Elisabeth
A year ago...
A tune from one of those Disney cartoons kept ringing in my head as I got ready to wear my dress. I'd been admiring it since I got it last month and I still couldn't believe the D-Day was finally here.
I was going to be married to the love of my life, my first and last crush Bennett Owens two hours from now.
"You're so beautiful E." My best friend and maid of honor Julianne grinned at me.
"Thank you." I grinned back. I blew out my breath and picked up my phone to check if I'd gotten any message from Ben but my screen was blank.
"You know you're going to see him in a few hours right?". Jules teased me. "That phone has not left your side in days."
"Um... Excuse me "miss tease the nervous bride", I've not seen Ben for two days now." I reminded her. "The last time I saw him..."
"I know. You saw him at the club just before he was hauled away by his annoying friends for a two day bachelor party." Jules rolled her eyes. "I hate those guys."
"No you don't." I snorted. "You have this huge crush on Ephraim but he doesn't notice you so you hate him for not noticing you."
"Thank you for stating the obvious... Captain obvious." She clicked her tongue.
"I can't believe this is finally happening." I murmured.
"Seven years." Jules stated in disbelief. "Seven years with this guy and now you're finally getting there." She placed her hand on my arm. "I'm so happy for you E."
"I'm happy for myself too." I squealed and she burst out laughing.
A minute later my mom walked into the room and when she saw me still seated and not dressed in my gown yet, her brows furrowed and as she opened her mouth to lecture me about my state of undress, I held my hand up stopping her from speaking.
"I know. I was just about to put it before you walked in." I assured her.
"Fine." She huffed. "I just came to give you this." She handed a box to me. "Your grandma gave it to me when I married your father and now it's your turn to have it. Something old."
My mouth dropped open as I took the box from her knowing exactly what was inside. I'd always longed to have this for myself ever since I was a kid but mom would never let me touch it and now it was mine.
I opened the box and gasped. The diamond necklace and earrings were just almost exactly like my engagement ring but more beautiful.
"Thank you mom." Tears gathered in my eyes but I blinked them back. I didn't want my makeup ruined and having to start all over again.
"This is from your father and I." She beamed as she retrieved another box. "Something new."
"Aww. Mommy." I crooned. "You're going to make me cry."
"You're my only daughter Elisabeth. If we don't spoil you then who else will we spoil?". She cupped my face and kissed my forehead. "Let's get you married."
"Yay!". I clapped my hands.
I was helped into my dress which was the most gorgeous dress I've ever owned. My father was a millionaire but I didn't think my mom would go the extra mile of getting me my dream dress from Ophelia's which was the go to bridal boutique for any bride who wanted to shine on her wedding day.
Only the rich and famous people visited stores like Ophelia's and though we were rich but I was sure this dress and my shoes must have cost them a small fortune but I was eternally grateful to them for making sure I wasn't embarrassed on my wedding day.
"Oh my dear girl. I never thought this day would come." Mom framed my face in her hands. "Elisabeth Nadine Stevenson... soon to be Mrs Elisabeth Nadine Owens."
"Don't cry mommy or I'll start crying too." I said.
"No crying." Jules warned. "You know how long it took for your makeup to be done and you have just one hour until you're to be at the church."
Mom and I nodded our heads and Jules smiled triumphantly.
"Mommy, have you heard from Ben?." I questioned. "He's not texted me since... the last time I saw him."
"He should be at the church now." Mom smiled assuringly.
"Okay." I nodded. The butterflies in my stomach were doing some acrobatic moves that stemmed from nervousness and excitement but I couldn't tell which was on top. I just wanted to get married.
"Can I come in?". I heard my dad's voice call from outside.
"Yes daddy." I replied.
The door opened and daddy walked in. He shut the door then stopped short when he saw me and before I knew it, tears gathered in his eyes as well.
"Wow." He said. He looked me over and said it again. "I'm not so sure I want to give you away now."
Mom, Jules and I laughed.
"You're beyond gorgeous my princess." Dad pulled me into his embrace.
"Thank you daddy." I smiled at him when we pulled back. "Thank you for my dress and the gifts. You both didn't have to."
"Nonsense." Dad waved off my gratitude dismissively. "You deserve this and more. If Ben wasn't Owens' son, I wouldn't have given my consent. You're a princess and princesses don't live like commoners."
Bennett Owens was the second son of Philip Owens, who was a real estate mogul and also was a shareholder in some big companies in the country.
I'd never been one to let my parents wealth get into my head which was why I'd refused to take the position dad had offered me in his company. He wanted me to be the head of Marketing and production but I wanted to work in a publishing company or if I couldn't... I'd love to teach literature.
"Yes daddy." I said knowing he was expecting a response from me. "Thank you."
"Now, are we ready to leave?". He asked.
"Yes." Mom said. "I hope there won't be traffic."
"I can always rent an helicopter if there's traffic." Dad joked.
I knew he could do it but I hoped it wouldn't come to that.
~~~~~
"Are you nervous?". Jules asked me as we waited in the car.
"Very." I nodded. "What if he changes his mind and says no I don't?". I asked her. "I would die."
"Nonsense. That guy loves you so much that it's not funny anymore." Jules rolled her eyes. "He's obsessed with you and I have to say that I'm impressed he didn't let his friends behaviors sway him."
I blew out my breath guessing she was right. Ben and I had been together for seven years so he wouldn't do anything to satobage that.
Jules' phone pinged in her purse and I knew a notification had come in. I watched as she took it out of her purse, frowned at the screen then glanced at me.
"What?". I asked.
"Um... I don't know." Jules made a face. "Someone sent me a video."
"Of who?".
Jules shrugged. "Let's watch it later. It probably doesn't concern us."
I wanted to say okay but I didn't know what possessed me to tell her to let us watch it. If it really didn't concern us then we'd have a good laugh or be disgusted by it because nowadays celebrities no longer had any shame when it came to keeping their lives private.
"Are you sure?".
"We have a few minutes to kill don't we?".
"Okay." She clicked on the video, waited for a second and then both of our jaws dropped when we realized that it wasn't about someone who wasn't known to us but someone Jules was just praising a few minutes ago.
"Oh my gosh!". Jules exclaimed and turned off her phone letting the screen go black. "Oh my gosh." She fanned her face.
I didn't know how to feel but I felt my heart exploding in my chest like a nuclear bomb. All I could think of was... Seven years of waiting and under two days, he'd ruined us.
A knock on the window of the car brought me out of my daze and I turned to see the event planner Caroline gesturing that it was time.
"Are you okay?". Jules looked at me with concern probably wondering why I wasn't reacting.
"I'm fine." I stated. "Let's go."
She looked shocked but thankfully didn't question me and I was grateful for that. Daddy asked me the same question seeing that my once happy face was now devoid of any emotion and I told him the same thing.
"You look beautiful my love." Ben whispered in my ear as we both stood in front of the priest.
I forced a smile on my face but said nothing. The priest went through the motions asking Ben if he would take me as his lawfully wedded wife and he said yes then it was my turn and he asked me the same thing but I took so long in answering that the crowd began to murmur.
"Love?". He touched my elbow.
"Seven years." I muttered in a surprisingly steady voice. "Two days and some hours."
"What are you talking about?". Ben frowned at me.
My gorgeous bouquet dropped to the floor by my feet and everyone in the crowd gasped in shock. My engagement ring came off next and dropped to the floor at his feet and this time my dad rose to his feet.
"Beth, what are you doing?". He demanded.
"Everyone thinks their lies will never catch up to them but yours did. Thank you for letting me dodge this missile Ben." I told him.
"What are you..."
I didn't bother waiting to hear what he had to say as I lifted the hem of my dress and sprinted down the aisle leaving the crowd, my parents and my idiot fiance wondering what the hell was going on.
I could just imagine the headline news tomorrow; Daughter of Millionaire Edward Stevenson flees from church leaving groom at the altar.
Ben would look like the victim and me the bad guy but right now I'm too pissed off to care.
ElisabethPresent time....I groaned as the music I was listening to suddenly stopped playing and the ringtone I set for he-who-shall-not-be-named began to echo in my car making me more irritated.It's been... a year since the fool fucked up and despite me calling him all sorts of derogatory names that I'd never heard of, he was relentless. He wanted me back but I wanted him to back the fuck off.I put on my bluetooth earbud and tapped it to answer his call but silence filled my ear."What?". I snapped. "Is it until I block your number or change my sim that you'll get the memo?"."It's been a year El. Don't tell me you're still mad." He's shocked."Are you for real right now Ben?". I almost screamed. "I have every right to be mad for the next millennium you motherfucker.""I was drugged! I didn't...""Save that for the whore you were seen coming out of El Dorado with last night Ben." I cut him off harshly. "You must think I'm stupid. Well, newsflash... I'm not!".Ben sighed. "She wasn
LeonObnoxious...Spoilt...Entitled...Many years ago, I'd lived with the queen bitch of the obnoxious, spoilt and entitled rich girls club and after I severed all ties with said bitch, I vowed never to come across one, talk or even let my shadow get close to the other person's shadow until today.Maybe the world would really be a better place if everyone learned to apologize for the wrongs they did but some people's brains weren't just that developed. Like the... lady I met today.Mom told me never to be disrespectful to ladies and I tried my possible best to be polite to the undeserving ones but this lady today topped the charts.I alighted from my car and slammed the door shut as one of the young mechanics at the auto shop rushed up to me with a smile on his face."Good afternoon sir." He greeted."Hey Mike. What's up?". I shook hands with him. "Where's Victor?"."In his office." Mike replied. "Whoa! Who was the monster that did this?". His eyes widened when he saw the badly dente
LeonEleven years ago..."They want my life? They can have it." I pivoted on my heel and stormed out of the sitting room leaving them shocked in my wake.I'd had enough of the bullying and it had to stop. It wouldn't stop so I'd stopped it myself. My life had no meaning anymore so they could fucking live it for me if they wanted. I no longer gave a flying fuck about the throne, about my surname... about being part of this family in general."Leon!". Dad bellowed as I made my way upstairs to my room. "Stop!"."I don't want to!"."I command you as your King to stop." Dad ordered.I could've continued on my way. I wanted to but I stopped because no matter how pissed off I was, I had plenty of respect for my father."What the hell was that about? What you said back there?". Dad jerked his thumb towards the sitting room. "That was a joke right?".I decided to play dumb because if I didn't, we'd get into a screaming match and I'd say something I'd never be able to take back whether it was m
LeonI rolled out of bed a minute before my alarm rang by 5. I'd been awake long before that thinking about so many things but most especially the fact that today was my birthday and I was supposed to be in Mercia celebrating with my parents.They'd sent their gifts but I'd left them unopened in my home office just like I'd left their messages on read. Maybe I was just giving myself unnecessary heartache over nothing but I knew I wasn't ready to deal with anything concerning them just yet.I changed into my sweatpants, grabbed my towel and walked out of my room. I went downstairs, grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and headed straight to my gym. I'd never once missed my early morning exercises ever since I recovered from that accident eons ago and though it wasn't really mandatory anymore but I couldn't stop.I ran on the treadmill for about forty minutes, lifted weights for twenty minutes and then I used the jump rope Liese had sent me last year which belonged to her dau
ElisabethI stared - more like glared at the man in front of me and grabbed my bag but I didn't make a move to get up. He couldn't be the owner of Empire High school. I'd done my research even though said research had not provided me with pictures.I just knew that a young billionaire had bought the former Fairfield international school and changed its name to Empire High. I never expected that said billionaire was this... drop dead gorgeous stronzo.His eyes were gray like the sky before it rained and his hair was jet black - silky even from the looks of it and I let my traitorous mind wonder if one or both of his parents were foreigners. His jaw was sharp with a sensual mouth and a pointed nose."Have you come to destroy my school the way you did my car Duchess?". His sarcastic voice grated on my nerves. "My name is Elisabeth. I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me that." I said through gritted teeth."It's a compliment." He shrugged."Is it?". I spat.He let out a beleaguered
Leon"It's your birthday dude. Let up." I mentally chastised myself for the way I'd spoken to Elisabeth. I wasn't always that rude but she just knew how to push all of my buttons. Not even Ina had tried this hard or worse Philomena but she'd hit close to home when she'd mentioned that word 'girlfriend'. That word had made me think of her and I'd lost it.I took a deep deep breath and slowly exhaled removing all the bad vibes and anger from my system as I heard the clacking of heels outside the door. A part of me hoped that Barbara didn't bring her back while another part which I'd nicknamed "mom" scolded me for thinking like that. I could never win whenever that voice spoke."Come in." I called as Barbara knocked on the door.The door opened and Barbara poked her head in and smiled at me. "She almost got away sir but I found her." She announced."Thank you Barb." I said. "Send her in."Barbara nodded and disappeared then Elisabeth walked in and shut the door behind her. I glanced at
Elisabeth"Infuriating bastard." I mumbled to myself in the restroom later that day. We'd discussed my salary and several other things and I had to admit that he was a generous person but that was probably the only good thing he had going for him."Oh hello." A teacher I'd not met yet greeted me as she walked into the restroom. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Yasmin.""Nice to meet you Yasmin. I'm Elisabeth." We didn't bother shaking hands knowing where we were so we both settled for smiles. "How are you liking Empire High so far?". Yasmin asked.I chuckled. "The teachers are nice for starters and the students are well behaved." I said. "I think I'm going to like it here.""The students have to be well behaved. They have no choice when they have someone like Mr Sebastiani as their principal." Yasmin grinned."They're scared of him?"."I wouldn't call it fear. They just have a lot of respect for him. I heard from Mr Daniel that he has a temper which he doesn't like to show but when he
LeonI didn't want to be here. I'd finally replied my baby brother's text message ten hours after I received it and I'd texted him back telling him I'd like to meet up and now here I was sitting in my car in the parking lot of the hotel wondering if I should hightail it out of there.My brother was lodged in our hotel - one of the branches and I knew his room number and everything. I knew he was here with his girlfriend Noelle and he probably wanted to introduce her to me since he'd done so with the others and I was the only one left.I raked my fingers through my hair in frustration and shook my head. I thought I'd let go of the past when I left home but I'd not let go of shit.I was still mad at my brothers, sister and my father. I was still mad at myself for going after her in the first place. If I'd left her alone, she'd still be alive but no... my stupid heart had to fall in love with her and that love ended up killing her.I pressed the heel of my hands to my eyes as tears threa