Richard POV “Darling, go home and have a shower,” I hear my mother’s voice behind me. I raise my head from my hands and turn around on the chair to see her resting her back against the closed door. I don’t know how long she’s been here, hell I don’t know how long I have been here, in this position, without moving a muscle. All I keep thinking is that this is all my fault.  If I didn’t force her to go change, if I allowed her to go out wearing what she wanted to, we wouldn’t be here. She would be safe at home, in her bed asleep, or studying for some test. Or using her phone to hide from me to chat with her boyfriend.  “I’m okay,” I reply, and she nods slightly, walking towards me and resting one hand on my shoulder. I feel like I have been living in a nightmare, and I can’t wake up. I feel like I am stuck here. I can’t move, I can’t sleep or eat, I can’t breathe. Mi

Layla POV "Do you need anything before I go?" Jo asks as she puts her jacket on. I shake my head, focusing on the laptop resting on my legs. I have been reading the news every day, and I have been following how Mia is doing. The newspapers seem to have an incredible pull towards the Ashfords.  "No thanks," I reply, scanning the New York Times to find an article about "Amelia Ashford, the teenager billionaire." I open the article, and it's like a small compilation of everything she has ever done in her sixteen years of life. She really lives in a world of luxury because, in every single picture of her, she is wearing very expensive clothes, shoes, and bags.  It must be nice to have that kind of money and not to worry about saving to have food the week after. I remember the times my mother didn't eat to feed us. I shake my head and slam my laptop shut, looking a

Layla POV“I missed you,” Richard whispers as he moves his nose up and down my neck. His touch makes my skin burn; I am on fire, and I can’t see it changing. “Why are you here?” I ask him, and he takes a deep breath, resting his forehead against mine. I look into his deep blue eyes. I can feel his heart beating fast, almost erratically. “I came to get my girl back,” he whispers at me right before his lips collapse on mine, and he spins me, carrying me towards my room. We bump into furniture, and I can’t help but giggle as he curses under his breath. When we reach the room, he puts me down and locks the door behind us. His eyes scan my body, and I can’t help but smile.“Take that dress off,” he says as he pulls his tie off and peels his jacket off his shoulders. I watch in amazement as he strips his skin, the small amount of hair on his chest trailing down toward dreamland.I pull m

Layla POVRichard left early. I know he has things to do, but I already miss him. How is that even a possibility? I rub my eyes and smile at the memory of last night. We made love all night, and he worshiped my body as I did the same to him. He made me feel special, and he made me feel like I am the only woman in the world that actually matters.We haven’t discussed what we are to each other or if we come out publicly, but I don’t care because I have him. He is mine, and I am his, and that is all that matters. I gather the courage to stand up, and parts of my body I didn’t even know existed are aching. How is that even possible? I know he bent and made me put myself in positions I have never been in before, but damn, this is a whole new level of acrobat pain. I walk out of the room, and I can hear Jo in the kitchen slamming the cabinet door. I take a deep breath, and when I walk into the kitchen

Layla POV"Hi Mia, it's a pleasure to meet you," I say, and I honestly mean it. It is a pleasure the meet the girl that came from the man I love, she is part of him, and that makes me like her straight away. She looks at me, then at her dad, and shakes her head in disapproval. Well, I should've seen that coming. "I can't believe you are doing this. How could you, dad? Now you're fucking some lowlife?" Mia says, and I am taken aback by her words. Lowlife? How entitled can this girl be? How can she speak to people like that? Richard's mother follows her without another word, and I can tell Richard is about to explode. "Well, that went great," I say, trying to fake a smile, but it's too hard. I feel humiliated; I feel like I shouldn't even be breathing the same air as Richard, let alone spending time with him, being in a couple with him.