“Grandpa, Callie, you are here,” Sterling's voice took our attention away from the paintings and we both turned around. Sterling was standing at the door post, a slightly worried expression marring his face. “Yes, son. What is wrong?” the older man asked, noticing the look on him. “You don't look good.”“We have a problem,” he deadpanned. “Problem? What problem?” the old man asked. “There is a heavy rainstorm all over town now. All roads are blocked. What are we going to do?” he gazed at me. “That's right. I didn't tell my parents that I won't be returning home.”“It's…”“You can just call them,” Grandma Ellen's familiar voice came from behind Sterling and then she appeared beside them. “I can't let my grandson drive back to town in this kind of weather.”“My wife is right. You should sleep over,” Grandpa Chris agreed with his wife. Sterling and I exchanged a look. He kept quiet, so angrily, I tore my gaze away. “There is enough room for the two of you.”“You can both take the
“You think I want to be with you too.”His statement felt like a slap to my face. Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotions as his words hit my ears. I must say that his statement did touch a nerve. I don't know why, but it hurt like hell. I felt tears pooled at the back of my eyes. His statement just confirmed my thoughts about the conversation which I overheard him having with his grandmother. Sterling continued, oblivious to my feelings. “I don't want to be here either. I hate that I had to lie to my grandparents. I hate the fact that I yelled at my grandmother just because of you. You mean nothing to me and you seem to be forgetting that. So you better watch what you say and stop acting up,” he warned. He seems mad. His jaw was clenched tightly and his brows furrowed deeply in the middle in exasperation. “I am acting up?” I asked as tears threatened to fall from my eyes. But I fought the urge to do so. “You think I am acting up.”“Then explain all this?” he said, gesturing with hi
I snuck back into my room after climbing through the attic window, feeling dejected. I yanked the dark hoodie off my head, allowing my dark trellises to fall to my shoulders, and I sat on my bed, holding the fragments of my precious artwork against my chest. I pushed back angry tears, hating the fact that my emotions were all over the place. Get a grip, Calliope! I chided myself. Tonight had turned out horrible. My plan had failed woefully. Why did I have to be such a klutz?I had been sure my collection of precious paintings and abstract sketches would grab people's attention right from the entrance, making them spellbound. I had even estimated the amount of cool cash I would earn in exchange for my masterpiece which had cost me grueling hours of secrecy. But no, things just had to go downhill. At least, I was lucky the guards didn't kick me out. I had a sinking feeling that handsome man had settled them, because how else would I not have paid for damages?Everything from a few
Through the corner of my eyes, I noticed Erica hiding in a corner. She was grinning mischievously. She winked and signaled for me not to blow her cover. I ignored her. I was sure whatever this was, smart Erica already had prior knowledge about it. My stepmom sat like a rigid statue next to my dad, looking very displeased. This was not good. The visitors in this setting looked so out of place. They both reeked of insane wealth. The older one was probablythe guy's father as I could tell from the graying hair and the resemblance they shared. The hot guy was still wearing his three-piece dark Armani suit and a Rolex watch. He had no expression on his face. Was my cover blown?"Sit, my dear," Dad weakly said.I gulped internally and prayed to all the gods of the universe that I was not going to be grounded for eternity for defying my father's strict orders. My father, Mr Bennett Montague, was very principled but was now defeated. Ever since my mom passed a few years ago in the sam
I threw a couple of pebbles at Dianne's room window. No response. Shoot, I should have brought my phone.What would I do if she didn't open up for me? My thoughts immediately went to Kyle—I could crash at his place... I shook off the thought as fast as it had come. Kyle had a very huge crush on me. Once upon a time, I too thought he was cute. We dated for a short while before realizing we were better off in our separate ways. Something nasty happened between us that I still can't comprehend. I suspected that Kyle had a mental condition but he was so good at masking it that I concluded I was just being paranoid. It would be awkward to spend the night at his place. I was so engrossed in my miserable thoughts that I didn't notice when Dianne's window opened. The next pebble I absent-mindedly threw hit her straight in the face. "Ouch!" she yelped. "Oops, I'm sorry.""Geez, get your butt in here," she said, beckoning at me. Without further ado, I made my way into her room via her
I ambled out of my room and went past my stepsister's room. My mood was still sour and Erica wasn't at fault for all that was happening. When I reached the front porch, I met my father, as expected. He had a worried expression on his face and didn't notice when I came in. I felt a wave of compassion come over me as I looked at his weary form. What if this whole arrangement was because my dad was blackmailed by his supposed friend? I knew my Dad had been defeated since the accident that took my mom's life and his legs. If that billionaire family was doing this to place more misery on my father, maybe I could convince him to find another way. "Dad," I called gently. He jolted and turned his wheelchair to face me. There were visible eye bags under his eyes. I could see his facial expression morph into relief. "Where on earth did you spend the night? I was worried." Oh, so he knew I left? "I went to my friend's place. I had to think." He gave a single nod and continued to l
I sketched a rough image of Sterling Vanderbilt, pulling my memories from our brief encounters and his picture on his I*******m profile. I wondered if he was cool with this marriage arrangement. Besides, I was still curious about the lady that was with him when I first met him. They looked close. I had concluded they were in a relationship. Sighing, I dropped my journal and ate my food which was by then as cold as a bone. I knew it was useless to go to the local restaurant where I worked as a part-time waitress. Feeling bored, I stared at the blank wall opposite my bed. A spark of inspiration hit me and I couldn't resist the urge to let it out and damn the consequences. I mean, what else did I have to lose, right? I would soon be gone from this house after all. I moved the box leaning at a corner of the wall and used my smoothener to ensure that the surface was smooth enough for my project. My doodle was a large jumbled mix of different drawings, the central one being m
The door opened and I was welcomed by a dashing-looking man. Sterling Vanderbilt. He was typing on his iPad with one hand when the door opened. He stopped what he was doing and he looked up and then our eyes locked on each other. His eyes widened and his mouth parted slightly as he stared at my face down to my dress. However, I must commend the person who picked out this beautiful purple dress for me. In fact, I felt like a princess in it. The gown was a cone gown with off-shoulder sleeves which highlighted the teardrop diamond pendant that I got from my mother. So maybe, I kind of get why Mr. Sterling Vanderbilt was a bit surprised by my changeover. I must have looked like a completely different person from the lady he saw in her small living room last night or the klutz he'd met at the art exhibition. But that still didn't stop my cheek from growing flush with heat. I could tell I was all shades of red. Tell me, who wouldn't, when a handsome Billionaire looked amazed by your