to laugh or cry right now. I pull him down to lay down on my bed, covering him with my woollen duvet. When I move to get off the bed he pulls me into him
"Dad? What are you doing here?" I ask my father who is staring at me like given a chance, he would not hesitate to detach my head from my body. "What am I doing here? I should be asking you that question." My father says with a scary looking sneer. "What are you doing here with this boy toy of yours? I'm not even the least bit surprised. Of course you would whore yourself out to a guy just for some cheap jewelleries."I flush red at his disgusted tone. I don't bother telling him that I'm not here of my own free will and that the jewelleries in this place are by no means cheap. "You are one to talk." Roman says coldly from behind me like he knows something I don't. My father stares at him for what seems like minutes with a scowl on his face. Whatever response he was about to spit out is interrupted by the arrival of a girl who looks not too older than me. "Why did you leave me inside, baby? And who is this?" The girl asks with distrust in her eyes. I almost choke at the term of e
"Is there something wrong, Aella?" Lily asks, breaking me out of my reverie. I smile at her, planning on excusing myself from this conversation. "No. Everything is perfect. But I think I'm getting a little bit sick.” “Sick?” Lily asks with a look of confusion and concern on her face. “Yes. I feel feverish and a little lightheaded.” I say while faking a little shiver. “So don't you need to go to the hospital or something?” Lily asks in a tone laced with concern. “No, I just think I need to rest my head a little, then I will be fine.” I say with a little smile, hoping she reads between the lines. “Okay, then I think I will come back later when you are strong enough.” Lily says with a tight smile before walking out the door. I breathe in a huge sigh of relief, for some time there, I thought I was doing something wrong deciding to be with Roman. But no matter how much I tell myself I'm not in the wrong, I just can't get the fact that I might have stolen someone's boyfriend out of
“Will you calm the fuck down!” Ashley screams at the hysterical Kylie. “When I leave this fucking room, you all will pay for this!” Kylie screams in response. The fear creeping up my spine and settling in the bottom of my stomach has me retching. “For once in your miserable life, can you at least pay attention to someone aside from yourself?” Ashley says while giving Kylie a death glare. This gets Kylie's attention, she looks at me with a confused look on her face, “What's wrong with her?” “It's not rocket science, Kylie. She's obviously claustrophobic.” Ashley says in a taunting voice. “Well if you know so much about it, then do something!” Kylie says looking sick and scared at the same time. “If I knew what to do, I would have done something ever since.” Ashley responds in an equally scared tone. Kylie pats her pockets, looking for her phone and hissing angrily when she doesn't find it. “Dang it! I'm not with my phone.” “This is all your fault! If you hadn't dragged me in he
I sip the water from the glass placed in front of me by Roman. I stare at him for some time, loving the sexy side view I'm getting. I almost combust on the spot when he winks at me. I turn around abruptly and flush beetroot red when he chuckles behind me. After I ran into him yesterday, he brought me back to his apartment and held me while I cried and cursed at the injustice in the world. I told him all about my dad's plans to marry me off, and he swore he would kill him. But I guess like all other things, he didn't mean it, and this too was just a statement said in the heat of anger. My attention is brought back to the present when he places a plate of omelette, bacon, and fries in front of me as well as a cold glass of orange juice. Roman leans against the counter, sipping a glass of water, “What do you intend on doing today?” I choke on my food at the question. I reach for my glass of juice and take a large gulp before turning back to assure Roman who had rushed to my side th
A hard choice has to be made. My past or my present. After my mother died, it was almost as if all the friends she had and her family as well vanished into thin air. It became clear to me when I grew up, that my father purposefully cut them out of our lives. I had sworn to myself that I would come back and look for them but life happened and I haven't had the chance to. But right now, the opportunity to reconnect with the only people who knew and loved my mother as much as I did has fallen into my lap but it comes at the expense of my future. If I stay back for even an hour longer, I will surely be caught which is why I refuse to turn back. With tears dripping down my cheeks, I forge forward as I run towards the motel. I barely see the road in front of me as the tears refuse to stop. I rush into my room and hurriedly change out of my dress and into some pants and a tee. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I head out of the room. I take a cab to the train station, and luckily for me t
A hard choice has to be made. My past or my present. After my mother died, it was almost as if all the friends she had and her family as well vanished into thin air. It became clear to me when I grew up, that my father purposefully cut them out of our lives. I had sworn to myself that I would come back and look for them but life happened and I haven't had the chance to. But right now, the opportunity to reconnect with the only people who knew and loved my mother as much as I did has fallen into my lap but it comes at the expense of my future. If I stay back for even an hour longer, I will surely be caught which is why I refuse to turn back. With tears dripping down my cheeks, I forge forward as I run towards the motel. I barely see the road in front of me as the tears refuse to stop. I rush into my room and hurriedly change out of my dress and into some pants and a tee. I sling my bag over my shoulder as I head out of the room. I take a cab to the train station, and luckily for me
“Is there any particular reason why I'm standing here?” I ask the security guard with a carefully practiced bored expression on my face. “I'm just waiting for confirmation, and then I will let you pass. I'm sorry. Instructions from the higher ups.” The man says once more before he continues his work. My heartbeat increases as I look around me. Most people were starting to look at me suspiciously and sooner than later, Roman is going to get me. “Fine. Where's the bathroom?” I ask the man after some time of thinking. “It's just down that way.” The man says with a polite smile on his face as he points me to a door at his far right. I don't say anything as I haul my bag with me towards the stalls. ‘Fuck!’ This is not supposed to be happening. I had to get on that train. And I have to do it fast. I weigh my options and come up with a hasty plan I hope is enough to get me boarded. I open my duffel bag and say a little prayer of thanks for having a bestfriend like Ashley. I take out t
I pull the car I had driven to a stop in front of Ashley's house. I barely have the time to turn off the car and step out of it when Ashley comes running out of the house with a bag in her hands. I had called her on the ride down here and had given her the watered down details of what went down explaining in very clear terms that I was leaving. “Drive! Drive! Drive!” Ashley exclaims as she slips hurriedly into the front seat of the car. I do as she says and zoom off, watching as the bodyguards who are supposed to be watching her attempt to pursue our car on foot but have no such luck. “What the hell, Ashley? What was that all about?” I ask once we've gone a considerable distance away from her house. “I had to lose the guards. It's not like you would have appreciated it if I had brought them along with us now, would you?” Ashley asks while settling down further into the seat, putting on her seat belt. “What do you mean ‘us’? You aren't coming with me.” I say to Ashley with a slig
“She's working hand in hand with someone in your house.” I say to Roman the moment he steps back into his office. His shirt sleeves are folded and his tie is a bit loose, his hair also looks like he had run his hand in it countless number of times in the last few hours. “You don't believe me.” I say in a quiet tone when I'm met with his silence. “It's not a matter of believing you or not, it's about who led you down this part, princess.” Roman responds in a quiet tone. “I don't know. There were a couple of people involved. Oh, wait. There's one. The man that tried to kill me in the massage parlour. The person who lured me outside and pushed me into the pool in the hotel in Seattle. The person that has been sabotaging all my work right in this office.” I say angrily until I'm panting heavily.“You told me you fell into the pool.” Roman says in a deadly cool tone. “Do you need me to continue?” I ask Roman, ignoring his questions. “Ever since I woke up from this godforsaken coma, my
“Where are you going, Roman?” I ask in a confused tone as I step into the office and find Roman packing up his stuff. “I have an urgent meeting to attend. I will have the driver take you home, princess.” Roman says in a response as his intense gaze roves over my face. “I have something to show you, Roman.” I say in an urgent tone as I take a step closer to him. He starts to say something in response when his phone goes off ringing. “Fuck!” He curses as he sees the caller Id. “Go home straight, princess. We will talk when we get back. Don't give me a reason not to let you off on your own again.” Roman says while giving me a pointed look. I nod my head and give him a tight smile as I pack up my things. Files and documents I want to work on when I get home. There was no exposing Lily now. I have to wait till he gets back home as promised. This was all even better. At least she won't be present to try and sway him or lie to him about everything. Just as I'm finishing up, a knock s
“Ashley?” I call out in urgency, the need to see her safe overriding my need for self-preservation as I step out of the car and hurry into the house. “Aella?” Ashley calls from inside the room where I hear voices. I rush into the room and find Ashley sitting on the bed where she looks pretty comfortable. “Thank God you are here. Please help me these people that I'm indestructible and there's no need for the fuss.” Ashley says with an exasperated sigh as I hurry to her bedside. I spot a cold-looking Ethan standing by the window, staring sharply at the doctors surrounding Ashley and totally ignoring the nurse who made it her life's mission to attract his attention. “Tell me you are okay, Ashley.” I say in a wobbly voice as I pull her into my arms. “Of course, I'm okay, Aella. I told you, they can't hurt me.” Ashley says in a strong tone, but she still tightens her arms around my midriff. I get on the bed with her as I try to quiet my sobs, and I don't say anything when I feel my
“Where did you take her to, Roman?” I ask in an extremely calm tone that I have a hard time recognising as mine. “Calm down, Aella, he had nothing to do with this.” Ethan says as he steps into the house, immediately reading the situation. “Where the fuck did you take her to?” Roman barks at Ethan, barely sparing me a glance. “That's not important right now. I need you to let go of Ashley, right this minute!” I say to him in a trembling voice, wondering why I'm afraid of him finding out I was out with Ethan when he could possibly be holding Ashley hostage. “Why would you think I'm the one responsible for all this?” Roman asks me in a confused tone as he takes a step towards me. “If you aren't involved, then what are you doing with those pictures? I saw you take them out when I came in.” I respond with tears rolling down my cheeks. “I saw them lying outside when I came into the house. To look for you, but apparently you weren't here.” Roman explains in a hard, sinister tone as he
“Tell your boy toy to let your father go, Aella! How could you be this wicked!?” Kate asks me in a tone laced with anger. “Mother, I'm not holding his hands now, am I?” I asked in an innocent tone as I give Ethan a subtle sign to let my father go. “We should have indeed sent you down to a nondescript orphanage deep in the woods all that time ago. All you've done since you grew up is insult us and punish us for all the good we've done for you!” Kate says with teeth bared as Ethan finally lets my father go. “Why didn't you?” I ask in an angry emotion-filled tone. At this point, anything would have been better than growing up under their care. “You ungrateful bitch!” Kate says as she takes a threatening step towards me, stopping short when I don't cower back in fear. I see the uncertainty in her eyes and I can't help but feel smug about it. Ethan finally lets go of my father and he drops to the ground, coughing violently while clutching his chest. “When you sleep at night, let Aell