JAXONI was slouched against my chair in the conference room, twirling my pen between my fingers as the middle-aged man in front of the projector kept me updated on what had been going on in the Oil Firm. I saw his lips moving but I was long gone. I couldn't hear a thing that he was saying anymore. I don't think I have been paying attention to him in the first place, but the blonde-haired man in front of the Projector looked like he was walking so hard to impress me. Why wouldn't he want to? He is currently the acting CEO I installed there. He wouldn't want to lose the source of his moneyI scoffed.I twirled around in my swivel chair because I was so bored to the bones and I did not want to listen to him speak with me anymore. I just wanted a breath of fresh air, and the world outside the see-through glass in the conference room seemed to give me that."I'm still listening, Jacob," I spoke in a bored tone when I noticed he had gone quiet. That was all it took for him to continue spea
ASHLEY"You have a week, Peach.""You have a week, Peach."Fuck, no…"I'm not a very patient man, so please, don't get me mad by wasting my time."No…"I want you, Peach and I will stop at nothing until I get you."God, what the hell have I gotten myself into? It's been three days since we last spoke and no matter how hard I tried to assure myself that he was just bluffing, there was this dark feeling that gnawed at my guts, telling me to wake the hell up and that I wasn't dreaming. This was reality and what I was running from had finally caught up with me. It left me wondering why it always had to be me. Why was this happening when I had just begun to get my life back? When I thought I could finally move past what happened, my demons and my secrets came knocking. I could see the look in those green eyes when he spoke to me. The determination his eyes held burned like wildfire and he wasn't in the least interested in hiding it. He wanted me to see that he meant every word. Out of the
ASHLEY"I don't want to talk, Noah. Get the hell out of my sight!" I snapped at the photographer in front of me, who watched me with dull eyes and still tried to speak to me."Ashley__""Oh fuck off," I growled and walked past him. I didn't know how someone could be such a pest. Like dude, get the fucking hint. I don't want to speak with you. I don't want to hang out with you. I don't want to go on a date with you. Just leave me the hell alone. I was tired and needed a break. I had so much on my plate and I didn't need him adding to it with his childish infatuation.I got into my car and slammed the door shut. I ignited the engine and made to drive out of the parking lot when my phone sounded with a loud ding. I groaned and picked up my handbag, searching for my phone. I took it out and unlocked it.And then, my blood ran cold at the text that popped up on my screen.𝑈𝑛𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑛𝐻𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑜, 𝑀𝑦 𝑃𝑒𝑎𝑐ℎ,𝑁𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝐼 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔? 𝐼 ?
ASHLEY"What the hell?" I asked no one in particular as I tried igniting the engine of my car but it wasn't coming on. I hissed through my teeth and picked up my phone that was lying on the seat beside me, powering it to check the time. God, I needed no soothsayer to tell me how late I was. I groaned and got out of the car, slamming the door shut before I proceeded to open the bonnet. Not like I knew anything, I was going to check in there. I scrunch my face, tapping the battery with the tip of my blood-red nails."Oh come on!" I whined."Just fucking start already!" I snapped. I crouched softly, taking one of my stilettos off and hitting the pencil sole on the car battery, hoping it would miraculously make the car come alive. After trying to no avail, I wore my shoes and went into the car to get my bag, deciding to order a ride. Genevieve would chew me raw if I didn't get to that office in twenty minutes.I locked the car and waited for my ride, which pulled over in front of my house
ASHLEYMy life was falling apart.It was a mess. How did it all get to do this?How could my life change this much because of a one-night stand? Which, by the way, has taken a lot from me. My boyfriend, my sanity, and now my job. I wasn't even sure what else it was going to take from me and I had a feeling this wasn't the end. It felt like my life just started spiraling. And then, Genevieve's words wouldn't stop ringing in my ears as I packed the rest of the things that I had left in my office.Sure, I had acted like I didn't give a damn when she tried speaking with me, but I could feel my heart thumping wildly against my chest as she spoke to me about him. The way she portrayed me was enough to make me so scared. I considered the option of running away but I just knew he would find me and that was the most dangerous thing I could attempt right now. The driver spared me a glance through the rearview mirror and I found myself faking a smile through my tears to assure him that I was ok
ASHLEYI just wanted to breathe. I just wanted to be away from all this, probably hide in a dungeon and lock myself in there away from my problems. That way, all I would have to worry about was staying alive. I wouldn't have to worry about someone out there getting me. Most times, I wish I could just leave everything behind and run away to a place he would never find me. I would have considered taking my life but then, I didn't want to die. I want to live. I want to have the job of my dreams, thrive so beautifully, and live my dream life where I had everything I wanted, married to the most charming man on earth, who would move mountains for me to see me happy.I didn't want to run like this. I didn't want to live like a fugitive, who is constantly on the move from something demonic in her past. These days, I find myself asking a lot of rhetorical questions. I found myself wondering what my life would look like if I had stood my ground that night and said no to going out with my frien
JAXONPUNCH!PUNCH!PUNCH!PUNCH!I sent heavy punches at the punching bag, causing it to fly backwards at the weight of my heavy blows. My knuckles were starting to hurt and my wrists were aching so badly, but I wasn't ready to stop punching the bag. All I wanted to do was vent my pent-up anger and frustration into the bag because that was the main reason it was there in the first place. I increased the weight and strength of my punches, delivering heavy blows to the bag. Non-stop.My jaws were clenched tightly, my teeth grinding against each other, almost like a vein in my neck was about to pop. The sleeveless sweats and shorts I was wearing were drenched in sweat that wouldn't stop trickling down my face, which made it look like I had just stepped out of the shower. I changed my stance, breathing heavily and giving light wheezes in between, punching the bag again. Each blow is heavier than the last one. At some point, the gloves in my hands tore and I stopped punching, unwrapping
ASHLEYI tossed and turned in my sleep all night. I couldn't bring myself to close my eyes. The irrational fear of someone lurking in the shadows and coming to get me ate at me so much that I couldn't sleep. On the other hand, I would have chosen to step out of the room and get some air in by taking a tour of the hotel, but I couldn't do that because nowhere felt safe. Not even the confines of my hotel room. I couldn't shake off the feeling that he was out there, watching me and waiting to grab me at any moment.I was so sure that if I stood up from this bed and headed to the mirror to check out my reflection, I wouldn't like what I would see in the mirror. So, I just lay in bed, utterly weak and emotionally exhausted. My limbs were hurting, my head was pounding, and every bone in my body felt like it was going to snap into two. At this point, I didn't even think there were any tears left for me to cry. I groaned and rolled over to my side, grabbing my phone from my nightstand to chec