Damian “The plan is still on; quick, come this way.” Pearl whispered, her voice filled with urgency as Eliana speed-walked past us. I watched her climb up the little stage at the opposite end of the room with a glass cup in one hand and a fork in the other. “Everyone, can I have your attention, please?” She said, hitting the glass with the fork into the mic, creating an awful sound. The crowd began to murmur, but they slowly began to move, and soon they gathered around the middle of the room but closer to where Eliana stood. She stared at me for a quick second, and then her eyes flickered to the door. I didn’t need anyone to tell me what that meant, and I quickly slipped into the space behind the curtains with Pearl following closely behind me. I knew I could trust her now, but I was yet to know what she was getting from everything or why she would risk her job, her life too, depending on how dangerous Preston chose to be, all for someone she had barely known for more than a month

ElianaI forced myself to go to bed that night with so many unanswered questions swarming through my mind. I thought about Pearl and wondered if she was having the same problems. She gave her all, both of us did, only to be left in the dark. Damian wasn’t answering any of my calls; at some point I was too frustrated to continue calling, so I tossed the phone aside. The next morning, I was up bright and early. The first thought I had was to check if Damian had returned any of the calls, but to my heart's demise, he had not. I tried calling him, hoping he would finally give up and answer, but it didn’t connect. In that moment, I hated him.About two hours later, my phone rang. “Finally,” I shrieked when I confirmed it was Damian as I ran to the bathroom.“What the hell is going on?” I asked not letting him take the first breath.“I’m so sorry, Eliana; my head wasn’t in the right place last night.” He explained, and I scoffed, my anger rising. How selfish!“You think that mine was? D

Eliana I twisted and turned, my body reacting faster than my mind could process, and soon I had successfully managed to slip out of his grip, my fingers splaying mid-air as I spun to face him. My chest heaved, breathless, as I stared at him, a mixture of shock and anger swirling inside me.I didn’t smell any alcohol, and he clearly wasn’t drunk, so what on earth was going on? Was he trying to mess with me? Did he see me as some cheap whore?"Preston, what are you doing?" I demanded, trying to inject a dose of outrage into my voice, but it came out more like a nervous whisper. "You're married to Rostella. We... we should be like family to each other.” I added.The words sounded hollow, even to my own ears, and Preston's reaction was the last thing I expected.He laughed, a low, husky sound that sent a shiver down my spine. I’d never seen him smile before, and seeing him laugh was scarier than a horror movie. His eyes crinkled at the corners, and he took a step closer, his gaze burn

DamianCold air brushed against my skin as I sat in my courtyard. My eyes glued to the sky, confusion and anger building up in my chest while I fought to suppress my feelings. I kept thinking of a safer way to get those keys from Preston without putting Eliana in harm’s way, but either she risks it and get Serena back home, or Serena remains stuck there until her body can’t take the torture anymore. I knew I couldn’t wait around for Joseph to get back to me but some part of me still hoped it was going to be a success.My head spun in circles, my eyes too heavy to even blink. But then I felt a pair of soft hands resting on my shoulders. “Overthinking has never solved any problem Damian..” Mila whispered in my ear, her warm breath grazing my neck. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, only opening them while I slowly exhaled heavily. Mila walked in front of me, pulling the bench closer to where I sat, making sure we were only a breath away from each other. “You’ve sat in this c

Eliana I stood frozen, my eyes fixed on him, as his words hung in the air like a challenge. I knew I had to play it cool, not let him see the fear creeping up my spine. So I quickly fixed my face, changing my expression into a stern one, and I pointed my finger at him, "I have no idea what you're talking about." I said.His eyes seemed to gleam with amusement, like he was enjoying this twisted game of cat and mouse he was playing. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Eliana," he said, his voice low and husky. "You came because you can feel it too. This strong connection between us." He said, making my skin crawl.I rolled my eyes because I had had enough of his nonsense, and then I turned to leave. "You're delusional," I muttered, not bothering to look back.I walked out of the room, leaving the laundry basket behind, forgotten in my haste to escape. I didn't care about the clothes; all I cared about was getting away from his unsettling gaze. My heart was racing, my skin crawli