All Chapters of His to Consume : Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Grant's POVMy ears were still ringing with some of the final applause as I turned to seek out Cassidy in the midst of the throng. Almost throbbing in my veins was a pulse level like that of a galloping horse. Jaw tight, mind racy with a torrent of emotions-jumbles of them all: confusion, frustration, anger-all bubbling messily, threatening to boil over. Whatever it was hadn't been right, and I had made a decision to find out.I saw her -my attention was arrested because of the shimmering golden dress: the laughter of my parents standing in front of the champagne table. The Grahams basked in the spotlight, grinning and self-satisfied, while Lena sat stiffly at her table, anger and humiliation raging just below the surface.This was unacceptable."Cassidy!" I shouted with a cutting tone as soon as I approached.She turned to me, and for a moment, her smile faltered before regaining her quickness. "Grant! What a surprise. Isn't this evening just wonderful?" I did not smile back. I grab

Lena’s POV I really needed to get away from all the chitter-chatter, and the phony smiles, and those glances which by now felt like daggers. The heaviness of the evening was getting to me and, by bated breath, one day I was not going to pretend. The clinking of the champagne glasses and a soft hum of conversation from the ballroom overhead made me feel distant and suffocated. I slipped quietly through the back door, and as soon as I stepped outside, the cool night air began working to calm my frantic nerves.The contrast between the chaos of the party was absorbed in the continuing stillness of the park. The silence here would make me deaf; it was so far away from the people I had tried hard to please. The weight on my chest lightened a bit as I crossed to the edge of the lawn, shoes crunching on the gravel. A row of parked cars slashed alongside the street, the trees casting shadows on the pavement to make dark, comforting pockets of solitude. I needed to breathe and find some sembl

Damien's POV The journey home to Lena's house had been quiet, the memories of her previous episode still lingering in the air. She gazed outside the window, her cheeks marred with tear stains, not saying anything. Two valiant headlights populated the darkened streets lining her side, but my attention was stilted between the road and the woman beside me. She looked so little, so weak, and it dented me. Lena is a force of nature, a woman who walks the world with grace and strength. Seeing her break down tonight was a good reminder that even the strongest have their breaking points. We finally pulled into her driveway when she huffed like she'd held in too much air for too long, then I parked the car and turned towards her. "Come on," I said gently. "Let's get you inside.”She silently nodded as she took the bag while stepping out with me into the night. Freezing air could be felt as it played on our skin. The only sound that was audible was crunching gravel at our feet. By the time w

Lena's POVFor a moment, I reclined in my chair, staring at the splendidly painted ceiling of my study, as the day's load was lowered on me. I rubbed my temples, almost comically tinged with slight tremors in my hands, because I attempted to clear out the inner tension that had built itself behind the eyes. It completely pissed me off that my parents believed they could march right in and interrupt my life anytime they chose, acting as though I owed them anything. The tea I poured had gone cold, forgotten by the madness of the time. I reached for the cup, allowing the warming liquid to grace my throat, not that its once-soothing smell did me any good now. Another part of my mother's words played on repeat in my consciousness: "We were doing what's best for you." That always stung like a knife, a self-guilting manipulation. What was best for me? Did they even know who I had become? Did they care? I was merely their pawn, a means to boost their social recognition or a path toward busi

Lena's POV I placed her in the guest room, which was really beautiful with soft cream walls and overlooking the garden. We went back downstairs. Ariel plumped down on the couch, kicking off her shoes, stretching out like she owned the place."So, are you going to tell me what's really going on, or do I have to start guessing?" she raised an eyebrow.I hesitated and leaned against the armrest of the couch. Ariel used to be the one I would confide in, but the thing feels so raw. "It's... complicated," I started slowly."Oh, come on. It's not complicated for you, everything is complicated. So, start at the beginning."I sighed and sat beside her. "Fine. Where do I even begin? My parents showed up at that awful gala last night. Cassidy stole a major sale out from under me, and Grant... well, let's just say he's been playing his little games."Ariel's cheery face hardened at once. "That snake, Cassidy, is messing with you again? And Grant doesn't even get me started. He's been a walking r