Daisy burst into the second living area, a look of concern on her face as she spotted Thea. “Oh my goodness!” She hurried towards Thea, pulling her into a hug. “I’m so glad you're okay!” She muttered, her voice muffled against Thea's shoulder as a sense of relief washed over her in an instant. Thea smiled, leaning in closer to Daisy. “I'm fine.” "I was so worried! You haven't answered your phone, and then those awful articles... I was going crazy!"Thea sighed, she could only imagine how worried Daisy was. “I know. But I feel better now.” She murmured, her voice still a little rough from crying.Her eyes flickered to the entrance where Seth stood in silence, his eyes studying them. With a curt nod, he leaves without saying a word. Daisy finally pulled back, holding Thea at arm's length, her hands gripping Thea's shoulders. Her eyes scanned Thea's face. "Okay? 'okay' doesn't even begin to cover what you've been through! That was horrifying! I saw the video, briefly, before it va
Thea’s eyes opened slowly to the sun that slipped through her curtains, her eyes swollen with tears. The silence in her room was deafening, the only thing she could hear for hours was her own ragged breathing and the distant sound of the bustling city. Her body felt limp on the bed and her head blank as she stared at the wall. She didn’t have the motivation to do anything or talk to anyone.Her life as she knew it was over.It's been two days since the incident and all she could do was stay curled up in her bed, staring into space for hours, crying and then drift right back to sleep.The stares from everyone in school mortified her, haunted her dreams. She couldn’t bring herself to eat anything , her appetite seemed to have vanished with her sense of self worth.A knock comes on her door and Seth walks in with a tray of food, dressed in a random tee-shirt and trousers. He didn’t go to work, he couldn’t, not when he knew Thea was breaking on the inside.Thea's eyes flickered towards h
Seth sighed, his eyes fixed on Thea's face; she was finally asleep, her cheeks still swollen from wailing. It took hours to calm her down but he didn't complain. He sat on the edge of her bed, his eyes scanning her in silence. He watched her, the curve of her cheek, the faint redness around her eyes. He reached out, caressing her face. His thumb brushed against her tear-stained skin. She didn't deserve this. None of it. He wanted to shield her from every harm, to erase the pain he had just witnessed.He exhaled, the most important thing is that she's safe here with him.A knock at the door broke the silence. Butler John entered, slowly. His eyes went over to Thea asleep on her bed and Seth whose gaze was fixed on him."Mr. Seth," Butler John murmured. "Mr. Arian called the house phone. He said it was urgent."Seth's hand stilled on Thea's face, his eyes met John's. He knew why Arian was calling and he's been waiting patiently for his call. He looked at Thea, then back at John."Kee
Four hours agoSeth sat at his desk, surrounded by multiple screens displaying financial data. To anyone looking from the outside, he looked focused. His brows furrowed and his finger scrolled after a few minutes of reading.Who was he kidding? He leaned back on his seat, baffled by how easy it was for him to lose concentration on something so minimal like almost kissing Thea yesterday.He rubbed his hands over his face, his reading glasses discarded on the table. Hell, that was the first thing that came to mind when he woke up earlier that morning! What is going on with him?! A notification flashed on a secondary screen: a message from Arian. His eyes went to the screen: he rarely received personal messages during work hours, especially from Arian. It had to be important, Seth thought or else, he's going to rip him to shreds if it wasn't a life or death situation.He clicked it open. It was a link, accompanied by a single text.‘Have you seen this?’Seth leans forw
The sun felt sharp against Thea's eyes as she walked across the Zean business school campus. She was heading towards her first class, her mind still replaying the near-kiss with Seth in her room.This morning had been nothing short of awkward. They were at the dining area at the same time and neither of them could look at the other. Seth had left in a hurry, claiming he had a meeting.Something tells her he didn't have any meetings but how could she know for sure?As Thea got closer to the main building, she noticed a few students staring at her and laughing. She sighed, she knew exactly what they were thinking.The cheating Balmero Daughter. She was starting to get used to the accusatory glances she received every now and then. She ignored them but it seemed persistent.Some students stood in small groups, their heads bent over their phones. Then, one by one, they looked up. Their eyes wide and filled with shock, flickered from their screens to Thea. A few gasped. Others quickly av
Thea flipped through another page of her notes, eyes reading through each line in silence.School has been going well and Chloe alongside her minions didn't seem to bother her anymore. Or she chose to ignore their existence and that seemed to grind their gears. She didn't care. She got back from class a few hours ago and she decided to do a little bit of studying before dinner but her eyes refused to cooperate no further.She sighed, rubbing her temples. She needed a break. She stood and stretched, walking toward the large glass wall of her suite that overlooked the patio and the penthouse pool.Her breath caught as she looked down. Seth was in the pool.He was swimming laps, his strokes were ridiculously smooth. Thea could mistake him for a pro swimmer with how easy he made it look. The sunlight caught the water droplets on his skin as he broke the surface. The setting sun danced on his skin as droplets fell from his hair. A gold chain, one he's always had on, stuck to his skin li