Artemis White. A 16-year-old beauty with too many secrets. In her daily life, she goes by the name of Arte Jones so that she can keep those secrets buried. She seems normal, happy, bubbly and head over heels for her boyfriend Cole Bianchi. What happens when everything isn't what it seems? What happens when she tries to grit her teeth and bear it? Will this secret diamond become damaged and flawed from the constant incoming impacts? Or will the pressure mould her into something new? Something...Better.
Lihat lebih banyakDiana White's POV
I hummed gently as my expensive red-bottom heels clicked against the marble floors of my home. Perhaps it was the fact I was humming that made my staff nervous, or maybe it was just my presence in general. I tended to do that - Put fear into people without lifting a finger. But for now, I was on a mission. A mission to convince my youngest daughter of what awaits her in her future...
Arriving at the backyard, she was the first thing I saw, and my oh my, was she a vision. Call me biased, but my children were heartthrobs—show-stoppers. No one could hold a candle to these children; they all knew it—all but Artemis. There she was, lounging on a chair under the sun next to the pool. Her straight, silky, raven locks flowed beautifully over the back of the lounger, pooling onto the floor. She was wearing a red bikini that contrasted something divine against that pale, milky skin of hers. Her eyes were closed in content as she patiently waited for the sun to do something...Anything! to that gorgeously toned body of hers that screamed 'I work out!'
I quickly rushed over, kicking my red bottoms off and falling to my knees beside the lounger. She sighed, exasperated. No doubt knowing what was coming next. "Arte, darling! Please, won't you just take up your mantle yet? Mummy is begging you!" I whined, grabbing her hand. What? We're all fools wrapped around this girl's pinky. We have been since she was a child.
"Mother...Have you not embarrassed yourself enough? Why are you kneeling again? Honestly, someone of your stature should know better..." She hissed at me, scolding me as per usual. Truth be told, she was wise beyond her years. Ridiculously mature for a girl of just 16. I suppose that's what happens when your brother has been in a coma since age eight due to head trauma and poisoning. My poor boy...We still hold out hope. Our youngest Princess watched us fall apart and instead of falling with us, took it upon herself to pick up our pieces and put us back together. She's our glue.
"Darling, Mummy will get on her knees on a live broadcast for you! Please, at least consider it, I've been begging for weeks now. The families are getting impatient!" I pleaded with her, gently placing her palm against my cheek as I gave her my award-winning doe eyes. She opened one of her eyes to peer at me, and my breath hitched in my throat as it always did. Imagine seeing those eyes for the first time after she was born...Magical, captivating, divine. One baby blue eye and one golden eye. She was the only one of my four children to have heterochromia.
"Alright, alright. Just...You know I haven't told Cole about my identity yet. He still thinks we're a middle-class family of six, and I'd like to tell him the truth at the end of my week, after all of my competitions are done," she said with a small pout on those beautiful, full lips of hers, and I almost fainted! Thank you, mother and father, for being divine entities who gave our family such gorgeous genetics. "Of course, my darling Princess. I'll set up a banquet and invite the whole family! Then, if he feels inadequate, your father and I will give him some company shares to raise his status, how about that?" I asked with a gleam in my eye. No one would ever be good enough for her, but she had her heart set on Cole. They'd been dating for two years already, almost three. No wonder she wants to spill the beans, per se, at the end of the week on their anniversary.
I shot up to my feet with a beaming smile, "Maria! Come quickly, we need to prepare for a lavish banquet. Contact my husband and tell him the good news - Our Princess is going to consider my request!" I squealed in delight as Maria, our longest-serving staff member and practically family member, came over with a chuckle. "That's fantastic news, Madam. I'll go and contact Master right away," she scurried off, an obvious pep in her step. No doubt she would be excited too - Artemis, finally claiming one of her birthrights.
"Darling, I'm going to go and prepare invitations and a theme right away. You have a fencing lesson in an hour, please don't be late!" I said, quickly rushing off to my home office. I absolutely could not be happier right now. Arte deserved everything handed to her on a diamond platter after all the work she has put in for our family over the years.
I sat at my desk and opened up my laptop to browse some inspiration for invitations when there was a knock at my door. "Come innnn~!" I practically sang out. Miguel, my left-hand man for many years, was obviously startled by my chipper attitude. His face said it all. "Something good happen, boss?" He asked, and I nodded immediately. "Arte finally agreed to think about my proposition!" His eyebrows shot up in surprise "The little Princess really said that? But you've been trying to get her to take over since she was nine...Maybe it's your persistence in the last few weeks that made her change her mind?" He contemplated my youngest daughter's sudden change. I couldn't care less, I was just happy she was coming around. I could finally let her in on the family secrets!
"Unfortunately...I'm going to have to ruin your good mood," Miguel said with a sigh, acting a little shifty. I squinted at him, my smile falling off my face slowly. "Miguel...Don't fucking ruin this for me. What could possibly be so important right now that you feel the need to sour my happiness?" I scowled. Miguel came closer at his own risk and whispered in my ear. Immediately, my throat became like sandpaper, and every time I swallowed, it was as if my saliva was a ball of cotton, getting trapped in my throat. "Shit! Not a moment's fucking peace around here!" I stood quickly, briskly walking out of my office and toward the exit of my luxurious Castle fit for the Queen I am. Staff avoided me as if their lives depended on it, and I knew it was because my face looked like it had been struck by lightning. Each step I took, which was barefoot, mind you, was thunderous with rage.
Artemis White's POVMy mind had been scrambled, focused on the upcoming event. I'd requested that all children under the age of seven be prohibited from entering the event for safety reasons. It was a reasonable request, one that Ayame was happy to fulfil. RSVP's had flooded my mother's office - responses from both her own contacts and allies, as well as Ayame's, father's, Heli and Khi's contacts and allies. People from all over would be attending, each from a different field, but with aligned goals and motivations. Some were plain as day - They wanted to catch a glimpse of the next heiress. Others, I was warned to keep an eye on. Not everyone attending was an ally, but not all non-allies were a threat. Most attendees held a neutral stance and were primarily interested in joining due to personal friendships. But just yesterday, Ayame pulled me aside to warn me. "Arte. The Voss family will be in attendance," she had said. I'd heard of them before - arms dealers. They purchased and s
Third Person POVArte blinked at the door. She took in the appearance of their in-laws and then slowly looked at Malik with a confused expression. She leaned in and whispered, "I feel like you've deceived me, brother", she said with a sceptical tone. Malik tilted his head at her with a grin "Whatever do you mean, sister?" He knew exactly what she meant. "The way you spoke, I thought your mother would be a little old lady! Your parents don't look a day over thirty, you liar!" She whisper-yelled at him. Malik turned his face away, very obviously trying to hide his laughter. His muscular shoulders were shaking, giving it all away. Arte playfully slapped his chest with a huff "What a shock!" It was true. Seeing Malik's family caused her the shock of a lifetime. She imagined them to be a little elderly couple with a whole litter of kids and cute little farm outfits and maybe a straw hat or two. The month-long image she'd conjured in her head was shattered with one mere glance. Malik's
Artemis White's POV A month had passed in a flash. The manor had become so loud, so populated - More than it ever had been. And yet, my head seemed much louder. Since I was forced into a simulation where the people I cared for had died, I tried my best to bury the memories. But it's hard to forget watching people you've become close to choke on their own blood and then die or get crushed under a roof before you even have the chance to save them. For the first two weeks after the incident, I did no physical training at all. The only thing that I did was medical training with Theo and Emma. Restricting my focus to their lessons and being guided by them really helped me mentally. I still fumbled occasionally, but I was now much more confident. After the two weeks, I slowly started to ease back into the lessons with my other instructors. My schedule had become busy again, and Malik had taken on the task of my meals instead of Ayame. They were less restrictive, I could pick and choose wh
Third-person POVA storm of darkness raged in anger, swirling and destroying everything around Artemis. She sat peacefully in the centre of that dark storm, eyes heavy. The screen showed them slowly closing, Artemis leaning more and more to the side, until she finally dropped with a thump that made even Ayame flinch. The screen was black, and only the sound of Arte's ragged breaths came through the monitor. All of a sudden, the lights in the facility began to dim and flicker. Ayame's breath caught in her throat as she watched a figure claw her way out of Arte's shadow. Right in front of them. In the real world. She was tall. Beautiful. Inky black hair pooled in a perfectly straight blanket down her back, stopping at her waist. Her eyes were pitch black, completely. Her skin was pale, almost translucent under the sterile lights. She wore the shadows like a dress, barefoot. A crown of void and silver veins sat atop her head. "Tempest..." Ayame whispered. "She's a Spirit Queen..." Th
Third Person POVArtemis paused at the threshold of the 'comm-lab' - A room that originally looked like a high-end security room and now looked even more high-end, techy and secure, blinking as banks of consoles and tangled cables sprawled before her. She’d spent years burrowing through encrypted networks and dismantling firewalls in midnight raids on corporate servers, assisting the military with her hacking skills, but field communications were a different beast. Captain Mara Quinn - Signal - turned from a holo-terminal, braid swinging over her shoulder like an antenna. She offered Artemis a half-smile. “You know your way around code, White. But this” - she held up a handheld scrambler - “is hardware. We’ll start with the basics.” Artemis was slightly taken aback by the change in Mara's personality. She was usually so kind and graceful. Now she just seemed cold and detached. Nonetheless, she accepted the device, running a fingertip over its matte surface and tiny LED screen. Un
Artemis White's POV"Today, we start from zero", Herrington said. He removed his jacket, revealing a short-sleeved shirt and arms covered in faded campaign tattoos. His skin was a story of every time he was deployed. Every battle, every comrade gained and lost. I could feel admiration and respect welling within me, more than I already had for him. "We build the body before we teach it how to fight", he explained. I listened carefully, nodding when he looked at me with eyes that asked if I was listening. "I need to know what you're capable of already. At your core," he said, pulling a chalk from his pocket and drawing a table on a chalkboard that sat on the wall. I'd never seen it before, so it must have been something Herrington brought in. In each row were 'speed', 'strength' and 'stamina'. It seemed as though he was going to grade my basic abilities first, before deciding on his method of building my body. "Let's warm up. Copy me," he said, placing the chalk down.For three minute
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