hold me close forever (book 2 of Keller series)

He was so pleased especially that his parents decided to join him after a long time of ditching him for work reasons, but a little disappointed that his girlfriend refuse to come with them. 

Jace thought that it is still too early for him and Arianne to be apart from each other. He just got her as his girlfriend for less than a year.

Their story is kind of cliché. The most popular boy slash quarterback slash rich kid meets the pretty nerd. Though they never knew each other's existence at first, they both think that fate did something for them to crossed path. And with some help from their friends, they end up loving and caring for each other.

And now, Arianne convinced him that he should treasure and enjoy his moment with his parents while she also do the same before they leave for college. 

Yes, Jace and Arianne are going to the same college. Harvard it is. Arianne will study law while Jace will gonna take business course in preparing himself to take over his father’s position in their family business. And yes, Arianne don't need to find out that Jace used his family's connection for him to enter the same university and even made some early preparations for them to stay with each other while in college.

With Jace being a heir to the Keller's multibillion assets, he sure knows how to manipulate even the most respected university in the world. Well, as long as he'll get to be with his girl then he's more than willing to do anything!

Jace and his parents are going to stay in Italy for three weeks. And in their 5 days that being spent there, everyday, Jace would call and video chat with Arianne telling her stories about different places they’ve been to and her telling him bout the books she read, movies or series she watched and food she ate. 

They have exactly opposite personality but they use it to make each other afloat. Him as the hyper one and her is the calm one. He needs her calmness and she needs him to hype her a bit. They complimented each other well.

In every conversations that they made, they never get tired of listening to each other and telling “I love you’s” everytime. 

“Arianne? get up sweetie!” her mom said then grab the blanket away from her. 

“Mom!!?! What’s happening?” Arianne asks her mother in panic when she sees tears running down her mom's face. 

“Yanna, your grandmother is in the hospital now! In a coma! We need to see her before anything else might happen!” her mom said sounded and looked desperately worried.

“okay Mommy, calm down! She will make it, Lola Josefina is such a tough woman!” she said trying to make her mom calm. 

“Yanna! I know this is all sudden but please come with me!?!!” 

“of course Mommy! Okay let me pack my stuff then I’ll help you with yours. Is Dad going to come with us too?” 

“he can’t now sweetheart but he said he’ll try to settle things in his work then maybe after a week or two, he will follow us!” She just gave her a small smile then started to pack her belongings in a hurry. 

The next day, Arianne and her mom were on their flight going to the Philippines, where her mom was born and raised, to see her grandmother’s condition. 

When they arrived at the airport, her Auntie Irene, her mom’s only sister and her cousin Deacon’s mom, is already there waiting for them. 

The two sisters hug each other while crying then her Auntie Irene hug and kiss her too. 

They then all headed to the hospital to have a look in her grandma’s state. 

When Arianne reached the ICU, she cried endlessly upon seeing her grandma lying unconsciously on the bed with lots of apparatus and tubes around her body. 

“what happen to her Auntie?” she asked in between sobs. 

“she fell in the stairs then have a sudden heart attack.” 

She covered her mouth in shock. "Poor grandma! If only she has company maybe this would not happen." she thought to herself.

But her grandma is a tough and stubborn woman. She always saying that she’s still young and don’t have a need for someone to do things for her like a nurse or something. Though she have lots of house helpers in her mansion but there's no specific one for her personal needs as an old woman. 

Since she came to the hospital, Arianne never leave the hospital thinking and hoping any moment her grandma will wake up.

Everyday, Deacon, her Auntie Irene and Uncle Stephen comes to check on her and her grandma. Her Auntie Irene took a  private room just for Arianne so that she could take a rest especially at night.

While her mom since she left the first day that they arrived and went to the hospital, she never see her again. 

Sometimes she would call or send text to Arianne asking if there is any progress in her grandma’s condition. Arianne thought that her mom finds it hard to see her own mother lying in a coma state. And she understands her mother.

It’s her third day in there when Arianne remember her dad and boyfriend. She gasped thinking she forgot to call back her dad and inform her boyfriend about her situation now. 

Arianne can't believe that she forgot her father and boyfriend. She is very much worried about her grandmother. All she can think of is when her precious grandma would open her eyes and she don't really wanna miss it for the world.

She immediately call her dad and tell him that she’s okay and her mom is having a hard time processing their situation so instead she just stayed in her grandma’s mansion. They talked for a few minutes more reassuring her that everything will be fine. 

After calling her dad she dialed Jace’ number but it can’t be reached. Maybe he don’t have signal there she thought. She just send him an email explaining everything. She just hope he's not that upset. She loves Jace but sometimes he tend to have some weird thoughts sprinkled with some jealousy, he can be a jerk really. But he's her beloved jerk!

Arianne woke up to someone hand grabbing her arm tightly. 

“Mom? You’re here! What happen to you?” she asked when she sees her mom’s bloodshot eyes with dark circles around it. 

“I’m doing okay but you have to come with me now. It’s very important!” 

“Of course Mommy but let me check Grandma first huh? I’m not sure if Auntie Irene is already there. What time is it?” 

“Yanna we don’t have much time just come with me now!” 

Her mom then drag her outside of the door and into the awaiting car. When they already inside the car, the driver gave her mom a white cloth then she quickly cover it on Arianne’s face. That’s the last memory that Arianne has with her mom. 

When she woke up, she found herself in a small room with nothing around. She was sitting on the ground while her hands and feet are both tied up. She’s thinking maybe she was kidnapped but she remember her mom seems like drugged her then she passed out.

Arianne’s mind kept running. She keep on thinking what happen inside the car, and what is she doing inside this room tied up?  How long has she been here? Where’s her mom? How’s her grandma now? Is she awake now?

She’s having a headache for thinking this much and she thinks she’ll lost her sanity any moment. 

Only one person can help her keep calm now but he’s miles away. If only he can see her right now, she knows he’ll definitely move heaven and earth to keep her feel secure. How she really missed Jace. His hugs and kisses that don’t fail to keep her calm and the feeling of being loved. 

When Arianne felt the exhaustion, she close her eyes tightly and pray hard. She knows that only Him can help her now in this predicament she got herself into. 

After a couple of hours, someone open the door and when the person sees her, Arianne found herself in shock seeing her abductor. 

“You! You selfish bitch! You ruined my life now it’s my turn to make your life a living hell!” her abductor said screaming hysterically and started hitting her all over her tiny body.

Arianne being so shocked didn’t know what to do or say and just choose to cry and beg.

But she was never heard! 

The battering and torturing continue for several days until one day, she thought the heavens answered her prayers, she heard police sirens coming near to her direction. 

Her abductor laughed like crazy. 

“you really think you can get away with me? Well sweetheart you’re wrong!” Arianne’s eyes went wide when her abductor take out a gun and pointed it to her. 

She scream no until she felt the pain that searing inside her body and heard even more gunshots before her body surrenders and everything goes black.