Emma's POVI work up alone in bed.Alone.That motherfucking Roman wasn't here.I looked at my phone and saw the time almost hitting twelve in the afternoon. I groaned and buried my face deeper into the pillow; sleeping late wasn't my thing till that fucker knocked me up. I placed my hand over my stomach, talking with the small little bean, "You are draining all of my energy, and it's becoming really hard to love you, you know that," I groaned.I rubbed a hand over my face before I got up to my feet, my body aching and tired. Great.On lazy footsteps, I washed my face and changed my clothes before I left the room, searching for my lame excuse of a husband, and ready to make up a fight since he didn't wake me up earlier. I reached the kitchen but he wasn't anywhere in sight. Instead, my eyes fell onto his mother as she moved around, preparing food or something and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, as if I needed to wake up to this."Morning, sweetie," She said, noticing my presence,
Nikolas's POVThe sound of the bomb exploding was like a shock that rocked all through my body. The silence was gone and replaced with the aftermath of the attack. Everything happened in a blur. My feet acted on their own accord, and I was running toward the house.My heart raced wildly in my chest and the second I barged in, Roman was clearing everyone else's way out. My eyes took a quick scan, they drifted from Cara to Lilly, who was tightly held in her mother's arms and my heart sank down, "Where is Alex?" I asked Cara, my voice barely audible under the pressure the explosion left.She blinked in shock, the fact that I am here didn't seem like something she was aware of. Her gaze drifted behind her, for a mere second, checking, as her hand pressed over the back of Lilly's head, "He is getting...Max," She mumbled, the amount of fear in her eyes and voice pushed me inside after I ordered Roman to take them to a safer place.My feet slightly faltered to a stop as I tried to focus my v
Natalie's POVI wanted to hit him.I wanted to grab that gun he keeps around and hit him on the head with it."I won't understand?" I questioned, not caring to hide how I felt offended because how dare he, "It's my job to understand," I added, taking a step forward, frustrated at his words and actions, "For god's sake, even when you keep me at an arm's length, even when you hide away every single thing about you, even when I know you for just a couple of months now, I still understand, maybe parts only, but I do.""You killed in front of me, Nikolas, I saw in your eyes how by doing so, it soothed you," I explained, "You keep warning me, telling me that you did all these horrible things," I added, "You wanna talk about red flags, they are all over the place but that's only for someone looking at the surface," I pressed my hand over my chest, "I don't look at the surface, I studied it in books how not to look at the surface," My eyebrows pulled closer, "Do you think that if for a second
Natalie's POVFiancé?I must've heard her wrong or maybe it's another Nikolas we are talking about here...Maybe she misunderstood me or maybe I did. Maybe I am in the wrong apartment. It...it doesn't make any sense. He was with me last night, he said he liked me, he asked me to be his girlfriend.He spent half of the day with me, he went with me to see my dad, we were going to dinner tonight as a...couple.I extended the phone forward, "Give him this when he comes back," I mumbled, my tone neutral, the total opposite of the war raging in my brain. I was still trying to understand and adjust to this, because the Nikolas I know wouldn't possibly go and do something like that.But true, I only know parts of him, who am I kidding?She took the phone from my grip, her eyes drifting back to me, "Who should I tell him?"For a second there, I just looked at her, taking her features in, her brown eyes, her tanned skin, and the hint of accent in her voice that proved she wasn't from around here
Nikolas's POVHe threw his words proudly, the smug look in his eyes proved to me he is hiding something; that one single thing which I can't put my finger on, the missing unknown in the equation, the one that could finally give me the upper hand over him.His eyes drifted to Natalie, one last time before they fell on me again, in his gaze a warning and a threat to get away from her or else. My jaw tightened, my unwavering gaze telling him I am no way near submitting to his orders. His lips twitched, hiding his sadistic smile before he ended it there and turned around, leaving, followed by his men and I tightened my arm around Emma, feeling her determination to break free and run after him.A groan rumbled from her throat and when I was sure he's gone, I loosened my grip, finally letting her go. Her chest heaved with each angry breath she took, the rage pushing in and out, spreading like wildfire over the skin of her neck and painting it red, "He should die," She grated out, her eyes o
Nikolas's POVShock and anger swirled in my chest at the news and his insistence to hide it from me. Their voices faded away for a second or two as I tried to grasp this new fact, my mind going around in a loop, coming to terms with how this affects different aspects of my life.Isaac...he is keeping the kid away from everyone. Why?And Natalie, her baby brother is alive and she has no clue."How did you know?" Ronald's voice broke through my many thoughts, shaking me back to the present, my eyes drifting up to his face, to the confusion radiating off his eyes in waves, "How do you know his name?"The shock faded away, leaving me with an immense rage, it pushed me forward, my mind blanking out, it short-circuited, failing to think logically. My hand landed on Alex's arm, pushing him out of my way as I reached for Ronald. My fingers wrapped over his collar, pulling him closer before my other hand collided with his face, the force of my punch pushing him, and he stumbled backward. I was
Natalie's POV"What did you do?" I asked again when he didn't answer, his previous tone scaring the hell out of me, and the worst scenarios cooked up in my mind.When it comes to his lifestyle, I can't help but think of the unthinkable.He just rested the side of his head over my chest, pretty much comfortable. My hand moved from his cheek to his hair, running my fingers through it and smoothing it back. I couldn't deny that I was partially enjoying this little moment by having him this close, he isn't usually the very touchy type, but drunk him is breaking all the rules."Nikolas," I called for him again."Hmm?" He said, nuzzling his head as if I am the most comfortable pillow ever."You said you did something, what happened?" I asked, "You're getting me worried."He just shook his head, "Shush, let's not talk about that," He mumbled and as I stared down at his innocent expression, I couldn't hold back my smile and shook any other thought away. If it's serious, he will tell it to me
Nikolas's POV"Yes, and to that we are forever grateful, right Matteo?" Mia said, nudging her bodyguard slash boyfriend with her elbow, asking him to suck it up.I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his whining before I handed him the envelope, "Everything you need is here, new IDs, passports," I explained, "The jet will take you to a town, far away from here, where no one would ever think to look for you. I have someone there to pick you up and get you settled down," I added, I had everything taken care of, "You never step a foot in London again, and you'll be doing us both a favor.""It's the last thing I want to do anyway," Matteo mumbled, more to himself, proving to me I am kind of doing the right thing.Mia whispered something before she let go of his hand and stepped forward, facing me. Her boyfriend took a couple of steps backward, leaving us to speak alone per her request. He leaned his back against the car and crossed his arms over his chest, his narrowed gaze focused on me
My ears registered the voice that I adore more than anything before my eyes found her among the crowd. I turned my head to the side, my gaze found her as she struggled out of Alex's hold and rushed forward toward our table, "Daddy!" She said in excitement, jumping up to reach me.I didn't waste a second as I pulled her small self up into my lap, my heart calming down as I wrapped her in my embrace, kissing her head and sinking into her sweet flowery scent. She kept her little arms wrapped around my neck as she edged her head backward, looking at me.She smiled, "Hi," She said.I chuckled, "Hey," I said, edging forward and leaving a kiss over the tip of her nose.She giggled, "Why do I keep missing you," I said and her smile widened, "Because you love me," She replied back, so confident and she couldn't be more right.I allowed her to settle down in my lap, "That I do," I said, dropping another kiss to the top of her head, unable to get enough.Alex sat across from us, he threw a wink
One day later...Nikolas's POVI pulled at the neck of my white dress shirt, trying to fix the collar as I knocked at my mother's room, wondering what was taking her so long."Just a sec," I heard her mutter from a distance before her footsteps got closer and she opened the door. My eyebrows pulled closer as I took into her appearance, my confusion faded almost immediately, exchanging it with a small smile.Her eyebrows furrowed before she looked down at herself, thinking something is wrong, "Why are you smiling?"I shrugged, "It's just I haven't seen you look like this in so long."She gaped at me, "Are you indirectly saying that I looked ugly over the past days?"I chuckled and shook my head, "You know what I mean."She returned my smile with a one of her own before she stepped forward, one of her hands clutched into her purse and the other ran over the material of her simple nude dress, smoothing it down."So, what's the occasion exactly for all of this?" I asked."We're celebratin
Alex's POVI was about to leave, go back home, and rid myself of all of the confusion and uncertainty wrapping around my chest. You know, pretend that nothing has changed, that I didn't hear what I heard or learn what I learned.That the moment I step out of here, everything will just go back to the way it was.But for some effed-up reason, as I was exiting the bathroom, my eyes fell on the room at the end of the hall, and I wanted nothing more than to go in there and just talk, ask and get a clear answer for once. My jaw ticked and I rushed a hand over the top of my head, gathering myself before I made up my mind and stepped closer to the room, aiming to find its current occupant.The door was ajar, so I pressed my palm over it and pushed it open, expecting her to be there. My eyebrows pulled closer when I was met with an empty room. I haven't seen her since she and Liam talked in private before he left, I just supposed she'd be here now. Deciding that this was a message from the uni
Nikolas's POVThere are days when I am beyond grateful that I didn't have to grow up with Alex in the same house. Like Today for example. I really would've thrown him off the stairs or something if we were to grow up together. He is unbearable at times. Most of the time. Always actually. He settled his eyes on me, trying to hide his smile and miserably failing, I envy his constant giddy state sometimes, "Why do you keep looking at me?" He asked, his eyebrow raising in utter tease, "Did the kiss make you love me more?" His head tilted, faking affection, "Is it changing your mind about leaving?"I kept glaring at him but a small voice in my head said that I will definitely miss his crazy weird antics when I go. He is beyond annoying, that's true, infuriating even but he has a way of making you get used to his presence and insane personality.Our mother placed a plate full of pancakes on the table ahead of us, her closeness shutting him up. She rested her hand over my shoulder, I looke
Alex's POVDaylight blazed through the edges of the window blind, shaking me out of my somewhat peaceful sleep. Groaning, I tried to roll over to my back, opening my eyes in an attempt to blink away the heavy sleep.I winced as the brightness of the day welcomed me and immediately covered my face with the blanket. The pain throbbing against my skull reminded me exactly why I shouldn't drink as much again. All because of stupid Nikolas...Speaking of the devil, where is he? I lowered the blanket and rubbed at my eyes, finally adjusting my eyesight, my hazy gaze studying my surroundings and slowly recalling back the events of last night.Something felt odd though. I moved my head over what I thought was a pillow and my gaze slowly flickered up. My eyes widened and I instantly shot up from my laying position. My sudden movement shook her awake as well, her head that was uncomfortably pressed to the couch's cushion moved and she blinked her eyes open, meeting my shocked horrified ones.Th
By lunchtime, Tanya came back, she asked for the kid's attention, and the responsible attendee tried to calm them all down, ushering them to leave the toys, sit and listen. Alex let go of his legos and scooted backward, accidentally laying his back against me as he intently listened. I looked down at him, unable to have enough as Tanya announced that one of the kids was leaving, that he got adopted and she urged the rest to bid him goodbye. I think it's just one of the things they do around here. My eyes were on Alex still, so I noticed the way his shoulders slumped down at the news, a low breath leaving him as he pressed his chin over his pulled up legs, staring at the kid as he hugged the others, happy and giddy that he has his own family now. "What's wrong?" I asked, inching my head closer to his face, so he could hear me through the loud shatter around us. He turned his head to look at me, his brows pinched in sadness, "I want to go too," He said, his voice the softest sweetest
Leya's POV"Do you know a story?" He asked, out of the blue, his eyes closed still, I even thought he had drifted off minutes ago, but apparently not."Uh...a story?" I asked, confused."Hmm," He hummed, "I didn't have anyone to tell me bed-time stories before Frank took me," He explained, "After that, Linda used to tell me a story every night, it used to help me sleep," He was speaking but his tone proved that he was half here, half on the way toward unconsiousness."Oh, I don't know any story, I am sorry," I mumbled."I knew you wouldn't know," He said, his tone wasn't accusing or anything, just low and tired, stating a fact he believed in; that I lack any characteristic a mother should have, which isn't a lie anyway.A couple of minutes passed till he was finally fast asleep. My eyes never left his face all through, for the very first time in so long he was right beside me, his head resting over my lap. He wasn't shouting nor pushing me away. I didn't know what to do or even say.
Nikolas's POVAlex grumbled something as I pushed him inside the car. He immediately fell into the seat, his head tilting backward and pressing against the headrest, eyes closed, more than ready to fall back asleep. He was a gone case after all that we drank but for some reason, I still felt sober and aware. No amount of alcohol served its purpose to make me forget or at least lessen the pain pulsing through my head and body.It was near impossible to let loose or relax after all that happened.A loud sigh parted my lips at my failed attempts before I joined Alex in the backseat, exhausted and de-energized as I fell down beside him. Ronald looked at us through the rearview mirror, "Where to?"Alex opened his eyes, "I am way too drunk," He slurred out, "Do not take me home," He added, moving to the side and leaving the wide space of the car to press himself into me. His head fell into my shoulder, using it as his pillow, moving his head around and picking up a comfortable spot as he cl
"We are not driving," I pointed out when I saw his eyes flicker to his car. He groaned and I pushed him with me down the road, "Where the hell are we going?" He said, being a whiney bitch per usual.I kept ignoring him as my drunk mind navigated the way, we were so close anyway, so no way we'd get lost, my drunk brain assured me as I walked us to the targeted destination. We reached the Huntington beach pier shortly after. I internally praised myself for being able to reach here even in my intoxicated state. We walked along the bridge, the air chilly and brisk as we descended down the stairs. Nik kept mumbling some words and whining, disturbed that I pulled him out of his little comfort zone in the bar.I reached the bridge's pillars, right beside the sea, and picked a clean spot before I dropped down, placing the liquor bottle beside me and opening up the cap. Nik hovered over, glaring down at me and I patted the space by my side, "Sit and stop being so unpleasant."He rolled his eye