Rich. British. Hot as hell. Elizabeth Bennett has never appreciated any of these traits in a man. So when Mr. Darcy, billionaire British playboy and GQ's Bachelor of the Year, meets her at a function, she's surprised at how attracted she is to him. That is until he puts his foot in his big, arrogant mouth. The slap that she gave him got her thrown out of the biggest fundraiser of the year, but the mark she left on Mr. Darcy won't leave his mind. The second time that they meet "on accident", he turns up the arrogance even more. The third time, he tries flowers. By the fourth time, he's wearing a cup to protect himself. Mr. Darcy is the last man in the world that Elizabeth could ever be with. However, love makes fools of us all, and the one man that she can't stand is the one man she can't resist. Can Mr. Darcy's kiss win over the heart of Elizabeth Bennett? Join New York Times bestselling author Krista Lakes in this modern retelling of Jane Austen's beloved "Pride and Prejudice".
View More“mum stop!” she wanted to yell but she could only mutter.
Seeing her mum this hurt and pushy was making her want to tear up.“baby…”
“stop!” her voice already in teary whisper. “stop… please.”
Gracie palmed her face and sat on the bed. She was tired already from all the pressure to go back to the hospital and the fights and tears.
What was the point of the hospital! She was gonna die anyway!It didn’t matter how soon, she was gonna die! That was the point!She wanted to be strong for herself, she really wanted to be.
The last thing she needed was her mum's tears or begging again.“i'm going to die mum.” She’s said clearly and looked up at her mum.
“I'm going to die.
I don’t see any point of wasting time and resources. Please… God! I so hate hospitals now. Their stench… it's unbearable.... the whole drugs stuff... I just wanna go insane!” She sniffed and wiped her eyes.They was silence for a short while.She looked away and wiped her eyes clean.
“Huh?
This is one of the few moment we have together, please we cant afford this quarrel.”“baby…”
“mum. I don’t want my torture to be prolonged.
please stop this!”Her mum turned her back to her and secretly wiped her own tear.She was so hurt. The feelings of she going to loose her only child… ugh… it was unspeakable.“ baby… I just want you to …. I want you to live… to live long for me.” She sniffed. “your dad is no longer here... you're all I have. I cant loose you.”
Gracie sighed and wiped her fresh tear.Then she got up from the bed and covered the distance between them. She patted her hair and her mum faced her.
They hugged pitifully.She hoped well that by tomorrow, her mum shouldn't be on it again. As always.
It made her cry to see her mum trying to fight when there was no hope. When she herself had given up the fight.They unlocked from the hug and she cleaned the tears off her mum's face.
“I love you mum. So much.” She said and nodded. Her mum sighed and looked down at her chest.
“you... you...” She wiped her eyes properly. “you wanted to say something earlier?” Mrs Vanessa asked her daughter.
“uh…” she slowly moved away from her mum back to the bed.
She sat down trying to remember… And then brighten up her mood again.And it suddenly popped up.“oh…” she faked a chuckle and anyone could tell she was still sad.
“I thought about something through last night…
You know…Why don’t you fake an ID for me.So I can go to real clubs at least. To see the world for myself before I die.” She said.Her mum frowned at once.
“why do you always say reasonable things and end them with nonsense.” she snapped and walked to the clothes on the make up table.She packed all of it and left her daughter to herself.Gracie sighed and laid on the bed.
Why was it that they gain their independence at 16, but still can’t go to clubs till 18 years of age.Her phone beeped almost immediately.She stretched on her bed and got hold of it.
“uh... What?” She sighed the moment she checked the message.It was Emma. Her bestie.Her call came immediately after.… she was so not in the mood.
*
An hour later*“where the hell did you dump your phone! I’ve been calling since like forever.” Emma half yelled from the others side of the line.
“sorry boo boo.” Gracie said sarcastically.
“Grace.” Emma called in a warning tune.
“gross, stop calling me that?”
“okay… enough bickering.
Did you see my message?” Emma changed the topic at once.“oh please i'm not doing that shit.
how do you intend to get it in the first place?”“ooh come on! Are you doubting me?”
“I’m not doing it still.”
“ But we had an agreement!
You agreed that before you die we must do everything fun we can.So yes we are doing that shit.”Gracie scoffed. She was used to Emma's blunt words.“fine if you can get it, just this one… tiny tiny time.” She said hesitantly.
She was browsing the other day and she found out that the same climax people get from sex is the same they also get from Opiod drugs.Maybe she wanted to feel it.“if I can get it? Really?
If I cant get it do you think i'd bother calling you?”“okay. Okay. I will do it.” She fully agreed.
*
Emma shut the door behind her and walked to Gracie on the bed.
“hi boo boo.”
She took off her back pack and drop it on the bedlamp shelve.“asshole… you were at my door step, really?
I had to wait one more hour.” Gracie scoffed sitting up on the bed. But she suddenly felt this sharp pains in her legs… like a joint pain or so.She groaned a bit. Emma helped her sit up.“you cool?”
“yeah. I'm fine.” She nodded. Emma sat beside her on the bed.
“I was delayed okay.” She defended.
“did you bring it?” Gracie wasted no time in asking.
“Wo… I remember you were against this whole coke stuff earlier. So calm down okay.” Emma said proudly and took her back pack from the bedlamp shelve.
She placed it on her thighs and opened it.Gracie moved closer to her to have a better view of the inside.Firstly Emma brought out a pair of cellophane hand gloves.
“too bad, I’ve got just one pair.” She muttered wearing them. Gracie scoffed.Then she brought out a small wrap of cocaine… in a transparent small sachet.
“oh my god!” Gracie exclaimed and stared at her friend.
“you did it!” she half yelled.
“I told you I would didn’t I!” she brought out a foil paper and tore the cocaine sachet pouring out the content on it.
She moved closer like she wanted to enter Emma.“so how do we do it?” she asked trying to touch the stuff.
“wait… maybe you should wash your hand first.” Emma said. Gracie gave her a glare.
“come on Gracie, you know that you always get infected by every little bacteria, hurry!”
*
Soon after Gracie returned and sat back on the bed. Emma gave her the foil paper.
“here, you take it through your nose… by sniffing.
You sniff little okay.Just take a little quantity on your pinkie.” Emma explained.Gracie took a little quantity and raised it to her nose.
Just then the door opened and her mum entered.The foil paper fell off her hand tossing the content on the pink rug. Even the one on her fingers got spilled.“you didn't lock the door.” they both groaned between clenched teeth.
Who was to be blamed?Her mum walked in not noticing the stuff on the floor.
“uh… Emma, here's the list.” She gave a small paper to her and a credit card.“what is that?” Gracie asked.
“oh I asked her to go to the supermarket for me when she came.
And she agreed.”“why didn’t you ask me instead?” Gracie asked.
She noticed Emma trying to hide the cocaine on the floor.“oh.. i'm going to the restaurant like now…”
“what… is it 10am yet… I didn’t even know.” She shrugged trying to hide the foil paper under her feet.
“And uh… I need you to be at home when the monthly deliver guy comes.” Her mum added.
“oh… okay then.” She said.
“Bye Mrs. Vanessa” Emma said.
“bye.” Mrs. Vanessa turned back and hurried to the door… but she came back and placed a kiss on Gracie’s hair before finally exiting.
“oh shit, was I the only one who panicked when she came back?” Emma chuckled.
“swearz.” Gracie chuckled too.
“… it’s ruined.” Emma groused as her gaze fell on the floor.
She knew how much she used to purchase that cocaine..“too bad. But cant we still manage it?”
“no… hashtag# no to infections.”
*
In the supermarket.*“what's next on the list?” Emma asked.
“2 mayonnaise.”
“okay… it's in that section… I think.”
They walked to the other shelve and they saw the particular kind of mayonnaise written.Gracie picked 2 and placed it in the basket and they moved along.“what next?”
“uh…” she opened the paper again and suddenly chuckled.
“it says here that you should… get some pringles for yourself.”
“gross.” Emma said and they both laughed.
“Jeez. Parents can be so outdated… look… there is this necklace I saw the other day in this same supermarket…”Just as they were about turning to the other direction. Gracie bumped into some… person.She touched her chest and moved back cause of the force.“Sorry.” She still muttered nonetheless the pain. While Emma was getting ready to snap at the unfortunate person.
Who turned out to be one of the cutest guy she had ever seen.She just stood frozen.The guy was tall, just too handsome for her, fair.
He had curly blonde hair and sexy faded green eyes.Thick jaw line and high nose bridge.The fact that he was chewing a gum made her almost pass out.He stared at Gracie and then at Emma who was totally mesmerized by his beauty.
And then he stared back at Gracie.“sorry.” He muttered. One could hardly hear him if not that his small pink lips moved.
and without further ado, he walked past them.Gracie immediately recognised a tattoo on his left arm as he raised it to arrange his hair while walking past.
She gasped and her eyes dilated in fright. Somehow.Oh MG!
She was surprised.She turned completely to stare at him as he walked away. EMMA did same as well.
They both looked like high school students drooling over a new guy.“oh boy, he is so hot. His style is so cute!” Emma half yelled bringing Gracie from her trance.
Gracie turned to face Emma at once.
“same green eyes, same tattoo.Could it be him Emma? Yes, it him!”TBC
Two days later I woke before dawn. It was my day off, so I didn't need to be awake, yet I couldn't go back to sleep. I itched to get up and move. My brain was too full and my heart too tender to sit in bed and think.I put on my favorite black exercise pants and a soft sweatshirt. Outside, the dark air frosted with every breath and ice hung on the tree branches and buildings as I walked to Central Park. It was quiet in the early gray morning. There were only a few runners pounding the pavement, but they kept to themselves, huffing and puffing like dragons in the gray light.It was as close to being alone in the city as I could get.A layer of snow glistened and glimmered on the grass. No one had disturbed it yet, so it was still perfect and white. For a moment, I could imagine that there were no other people in the entire world. It was just me and the cold.I wished the cold could freeze my hope. I wished that it could freeze the ache inside of me every time I thought about him. I cou
A few days later, I sat behind the nurses' station filling out paperwork. Despite going to a paperless system years ago, I still somehow managed to have mountains of paperwork for my patients. I just wanted to finish and head home. I'd already reported to the night nurses, so once I finished putting in the last few sets of vitals and notes, I could leave.A shower and bed sounded like the best thing in the world.“Hey, Lizzie,” the charge nurse called to me. “There's someone here to see you.”Lydia and Jane rarely visited me at work, and if they did, it was always at lunchtime so I could buy them cafeteria food. I knew it wasn't them, and despite my dreams, I knew that Mr. Darcy would never show up here.I sighed, hit save, closed my screens, and went to see who wanted me. Maybe it was a former patient. Those always made my day.It was not a patient.I came to the entrance of the unit to find a woman in an expensive pantsuit and a mean look on her face waiting for me. She looked like
I stared up at the tall building just outside of Central Park that Mr. Darcy worked at. I'd verified that it was the right one on the walk over and I even knew which office was his. I hoped that I could see him and thank him for what he'd just done for my family. I just had to get past security and his secretaries.The lobby was full of windows and bright, modern architecture. There were two sets of elevators, but to get to them, I had to get past security. I squared my shoulders and walked up.“Hello, I'm here to see Mr. Darcy,” I announced. My voice squeaked a little.“Name?” The big guard asked.“Elizabeth Bennet,” I replied. “I just need to see him for a minute. I'm sure if you tell him I'm here he'll let me come up, and I just really need to see him.”The security guard waited until I stopped babbling. “Ma'am, you're already on the approved list. Take the second elevator to the top. Have a nice day.”“Oh.”I nodded and walked past him to the elevator and got on. Mr. Darcy had me
Thirty-some-odd hours later, I was no closer to finding my sister.“Any word on Lydia?” Jane asked, coming into the kitchen. I sat at the table, searching my phone.I shook my head. "I called the police, but she's an adult, and she isn't really missing," I told her. "And California is a big place."“I'm so sorry, Lizzie.” Jane put her hands on my shoulders and gave me a reassuring squeeze.“My uncle is driving down from Sacramento today, but I'm not sure how much help it's going to be,” I continued. “Mom and Dad are in the middle of the ocean on their cruise. They can't do anything.”I looked down at my cereal and realized I hadn't eaten a bite of it. It was now just soggy mush.“How are you doing?” Jane asked. I could tell she was worried about me."I didn't sleep the night of the party, and I didn't sleep much last night. I just kept looking up and calling hotels," I told her. I played with the soggy cereal with my spoon. I wasn't hungry anyway. "She's been in California for forty-e
He got out and ran around to open my car door. It made me smile and feel important to be treated like a lady. I was a self-sufficient and strong woman, but it was nice to be taken care of too.I babbled in the elevator about the weather on our way up. It wasn't because I thought the weather would interest him, but more because I was afraid I would want to kiss him if I didn't keep my mouth busy.Even in the pale neon glow of the elevator, he was the most handsome man I'd ever met in real life. Being in the elevator with him close enough to touch, I could smell his cologne. I remembered the way he made me feel. I could feel myself leaning toward him, wanting to feel that again.I needed to get a grip on myself and my hormones. I'd hurt him, and I needed to go slow if I wanted to regain any of his trust. I was still surprised that he had agreed to the drink. I didn't want to push my luck too much and kissing him in the elevator would definitely do that.Relief washed over me as the ele
Two drinks, some food, and the most amazing dinner rolls I'd ever eaten, and I was having a wonderful evening. It was the most surprising thing to me.Georgiana never stopped talking, it seemed. She always had something sweet and funny to say, and I was glad. It filled in the awkward silences whenever Mr. Darcy and I didn't know what to say. She kept the conversation smooth and flowing.He kept watching me, those blue eyes taking in my every movement. To be fair, I kept watching him from the corner of my eye. He looked so handsome sitting with us. His dark hair was combed back, and his suit displayed the strength of his shoulders and trim of his waist.It helped that I knew exactly what was under that suit, but I knew I would never have that again. Still, every time he glanced over at me, my heart did flipflops. I had slept with the man, so there was no reason to be nervous around him, yet there I was. I felt like a schoolgirl next to the captain of the football team.I laughed too h
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