LOGINMELANIE“Hey, where are you taking her?” Derek tried to step in as Eva dragged me out of the classroom, but she wasn’t having it. “It’s an emergency, Derek.” She gave him a sharp look, and he stepped aside, letting her pull me away.“What the hell, Eva?” I yanked my arm free from her grip. Her nails had left marks on my skin. I rubbed the sore spot while glaring at her. We were now standing in the busy hallway surrounded by other students.“What’s going on?” I asked, frowning at how panicked she looked. Then it hit me. My eyes widened, and I stepped closer. “Are you in danger? Is Silvio threatening you?”She stared at me like I had lost my mind. “Come on, it’s more serious than that.” She reached for my wrist again, but her grip was gentler this time.I let her pull me along, but my mind was racing. What could be more serious than threats? Had he tried to kidnap her? Or hurt her and she barely got away?“Mel, I know your brain is making up some really crazy shit right now,” she said,
MELANIEI sat in the middle of class. I was physically present, but my mind was miles away, still inside the car with Reynold the night before when he mentioned helping me find my mom.It had always crossed my mind for years. In fact, I started searching when I turned eighteen. I spent months looking online, calling numbers, checking old records. But without any solid lead on where she might be, it felt like I was just turning in circles. After almost a year of dead ends and disappointment, I gave up.Now Reynold had brought that hope back, and it scared me. Hope had a way of hurting you when things didn’t work out.“Miss Wealth?”I refused to let myself get excited just to be let down again. I would let him try if he wanted, but I wasn’t going to pin my hopes on it. Which I already knew would be impossible—“Miss Wealth?”Someone shoved my shoulder. I glanced angrily at Rebecca, who sat next to me. She nudged me again and pointed to the front of the room. I looked up to see my profes
GAVINThe next morning, I was still replaying everything Silvio had said. My head was a mess. I hadn’t slept much, and the little sleep I did get was filled with nightmares of Melanie walking away from me forever.I pulled out of my driveway and headed toward the office. Joe was already waiting at our usual spot. He slid into the passenger seat with his usual grin, the strong smell of his black coffee filling the car.“Morning, boss. You look like shit. Rough night?”“You have no idea,” I muttered, pulling back onto the road. I didn’t tell him about meeting Silvio. He would lose his mind if he knew I had gone alone. Joe was always the cautious one, and I was running on pure desperation right now.We drove in comfortable silence for a few minutes. The low hum of the engine and the occasional honk from other cars filled the car before Joe started updating me on the latest from the Director. But I was only half listening; my mind was still stuck on Melanie’s face when she walked out of m
MELANIEAfter Cassandra threatened me, she stormed off, rolling her suitcase behind her. The sound of her heels clicking angrily against the floor echoed through the hallway like she was trying to make sure everyone heard how pissed she was.I shook my head at her retreating figure. I wasn’t even going to waste energy thinking about her weak threats. What could she possibly do to me? She was all bark and no bite.I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth and headed downstairs to meet Reynold. My father had basically forced me to go out with him. I would have much rather stayed in bed, stuffed myself with sweets, cried, and watched Pretty Woman for the hundredth time. But I never seemed to get what I wanted lately.When I reached the bottom of the stairs, Reynold and my father were laughing and talking like old buddies who hadn’t seen each other in years. The sight irked me. I felt like puking, but I hadn’t eaten anything all day, so there was nothing to throw up.“Melanie,” Rey
MELANIEMy father opened his mouth to respond when the front door suddenly opened, and Reynold walked in. He stopped in the doorway, his hand still on the knob, and stared at the scene in front of him. I was still sitting on the floor, my hair a mess, my clothes rumpled, looking like I had just finished a wrestling match, which, in a way, I had.“Uhm… I’m sorry to intrude,” he said slowly, like he was debating whether to turn around and leave. His eyes darted from me to my father to Cassandra, who was still coughing dramatically.“Reynold,” Dalton beamed, his voice shifting into that smooth politician tone I hated so much. “You aren’t intruding. In fact, you came at the perfect time.” He glanced at me, and I narrowed my eyes at him. What game was he playing now? “I think you should take Melanie out. She needs to cool down.”Reynold’s gaze landed on me again. He rushed to my side as I pushed myself to my feet, brushing dust off my clothes.“I don’t need to go anywhere to cool down,” I
GAVINSilvio’s eyes narrowed dangerously. His hands flexed at his sides, muscles corded with tension. “You have her phone? How the fuck do you have it?”“That doesn’t matter,” I said quickly.“No,” he paused, his brows furrowed like he was spinning the thoughts in his head. “It matters.” He took a step closer, his face so close and so familiar. I had to physically stop myself from grabbing him into a hug. “Why do you have Melanie’s phone?” he repeated, but this time it felt like he was asking himself rather than me. “At this time of the night? Unless…” The frown deepened, then his eyes widened as if he had just realized the truth. “Are you sleeping with her?”Fuck. He was too sharp.I forced a cold, dismissive scoff to my lips, trying to sound casual, praying the residual fog from Cassandra's drug wouldn't give away my panic. “Don’t be ridiculous. She was at my place with her father earlier and forgot it on the table.”He didn’t look convinced. I know my excuse was really weak, but t
MELANIEThe front door closed behind me with a soft thud that made me jump.God, why was it so quiet? My boot heels clicked too loudly on the marble floor as I stepped deeper into the living room. The warning bells in my head were loud now, the same sick little thrill I always got right before doi
MELANIEGavin had me pinned against the cold locker room wall, his big, calloused hand shoved up under my pink skirt, thick fingers shifting my panties, spreading my soaked folds.“Fuck, you’re dripping for me, Mel,” he growled in that deep, sexy voice, his light stubble scraping my neck as he thru
GAVINThe talk with Cassandra had gone to hell.I can't tell when we lost the ability to sit down and have adult conversations. There used to be a time when we could be cordial, even loving. Now every conversation felt like walking through a battlefield. And I knew exactly when it all changed.The
MELANIE“You…” My voice cracked, but I forced it to remain steady as I lifted the journal. “You had this the whole time? You’ve been reading my most private, pathetic thoughts about you for years?”Gavin swallowed hard. His jaw clenched tight. Those hazel eyes I used to get lost in were now dark wi







