Lavender's point of view.
I skipped into the apartment, banging the door loudly. It was a habit of mine to do so at my arrival home, mom hated it and you'll most times catch her scolding me. This time though, I heard no warning call or a displeased response. The house was eerily quiet, the unusual atmosphere made me pause cautiously before venturing farther into the sitting room.
"Mom." I called the instant I saw her. She sat on the settee, very still and apparently she wasn't aware of my presence. Something was wrong, mom was the type who was always bubbling with stored up energy, she always needed to dispel it and sitting still was no way to. At least, no way she does.
I took a long stride and sat beside her pulling her shoulders to me. "Mom."
She seemed startled, as she stared at me with bright eyes that were wide with surprise, her face broke into a smile and she further pulled me into a hug concealing her face in my neck.
"You are back.." Mom breathed pulling back to cradle my face in her soft motherly palm. "You're as beautiful as the sun." She murmured her eyes displaying so much emotion.
A flash of what I couldn't pinpoint zapped through my mom's eyes and disappeared the second it came. It was almost like worry and resignation.
"I took after you." I responded by kissing the top of her head and hoping that it would dissipate whatever she was feeling. Knowing mom, there was no use questioning her for she was always willing to go to any length to hide problems from me, in her words, she didn't want me to worry alongside her.
Countless efforts had made me realize that mom was more stubborn than I could ever be and the least I could do was please her and hope she came to the bottom of whatever the problem was faster.
"I know." Mom forced a chuckle that was obviously fake from the lack of crinkles at the corner of her eyes. When she either smiled or laughed, her eyes took a smaller shape and the corners wrinkled up. I love watching them appear but right now, there is none.
"Didn't you say you were going somewhere today?" Mom suddenly jerked up as if recalling.
Another unusualness. She always faced difficulty letting me go anywhere. If I needed to go out and my destination wasn't school, I had to involve whining and pleadings to get her approval. Strange how today, she recalled where, as I had completely forgotten.
I squinted my eyes to assess her and she returned it with an innocent look.
"What? You kept going on and on about this outing you were supposed to have. Let's not forget how you pleaded with me all yesterday that I don't refuse you permission. You said you were going with one Carmen."
"I don't recall going on and on also, mom, it's Caleb not Carmen."
She waved her palm in dismissal. "Whatever you call him, just don't stay out late."
I might not have 'gone on and on' like mom had put it, but I did remember telling her about it and she must have seen my desire to attend the get together with Caleb. But all of a sudden, I lost the interest to go. Was it the fact that I thought mom wasn't okay? Or the gut feeling nagging constantly in my head.
I opened my mouth to protest but caught mom's genuine smile, for the first time since I arrived. "I want you to have fun."
I Half expected her to say something again, it sounded as if the sentence hadn't ended, almost as if I could hear her saying "I want you to have fun because you won't get to again."
I shook my head to dispel the feeling, mom didn't mean any of that, from her smile I could tell so I nodded and pulled her into another hug.
"Alright mom. I'll go dress up."
******
Caleb's apartment was nicely furnished, this wasn't the first time I was visiting but he had decorated the sitting room in preparation for our little get together. The settees were pulled closer so that the center table provided just the right amount of separation.
Caleb, Tiffany and two others I wasn't exactly familiar with were already occupying a seat. I'm guessing Caleb or Tiffany must have brought them along. Trusting my two friends and school colleagues, I smiled warmly at the new acquaintance before hugging both Tiffany and Caleb.
There was only an available space and it was beside Caleb. Something told me Tiffany was responsible for the sitting arrangements, she had taken it upon herself to play matchmaking when I had already made it obvious that Caleb would be nothing but a friend. His feelings towards me were quite glaring, he made a show in hiding it that it became blatant enough even for someone like Tiffany who had a difficulty picking up hints to know.
I sat beside Caleb, hugging him sideways and putting every effort I could to make the hug platonic. I really didn't want to lead him on in any way since I couldn't reciprocate his feelings, the least I could do was subtly convey my lack thereof of it.
The two female friends, turns out Tiffany was the one who invited them, took turns introducing themselves. I got to know the Blondie was Eva and the second one whose red hair competed with mine to be Samantha.
While the introduction was going on, Caleb excused himself for the drinks, Tiffany offered to help but he drew her attention to the cake in the fridge, which sent her successfully scampering off towards it. She was one for having a sweet tooth.
"God, it's so obvious he likes you." Samantha leaned over and whispered with exaggerated secrecy while a smile lingered over her face. I frowned knowing exactly what they meant but refusing to believe his demeanor gave him off that fast.
"I see how his eyes lit up when you walked in and how his offer to get some drinks was an open invitation for you to join." Eva joined in. She brushed her hair to the side but I could see the excitement dancing in his eyes.
Funny how it didn't click to me to go along with him to the cabinet. I was all rigid contemplating how to respond to their curious gaze when thankfully, Tiffany reappeared with the slices of cake and her mouth full to the brim.
"What are you girls discussing?"
I made a face at her disgusting act of talking while eating.
Caleb dashed in too, setting the glasses first then the bottle of beer, he filled up everyone's glasses and left mine halfway. "Mommy's girl, she wouldn't appreciate you getting drunk now, would she?" Caleb teased with a lopsided smile.
In all honesty, Caleb was a handsome guy, with his brown locks seated on his head and the fringes falling across his face. He had a boyish look to those blue eyes of his but an exceptionally thin lips that always offed me. But when he smiled, it was a beautiful sight that made up for his thin lips.
"Don't be such a tease now." I chided receiving the glass and gulping it down in a swift move. I didn't reach out for me, instead I held the empty glass and savored the taste.
Few conversations later, I was a drunk mess. I blinked in surprise, I didn't drink much, that I was sure so why was my eyes weary? I could barely make out figures at this point and.. I seemed to be slumping against the settee.
Hazily, I saw Caleb seeing Tiffany and her friends out. Why wasn't I also leaving? And they all had more drinks than I did so why couldn't I move a limb
"Don't worry, she will be okay. She can't handle her liquor well, trust me to keep her comfortable until she's sober enough to leave." That was Caleb. I wanted to yell at him and remind him that I didn't drink.
"I'm afraid... Alright,.. contact us if she needs anything.. leaving" The words Tiffany spoke was broken, my ears found it difficult to pick them all up.
Why couldn't I tell them what I felt? I couldn't talk, nor make any movement. I was numb, and limp, I barely had any drink so why?
Unless... unless.. I might be feeling drunk but this numbness wasn't from the drink. Caleb shut the door behind him and I blurrily watched his figure come closer.
Unless.. My drink was spiked!
LAVENDER'S POV My drink was spiked, panic surged through my veins as I struggled to get to my feet but every part of my body felt heavy, the world was rotating and cold sweats began to break out of my skin. I blinked furiously, My vision was clouded, all I could see was a blurry vision of Caleb advancing to where I laid, limp."Don't worry, you'll be fine, I got you." Caleb began to talk, I wasn't comprehending anything else he was saying, it sounded far off and distant to my ear but I could stay making out some words.I wanted to ask him what happened, why he would spike my drink, anything at all to dwindle the confusion I was feeling not to forget the state my body was thrown into."Ca..l.." I tried to speak, to plead, to say anything at all. I was far from comfortable. Even in my disoriented state, I could tell."Ssh, sweetie. Let's not act ignorant now, okay?" My eyes followed his movement as he towered over me before gently lying himself above my figure. I shivered and made anot
ALPHA CARAMEL'S POINT OF VIEW.Sitting atop a tall building holding a binoculars and watching a young girl radiate beauty wasn't something I would call a hobby. But it will soon develop into one. I held the binoculars still and watched as Lavender walked into an apartment.Goodness, she was beautiful, her red hair was set in waves and they swayed alongside her hips that were curvy enough to garner attention in that dress she wore.I brought down the gadget to wonder who the apartment belonged to. Over the years, I was aware of how strict Mrs Flint was in her daughter's outings so I willed my mind to believe if she let Lavender out, then her trust must have been gained.There was no cause to worry, I was here with the sole purpose of seeing her for the first time and I must say I wasn't disappointed. Her eyes were the bright type that drew you in before you could discern. I leaned against the railings and watched the horizon briefly, I had seen what I wanted to, though I won't deny I
Joanna's POVI stood at the side, watching Alpha Caramel walk out of the house once more today. My heart was pounding in my chest, and for a moment, my throat was dry. For years, I have been scared of this day—the day in which he would come to take my little princess from me.I did this, which I was well aware of, but it broke my heart. Lavender was not aware of any of this, and I did not know how she was going to react. For years, I have allowed her to live like a normal human. She has no clue about herself, and neither does Axel.“What is the meaning of this, Joanna?” Axel’s voice made me turn to him.He looked visibly upset and shaking with anger. Why not? A man he did not know came into his house with his daughter and told him something I had hidden from him since the moment it happened.“That man…” he paused, his anger getting the better of him.“Let's take Lavender upstairs to her room,” I told him, trying to dodge the question he wanted to ask.I watched as Axel walked over to
Lavender’s POVI could not stop the groan that left my mouth the moment I woke up. My head was aching so badly. I flung my hand to it, rubbing my forehead in hopes that it would calm down. I fluttered my eyes open, and I hissed in irritation at the light in the room.The door to my room opened, and I turned to the side to have a look at who stepped in. It took a while for me to see who the person was as my vision was a little blurry. “Mum,” I called as she placed a glass of lemon juice on my bedside drawer.She refused to say anything to me for a couple of minutes. Instead, she walked over to my wardrobe, bent over to the drawer, and took out a first aid kit where she then took a couple of medicines. She looked upset.“Mum, what happened? You look upset,” I inquired, but she said nothing and just passed the drink to me followed by the medication.I took them from her but I kept looking at her, waiting for when she would answer me. “Did I do something wrong?” I questioned, and a short
LAVENDER’S POVI was very much enraged at this revelation. My best friend wanted to sleep with me without my consent, and she was trying to apologize. If that man had not saved me, would he have stopped? Caleb would have had his way with me, and he would expect me to be happy about it.He would want me to accept it just like that. I knew it was evil of me to think he should have gotten more than he had gotten. I folded my fist as I slammed the door shut behind me, shutting my eyes briefly so as to push the tears back to where they were threatening to come from.He did not deserve my tears. He was the monster that brought this upon himself and not me. I should not give him my sympathy or even bother to care about him. He was nothing to me now. As I stood there for a couple of seconds trying to calm myself, I noticed everyone's confused gaze at me.Mum was about to ask, but I just walked off, leaving all of them confused with my anger. I hit the butto
JOANNA’S POVI sat still in the living room, unable to move due to how far my mind was traveling. It was really difficult for me to say what I did to Lavender. I knew that was going to be her reaction, but now I fear if Alpha Caramel was going to allow her to have that choice.Moreover, I already made the choice for her a long time ago. We could not possibly go back on our word, or he might not take it lightly with any of us. Only I know the extent of Caramel's power, and it was scaring me to the bone.I knew he was not a bad man, but I also knew when he was angry, he did things, and it was not something anyone would want to do. My heart was racing, and I was trying to calm it down. A loud knock on the door made me jolt out of my head.My head snapped to the door. The knock went on in haste, and I wondered who the person was. Before I could stand up, the door had already been opened, and Alpha Caramel walked in. It felt like the air that was meant to go into me seized as I watched him
LAVENDER'S POVFrom Mum to my supposed soon-to-be husband's voice, I heard them both, but I chose not to answer. They should do their worst if they want to, but I was not planning on leaving this room. The same way he came, he should leave in that same manner.I did not want to see his face. He was a monster that wanted to take me away from all I knew just because of a single act of kindness he did for me. There are other ways to repay him that did not involve me marrying him.Or was that why he helped? To get married to me and since he knew Mum was scared of him she would oblige. I asked myself so many questions while I heard every word they uttered. They were not going to convince me to leave this room.Some of th
ALPHA CARAMEL’S POVI drove to the airport where my private jet awaited our arrival. The closer we got to it, the larger it became. It stood majestically at the center, and I turned to Lavender, who stared at it in awe. I’m sure she was not expecting that we would leave so soon and even better, with a private jet.I got down and was about to turn around to open the door for her, but she did that on her own. I sighed as she rolled her eyes at me, already aware of what I wanted to do. She really did not want to get close to me. I let her be, though, and led her to the door of the airplane.I stood at the side of the stairs, waiting for her to get in. The moment she walked past me, I joined her in, then locked the door. “Follow me,” I told her, which she did without question as her eyes feasted on what was around her.“Sit,” I instructed, and once she was seated, I helped her with her seatbelt.Usually, there would be no seat here, but I made the modifications specially for her. I wanted