"Honey, there's someone at the door. I think you should go and see who it is" Ellise's mum said as she chopped vegetables for dinner.
"Fine" Ellise mumbled, rising to her feet. Half heartedly, she twisted the door knob and opened the door. She was stunned to see Dre standing right there with a bunch of white and pink flowers. Her heart literally melted. There was just something about him. His emerald green eyes were brighter than they used to be. Ellise wondered how he'd located her house in the first place. For a moment, she thought that she was hallucinating."No hug for me, my love?" he said, smirking at her"Oh my God!" She screamed, throwing herself into his arms."You remember!" She breathed, happy tears filling her eyes."Why else would I be here?" he laughed."You have no idea how much I've missed holding you" Ellise said to him.He smiled, pressing a kiss to her forehead."I love you" he said."I love you too, Dre. I'm so happyValentino grunted as he brought the sixth bottle of vodka to his lips. He was exhausted to the bones and was very drunk. He didn't want to feel anything. Yet in this state, he felt emotions that he didn't want to feel.Hurt, Regret, sadness, defeat.He wanted to block them out desperately. He was tired of everything. He felt drained. He felt like he deserved every resentment he had towards himself. His self loathing was bone deep.But why? Why would it be him?Why couldn't fate be a little more considerate? He had suffered a lot and even now he was being tormented.He took another gulp from his bottle. He could sense the fact that Alexandre had beaten him at his own game, but he detested being a looser. He didn't want to loose. Maybe he could back out. But, would he ever be forgiven? He was alone and he had no family. And just maybe... he would die a loner.Sighing miserably, he brushed his damp hair away from his f
Valentino awoke to an awful pounding in his head. He reeked of vodka and his back was killing him. He let out a groan and sat up, confusion buzzing through him when he realized that he'd been lying on a couch that didn't belong to him. Moreso, the house was very unfamiliar to him. He had no idea how he'd gotten there in the first place. A familiar red head walked in casually, her hair tied up in a bun. He really didn't remember anything from last night. He wondered if he'd ended up sleeping with her or if he'd merely crashed at her place."Well, good morning Mr grumpy pants" she said, raising the curtains a bit."What did I do last night?" He croaked. She turned to look at him, concern in her eyes."Tell me, I need to know if I screwed up" he said, but she walked away, moving towards the dinning room."What are you doing? Won't you give me an answer?" He said, sitting up. His head spun and his headache
"She's gone" Xandre said to Xanthis, his eyes holding no emotion. Xanthis knew it was just a mask."She deserved it, Dre. You don't have to feel bad about it" he said. Dre sighed, the facade vanishing."I don't know. I just think that she would have been a better person. Just like I hope that Val will change too" Dre said."Change is inevitable, brother. Who knows? He might change, but will you ever forgive him for what he did to you?" Xanthis asked. Dre stood up and walked towards the huge window in his office. Xanthis had a point there. Could he ever forgive him? He horse whipped him. The hideous scars still made him mad. He couldn't even stand to look at them. Valentino had tried to kill him. He hated him. Dre didn't want to forgive him, but he was his brother. He couldn't have grudges against him, he was still family. He was just lost. Ellise and Alicia had convinced Dre to let go of his anger towards Valentino. Besides, what had happene
"I'm still trying to get over the fact that my baby is getting married! Can you blame me?" Ellise's mum said as they both went through photos of different wedding dresses. "I'm not a baby anymore, mum" Ellise said, chuckling. She shook her head, a smile on her face."You'll always be my baby even when you hit ninety""Mum!"There was a knock on the front door of Ellise's childhood home. She opened the door and there stood Anne."Hey," she said."Come in" Ellise said, giving her a smile. She nodded and walked in, her lips set in a tight line."Morning, Mrs Sumners" Anne said and Ellise frowned. Anne had never referred to her mum as "Mrs Sumners". There was something off about her."Uh- if you don't mind, I need to talk to Ellie privately" She said to Ellise's mum who nodded slowly."Oh, alright. I'll just leave you two to it" she said and ascended the stairs."Anne, is anything wrong?" Ellise asked, holding her h
"The patient is awake now. You can go and see him if you want to" A nurse said to a worried Noelle. She nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Sighing, she pushed open the door to the ward and walked in. Val's dull eyes met hers and tears filled her eyes. What would have happened if she hadn't come to the bathroom when she had?He looked so weak and drained, her heart broke for him."I'm sorry" he croaked."I-I didn't know you were suicidal" she said, trying to hold back the tears.He lowered his gaze, his fingers fumbling with the bed sheets."How many times have you thought about it?" Noelle asked."A couple of times" he replied."How many times have you attempted it?" She asked.He swallowed hard, staring at her with a blank look in his eyes. "Three times""H-how? W-Why?""When I was thirteen, I was beaten and starved for a month. I wanted to die. I swallowed pills that I wasn't su
Anne stared at the poison vial which she held firmly. Taking a deep breath, she let her gaze wander to her reflection in the mirror. Hidden beneath all the make up were the god-awful bruises Barron had left on her skin. Thinking about the beating she'd received from him brought tears to her eyes.'Stay calm', she told herself.She had no choice but to do what Emperor X had asked her to do. Now, she was trapped in a web of disorientation.How would she get out of this mess? The plan was to visit the Monteros in pretence of just coming to see her best friend. She was to slip the poison into Alexandre's drink when no one was looking. Anne's nerves were already acting up because of how scared she was. What if she got caught? What would happen to her? Inhaling shakily, she grabbed her silver purse and stepped out of the bedroom and left the house. She boarded a taxi which took her to the Mon
"I'm sorry about what he said to you" Noelle said to Valentino when they got into the car. He sighed, turning away from her."He wasn't supposed to say that to you....""I hate therapists, Noelle. Now, I hate them even more" he said."You wouldn't mind me being your therapist?" She asked with a sheepish grimace.He stared at her, puzzled."You aren't serious, are you?" He asked. "I want you to get better, Val. You can't get better if I don't help you"He heaved another sigh, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know, Noelle...."She squeezed his hand reassuringly and pulled out of the parking lot. When they got to Noelle's home, Valentino inhaled sharply and got out of the car."Have you made up your mind yet?" Noelle asked."Not yet""It's for your own good, just so you know"As soon as this got in, Noelle froze. Val stared at her confused. Then, he saw
"Are you sure about this?" Xandre asked Dominic who was standing beside him with Dmitri."A hundred percent sure, Xan. He was with a red head" Dominic responded. The trio was standing by the large window in Dre's study."I guess it's time for us to pay him a visit" Dre said."Any time you're ready, Xan" Dmitri stated. He sighed."I want the two of you to go with two other guys" he said."We understand. We'll get going, then" Dom said."Make sure you're armed, just in case. Don't kill him if you find him. You have to make him come here, got it? Bring him to me""Yes, boss" Dominic responded. They left Dre's study and he lowered himself onto his chair, thinking about the possibility of Valentino not being Emperor X. When Dre's men got to the house, Dmitri felt a shiver run down his spine. The house itself looked like a haunted one and it had an ee