Novels by Calliee

MILASaturday morning came faster than I expected.All week, I told myself I wasn’t nervous. That it was just volunteering. Just a friendly, harmless thing.But as I stood in front of the mirror again… same chaos, same pile of discarded outfits… I knew I was lying to myself.“This isn’t a big deal,” I whisperedAfter twenty minutes of debate, I settled on something simple- a soft yellow blouse tucked into a pair of fitted jeans. Friendly, approachable, innocent. I tied my hair up in a ponytail, dusted on a little powder, and stared at my reflection.“Be kind,” I told myself. “Smile. Don’t trip over your own feet. And for God’s sake, don’t stare at his lips again.”************By the time I got to Saint Mary’s, the courtyard was already buzzing with activity. Tables were being set up under white tents, people carrying boxes of food and supplies, laughter and chatter filling the morning air.It was the church’s annual charity drive… a food and clothing outreach for nearby families.I

MILABy Sunday morning, I’d officially lost it.I stood in front of my mirror, hands on my hips, staring at the disaster of clothes spread across my bed. My room looked like a boutique had exploded. Dresses, skirts, tops… all casualties of my indecisiveness.“This is stupid,” I muttered for the tenth time. “You’re just going to church. Not a date.”But still, I couldn’t decide what to wear.After twenty minutes of pacing and overthinking, I finally settled on a simple white sundress. I slipped on my sandals, brushed my hair into loose waves, and dabbed on a bit of lip gloss. Not too much. Just enough to look… effortlessly pure.I laughed at myself in the mirror. “Kindness, not body, remember?”Still, as I grabbed my small handbag, I checked my reflection one last time. My stomach fluttered.I told myself it was just nerves.It wasn’t.Sandra wasn’t coming with me this time… she’d sent a voice note the night before saying, “You got this, babe. He’s basically yours already.”I’d rolled

MILASandra was standing by the door, pretending to scroll on her phone but very obviously watching me like a hawk. She mouthed, Smile! and did this exaggerated heart gesture that nearly made me burst out laughing.Father Adrian noticed my almost-laugh and tilted his head slightly. “Something funny?”I bit my lip. “Just my friend being… my friend.”“Ah,” he said, eyes flicking briefly in Sandra’s direction before returning to mine. “Good friends are a blessing.”“Sometimes,” I muttered under my breath.He smiled again. “Will I be seeing you around here again, Mila?” he asked casually.My mouth went dry.Was he serious? Was this man of God actually inviting me back?“I… uh… maybe?” I stammered.He nodded lightly. “I hope so.”And just like that, he turned back to greet the next person, leaving me standing there with my brain short-circuiting.Sandra swooped in instantly, looping her arm through mine as we walked out. “Oh. My. God.”“Don’t,” I said quickly.“Oh, I will.” She grinned wic

MILAThe morning sunlight was brutal.Like, really brutal.I groaned, rolling over on my bed, immediately regretting every single shot I’d taken last night. My head pounded, my throat felt dry, and my stomach was threatening to start a protest.The faint smell of jollof and spilled alcohol still lingered in the room. I cracked one eye open and nearly screamed when I saw Sandra sitting cross-legged at the edge of my bed, bright-eyed, fully dressed, and scrolling through her phone like she’d slept eight peaceful hours in heaven.“How are you even alive right now?” I croaked.She looked up, grinning. “Because unlike you, I know how to hold my liquor.”I threw a pillow at her. “Go away.”She caught it easily. “Uh-uh. Get up, sinner. Time to go to church.”I blinked. “What?”Sandra smirked. “Saint Mary’s. Remember the bet?”I buried my face in the pillow. “I hate you so much.”She laughed, standing up and yanking the blanket off me. “Up! Come on. The service starts at ten. You can’t make t

MILA“Naaahhhhh,” I said immediately, waving my hands in the air. “No way. I’m not doing that. You’ve completely lost your mind, Sandra.”Sandra just leaned back on the couch with that smug, infuriating grin of hers, the one that meant she was about to make a deal I couldn’t refuse. “Come on, birthday girl. Where’s your sense of adventure?”“My sense of adventure doesn’t include seducing a priest!” I shot back.Joyce choked on her drink, laughing. “Technically, she said make him fall for you. Not seduce him.”“Same thing!” I argued, pointing at her.Sandra took a slow sip of her drink, eyes glinting. “What if,” she started, dragging out the words like she was baiting me, “I made it worth your while?”I crossed my arms. “Nothing you say can make me…”“If you do it,” she cut in smoothly, “I’ll talk to my dad. He’ll get you a car.”The room went silent.I blinked. “Wait. What?”She smirked. “You heard me. You’ve been taking those long walks from the hostel to campus for way too long. I’l

THE BET — MAKE THE PRIEST FALL FOR YOU.MILAIt was my birthday, and for the first time in a long while, I was really happy.Twenty-five. God, that number felt good.And with just two more months left before I finally finished college, I couldn’t have asked for a better reason to celebrate. Everything I’d worked for- the sleepless nights, the coffee-fueled mornings, the mental breakdowns over assignments- it was all coming together.I smiled to myself as I arranged drinks on the table, humming along to the song playing from my speaker. The room smelled like grilled chicken and spicy jollof, and I couldn’t wait to dig in once my friends got here.“Okay, Mila,” I said under my breath, stepping back to admire my work. “Drinks, food, lights… perfect.”My phone buzzed on the counter. I grabbed it and smiled at the message flashing on the screen.SANDRA: We’re almost there, birthday girl! Get ready to dance till you drop!ME: Hurry up before I eat all the food myself!I laughed quietly afte

LOGANThe sound of the pan sizzled softly as I stirred the soup, the steam rising and filling the room with the scent of herbs and garlic.It wasn’t much… just something warm for her to eat when she woke up.I glanced toward the bed across the room, where Olivia lay under the thick blanket. Her breathing was now steady and calm. Her lips weren’t as pale as they’d been when I found her… but I still couldn’t get the image out of my head.The way I’d found her.Cold and unconscious, with blood on her leg… thrown out like she was nothing.I clenched my jaw, forcing my attention back to the soup. My hands trembled slightly as I stirred.Since the moment she was banished, I hadn’t stopped looking. Not for one damn day. I’d searched every border, every trail, every abandoned cabin I could find.I knew Mia knew where she was… so I cornered her, and she talked.Not willingly, of course.When she finally broke… she whispered the location… I didn’t even wait for the night to end. I shifted befor

RYANThe moment I got back to the house, I gave my first order.“None of you are to open that door tonight,” I said flatly. “If anyone lets Olivia in… you’re fired. On the spot.”The guards exchanged quick, uneasy glances, but no one dared to speak.“She’ll knock,” I continued, adjusting my sleeve. “She’ll cry. She’ll beg. Don’t listen.”I let that sink in, then turned toward the chef standing at the end of the corridor. “I’m hungry. Serve me dinner.”“Yes, sir,” she said quickly, bowing her head before rushing toward the kitchen.I rolled toward the wide window near the living room, the one that overlooked the front porch. The moonlight spilled across the floor, and I smiled faintly as I stared out into the darkness.She’d be there soon.The chef returned a few minutes later, carefully setting a tray of food on the table beside me. “Here you go, sir.” I didn’t even look at her. “You may leave.”She nodded and disappeared.I picked up the fork and took a slow bite.I froze, staring d

OLIVIAI stood there for almost an hour.An hour of pretending I didn’t notice him, pretending the ache in my legs wasn’t killing me, pretending my back didn’t feel like it was about to snap. He didn’t look at me once. Not once.He just sat there, touching Daisy, whispering something into her ear that made her giggle like a damn schoolgirl. His friends laughed along, drinking, flirting, throwing glances at me like I was some kind of entertainment.My eyes stung. I blinked hard, refusing to let a single tear fall. Not here. Not in front of him.Every muscle in my body screamed, but I stayed still. Then Daisy looked up at me. “Hey, bloated girl,” she said sweetly, tilting her glass. “Be useful and serve me.”For a second, I thought I misheard her. But when I saw the way the others smirked, I knew I didn’t.I swallowed the lump in my throat, forcing my feet to move. I reached for the bottle on the table, poured slowly and my trembling hand slipped.The drink splashed across her perfect s

OLIVIAI took a deep breath as I walked down the stairs. I hadn’t been given any footwear, not even slippers. For a moment, I stopped halfway down and stared at my own feet. Was he really planning to make me walk barefoot to wherever he was taking me?I swallowed hard and continued moving. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, the same woman from earlier was standing by the front door. She was holding a black box and that same polite smile was plastered on her face.“This is for you.” she said softly, opening the box.Inside, was a pair of tall black heels.I blinked at them. “No,” I muttered, shaking my head slightly. “Those can’t be for me.”But the woman’s smile didn’t waver. She lifted the heels delicately and held them out toward me. “Sir said you should wear these.”For a second, I wanted to snap, to tell her I wasn’t his doll, his toy, or whatever he thought this was. But then I calmed myself. Getting angry wouldn’t change anything; it would only make things worse. So inste

OLIVIAI wiped the sweat off my forehead with the back of my arm and exhaled, trying to catch my breath. My entire body ached, but I didn’t care, I needed this.I’d been at it for almost forty minutes, pushing myself harder than I probably should, but I refused to stop. “I’m losing this weight,” I muttered, adjusting the treadmill speed. “Even if it kills me.”Intermittent fasting, clean eating, exercise- I'm doing it all. I was tired of feeling sluggish, tired of feeling like I had no control. This was something I could control.The rhythm of my feet hitting the treadmill filled the gym, I’d just started feeling a good burn when I heard a voice from behind me.“Ma’am.”I slowed to a jog, then turned my head slightly. One of the guards stood near the doorway, his head bowed respectfully, hands clasped in front of him.“Hey.” I said, reaching for the towel around my neck.He hesitated for a second, clearly uncomfortable. “Sir asked me to inform you that… you’ll be heading out with him

RYAN The first thing that hit me was the pounding in my head… a sharp, throbbing ache that made me groan aloud. My throat felt dry, my mouth tasted like I’d swallowed sandpaper, and every sound seemed too loud. I blinked a few times, squinting against the morning light that filtered through the curtains. The room slowly came into focus… my room. Wait… my room? I frowned, pushing myself up with one hand and wincing at the sharp pain that shot through my skull. How the hell did I get here? The last thing I remembered was leaving the bar, or at least, trying to. Everything after that was a complete blur. I glanced around. The wheelchair was beside the bed, neatly positioned like someone had pushed it there. My shirt felt loose, the buttons slightly undone, and the faint scent of antiseptic filled the air. That’s when I noticed my hand was neatly bandaged, the gauze wrapped carefully. I stared at it for a second, my brow furrowing. “Who the hell did this?” I leaned forward sligh