Chapter 1

Kiara:

“What do you mean you quit?” Grace asked me with wide eyes. I rolled my eyes at my little sister who came to conclusions without even waiting to listen. Though I didn’t really expect her to listen. I already expected her reaction.

“I did not QUIT Grace! I got a better offer, three times my salary to be the waitress of Adrian Brooke, and a concierge of his wife when she had her events, plus bonuses, plus yearly raises!” I said looking at her, she nodded not looking excited. Well, technically Mrs. Iris didn’t state the whole offer, but going through my phone, I checked the payments of the Brooke Inc. and bloody hell were they great.

“And what are you going to become afterwards? Head of waitresses or head of concierges?" Grace mocked and I rolled my eyes at her “Kiara, why don’t you do something for your future? go back to college, maybe start over? You’ve stopped so many opportunities since…”

“You know what happened the last time I tried doing so Grace, and these bills need to be paid, my college expenses will be too much for us to handle” I said looking my sister in the eye. Her eyes softened knowing what I was talking about. She was right, I did stop many opportunities. Some which I was forced to stop myself from taking, but now wasn’t the time to talk about this.

“I can work for the two of us, you have done that for me before…”

“Grace, no! You saw how exhausting it was for me and I don’t want you going through the same thing” I said stopping her from finishing her sentence “plus, when I’m married to Thomas, I won’t even need this job”

“Marry Thomas? Kiara, you and I both know what he’s after, please stop lying to yourself about a hopeless relationship with a man you don’t even love!” Grace snapped and I glared at her as she raised her voice making her shy back “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant”

“I loved once Grace, you saw how it ended. Both of us ended up broken, it would’ve been a hell of lot easier for us if there was a reason behind our break up, but there was none! Okay? No bloody damn reason! Therefore, when I choose to marry money instead of love it’s because of a fucking reason!” I snapped at my sister who was now taken back my reaction. She took a step back, I rarely snapped out of being frustrated or broken, and especially not at Grace.

“You still love him, don’t you?” Grace asked and I closed my eyes and wiped the tears that fell from my eyes. My sister’s eyes softened and she took a careful step toward me, wrapping her arms around me hugging me as I tried calming myself down, my heart clenching and unclenching as I relived the pain of a heartbreak again. I hated being this way, and I hated what happened and how it happened. But I couldn’t turn back time now.

“Go love, do what you see right. I’ll be by your side through every step okay?” Grace said pulling away to look me in the eye. She wiped the tears that fell from my eyes and kissed my cheeks like I would do to her when she would cry, which was a rare occasion. But it did happen every once in a while when everything got too much on her, which was one of the main reasons why I never exposed my pain, not wanting to add on her worry about things about us. Having seen us rise from bottom, the two of us came to London with nothing but a rented apartment which had food as mother had rented it for us when she forced us to leave home as to be sure that I never got back to him.

I gave her a weak smile, and tried calming my breathing as my phone rang. Checking the caller ID, I found that Thomas was calling my eyes widening as I remembered that we had agreed to meet up for a date. Clearing my throat, I answered the phone making sure to keep my voice under control as I didn’t want him hearing my voice being weak or sad.

“Hello love” I said calmly.

“Hi beautiful, are we still on for tonight?” He asked.

“Yes, I just need to get ready, I just got back from work, then we can go, yeah?” I said calmly.

“Sure, meet me at The Grill at eight?” He asked. He had never come over to pick me up until today, I had never objected or cared. But after four months of dating I figured that he’d at least want to know where I lived, maybe come over to watch a movie, but nothing, he never even asked to.

“Alright, see you then”

With that said we hung up and I looked at Grace who smiled. Nodding for me to go and get ready which I did quickly not wanting to be late as it was already seven.

***************************

“How do I look?” I asked Grace turning around. I was wearing a royal blue sleeveless shirt and a white jacket on top of it, not wanting to look cheap, and white skinny jeans.

“You look lovely” Grace said smiling. Her hands messing my curly hair adding volume to it. I had already applied a light shade of makeup, making sure to spark my blue eyes with mascara, and nude colored lipstick.

“What time is it?” I asked Grace. I had showered, fixed my hair, and got dressed as fast as I could, though I didn’t know what time it was. Hoping that I wasn’t late, I looked at my phone checking the time and gasped when I saw that it was already seven forty and I had twenty minutes to reach The Grill.

“I’m going to be late!” I said kissing her cheek and Grace shook her head at me helping me wear my white coat, and I ran out the door to catch the bus at the bus stop.

“Good evening miss” the bus driver said smiling. He was a middle-aged man who was used to seeing me running toward the bus that it stopped phasing him since I used to run to get on the bus and of the bus when I had two jobs.

“Good evening Mr. Gerard” I smiled getting inside to sit down. Not even bothering to show him my bus pass as he already knew that I had it with me.

It was twenty-five minutes later when we reached The Grill and I mentally slapped myself at being five minutes late. But I could just say that it was traffic, it wasn’t like I would be lying.

“Hi” I said walking inside, consierge smiled at me “Thomas Brooke”

Yes, I was dating the Thomas Brooke. Son of Mrs. Iris herself, despite me knowing the man’s mum. He never bothered bringing her up to any conversation and knowing him, I was well aware that he lived in his own apartment. Though he never really invited me there, but rumors had it that he sometimes stayed at his parent’s mansion.

“He’s inside, let me show you your table” the concierge said smiling. I nodded and walked in behind him as he guided me toward the table, finding Thomas sitting and having ordered water for me as he knew that I didn’t drink and whatever drink he was drinking.

“I’m sorry I’m late” I said smiling. Thomas got up and kissed my cheek before walking to my side and taking out my chair for me allowing me to sit before he went back to his seat, both of us smiling at one another.

“How are you? I went to the café today but didn’t find you, did something happen?” Thomas asked sounding concerned.

“No, no, I got a better job offer, I’ll be checking it out tomorrow” I said smiling, Thomas seeming uninterested nodded not saying a word. Him and I had met at the café, he used to come there almost every day with his friends, and our meetings were on a daily basis. Then he started getting busy when he became a partner of his father’s company that he came once a week, though the change would’ve bothered any other female, it didn’t bother me. I was honestly proud that he was building himself, I never even asked why we wouldn’t meet for weeks, as long as we called one another, or texted, that was enough for me.

“How’s everything with you? Dad’s company?”

“Everything’s fine, a little hectic, but it’s going well” Thomas said smiling, I nodded giving him a soft smile “look Kiara, my family is out of the house for tonight, and I was thinking that maybe we go back to my place since it’s empty”

“Excuse me?” I asked frowning in confusion.

“You know, spend time, intimate time, you and me?” Thomas said smirking, his eyes darkening in a look which I did not recognize.

“Unless I’m going to meet your family, why would I be going to your house, Thomas? And especially that way, in hiding like some criminal” I asked frowning in confusion.

“Why would you be meeting my family? Of course, the house would have to be empty for you to come over. Do you realize what would happen if my family or anyone found out about us?” Thomas asked and my eyes widened at his words “I wanted to hang out for fun”

“Fun? You mean you wanted to get into my pants?” I asked raising my voice slightly. Not caring that I was catching the attention of the people who were sitting around us. Thomas frowned and looked around trying to hide his face.

“Why would I want anything else to do with a girl like you? Have you seen the difference between our classes? Where you come from and where I come from?” He mocked. My eyes widened at his words and I quickly got up, rushing out of the restaurant not even looking back at him.

I reached the door and closed my eyes before going back and throwing a few pounds on the table knowing that they were a hell lot more than what my water glass cost. If it did l cost anything to begin with, my face inches from the man who was sitting looking at me with wide eyes.

“Don’t you ever call me again” I warned turning my heels to walk out of the restaurant.

“Why would I? You were nothing but a pawn to me” he yelled making my heart drop at his words. I didn’t bother looking back at him, having no answer to give him as I wiped the tears that fell from my eyes, women and men were looking at me, all of them sharing the same apologetic look, some even gossiping between them.

“Fuck you Thomas, I will show you who the pawn is”