Davis sits in his office, rubbing his temples as he tries to keep his rage under control. He felt like a teapot boiling with the scorching steam barely making its way out. In front of him was his business partner comforting his crying daughter, the woman that he was going to force his nephew to marry.“He was so mean to me! He pretended that I wasn’t even there and even acted like I’m not his fiance!” she whines with crocodile tears. Davis could’ve called her a decent actress but he’s seen, and done, acting far better than that. He felt frustrating annoyance crawling beneath his skin. He had warned the two of them, especially Daisy, to take it slow with Lucas and not act like they were already a married couple. You have to work for his trust and affection. And this woman had probably just blown the one chance Davis had to get rid of that lame, pathetic singer who could threaten his position as CEO of Lucas and kept recovering his memories.“Shh, shh, honey. I’m sure Lucas didn’t mean
Even within the back of the room near the bar, the speakers let out the booming bass that rattled Mason’s eardrums as well as the club’s walls. No surprise, Mason had a feeling that Lucas would go back to his old habits. His best friend would always drag him along to a club to get drunk and occasionally take a woman to bed when he’s had a bad day. And the moment Mason saw Lucas’s face when he got back to work, he looked gloomier than ever. Lucas hasn’t confided in him yet on what has been ailing him today but Mason knew that he was going to eventually, likely after his drunk. He just hopes that it doesn’t involve Aria. Their alcoholic beverages had ripples in them because of how loud the bass was. It didn’t seem to bother Lucas one bit. He seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. “Old habits die at all, eh?” Mason’s voice is a little raised so that Lucas can hear him over the music.“What?” Lucas still didn’t hear everything he said.Mason signs and scoots closer before trying again with an
Aria twiddles her pen between her fingers as she stares down at the papers on her desk. It was hard to get to work when her mind was in a fog over what happened the other day. The interactions with and between Lucas and Daisy were stressful and worrisome. Aria wanted no part in it but at the same time, she wondered how Lucas was doing. The black-haired woman jumps when her boss barges into her office and she quickly pretends like she’s working hard. Aria didn’t even look up at the older woman until she slammed a letter onto her desk. When she looked up at her superior, she noticed a very grouchy expression had twisted her face. “Congrats, Songbird. Looks like you’ll get a second chance to sing,” she grumbles before leaving her office. “What…?” Aria murmured to herself confusedly before looking down at the letter her boss had slammed down onto her desk. Upon opening it, her eyes became wide when she read the unexpected text. It was an invitation to an interview. And by the look of it
From the other side of the door, Lucas’s expression dropped into confusion and he whispered to himself. “Alcoholism…?” It was hard for Lucas to believe that Aria had ever been an alcoholic. And this was the first time he’d heard about the death of her friend.Aria on the other hand froze up and her mind went blank when she heard the interviewer’s chosen words. The silence was making everyone impatient so the interviewer leaned over her desk while repeating herself. “Ms. La Belle, could you tell us about Madaline Dyke? She was the guitarist in your band, was she not? You were both close friends for a long time?” she then tilted her head, the impatience was showing in her eyes. “Could you tell us more about your relationship?”“Sh– she… uh…” Aria swallowed saliva that felt as hard as a rock as she inhaled a shaky breath and held her hands behind her back. “She… Yes, she was the guitarist in our band. I’ve known her since college… we had dreams of becoming stars together… and she was t
After the dramatic interview, the rest of Lucas’s day seemed to have gone by increasingly slowly. Even though Mason had told him to keep his head down and focus on only one woman: his fiance, he still couldn’t get Aria out of his head. Her terrified and humiliated expression still haunted his memory.Memory.He flinched in pain as a sudden stabbing feeling pulsed inside his head. He prepared for the painful feeling to reveal a vision of his past but alas, he saw none. All he got was a gut feeling. He had seen Aria’s eyes look like that before, her eyes looked younger at the time too.Lucas at least pretended to be docile and focused on his work when Mason was at his side but he always kept a lookout for a getaway. It saddened and unnerved him that slowly, yet surely, Mason was starting to feel more and more like a stranger. Like someone, Lucas couldn’t rely on it anymore. Or trust, for that matter…As soon as he caught sight of the ‘interviewers’ who harassed Aria, he approached them
The tall city towers began to shrink into houses and eventually into abandoned shacks. As Lucas drove out of the city limits and further out into the rural areas the sky started to darken gradually yet rapidly. Eventually, he drove by a small, rundown, old building that looked like it was supposed to be a nightclub. Or at least it was vibrant decades ago, now it reminded Lucas of a dusty skeleton. However, lights were coming from inside the stained windows and there were a handful of people parked in front of the building. Lucas just hoped that this was still a club and it hadn’t been taken over by a gang of robbers or something.Lucas pulled up onto the gravel parking lot and warily entered the nightclub. Thankfully, it was still just a club. Most of the people there were middle-aged or older. It looked as if the regulars had remained regulars for decades as well. The handsome man walked up to the bartender on the other side of the counter. The woman looked to be in her mid-forties
Flashing lights, the screech of tires. An echoing roar of an engine followed by an agonized scream that belonged to a familiar voice. All of the sounds are brought to an end when Aria springs up with an ear splitting scream. Her body trembled as she gasped for air. The bed and sheets she had laid on were now damp with sweat. Her short breath turned shaky and she hiccuped as she tried to fight back the tears that were starting to bead up at the bottom of her silver eyes. It had been a long time since she’d had a nightmare about Mandy’s death. The intense interview from earlier today brought back old memories that she had been trying to bury for the past three years.Aria sniffled and wiped her tears away on the sheet. She couldn’t resist the feeling of paranoia after hearing her friend’s pained scream in her dreams. Even the twisting shadows from the swaying trees outside the windows made her on edge. Aria hugged her knees, the lonely and frightful feelings that crawled up her spine
As Lucas reached for Aria’s body he paused momentarily to make sure that the woman was truly sound asleep and he could see that she was. Her sides slowly rose up and down with each breath. When her slumber was confirmed he reached closer to her hip until he was able to place his hand on it and slowly glide down to her thighs. A real gentleman would’ve felt shame and self-loathing but such prideful things were overpowered by his curiosity and temptation. His hand gilded her figure as if memorizing her shape by touch alone, he even made sure not to apply too much pressure so that he wouldn’t wake her up. His feelings eventually began to boil into desire and he felt the urge to feel her skin so he reached for the most exposed area, her back on her nightgown. It was satisfying yet torturous to only graze his fingers down her shoulder blades and spine. Feeling up on her stopped abruptly when she moved ever so slightly while still asleep. Even her scent was hypnotizing as he leaned down cl