Bianca climbed the wooden stairs slowly and on tiptoes when she got home from school to prevent making any noise that would alert her parents that she was back home. The stairs had elaborate railings, carved balusters, and inlaid wood, making it look like something out of a fairytale.Her family was among the top five richest families in the country but what baffled her was how much they loved wood.They lived in an opulent home with two stories, a swimming pool, and a front and back yard. The house was floored with wooden floorboards, which offered a subtle warmth to the touch and is rarely ever cold and since it was used alongside heated floors, it ensured a cozy and pleasant floor while still looking regal. The living room, family room, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms and baths for the housekeeper and chef were all on the first floor, and she was relieved that her parents were not there when she snuck in. There were three bedrooms–one for her and the master bedroom for he
Bianca woke up the next day with a spring in her steps, thinking about seeing Damion at school. As she climbed down the stairs, she saw her parents having breakfast in the dining room.“Good morning love. Aren’t you going to eat your breakfast?” Her mum asked when she walked past them.Bianca turned back and answered in a sweet voice, “I can’t stay, ma. I have to get to school now or I’ll be late for my lectures. Dad wouldn’t like it if I’m late, would you dad?” She was just bluffing at this point because she still had two hours before her first lecture and her father knew, and Bianca knew that he was aware of her lie, but she didn’t back down or cower. Her father looked up at her from where he sat, his jaw tight like he was trying to keep himself from talking and Bianca held his stare before he finally looked away.She knew he understood the game she was playing, but at the same time, she knew that he was rest assured that no matter wh
“What happened to your face?” she asked. Damion cursed inwardly as he quickly dropped the cup back on the grass and pulled his hoodie to cover that side of his face. He had removed his nose mask with the hope that his hoodie was big enough to make up for the absence of it.“Nothing,” He answered, his face still hidden from her. Bianca crawled forward on her knees and when she positioned herself in front of him, she raised his head up and gently removed the hand that was holding the hoodie, squinting her eyes to examine the damage. She was so close to Damion that he could see the changes of her emotions flashing across her eyes. First, it was shock, then pity before it all morphed into anger. “Who did this to you, Damion? Please tell me,” she pleaded. Thank God her father had a law firm so she knew ways in which she could help him if it came to the law or charging the person to court.“Don’t bother about it, really. I’m fine,” he said as he subtl
Damion breathed deeply as he shut the door of the restroom behind him. He stared at himself in the mirror of the bathroom stall and he could see the anger still present in his eyes.Only this time, it was not directed at Bianca but himself. What was he thinking taking his frustrations and helplessness on a woman who was only trying to help?His family would be so disappointed in him if they hear about what he had done, and what about Bianca’s family? When they were introducing themselves the day before, she had mentioned that her dad was the CEO of one of the best law firms in the country. He was screwed if her dad got to hear about what he had done. He screamed as he removed his face cap and pulled at his hair. As if he didn’t already have enough trouble to deal with, he had added more.Heartbroken, he called Bella. “Hello cousin. So nice of you to call me after a long while. I’m preparing for a shoot right now and I was going to call you when I finish here,” Bella said over the pho
Bella excused herself from the dining table and went to meet Damion where he stood with his head bowed. “Did something happen?” she rested her hand on his shoulder in a silent show of support.Damion shook his head and touched her hand lightly, “Let’s go eat. I’ll explain later.”Bella looked at him worriedly as he turned and left but she followed, filing everything in her head for later. They all sat down at the table while the chefs brought in the food.“This looks so delicious, Ericson.” Patricia, Bianca’s mother, appraised to which Ericson responded with, “It’s all the chefs. Most times, I have no idea what I want to eat. I learned a long time ago to just leave everything in their hands.”Everyone chuckled at that except Damion and Bianca, each lost in their own thoughts. Ericson sat down on one end of the table, Bella on his right and Damion on his left, while Roberts sat on the other end, his wife on his left and Bianca on his right; that way, Damion and Bianca sat side by side
“What in God’s name was that drama you performed at the Lance mansion all about?” Bianca’s father burst out in rage immediately as they entered the family room.Bianca knew it would come to this, and there was no escaping what was to come. Her father had been silent throughout the car ride and her mother had played some country music to help with the tension in the car.The tension was so alive, brimming with electricity that Bianca had felt it on her skin, even though none of them had said a word.This was one of the days she was thankful that her father had insisted on driving them himself. If a driver had taken them to the Lance mansion, there would have been no way she would escape her father’s wrath in the car.It was when he filed into the family room upon getting to the house that she knew it was not going to be easy at all. Her father was going to lash out on her with everything he’s got, but she was determined to stand her ground. She would not be a pawn any longer.“I just s
Damion left the house with a heavy heart. Life was so fragile and small that the first time he made a mistake, karma decided to payback immediately. There was no opportunity to right his wrongs before the retribution for them came. He had already gotten on his bike before he realized that he had no idea where he was going. He didn’t know where the Gales lived.‘Bianca Gale. The name suited her,’ he thought as he took his phone out of his pocket to message Bella and ask for the address.He could have just gone in to ask but he couldn’t bear seeing the look of disappointment on his grandfather’s face anymore. His words from earlier had crushed his heart but he knew he deserved the harsh words and more.There was no excuse for what he had done to his betrothed, even though he didn’t know she was the one at the time. And just like his grandfather had stated earlier, if he had accepted their help, all these would not have happened in the first place.A notification came in his phone and h
“Can you drive?” Bianca asked, tossing Damion the key to her car as she climbed into the passenger side without waiting for his response.Damion sighed as he watched her get comfortable in the car, checking herself out on her phone camera. He was now in a dilemma because he had wanted to tell her he didn’t drive but she had already made her choice so he got into the driver’s seat and inserted the key.“You know, for a minute there, I thought you were going to say you didn’t drive,” she taunted and Damion decided it would have been a bad idea to tell her he didn’t drive so he steeled his mind and turned the key in the ignition. In truth, Damion had only learnt how to drive when he was still back at the orphanage.Old Mr. Ben, one of the neighbors then, had taught him how to drive his old truck and he had practiced after school everyday for three months. But ever since he left the orphanage, he had not driven any other car.And even though he wanted to say no to Bianca, he started the