I could hear the rain outside, I didn’t want to wake up this morning. It was such a relaxed morning. I could see the dark clouds outside my bedroom window, rain drops were pattering on the window glass. The rhythmic sound of the rain was making me more sleepy. I lived in a one bedroom house that I bought with my hard earned money last year. It’s not big but it’s cozy, it is home. It looks like a cabin and I have my own beautiful yard which I have planted with different beautiful flowers, it’s my favourite place to read a book and have a coffee. I am Beatrix by the way, people who know me call me Bea. I am 26 years old and was born and brought up in this town of WillowRidge. My mother decided to divorce my dad when I was 2 years old and left us. We never saw her after that. My Dad loved me to the moon and back. He worked hard to raise me. He was always present for all my sports, recitals, parent meetings and still managed to work full time to provide for us. After I graduated I t
SEBASTIAN HUXLEY, Was I really looking at him after so many years. He is the person who has given me both my best and worst memories. So to just give you a gist of who he is let me tell you a small summary of it. Sebastian Huxley was born and brought up here in this town just like me. He belonged to the richest family of our town ‘The Huxley Family’ He used to live with his mum and Dad and had no siblings. Uncle Richard and Aunty Leila were both very nice and kind people. They used to be an integral part of every event and celebration in our town of WillowRidge. Every Weekend we used to have a get together at the community hall, everyone looked forward to it, it was full of games, food, laughter, gossip. We children used to have our own play area and we had lots of fun too. I have known Sebastian since I can remember. We connected as of we had known each other from ages. He was three years older than me. I was 4 and he was 7 when I have my first memory of him playing wi
Sebastian’s girlfriend Tanya pushed me out of the way and sat on the couch that we had reserved for our group. All of them started devouring through our snacks and milkshakes that we had ordered. Sebastian started to play and when Jake and Freddy tried to talk them out of this by telling them it was a birthday celebration they just laughed. When the waitress brought in the cake with my name on it Sebastian just looked at me and said nothing. Tanya saw this and picked the cake up and smashed it on my dress. It was a chaos. I couldn’t take it anymore and ran to the wash room. As I was crying and trying to clean up my dress that my Dad had bought for me Tanya came in and said “Remember this as a lesson for looking at my boyfriend, next time it won’t be the dress” I replied that I wasn’t interested in looking at him either so she had nothing to worry about. This somehow triggered her and she got me by my hair and pushed me towards the sink area and hit my head. She punched me hard i
As the media took over, and girls came rushing towards him it gave me enough excuse to get inside my cafe. I didn’t want to spend a single second of my time thinking about Sebastian anymore, but as you know curiosity takes over even the best of the minds, and my feeble mind was no exception. I couldn’t help but think about why the media was so interested in him, why the girls were flocking around him not that I care, but I was just curious. I am always so busy with my cafe, I don’t even use social media, even my cafe’s social media marketing is handled by my staff and friend Nina. She is amazing at it. Nina an amazing girl, so beautiful and charismatic was not from WillowRidge, she came here as a tourist and fell in love with this town. She moved here took various jobs until she joined my cafe full time. She is a trustworthy friend. The little time I get with myself I like being cozy in my garden reading a book and loosing myself into the world of imagination. So I had no
Uncle Peter told me something that made my legs go numb. The meeting that was about to happen was to discuss the future launch of a Five star hotel in our town. Uncle Peter was to join the meeting and be a part of this discussion as the representative along with our Mayor Mr Paterson. He was worried that the future of his resort was in danger and so was the nature and landscape of our town. He wanted me to accompany him as his companion to represent his side of the things in the meeting. He was scared because two Billionaires were going to be there to represent their plans and our Mayor would select the best one. To my Surprise Sebastian was one of them and the other one was someone called Adam Glass. I am not sure about one thing if they are so called Billionaires why are they so interested in our little town, why not big cities. I googled Adam Glass and photos of him at different events showed up, he was tall, fit with brownish, blackish hair. He looked smart and arrogant i
Sebastian presented a plan to construct a complete new structure to build a five star hotel just near the resort and in process plain a few forested areas and he also proposed to buy the resort fromUncle Peter. I could see the stress on Uncle Peter’s face. I couldn’t hold myself and said “so this is how you want to ruin the town and its natural beauty, this is where you were born..did you even think about it twice. There are so many other ways” Sebastian stopped me there and smirked, “so you want to say that you have better ideas, I don’t remember you being a part of the presentation team” Mayor got up and said all the questions and concerns will be discussed at the end, the presentations shouldn’t stop. I agreed. It was Adam’s turn now, one of his assistant got up to start the presentation when Adam stopped him and said pointing towards me I want to hear this young lady’s ideas first. ‘She is not presenting the deals for today Mr Glass’ said the Mayor. Adam replied ‘
I came out of the conference room a bit flustered and confused. Uncle Peter came out and held my hand saying he is proud of me and is so glad that he took me along to the meeting. The Mayor came out and gave me a nod of appreciation and left. I started walking towards my cafe completely engrossed in my own thoughts about everything that just happened. As I was walking through the resort’s garden towards the main gate, a car came from behind and stopped close to me in the driveway. Adam stepped out of the car and came towards me, I took a few steps back. He looked as elegant and handsome as a Greek God. I thought to myself the pictures on the internet don’t do him justice. I pulled myself out of these thoughts and scolded myself within for even looking at him. I asked how can I help you, he replied “you already did. I got the project and your town got the best future possible. Don’t forget that the deal is on only if you be a part of it. So I will send my assistant to pick you
Sitting in my garden with a book in my hand, for the first time I was not able to put my mind into it. My brain kept replaying the day’s happenings over and over again. Sebastian’s odd behaviour, Adam’s mistaking me for someone else, the Hotel Project, me being a part of this big project all of these thoughts were not ready to leave my mind soon. I was so engrossed that I lost the sense of time, when my doorbell rang thats when I got back to my senses and looked at my watch, it was exactly 7 pm. I ran towards the door and saw Adam’s assistant standing there, he said “ I am here to pick you up Miss Beatrix. I completely forgot about this, I said I am so so sorry. Give me 5 minutes and I will be ready. I took a light greenish dress out and slid into it as quickly as possible, for hair I had a messy pony and my white heels. I came out and sat in a Rolls Royce, for the first time. I saw a damn Rolls Royce in our town for the first time. It made me feel uncomfortable. I wanted to get
Adam The moment it happened, I felt it. A sharp, searing pain in my chest, as though my heart was being ripped apart. I was in the middle of reviewing plans for the hotel when it struck—an unmistakable shift in the bond, an agonizing echo that told me what I had feared the most. Beatrix had kissed him. My hands clenched the edge of the table, and the papers crumpled under my grip. My mind raced, and the calm, collected demeanor I prided myself on dissolved into chaos. Sebastian had taken something that belonged to me. Her. I stood abruptly, my chair screeching against the floor, and stormed out of the meeting room. My assistant called after me, but I didn’t care. I needed answers. Now. Beatrix I hadn’t left the house since Sebastian walked out the door. My mind was a mess, a swirling storm of guilt, anger, and confusion. The kiss replayed in my mind, over and over again, each time leaving me more conflicted than the last. The knock at the door startled me. I froze, dre
Sebastian The night was cold, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones no matter how many layers you wear. But standing on Beatrix’s porch, waiting for her to open the door, I didn’t feel it. My chest burned with the weight of everything unsaid, the things I needed her to hear before it was too late. When the door creaked open, she looked at me with a mixture of surprise and wariness. “Sebastian,” she said, her voice soft but guarded. “It’s late.” “I know,” I admitted, my hands shoved deep into my coat pockets. “But I need to talk to you. Please, Bea. Just… hear me out.” She hesitated, her eyes searching mine as if trying to gauge my sincerity. After what felt like an eternity, she stepped aside, allowing me to enter. The warmth of her home enveloped me, the familiar scent of lavender and coffee calming and torturing me all at once. This was her space, her world, and I’d done so much to hurt her in the past. But I couldn’t walk away again without trying to make things right.
Sebastian I promised myself I’d try to be better. To keep my jealousy in check. But every time I saw them together, every time I caught a glance of Beatrix smiling at Adam, or worse touching him it felt like my carefully constructed resolve was crumbling beneath me. I leaned against the wall of the conference room, arms crossed tightly as I watched them talk over the latest hotel design plans. Adam stood close to her, too close, his hand brushing hers as they both reached for the same blueprint. Beatrix laughed softly, the sound cutting through me like a blade. Calm, I reminded myself. Stay calm. But it was impossible. I could see the way he looked at her, the way his gaze lingered on her every move. It wasn’t just admiration it was hunger, possessiveness. He wanted her. And it made my blood boil. Adam leaned down, pointing something out on the blueprint. Beatrix tilted her head, her hair catching the light as she listened intently. When she smiled at whatever joke he whispered,
SebastianThe night was suffocating, the weight of everything pressing down on my chest. I walked through the quiet streets of WillowRidge, the familiar sights blurred by the haze of my thoughts. Her voice, her words“You don’t get to decide who I let into my life”repeated in my mind. She had chosen him. Maybe not fully, but she had let him stay while I was forced to leave. And the worst part? I couldn’t even blame her. My anger, my possessiveness it was all too much. But how could I not feel this way? When she was near him, when she looked at him with even a fraction of the softness she used to reserve for me, it was like a fire consuming me from the inside.I made my way to the lake, the place where we’d spent so much of our childhood together. The moonlight reflected off the still water, but tonight, it offered no peace. My hands clenched into fists as I thought about Adam. About the way he always managed to position himself as the calm, composed one. The savior. The better man.Bu
BeatrixThe tension in my chest felt like a storm brewing just under my skin as I stood at the threshold of my house. I hadn’t slept properly in days. The weight of the truth Sebastian and Adam had revealed crushed me from all sides, while their presence filled every waking moment. Their love, their need, their possessiveness it was suffocating.The knock at my door came just as I thought I might have a moment of peace. I opened it, expecting Nina or maybe even Uncle Peter. Instead, it was Sebastian. His silver-blond hair was disheveled, his jaw clenched tight. The look in his eyes made my stomach twist in knots.“Sebastian,” I said softly, stepping back to let him in. But the moment he crossed the threshold, I regretted it. His energy was different tonight—sharper, angrier.“You didn’t answer my calls,” he said, his voice low but filled with tension. “Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Sebastian, I needed time. I told you that.”“Time? Is that
Beatrix The silence in the community hall felt like a living thing, pressing down on my chest as I waited for one of them to speak. Sebastian stood rigidly near the door, his eyes locked on Adam with a fire I didn’t understand. Adam, on the other hand, was calm but unyielding, his gaze fixed firmly on me, as though I might disappear if he looked away. I had questions—so many questions—but the weight of everything they’d said so far had left my mind a tangled mess. I didn’t know where to start. “You want me to trust you,” I said, breaking the silence. My voice trembled, but I forced myself to meet Adam’s eyes first and then Sebastian’s. “But all you’ve done is keep me in the dark. If I’m as important as you say I am, I deserve to know why.” Adam took a step closer, his movements deliberate. “You’re right, Beatrix. You do deserve the truth. And this time, I won’t hold anything back.” Sebastian bristled, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’re not going to sugarcoat it, are y
Beatrix It had been two days since I moved back to my house from the resort. Uncle Peter had arranged extra security around the cafe and my home, insisting that the mayor had personally requested it for my safety. The media frenzy had simmered down a little but hadn’t disappeared entirely. A few reporters still lingered around the edges of town, hoping to catch a glimpse of me or, more likely, Adam and Sebastian. Nina had been a lifesaver, managing the cafe while I tried to navigate this strange new normal. Today, the cafe was quieter than usual, the hum of regular customers replacing the chaotic buzz of cameras and microphones. But even in the calm, a heavy tension hung in the air, a reminder that nothing in my life was truly normal anymore. “Still lost in thought?” Nina’s voice broke through my haze as she slid a tray of fresh muffins onto the counter. I glanced at her, offering a weak smile. “Something like that.” “Something like that?” she repeated, arching an eyebrow. “
Beatrix: The air in WillowRidge had shifted, and it wasn’t just because of the media frenzy or the hotel project. It was the weight of secrets—ones I didn’t know I was carrying, ones tied to the two men orbiting my life like restless moons. I woke up that morning with a strange resolve. Whatever tethered me to Sebastian and Adam, I had to find the root of it. I couldn’t let their emotions dictate my life, not anymore. The cafe was a safe space—my haven amidst the storm. As I stepped in, Nina greeted me with her usual bright smile. “Bea, we’re officially the most talked-about café in the region. You should see our social media; people are begging for updates about you and ‘the billionaires.’” I groaned, running a hand through my hair. “Please tell me you’re not encouraging this.” “Me? Never,” Nina said with a smirk. “But I won’t lie, the attention has been good for business. Uncle Peter even said a journalist tried bribing him for access to the resort after they couldn’t find you.
Beatrix: The cafe was quieter than I’d expected when I arrived in the early morning, but the tension in the air was unmistakable. Nina had kept her promise to handle the chaos, but it was clear that the media’s presence had shaken everyone. A few reporters lingered across the street, their cameras slung over their shoulders as they sipped coffee from takeaway cups. They weren’t allowed inside anymore—Uncle Peter had made sure of that by having the mayor issue a temporary restriction around the café premises. Still, their constant lurking was unnerving. Nina greeted me with her usual warmth, handing me a latte as I walked through the door. “Good to see you out and about,” she said. “How are you holding up?” I shrugged, trying to smile. “Better. At least I got a good night’s sleep.” She nodded, but her eyes were sharp, scrutinizing me as if she could see through my carefully crafted façade. “You deserve a break, Bea. But just so you know, things have been calmer since we enforced t