“I’m sorry, Ma’am.” The receptionist shook her head. “I can’t let you in without a meeting with Mr. Duke.” She added.Mrs. Roswell is easily provoke.“What?” She may appears calm, but she was already boiling with anger. “ Didn’t you have any idea who we are?”Mrs. Roswell didn’t came her just so her visit could be rejected. She wanted to see Eliot, and talk to him about his marriage to her daughter. Lauren promised, and in spite of his disapproval, she knew that it was Mrs. Lauren Duke who have the last word for decision.One and for all. But she’s getting fed up. After waiting for hours, she was now being told that Eliot wouldn’t meet her.How dare he?! Mrs. Roswell was furious. How dare he act so high, treating her like a dirt?!“I’m sorry, but that was our protocol.” The woman apologized.“Protocol, huh?” She sounded mad. “Perhaps, you wouldn’t mind if I walk right there in his office—”“Ma’am, don’t make me call the security.”“You won’t, because I will.” With that said, Mrs. Rosw
“I—” Raquel gulps. The awkward air made the atmosphere between them thickens. Even with David, she had never been this nervous, only with Eliot. Only with this man, whom she always wonder—“Why?”“Why?” Eliot looked at her.“Why do you wanted to help me?” She was straightforward. “…so bad?”Raquel didn’t know, but Eliot was like a breathe of fresh air, away from the abuse. He was the same stranger. Always carefree. Always the risk-taker. He was full of freedom, while she’s not. And she will not drag someone to the same hell just because she was chained there.Elliot is just…too precious to be contaminated by her toxic family.“And I wasn’t blind, I don’t want to assume, but your action speaks of a pursuant man.” She bit her lips. “And you know…I am married, I am no longer free, Eliot.”“Raquel…” Eliot took a deep breathe, before looking at her. “Would your doubt be compensated, if I told you that I like you?”“Don’t give me that crap, Eliot.” With him around, Raquel felt free expressin
[WARNING for 18+: Triggering scenes ahead.]“Had you learn your lesson already, Raquel?” Geneva Roswell asked her eldest. She was calmly sitting opposite to her, while she sipped her morning tea.Raquel nodded her head.“I am, Ma.” Her voice is empty.She was motionless, while her mother smiled sweetly as if she didn’t do anything wrong.“Perfect!” Her mother clapped her hands together. “Now that you have, go change yourself, because you really stink! My God, what kind of filth had clings on you on that place, I could never imagine!”I could also never imagine that you would put me behind bars. Her grudge was unending.Raquel submissively stood up and went upstairs.Under the shower, she scrub her skin. Hard. Until it gets reddened, painful enough to made her sobs. It is not because she was scared anymore, but it was directed to another pain cause by somebody else.Eliot.“I was coming. Wait for me.”But he never did.Raquel waited, but no presence of him showed up until her mother de
[WARNING for 18+: Triggering scenes ahead.]“Had you learn your lesson already, Raquel?” Geneva Roswell asked her eldest. She was calmly sitting opposite to her, while she sipped her morning tea.Raquel nodded her head.“I am, Ma.” Her voice is empty.She was motionless, while her mother smiled sweetly as if she didn’t do anything wrong.“Perfect!” Her mother clapped her hands together. “Now that you have, go change yourself, because you really stink! My God, what kind of filth had clings on you on that place, I could never imagine!”I could also never imagine that you would put me behind bars. Her grudge was unending.Raquel submissively stood up and went upstairs.Under the shower, she scrub her skin. Hard. Until it gets reddened, painful enough to made her sobs. It is not because she was scared anymore, but it was directed to another pain cause by somebody else.Eliot.“I was coming. Wait for me.”But he never did.Raquel waited, but no presence of him showed up until her mother de
“I—” Raquel gulps. The awkward air made the atmosphere between them thickens. Even with David, she had never been this nervous, only with Eliot. Only with this man, whom she always wonder—“Why?”“Why?” Eliot looked at her.“Why do you wanted to help me?” She was straightforward. “…so bad?”Raquel didn’t know, but Eliot was like a breathe of fresh air, away from the abuse. He was the same stranger. Always carefree. Always the risk-taker. He was full of freedom, while she’s not. And she will not drag someone to the same hell just because she was chained there.Elliot is just…too precious to be contaminated by her toxic family.“And I wasn’t blind, I don’t want to assume, but your action speaks of a pursuant man.” She bit her lips. “And you know…I am married, I am no longer free, Eliot.”“Raquel…” Eliot took a deep breathe, before looking at her. “Would your doubt be compensated, if I told you that I like you?”“Don’t give me that crap, Eliot.” With him around, Raquel felt free expressin
“Are you following me?” When the two of them had gotten alone, Raquel couldn’t help herself, but be frank.“What made you think I am?” Eliot raised his eyebrows.“Because you are exactly on the same place, where I am supposed to be.” She squinted her eyes.“Then it wasn’t my fault, Mrs. Smith.” Eliot countered back, emphasizing the last word. “A coincidence can happen.”“Coincidence, my ass.” But Raquel isn’t backing down. “I know what you are doing. How many times do I have to tell you that I am not going to accept your help—”Only to get stopped, when the door to the kitchen was pushed open.Sister Eliza looked to the pair, “Is everything okay here?”“Well, yes, sister.” Her expression changes. She smiled softly at the nun. “We’re just uh…uh, right. We are trying to discuss what meal to prepare for the children.”“Oh, really?” Sister Eliza exclaimed with utter delight. “The children would be happy knowing that you two made it! Don’t worry, I’ll leave you two. Enjoy!”And then the d
He was there. Eliot have his head on his palm, and he seems frustrated. Raquel hesitated at first, but taking the courage and following her heart, she take the initiative to be closer.How ironic that she tend to pushed Eliot away in fear that it could ruin everything, her life, her family and her name.“Are you alright?” Averse doubt, she behest what she was urging herself to.Eliot seems unwilling, when he raised his head to meet her eyes, “What are you doing here?”“I followed you.” She bit her lips. “I just wanted to make sure that you are alright—”“Really?” He was extremely cold. It was as if Raquel was facing a stranger, and not Eliot. “Yeah.” She trailed off and frowns.“Are you really worried about me or are you worried that I am not going to marry your sister, Raq?” His words condemned the proposal.But why was his resentment directed to Raquel?“I don’t know what you are talking about…”“Oh, spill it.” Blinded by his anger with Lauren, Eliot began to stalked her. “Isn’t th
Raquel knew for a fact that Eliot is somebody, a sin from that island she must forget, but her heart couldn’t. The memories of the night they shared would came back, on how much she moaned with pleasure, forgetting the marriage she was forced to, while they were together.Eliot Duke made her forget every pain, and the torment meant to made her suffer. When she rejected him, Raquel knew it ended, that the fate that was playing between them was already cut in loose. Not until seeing the great Eliot Duke in the flesh to the charity ball she had accompanied her mother.“Tired of forcing yourself to smile, Mrs. Smith?” Eliot’s voice filled her ears, and unconsciously, Raquel stepped away from him. “Am I really that scary, huh?”She hardened her resolve.Don’t do anything silly. Raquel was begging herself. Don’t do something that would only hurt you badly at the end. She reminded herself about what happened to David that night before the whole world knew that they had spend the night togeth