I don't remember how long it had been since I wrenched myself from the arms of the only woman I had loved as a mother. She didn't remember me at all. A little more speculation revealed that none of them did. My mother, my father, my brother,.. they'd all forgotten about my existence! That was the icing on the cake of my woeful and weird day. I had been so disoriented while fleeing the garden. All I had in mind was my incessant need to get away although I didn't completely understand what I was running from. It all happened in rapid succession I began to race toward the garden exit and a portal consumed me, spitting me out in the middle of a forest. Panic set in so I kept it up running in and out of portals and ending up in different places. The last place had been a crowded market square, my breathing hitched I never knew I had a bit of claustrophobia before then, I jumped again. I didn't know what I was running from but I knew what I was looking for. Peace, quiet and somewhere I could belong.. blend in or whatever. Baseline of my story, I don't know where I am but it sure is peaceful.
Chapter 1 - Somewhere in a small town in Seattle
1975
Lucas POV
I'd not had an easy life, at least not me. To onlookers, I was the perfect Lucas Stockhelm. I looked like the stereotype of a runway model, raven black hair, green eyes, a perfect jawline, a gorgeous smile, and a stunning physique. I was the Lucas who championed the soccer team of my local high school in every competition but somehow still aced all my tests. Sure I was on the honour roll, and the girls loved me ... even some guys although I decided never to venture into that. I was even the perfect gentleman, so how wasn't my life easy?
My mother had raised me all on her own. She'd made some bad choices in college and had to drop out to have me. My father? He was never part of the picture. So from a young age, I had to watch my mother crack under pressure. She was rarely home, having to run several shifts to support us. Whenever she finally came home she was always stressed out but still made time to find out how my day went. When we were done talking she'd creep away to her room to cry. Sometimes throughout the night. She had a friend who owned a modeling agency, Miss Hilda was very nice she always checked on us and ensured my mum was okay. Mum found it hard to open up to her about our problems though.
I was 5 when I first found out I was a little hotshot. My mum had just dropped me off at school that morning and my friend's mum saw me and fussed over me. Inviting me to their kids' birthday parties and hangouts that weren't coming up for weeks. After that, I asked Miss Hilda for a job and she granted me on the spot. It helped ease up the stress on Mum and all I had to do was smile and put on a couple of clothes and products for the money to come rolling in.
I am now 18 and a high school graduate. My mum was even more happy about this than me.... I should think. My friends were having the traditional "night in the woods" which every high school graduating set in our town had ever since high school came about. I didn't feel like going, so I opted for lying half-naked in my room flipping through old comics. Besides Mum was making a cake for me, I didn't want to leave her alone tonight, something felt wrong about going to the woods.
"Lu! Peter's here!", my mum's voice made its way upstairs to alert me of the impending doom.
I rolled over onto the floor in an attempt to hide under my bed. My room door flew open before my task was half completed and the calloused hands of my best friend wrapped round my ankles and tugged me out of my haven. "Not cool Luc!" he snapped at me, fighting the grin on his face as I raised my hands to plead innocent. "Get dressed and come downstairs you have five minutes."
"I was honestly about to come you know? I didn't just know what to wear." I called after his exiting figure in self-defense.
He stuck his head back ."Yeah I'm sure that's true you were only looking for your shoes under there!", sarcasm dripped from his tone. Wear whatever no one cares enough."
I pulled on tennis shoes and a plain black shirt to go with my khaki shorts and trudged downstairs. Peter was already in the kitchen making my mum laugh as she worked on the island. He was easy to be with like that.
"I'm ready!" I said and walked over to hug my mother after Peter called out goodbye and headed for the door. I pulled her against me muttering a quick I love you and placing a kiss on her temple.
"I'm so proud of you Lu. Go have fun" she said relinquishing her hold on me. I now had a fully funded sports scholarship that to study any course at any university of my choice. I sauntered lazily to the front door. Peter play-punched me in the arm and made a teasing comment about my outfit choice.
"You told me you'd be there you asshole" Peter began his assault on my ears without giving me a chance to speak. "They threw me out of the party to find you less than thirty minutes after I arrived."
I winced a bit "I'm sorry Pete, it's just... something doesn't feel right about this "night in the woods"."
"Doesn't feel right? Dude this is the most right thing that has happened since we began high school but if you want to start your career as a psychic, good luck!" he chuckled
I smiled a little at his enthusiasm and let the comfortable silence take over as we walked to the party site. This was one of the many reasons Pete was my best friend, he didn't feel the incessant need to feel each moment of the day with mindless chattering. Just our presence was enough comfort to each other.
The music began permeating the eerie silence before Pete spoke again. "Becky is looking nice tonight," he said. I frowned at him
"You of all people know such details aren't important" I sighed. Becky was one of my many admirers. I never had time to settle down and get into a serious relationship between school, soccer, and modeling although I messed around occasionally.
"Becky isn't like the others, buddy. She's one of the real deal girls. You better start using your brain instead of testosterone to think and make decisions!" He said before leaving me and heading into the party.
An A* student with a promising future, Kahlani Summer. Being extraordinarily smart came without effort. Since she began school she noticed she didn't just have to try as hard as anyone else. Despite her parents being rich and famous, she was capable of paving her way. She was destined to take the world by storm and she knew it. Her parents knew as well. Kahlani's wild side needed to be tamed before it got out of hand. In a desperate attempt, they sent her across the world to school in Europe. They believed that making her stand on her own feet would enable her to grow up before responsibility overwhelmed her. However, Lani found a brand new tune to dance to. A new taboo to indulge. She was messing with fire and she didn't care if she would be burnt.
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
"I've warned you from the beginning. Don't marry him, but you won't listen." She stood close to me and smiled with concern. "You are not a woman worthy of a man as handsome, rich, smart, and virile as Blaze." My whole body trembled at her words. "Have you no shame?" I asked in a quivering voice. "Take a good look at yourself, Heather." She looked at me in the mirror. "You can't even look at your ugly face. Do you think Blaze can endure a lifetime of looking at that face?" Heather Bailey had a surprise from her husband that night: a divorce agreement. After a year of marriage and facing ups and downs, she couldn't believe Blaze intended to divorce her. But she was devastated when she saw him gazing lovingly at another woman because that person was closest to her. Shortly after she put her signature on their divorce papers, shock waves caught her up. Her flower shop was severely burnt, beyond repair. Her father's company collapsed, and her parents blamed her. She struggled to rebuild her life from the ground up and became more successful than ever. Having many customers who came from influential families, she started her action against Blaze. She won the very thing he wanted. But that was just the beginning.
The whispers said that out of bitter jealousy, Hadley shoved Eric's beloved down the stairs, robbing the unborn child of life. To avenge, Eric forced Hadley abroad and completely cut her off. Years later, she reemerged, and they felt like strangers. When they met again, she was the nightclub's star, with men ready to pay fortunes just to glimpse her elusive performance. Unable to contain himself, Eric blocked her path, asking, "Is this truly how you earn a living now? Why not come back to me?" Hadley's lips curved faintly. "If you’re eager to see me, you’d better join the queue, darling."
Desperate to handle her grandmother's towering medical bills, Gianna agreed to a contract marriage with Tristan, the enigmatic man she'd once shared a one-night stand with. She assumed they'd fulfill each other's needs and dissolve the arrangement once the terms expired. Unbeknownst to Gianna, this marriage was a dream Tristan had clung to for ten relentless years. Certain she was just filling someone else's role, Gianna prepared to leave when that other woman returned. But Tristan, his eyes burning with unspoken emotion, seized her trembling hand and declared, "You’re mine. Now and always."
"There will be no falling in love, we will only act as a loving couple when we are in public, we will share a room to make it believable, but no intimacy, touching is off-limits. We'll only have sex once a month, and that's solely to produce an heir. You won't interfere in my business, and I won't interfere in yours. You will be my wife in every sense and you will not be involved with any other man," he said, arrogance seeping from every word. I watch his mouth move, I'm not ready to fall in love with any man, especially not one as arrogant and egoistic as him. I can handle acting as a loving couple, and as for intimacy once a month. I can agree to that just to satisfy my sexual cravings with no strings attached. "Where can I sign?" I asked since I had nothing to lose. *** Nadine's wedding dreams turned to nightmares when she caught her sister and fiancé cheating! With a secret recording, she's ready for revenge. But then mysterious billionaire Logan West offers a deal: A Contract Marriage to take down her ex's empire. But what Nadine doesn't know is her life is getting complicated as she takes her chance to get revenge or risks everything for a chance at love?"