Emily’s initial destination was Giovanni’s office and without hesitation, she began her little trip to his familiar office. It was getting late already so in order to get there as quickly as possible, she skipped the bus and took a cab instead. It was a familiar landmark in the city and a reasonable distance from her place, Emily getting to the office in less than thirty minutes. As quickly as she could, she paid the cab fare and rushed out, immediately welcomed by the familiar huge building that could pass as a skyscraper. She raised her head to give the building a quick look, immediately noticing how different it looked. It was dark, the few lightening coming from the signage and other buildings around. There didn’t seem to be any office open or any lights coming from inside the building, immediately worrying her. Refusing to give up, she shook her head and resumed her steps towards the main entrance. It might have been a bit too late for regular staffs to still be present but
“Emily? Emily? Emily, can you hear me?!” “Huh?” Emily almost jumped, immediately realizing how lost in thoughts she was. “What did you say?” “I was talking to you. And for heavens sake, I’ve been talking to you for minutes now. Have you even been listening to me?” She couldn’t deny, she was barely listening to him. Not just him, she felt distant, barely in grasp of reality. The shock she had experienced the previous night still lingered around her, making it hard for to shove it behind her and move on. She had spent the entire night thinking about what suddenly came over Giovanni and when morning came, her thoughts refused to give her a break, making up dozens of scenarios to justify his actions. Yet, none of them were able to actually justify his behavior or make it make sense to her. “Emily Stark Grace!” “Christ, did you say something?” Tyler’s loud voice resonated in her ear, pulling her back to reality one more time. “What did you say? Sorry, I didn’t get that.” “Of cours
“Emily, you look beautiful.” Emily stared at herself in the mirror, unsure if those words coming from her parents were a compliment or just them trying to make her situation more palatable. “Um, thanks,” she muttered and spared them glances, checking herself out all over again. To be fair, the dress was pretty but did she feel as pretty? Not really. “When does the ceremony start?” “In about fifteen minutes,” her mum replied. “Giovanni’s father should be around already.” “And Giovanni?” “He should be too,” her mum added. “I mean, all of the guests are present so he should be present already too. Or at most, on his way.” “Alright,” Emily nodded and continued to stare at herself in the mirror. It was her wedding day. In less than fifteen minutes, she was going to become a married woman. The wife to Billionaire Giovanni Rueben. The wife to a man that considered her no different from a stranger. “Emily, everything is okay, right?” Her dad spoke up, placing a hand on his daughter’
An entire hour passed by and Giovanni was still nowhere to be found. The entire hall had been thrown into chaos, whispers and murmurs now converted into full blown conversations and arguments. After all, it was going to be the second time Giovanni Rueben was getting married with a lot of drama. The first time, his bride had gone missing and now, he had gone missing himself. Emily was close to loosing her mind, unable to process what was happening. He was just being late, right? August had tried to console her that he was just being late. But even August was also suddenly nowhere to be found after leaving to search for him. As minutes passed, the parents looked just as confused, watching the drama unfold in front of them. Emily’s parents stared in horror, their future uncertain but on the other hand, Giovanni’s father was visibly fuming, boiling with anger. Without the need to be told, Tyler had rushed to Emily’s side, trying his best to offer whatever comfort he could. But it wa
Anger seethed through Albert as he walked out of the wedding hall and got into his car, his chauffeur and assistant immediately knowing what to do next. He had so many emotions running through him- disappointment, embarrassment, confusion and most of all anger. And he knew all of those raging emotions were only to go subside when he saw his son and had a good conversation with him. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t understand Giovanni. Though he had never been a fan of his wedding, it was completely unlike him to not show up. He knew the efforts put into it, the money spent on the wedding, the weeks of planning, the elite list of guests they had to invite- he knew it all too well than to just toss it all in the trash can. But apparently, Giovanni had suddenly acted out of his principles but being completely unreasonable and illogical for the first time. What was even more confusing to Albert was how Giovanni showed up for the wedding the first time when he was getting
The ride back to his place was quiet, Giovanni’s gaze fixed on the road and steering wheel the entire time. He had dozens of emotions flooding him when all he wanted to do was feel numb. He didn’t want to feel guilty or terrible. He wanted to return to his normal life knowing he had done the right thing. But his emotions kept on betraying him, refusing to spare him even a moment of peace. And for what reason? Simply because he had canceled his own wedding. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and continued driving. Few hours ago he had contemplated driving over to the wedding hall and then voluntarily walk down the isle and get married. But all it took for him to be pulled back to his senses were the staff of the boutique he went to get his suit from chattering on and on about a couple that got married and few months later, got a divorce. It served as more than enough reason for him to be reminded of why he never wanted to get married in the first place. Enough reminder of w
It was the third time Tyler threw a punch in just one night. And unfortunately, August just had to be his third and final victim. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” The kiss took him by complete surprise and by instinct, the first thing he could think of doing was push August away. Then the moment their eyes met again and he realized August had made him kiss a man again, he threw a punch straight at him, almost breaking his nose. “Oh my God,” August’s exclaim didn’t come from the pain of the punch but of the realization of what he had just done. “Oh my God, Tyler. I am so sorry I didn’t mean to-“ “Save it,” he cut him off with a hiss. “I don’t want to hear it. There’s no difference between you and Giovanni. You’re both disgusting people who think you can do whatever you like and get away with it simply because you’re privileged.” “Tyler I-“ “Don’t you fucking dare,” he cut him off. “I was the fool for thinking you were different even for a second.“ He shot him a glar
“Dad, get up.” “Dad, wake up.” “Dad, are you okay?” “Hello, is this 911? My dad isn’t waking up. He has a bottle of next to him and- I think painkillers. No, the pack is empty. I don’t know. He has been in his room all day.” “Dad, are you okay? Dad, wake up. You’re scaring me, dad. Please-“ “Dad!” Giovanni literally flew up from the couch he had managed to fall asleep in, drenched in a pool of his own sweat. His breathing was heavy, his heart racing so quickly it threatened to jump out of his chest. It was the first time in so long he was having a nightmare. One featuring memories of his parents’ divorce. Feeling his head ache, he managed to sit up, immediately looking around him. The house was still as empty as ever after August stormed out. It was nothing new to him but suddenly, it felt emptier. It wasn’t as quiet though, the voices he heard in his nightmare echoing in his head. He could hear the voice of his younger version, calling out to his dad on a useless attempt t