93. Urge to hold. Mikolaj . -“I don’t know where she is,” Jonas says, and I shoot him a sharp glare.“What do you mean?”“I mean…. I’m not her damn babysitter!” he retorts, glaring right back at me.His words ring eerily familiar, echoing the incident when he lost Riley at a fundraiser party months ago. Though this time, I can’t fault him. It’s on me. I instructed him to keep her entertained so she wouldn’t get bored.My silence prompts him to continue, and he says, “We kinda had a disagreement.”“Disagreement?”He shrugs, almost childishly. “An argument… She was being mean. So I showed her I could be meaner.”A flicker of concern flits through my mind, but I dismiss it. “Sometimes I wonder who’s more challenging to handle… You or Jessie.”“Well, I learn from you.”It was my oversight to assume she wouldn’t hold a grudge against Jonas. With a sigh, I instruct him to take Jessie home while I search for Riley. Thankfully, he complies without complaint.… …Something similar happened
94. Not a hotelI stroll into the corridor to see if I can spot a caterer. None. Riley chose this room at the far end and there aren’t many partygoers lingering in this wing. I have no choice but to call Camilla. To my luck, she picks up. “Miko?” Camilla says in an extra chirpy voice. “Guess what? You can’t boss me around anymore.”I snort. The past few days she told me many times—teasingly—that she cannot wait to stop seeing my face.“If you are happy, I am happy.”“What is it?”With a slight turn of my head towards the bathroom, I realize the water is running. Is Riley taking a freaking bath?Pinching the bridge of my nose, I explain the situation, and Camilla giggles. I am not sure what’s funny about it. Or maybe she is intoxicated too.“Don’t worry, I will send food along with some stuff for the stay,” she says, and I frown.“I have no plans to stay.”“Just in case…” she sings and cuts the call.Then It dawns on me… I can’t take Riley outside without the paparazzi swarming in the
- . Riley . - My throat feels dry as Sahara as I peek open my eyes, struggling to spot anything in the darkness. I fumble for the water glass on the bedside table with no success. Where the hell am I? Flickering on the lamp, I wince at the light. Oh. ‘Not a hotel’. I reach for the glass, half dazed, but my hand misses the mark, knocking it over. I groan as water cascades onto the floor. “You okay?” Miko is half asleep as he asks. Isn’t it obvious I am not okay? “Need some fucking water,” I mutter, dragging myself across the bed, climbing over Mikolaj’s sleeping form. There is water on his side. “Whoa!” His drowsy eyes widen with surprise as he attempts to sit up, only to freeze halfway as I maneuver past him. Grabbing the water from his side, I drink greedily. “Water never tasted this good before,” I sigh. “Now that you are awake… Should we head home?” he asks, his deep, velvety voice echoing the warmth that matches the gentle glow of the lamp. I steal a glance off his handsome
1. Hookup > ‘Nice… Your turn West… Quick! I don’t have the entire night.’ He grabs my waist to pull me closer and I scream. … ---Present Day --- It’s almost Seven in the evening and I am freaking out. I have not finalized a damn dress yet. This date will blow up in my face if I don’t calm down. I am sure I have something to wear. Something comfortable enough. I am a little skittish right now. Because I am planning to have — sex. After like… almost two years. “Are you sure you don’t want me to tag along?” Natalie, my bestie, asks me for a millionth time and I roll my eyes while browsing my closet for a dress. “If you want to cheat on Jacob and hook up with some new guy… Then you are most welcome… if not, then no. There is no need for you to come with me.” I tell her, trying to sound casual, but I am annoyed. After that incident, everyone treats me as if I cannot take care of myself. Yes, I am freaking out a little. But it doesn’t mean she has to shove it in m
3. Fair Punishment > I walk out of the family courtroom, only to see my ex-Wife silently crying in a corner. Good! She deserves this. After six months of back and forth, she has finally gotten what she deserved. I pass through her and she blocks my way. “What did I ever do to get this treatment, Miko?” I raise my brow at her. “Oh well, many things… sleeping with my business partner was one of them.” I tell her, amused. “I never mistreated Jessie... You think cutting me out of her custody is a fair punishment? By doing this, you are punishing her too.” I ignore her and keep walking towards the parking lot. She tags along with me, determined to talk. “Please, I am sorry. Don’t cut me out of her life. I cannot live without her.” Her pleas are pointless. When I cut my enemy, I cut them deep. No apologies do it for me. I like my enemies dying little by little every day. I stop and look at her coldly. “She needs to be around someone who can teach her b
5. D!ck tease > Alarm buzzes for the second time and I peek at the clock, still half asleep. It is five past twenty in the morning. Ten more minutes! I hit snooze, and a pillow hits my face across the room. “OW!” “Get your ass out of the bed. Right now!!” Ira hisses at me. Oh God! My parents never hissed at me like this. Even when I hit snooze for an entire hour. “When did you wake up?” “The very first time your alarm started buzzing!” She says, annoyingly. I didn’t know she could hear my alarm. “I want to sleep!” I mumble and cover my face with her pillow to block her voice. I hear the shuffling on her bed and I hold my sheet tight to prepare myself for her attack. She pulls the comforter hard, and I fall off the bed. “What the hell! Ira!” I shriek. She says while pushing me into the bathroom. “I wake up because of your freaking alarms, Riley! There is no way I will let you sleep again!” I rub my eyes and look at myself in the mirror. In my defe
“Hey Riley…” He drawls, and I almost roll my eyes. “Hey Jonas.” Jonas is a typical playboy… ‘Gorgeous’ is the first word that comes to my mind whenever I look at him. But that doesn’t matter right now. His gorgeousness doesn’t hide the fact how much of an ass he is. He only talks to people when he needs some work done. Or some favor. The last time he talked to me was when… I try to think.. Nope! I don’t even remember. Oh wait. He asked me out for a date in freshman year. Most times he has other girls at his disposal and girls happily oblige to do his assignments for him. They want to be in his good graces. He is the future heir of Josef corporation after all. A favor here and there could end up a consideration in a job application after a few years later. But considering how many peers swarm around him, I don’t think he will consider any of them. I can bet he will eventually tell them it’s not in his hands. His company treats everyone fairly and they will only hire someone if
6. Project Partner > I hide in a corner at the library for the rest of my day. I am usually not this timid, but after recent freakout and flashback incidents; I have been a little on edge. I’ll be fine in a few days. I need to distract myself. I am sitting in a padded booth, immersed in my book, when I hear someone whisper-shout, “Why were your clothes on the bed?” My head turns. Is that Ashley? My traitor project partner. I get up and walk out to see Natalie is sitting in the booth next to mine. Ashley is standing in front of her. The Library is huge. I hadn’t realized Natalie was sitting so close to me. “Seriously? you couldn't wait until evening to talk about it?“ Natalie says with a haughty expression. “I am sick and tired of you!“ Ashley, or Ash, as we call her, is Natalie’s roommate. Right now, she is reprimanding Natalie for not maintaining her standards of their dorm room. Natalie has told me many times that Ash is A First-Class-Bitch. She is us