Say you're mine

Part one: A New BeginningChapter 1You’re late. If you wish to take up the offer, you better be on time next time.The tone in which she spoke left little room for interpretation. Straight backed in her seat at the large desk before me, her eyes were focused on me, piercing right through me with an intensity that made me involuntarily sit up straighter.“It… It was an accident,” I managed. Guilt pressed upon me like a weight in my chest, dragging down any sense of confidence I may have once felt as I entered her office.“Sit down,” she instructed.She pointed towards the other side of her desk without tearing her gaze away from mine. Hastily, I obliged, sinking into the chair and smoothing my dress down over my thighs. They were exposed too much for my comfort, and I shifted uncomfortably in the seat while my hands did the same.She said nothing as she took a file off of her desk and started flipping through it.You attended the GlimmerWeave Institute of design?“Yes,”Her eyebrows r

“We aren’t going to have this discussion.”I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. The words seemed to come out of nowhere, and for a moment, even I was taken by surprise. Lyra stopped in her tracks, a mixture of pain or perhaps just quietness on her face rather than the defiance she had shown before.“Lyra,” I added, doing my best to make my voice less harsh while trying to hold back all the emotion behind those two words. “Get your shoes. They are in the lower closet.”I motioned to the closet, not sure what to say to further complicate the situation.There was no response from her other than turning away from me and walking right past me as if trying to make me feel her disappointment.A deep sigh escaped my mouth. I hadn’t even realized that I had been holding my breath.It had been six years since everything had fallen to pieces.Six years since Dad died and Julia my supposedly loving mother left us because we weren’t good enough for her anymore.Up to the present day, whenever

“Ma’am, we’ve arrived.”The voice of the taxi driver snapped me back to my senses. I blinked in surprise when I realized that I had been staring at the scenery outside the car without even looking properly at it for the last several minutes.I turned my head to look out the window.For just a second, I stood there.Reaching into my purse, I took my phone from it to verify the address again. I went from the screen of the device to the building ahead.It was the correct place. But something didn’t seem quite right about it.Swallowing thickly, I opened my wallet, taking some money from it to give the driver. “Thank you,” I murmured softly.He gave a nod and accepted the payment. In mere seconds, the taxi was gone, dropping me off on the pavement.Completely on my own now, I turned to look at the entrance.This is how it should be called, an entrance.And elegant in the most deliberate of ways. Behind that entrance… was a palace.Not even a house.As I grabbed the handle of my suitcase,

Morning came way too fast after that disaster of a pool incident—one that just wouldn’t leave my head, no matter how hard I tried to push it away. Every time I closed my eyes, there he was: Mr Valois stepping out of the water, droplets sliding down his chest, that sinful blue boxer clinging to him like it had absolutely no respect for my sanity.God. What is wrong with me?I groaned and buried my face in the pillow before dragging myself up. My whole body still felt the sting of last night’s embarrassment. His voice replayed in my ears. That stupid deep voice.What pissed me off was how calm he sounded while I stood there, practically dying from humiliation. I pressed my palms against my face. “Get it together,” I muttered, then threw off the blanket and climbed out of bed.After showering and getting dressed, the mansion felt unusually quiet when I stepped out. The faint smell of coffee drifted through the hallway, pulling me downstairs toward the kitchen, where Evelyn was already bu