DAMIEN'S POV.
I retracted my hand from her neck and glared balefully at her. She disgusted me.
"Get out of my house! I don't want to repeat myself." I yelled and stepped away from her.
Nicola smirked darkly; she simply walked past me and went to sit on my couch.
My eyes widened in anger and I faced her with disbelief written all over my face.
"How dare you sit on my couch? After everything you've done? Do you know the damage that you've caused, you ruined that poor girl's reputation!""If you wanted to do anything, you shouldn't have involved her. It's me you wanted, you should have come at me!" I yelled, shaking in anger.
Instead of showing any remorse or at least fear. She parted her legs and placed one of them on the couch, showing me her panties.
This was the height of shamelessness.
The next thing I saw her doing was taking her hands into her gown and removing her panties. She was so desperate to have me but was the first person to push me away. How hypocritical was she?
"If you want me off your couch then come here and show me what you can do." She chuckled sinisterly.
Quickly, I turned my face away from her. Not because I was tempted by anything she showed me but I couldn't stand her anymore.
"I have to find Elise," I said to myself and walked towards the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Nicola asked but I didn't bother turning back to look at her.
I ran up the stairs and went to my room to take my car keys. Once I got a hold of it, I dashed from my room and briskly climbed down the stairs.
"I asked you a question! Where are you going?" the demented woman yelled.
I stopped walking and shot a murderous look at her but she wasn't shaken.
"I'm going to look for the woman that I love," I replied and walked away.
"You can go ahead but who knows? You might be returning with her corpse!"
Her words made my steps come to a halt. I didn't know if that was a threat or if she had already sent someone after Elise.
Elise had lost her reputation, she couldn't lose her life because of me. I couldn't allow that.
I didn't know where to look for her because I was certain that she wouldn't return to her parents' house.
Rushing to the garage, I chose one of the fastest cars I had. I did not care if I had to search this entire city but I had to find her.
I entered the car and put the key in the ignition. I started the car and the engine roared to life, in a minute, my foot pressed on the accelerator and I sped out of the garage.
On the way out, I made some calls to a few people who could help me in searching for her. I continued driving on the road, looking at the pedestrian lanes, hoping to see her walking on them.
"Princess, where are you?" I whispered, worriedly looking out of my window.
At one point, I stopped the car at the side of the road and anger overwhelmed me.
I wasn't just angry at Nicola but at myself. I allowed my heartless nature to get the better part of me. Even if I was angry at her, I should have allowed her inside.
I didn't think about her safety or well-being. If anything happened to her, I would never be able to forgive myself.
"Princess, I'm so sorry," I muttered and placed my head dejectedly on the steering wheel.
I sighed and brought out my phone, hoping to get a message or some information but nothing came. Just as I was losing hope of ever finding her, my phone beeped.
A smile graced my lips as my fingers flew on the screen of my phone. I checked my notifications and to my displeasure, it was from F******k.
I wanted to ignore it but something within me told me to check. I checked the notification and someone had tagged me with a photo of Elise, drinking in a bar.
Delight filled my eyes at the sight of her picture. I stared long at the photo and recognized where the bar was.
I kept the phone back in my pocket and quickly started my car. I drove so fast that in a few minutes, I arrived there but to my dismay, she wasn't anywhere in the bar.
I looked around and showed people her picture including the bartender but they hadn't seen any trace of her around.
My shoulders dropped and sadness filled my heart. I left the bar and checked up to three bars but she wasn't in any of them.
Unable to bear the regret and pain I was feeling, I decided to stay in one of the bars and drink. It was obvious that I had lost the woman I loved.
She was the first person to cherish me for who I was. She didn't fall in love with my money but with me.
Without hesitation, she came to me in her time of need but I pushed her away.
"What have I done?" I sighed heavily and ran my fingers exasperatedly in my hair.
"Sir, what do you want?" the bartender asked.
I told him to give me a shot of whiskey and slowly I drowned myself in alcohol. I went from being tipsy to being fully drunk.
I burped slightly and made up my mind to leave. I was still going to drive and had to focus even a little.
"Thanks," I said to the bartender as I dropped my cash on the counter. I came down from the chair and was about to leave when my eyes beheld the love of my life walking into the bar.
"My princess." I smiled in relief and staggered a little as I rushed to her.
My hand cupped her cheeks and I looked into her eyes. My eyes weren't deceiving me, she was Elise but she seemed disoriented and drunk.
"Elise," I called her name softly.
She smiled at me, probably not recognizing me.
"Your voice sounds so sexy." She said and laughed drunkenly. She almost staggered backwards but I got a grip of her waist.
"Are you okay?"
"No." She shook her head and leaned forward, instantly pressing her lips on mine.
—
A hotel room was the next place we ended up, we were presently on the bed being consumed by passion.
I couldn't stop myself from kissing her, rolling my tongue in her mouth and sending her clothes to the east.
The taste of alcohol in her mouth made her more intoxicating. I didn't want to stop kissing her. I wanted her as much as her drunken self wanted me.
My princess was back, we would be together forever but then I forgot our lives weren't a fairytale. It was actually hell on earth.
CHAPTER 7 — From rags to riches. Elise's POV. My eyes slowly opened and my nose was welcomed with a scent that I found familiar. I tried moving my body but a pair of hands were firmly wrapped around me. As my eyes fully opened, they were staring at someone's hairy chest. Curious and terrified to know who I was lying with, I raised my head slowly and my eyes widened in shock. "Damien" I gasped but instantly closed my mouth. I wriggled slowly out of his grip because I was disgusted by his embrace. Last night, he slammed the door heartlessly in my face and now, he had his hands wrapped around me. Something wasn't adding up. Successfully getting out of his arms, I quietly crawled out of the bed. As my feet touched the cold floor, I let out a soft gasp. I lowered my eyes to look at myself and I was completely naked, there were also dried blood stains between my thighs. Tears stung my eyes and I looked at him, he was also naked as well. My hands desperately flew to my head as I tr
Elise's POV. "Elise, I know that you might not want to return to California but it's high time you get over your fears. And anyway, no one would be able to recognize you." Jones said. Jones was wrong about me being afraid but he was right about my hidden identity.I was known as the faceless model for a reason. It was a nickname I was given because I never revealed my face. I always wore a beautiful mask that made my identity unknown. This made me different and so special from every other model. My walk and body were perfect but my masked face attracted more attention to me. I became the hottest and most mysterious model in Country N, and from there, my fame spread around the world. The rest is history.Jones was also unaware of certain things about me. He didn't know one crucial detail about me which was my real name. He thought my real name was Annabel Claw. My life was surrounded by secrets but it didn't matter as far as it was perfect. "Annabel, you aren't saying anything.
Elise's POV. I dodged the knife, by tilting my head. The knife ended up hitting the mirror and causing it to break.Quickly, I moved away from there but I wasn't planning to run. I didn't know her but I needed to know what she wanted from me. "Why are you here and how dare you try to attack me?" I questioned, my voice cold and raised scarily. "What…do you want from me?" Instead of responding, she got a hold of the knife again and made threatening steps towards me. "So, you ended up getting famous to seduce him again right?" She asked, her voice filled with resentment and malice. "I always wondered who was behind that mask, I always wanted to meet you but the moment you stared at Damien like that. I instantly knew you were Elise." How did she know my former name? What connection did she have with Damien? Was she one of his playthings? "I don't know what you're talking about." I feigned ignorance. Although Nicola's claims were true, I couldn't let myself get drawn in. I didn't kn
Elise's POV. "Annabel, is there something that you're hiding from me?" My manager asked. I jerked out of my reverie and looked up at him. "Why would you ask that?" I inquired with a straight face. He sighed and lowered his gaze before speaking. "I understand that you don't like talking too much about your past but if there's anything that can be dug out and used to ruin your reputation then please tell me." "Anna, I can't help you, if you keep hiding secrets from me. I won't be able to save your reputation if everything goes downhill. So, whatever you've done or has happened to you…" He paused. "Maybe you've spent some time in prison or you hurt someone in the past. Were you a bully in school and that crazy woman was your victim?" When I heard that guess from him, a chuckle escaped my lips. I couldn't believe that he would think of Nicola as the victim. People truly have a strange way of seeing things. "Have I ever shown any trait of aggression before?" I asked with my gaze o
Elise's POV. "Ma'am, she's sleeping." The woman who was behind me whispered. I called her 'woman' because she was the new nanny that I hired to take care of Natalie, my beautiful and cute daughter. The former Nanny had a special place in my heart but she had to leave and take care of her family issues. I believed that's why I couldn't remember the name of the new nanny, I wasn't too used to her presence yet. "She's asleep. Oh, thank you." I turned back to flash a smile at her. "I hope she didn't give you much trouble?" I asked as I sauntered to her small bed. A smile brimmed on my lips as I beheld her beautiful face. She had an adorable attitude like me but she had a spitting image of her father. I wondered why my genes weren't so dominant in the looks because she had her father's dark and intimidating eyes, she had the color of his lips and her hair color was the same as his. She looked like the little female version of him. At first, I disliked that factor but I put such child
Damien's POV. I was in my office, holding a Vogue magazine. On the cover of the magazine was the faceless model, Annabel Claw. The name didn't ring a bell, I had never met her before nor had any contact with her but I couldn't shake off the feeling that I knew her from somewhere. The familiarity was odd but it truly felt like we've met before. Looking at her body now, I couldn't help but get attracted to her glimmering skin, slender long legs, piercing blue eyes, and beautiful little lips. Well, any man would get attracted to such a beauty even without seeing her face but the attraction I felt was different. It was the exact attraction I had for Elise. When I first laid my eyes on Elise, I had to convince myself that she was my step-niece, a naive nineteen-year-old girl and I couldn't crave her. I continued telling myself that but working so close to her, I couldn't resist the vulnerability and innocence that she had. She was too pure for me to defile but I wanted her. There wa
Damien's POV. I looked her dead in the eyes and I could tell how serious she was. Recalling her past deeds, I knew that her words weren't a bluff but unlike before, I was going to do all it takes to protect Elise. "Nicola, I don't care what you do but just know that I spared you before. I overlooked your display of stupidity but if you try anything against Elise, I'm gonna kill you. I'll brutally and gruesomely bring your life to an untimely end." I threatened, making my voice cold enough to send a shiver down her spine. "You know that you can't do anything to me, because my family will bring yours to the ground. So, don't be so arrogant and confident. As for all your talk of 'action and killing' Let's see you back it up." She said, pushing me to the edge. "You're just barking." She affronted me.My hands itched to grab her neck and strangle her to death but I remembered her disgusting reaction that day. I didn't want to see it a second time. "Well, let's wait and see, who ends u
Elise's POV I was in the living room with my daughter, watching the television. A cartoon was being shown but I did not mind watching it because most of my younger days were spent working. I hardly had time to watch television even as a kid; My parents were always against me wasting my time with such things. Father always insisted that I do the chores with Mother and assist her instead of lazing around. My parents never understood what it meant for a kid to have fun sometimes. I couldn't do the same to Natalie, so I allowed her to watch the television but there were limits set in place and she knew them very well. I also spend time with her because I work regularly and she only has her toys to play with. She wasn't going to school but was being homeschooled because of my hidden identity. Natalie was a smart and intelligent girl but she was still a child and children were never good at keeping secrets. "Mommy, Janet is going to school." She said, pointing at a cartoon character o