Sierra's POV
I turned to the door as my son rushed in with a big smile that spread across his face. “Mum, my room is huge,” his eyes widened at the last word. I chuckled. “Really?” I asked. "Come see.” he grabbed my hand, leading me to his room. We got into his room, which was just beside mine. It was indeed huge. From the bed to the ceiling and the spacing, everything screamed extravagance. There were furniture I could tell was handmade by my dad because I had a lot of those while growing up. There were tons of action figures all around like some trophy. Mum and dad had asked to know what Elvis liked to decorate his room one month prior. They put a lot of effort into it. “Do you like it?” I asked my little boy with a smile. He nodded. “It's big and so beautiful. Thanks, Granddad” he hugged my father, who stepped into the room with a big blanket. Dad smiled, ruffling his hair. “This would be perfect for your bed,” he said, and handed it over to my mother, who placed it on the bed. “Do you like it?” Dad asked. I looked around briefly. “He does, and I do too,” I replied. *** I turned to the side of my bed, placing my hand on the back of my palm before slowly opening my eyes to meet the sunrise. I took in it's beauty like I always did. It could never get old. Years ago, I had moved my bed just so I would be able to see the sun rise first thing in the morning. It was as beautiful as always. How long has it been since I set my eyes on it? A knock came at the door, pulling me out of my thoughts. I slowly got out of bed, still feeling drowsy. I unlocked and flung the door open to my brother, staring at me with a smile. “Breakfast is ready,” he said, staring at my hair. I didn't need to ask why. I always look like I fell into the gutters early in the morning. My hair always took it personal. “Yeah, I'll be down in a sec,” I said, and he nodded before leaving. I carried out my morning routine, and soon I was down the stairs and seated at the dining table, serving myself. “Have some broccoli, Elvis,” I said, placing one on his plate. He frowned. “I don't want one,” he said with a pout. I was about to speak when Mum cut through. “Let him. It's the holidays, and he is with his grandparents so he can have anything he wants,” she said. “Isn't that right, Elvis?” she added, pinching his cheeks. Elvis hummed with a smile. “You want to spoil him” I said, shaking my head. We ate in silence for a moment. It was nice having family around. “I and Elvis will be going fishing after breakfast,” Dad said, breaking the silence. “I'm going to catch a huge fish and feed it to mummy,” Elvis said excitedly. “I'll help you cook it the right way,” Mum said. “Be careful though,” I said, stuffing my mouth with more food. “I'll be heading out with my friend for our book club meeting,” Mum said. “And I'll be heading out with my friends to the racetrack to check it out,” Jackson informed us. “Have anywhere you're going to, today, sis?” he asked. I had not thought of going anywhere today. A part of me wanted to take a little walk around the village, but I quickly changed my mind once I stepped into the bathroom. The thought sent dread inside of me. “No, I'll stay home. Maybe read a book,” I said. Mum and Dad exchanged looks, but they said nothing. I was more than happy for that. I knew they had loads of questions and concerns regarding my divorce, but I was glad they had not brought it up or asked. I was not ready to talk about it. It's been months since our separation, but I have felt lost and worse than myself. Explaining it felt hard. Fortunately, my family was not pushing it. We all cleared the table after breakfast and the doorbell rang. “I'll get it,” I said, already heading for the door. I looked through the peephole, but all I could see was the person's hair. On opening the door, a gust of cold air hit my skin, carrying with it the scent of winter and fuck, something else. My eyes widened at the sight of the man who stood on the porch before me. Would it be crazy to say he was the most stunning man I have ever laid my eyes on? His chiseled and muscular features, piercing blue eyes and chiseled jawline made my heart skip a beat. His russet hair was perfectly messy, if that was the right word for it. And his smile… oh, his smile was nothing short of angelic. I forgot how to breathe as he broadened his smile. It felt like a sin to even look at it. For a moment, it felt like time stopped, and all that existed was this man. Was anyone even allowed to be this good-looking? He took out his hand for a handshake, his smile unwavering. “Hi, I'm-” His voice was nothing short from what I expected, but the moment our hands connected, a jolt of electricity rushed through my body.Sierra’s POVOnce we heard the door shut, Arthur grabbed my hand and placed a kiss on the back of it. “Why did you stop me? You chased him away,” I said.Maybe if I had gotten off Arthur sooner, Jackson would not have left. I was so caught up in our world; I forgot Jackson was going to come in soon. “You need to be confident if you want to use me, Sierra. He is your brother. He can’t stop you from having fun and healing, can he?”His words were so tempting, but how could I make out in front of my brother? “Use me wherever. In front of anyone and I would not complain. You are in charge here, but you would need to be bolder than what you are right now,” he added.Before I could respond to that, he noticed the flask I had kept on the table. “What’s in the flask?” he asked.“Oh, I made a little soup for you. I don’t know if you would like it, but you can give it a try,” I said.“I will like it,” Arthur said. “Sarah,” he called out, and a middle-aged woman stepped out and bowed.“Show her
Sierra’s POV“I saw your paintings. I voted to make sure you have an exhibition soon,” Eve said the moment I took her call.“I knew you wouldn’t just give up on your dreams,” she added.I could not explain it was not my doing. Not in a million years would I think of doing that. I had full doubts about my paintings being good enough. Just like many other things that Vance criticized, I began seeing it that way no matter how much it was praised by people.Posting them would only bring a huge backlash to me — was my thought. Who knew people would like them? Maybe a dozen people that had nothing to do with Vance. “Eve, can I speak to you later? I have something to take care of,” I told her before ending the call.I opened up the notification I got earlier.Fifteen million!I just got fifteen million dollars. From the sender, I knew I was right in my guess as to who had done this. Quickly, I left my room to the kitchen. I was both excited and worried. Excited because of the good reviews.
Arthur’s POVThe door bell rang downstairs, and I sluggishly opened my eyes, staring at the bedroom door. My eyelids were heavy. Keeping them open felt like a chore. I dragged my eyes to the wall clock, and it was almost noon.I pushed myself up from the bed as the doorbell rang again. When I chose to leave the resort suite to my penthouse, I didn’t think someone was going to make me hate it. Pushing myself off the bed, I walked out of my bedroom.“Good morning, Mr. Floyd,” Sarah, the housekeeper, greeted with a small bow.Sarah was over fifty, but she has chosen to continue working despite me giving her an offer of a good severance pay. Fortunately, I could stand her and she respects my rules perfectly. She was only meant to be around once a week, but due to my illness, she has been forced to stay another day.I hummed, helping myself down the stairs. “Go check who is at the door?” I said, taking a seat on the c
Sierra’s POVThe science that explained how these little beings with barely any work to do tend to have so much strength in their palm was unknown to me. I was in my late twenties and I doubted I had that much strength to send an electric bolt of pain through my body.“Mommy, wake up,”Yes, Elvis' usual routine. It took a moment to open my eyes as not only was I trying to fight off the sleep that wasn’t so easy to ward off with his slap, but the pain of said slap. I titled my head to the side, fluttering my eyes open to the clock.7 am.When I wanted him to be energetic in the morning, I didn’t think it would backfire on me. “Mommy, wake up. See,” he said, jumpy.It took a lot for me not to get back to sleep. With a yawn, I sat up, pulling the covers with me. I was still in his room and on his bed. “What is it,
Sierra’s POVI studied his face, trying to spot some amusement in his eyes, but there was none. He could not be possibly serious about that, could he? No one in his right mind would want to be used for an emotional support.His fingers circled around my waist, his fingers trailing my spine in slow succession under the coat. “You sound like you don’t know what it means,” I said.“Do I?” he asked with his eyes fixed on my lips.I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him off me. “You don’t. No man would want that.”“Want what?”“Being used, Arthur,” I said, frustrated.“I’m not any man. I’m a man in love,”I chuckled. “You don’t sound like you are in your right mind,”He stepped c
Sierra’s POVI raised my head as I felt the coat drop on my shoulders. Arthur helped me up, but soon picked me up from the ground. I could not argue nor fight as I let him take me back into the house.He increased the heat and walked over to the kitchen. He seemed very much used to the house, but I would not question that. After all, he was already seen as family. When he stepped out once again, he held a mug, handing it over to me.“Tea,” he said.“Thank you,” I muttered, taking the cup.The warm feel of the cup on my hands already made me feel better. I took a sip and the taste burst in my mouth. “This is good,” I complimented, raising the cup with a nod.“Thank you.” Arthur took a seat beside me. “Mum taught me well,” he winked.I drank my tea quietly, feeling warmed up