Lavender:“Lavender, don’t make a scene out here,” he drove right beside me, rolled down his window, and looked at me.“You told me to fuck off, so please drive home. I can walk back. And it’s you who’s making a scene on a fucking abandoned road,” I said, no longer trying to be timid.Why do women get so happy when a man calls them innocent and sweet?Trust me, I used to feel happy too—until that night.I realized that when a man calls a woman innocent, he means she’s easy to fool. It’s not a compliment. Being a good girl is such a harsh scam. It’s often used for women who get taken advantage of, and my heart ached for them—and for myself.I’d rather be known as a cunning bitch now than be called innocent and sweet.“Lavender, you’re starting to make me angry,” he hissed, and I stopped walking.“Easton! Fuck off,” I bent down to the level of his window and yelled right in his face.The shock on his face was worth it. He could come out and kill me for all I cared. I felt so disgusted b
Lavender:Thankfully, he didn’t make me stay to answer his question.I mean, he didn’t have to. He literally told me he’d question me later.Did he see the whole interaction or just the part where Easton was driving behind me?It was the next day—a new morning, and definitely a new beginning for me.Another person I thought cared about me was gone.I was now completely alone.But I guess there are some perks to being lonely—you can’t get hurt.“You look a little pale.”The nurse, a middle-aged woman with kind green eyes, studied my face while preparing me for the blood transfusion.“That’s just my complexion,” I lied, smiling through tired, empty eyes.Her concern wasn’t wrong—I hadn’t eaten that morning since I had to catch a bus early for college and then head straight here for my appointment.My mom had been blowing up my phone, reminding me not to miss this transfusion.I hadn’t fully healed from my fall and the previous transfusion—but who was going to tell her that?And now that
Lavender:"I'll need a minute to order," I told the waitress walking my way. She nodded and went back behind the counter to chat with another guy in the back. I had finished my twelve-hour nursing shift when I packed my bags to travel to this city. I was always rushing to stay with my mom after enduring my uncle’s cruelty.I had turned nineteen a week ago and had been working nonstop as a nurse since then. They drained me completely in one week, but at least I was able to earn something.My thoughts were briefly interrupted as the door burst open like someone was in an emergency, and a tall man in a black suit and glasses barged in.I shifted in my seat, avoiding direct eye contact.He had a sharp jawline with a bit of a beard and mustache. His high cheekbones were pretty much all I could focus on. He walked ahead and took the seat next to the window across from my table.There was something about his presence that radiated darkness, but I avoided thinking too much about it.I had my
Lavender:“What is wrong with you?” my mother complained once we entered the house, and I closed the door like it was an emergency.I was holding the cake in my hand that I had brought earlier, but the excitement of celebrating my birthday had faded now.“Mom, you need to listen to me.” I couldn’t believe we made it to the house without me telling her about her new husband.I had no clue she was getting married, and I would have been happier had it not been to someone who was a fricking boss’s father.“What is it?” My mom rolled her eyes, putting her purse down. I looked around and saw the mess. There were boxes in every corner and disposable plates and cups lying around.“You should not marry this man.” The minute I pointed at her bag, I watched darkness take over her eyes.She looked angry right from the start.“What did you say? Huh! You want me to live my life without a man? Do I not deserve happiness?” My mother’s tantrum wasn’t new. She would always lose it with me."I'm not say
Lavender:"Oh, that is my umm—daughter. She is Lavender," my mother's smile instantly faded when reminded of my existence. I hated how every time she looked at me, it felt like her soul left her body. I understood her trauma, but I was just caught in the middle. I didn’t want to cause her any more stress.That’s why I stayed with her, even when I wanted to run away, so she could be at peace. But her living conditions didn’t allow me to leave her when she needed me the most.After her mental struggles, my mother wasn’t able to keep a job. My sisters only worked part-time jobs that could barely cover their own expenses.So, I had to step up.From a young age, as early as 15, I’d been doing odd jobs, side gigs, and online freelancing to help my mother live the life she had always dreamed of.I thought it would be enough to make up for my father’s crime against an innocent woman.But today, she let me down. This was too much for me."Lavender, she's the one who doesn’t have a father, righ
Lavender:I had quickly stepped back from him, fixing my posture to show him obedience. "I live with my uncle every few months. It's an agreement between my mom and my uncle."I made up an excuse to leave, rubbing my hands nervously and keeping my eyes down."But you just came back. Your mom told me about the agreement and everything. So don't think I don’t know," he had a strange calmness to his tone—both fake and real at the same time, if that made any sense."Umm! I’ll just go and stay with him a little longer. I don’t think I’ll get the nursing job here anyway," I continued making up another lie. I had already been asked to start working at a private hospital as one of the housing nurses. "You don’t have to worry about that either." He pulled his arms back and clasped his hands behind him, standing tall at 6 feet 3 inches."Please let me go. I swear I won’t tell a soul." That was it—I had to come clean and tell him I was too scared to stay here.He tilted his head, his handsome f
Lavender:Shaking and panting, I forced my body up and stepped out from behind the couch. There was no point in hiding and provoking him.Now that I could see the whole scene before my eyes, I wanted to gag and run out of the room. But I couldn't—he wouldn’t let me.He was sitting on the couch, one arm stretched over the backrest while the other—his bloodied hand—held a cigar.A man was dying before him, yet it didn’t seem to affect him.Nothing did.Not even the fact that his once-white shirt had turned red from the man’s blood.It was clear—he was the reason behind the man's condition."Sit." He moved his outstretched arm to pat the seat beside him.I hesitated before sitting down, keeping a safe distance from him. But the smell of blood mixed with the smoke from his cigar made me nauseous.I was already weak from the blood transfusion, and this sight was only adding to my anxiety."This man tried to run away from me," Nikon said in the calmest, most chilling tone. "See what happene
Lavender:I fell asleep dreaming about the next time I’d exchange emails with Eston–the famous model I had a crush on. They were mostly about work, but sometimes he would flirt a little, and that would be enough for me to have dreams about him for weeks afterward.But then, my dreams were interrupted by the sunlight streaming through the window with no curtains. I covered my eyes and shifted in bed until I realized where I was.I woke up in a bad mood, recalling the events of the night and feeling a deep sense of dread.The bathroom in the attic was smaller than a storage closet, but I liked having a bathroom in my room. There was no warm water in the shower, so I had to dance under the cold water miserably.I had thrifted a black tie-shoulder smock floral white midi dress that fit my body perfectly. It was something I frequently did—visiting a thrift store whenever I saved enough money. I matched it with a black cardigan sweater, a tote bag, and beige suede ankle-strap pumps.I braid
Lavender:Thankfully, he didn’t make me stay to answer his question.I mean, he didn’t have to. He literally told me he’d question me later.Did he see the whole interaction or just the part where Easton was driving behind me?It was the next day—a new morning, and definitely a new beginning for me.Another person I thought cared about me was gone.I was now completely alone.But I guess there are some perks to being lonely—you can’t get hurt.“You look a little pale.”The nurse, a middle-aged woman with kind green eyes, studied my face while preparing me for the blood transfusion.“That’s just my complexion,” I lied, smiling through tired, empty eyes.Her concern wasn’t wrong—I hadn’t eaten that morning since I had to catch a bus early for college and then head straight here for my appointment.My mom had been blowing up my phone, reminding me not to miss this transfusion.I hadn’t fully healed from my fall and the previous transfusion—but who was going to tell her that?And now that
Lavender:“Lavender, don’t make a scene out here,” he drove right beside me, rolled down his window, and looked at me.“You told me to fuck off, so please drive home. I can walk back. And it’s you who’s making a scene on a fucking abandoned road,” I said, no longer trying to be timid.Why do women get so happy when a man calls them innocent and sweet?Trust me, I used to feel happy too—until that night.I realized that when a man calls a woman innocent, he means she’s easy to fool. It’s not a compliment. Being a good girl is such a harsh scam. It’s often used for women who get taken advantage of, and my heart ached for them—and for myself.I’d rather be known as a cunning bitch now than be called innocent and sweet.“Lavender, you’re starting to make me angry,” he hissed, and I stopped walking.“Easton! Fuck off,” I bent down to the level of his window and yelled right in his face.The shock on his face was worth it. He could come out and kill me for all I cared. I felt so disgusted b
Lavender:“We? Talk about yourself. I didn’t do all that with you because I wanted to bond with you. You made a fool out of me,” I began to panic once I realized he had played me.And then my mind went back to what Igor had told me. Did he know his brother would do that to me?“When I asked you about the models, you told me you don’t do all that. Why?” I wanted to grab his collar to make him look at me so badly, but I don’t think I could get that close to him again.“Because that was my personal business which you were trying to poke your nose into. I’m a model turned actor, I don’t go around telling everyone about my life,” he raised his voice. “And stop acting like I took advantage of you. Whatever we did was mutual. It’s not my fault that you caught feelings.”As he kept talking, I’d had enough. I opened the door and stormed out to avoid being scolded by him after getting cheated on.After a few seconds of me crying alone, he came out as well.“Lavender, I meet fans every day. Do y
Lavender:I had come downstairs and sat in the passenger seat of his car, just like he had asked me to, while he was still inside. I was worried someone would see me in his car before he arrived, and it would be another mess.After a while, I watched him come outside in a gray shirt and hop into the driver’s seat.He started the car and drove us to the same abandoned building as before. The minute he parked the car, he unbuckled his seatbelt and then leaned over to do the same for mine.His scent was so strong, his cologne amazing. But I was still reminded of the way he had slept with the other girls the same day.However, once the seatbelt was off, I found him holding my waist to help me out, probably intending for me to sit on his lap.That’s when I realized he was going for a steamy session.“Wait,” I steadily placed my hands on his hands to free my waist. He stopped and set me free, leaning back in his chair, looking so confused as to why I did that.“You gotta tell me what’s goin
Lavender:“You are a fucking liar,” I hissed.I was breathing heavily, losing my mind. My body was shivering so badly that I didn’t know what to do to calm myself down.Reading his text gave me so much anxiety, and instantly, I remembered the words spoken to me by his own brother.Igor!He was right.Easton is a good actor.He had me in the chokehold of his love, and I believed it all.I had my hand on my forehead when I received another text from Easton.E-Tron: Are we meeting today? I’m really excited to see you.I groaned, clenching my fists.My hand flew to my chest as tears started spilling down my face even more. It wasn’t easy at all for me to settle it in my mind that yet another person in my life had played me.E-Tron: What happened? Where did you go? I want to know what time we can meet so I can make reservations for usI was gritting my teeth hard. Reading his text felt like he was reaching through the screen and slapping me hard.I started typing hysterically, writing what
Lavender:I fixed my hair one last time before I was satisfied with how I looked. It was a huge day for me. I was going to meet Easton. I wasn’t sure how he would respond to us being stepsiblings, but I was confident he would find a way to navigate through it—maybe a loophole for his brothers.Honestly, I wasn’t expecting too much from our meet-up when I used to think about it, but now I had a feeling it would escalate to something very intimate. We would be the only ones at the manor, and I was sure he would get closer to me, maybe even too far this time.I smiled at the thought of being under him. His affection would make me feel more alive. But I was a little worried now that I remembered Nikon. Nikon had told me, “One of the rules in the mafia is not to get involved in forbidden love. Never be seen with your friend’s, foe’s, or ally’s spouse or partner. Never catch feelings for someone who is related to you—that includes stepsiblings and a friend’s partner too. And finally, never
Lavender:I instantly deleted the message from both our chats, but his response came as a shock.E-Tron: I read it.I pouted.Levi: No, you didn’t. ;PLevi: If you did, tell me what it was.It was so amazing being playful with him. Our little flirtation would go on for hours usually. There were days when he’d text me nonstop like he was truly interested in me.E-Tron: How about we meet and I say it in your ear? All you have to do is meet me. I’ll knock on the door of your chest, and you’ll ask for the password. I’m sure when I say the right one, you’ll have to let me in.I felt heat rush to my cheeks. Did he really mean it? Was he asking me to meet him?E-Tron: Levi, please don’t hide anymore. I really want to meet you, to see you once.I began to smile ear to ear, hugging my phone. Maybe my life was finally getting better. Even though I had never had anyone love me so dearly, Easton’s love would be enough for me. I’m sure he will compensate for everyone else.Levi: Okay. Tell me when
Nikon:“Did you check your email? I sent you the picture of the man to look out for. He seems to be working with—” I was busy helping Igor learn a little more since he really wanted to be a part of my business but didn’t have any idea where to start.Even when I had given him smaller tasks and he had done them a few times before.“Igor—” The door slammed open, and in came Easton, all teeth bared and eyes glowing with rage. That would be the first time I’ve seen my brother lose his composure.Easton was usually the calm one among us. He was always reasonable and would do things more quietly and steadily.So when he arrived so angrily, I immediately turned my attention to Igor, wondering what he had done this time.“Yo!” Igor smirked, his grin so intimidating. He was leaning back in the chair, one leg over the other.Easton came straight in after he had slammed the door shut hard.“How did you let him do that?” However, he didn’t confront Igor and turned to me, hissing at me.I was caug
Lavender:I came back home happy and all smiles. But my family was waiting on the second floor for me."Where were you? Normani told me you went out with Easton. Why?" My mother had such an angry look on her face that I began to wonder if any excuse I came up with would be enough.It was just that they couldn't stand to see me happy."Umm, he—" I shut up when Normani started touching my hands, trying to check them."What are you doing?" I groaned, slowly pulling away from her."He said he was taking you out to buy books. Where are they?" she asked, her eyes showing how ready she was to lose it."Mom, you know I wanted to go buy some stuff too, but he refused to take me," Normani threw a tantrum, stomping her feet nonstop."Maybe it's not our stepbrother's fault. Maybe Lavender said she wanted to go alone?" As always, Sabrina spoke less but still managed to make my mother even angrier."Did you ask him not to take my daughter along? And where the heck are the books? And why the hell do