LOGINSEREIAI stared at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity after reading the news. The numbers were still etched in my mind. The stock prices. The headlines. The comments. All of it. Valerian’s company was suffering because of me. Because of what people said I did. Because of a lie that just would not go away.I could not stay here. The thought crept in quietly like a whisper I did not want to hear. I tried to push it but it lingered. I sat up and rubbed my face, my eyes were swollen, my head and chest felt hollow.I needed to find Valerian. I needed to explain things to him to make this right. I stood up walked to the door unlocked it and stepped into the hallway.The stairs felt longer than usual. Each step felt heavier than the last. I could hear voices downstairs. Aurora’s tone, Annabelle’s sweet response, the clinking of coffee cups and the shuffle of feet.I reached the bottom of the stairs and turned the corner. Aurora saw me first and her face immediately changed, the cold
SEREIAI walked…I didn’t know where I was going neither did I care, the only thing I knew was that I couldn’t remain here,And so I trudged the hallway stretched ahead of me, the carpets muffled my footsteps while the light buzzed over head.I walked past different rooms, past the elevators and past the ice machine that kept humming in the quiet. My face was wet with tears, my hands were shaking and my chest felt like someone was sitting on it. Everytime, every single time I thought things might be okay, something happened.I pushed through the door at the end of the hall entering into the cold echoing stairwell. I lowered myself and sat at top step pulling my knees to my chest before letting myself fall apart.I cried in between my knees, thinking of everything that happened this last few hours and tho I could hear my phone buzzing repeatedly I couldn’t even get myself to look at it. My phone buzzed again. Then again and again.I eventually got tired of the countless buzzing and
SEREIAThe terrace was still in chaos, people were shouting, phones were flashing and even tho a lot of people surrounded me I was alone. Selena remained on the floor with her hand clutches to her stomach while she wailed. I stood frozen, hands raised, heart pounding as I stared at her.Then Lucas lunged at me."You bitch!" He yelled, his face was red and his eyes were wide and almost crazed. Two men grabbed his arms preventing him from hitting me but he eventually fought them off. "I'll ruin you! Do you hear me? I'll ruin your miserable life! I'll make sure everyone knows what you are!" He threatened and by now people were more intrigued, staring with dirty eyes and murmuring over the chaos."Someone call the police!""Get her away from here!""She pushed a pregnant woman!"I heard a number of people say and I didn’t even know who was who. Annabelle suddenly stepped forward, her face was pale but her eyes were hardened and cold. "I always knew you were trash. First you tried to ki
SEREIAIt was beginning to look like no one was going to break the tie, not until a woman stood up.She had kind eyes that seemed to glisten, dark hair and an equally dark dress.It was Ariana.She walked forward slowly like she had all the time in the world, her familiar face was rid of any smile with only a stern business like look in place. “O my God do you know what that is?” Sarah whisper yelled into my ear in glee. “Yes I do.” I nodded. “She helped me escape Annabelle earlier.” I added and Sarah shook her head frantically. "No no not that, she is Ariana Vance." Sarah's voice was urgent. "She owns half the tech patents in Europe. She's worth more than a lot of people in this room combined…except Valerian and a few others of course." Sarah informed me and I gasped at the nice woman I had met earlier.She walked into the podium before grabbing a piece of paper bad writing something on it before dropping it in the box and then she turned around scanned the room as her eyes found
SEREIAIt’s been hours since Annabelle left and by now we were already at the award ceremony, surrounded by crystal chandeliers, white flowers and tables filled in silk. I sat beside Valerian, enjoying the feel of his hands on my thighs under the table as I pretended I wasn’t nervous.Sarah sat at my other side, talking to some of the other workers about random things I didn’t follow and even tho words like contracts and deadlines flew by. I still couldn’t decipher what they were talking about. I didn’t know me lack of concentration was because of the chill air or because of the fact that this was the last night here and tomorrow we were going back home.I would be back to Aurora’s endless wickedness and Annabelle’s ugly nature will double. "Hey." Sarah nudged me, pulling me out of my train of thoughts. "You okay? You're quiet." She asked and I nodded. “I’m ok, just tired." I lied and she studied me for a moment."You've been tired all week." She finally said and I shrugged mainly
SEREIAValerian didn’t let go of my arm as he pulled me past the cluster of people still talking and into the elevator. The elevator doors closed and we were alone, his hands moved to my waist as his fingers pressed into the fabric of my dress like he was afraid that I would somehow disappear."Sereia." Valerian whispered against my ear and I looked up at him—our mouths now mere inches away from each other. His jaw was tight and his eyes were now dark and tho the elevator was moving I couldn’t feel it, all I could feel was his heat and cologne against my skin."Did you mean it?" I asked."Mean what? "That I'm yours." I replied and he didn’t answer instead he just pulled me closer and his mouth found mine. It was gentle of cautious, it told me everything I needed to know.That I was his.The elevator door opened and he pulled me out of it, towards the reception and out of the hall where we came for the event.We exited the building, and entered the car which Valerian had probably ca
THIRD PERSON Lucas’s hands slammed against the car mirror and the glass shattered immediately spreading across the asphalt. Pain shot through his arms as blood spilled from it but he didn’t seem to care. He ignored the pain kicking the tire of his car until his foot throbbed."She ran to him." He
SEREIAThe car pulled up to the Nethrix building at exactly 7:58 AM and I stared through the tinted windows thinking I would see the reporters but the sidewalk was clear. No cameras.No reporters. Just people walking to work and living their normal lives. But it’s like my body didn’t recognize that
SEREIA I walked until my feet began to ache and until my chest hurt from exhaustion, the entire city had blurred around me as tears dripped into my eyes and I didn’t even know where I was at this point.They had dumped me in a part of town that was filled with warehouse and old bricks and I couldn
SEREIALucas wasn’t good at this fathering stuff; he pushed Liyana on the swing, but it was too high causing her to grip the chains tightly, her face expressionless."Higher!" he spoke, like he was doing her a favor with a small smile on his face. "You want to go higher?" He asked and Liyana immedi







