*Harley’s POVI flip around, my fingers clutching my phone tight as he stands before me. In the daylight, his appearance is more menacing and duplicitous with the strange mask on."No, no, no..."My foot falls on the pile of mud, twisting at the toes and gravity pulls me down to the ground, my one hand falling on the burner phone and Nina's voice stops when the thing crashes under my palm."C'mon, darling." The man takes steps towards me while I drag my body backward, the pain in my toes making it hard to make my legs work. "Stop playing around and get this over with."His voice. How can someone have such a harsh voice? It sounds like he has something in his mouth, making the sound unrecognizable. But there is a hint of something known. I must have heard him before. I know I have heard him before."What do you want from me?" I ask him. My hands hurt as my palms drag through the gravel, slicing a layer of skin. "I don't have anything. Please leave me alone.""Oh, honey, you do have som

*Harley’s POVMemories are scary. They have the power to haunt you every time you close your eyes. I have my share of bad memories too.The recall starts in simple ways — like the moment in first grade when Kevin Lewinsky dropped noodles on my head, or the time in secondary school when Nina and Jesse got their first boyfriends while no one asked me out, or the time when I had to change myself completely in high school only to find out that I was a victim for stalkers to follow me home, or the day when I came home from prom with my Dad only to find out that my sister was gone forever.But worst of all, the memory of that day is the one that chills me to my bone. I close my eyes, I see the masked man. I open my eyes and find him still there. My skin crawls when I remember being pressed under him, the glint of the steel knife when it cut my face, leaving me with two viciously ugly lines on my cheek which the doctor said would take a lifetime to vanish for the cut was so deep. I remember

*Xaveir’s POVGlasses clink, a champagne fountain fills them, and people dance in their expensive dresses under the roof of the exquisite ballroom of the manor. We meet the guests who approach us and some we approach ourselves with glasses of red wine in our hands which neither of us cares to drink. Music plays loud yet the song is soft music. We admire the elegant decorations until our sights fall on the host of the party.Senator Julius Campbell"You're so dead, Everest," Harley mutters under her breath as she watches Senator Campbell approaching us with a grin on his face."I'm sorry, love, but I need you to be here," I whisper in her ear, my hand on her waist squeezing tight as we both force a smile at the Senator.It is his sixth engagement party. After Harley and I got married, he secured the warmth of a rich heiress who was more than excited to jump into his arms at the consideration of his background which would make her an important public figure. He sent me the invitation tw

*Xavier’s POVThe bathroom door opens with a creak as I enter after knocking twice and getting no response. Harley is in the bathtub, covered in bubbles with her head tilted backward and her eyes closed. Her bare arms press on both sides of the tub, skin paler than usual.I stalk towards her, untying my tie and throwing it on the floor. When I reach her, she doesn't react to my presence and her ignorance disturbs me. I have been trying to talk to her since last night but she has avoided me. She didn't even pick up my calls today, leaving me worried until I tracked her number to her college. I rest my arms around the edge of the tub as I crouch beside her."Harley?"She opens her eyes and her sight turns to me. A slow tilt of her lips curves them into a smile."Hey, you..." she murmurs drowsily.That smile widens, turning to something sly, different from what I have usually seen her with. Before I can say anything, her wet arms wrap around my neck and she kisses me.Never have I been t

*Xaveir' POV  Mason Holiday is dead. I will skin him alive. I pace across the hall, tapping my phone in the palm of my hand as I wait for them to come home. Mom is sitting on the couch, pinching her forehead between her fingers. Just like me, she is worried ever since we got the call from Rose about what happened at the bar. Jake Gallagher is getting fired. I gave him one job and he left without informing me. If I had known that he was gone, I would have gone there myself. It's my fault I left my girls in the care of some idiot. "This can't be happening, son...How did it..." Mom sighs, tears forming in her eyes. I ignore her, my mind occupied by the doors through which they are supposed to arrive.&n