For the next two days, things were going rather smoothly. Or at least they seemed to be returning back to normal.
Ayla had managed to get her old man looking after his own diet while taking care of the things back at the company headquarters. She herself ended up getting twined in the mess of her university. Her sessionals were just around the corner, and there was a lot left of the syllabus for her to cover.
With her attention diverted away from her abode, she failed to see the storm which was brewing in the depths of its tranquility.
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Four days before the celebratory party…
"I am home." Ayla made her way into the entrance hall, announcing her arrival at the mansion. To say that she was tired out already by the day's ordeal would be an understatement. She was beyond burnt-out.
Her steps were brought to a sudden halt when her eyes landed on a familiar figure standing right beside her father.
"Grandpa?" She frowned in confusion as she voiced out her doubts. What's he doing here? She could only wonder to herself.
"My lovely granddaughter!"
Contrary to how she was expecting, she was greeted with a rather cheerful tone which only added more to her troubled mind.
"Good afternoon to you as well." She managed to come up with a reply as she began to make her way across the hall. Her eyes briefly shifted to her father who was already staring back at her with a puzzled look on his face.
"You have grown up into such a fine young lady. I can't believe it's really you." Her grandfather took a step forward in her direction and engulfed her in a bear hug. "You look so much like your mother."
Ayla exchanged another look with her father, asking him to explain what was going on there with a silent glance. With every ticking second, her confusion was only growing.
There were so many questions running through her mind, every last one of them irking her more than the first. But for now, she chose to hug the old man back with hopes that he would let go of her soon enough.
It wasn't that she hated him, but she was not fond of the old man either. How could she share any kind of bond with him when he was never there for her throughout her childhood?
From what she recalled, he had never been there for her or for her father in times of need. All he did was divide the business he inherited from her father amongst his three sons, handing over to them a different sector each. Besides that, she couldn't think of anything that her grandfather had done for any of his sons. He didn't even bother to show up for her mother's funeral.
"Shall we sit down and continue with our talk?"
Her thoughts were interrupted by his sudden inquiry, adding more to her troubled mind.
"I don't see why not, grandpa." She forced herself to smile at the old man. "Though I'll have to take my leave as of now. I only got back from college." There was no way she was going to spend time with them without changing into some casual clothes. To her, nothing felt better than wearing some sweats. If only she could wear it to her college as well.
"Yes, yes. You must go and freshen up first, my child. But do come to see me once you are done. We will have our lunch together. There's something I need to discuss with you." He gave a nod or two in return, dismissing her for the moment.
Ayla could only smile in response before making her way to the staircase which led to the first floor. She wanted to ask her father about what it was all about, but chose to save it for later. First things first, she really needed a hot water bath to wash off the day's tiredness before she could fill her stomach with some food.
Ayla made her way to her room in haste, shrugging off the weird feeling that was nagging her to find more about her grandfather's sudden visit.
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Half an hour later.
Dressed in a baggy shirt paired with a pair of dolphin shorts, Ayla made her way to the dining hall. She took her own good time in deciding her outfit. At first, she was a bit hesitant about choosing something a little too casual for herself, but decided to go with it anyway. There was no need for her to concern herself with what her grandfather might have to say about it.
What's the point of taking his feelings into account when he was nothing more than a familiar face to her?
"I hope that I didn't keep you waiting for long." She stepped inside the dining hall with a small nod. There was a small smile resting on her face, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. She was someone with a delightful nature. Unless something, or someone, was bothering her, she chose to stay jolly.
"It's alright, my child." His grandfather spoke up, giving her a small smile in return. "Now that you are here, we can talk about it." He added, leaning back against his chair. His eyes were set on her face, narrowed down, as he contemplated where to begin.
"What's going on?" She could sense that something was definitely wrong. The grave look on her father's face was enough to tick her brain off.
"Father, I suggest you stop." He spoke up. "There's no way I am letting you do this." He brought his palms to rest on the table.
Ayla could clearly tell now that something serious had gone down in between the two men in her absence. Even though her father wasn't of the old man, he neither held hostility towards him. But the same couldn't be said about his behaviour at the moment.
"Why not? This is going to benefit you the most." The old man shrugged rather casually. "I am sure Ayla wouldn't mind either. She's going to settle in just perfectly fine."
"What are you two talking about?" Ayla refused to stand by the side silently for another second. She wanted to know what was cooking in between the two men. But never had she expected to get such an answer.
"Nothing much, my child." The old man shifted his attention to her. "We were just discussing your marriage."
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[Three years later…]"Breathe in… breathe out…" Ayla was mumbling to herself as she tried to calm down her jittery nerves.She was standing before a floor length mirror, her eyes focused on her own reflection as her dress glinted under the warm lighting of her new room. Bringing her palms to the front of the dress, she ran them down in attempts to smoothen down the nonexisting creases. She couldn't help the worrying thoughts resonating at the back of her mind, her frown only deepening. But before she could delve down further, a knock at the door brought her out."Is anyone inside?"The voice was so familiar to her that a sigh of relief left her lips unconsciously."It's just me in here." Ayla breathed out as a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She had sent everyone out including the make-up artist and her team once they had
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] Claude sucked onto the soft spot as his finger moved inside her, earning her moans in return which were not less than a siren's call for him, luring him to continue. He felt her insides tightening around his finger as he moved it relentlessly. He knew that she was close to finding her release and deliberately slowed down his movements. Ayla could feel her orgasm building up, inching closer to the edge. She let out a frustrated groan when Claude slowed down his movements. "D-don't st-op." She managed to say in between her gasps for air. "Oh! I am not planning to, my love, not tonight." Claude murmured against her skin and moved his lips to her cleavage, biting and sucking on her fair, smooth skin. "This might hurt a bit." He said as he inserted
[The following chapter includes mention of R-18 content. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "You don't think that it makes me unworthy of you?" She managed to mutter out as she held Claude's gaze. "You must have hit your brain if that's what's going through your brain." Claude scoffed as he leaned down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. This time she didn't push him away but responded with the same passion. It wasn't until both of them ran out of their breaths did they pull back. "Do you understand now how much you mean to me?" Claude flicked her forehead as if he was reprimanding a small child. "I do… you mean no less to me." She smiled for the first time today and it was enough for Claude to know that everything was going to be just fine. All she needed was a little time and his love. "I love you." Claude mumbled
[The following chapter includes mention of self harm. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Ayla?" Claude knocked at the door as he glanced at the clock. "Are you done, love?" He made sure that he was loud enough for his voice to go through the thick door. It had already been an hour. But she hadn't come out yet. Claude was starting to get worried. "Ayla?" He called out her name again only to be met with the same reply—silence. Though he could hear the water running constantly, he wasn't able to hear her voice. "Ayla?" He tried it one more time before making his way to the other side of the room. Claude searched through a drawer and then moved to another one. If only he could remember where he kept it. "Found it." He mumbled under his breath as soon as his eyes landed on a golden key. It was the master key
"Take your hands off her!"Ayla's eyes flickered to the owner of the voice and a long sigh of relief left her trembling lips."Claude…"In between the chaos, Claude could only see her lips moving before her eyes rolled up and she fainted."Ayla!" He didn't waste another second and rushed to her, not paying any attention to the culprit. He would have plenty of time for him later. At the moment, the only thing which mattered to her was the wellbeing of his girl.With hurried steps, Claude walked to where she was and started to untie the ropes which were holding her in place."How the hell are you here? Where are my men?" Gavin kept babbling but even then, Claude paid him no attention. He was so busy sheeting with rage that he didn't bother paying attention to anything else. Not the men, who were dressed in black from head to
[The following chapter includes mention of sexual assault. Kindly read at your own discretion.] "Let me tell you a story, kitten." He pushed himself off the wall, dusting his coat in the process. Gavin walked to the other side of the room to pick a chair and dragged it to the centre of the room. He settled down on it so that he was facing Ayla. "What story?" Despite the fact that she was scared for her life, she didn't show it on her face. She knew that she had to put up a brave front until Claude could reach her. He would realize sooner or later that she was missing. With a smile, Gavin began. "My father and a friend of his started a business together. The kind which was to grow into a big one over time. But the old man got played by his so-called friend. My father spent everything we had or owned on his dream. When our family w