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Vega POV.Jake got to my room before me and when I arrived, he was cradling Markus who was groaning on the floor."What happened," I asked, my gaze frantically, looking around the closet."There's no one in there. I tripped that's all", he grunted, like he hated the thought of being seen as vulnerable. But it was a freaking relief because I knew I and Jake had thought something worse had happened.Jake looked at me. "It's pretty bad, so we might have to go to the hospital".I nodded, grabbing my stuff as he helped him get to his feet. I got the files I would be needing for the meeting I had in the morning, then my laptop, and I was done."I'm so sorry you got hurt, Markus"."It's fine. We'll do anything to make sure you're safe.".Jake nodded in agreement. "Especially because we don't want you murdered in your own house like Nicole, I still get shudders when I think about it".He was right and even tho she'd been my bully, I wasn't cool with the way she was murdered, and that too by
Zach POV Watching Vega squirm throughout the meeting scratched a bit of the itch of anger I felt, she'd been fearful too and she had every right to be because I was back to collect, collect everything she'd achieved with the money she made off me while I suffered.I was going to take everything back without batting an eye, just the way she had when she ripped out my heart even after I allowed myself to be vulnerable with her. Vega hadn't loved me at all despite how she claimed to. It was all about the money, it had always been about that.I've made sure to sabotage her for the last few years but she was resilient, nothing seemed to break her so I figured if all I'd been doing for the past five years didn't work, then when I ruined her company, she'd finally feel the pain I've been feeling all these years.And she dared to dance with that guy at the club. I still saw red when I thought about it, but I'd been particularly angry when I saw them at the club together, hence why I went to
Andrianna POV.Father looked around the house disapprovingly but I was used to him and his criticizing ways."No daughter of mine should be leaving this way. I cannot accept this" he spat, then met my gaze."I'm very comfortable in this big house father I bought it with my money, Papa, and I will continue to stay here and I'm sure you know why," I said, meeting his stare. Mother squirmed beside him as if my defiant attitude affected her more than it did him."I know you don't want to be involved in the family business and I accept that but we've been making a lot of sacrifices for you, don't you think you should repay us"."By marrying Ray right," I asked, crossing my arms. "I never knew you to beat around the bush father and I believe I learned everything I know from you, so I'll be upfront with you about what my answer is. It's a capital NO. I will not be marrying him."Andrianna, what is wrong with you, how can you say that to your father, is this how we raised you to be? So freak
Vega POV.Getting a good night's sleep was not an option after Zach just showed up again in my life, because just some days before I'd been thinking that he was dead, so I was not surprised when I woke up from my attempt at sleeping with a riotous headache. I was so out of it that I didn't even ask about how Andrianna's parent visit turned out. I hated to make everything about me but with the way the past kept catching up to me, it couldn't be helped. I had Maya go through all the documents Zach's company had provided in case I missed any clause in the contract that could be detrimental to me. Zach knew I owned the company, so he, trying to help me after everything, felt very suspicious and even Andrianna's reassuring words couldn't take that feeling away. What could he possibly be plotting after all the time that had elapsed? He still seemed mad and I noticed that because I'd hopelessly obsessed over my memories of him and memorized all his facial expressions by heart that I could
Zach's POV."Argh!" I groaned as I tugged on my hair so hard that sharp bites of pain shimmered through my scalp. I stared at the door that Vega had walked out of, my head and mind conflicted between wanting to go after her to explain and wanting to crush her.She wasn't even fucking remorseful. It was as if my showing up in her life meant absolutely nothing to her, and she'd even had the audacity to call me a coward. She was wrong, I hadn't been hiding at all. I'd only been waiting for the right time. Her words affected me too much, but it was more fucked up that throughout our conversation I'd had to shove my hands into my pockets just to quell the urge of doing something crazy, like pulling her closer and pressing my lips against those pouty cherry red lips of hers, if only just to get a taste of her, to relieve a memory that kept me up at night with a desperate yearning.Why did I feel that way about her? Ugh! She was even more alluring than in college, she looked like a boss who
Vega POVStaring at the bottom of my wine glass didn't make me feel less edgy in the fancy restaurant that Zach had decided on.He was so calm and collected that it made me uneasy. I felt as if a rollercoaster was going on inside me. When I'd almost fallen in the office, he'd taken the hit so that I wouldn't get hurt, and because of that I almost had hope that he cared about me even tho that rarely seemed to be the case. I remembered our conversation in my mother's kitchen, and I knew all those things he'd confessed to me had been true... I figured they were even tho he said being with me had been all a game for him. "I don't have all day Miss Vega, so maybe we should cut to the chase".I sighed and dropped the piece of salad I'd picked up with my fork."Why are you doing all this Zach?" I asked and he raised an eyebrow. I know it was because I was calling him by his name but I wasn't going to retract."I thought you already had it figured out Vega. Do you need me to confirm it for
Ray stepped into his father's room, his jaw clenched as he tried to steel himself for his father's wrath since the old man had already given him a little taste of it during their call in the morning.His father came into view, his face contorted in rage and as soon as Ray was within touching distance, he smacked him across the face. Ray stumbled back, his hand clutching at his broken nose, the pain from his father ring cloaked fingers ricocheting through his brain as he tried to breathe."You're pathetic. You couldn't even keep our deal with the Lucianos. They called to call the wedding off, you made me look like a fucking fool".Ray straightened, the news hurting him more than the slap did. He hadn't realized that Andrianna was going to leave him since she'd taken care of him while he'd been in the hospital and even tho they broke up, he thought that she was just being rebellious, but from what he heard now, that was not the case at all and he couldn't look his father in the face bec
Zach POV."I don't care what she says, it won't stop me from taking the company away from her," I said, stepping out from the changing room and coming to face Noah, who had an exhausted look on his face."Man, I don't even know what to tell you anymore. She apologized to you for god's sake"."She didn't mean it" I maintained, refusing to acknowledge the helplessness I had felt days ago at the restaurant after she left. It had almost felt like she'd had enough and was leaving me for good, which was stupid since we were not together. Wasn't it my plan to hurt her? So why had I felt so shitty to see her cry? I hated her for what she did to me, but deep down I didn't want her to be in pain, I didn't want her voice to sound so broken as it did today, I didn't want her out of my life, or maybe I did. It was all freaking confusing. "If she's willing to allow you to get your hands on her company then I'm pretty sure she meant it. Look, it's been five years Zach, you need to stop being so fuc