HAZEL STYLES POV
"How could you be so stupid" Julian yelled as he threw the pictures in his hand at my face.
They pooled around me, their crinkling sound slicing at my heart.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that..."
"You don't know anything. Do you know how much I had to pay to stop your disgraceful act from being leaked on the media? I am trying to protect you and all you do is try as much as you can to jeopardize that. What the hell is wrong with you"
"I am sorry..."
"Your apology is not going to cut it. Our parents died because of you. I lost the only people who cared about me so why can't you live right huh? Do I have to die so you can be happy? I told you Liam was no good and for you to stay away from him. Why don't you ever listen? Look at all that mess I had to clean up. Why are you so stupid huh"
Darkness swirled in my vision. He was right. I was stupid. I deserved this. I should have seen Liam for who he was. I'd just been so desperate... I'd wanted someone to love and support me.
"Are you going to stand there and say nothing" he roared in fury, his breath coming out in harsh gasp.
My mouth moved as a single tear escaped my eyes. "I'm sorry, It was all my fault. I promise that this will never happen again".
He took a deep breath and let it out. "You bet it won't. I am shutting down your art studio. Quit your stupid art and come work for the company, at least that way I'd know what you are not doing"
My gaze jerked up to his and the sudden movement made the spot on my neck that I was trying to ignore ache. Riven's face flashed in my head, the way his gaze had held mine before he leaned in and took a bite out of me.
My fingers moved to my neck, their tips lightly touching the bandage. Why the hell was I thinking about him when my world was crumbling around me? I applied pressure and the pain made my present all the more real and all of a sudden I spoke back.
"I won't do that. You can't touch the art studio. You signed the papers"
He gaped at me. "What? Did you just say that to my face? Who the hell do you think you are? After everything I've done for you. I've raised you for the past fifteen years and you dare to speak to me in this manner"
I pressed harder against the spot, my gaze dropping to the floor. "My father left me that studio. You already took everything else, so please, just don't touch that"
He stepped toward me and I jerked, the feeling of suffocation intensifying.
"Are you trying to make a point? You want to tell me that you own everything don't you"
"Of course not." I got out, my gaze jerking to his wild ones. "The studio is all I have left. You already have access to everything else, so why can't you just let it be? I am an adult now. I can make my own decisions"
He scoffed. "Of course, you can. A very good example is the one you made with Liam Hex".
His words stung but I couldn't let him get to me.
He watched me, his hands clenching and unclenching. Was he going to hit me? It had been a long time since he'd swung at me. Was he going to start again? My blood ran cold.
"You better watch yourself, Hazel. If you continue defying my wishes, I am really going to get rid of that studio. Stop ruining the family name. I won't always be there to save you"
'I don't need saving'. They were words I could never utter though. If I did, Julian was really going to kill me
He sighed, then rubbed at his face. "I'll give you a month. If you don't find what to do with your art, I will tear down your studio and then you have to work for the company. Don't even think about trying to sue me. If you push me more than you have already done, I am really going to let you go, Hazel" he warned and then suddenly took my face in his hand, his gaze holding mine intensely. "I care about you Hazel. Stop making me hate you. Stop making me hurt you" he said and I watched as his gaze flickered to my lip and lingered.
My heart twisted in disgust and I yanked my face from his hold "Don't touch me. I want to be alone, so leave"
The look in his eyes was filled with rage. Cursing under his breath, he turned and walked out of my apartment. The door shut behind him and I stared at it, a storm swirling deep inside me.
Trying not to choke on tears, I walked out of the house and down the path that led to the studio.
Stepping into the cozy room made breathing easier but I was so mad, I just wanted to fucking destroy everything.
My unfinished painting was still at the center of the room. It was a picture of my mom.
I picked up the brush, the anger in my chest making my hand tremble.
I dipped the brush into red paint then I screamed as I swiped at the painting, ruining what would have been my masterpiece but I didn't care. I was bloody furious. Why did they leave me all by myself? Why. Why. Why.
******
"Watch out" Mother screamed and that was the only warning I got from where I sat at the back of the car, coloring my art book.
The car flipped, then flipped, the sheer terror filling up the space blood-curdling. The breath was knocked out of my lungs and then all I felt was pain.
I must have blacked out, but when I opened my eyes, I was upside down and the grotesque face of my Dad covered in blood was staring eye wide at me. Mother was still breathing, but she was also bleeding a lot.
"His neck has been ripped out. Look at all that blood. Such a gruesome sight huh" a voice broke through the whirling in my ear.
"Julian" I gasped, and his eyes moved to mine. It wasn't Julian. It was someone else and as our eyes held, I couldn't help but feel terrified. His eyes were void of any emotion, and still, I opened my mouth to ask for help. Blood spurted out instead and I watched as he stared at me, almost mesmerized.
The woman beside him stepped closer. "Should we help them?" she asked as fire sparked and started to burn in front of the car.
My gaze moved to his, hopeful, that he was going to help us.
"No, leave them. We are already late for the meeting. They are going to die anyway. Father is probably already angry now. We should go" he said, his gaze clashing with mine one last time.
The woman nodded and I watched as they walked away.
I succumbed to the darkness and then gasped as a bloody hand pressed against my lips. The fire spread, burning hotter.
"This is all your fault, Hazel. This is all your fault"
******
I gasped awake and then tried to sit up, but there was something heavy weighing down on me.
My vision cleared, my eyes widening as they took In those of the man holding me down. My heart leaped into my throat.
"Riven?"
HAZEL STYLES POV "Riven" I gasped In disbelief and watched as his lips lifted in a smirk that made my stomach lurch with emotions I couldn't quite explainI'd fallen asleep on the sofa after letting out all of my frustrations, but I was sure the door had been locked so how the hell had he gotten in here? And did he touch my lips? My nightmare had been a memory, but the last bit... Nothing like that happens. I met his piercing gaze, then took in our position. He was kneeling over me, his powerful thigh between mine, making an escape almost impossible, but I had to try. I tried to twist away but he was much faster. Riven grabbed my shoulders and held me in place, then made a tsk sound."You covered it up. You shouldn't have done that" I tried to shove him off and gasped as he took hold of my hand with just one of his and yanked it above my head. He ripped the bandage off the bite mark, then pressed his mouth against my throat, his warm breath encircling the cut and making sparks sh
HAZEL STYLES POV "Let go of her, or I'm going to tase you, " Lena screamed, her eyes wide like saucers. I and Riven's gaze locked in on hers from the sofa where he'd pushed me unto after taking out the brush I'd stabbed into his arms.Lena let out a shrill scream, then slapped a hand over her mouth. I could totally understand her reaction. There was paint all over us since I'd tried to run for my life and ended up tripping on something and knocking up the bucket of paint mix.The whole studio looked like a nightmare and so did we.Riven regarded her, his eyes curious. "Are you really going to do that? I don't believe you" Lena's gaze moved to mine, the question in her eyes easy to understand. I mouthed that he was insane and her eyes widened further."If you don't let go of her, I am really going to use this and it's going to hurt. You'll probably become Impotent too, 'cause I am going to aim for your dick," she got out shakily, her grip on the taser unstable. "Lena, what the hell
HAZEL STYLES POV There was screaming alright, but it wasn't from Riven whatsoever. It was me as my face burned. My klutzy ass freaking sprayed myself in the face. I gasped as a searing, burning sensation exploded across my cheeks, nose, and eyes. My eyelids felt like they were being sliced open, and as tears streamed down my face, the pain only got worse."Oh God, I am going to die" I choked out and struggled against Riven who was trying to hold my flailing armsMy lungs burned, and trying to fight Riven's hold even though I couldn't see for shit made every breath I took feel like I was inhaling razor blades. Why the hell was he trying to pin me down when I was freaking dying. Why won't he just leave me alone?"Calm the fuck down, or it's going to get worse," Riven roared, and I stilled in shock at the fury in his voice. I was dying and he thought I could calm down. What the hell was his problem? This was all his fault. I wouldn't be all hysterical and dying if he hadn't broken i
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "What do you think you are doing," she asked as I stalked toward her. Her throat moved as she swallowed nervously, and my gaze dropped to her slender neck before moving back to her expressive wide eyes. She drew her hands up, her dainty fingers forming into fists. "Don't come any closer or I am going to punch you in the face. I'm really going to do it" she warned, her hands trembling a little.She looked so comical that I couldn't help a chuckle escaping my lips. She stared at me incredulously, her hazel eyes wide as saucers. "Do you think I am joking" I put my hands up in the air in mock surrender "Oh, I can tell you are very serious. It's just the whole paste on your face didn't give you the intimidating look you were going for."Her lips pursed angrily and I grinned because she looked like a pufferfish. The smile on my face seemed to aggravate her further and she swung at me. I caught her hand midair and she gaped at me, the pulse at her neck thumping wildly.
HAZEL STYLES POV Riven was crazy and so was the way he switched in an instant. One minute, he was smooth and charming, and the next, he was cold as ice. I didn't know how to react to the change.His words about my art still rang in my head. I didn't know how much I needed to hear that until he said it. My heart had taken a fucking nosedive, and up till now, I still couldn't breathe through the exhilaration of hearing that my art was good.But he was a bad person, and I just couldn't forget those words he said at that scene of the accident fifteen years ago. Did he know it was me? The girl he left to die. If he knew and apologized, would I be able to forgive him? Would he deserve it? My head was messed up. This was all Liam's fault. That bastard. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have crossed paths with Riven, and this wouldn't be happening right now. When this was all over, I was going to fucking hunt him down for what he did to me.His finger grazed my chin, and I flinched hard, my
HAZEL STYLES POV I felt trapped under his gaze. Was he really going to kiss me? Was I going to let him? He took a step closer, his piercing eyes making my heart beat frantically in my chest. "Riven," I called on a breath, my hand coming up to push at his chest, but he didn't budge. Why was he so ridiculously strong, or was it just me who didn't push hard enough? "Interesting" he murmured as his finger grazed my chin. "Do you really not want a kiss, Hazel?" He asked and I sucked in a breath. "Your eyes tell me you're conflicted, so why don't you just leave it all to me? Let me decide, Hazel. Let me give you what you want" He was so close, his warm breath danced across my face making my heart stutter. My gaze dropped to his chest, the proximity messing with my head. I flexed my hand against his skin, the rhythm of his heartbeat against my palm almost matching mine.He sucked in a breath and my gaze jerked up to his. There was a fire burning in their pits and it was consuming.His
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "I apologize, Victor. We were negligent and that led to you losing a lot of money, but rest assured, we will make sure to compensate with more than that which you have lost" The old man grimaced, the lines on his face deepening and making him look much uglier than before. I knew the words he was about to utter were going to piss me off, so I steeled myself."And why should I wait around to be compensated when I can take the matter into my own hands and find some other supplier? A more reliable supplier. Do you know what this means for my business? Do you know how much I am losing because of this" he got out, the anger in his voice palpable. I let out a sigh and raked my fingers through my hair. His narcotics order had been hijacked so I was sure he was beyond pissed, but he needed to watch his mouth.It was aggravating to listen to him whine, but Victor Vex was a major client and one of Father's close allies. Losing him wasn't going to be good for business. "Br
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV "And you're so sure Hazel is going to fall for you" I grinned then turned to leave. "You can't go back just yet. Father wants to have dinner together tonight" I groaned. "Why?"Ethan shrugged. "How would I know? Maybe he heard about what happened with Victor's package, or maybe he just wants to have dinner""Does he have to do this every other night, though? If he has something to say, why does he not just use the goddamn phone he's always carrying around"Ethan gave me a tired smile as he walked past me. "Stop whining like a little boy, even though that's what you are"I grinned and bumped his shoulder. "Just because you're a year older than me doesn't mean I won't punch you in the face, Ethan""Like you did over Keira when Father made you the second in command and she commemorated it by letting me bend her over. You gave me a scar too," he said, pointing to where I'd slashed his face with a dagger. The scar was barely visible. That was because I hadn't cut as
HAZEL STYLES POV "I got some stuff from the market" Ethan announced, breaking through the blissful quietness in my head.I turned to face him, my mind blanking out for a second."What?" I asked then looked back to see what I had been doing before his interruptions.My eyes widened as I took in the half-finished canvas in front of me. Then I jerked when I noticed that I was holding a painting brush in my hand. My eyes darted to the color palette on the table at my side enhancing my initial confusion.I glanced up at the painting and then at my hand. Did I paint this? When did I start? Why the hell was my head so blank?"Hazel," he called, and I jerked to face him. "What's wrong? Don't tell me you forgot that you told me to get you some colors for your paintings" he asked, his lips pouting. "I thought you'd hug me for my efforts, but look at that, I'm being ignored again""Um." I glanced at the painting once more, then met his gaze as panic bubbled up my chest. "I didn't mean to... I'm
RIVEN BLACKWOOD POV The world around me was shrouded in a hazy red, and as I stared down at Keira's father's bloody face, all I could think of was obliterating everything that moved or breathed. "Fuck this!" I got out, glanced away from him, and then noticed the dead bodies that were littered around the room. I paused, taking in all of the blood, and then I glanced down at myself. I was drenched from head to toe. What the hell happened here? Did I kill them all?All I could remember was going to the Atelier and not finding Hazel there. At first, I thought Ksar had gotten to her before I could, especially after finding the bodies of the men I had hired to watch and keep her safe in the thrash, but the CCTV showed that it wasn't him. It was Ethan.He killed my men and took Hazel away.Everything that happened after that was all hazy, that was until now.I scoffed, my eyes taking in all the blood that was splattered everywhere. The house looked like a scene from a horror movie."I m
HAZEL STYLES POV The sounds of waves crashing against the shore pulled me out of the dark fog I was in, and I slowly regained consciousness. My eyes opened, then I glanced in the direction the sound was coming from, but I was only met with a thick black curtain. Where the hell was I? I blinked hard to clear away the fogginess from my eyes, then slowly pulled myself into a sitting position.I winced, my head hurting all of a sudden. "Ugh. What the hell happened to me. Did we get into an accident or what" I muttered to myself, my gaze darting around the room I was in. I couldn't really see much because aside from the table lamp that looked like it was running out, there was no other source of lightning in the room.Where the hell did Ethan take me for me to be able to hear the sound of the waves so close?I grabbed my head, trying to recall what had happened and how I got here but it was all blank. "Ethan" I got out, my voice scratchy. I waited for a few seconds but no answer came.
EARLIER ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV I got to my feet, my eyes bulging as I stared at David."What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean you got intel that Riven is going after Julian.""Exactly what it means, boss; I have a feeling that Riven has been keeping an eye on you, boss. It's no coincidence that he found Julian so soon after he escaped our hideout""Or maybe he has been keeping an eye on Ksar," I said, refusing to believe that he knew that I had been planning to betray him. "I told him to look into Ksar after the whole kidnap." "That could be the case but we can't rule out the possibility that Riven already knew everything before now and was just bidding his time to attack""I refuse to believe that. Riven would have had me killed if he knew what I'd been planning. Family means nothing to him, and what he despises the most is betrayers—" David's face was a grim mask. "—Except, this was all a game to him," I stated, realization dawning. He found out that I was planning t
JULIAN STYLES POV "You chose such a shitty place as a hideout, Julian; I had more faith in you," he said, his eyes darting around the room. He looked disappointed. "You should have just stayed where Ethan was keeping you," he said, and I met his gaze. How the hell did he know that Ethan had been keeping me? Was it just a guess to see how I would react?If he was just baiting, he wasn't going to get anything from me. Yes, Ethan fucking betrayed me, but if Riven killed me, then he would be the only one left that could take him out. Dying sucked but I guess I would be able to rest easy knowing that Riven would be joining me soon enough. He would die at the hands of his own brother."What the hell are you going on about, Riven?" I let out a breath, my injuries flaring as my heart pumped hard in my chest. "If you're going to kill me, just do it"He smirked. "We will get to that part Julian, you don't need to be in such a hurry"I stared at him, my hands clenching at my side. If only I h
JULIAN STYLES POV "You look like shit," Ksar said, the scar on his face bunching as his face scrunched up in disgust. "I can't believe you let that bastard get the best of you"I groaned, my face furrowing in pain as the wound on my stomach pulled when I tried to sit up. "Don't move around too much, or you're going to get infected," Ksar warned then came to sit in front of me. "How are you feeling? You've been passed out for two days"I glanced around the sparsely furnished room. "Where am I?""A shitty motel" he answered, then smirked. "You lost everything, so you don't get to be picky." "Fuck off, Ksar"He smirked. "So, Hazel is in charge of the company now, huh?" he said, then scoffed. "I mean it was hers in the first place, so I guess this was just everything going back to its proper place""Are you going to be like this?" I asked and jerked when he suddenly leaned close."I'll be however I want to," he growled, then pulled back, his narrowed eyes digging into me. "So, how are
ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV "Home sweet home," I got out as I stumbled into the house and hit the light switch. Light flooded the whole space, the painting of Hazel I'd bought catching my attention from where it hung on the wall.I walked toward it, stopping when I got close enough."So beautiful," I said and started to trace the vivid colors with my fingertips."Today was so shitty Hazel. I had to sit and watch you and Riven be together and as if that was not enough, I had to deal with that crazy woman. Can you believe she threatened me? She threatened that she was going to tell Riven that I have feelings for you," I groaned, suddenly feeling sick. Hunching over, I took in a deep breath and stumbled to the floor as I lost strength in my legs. A wave of nausea washed over me, cold chills breaking out all over my body."Fuck, I shouldn't have drank so much," I groaned, waiting for the horrible feeling to pass. Seconds ticked by, and once I felt more steady, I pushed myself to my feet. "This
ETHAN BlACKWOOD POV "You shouldn't have pulled a stunt, Keira. You just ended up making yourself Riven's target and don't think he's not going to come for you just because you two used to date"Keira's hands clenched around the drink she was holding. "Shut your fucking mouth, you coward," she gritted out, then downed the shot in her hand, slammed the glass on the table, and screamed like a mad woman, her hand banging against the counter repeatedly."You're going to fucking hurt yourself" I snapped and tried to grab her hand. She shoved at my arm hard, her chest heaving from her outburst."Don't fucking touch me! We had a deal. You were supposed to be on my side but when it came down to it, you couldn't even stand up to your brother, you fucking coward."I was so done with her. "If you stuck to the plan maybe I would have kept to my end of the deal. You were supposed to pretend that we were back together, but what did you do? You let your stupid jealousy get the best of you," I said a
HAZEL STYLES POV "I'm sorry about tonight. It wasn't supposed to go like that"I turned to face him, my eyes lingering on his face. "I actually expected a little bit of animosity you know. I would have been very worried if everything went too well," I said, meaning it. He grinned, then took my hand and pressed a kiss to it. We walked in silence, the cold air comforting."You looked so hot asking her to leave, you know," he said, meeting my gaze. "I wanted to fucking kiss you""You did kiss me" I reminded him. After Keira had left he'd turned to me and kissed me without a care that his father and Ethan were watching.He grinned. "Well, I want to kiss you again," he said and yanked me close all of a sudden, his hands tangling in my hair.I drew my head back, my eyes widening. "What are you doing?""What do you think" he said, his breath fanning my face, his scent seductive. Ugh, why was it so hard to resist him.I shook my head and pushed at his chest but he didn't budge an inch."Ar