Lucas drove his car at full speed. He was so anxious and worried. He was so scared to lose her. His eyes turned murderous. He wanted to kill the bastard. How dare he kidnap her. He was looking for trouble. Lucas drove to where Anastasia had told him. He saw her sitting beside the road, she was curled up in a ball. He could hear her soft sobbing. " Anastasia? " He approached her slowly. Anastasia raised her head. Her eyes were swollen from crying. She was shivering continually. " Lucas! " She stood up and rushed towards him. She hugged him and cried loudly. She was so scared here. Lucas parted her back. " Where is she? "Anastasia understood immediately who he was referring to as ' she. ' She pulled out and looked at him with tears in her eyes. Her lips trembled. She shook her head. " I.. I don't know " She really didn't know where he took her. Luca's eyes turned red. He stared at her as if he was going to kill her right at that moment. " What do you mean? " " I don
An hour later. A group of doctors exited the room. They wiped the sweat from their forehead. It was a tough job to be a doctor. " Young master, she is okay now. " Lucas rushed inside the ward. He saw her sleeping on the bed. She looked so tired. He moved closer to her and caressed her forehead. He looked at her face. There was a frown between her eyebrows. He touched them to relax. " I am so sorry Pearl, I couldn't protect you " He held her hand and placed it against his forehead. He was so worried when he couldn't track her location. He was so anxious. He wanted to kill them all, but she would be more scared of him. His tears fell on her hand. He was so scared to lose him. He loved her so much. The doctor has said that he can take her home, if he wants to. Lucas picked her up in his arms. He was not going to leave her here. He would take her to his private villa. He placed her softly in the passenger seat. He buckled her seatbelt. Lucas closed the door softly. He circled h
Pearl walked down the stairs. She could feel his eyes on her. She looked down and tugged her hair behind her ear. She walked towards him. Lucas looked at her coming closer to her. His eyes never left her alone. He looked at her with his intense graze. Pearl stood beside him. Her heart beating fast in her chest. " Then.. Thank you for helping me " She bowed her head before him. She looked down. She didn't have the audacity to look in his eyes. It was the first time she was taking him after his confession. To say that she was nervous was a very small word to describe her emotions. She was scared, nervous, guilty, angry and happy as well. Lucas looked at the girl before her. Her long hair fell to her side when she bowed. " You don't have to be so formal with me " Pearl nodded. She clenched her dress. " Come, let's have breakfast " Pearl raised her head and looked at him. She looked at him with her wide eyes. Pearl dragged a chair to sit beside him. The room was so quiet tha
Lucas fell back with Pearl on top of her. " Ah! " Pearl fell on top of him. She screamed. Lucas looked at the girl on top of him. She had her eyes closed. He stared at her face which was just inches apart from his face. His heart started beating fast against his chest. It was the same heart which was emotionless. He had so many girls throwing themselves at him, but none of them were capable of moving his heart. None of them succeed in capturing his heart. His heart never beat so fast for anyone else but her. His breathing grew harder. Pearl opened her eyes. She met with his graze. He was already staring at her. His eyes were so deep and intense. She stared at them. Both of them looked at each other. They were lost in each other's eyes.All the maids present in the living room got out, leaving them alone. They blushed seeing such a scene before them. Pearl blushed. His gaze was so intense it was driving her crazy. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. She wanted to get up
A black Bugatti stopped before the Whitlock mansion. Lucas got out and opened the door for Pearl. Pearl got out. Her eyes got stuck to the luxurious mansion in front of her. She couldn't believe her eyes that someone could own such a beautiful house. It was luxurious. " Oh my god! " Pearl covered her mouth with her hand. She was mesmerised. The beautiful white mansion stood tall before her. She turned her eyes to the big garden. " Do you like it? " Lucas held her hand. He was surprised to see her reaction. He smiled at her. " Yes! " Her eyes were shining like stars. " Young master, Miss " Pearl saw an old man coming towards them. He was dressed in a Butler's uniform. " Uncle brown " Lucas smiled. " Welcome back, welcome back " He looked at their hands locked together. He gave a meaningful smile to Lucas. Lucas chuckled. They walked inside together. Pearl was shocked again. The house was even more beautiful from inside. Every item in the house screamed luxury. " Are y
Pearl pulled the photograph that was hiding in the box. She picked it up and raised it to her eyes. Her eyes widened. She covered her mouth with her hand. " It's.. This.. This.. She couldn't understand what she should say. It was unbelievable. The picture showed two teenage boys. They both hugged each other, smiling. She recognised them right away. It was Lucas and Daniel. " They are best friends since their childhood " She remembered Aaron's words. She looked over at Lucas. The look in his eyes changed. Pearl wondered just what happened between them? They were so close before, but now they were ready to kill each other. " It's a useless picture " Lucas tried to grab the picture from her hand. Pearl hid the photo behind her back. She shook her head. " Is it you and Daniel? " She already knew the answer, but she wanted to confirm once. " Hmm " He looked at his mother's picture. " What happened between you guys? " " Nothing " Lucas pulled the picture out of her hold. He
"The only thing we never get enough of is love; and the only thing we never give enough of is love." — Henry Miller Pearl and Lucas spent the remainder of the day together. Lucas showed her his childhood picture. It was the first time he was so happy after her mother's death. He smiles everytime he looks at her. She was like a dream which has come true. He couldn't get enough of her. Every time he turned his face to look at her, he was stuck by her beauty. She was too beautiful to be real. " You are very beautiful " Pearl blushed. She raised her eyes to look at him. He was staring at her with his signature smirk on his handsome face. Pearl looked in his eyes. It was as deep as the ocean. It was pulling her in, she couldn't stop herself from falling. Lucas moved closer to her. He held her face in his hand and bent his head to meet her lips. " Ahem… good.. Good evening " Pearl pulled him back. She flinched. Lucas turned his eyes at the intruder. Mister Whitlock smiled at him
Pearl opened her eyes as the morning light peaked through the window. She opened her eyes and was shocked to find an extremely handsome face so close to her. Pearl looked at Lucas. He was sitting in a very uncomfortable position beside her bed. He laid his head on his arm. Pearl looked at his arm and noticed she was grabbing it for the whole night! " Did he stay like that for the whole night? " She thought in her head. She quickly let go of his arm. Lucas woke up from this. He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. She was looking at him with her wide eyes. He drew back his arm. It was sore and painful. He didn't let it show on his face. He looked around and noticed it was morning. He smiled at her. " Get ready, we have to be at school today " Pearl looked at him silently. He looked tired. Her heart filled with guilt. She nodded her head and suddenly she remembered something. " My uniform… I don't have it here.. " I will get you a new one " He cupped her cheeks. Pearl look
The castle is quiet when I return—too quiet. My footsteps echo down the stone hallways, the torches flickering on the walls as if reacting to my presence. The shadows here don’t whisper like they did in the graveyard, but they linger all the same. I keep my head down as I move through the halls, fingers curled tightly in my coat sleeves. The dirt from the grave still clings to my skin, under my nails, and I feel like I’ve brought something back with me. Something that doesn’t want to let go. Lucas isn’t here. The thought drops into my mind like a stone in water, rippling through everything. No echo of boots in the corridor. No impatient voice behind a closed door. No sharp, observant eyes following me. He’s gone. Somewhere far from here tonight. That should bring relief, but instead it leaves a hollow space. Because now, I’m alone with everything I’m afraid to think about. In the room, I lock the door behind me and head straight to the washbasin. The water’s already cold. I
I found her in the west corridor this time, standing by the tall stained-glass windows that bathed the hallway in shards of color. Evelyne. Or at least—that’s who she truly was. She turned when she heard my footsteps, her practiced smile snapping into place, all sweetness and lies. A chill ran down my spine. She looked exactly like me, like Roslyn Miller. she was Rosie. But, I wasn't seeing the stranger she pretended to be anymore. I was seeing her. My sister. The girl who used to braid my hair too tight and steal the last slice of birthday cake. The girl who cried in my arms when she got nightmares. She'd grown. Taller. Sharper. More dangerous. But there was still something familiar in the set of her mouth, the guarded look in her eyes. Something broken. I stopped a few feet away, and for a second, neither of us said a word. The weight of everything we weren't saying pressed down on my chest like a stone. Finally, she spoke. Casual. Breezy. "You keep fo
It had been a week. Seven days of pretending to be Pearl. Of swallowing down the truth like a secret that might rot me from the inside out. No one noticed. Not really. They still called me by the name that wasn’t mine. Still treated me like the girl who arrived at the academy dazed and forgetful. Still saw the version of me they expected to see. But I saw it. In the mirror. In the way I stood. The way my voice had softened, lilting into the same cadence Rosie used to have when she whispered to the stars from her bedroom window. I saw it in the way my fingers reached up—absent, automatic—to tuck my hair behind my ear whenever I was nervous. Just like she used to do. Just like I used to do. Rosie was slipping out of me like light through cracked glass, and I didn’t know how to stop it. And Lucas… he noticed something. I could feel it. He didn’t say anything. But I’d catch him staring sometimes, brow creased in that quiet, careful way of his—like he was trying to
And I screamed and screamed as loud as I can to stop the voices in my head, to hush them from consuming me entirely. The room was pitch-black, but I could still see the flames. Still hear the screech of tires, the shattering glass, the last words my mother ever said to me—Rosie, close your eyes. And I had. For years. But now they were open. Wide open. And everything hurt. The door slammed open. I barely had time to breathe before he was there—Lucas, heart in his throat, panic in his eyes. “Pearl!” He was at my side, hands cupping my face like I might vanish. “What happened? Are you okay?” I couldn’t speak. Not right away. Because looking at him felt like bleeding. He was older now. Broader. More haunted. But he still had the same eyes—the ones that used to look at me like I was his world. Not Pearl. Rosie. And that was the part that shattered me most. He was holding me like I was someone else. Like I was a girl with a different name, a different story. But I
The candlelight is low. Flickering. Dying. I walk barefoot down a hallway lined with mirrors—dozens of them, tall and arched, gilded in gold that’s flaking away. The floor is marble, but my footsteps don’t echo. It’s like the air itself is swallowing the sound. Heavy. Watching. My dress clings to me, unfamiliar. Pale gold, stitched with roses. I don’t remember putting it on. Everything smells like rosewater and smoke. I pause beside a mirror. My reflection stares back, but there’s something off. I lean closer. The tilt of my head, the shape of my mouth, the line of my shoulders—it’s all right, and yet… wrong. Like I’ve seen this face on someone else. It’s me. Of course it’s me. But my stomach tightens. I force myself to look away. That’s when I see him. Daniel, standing at the far end of the corridor, dressed in black, shadows curled around his shoulders like a cloak. He holds a bouquet of roses—blackened, wilting, soaked in something that drips down his wrist.
I press the phone to my ear and glance at the stars. The rooftop is cold beneath me, slates hard against my back. The wind carries that soft chill that always makes me feel like something’s about to shift.My mom’s voice comes through the speaker, warm and clipped with concern.“You sound tired, sweetie. Are they overworking you again?”I let out a breath—half a laugh, half exhaustion.“No, it’s fine. Just a lot of assignments.”A pause.“And late-night walks,” I almost add. “And watching someone unravel.” But I don’t.She hums thoughtfully. I can hear her stirring something, probably tea. Home always sounds like comfort.“Have you made any new friends yet? You never talk about anyone there.”I hesitate, then lie.“Yeah. A few.”She doesn’t press. She never does. Maybe she thinks I’m just quiet. Or maybe she’s learned not to dig when I’m like this—floating somewhere far away from where my body is.“Your father says hi,” she says. I can hear him grumbling in the background, something a
I’ve always hated mirrors.They show too much. Too honestly.But now—Now, I can't stop staring.The girl in the glass tilts her head. She’s beautiful in that haunting, aristocratic way. Rosie Miller’s beauty was always cold, like marble warmed by candlelight.And now… it’s mine. Mother did everything so that I look like her. The cheekbones took two surgeries. The lips were easy—subtle filler and muscle memory. I even learned how she blinked. Slowly. Like she knew the world would wait for her.I lean in, brushing a lock of black hair behind my ear, her signature habit. I trace the light scar at my neck. A perfect replica from her dead body.Rosie was always the star. The one with the spotlight in her eyes. The chosen daughter. The heir. The girl people died for.But she’s dead now.And I’m not.I trace the curve of my jaw with one finger, still bruised faintly under the skin where the bone was shaved. Months of healing. Years of training. Voice lessons. Diary entries memorized. Even
The wind clawed at the windows like it was trying to warn me. I stood at the edge balcony leaning against the railing. Below, the ocean was bathed in silver moonlight, still and too perfect. A lie, like everything else lately. The moon hung low tonight, pale and sharp-edged. Pearl would say it looked like a blade. My phone buzzed once on the table. The number flashed. Cale. I snatched it up. “Report.” “Sir,” he said, voice crisp, but edged with something else. Hesitation. “ I have the report .” The cold that slid through me wasn’t a surprise—it was confirmation. I said nothing. Just waited. “She’s not Rosie,” he continued. “… she’s not the one who died in that accident.” I closed my eyes. My chest didn’t rise. I was stone now. “I had to dig deep, sir. Most of the records were burned or erased, but a few medical files survived in private storage. Enough to run a sequence. And... it matched someone else.” “Who?” My voice came out hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in days. “He
Apollo whined softly as I knelt beside him, his blue eyes watching me with quiet protest. His paw pressed against the doorframe like he understood what it meant—that he couldn’t follow me past this point. “I know,” I whispered, running a hand gently down the sleek curve of his back. “I don’t like it either. " He nuzzled my wrist, and I swallowed hard. “I’ll be back after classes, then we'll go back home, alright? You’ll be safe here.” My voice sounded too sure. Like I was convincing myself more than him. He tilted his head, ears flicking at some distant sound, but stayed close—refusing to move from the doorway. “I have to go,” I said, brushing my thumb just under his chin, where the fur was softer. “You know the rules. No panther cubs allowed in Elite Garden’s holy halls.” my phone ringed again, I looked down it was Lucas calling me. " yes, I am coming. ” That almost earned a huff from him. Almost. I smiled down at him. " it's your dad, the classes are going to start