Ten hours later
The plane landed and when deplaned, I kept looking back if I could by any chance see the gorgeous young man that I bumped into earlier. No luck.
"Stop looking for him," I looked back at Delilah.
"I'm not," she chuckled.
"You're trying to get away from your previous life so it's best if you don't even bother going after a new person." We got to security and they began checking us in. "Especially since he's someone that definitely knows Archer." I looked at her with my eyes widened.
"What-" she covered my mouth with her hand and leaned into my ear.
"He's the person that your husband loathes,"
Christopher Morris. I've never seen him anywhere. I had no clue that he looked like that. I've seen his father a few times in the past but never imagined what Christopher could look like. Maybe it was because his name barely left Archer's mouth that I didn't find it in me to look him up but as much as it killed me to know, it always slipped my mind.
But man, isn't it a nice surprise to see him looking like that.
Delilah took her hand off my mouth and proceeded to take her bags. I took mine before we left the airport.
"Fucking shit, De. What if-"
"He has never seen you, I'm sure of it. He doesn't attend those stupid charity balls and there's not much record of you online so relax. We have to get to the hotel." I nodded and we approached the taxi. The driver took our luggage as I put my sunglasses on. I looked around and saw him. He walked out of the airport with three guards surrounding him.
He noticed me before he put his sunglasses on. When he got to the black Mercedes-Benz, which stood one car further away from us, the driver opened the back door and before he got in he looked at me. For some reason, I felt butterflies in my stomach. He smiled at me and got in his car. I looked away and began breathing heavily. Delilah noticed my panicking and approached me.
"You okay?" She wrapped one hand around me. I nodded.
"Yeah, I just got caught off guard." She nodded and we got in the car. We drove off as I twisted the gold ring I had on my index finger.
---------
We arrived at our hotel after a half an hour drive and after getting our luggage from the taxi car, we went inside. I kept my sunglasses to hide my face as much as possible. We approached the reception desk and Delilah did the talking.
We got the room key and were told to go to the third floor to room 548. We made our way there and went in after unlocking it. The room was spacious. It had two king-sized beds, a TV, dressers, a small balcony with a gorgeous view of the busy streets of Rome and a big bathroom with beige tiles covering all of the walls.
I placed my bag in one of the beds and sat down.
"How are you feeling?" Delilah asked; I looked at her.
"Fine. Scared. Happy. Terrified. Overall, a big mess," she sat down beside me and wrapped one arm around me as I placed my head on her shoulder. "Thank you for doing this with me."
"I had to. I had to make sure that you'd be okay. Besides, no matter if I helped you or not, Archer would kill me." I knew that was true. He didn't like any of the people I had some kind of relationship with. My family was turned against me as well as all of my friends that I had prior to meeting Archer.
"He's a monster. He's a fucking monster. He's the Satan himself."
"I think Chris would be closer to being Satan than Archer," Chris had a reputation of being the cruellest and cold-hearted person that was so powerful.
"Maybe."
"Do you like him?" I looked at her. For some reason, her interest in him the past few days was concerning.
"No. I mean he's cute but I think that I'll never have another man that close to me. I just don't trust anyone." She nodded. "I just want this to end."
"It will."
"But how?" I stood up and went towards the balcony door. "I'm married to him. And unless he agrees to it, I'll forever be his dear wife." That sent shivers down my spine.
"We'll figure it out. Maybe, if nothing works out, we'll just "kill you"," she made air quotes.
"Yeah, good idea. But now I just have to hide."
"Will you try to work?" I looked back at the view behind the windows.
"I could try to do some sort of programme at a business corporation or something like that, however, I'd have to change my appearance."
"Cut and dye your hair." I looked at her and nodded.
"Yeah, I was going to do that." I had to find some sort of way to earn money. The cash that I have currently will only be enough to cover at least four weeks of staying at a hotel with other expenses. I walked to my bed and looked for an accessory I bought online a few weeks ago in my backpack. I took out a pair of glasses. They weren't prescription glasses but rather regular ones with glass found in windows with a gold metallic frame.
"Oh, yes. This will help." Delilah stood up and I put them on. "Gorgeous as always," I smiled and took them off. "I'll book an appointment for you at the hairdresser down the road." I nodded and went into the bathroom. I looked around and then my phone buzzed. I walked to my bed and took it in my hands.
No caller ID.
There was no way in hell, I was going to pick this up. There was a really good chance that it was Archer or someone that works for him. I dropped the phone on the bed and sat down on Delilah's bed. She was standing on the balcony, trying to book an appointment and I could hear the Italian words through the glass. I placed my face in my hands and let the thoughts in my head devour me.
He's going to find me. What the hell am I doing here. Aella what the fuck did you get yourself into? Why on Earth did you run away? You weren't supposed to do that. You're so stupid. You're going to get yourself killed! Three years of my life were turned into complete torture. I had to. But he'll get me back. I know it. There was no way in hell that I'd make it out alive.
"Aella! Aella! Hun, are you okay?" I snapped back and looked up at Delilah. "What just happened?"
"I...I just thought too hard." She sat down beside me.
"Well, you have your hair appointment in half an hour and we're going to go explore this place."
"I didn't come here to explore, De."
"I know, but we can have fun. You'll look different and I'm changing my appearance too. We'll get new clothes, new shoes, new everything and tomorrow we'll go to the meeting." I looked at her with a frown.
"I thought you weren't interested in staying here." She smiled and wrapped one arm around me.
"Hun, have you seen the men here?" I chuckled. "I'm staying. Even if it's for a short period of time, I'll be here with you. And I'm sure we can both get a spot since we both could be useful." I nodded.
"Thank you, again for doing this with me." She pulled me in a hug.
"Sweetheart, you're my literal sister, I can't leave you when he's killing you every day."
"Thank you." She placed a kiss on my cheek and I smiled. "You are my sister. Blood or not." She smiled.
"That's what I'm talking about!"
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Three hours later
Delilah and I got out of the hairdresser like brand new people. My old hair reached down to my lower back, was light blond and straight. Now, my hair reached my collarbones and the colour was close to brown. I wore glasses and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't recognize myself. I haven't undergone something this drastic with my hair in ages.
Delilah's old hair was just like mine but she was a brunette and now her hair was blonde and cut to her shoulders. I hoped that that was enough to at least make us different from our old selves. Even a tiny bit.
We shopped for two hours and bought all new clothes. I bought a few sets of lace lingerie to make myself happy, ten evening dresses, five pairs of pants, many shirts and dress shirts, a few tight skirts and like seven pairs of heels. Delilah insisted that I buy new sneakers so I did.I bought new make-up, new perfume and a necklace. A golden necklace with a small coliseum charm. It was expensive but it was all to start from scratch. A small symbol of my brand new life.
Delilah bought as much as me if not more and we barely made it back to the hotel with all of the boxes and bags. I even took the shoes out of the boxes and just threw them in the bags to make more space. We got up to our room and placed everything away. I laid down on the bed and let out a sigh.
"Well that was fun, wasn't it?" I smiled.
"Indeed it was. But I think that there is no way we'll have money for food by the end of the week." She chuckled.
"Don't worry. We'll get a job and start our new life. Forget that you're Aella and I'll forget I'm Delilah."
"That will be hard. I love my real name." She laid down beside me.
"I love mine too, but you have to sacrifice something to start from scratch."
"True but I already sacrificed my life and got traumatized."
"Yeah, that's the thing you're running away from." I nodded and she sat up. "We're going to this restaurant down the block," she turned to me. "I read the reviews and I can't lie, it's fancy." I sat up.
"We should manage our money responsibly right now," she rolled her eyes and stood up.
"Don't bail on this. I plan to meet a rich dude." I smiled as De began looking through her new purchases.
"We can go there in about an hour. I'll reserve a table and we'll have a good time." Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea. After all, there was no way to actually recognize us. We were different. And besides, not many people in Europe knew us. That was a good thing.
"Fine." She smiled and went into the bathroom. After a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. Immediate anxiety kicked in. What if it's him? But there was no way he actually found me. Just not this quick.
"You'll get that?" Delilah shouted from the bathroom.
"Yeah!" I said and walked towards the door. I took a deep breath before opening the door and when I did, I didn't see anyone. I looked down and saw a bouquet of light pink roses with a note on top. I looked around to see if anyone was there and picked it up.
As I closed the door, I wondered if there was any chance that this was a bomb but it didn't look like it. I set it down on the dresser and picked the note out. It was a small envelope with this address written on it as well as my name.
Relief flooded my body when I saw that it was Ella Cadell and not Aella Dixon. I opened the envelope and saw the words:
It was nice bumping into you, darling.
Christopher. Christopher fucking Morris. How in the hell of an Earth did he know who I was and where I was? But I had to say, his handwriting was beautiful. Just like him. He wasn't beautiful, he was gorgeous. The dream man.
But to be honest, I thought that Archer looked like a dream man until he showed what he was really like.
I flipped the note around and didn't see anything else so I placed it on the table. I picked up the bouquet and smelled the aroma. Pink and dark roses were my favourite kind of flowers. I guess he was lucky to guess these."What is that?" I turned around and Delilah walked to the dresser. She picked up the note and her mouth opened. "That's from-"
"Yeah."
"You fucking biatch! You could hit on him." I chuckled.
"No more. No more of these powerful men for me. Archer did the same thing for me the first year we dated." Flowers and nothing but flowers. I practically bathed in them. But they were mostly white. At that time, I loved them. Now, they are the most hideous kind of flowers I've ever seen.
"Well, if I were you, I'd dress up tonight and hope that the Universe has luck on your side," I looked at her with my brows furrowed. "Maybe he'll be there. He's known for going there."
Fuck my life if I see him again.
But I don't think I'll complain much...
We arrived at the restaurant an hour after Delilah made a reservation. It was surprisingly easy to get a table there but I was glad. As much as I was nervous, I wanted to get away and just have fun. No matter what the future holds.We walked in and the hostess immediately greeted us. She showed us to the table and we sat down. I looked around the restaurant and couldn't help but notice many people dressed in very fancy and expensive attire.I had a dark red satin dress on that showed off my curves very well. My hair was curled and to my surprise, I actually really liked the way it looked. I also wore black heels and had a small black clutch purse that held my wallet and phone.Delilah had a fitted black sleeved dress and her hair was in a low bun. She wore black heels like me and had a small off the shoulder purse.The waiter came up to us shortly after sitting down and poured us some wine. I asked for the white wine and De had red. I preferred red wine most days but I wanted somethin
I woke up from a very annoying Delilah practically jumping on me."Get the fuck up," I move around in bed trying to keep my eyes closed from the bright light coming from the window. "You need to get dolled up." I open my eyes and push her off. "Fine." I curled up in the duvet and enjoyed my peace and quiet. Well... up until I felt ice-cold water on my face."You fucking bitch!" I sat up and wiped the water from my eyes."What else was I supposed to do?" She put the glass on the dresser and I got out of bed. I gave her a deadly glare and went into the bathroom. "I'm picking out your outfit!" She yells from the room."I think I'm old enough to do that myself." I washed my hands and brushed my teeth. I left the bathroom and saw Delilah laying a tight black dress on my bed with a pair of black heels and a black lingerie set. I walked over to the bed and picked up the panties. "Why does this matter?" She went into the bathroom with clothes in her hands."You have to make an impression." I
As six o'clock rolled around, I'd begun to feel nervous. Not that I wasn't before but he just did something to me. And frankly, I doubt that I trust myself around him.Delilah was more excited than me. The moment I stepped into the hotel room, she went nuts about what I should wear.I almost threw her out of the balcony because of how annoying she was. She thought that I should wear something provoking and sexy but I told her that I had boundaries with him. He said that himself.I thought about something more classy but elegant. I wasn't going on a date after all."You'll look like a grandma." I rolled my eyes at her. I wore an elegant, fitted, blush pink, satin dress that reached a bit over my knees with straps.I began putting on my white heels while Delilah turned on the curler."I don't think that I do," she sighed with frustration. "De, it's me who's going to have dinner with him.""Yeah, with the most powerful man on Earth," she said as she began to curl one of the strands. "And
I walked into the kitchen and leaned against the island. This was one of the worst ideas I'd done in my life.She looked like her. Her face was just like hers. The moment I saw her, I knew that this was a goddamn dream. There was no way she was let free. This was one of those doppelganger moments right before my eyes. I knew this was bad. That this would get me into trouble. She won't know. Not yet at least.The night that I fucked her in the bathroom, I intentionally left the light off. I didn't want to get attached to her. Even if I'd already passed that point years ago.To be completely honest, I barely listened to what she said in my office. I had to take the chance to see her every day.The way she said my name while moaning and in general was appealing to me. Just the fact that she was walking around my penthouse, making her completely under my control, flattered me.I looked around my kitchen and decided to make my momma's best Italian dish, pasta. It was the only thing I'd lea
The next morningJust as I was about to enter the building I got a text from Chris, that he had an unexpected meeting and asked me to follow Delilah to Mathew's office.We entered the elevator and a sudden wave of anxiety washed through me. We didn't necessarily end on great terms yesterday because of the kiss but it wasn't my fault. Although, I could've stopped him. And deep down I know I should've.We reached the top floor and headed towards Mathew's office. I wore a tight-fitting, black, dress with black heels while my hair was curled as usual. De had a black tight skirt and a white blouse on with black heels. She knocked before we walked inside.Mathew's office wasn't as big as Chris's but was still massive, compared to a typical office. I smiled and Mathew stood up from his seat."Miss Cadell," he shook my hand and looked over at Delilah. "Miss Jacobs," he placed a kiss on the back of her hand. "Please, sit down," he motioned to the two armchairs across from his table. We sat dow
I let her in the car and sat in myself. I turned the car on and drove off. I tried to keep my eyes off her because my head was going to explode."Can you drop me off to get my stuff?" I nodded. "Is there any chance that Dena could come with me?" I furrowed my brows."Why is that necessary?" Delilah was more than well taken care of. I made sure of it."She's my best friend and she moved here for me.""Call her and ask if she wants that," that was the only logical thing to do. She took out her phone and called Dena."Hi, I'm....," I heard Dena rant on the opposite side of the phone. "Can we talk about this later?" She's hiding something. "Where are you staying?" The answer was Mathew's apartment. "Fine, stay safe." She hung up. "Did you know where she'll be?" I nodded. "Why didn't-""Why do you think I want to tell you everything?""Sorry, I-""Just be quiet," I had no intention to talk to her. At least not when I could literally go crazy if I didn't touch or kiss her anytime soon.----
I got out of bed an hour ago, which let me wind down after the night and even work out. I didn't bother using his giant gym and just did my usual workout in my room.I showered, changed into a pair of light blue, tight jeans with a black belt, a long-sleeved, black sweater and black heels. I curled my hair and put on light make-up. Hunger settled in and the only thing I could do was to go downstairs to make breakfast. I didn't feel any desire to see him.As much as I was thankful for his hospitality, something wasn't right. Not that I didn't trust him, but I just didn't trust myself around him. I didn't think rationally with him beside me.I stepped out of my room while looking around for any signs of Chris. Nothing. The place was quiet. Maybe he was asleep. But at the same time, it was nine in the morning.I got a message from Mathew yesterday, telling me that I could work from home next week since my office was being prepared. I agreed without any doubt. I'll take any chance I get t
I got out of bed an hour ago, which let me wind down after the night and even work out. I didn't bother using his giant gym and just did my usual workout in my room.I showered, changed into a pair of light blue, tight jeans with a black belt, a long-sleeved, black sweater and black heels. I curled my hair and put on light make-up. Hunger settled in and the only thing I could do was to go downstairs to make breakfast. I didn't feel any desire to see him.As much as I was thankful for his hospitality, something wasn't right. Not that I didn't trust him, but I just didn't trust myself around him. I didn't think rationally with him beside me.I stepped out of my room while looking around for any signs of Chris. Nothing. The place was quiet. Maybe he was asleep. But at the same time, it was nine in the morning.I got a message from Mathew yesterday, telling me that I could work from home next week since my office was being prepared. I agreed without any doubt. I'll take any chance I get t