The unexpected romance that happened to a commoner leaves her whole life complicated. Falling in love with a toxic billionaire would have never been in the cards for her, but it happened anyway. The life she had with the billionaire was one she had never wished would happen, she saw different signs as to why she should have left him, but she stayed. If she had known, she wouldn't have ignored them.
Anastasia's POV.
"Mom, please don't do this to me" I found myself screaming and crying, begging my mom not to leave me with my abusive father again because I knew that the possibility of making it out alive was very slim and, frankly speaking, I would just give up.
My dad came out with a gun, pointed it at my head and told my mother that if she didn't leave immediately he was going to kill me, I was only 10.
I hugged my mom one last time as she turned her back, and I head a gunshot! I squirmed in fear thinking I was going to die, but I examined myself and I could not see any blood, my gaze went straight to my mother and I could see the blood gush out from her back and she mouthed the word "run" to me.
"She did not deserve to die like that" I mourned.
Kendra pulled me into a tight hug as I kept mouthing the words, "she did not deserve that."
Nights have been like this since Kendra and I moved in together, I would always wake up sobbing and weeping uncontrollably and Kendra would always be by my side to pull me into a hug and tell me it's okay that my dad can't hurt me anymore., but how can I be so sure when the man who killed my mother still lives freely, I was too young to be traumatized like that.
"I ran away at 15, my dad had gone out, and It took everything in me to flee, I remember stepping out the door and just running, running like my life depended on it, maybe because it did. I heard my mom tell me not to stop, that I could do it. All I needed to do was to take just one more step and one more step took me to three, then four, then where I am now" I sigh as I told Kendra what happened then.
"It's fine now, Ana." Kendra said, still holding me. I've told her of it before but she never gets tired of hearing it over and over again.
Ana is the nickname Kendra gave me because my name was too long for her to keep yelling except when she's mad at me, though.
"Thank you.... I'm so glad I found you, perhaps I would've been dead by now." I giggle!
"I remember when we first met, we looked like two wretched beings. You had only a bag pack and I had a box and a bag of sandwich I stole from my school cafeteria." Kendra laughs.
Kendra constantly tries to lighten the mood. She didn't have a perfect life as well, as a matter of fact, she has scars that she still needs to heal from and maybe that's just what made us whole, each other.
I giggle at the memory of the very first day I met Kendra
"I love you" I whisper to Kendra as she lays on my bed with me and we fell asleep while facing each other.
********
"I can't believe you're still sleeping." Kendra stated, as she had managed to tap me into waking up.
"Just 30 more minutes more" I yawned and tried closing my eyes again.
"You said that like two hours ago." She said dryly.
"But-" I try to defend myself.
"No more but.."
"It's Saturday, I don't understand why we can't just stay in bed."Still complaining with my head buried on the bed.
"Girl, get that flat ass off the bed or remain there if you want us to sleep on the streets by the end of the month" I know what she meant.
"Alright, fine! You win!"
There's something I've always loved about Kendra, she never judged me for my terrifying nights, and she never complained about it too. She had her ways of making me feel comfortable no matter the situation. It's safe to say Kendra is my best friend, she's the closet thing I've had to a sister since I was the only child from a toxic family.
"You can't put that on!" Kendra says as she nearly slaps away my almost faded red gown from my hands.
"Girl today is Saturday, all we need to do is get dressed for grocery shopping then know how much we have left to get you new clothes."
"My clothing can't be that bad, it's still manageable, slightly" I say, looking at the piece of cloth in my hand and wondering if Kendra was right
"Anastasia, please, don't act like you're a poor wretched being for fuck's sake, we have to work our asses off to get what we need, but we can obviously afford clothes, at least better-looking clothes than that rag". She utter while pointing the gown like it's an abomination I am holding on to.
"Girl, take a chill pill. I've got like only $100 in my account, what can I do with that?" I say, showing Kendra my phone account balance.
"Oh right! I have about $250 so guess we can do something with that". She says.
Kendra and I first headed to the grocery store to get relevant items and when we were done we had a couple of dollars to spare, so we decided to go shopping for clothes.
Entering the shopping mall like we really have got the money to buy all the clothes. Only if they know how much we have or can at least, have a peep into our accounts; there will be no hesitation in calling the security to throw us out.
"That gown will surely look pretty on you. You can take it." Kendra says while holding a short black sleeveless gown and i, a similar gown but different colors and styles.
"Did you see the price tag?" I ask her and the first thing she did was to look around.
"You really don't have to be loud, you know? We are not poor." She caution with a tiny tone. Noticing her eye signal, i turn to see some people near us.
We were still checking out cheaper clothes to buy when i notice something is up with Kendra. She seems distracted and so, i followed the gaze.
It's a guy. They are stealing glances of each other. Seeing this, i try so hard not to hit her head on something so she can wake up.
"Girl not today, please!" I say.
"C'mon, this body needs to get laid!" She smirks.
Kendra has always been a lover of sex and is sexually attracted to tall slim guys, I can't judge her for that because Kendra would never judge me for anything.
"Oh my, look at this..." I rush to take a proper look at the jean short. Walking few steps away when.
"Ahem... Hi ladies. What's the name?" He asks with a strong British accent.
It the same guy stealing glances at Kendra. Do I call this love at first sight?
"It's Kendra, and that's Ana, my sister" she says, blushing. She didn't even let me introduce myself.
This can't be the touch Kendra i know. However, she really have a thing for slim tall guys like him. I remember one time she almost fell on the road while drooling for a guy. Embarrassing, right? It was even worse when the guy and his friends burst into laughter. Well, that's then.
"Beautiful names. Nice to meet you Kendra and Ana..... my name is Joel" And Kendra couldn't keep eyes contact. He smiles.
"You've got a nice smile" I compliment as Kendra gives me the stare that says 'stop trying to flirt with my man' and I immediately mouth "sorry" to her.
"Thank you, I see you're trying to pick outfits. Mind if I join?" He asks.
"Of course not" she invites.
********
"Everything will be a hundred and fifty dollars." the cashier tells us with a cheering smile.
Kendra and I stare at ourselves because we know that that would cost all of our money, but we attempt to play it cool.
"Let it be my treat to you, my lady." Joel says from behind.
"Don't worry, it's fine." Kendra replies, and I stare at her in shock, but I let it slide.
Joel hands over his credit card to the cashier, ignoring the words of Kendra and she started blushing.
"Thank you" Kendra and I thank Joel at once.
"It's fine, mind if I drop you off?" He offers.
"Not at all" I say, not giving Kendra the space to refuse and make us walk home.
******
"It's here." I tell Joel who is carried away while discussing with Kendra, and he parks right in front of our house.
"Want to come in for Dinner?" Kendra offers.
"Maybe some other time, at least I know where you live" he winks.
"Girl, you cook good food" Kendra compliments as she has a mouthful of spaghetti meatballs.
"As expected, I learned to cook when I was 6, mom always told me to come........"
"Come learn how to cook, so you could always prepare dishes for your husband when you get married, since home cooked meals are better than takeouts, you've told me this a thousand times already." Kendra interrupts.
"A thousand and one won't hurt" I giggle.
After breakfast, Kendra decides to go to the library to read some books, she has always been an avid lover of books and often read to run away from the realities of life.
Since I was the only one at home, I decide to binge-watch any movie I could find on my laptop.
I heard a loud knock on the apartment door and I realized, I had fallen asleep while binge-watching a movie.
I looked through the eye hole and see a frustrated Kendra with a bag of only God knows what.
"Kendra what's wrong" is the first thing I utter while opening the door and helping her with her bag
"I got kicked out of the library for laughing too hard, common the book were funny." she exasperated
"Don't fucking kill me, you look like a fuming Tom from Tom and Jerry.... What's in the bag?" I ask between laughs.
"It's not funny" Kendra says and giggles a little.
"Since I got kicked out, why not just borrow some books to read here instead" she smiles.
"Did you borrow them, or you stole them?" i fold my arms while asking suspiciously.
"It doesn't matter, all that matters is that I have my books with me" She says, avoiding eyes contact.
I shake my head and laugh at Kendra's childish behavior.
The night came by fast and so did Sunday, and before I knew it, it was Monday again and I had to go to work.
Waking up is always the most annoying part of my day but, I guess I need to find out what the world has in store for me. It may be pain or the reverse.
Noraās life takes a drastic turn when she meets her mate, Logan, only to be rejected by him. But as she begins to experience strange symptoms, Nora discovers that she is a rare breed of lycanthropes. With Loganās secret as the alpha of the pack and a rogue group of wolves attacking innocent humans, Nora is torn between her duty to protect her community and her feelings for Logan. As she uncovers a shocking truth about her past, Nora becomes entangled in a web of events that leads to a powerful witch with a personal vendetta against her and Logan. They tried to end her but not before she casts a powerful spell that separates them from each other and the pack. Will they be able to find their way back to each other and their true selves? And did they succeed in killing the evil witch?
Eve is left with no choice other than getting married to Jason who is arrogant and has not an iota of respect for her. Eve is in need of changing the poor status of her family and Jason needs to secure his company by getting a wife. Their marriage is built on pretence and deceit for the sake of keeping his company and her family's new wealth. However, things change the minute Jason finds out Eve was a virgin the next morning after their first sex.
Alcohol and heartbreak are definitely not a good combo.Too bad I learnt that a little too late. Iām Tessa Beckett and I painfully got dumped by my boyfriend of three years.That led me to getting drunk at a bar and having a one-night stand with a stranger.Before he would see me as a slut the next day,I paid him for the sex and deeply insulted his ability to please me. But this stranger turned out to be my new boss!
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Scarlett was left betrayed and broken beyond repair when her best friend Megan set her up with the male escort who stole her virginity...Or at least, that's what she thought he was. There was something odd about the strong and strikingly beautiful man that she spent a night with. Despite the pure hatred she felt for him, the deals he ended up offering wasn't one she could refuse. Scarlett always thought she'd marry her soulmate but turns out, that won't be the case for her. But could her mysterious husband make his way through her broken heart and fix it? It's hard to imagine but love has funny ways to manifest in places where it's least expected....
Loraine was a dutiful wife to Marco since they got married three years ago. However, he treated her like trash. Nothing she did softened his heart. One day, Loraine got fed up with it all. She asked him for a divorce and left him to enjoy with his mistress. The elites looked at her like she was deranged. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you so willing to divorce him?" "It's because I need to return home to get a billion-dollar fortune. Besides, I don't love him anymore," Loraine replied with a smile. They all laughed at her. Some believed that the divorce affected her mentally. It wasn't until the next day that they realized she wasn't fibbing. A woman was suddenly declared the world's youngest female billionaire. It turned out to be Loraine! Marco was shocked to the bone. When he met his ex-wife again, she was a changed person. A group of handsome young men surrounded her. She was smiling at them all. The sight made Marco's heart ache severely. Putting his pride aside, he tried to win her back. "Hello, love. I see that you are a billionaire now. You shouldn't be with suckers who just want your money. How about you come back to me? I'm a billionaire too. Together, we can build a strong empire. What do you say?" Loraine squinted at her ex-husband with her lips curled in disgust.
Katie was forced to marry Dillan, a notorious ruffian. Her younger sister mocked her, "You're just an adopted daughter. Count your blessings for marrying him!" The world anticipated Katie's tribulations, but her married life unfurled with unexpected serenity. She even snagged a lavish mansion in a raffle! Katie jumped into Dillan's arms, credited him as her lucky charm. "No, Katie, it's you who brings me all this luck," Dillan replied. Then, one fateful day, Dillan's childhood friend came to her. "You're not worthy of him. Take this 50 million and leave him!" Katie finally grasped Dillan's true statureāthe wealthiest man on the planet. That night, trembling with trepidation, she broached the subject of divorce with Dillan. However, with a domineering embrace, he told her, "I'd give you everything I have. Divorce is off the table!"
Two years ago, Ricky found himself coerced into marrying Emma to protect the woman he cherished. From Ricky's perspective, Emma was despicable, resorting to underhanded schemes to ensure their marriage. He maintained a distant and cold attitude toward her, reserving his warmth for another. Yet, Emma remained wholeheartedly dedicated to Ricky for more than ten years. As she grew weary and considered relinquishing her efforts, Ricky was seized by a sudden fear. Only when Emma's life teetered on the edge, pregnant with Ricky's child, did he recognize-the love of his life had always been Emma.