Pearl looked down. Her shirt was completely wet and her bra was easily visible. She closed her eyes and a tear fell down from her eyes. She has never felt so humiliated. She pulled her shirt close. which was wrapped around her.
She slowly made her way from the rooftop towards her room.Everyone who passed by her side gave her a sympathetic look.Bang!Pearl closed the door behind her and slid down on the floor. Her eyes were red and her body was shivering." You got this. " She whispered." Pearl, open the door. "" Pearl…"Knock! Knock!" Pearl.. Are you okay? Open the door! "She heard Daniel calling for her to open the door, but she couldn't. She couldn't let him see her. Not like this." I'm okay.. Just sleepy " She tried to hide her trembling voice with a yawn." Pearl.. "" I know what happened there "Silence…The door opened revealing a girl with red eyes and wet shirt. Her hair was messy and her small body was trembling." Oh! Come here " Daniel pulled her in his arms and she broke into uncontrollable sobs.He caressed her back to calm her down." I am so sorry I couldn't protect you " He apologised again and again." My dad needed me so I had to go. " He added.Pearl nodded her head and pulled herself out of his arms." He is so scary! " She sobbed." He was just targeting me. "He rubbed her hair while she sobbed in his arms. While the couple were having a moment someone was burning in the flames of love and hatred.Lucas punched the mirror before him. He wanted to kill Michael, how dare him touch her!He sat on his bed with his bleeding hand. The blood fell on the white sheet painting it red.Red, the colour of love and hatred.He took out his phone and dialled a number. " Get me the information about Pearl Hart. Now."Half an hour later he sat on his couch staring at the document in his hand.Name : Pearl HartAge : nineteenColour : fair.Hobbies: reading and dancing.Family members : Lives with Father and mother.Relationship status: never had a boyfriend.He continued to read further and the frown between his brows increased." Pearl Hart, " He whispered, smirking. " Wait till I make your life a living hell. "After an hour of crying she finally calmed down.She looked at the boy before her. He had his eyes shut and his thick eyelashes casted a shadow on his handsome face. His hair was messy from running his finger through them, but it did nothing to his handsomeness. He was tired so he slept while calming her down.Suddenly she felt guilty. She raised her hand to remove his arms around her but her hand was caught mid way. " Where are you going? " He asked. Pearl's heart skipped a beat hearing his sleepy voice." No… nowhere in particular "She was nervous from his continuous and intense staring.He pulled her closer and held her cheeks in his palm. " Do you remember what I once told you? " He looked in her eyes and she looked down. Avoiding eye contact." Look me in the eye Pearl " He held her chin and raised her face. She looked at him with those innocent eyes of hers." Hmm? "" Yeah.. To stay away from him " He nodded." Why did you go there? "Pearl closed her eyes remembering all the humiliation she had to go through." I did not go there. He took me there. " She didn't go there willingly, she was dragged to the rooftop. She was taken there so that he could bully her. She remembered using her phone when her room was pushed open and a boy named Michael entered. He said his boss needed her. She refused to go, but he dragged her there, before that monster.He was the same boy who tried to touch her." You don't have to worry about him anymore. I got this. " Daniel rubbed her hair and she nodded.Daniel got out of her room. Closing the door behind him softly.He made his way to the first floor and stood before Lucas' room.He raised his hand to knock but stopped when he heard noises coming out of his room." Ah! "" Ah! Lucas.. You are the best! "" Ah! "" Yeah! "" Like that! "" Ah! "He dropped his hand to his side and turned back to go, but stopped mid way." Ah! Pearl! "" Pearl, do you like it? "Daniel stopped in his tracks when he heard this. His hands started shivering and his eyes looked murderous.There was only one girl with this name and it was her!Lucas continued to moan her name. He was imagining her under him. The girl under him didn't seem to mind it or she was too scared to ask. They continued and their breathing turned heavier and heavier.Half an hour later the door to his room opened and a girl with messy hair and uneven clothes walked out.Lucas looked at her standing at his door. ""Close the door behind. "She rolled her eyes and walked out.Lucas stared at the ceiling and her face flashed before his eyes. He closed his eyes, smiling.His phone started ringing and he picked it up. His smile faded almost immediately after seeing the caller Id.He moved it close to his ear. " What do you want? "Lucas's annoyed voice was heard from the other end. Daniel wanted to punch him right at that moment, but he calmed himself down." Come to the rooftop. "After saying this Daniel hung up on him. He placed his phone to his side and stared at the sky full of stars.Lucas started at the phone screen. He couldn't believe he hung up on him." Dam* rascal! " He cursed under his breath and made his way towards the rooftop." I don't have enough time to chit chat with you."Lucas saw Daniel sitting on the floor staring at the sky. He wanted to punch him so bad." Do you still blame me for what happened back then? " Daniel spoke slowly.Lucas punched him right on his face and the two figures engaged in punching and pushing each other on the rooftop.Pearl slept peacefully without having any idea of the havoc which was created for her.My breathing was too slow that my heart skipped a beat. Caelum stood there, smoking slowly. I couldn't see his face clearly but I could bet my life on the fact that he was staring straight at me and for some strange reason it made my stomach drop. but not in a bad way, not because I was feeling anxious or nervous no, it was the opposite. I was feeling a strange type of peace that made my stomach feel weird and that fact scared me to my bones. " Caelum " I whispered slowly as if he would hear me. And I saw him leaning his head back exactly at that moment like he heard me whisper his name, and it relieved him in some way. My ringtone startled me. I looked down at my phone, he was calling me. I picked it up and moved it closer to my ears. I heard his deep breathing first and then his deep, velvety voice came next. " Amara " He spoke my name with so much care, that he made it sound almost sacred. " Caelum " " How are you my swan? " I closed my eyes. After
I had just finished applying my face mask when the door bell rang, without even any doubt I knew who it was. Marina told me she'll be sending a assistant for me. But I still checked the security camera before opening the door. You can't take any risk if you're a woman living alone, and as expected it was her. A young girl, probably same as my own age. she stood before the door, her right hand was tightly clutching the sling bag at her side. She was nervous. I opened the door quickly, I smiled at her. She raised her eyes at me and I looked into a pair of chocolate brown eyes, she nervously smiled back. I envied her innocence. I was just like her once before I turned into this particular version of myself, who was cold and.. and strong. " Hello, please come inside, " I opened the door wider and stepped aside. She looked down, nodded once and stepped in. I closed the door behind her with a soft thud. " Have a seat, don't be so nervous, " I smiled once again. I wanted he
The city changed as I left the café. At first, it was subtle—a black car that lingered too long at a turn, a woman with a phone pointed just a second too long in my direction. I tightened the collar of my sweater and kept my face angled away from the street. But I knew that feeling. The air grows tighter. And the world, smaller. My driver opened the door for me, and I stepped into the backseat with practiced grace. We pulled away from Verde Fiore, winding through the ancient veins of Rome, heading toward the studio. The second rehearsal was due in less than an hour. I didn’t notice the third car until it sped up beside us. The first flash came like lightning. Then came another. And another. The sound of camera shutters, like mechanical gunfire, filled the space around us. My driver cursed under his breath. “Signorina—paparazzi.” I turned sharply. Three cars now. One directly behind us. One to the left, keeping pace. One ahead, slowing to block our path. From ever
The office was too quiet, even for someone who’d come to love silence. Or maybe not love it—just forget how to hate it. The rain tapped against the glass of the penthouse windows as I stood staring at the city skyline, the vast sprawl of glass and chrome stretching beneath me. It should have felt triumphant. It didn’t. "Mr. Whitlock, the Tokyo team has confirmed the merger." I didn’t look away from the window. "Put it on my desk. I’ll review it later." "Yes, sir." I heard the secretary retreat, her heels clicking softly against the marble floor. I waited for the door to close with a muted hiss before finally turning. The office was sharp and sterile. Mahogany desk, floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with untouched books, and a liquor cabinet I never used. The only thing personal in the entire room was a single velvet box in the bottom drawer of my desk—locked, untouched. My reflection caught in the glass. The tailored black suit, the gray eyes that no longer sparked, the hair
The city was quiet at dawn. Rome always woke slowly—like a lover reluctant to leave bed, curling back into warmth and marble silence. I stood by the tall window of my apartment, my hands wrapped around a cup of black tea. Below me, the street was just beginning to stir. A Vespa buzzed. A café owner unlocked his doors. The sky above was pale lavender, the kind of color that made me feel like I had already danced through a dream. I turned away from the view and moved through the apartment—barefoot on cool, polished floors, the silk hem of my robe whispering at my ankles. My rehearsal bag was packed. Hairpins ready. Pointe shoes tucked in like sleeping swans. A knock at the door broke the quiet. Three knocks. Not loud. Not urgent. Just... expectant. I didn’t even need to ask. It was him. I opened the door and found him standing there. Black suit, no tie, simple white shirt. Tall, lean, not brutish. The kind of man who blended into any hotel lobby or opera house. You wouldn’t rememb
The city of Rome gleamed beneath the dusky sky, its ancient streets echoing the low hum of life. After the warm dinner with Mama and Papa, I returned to my sanctuary—the apartment that cradled the version of me the world knew as Amara Liora. The Swan of Rome. The driver pulled up to the front of the building, and the doorman, Roberto, greeted me with a warm smile. " Good night, miss." "Good night, Roberto," I replied softly, stepping out as he opened the door for me. I nodded politely, tired but glowing from the comfort of home. The building was tucked in the quieter part of Trastevere, away from the tourists and noise. But nothing about it was modest. A beautiful blend of classic Roman architecture with subtle modern elegance, its cream façade held wrought-iron balconies adorned with red and white flowers. I took the private elevator to the top floor—my floor. The doors opened with a soft chime and I stepped into my apartment. Light spilled across marble floors, polished to a mu