The sky was dark, clouds shielded the sun as they poured down on Halle’s skin, her bare skin. There she stood amid the rain in nothing but her underwear, the gashes she knew she had in her back had stopped burning, the coolness of the rain helped with it but, she was cold, so cold that her legs were shaking and her eyes could barely stay open. She wasn’t passing out, she was getting hypothermic and she knew another hour under the rain and she’d be past the point of no return. Just as she had given up, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, sharp nails digging into her flesh, and warm breath against her ear. “I think you’ve learned your lesson!” A high-pitched voice said harshly, the nails digging deeper and creating more holes in Halle’s skin. She was dragged back, pulled away from the rain, and into the shield of a porch, her porch. “Don’t you think so, Maria?” “Yes,” Halle replied weakly, “Mother…”… “Miss Dean?”Huh?“Miss Halle Dean?” This time the voice became more persisten

Xavier Stone fiddled with the silver dagger in his hand, flipping it from one finger to the other, a passive expression on his face, on the other hand, the man in front of him was on his knees, shivering from the cold wind of the deserted meadows of the capital. Cold but yet the man was soaked in sweat, his black hair matted to his forehead, and his palms rubbed together in front of him, begging. He had on a white shirt and blue pants before he was brought to the meadow, now half of it was soaked in blood and his pants were already a mess from his urine. The man kept his fear-filled eyes on the ground, his body shaking so much that Xavier wondered if the littlest wind would blow him away. “I don’t know anything, sir, please!” Xavier looked over his shoulder with a bored gaze, “You hear that?” He said to the men that stood behind him. They were sixteen in number, all dressed in black suits and leather shoes, businessmen, Xavier’s men. “He says he doesn’t know anything,” Xavier dead

When Halle left the bathroom, the bedroom was empty. She felt a pang of disappointment in her chest as she strode to the walk-in closet. She had expected Xavier to be there, beneath all that anger, she craved the warmth he provided and how calm it made her. Don’t do that shit you always do! Halle scolded herself as she rummaged through the closet in search of something decent yet, soft and comfortable. She didn’t want to put on clothes that would rub against her bruises the wrong way and add more to the pain she was feeling. She went deeper into the walk-in closet, exploring the clothes that they had supposedly ‘arranged’ for her. It came as no surprise that they knew her size and knew the right things to buy…Xavier said he’s been watching her for the past three years and damn it that brought back her hopes that she wanted to throw away. The closet was decorated with a blend of peach and cream colors, reminding her of how long it had been since she’s tasted ice cream on her tongu

“I had a boyfriend,” His expression darkened even though he tried to keep up that blank mask. Halle stared down at her fingers, for some reason the words she wanted to say suddenly felt too heavy.Was he going to kill Simon?Or was he going to be disappointed in the fact that she’s been a fool for so long?Halle knew that Simon was a bad choice and it wasn’t just the countless times that Greta had asked her to break up with the bastard, it was the moments in between. How much money he would ask from her knowing fully well that he wouldn’t pay her back, the number of times he’d threatened to hit her or even actually hit her with the intention of doing more but yet… Halle had still been with him.She was ashamed to admit it, but what was between them was more of a personal issue of her trying to prove herself to her mother rather than love.Halle loved the man but not enough to take that kind of bullshit but just like she’s tried to fight for the past few years and fail miserab

Join them? Halle wasn’t sure what action to take, she chewed down at her bottom lip as she looked at all of them, overwhelmed by all of their attention.The blonde was still smiling patiently, his hands still holding the seat out for her.He had large brown eyes, they made him look like a perfectly drawn comic book character.He had a round face but Halle could tell from his beard and the look in his eyes that he was actually older.This was the first time she’s seen this many people in the mansion.Halle shrugged as she walked to the dining area and took the seat held out for her.What’s the worst that could happen?Besides, she’s been in her room for the past three days and she could really do with some company.“Good morning,” Halle said to them, it earned her wide grins from the men. They looked at her with a certain awe in their gazes and that baffled her.Somehow it made her feel weird that they all knew who she was and what she was here for but as long as they didn’