She heard a sharp intake of breath. She did not look up from the porcelain bowl. The white countertop made her feel dizzy before she resumed, “I don’t know much about my time at the orphanage but I can say one thing that I could live and breathe freely there. One day, I was adopted by the Whites, a childless couple who seemed to be lovable and cheerful in the beginning.” Her lips twisted slightly at the words ‘cheerful’ and ‘loveable’.
She pushed back the bowl slightly and glanced at Barbara who was staring back at her. Her face was an open book, painted with a plethora of emotions. “I was taken care of initially,” she said, furrowing her eyebrows and remembering the days when they actually cared for her like parents would for a child. “But then...things started getting worse,” she continued. Summer gripped the spoon tighter. “Financially they weren’t stable and bringing me into their li
‘So she knows how to thank people, but doesn’t know how to reply back, ’ Dorian thought as he glanced at his phone which remained silent. He did not expect any reply after he sent one, yet he felt a twinge of disappointment when his phone did not light up.He tore his gaze from the unsuspecting device to his laptop screen. The emails were starting to give him a headache. He was about to type yet another response when the doorbell rang. He knew it was his beta, Kyle.“How many times did I tell you to just use the damn key,” he groused as he let him in. Kyle ambled in, two take away packets in his hand, and walked straight to his study. Dorian shook his head and closed the door. Kyle placed the takeaway packets on the desk and said sheepishly, “I keep forgetting about the key.”
The dried leaves crunched under her feet as she made her way to the office. She stifled a yawn as she trudged her way to the building. ‘I should have taken a long way,’ she thought. She couldn’t sleep properly last night. ‘I will go back to my apartment today,’ she decided as she watched her steps. “What are you doing in this area?” a gruff voice made her jump. She whirled around to find a blond man glaring at her. His eyes conveyed nothing but violence. Fear seized her body. His expression was almost familiar to that — the molester. She swallowed nervously, her throat dry. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her eyes tracked the blond’s movements. He prowled towards her. “I asked you a question, girl. Answer me!” he boomed, making her shudder. She clenched her tremblings fists, keeping them to her side. The man snarled. What will she do? Where will she run?
Her eyes welled up as she gathered her things and turned off the computer. Why was she so unfortunate all the time? Why did she always get the short end of the stick? Why couldn’t she stand up for herself? Why was she so pitiful? She sniffled before making her way out of the building. There was a distinct ache inside her chest, a dull throbbing pain that started after she was reprimanded by her boss. She blinked away the blurriness and looked around. Why did she feel so humiliated? He was only telling the truth. By now, she was well aware of the fact that he was neither lenient nor forgiving. However, he let her off the hook this time as well. She screwed her eyes shut, her cheeks heating up with embarrassment. All of a sudden, she tripped. She opened her eyes and instantly felt stupid for having closed it earlier. She let out a shuddering breath and started walking again. Melham was a small town, which is why the streets nearly became deserted by 8. Two years ago, she would
She had an uncanny feeling, a feeling that she was quite familiar with. She quickened her pace as her ears picked up the sound of footsteps. In an otherwise empty alley, she was certain that someone was following her. Why did she decide to go shopping at this time, again? She clutched the packet tightly as she walked, not daring to look back. She felt like a live wire, her nerves buzzing. Her heartbeat was rabbit-fast and the sense of impending danger intensified, and before she knew it, a hand was grabbing her forearm and turning her towards them. A garbled scream ripped out of her mouth as fear seized her senses. “Where are you running?” a gruff voice leered. Summer’s eyes had screwed shut. She peeked a look and her breath hitched when she spotted the gleam of pointy canines. She struggled to free herself from his hold. “Please,” she whimpered.
Dorian let out an aggravated sigh as he watched Summer leave. He knew she would do so, and even though he wanted to make her stay, Kai advised him not to force her, “Should we follow?” Kai asked hopefully. Dorian dragged his palm across his face and grabbed his keys before leaving the room. It was ironic how he kept wanting her to stay safe, but not acknowledging her as his mate. On his way out, he called Kyle. The beta answered groggily. “Ask Ronan to check the CCTV footage of the alleys near H Mart.” He ended the call without waiting for his reply.In his territory, he rarely heard cases of women being assaulted. It used to happen before he had succeeded as the alpha of his pack, which is why his father had CCTVs installed at various alleys and nooks. He had to deal with that employee of his and now this pointy teeth guy.B
She could feel the beginnings of a headache that would definitely stay with her throughout the day. Barbara placed a cup of Chamomile tea in front of her and sat beside her, silent and brooding. Liam was still resting, his injury healing slowly. Summer cradled the cup in her hands before taking a small sip. The warm, mellow yet sweet taste was pleasant. The vintage clock in the living room showed that Summer needed to get going or she would be late, but for once she wanted to be late. She didn’t feel like facing anyone, especially not her boss. Beside her, Barbara quietly flipped through a magazine. After the breakdown, she didn’t question her further, letting Summer take her time. She wasn’t ready yet, but she would definitely tell her someday. Once she finished her tea, she moved to stand up. “I’ll be driving you today,” the older lady announced, standing up as well. Summer gripped the handle of h
Summer felt herself nod minutely. At the back of her brain, she knew that she was indirectly agreeing to his offer. She also knew that the reason he provided was most probably not true or half-true. Mr. King repeated, “So...you agree?” He quirked his eyebrows. She gulped, knowing that if she declines the offer then the boss might target her or bully her, that’s what she has endured her entire life. But if she accepted the offer then she would no doubt make countless mistakes and will be fired, eventually. Morosely, she thought that it was better to agree and get fired. She only needed to keep her distance, and it wasn’t like he had done anything bad to her. On the contrary, he had helped her numerous times. She nodded once again, this time more firmly. Mr. King straightened. “Very well, I will ask Kyle to shift your things here. He gestured behind her back and she turned her head part
Summer was thankful for one thing and that is her boss did not talk much. She had shifted to the small cabin, which gave her a chance to have mini freakouts every time she went up to her boss to ask for something or show some documents. Even after two days, she was getting used to her new role. Hannah had offered her a tight smile when she had finally informed her, which had made her sad because she could tell that her colleague wasn’t too happy for her.Yesterday when she was on a coffee break, she had heard two women whispering not so quietly behind her. Their implication was that she must have done something, or rather ‘slept’ with her boss to gain such a promotion, since he had not appointed a secretary for as long as they could remember. That night she had sobbed in the confines of her room, letting her sorrow roll down the cheeks in the dark.