*Willow*
Nathniel Watson tried to kill me!
I knew we hated each other but was he that threatened by me? He had to actually take me out of this world in order to win against me? I guess I should be kind of flattered.
I was surprised that when I flew off the stage I didn’t hit the ground. I opened my eyes and saw that I was in someone’s arms.
Levi Kole.
I’d only had the fattest crush on him my whole life. He was my sister, Scarlett’s godson and he was graduating today. I didn’t know a more dreamy guy.
Light chocolate eyes, unruly dark hair, tanned olive skin and a killer smile.
“You okay, Will?” He asked in his deep voice.
“Um, I think you saved my life,” I admitted.
“Then I’ve fulfilled my life long goal of being a superhero.”
Levi gently set me down.
“Thank you so much Levi…um here’s a diploma.” I smiled.
“Why thank you.” Levi smiled back.
“No problem.”
“She’s okay everyone!” He announced. “She’s all good!”
I made my way back up to the stage. Nathaniel was smirking.
“You are an asshole.” I whispered.
“And you're a klutz. Good thing your mother wasn’t here to see that. She would have been so disappointed.”
I stomped down hard on Nathniel’s foot.
He crumpled to the floor and I couldn’t help but snicker.
Serves that jerk right.
When it was actually Levi’s turn to accept his diploma, he held on to my hand longer than he needed to.
“Congrats, Levi,” I smiled.
“Thank you, Willow. I can’t wait to hang out with you at the summer mansion.”
“Oh you’ll be there too?”
“Wouldn't miss it for the world.” He winked before moving on.
Maybe this summer won't be that bad.
--
“Please tell me you’re okay!” Scarlett had me in a death grip hug. “That was so scary Willow!”
“Let me breathe!” I exclaimed. “I’m fine, Levi saved me.”
“Thank goodness for that! Mom would kill me if something happened to you!”
“Then maybe I should have cracked my head open.” I grinned.
Scarlett’s hazel eyes narrowed as she pushed her curly dyed honey blonde hair out of her face. I truly couldn’t believe she was in her forties. She still looked the same as when I was growing up.
“Any injuries Will?” Scarlett’s husband, Grayson Wrenford approached us.
He sure was a babe! He was tall with brown hair and stunning grey eyes. On his perfect jaw was a beard and a smile that could make anyone melt.
I couldn’t believe I had such a hot brother-in-law.
“Just my ego.” I smiled weakly.
“What happened up there?” Scarlett asked.
“Ask your demon brother! He totally tripped me because he was so threatened by me! He had to embarrass me in front of all the professors!”
“When will you two stop?”
“Honestly, you’re worse than me and Grayson.” Lee Windsor laughed.
Another dreamy man in my sister’s life. I swear when she was in her twenties she was just a hot guy magnet! Somehow she managed to get Grayson and Lee to impregnate her at the same time! There was a whole big rivalry about her for over a year.
She’s so powerful.
Lee was a gorgeous Asian man with incredible cheekbones, a strong jaw and pretty golden brown eyes. He was smooth and charming and the city’s most eligible bachelor. I think he’s still very in love with Scarlett, but he’s never said as much as far as I know.
“And that’s saying something, you know?” Scarlett asked. “These two arguing caused a car accident and you and Nathaniel are worse than that.”
“Well Nathaniel is a vile, demented, bitter-”
“A lady should never be so venomous, Willow. But I guess you’re not really a lady are you?” Nathaniel interrupted me before turning to Scarlett. “Hey, sis.”
They hugged and I sneered. I hated that my sister was his too. That we had to be connected.
“Did you trip Willow?” Scarlett asked.
“What? I would never do that. Is she hallucinating again?”
“That was one time!” I snapped.
“Mom, Dad!” Joy ran over and hugged Scarlett and Grayson. “Where’s Robin?”
“He’s with Skyler and Avery.” Scarlett smiled.
Robin was Joy and Julian’s little brother. Scarlett got knocked up right after she married Grayson. Robin was a little too young to be a part of our baby gang at the time, but we loved him so much.
“Where is my son is the question?” Lee looked around.
“Ask and I shall appear!” Julian hugged his dad from behind.
“There’s my boy! When are you going to get a haircut? You look like your Uncle EJ.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Julian rolled his eyes.
“I think EJ is quite handsome, just like my prince.” Scarlett kissed Julian’s forehead.
“Oh come on Mom, the girls are watching!”
“Mom, can we please go shopping this weekend?” Joy asked. “I need new clothes for the internship and I need your opinion.”
“Of course, princess.”
I was kind of jealous of Joy and Scarlett’s relationship. It was so loving and nurturing. I didn’t exactly have that with Mom. The only thing we bonded over was demolishing Nathaniel.
“We should get going,” Scarlett announced. “We have Levi’s graduation party.”
Hopefully I could get Levi alone and talk to him tonight.
*Nathaniel *
I kept glancing at my phone.
Grades would be posted in mere minutes and I had to know if I did better than Willow. I wouldn’t be able to stand seeing her smug face if her GPA was higher than mine, it would destroy me.
“Darling there you are!” Mom swept me in her arms for a bone crushing hug. “How was the graduation ceremony?”
“Willow may have tripped in front of everyone,” I smirked. “I wonder how that happened.”
“Oh Nathaniel! She’s such a nice young woman. Too bad a demon birthed her.”
“Can you guys just quit it?” My older brother Gerald approached us. “Bianca isn’t that bad and Willow is a nice girl.”
“You’re too young to remember what Bianca was like,” Mom said dismissively. “She called me everything under the sun.”
“Mom, you slept with her husband.” Gerald’s green eyes rolled.
She huffed. “Oh, be quiet.”
My brother Gerald was born out of an affair between my parents which was why Mom and Bianca hated each other so much. I would never tell Mom that Bianca’s anger was justified though.
I liked living.
I looked around the party and spotted Willow with Bianca. They were smiling, which meant Willow was saying something nasty about me. She really was so classless.
I glanced down at my phone again. 5:01pm.
Grades were out.
Never had I signed into my campus account so fast. A grin came across my face. All A’s. A four point zero GPA. I sauntered over to Willow who was now talking to Levi. As I approached them, I noticed something.
Willow was giggling a lot and was she…twirling her hair? She touched Levi’s arm and laughed loudly.
She was flirting with him! Willow had a crush on Levi.
What a loser.
“Hello Willow.”
“Oh what do you want?” She snapped.
“Grades are out.” I smirked.
Willow gasped and grabbed her phone. It was a few moments before a smile came across her face.
“All A’s.” She announced.
“Good job Willow,” Levi smiled.
“I got all A’s too,” I informed her. “Four point zero GPA.”
“Oh…I got a four point one.”
“What?!” I snatched her phone out of her hand and nearly fainted. “How did you-”
“Extra credit,” Willow grinned. “Professor Langford really needed some help with grading papers.”
“You fucking weasel!” I hissed.
“Woah, Nathaniel calm down.” Levi stated. “It’s just one point.”
“One point that means she’s…ugh! This isn’t over Monroe. I’m coming for you this summer. I’m going to win that internship.”
She snorted. “Sure you will. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go tell my mother that I’m a winner and you’re a loser.”
Willow skipped off as I seethed. I needed a fucking drink.
I stomped to the bartender. “Whiskey neat, please.”
“Nathaniel,”
I turned and saw my Dad. I hugged him tightly. “Hey Dad,”
“I saw you and Willow arguing again. What about this time?” He questioned.
“She got a higher GPA than me,” I mumbled. “Mom’s gonna kill me.”
“Oh forget her. Did you make good grades?”
“All A’s.”
“Then you should be proud.”
“I’m not. I could have done better. More.” I sighed.
“Nathaniel, you’re a handsome young man who’s graduating business school next year. You have so much to look forward to. You need to stop fighting your mother’s battles, okay?” Dad asked.
“It’s not even about Mom anymore. Willow, she…Dad gets on my last nerve. She’s always provoking me!”
“And do you provoke her?” He raised eyebrows.
“It’s called revenge.”
“Here’s your drink sir,” The bartender slid it over to me.
I saw my dad eye the whiskey.
Apparently before I was born he was a pretty bad alcoholic. He was in rehab for some of my mom’s pregnancy. I’d personally never seen Dad drunk, but I’ve heard horror stories from Scarlett and Gerald.
“Nathaniel-”
“It’s my first one tonight I promise. I’m not going to go overboard.” I assured him.
“Remember, addiction is in your blood, Nathaniel. You have to be careful.”
“I will be.”
I grabbed my drink and walked away.
“Hey, Nathaniel, can you cover for me?” Julian whispered.
“You’re doing it tonight, dude?”
“I gotta, please! Just tell my parents that I’m going to see some friends. I’ll be back home by the time we have to leave for the mansion.”
“I don’t like keeping this secret, Julian.” I sighed.
“I know, but you’re the only one I trust. No one else would understand.”
“I don’t understand either.”
“Please, Nathaniel.” He pouted.
“Ugh, fine, go. I got you.”
“Thanks man.”
He weaved through the crowd and disappeared.
“You seen Julian?” Joy asked.
“Nope.” I lied.
“Ugh, he’s probably managed to find a girl we’re not related to and is seducing her or something.”
She hurried over to Willow. I glared over, still pissed about my GPA. I needed to find a way to destroy her and fast. She already had a leg up with this internship. How could I take her down?
Levi walked by Willow and she smiled at him. God she was such a girl. Getting distracted by a guy.
Wait.
I pulled out my phone.
“Hey, Nathaniel, what’s up?” Orlando Ruiz answered.
“Remember when you asked me about Willow earlier?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I changed my mind. I’ll help you get her.”
*Nathaniel*Willow wouldn’t know what hit her this summer. I was going to have Orlando romantically and sexually distract her so that I could destroy her during the internship. I would be on top once more and the world would be right. “Do you have all your good ties?” Mom asked. “Appearance is everything, darling.”“Yes, I know, Mom.” I rolled my eyes. “I have all my best ties.”“Good boy. Oh and don’t forget your glasses, they make you look smart.”“Got it.”“And don’t forget-”“Mom, come on!” Gerald exclaimed. “We’re just going to the summer mansion. If he forgets anything, we can come back.”“Fine. I’m just trying to make sure he’s prepared. Willow continues to prove that she’s a force to be reckoned with.” Mom stated. “We’ll see about that.” I smirked. “I have a feeling I’ve got Willow beat for this internship.”“That’s my boy. Bianca was much too smug last night. ‘My Will got all A’s’ ‘My Willow has the highest GPA in her year’. You would think she actually accomplished those
*Willow*“Um, who are you trying to seduce with those clothes?” Joy asked. “Powerful men,” I laughed as I grabbed different colors. “Guess that was a Bianca Monroe idea.”“You’d be right.”“Mom said that?” Scarlett asked. “That woman is certifiable, I swear! When I was your age she thought I was a total slut.”“Well you did get pregnant by two men at the same time, Mom.” Joy pointed out. “And now you’re here, you should be grateful I was a slut.”“Look, Nathaniel said he’s hitting heavy this summer, so I have to use everything I can. Even my body.”“Don’t you want to get far on hardwork and merit?” Joy asked. “Hm…take forever to get somewhere because I’m a woman and let Nathaniel win…or fast track that by being super hot and in the process beat Nathaniel. Hard choice but I gotta go with the latter.” I shrugged. “Well, Mom you were alive long enough to witness the death of feminism, how does it feel?”“Historic.” Scarlett laughed. “We gotta hurry girls, we’re gonna be late for din
*Willow*Today was finally the day!The internship was starting. I had my new car, my tight outfits and my mind in the right place. Nathaniel Watson was going down. “Woah, Willow, you look great!” Levi smiled as I waited for my coffee to be done. “Thank you, Levi. I got a lot of new clothes just for the internship.”“They’re working for you.”“Morning all,” Joy entered the kitchen. “Lookin good, Auntie Willow.”“I have asked you on many occasions not to call me that! It makes me sound old.”“Is that why you have those wrinkles?” Nathaniel asked. “Wow, that would hurt my feelings if it came from someone with a higher GPA and a new Aston Martin, but…you don’t have those do you?” I smirked. “You look really trampy in that outfit.”“Oh no, I hope I don’t catch the attention of any powerful men.”“You’ve stooped that low?” Nathaniel asked.“When you go low, I take you to hell. You’ll feel comfortable there, it’s where you’re from.” I smiled, bringing the coffee mug to my lips.“No way
*Nathaniel*“What?” I asked. “B-but we just chose our partners.”“True, but the first lesson you’ll learn is to expect the unexpected,” Jude grinned. “Sometimes you have to quickly change gears and work with people you never have before.”Joy and Julian didn’t look too upset. They got to work together. Lucky for them.“Go ahead and move next to your partners.”Willow and I were in a standoff. “Are you going to come over here?” She asked. “No you come over here.”“Nathaniel, really?”I crossed my arms. Willow forced a smile on her face and got up. She plopped down in the seat next to me and glared at me. “I have to tell you something,” She whispered. “What?” I asked. “Your cologne is offensive and my nostrils burn.” “And you still look like a tramp.” Jude passed us all folders. “This is your first assignment. You have to find the bug in the system and eliminate it. You have until Friday.”“Don’t software testers usually do that?” Orlando asked. “Yes, but if you want to make it
*Willow*“You look incredible, Willow.” Orlando said as we sat down for dinner.I had on a tight blue silk dress. It looked a lot more expensive than it actually was. “You look handsome. So what is this sudden interest in me?”“I’ve always been interested in you. I just finally feel like you’re interested in me too.”“You’re not horrible to look at,” I grinned. “And neither are you.” Orlando winked. “So…what do I need to know?”“About what?”“About you? I mean all I know are the basics about Willow Monroe, but I want to go deeper.”I wasn’t sure if he meant sexually or mentally. I was open to both.“I wanna create my own company one day,” I said. “That I’m the CEO of. I want to show people what I can do. That I’m more than Scarlett’s sister. Or a vessel for my mom to win some crazy rivalry.”“I see. I feel the same way actually. Everyone just thinks of me as Emmanuel Ruiz’s grandson.”“What do you want to do with your life?” I asked. “Honestly? I have no idea.”I was kind of shocke
*Nathaniel*Willow wouldn’t even breathe in my direction for the next couple of days.She was beyond pissed with me and I loved it. We were given new bugs to find in our system since Jude didn’t want us ahead of the others. Willow always got to work in the computer lab first so she could take the lead. I didn’t mind. I was more focused on winning the next challenge.Today she was muttering under her breath the way she always did when she got hyped up. I was throwing this girl off just like I wanted to. “Psst!” I swiveled around to see Shauna. “What are you doing tonight?”“Why? You wanna wine and dine me?” I grinned. I was surprised when she nodded. “Yeah, actually…unless you’re not allowed out at night.”“I think I can make it happen.”“We’ll talk at lunch.” Shauna winked at me.Willow snorted. “What?” I asked. “She’s playing you.”“How do you figure?” “Look at her…then look at you. Look at her again. She’s the daughter of a supermodel, she can have any man she wants…why would
*Nathaniel*I checked my reflection a million times. I think I looked pretty damn hot, if I did say so myself. Shauna was going to want to devour me. As I went to close my balcony doors I noticed Willow on hers. She was staring into space I think. She was probably thinking of that night. Most of the time I forget it. I mean it didn’t happen to me, so why would I care and think about it so much? I didn’t need to. I had a date.--Shauna answered the door to her condo in a sexy red dress that was leaving nothing up to the imagination. I swear my mouth was watering.“Come in,” She smiled.“Smells amazing,” I commented. “Thanks. So…what did you tell Willow you’re doing tonight?”“Drinks with Julian. She didn’t suspect a thing.” Shauna bit her lip. “I bet. Want a drink?”“Got any whiskey?” I questioned. “Only the best. Take a seat.”I settled on the couch and waited for my drink. “So you and Willow sure did solve that bug problem quickly. How did you do that?”I was going to brag ab
*Willow*“Um, what are you doing here?” Gerald asked. “Getting a drink. What are you doing working here? You’re supposed to have some paid medical internship right?”“Well the thing about that is…I don’t.”“Meaning?”“Look, I dropped out of med school and now I have no idea what I’m doing. This was the best job I could find. It pays shockingly well.” He admitted. “Gerald, why did you drop out?” I whispered. “I thought you were so excited to be a doctor.”He sighed. “I’m not. Look, my shift is about to end. Just go in and I’ll have a drink with you. I’m waiting for someone anyways.I nodded before going in. I ordered a vodka cranberry and waited at the table. Girls were dancing on the stage. They were all very pretty.Gerald joined a few minutes later. “I thought you were supposed to be at the comedy club.”“I’ll go back in a few. Show doesn’t start for like half an hour. Just needed some air.” I shrugged. “You okay?”“I hate when people ask me that, you know? No one used to ask me