LOGINMeritt's POV His voice echoed down the corridor, the usual cold and arrogant tone. Despite all these people, he still brought his dirty pants to be washed in the open. I stood still in the middle of the hallway and the other performers around me went dead silent. Maestro Conti and Signora Rossi looked back and forth between me and the tall man stepping out of the shadows. Michael looked fierce,his suit was flawless, his dark hair was neatly styled, and his jawline was set in that familiar, arrogant angle. He carried himself like a king who had just walked into a room of peasants, how foolish of him! Two security guards stood right behind his shoulders, blocking the exit to the backstage hallway. "Pack your bags," Michael repeated and took another step closer to me. His eyes scanned my face, lingering on my scars for a second before meeting my gaze. "Your little vacation in Rome is over. You are coming home with me right now." Awww, my king, I'm coming right away! Fool! Six mont
Meritt's POV The old landlord took the small key from my hand and couldn't even say a word. He just stuck it in his coat pocket, nodded his head once, his cheek and chin sagging, then turned and walked away down the street. I stood on the small entrance and stared at the front door. I used to knock on this door every single week, beaming with smiles, standing at this exact place waiting for the lights to come on. Now it was empty and really depressing that everything my grandmother owned was packed into a few boxes in the back of a truck. Her entire life and all her memories were reduced to a pile of brown paper. And I hated brown! Alesandro dusted his hands, then walked up to me. Never for once did he rush me. He simply stood quietly in the chilling evening breeze and waited for me to say goodbye to the only home I ever truly had. "It's done," I whispered, my voice flat. He squinted his eyes at me as I turned to him, scanning my face carefully, but I tapped his shoulder gentl
Meritt's POV A sharp light pierced through my closed eyelids, followed by a harsh voice. “What the hell is this?” I flinched and squeezed my eyes shut, covering my face with my hand. My head ached badly and my stomach churned violently. My mouth still tasted bitter, but I didn't regret a single choice I made last night, if only I could remember any of it. “Meritt! Wake up!” I slowly opened my eyes, groaning softly. Michael stood by the sofa, his arms folded and his tie loosened. His face twisted into a frown as he glared at me with so much irritation and disgust in his eyes. I pushed myself up, leaning on the sofa, my head spinning and just then, the empty whiskey bottle rolled down the table, slamming and shattering against the floor with a loud thud. Michael stared at the bottle, his eyes darting at the glass shards, the dark stains on his rug and his jaw tightened in fury. “Are you kidding me?” he snapped, tossing his jacket to the next chair and tried to grab my jaw, bu
Meritt's POV The taxi stopped outside the gates and I paid the driver and stepped out into the cold night air. Despite how it blew past me, I didn't feel a thing. I just felt completely numb. The security stepped out of his small corner and opened the smaller door for me. He looked at my face, saw my swollen eyes and my messy hair. He opened his mouth to say something but I just walked right past him. I did not want to hear a single word from anyone. The walk down to the house felt like torture as my legs were so heavy and tired. Every step I took sent a jolt of pain down my spine. My hands reached for the door knob, and pushed open. A warm welcome awaited me, the usual emptiness and silence of the mansion. I stood in the living room for a while, just staring at the whole place, my mind spinning with confusion and my head banging with aches. There was nobody waiting for me. There was nobody to ask where I had been. There was just this empty house. I walked away from the door a
Meritt's POV His voice echoed down the corridor, the usual cold and arrogant tone. Despite all these people, he still brought his dirty pants to be washed in the open. I stood still in the middle of the hallway and the other performers around me went dead silent. Maestro Conti and Signora Rossi looked back and forth between me and the tall man stepping out of the shadows. Michael looked fierce,his suit was flawless, his dark hair was neatly styled, and his jawline was set in that familiar, arrogant angle. He carried himself like a king who had just walked into a room of peasants, how foolish of him! Two security guards stood right behind his shoulders, blocking the exit to the backstage hallway. "Pack your bags," Michael repeated and took another step closer to me. His eyes scanned my face, lingering on my scars for a second before meeting my gaze. "Your little vacation in Rome is over. You are coming home with me right now." Awww, my king, I'm coming right away! Fool! Six mont
Meritt's POV The silence in the living room was heavy enough to crush my bones. I stood frozen with my hand hovering just an inch away from the door handle. My heart hammered violently against my ribs and my chest heaved rapidly. Mr. Thomas stood at the edge of the hallway, standing upright, his eyes locked on the suitcase resting on my leg. He was Michael’s most loyal employee and managed every single detail of this house, and of course, his first duty was always to his boss. He had a direct line to Michael’s personal cell phone and if he made one single phone call right now, Michael would send his security team to drag me back inside before my taxi even reached the road. "I am leaving, Mr. Thomas," I said slowly, my breath heavy as I forced my voice to remain steady and calm. I looked right into his eyes , hoping he'd see my pain and sincerity. Mr. Thomas slowly reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out his smartphone. Please don't call him… Oh God, n







