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Prelude to downfall (3)
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Got Too Close Dynamics
Before the timer exploded.And tiny strips of colored paper covered every surface of the car, some slowly dancing down until they landed on the seat, and even he who was trying to shove his way out of the confusion surrounding him."Wha—what?" eyes widened, and teeth grinding; he had no clue he was holding his breath until he felt his face reddened.A confetti bomb, seriously?!Nico glared ahead out of the windshield, struggling to breathe at the same time.He gripped the steering wheel, slamming against the brake, but either the car was getting out of control, or he was running out of control.He could feel himself growing faint. The road ahead seemed blurry. Was that a wall? Why could he hear the sounds of the waters slushing against beach sands?His grip was becoming limp on the steering, his back slowly dropping to the car seat, staring forward, keeping his eyes on the surface he was about to slam against.Or would he drown? Trying to fight his way out of the water for air and a j
Got Too Close Too good to be true
First came disbelief, all thanks to the gravity of the news not matching Milo's tone, then shock when he walked away, leaving the bigger man at the door. He moved like he owned the place, giving me the impression that this wasn't his first time here.I searched the bigger man's face for answers, and he nodded. "Damon is waiting outside." The unbelief still raged when I stepped fully downstairs and found Milo pulling down a canvas on which Nico had painted their mother. When he saw me, he shrugged, "He won't notice."The shock came for me while I stood at the door of my children's ward, and well, there they were. THERE THEY WERE.I let my tears go. Tears made of days of ache, fear, and anxiety. Incisions made of self-blame, I walked into the ward, where a couple of nurses leaned over my children's bed. And I leaned against the door to avoid falling on my face.Their sleeping expressions still bore the traces of the terror they had witnessed. Matteo's appearance showed signs of malnou
Got Too Close Deep Breaths
But sitting next to awakened Matteo hours later, I had no choice but to gather myself from the wreck I had become in Nico's ward.The Doctor stood before us; I could only make out her lips moving, for most of the words were flying over my head. The much-needed siesta I had taken in Nico's ward on his sick bed wasn't enough to carry me on.The doctor had a lot of words to convey Mia's suddenly being mute. The abduction had taken its toll on her. Matteo's explanation had us understanding that they had separated them. Those monsters had separated my children.Mia was in Nico's arms, and time and again, he kissed her face and whispered things in her ears. She was even more comfortable with him than she had been with me."They'll both be needing psychological counseling," she was saying to Nico. There was a high chance she had observed that I wasn't paying attention to her words.Nico nodded; he was engrossed with the feel of Mia in his arms that he only inputted in the conversation a few
Got Too Close Not his type
ELENA'S POV."And here's one from Nina. It's a card," I handed the handmade card to Matteo, and he collected it, dropping it off at his side, still enamored with the balls his classmates had sent him. "You wanna read it to me, baby?"He gave me a tired smile, making my brows arch."No, mum," he whined. "Told you I'll read them later.""With me?""Uhhh, no, without you."I pouted, giving him puppy eyes, and he groaned, "Alright, fine, if you want to see what's in it that badly."Almost a week had gone by since their return, and although it hadn't been a smooth ride, we had managed to overcome the obstacles. Catching glimpses of Nico had become a rare occurrence; when he wasn't addressing questions stemming from his cryptic conference speech, he was by Mia's side.His answers were direct. "I did all that was needed to get my kids. Remember when your children got abducted.""Mr. President, I don't think any of our children have been..."Nico grinned. "Proves my point, but I'd still like
Got Too Close Not over?
I left Matteo with Noah after he complained about my fussing. With Noah backing him up, it was easy to see that it was a gang-up situation, and there was no way I would win.So I went in search of Mia, having it in mind she was going to be in Nico's office, with him going through files while she stapled every damn thing she came across, leaving his office in a mess.For someone who was made up of order, he still never left her behind, no matter the consequences.But unlike before, when anyone could hear her cackling from a mile away, this time, the hallway was so quiet that if one did not know about her sudden muteness, they'd think she were absent.Whether I was welcomed into their space or not, I decided not to care. It pricked me a little that I was being kicked out. Matteo was right; I was being too fussy.If the timing was right, I could get Mia to sleep and whisk her away. I sighed, the smile playing on my lips. Since the last time we were interrupted by the kids, there had been
Got Too Close Rainy nights
Instincts were always truthful, yet often disregarded until they became impossible to overlook.I sat across from Clara, my eyes resting on her yet failing to truly perceive, and in that moment, my sudden turmoil reached its peak. A cold sensation crept through me. If it appeared overly perfect, I knew it couldn't be real.It was four in the morning, and I was already slammed with the bad news.I was extremely happy for a few hours. Couldn't misfortune wait a few days before it knocked me out like a moving van?Involuntarily, I shivered.But amongst the fear eating deep into my chest was growing rage from deep within. It was becoming repetitive and easily noticeable that whenever she sensed that Nico was comfortable and moving on without her, Alexa appeared, breaking him into more pieces so that he needed her again.How many days were left before his demeanor became cold? Aloof and, even worse, back to his former self. What the hell did she have on him that I didn't?I needed that c
Got Too Close Wild side
'I want my family back Her words edged me on, begged me to strike, grab her very perfect not so motherly hair, and pull every strand of it off her scalp. I stood there frozen, stuck to the floor, my mouth agape and eyes unable to break from her frame.She dropped the glass of wine back on the table and continued, "It's enough of running around for me. I want my son and his father back in my life; they complete...""You're mad," I interjected, "Raving mad, Alexa," my knuckles turned white as I clenched my bag handle, causing my hand to tremble, "What son are you referring to?""The one that isn't yours..."I saw red as I launched for her, ready to get blood spilled. It was one thing for Nico, but it was another about Matteo. How dare she even say his name? How dare she think about him like he was some mere accessory. 'He completes me?' What the fuck!In those few seconds, the compound became chaos, her bodyguards already on their heels to get to us, but Noah held me before I was gon
Got Too Close Wild Side (2)
Nico shoved a forkful into his mouth, chewing mechanically; silence stretching between us for a minute had me thinking I must have hallucinated his question.Picking up a napkin, he dabbed the side of his lips, then placed it beside his plate before looking up at me for the first time since I arrived at the dining area."Elena,"Quite different from the way he had called my name from the last few nights, I swallowed hard. The half-chewed food had me praying I didn't choke, not here, not right in front of him."You stopped eating," I could see his fingertip drumming against the table, "What did you say you wanted to do at La Belle again?"I forced my mouth open, but my damn voice still came out with a croak, "Char called me over, and uhh...""I called your office," his voice remained collected. At this point, he wasn't looking at me anymore, had his eyes on the plate while the chair felt hot against my ass, "Joey said he hadn't laid his eyes on you, and asked if you were okay. Was also
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