Novel-novel oleh chriswrites

MaliaHis text seemed to call out to me.My thumb hovered over the screen. I should have just ignored him and should’ve tossed my phone across the room and buried myself in assignments or music or literally anything else that doesn't include continuing the conversation.But my pulse began to race with anticipation, with Maverick, you could never be certain. Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit video call.The ringing barely lasted two seconds before his face filled the screen. Maverick was sprawled across his bed, shirtless just like in the photo he had sent and on his face was a lazy and satisfied grin, like he knew he’d already won.“Finally,” he drawled. “Took you long enough.”I swallowed hard and tried to mask my nerves with annoyance. “You’re ridiculous.”“Yeah? Then why’d you call?” His eyes gleamed, shifting as he angled his phone lower. He stretched and I saw his muscles ripple, he made a show of settling back into his pillow.I rolled onto my side, clutching the phone

Later that day, as per our new routine, I waited for Maverick by his car for him to take me home.The ride home was quiet and not in a peaceful way, it was undeniably heavy with the things neither of us wanted to admit out loud. Thankfully the hum of the engine filled the silence while I diligently scrolled through my phone, pretending to be invested in posts I wasn’t even seeing.From the corner of my eye, I could see him watching me intently. I could tell before he even opened his mouth that he had come up with something to say.“All day, I’ve been thinking about how funny some things are.” Maverick said in a voice edged with a familiar tease. “Rumors have a way of being right sometimes.”Heat flooded my cheeks and before I could stop it, the words were out of my mouth. “You’re insufferable.”His grin widened. “And yet…” his eyes flicked to my face, catching the way I was biting down on my lip, “…you can’t even deny it without blushing.”I groaned and sank lower into my seat, glari

Malia The smell of grease and overcooked fries from ether cafeteria amped up my discomfort, I felt like I was walking into a boxing arena ready to take hits. I could feel the looks before they landed, hear the hushed whispers before they were spoken, my skin buzzed with negative anticipation, today was going to be the same as yesterday, if not worse. As I walked into the cafeteria, tray in hand, I could feel like somehow things had quelled down. Had someone else become trending news? Some sort of relief flowed through me. I clutched my tray tighter, bracing myself as I scanned the room. It didn’t take long to figure out why things had changed. Venessa. She sat on top of one of the long tables, With her legs crossed and her glossy hair catching the fluorescent light. Around her, her group leaned in, hanging on to her every word like she was performing. Which, knowing Vanessa, she absolutely was. Her voice carried, loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. “Oh my God, can we

Malia The silence in my room felt heavy. Dinner was over but the weight of it hadn’t left me. I could still feel the ghost of Maverick’s hand against my knee under the table, a touch no one else had noticed. Now he leaned against my wall, arms crossed over his chest, eyes pinned on the floor instead of me. His shirt stretched tight across his shoulders, and the chain at his neck reflected the dim lamplight. He looked untouchable, like he wanted to stay that way. I sat on the edge of my bed, pretending to adjust the hem of my dress, but really I was trying to figure out how to breathe in a room that seemed too full of him. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and full of warming. “Don’t look at me like that. I don’t need pity.” My chest squeezed, what I felt for him wasn’t pity, it wasn’t not even close. What I felt for him had weight and the kind of ache that came from watching him act like nothing touched him when I knew deep down everything did. “It’s not pity,” I counte

Malia Before the dinner, I had been pacing around my room since I returned from school. My stomach tangled in knots after everything that had during the day. Ethan’s careful voice still rang in my ears, his eyes sharper than usual when he asked me about the rumor, and I had pretended like it rolled off me. Pretended like Maverick’s stare in the cafeteria hadn’t burned me through and through and like I wasn’t still restless, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I leaned over the mirror, fixing my hair for no real reason. My reflection looked flushed and uncertain. I tugged the hem of my dress straight, smoothing the fabric against my thighs as if that would settle me. I knew dinner downstairs would be nothing more than my mom talking too much, Maverick brooding in silence, and his father pretending to play the part of a man who cared but still, my pulse picked up. Maverick would be there and my body couldn’t wait. Mums voice rang out from downstairs. “Malia! Dinner!”

Maverick By the next morning, the rumor had teeth. Before I even got to my locker, I could feel the stares on me. They were staring for longer than they usually did, and then pretended not to, then leaned close to themselves to whisper. I knew exactly whose name was in their mouths, and it made my blood run hot. Then I saw Nancy walking like she was proud of herself, all sway and lip gloss, eating up the attention. I didn’t hesitate. I fell in step a few paces behind, silently and steady. She didn’t notice of course, why would she? She was too busy smiling at the mess she’d made. She pushed through the back doors, sunlight hitting her hair just right, like the world had staged it for her. Out on the field, it was quieter and we were without any audience. That was when I called her name. “Nessa.” She turned around and looked at me with her stupidly fake smile. “Maverick,” she said, like she’d been expecting me. I closed the distance, and the smile slid off her face

ZACK POV Noticing the empty office of the active admins, I knew something was wrong. From inception, before I was brought on board in this company, a record was shown that Kayla is one of the active admins so far. I immediately reached out to my phone and dialed Kayla. After a try, her phone was switched off. Having a dead battery, especially for someone like her, is just weird. Since my father was present at his table, I called him and he responded after a few seconds. "Hello, Dad", I opened the conversation after he responded from the other end. "Zack, what's the issue over there?" "I didn't see you or Kayla in the office. I The thing I wanted to submit the report meant for my department, I explained as he was still from the other side. I heard sobs from the other end, which made me alert that something had gone wrong. "I just heard sobs in the background. What's going on, Dad?" My curiosity kicked in and was at its peak at that moment. A brief hesitation was between us, which

KAYLA POV I tried to blink severally times to ensure it was a nightmare, but reality hit me hard. I was in the lion's den, and the hungry lion was trying to be nice with his prey. The room was just basic but had electricity and basic furniture for a bedroom. Checking around, I discovered that electronic gadgets or devices were nowhere near that room. As I was looking around, my stomach rumbled loudly, which I need to I'll take a choice. Before now, I told myself that I wouldn't partake in this meal they brought. But this stomach rumbling made me reconsider my stance as I knew I had to do something sooner or later. Moving close to the table, the pizza box was still untouched. After a moment of hesitation, I opened the pizza box to reveal mouthwatering pizza before me. My stomach rumbled even louder and violently at the sight of the pizza. At a rough instinct, I took a bite and in seconds I tore down every slice and gulped down the can of soda. I didn't realize that I was too hu

KAYLA POVI was left alone in that damn room for some hours. At one point, I felt frustrated and tensed up for different reasons. First, being in this damn room instead of my office, which happens to be my second home. Also, the attitude and character of these people pisses me off. My perfectly arranged clothing has become twisted because of the tension of this human trap. To worsen my mood, my physical body couldn't take it as it was approaching a dead end. The ropes were knotted so hard that I barely felt my hands due to the pressure of the knot. There were instances I tried to break down from the knot, but it made my situation worse. This situation can cause a breakdown for me, but I had to endure. While contemplating, 2 of the abductors came into the room and stared blankly at me. I expected them to say something, but they were silent for reasons that I can't explain."Please, I need water", I struggled to let out a voice that they heard. Luckily for me, one of them disappeared

LUCAS POV My mind was just as confused as my face due to this situation. Kayla being kidnapped was the thing I least expected since she doesn't have much life outside of her office life and family life. Currently, I'm left to comfort the sad mother of a daughter who happens to be my wife. She was sobbing, but I told her to calm down. While thinking of a way forward, I took out my phone and dialed Kayla's number. It rang, but no response was heard. After the ringing session ended, I called again, but no response. This situation made me more furious than I nearly burst into flame with anger. At my third attempt, the phone wasn't connecting. From my instincts, I knew the phone had been shut down by these perpetrators. Naomi, who was paying keen attention, dropped her face to her knees. I had to move closer and pat her back continually. My mind was just down and flooded with intense fury. At an instinctive move, I helped carry her face from her knees. "You know they'll call again dema

LUCAS POVThe air became lovely all of a sudden as I gained consciousness to the new day. Remembering yesterday's events at dinner remains my motivation for the day. Personally, I didn't expect the return of my family. I guess all thanks goes to Kayla for comforting me and guiding me through each step.With that, I stood up and had my personal daily routine. After my routine, I prepared to move to the office. Exiting my lounge, Zack was still preparing , and I had no time to waste since there were important documents to sign today. I called Raymond, who organized everything concerning transport.Moving out of the mansion, he was waiting beside the Lamborghini Urus. Personally, I wanted a Range Rover, but I'm open to adjustments as taught by Kayla."Good morning, Sir, " Raymond said as he bowed while I moved closer to him. I nodded in acknowledgment as he opened the door while I entered the car. In an instant , the journey began as the car left my mansion heading to the office."Raymon

KAYLA POVThe disgusting looks on their face were what I couldn't tolerate. After asking my question, which came out of frustration, they still looked at me indifferently and were silent. At this point, I felt like pouncing on them for several reasons. For me, I couldn't believe this was a kidnapping because no lethal forces were used, as I knew in the regular cases. Their mode of operation was a mysterious one that I couldn't understand. From a regular cab driver to bringing me into this damn room. My patience was on the verge of running out at this moment. "What's really going on? Why are you not saying anything? Can I return to my normal life in peace? Can I just....", I yelled these questions till I was interrupted by one of those men in the room. "Shut the fuck up, I'm trying to think here", a guy from that group yelled too, as my questions were cut short by him. "And what if I don't shut up? What are you niggas gonna do?" I asked him with an air of arrogance and deviance run