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Chapter: 07
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Something Gained. Chapter: 08
ELENA "You have a beautiful room, Ava!" She looked up at me, a toothy grin splitting her face. It was all shades of pink put together. Pink was probably Ava's favorite color. Explained her obsession with strawberry milkshakes. The bed was in the middle of the room, almost filled with plushies. My eyes fell on a drawing, presumably the one Ava was at before she got distracted. "Do you like butterflies?" I asked picking up the sketchbook. "Yes. They're so pretty!" I smiled at her. My eyes were still lingering on the partly coloured wings of the butterfly when Ava blurted the question out of the blue. "Are you Daddy's girlfriend?" My hand stilled on the sketchbook before I put it down. "Who told you that?" I casually asked. "I heard Daddy telling Stacey that you're his girlfriend." She replied, unhesitant. Did she snoop in on our conversation? I sighed. "Well, that's true." "Are you going to marry him?" Ava fired the question just as soon. I l
Something Gained. Chapter: 09
ELENA "Girl, I still can't believe you bagged that God-like man." Liv's eyes sparkled with excitement as she loudly whispered to me. I chuckled. Me neither! "Such a cliché! The hotshot billionaire falls in love with the beautiful little waitress." I resisted the urge to scoff at her dreamy expression. Love! Right! She couldn't have been farther away from the truth! A week back, Liv wasn't this ecstatic about the whole affair when I first broke it to her. First on the list was suspicion. Can't blame her! You just don't one day out of a sudden announce your boyfriend to your best friend. They know from the very first eye contact. So this abrupt relationship was a bit much for her to stomach. It took a whole lot of convincing and when we were finally past that phase, she felt betrayed. She said that I had curbed her rights as my best friend and it was an absolute breach of best friend policy. Yep, she could be a bit dramatic. It made me feel even worse about lyi
Something Gained. Chapter: 10
ELENA I was going through my mail when the phone rang. "Elena speaking, how may I—" A familiar voice interrupted. "My cabin. Now." And there was a beep indicating that he had hung up. I blinked while still processing it. Did no one ever think of teaching him some manners? "Sure!" I answered the line which was, well, dead. I took the elevator to his floor and was very soon in front of his cabin. The CEO'S cabin was on a completely different floor, just the one above mine. He grunted a 'Come in' on knocking. Except his gaze wasn't trained on his laptop screen unlike usual. It was on me. "How may I help you, Mr. Parker?" Rylan's eyes twitched for an imperceptible moment, what I had picked up from our interactions, was a sign that he wasn't pleased about something. "It's Rylan for you." "I'm afraid you're my boss here." "And that's why you do as I say." He stated, too calmly, as if raising his voice was beneath him. "You're infuriating!"
Something Gained. Chapter: 11
RYLAN "Tell me, does Rylan treat you right?" Grams seriously asked her like Elena was dating a depraved or morally questionable man and not her grandson. Elena forced a smile on her face. "He does. He is a gentleman." Grams nodded to herself in approval before I saw her eyes shining with excitement. "So, how did you two meet? I asked Rylan but his vague answers didn't do it for me. I want the whole thing. Besides, he said that I would like it a lot better from you." She rambled and I saw the slightest trace of nervousness flickering in Elena's eyes. Something told me the reason wasn't Grams but Dad. His silent watchful presence could be a bit unnerving. "I used to work at a diner where Ava used to visit with Stacey. Rylan had come along one day and that's how we met." Well, this part was technically true. "I don't believe it was love at first sight and all. This guy here doesn't have a single romantic bone in his body." Grams spoke with disapproval in her voice
Something Gained. Chapter: 12
ELENA Ten minutes into the drive and we still hadn't exchanged a word and I wouldn't have traded this silence for the world. I prefer him looking pretty and his mouth shut but rarely get what I want. "So, you have been narrating this to your family and everyone else, I was after you like a love sick puppy." His tone told me that he was anything but impressed with the story. Well, I wasn't aiming to do that either. "Nice, isn't it?" I kept my eyes trained outside the window. "With all that shit you made up about me, flowers and the sunset proposal, I'm surprised that Grams believed you." "What would you prefer I say? We signed an agreement and you slid the engagement ring across the office desk? I bet it would sound like you!" I snapped. He could have just told them about our 'meet cute' himself instead of pushing it to me. Frankly, it wasn't just his remarks that had annoyed me. It was Rose. I saw her hanging on to every lie I told. She was genuinely
Something Gained. Chapter: 13
ELENA It was Saturday, hence the day I was to move in with Rylan. I had been staying with my parents for some months and Dad had grown very much accustomed to my presence. He was heartbroken that I was moving out just like the first time I did when I graduated school and went to college hostel. Mom was upset but happy for me. Liv on the other hand had been really excited and she promised to visit as soon as she could. Lately she had been drowning in work and her boss wasn't too amiable to say the least. I flopped back on the bed, totally exhausted and I wasn't even halfway done with all the unpacking. Organizing my room has always tired me more than anything. Here we were talking about settling in at a new place. Rylan had Chris get my things to his house before he left for some meeting. That had explained his formal wear when he was earlier at my home to pick me up. That made me wonder why he was there in the first place. Chris was perfectly able to pick me up.
Something Gained. Chapter: 14
RYLAN It was one of the rare days when I felt that I would get a proper sleep. The endless meetings at the office today had truly and utterly exhausted me. Walking inside my room, I dropped my suit jacket on the bed. I was unstrapping the watch when the sound of the bathroom door clicking open alarmed me. A startled squeak followed. The fact that Elena had moved in had flown out of my mind. I wasn't used to sharing space with anyone, much alone in my bedroom. So it was weird seeing her standing in my room in nothing but a tiny towel that covered very less of those long pale legs. Elena was fresh out of the shower. A water droplet from her sleek wet hair dripped onto the skin right above the swell of her breast. My mind wandered to places it shouldn't. Like how one tug was all it would have taken to witness what was hidden beneath the towel. Or how her soft skin would feel under my hands. Fuck! I felt all the blood r
Something Gained. Chapter: 15
ELENA The footsteps of Ava and Stacey retreated down the hall taking away the last bit of sound with them. There was deadly silence looming over us as Rylan sat pinning me down with a stare. Scary. Unnerving. Blank. "Dog shelter. She meant we are going to a dog shelter." I don't know what made me say it. No response. Nothing. Not even a muscle movement or a flicker of anything in his face. "I uhm understand if you don't like dogs or something." I blurted before deciding to shut up. Obviously he wasn't concerned about some dogs at the moment. Another long second of deafening silence passed. "What are you trying to do?" The crisp coldness of his authoritative voice slashed through the air thick with tension. "Huh?" I blinked, not really catching the meaning of his words. "Ava is referring to you as her mother. What game are you playing?" I blinked again, stupefied by his question. How were the sentences even related? "Why
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