Marii's POV
I went home and quickly tell my Aunt everything, so she can at least know where I'm at during the time period. I didn't tell her about Micheal though. I can't believe Mr Augero showed my some concern but I can't let him find out about Micheal. I mean my robbery story was wack but he fell for it. That's all that matters. I then collected all the energy that I may have left to stand and start packing.
After a short while, I was done. Not much to pack. I look at my small suitcase and made a mental note to save up for clothing.
Later that night I get a text message while I was watching 'Regular Show'.
Unknown: Hey beautiful. Just texted to wish you a goodnight rest before you go tomorrow🤗
It's Drake by the way.
Me: Oh heyy. Thanks, you have a good night too😊
I then carry on watching Regular Show until I felt sleepy.
I wake up the next day and a lot is on my mind. I then wash up and get ready. I wear something comfortable and light make-up. I made sure to put makeup on the bruises to cover them. After I was done with my hair, I then made myself something to eat and waited for Mr Augero.
He finally arrived. I checked the passage way to see if the coasts clear. When it was, I quickly make my way to the elevator and go down to Mr Augero.
After a long while we were then arriving the airport. He had a private jet. Well of course he had. I just suddenly stop and just look at it, I suddenly remember the way my family died. Augero notices my hesitation. I feel hands on my shoulders.
"You're scared of flights? It's okay. It's safe, I promise. I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you." I just nod and go inside the jet. Mr Augero gave me sleeping pills so I didn't have to go through the torture.
LIAM'S POV
After I carefully lay Marii in the car, I got to the other side and tell my driver to go. After a while we arrive in front of the family home. It's still just as I remebered.
Jessica, my sister, was outside when she sees me. A smile then was plastered on her face. I get out and she went in for a hug.
"When last did I see you?!" she says squeezing. "I know. I haven't visited the family lately but I've been busy." I say. "Too busy to visit your family, that's pathetic." I sigh in defeat, knowing she's right.
"Who's she?" Jessica asks looking behind me into the car. The plan I came up with Drake quickly played into my head. "Um she's my girlfriend."
She then gasped, "Oh my gosh, she's so pretty!" "Shh. You going to wake her up." I say as Marii twists in the car. "Sorry." Jessica whispers.
I then walk over to Mariis door and carried her out. I made sure to not hurt her. I look at the places she is bruised and see that she covered them with makeup. "Is the rest of the family in?" I ask Jessica. "Um no they just went out for a while." she says following me inside.
"You're the only one here?" "Besides the security, yeah." I then just follow Jessica to the room set out for me. I gently lay Marii on the bed to reveal her face with a scowl.
How can anyone look so peaceful with a scowl on? Well I better cherish this peacefulness because once she finds out I'm using her to get my mother off my back, there ain't going to be peace.
After a while I hear people downstairs and I head downstairs. "Well would you look who's back." I say and my family look at me. "Liam!" my mother excitedly says coming over to me to almost squeeze the life out of me.
"Guess who he came home with?" Jessica says plopping a cherry into her mouth, "His girlfriend." she continues. "ugh, she's here?" my mother questioned. "Yeah, she's just still sleeping from pills." I answer.
"You brought Kayla here?" My dad asked. "No. Um her name's Marii." they all (excluding for Jessica and Drake of course) looked at me confused. "What happened to Kayla?" my dad continued to ask.
"What do you mean? We never even started to date." "Yes you did, what did you do?" he asked sipping his drink. "I didn't do anything. I wasn't in a relationship with her." After a while of the back and forth between my father and I we were stopped by my mother who was looking beyond behind me.
I turned around to see a half asleep Marii coming down the stairs.
MARII'S POV
I wake up on the most softest bed I've ever been on. I look around the light Grey room. It looked a bit fancy. I see my suitcase and Mr Augero's suitcase next to mine.
I then stood up and opened what I thought was the bathroom door. Turned out to be just the closet. I then opened the next door I found and luckily for me it was the bathroom.
I went straight to relieve my urge to pee. After I was done my business I then proceeded to go look for Mr Augero. I go down a flight of stairs to see some bunch of random people.
Where am I? Mr Augero was there talking back and forth with a man who looked like an older version of him. Could that be his father? They stopped their squabbling when an old woman noticed my presence. I say nothing but just rub my eyes of sleep.
"Is this the lovely Marii?" she says walking towards me. "Oh she is so beautiful." she said holding my face. "Um hello. It's nice to meet you ma'am." I decide to say.
"Oh call me Simone, darling." she says smiling broadly at me. I smile back and just stood not knowing what to do. "Um Marii, this is my mother Simone, my father James, my sisters Jessica and Rebecca and you've already met Drake my brother." Mr Augero says introducing me to his supposed family.
"It's really a great pleasure to meet you." I say to everyone there. "Oh so tell us, how is it being..." "Before we ask questions, I need to talk with her about something. Darling." he says to me.
I then nod and follow him outside to a backyard. Wait a damn minute. Did he just call me what I think he just called me. Darling? Since when?
"Yes sir?" I say as soon as we stopped walking and faced each other. "Look I need you to do a favour for me. I need you to, just for this time period, to act like my girlfriend just to get my mother off my back for a while." "Huh?" I say uncontrollably.
"Okay look I know this sounds crazy but I need you to do this just for the time here." he said running his hand through his hair. "Uhm Mr Augero, I don't know about this..."
"Stop. I'm not taking no as an answer. Its going to be over before you know it." he says and leaves. I was just left confused as ever.
"Oh and loose the formality, it's Liam now." he says peeking back and disappears again. This man is not okay upstairs. He drags me to his hometown to get his mother 'off his back'. I don't know to you but to me that's sick.
After some minutes I then decide to play along with this 'play'. What's the worst that can happen? I take a breath and walk back into the room we came from.
Okay first act, where to sit? I look to see a seat next to Liam. I go towards him and sit next to him. First act checked.
"Okay Marii, so how did you guys meet?" oh shoot, we didn't talk about that. Make something up Marii, you do this every night. Make a scenario up!
I then thought of a scenario I've had in my head for a while. I then say it and made it a bit believable than Disney-like.
After I was done talking, I looked at their faces to see that they believed every sentence I said. Well except of Drake, of course. "Aww, that's so cute." one of Mr Augero's sisters say. I then feel Mr Augero's hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.
"Oh I'm just glad that he got someone to settle him down. I nearly lost hope in you with you filling every woman's hole that opens their legs to-" "Mom!" Mr Augero interrupts his mother. Everyone then just starts laughing.
"What?! It's true isn't it?" "Not in front of her please." Mr Augero says. "Oh I'm sorry son. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." "Oh no it's okay." I say.
"I have to go." Mr Augero's father suddenly say. "So soon?" Simone asks. "Yes darling. Liam... We're not done with our talk." he said. I hear Mr Augero sigh next to me. I wonder what they were talking about.
It was quiet until we heard the front door close then it went back to asking questions. After a while I was then coming out the bathroom when I bump into Drake.
"Hey you." he said with a big smile. "Hey." I say. "Look Ill be honest, it was my idea for Liam to have you pretend that you were together. I'm sorry." he apologized as soon as my smile turned upside down.
"How could you?" I say softly hitting his shoulder. "I'm sorry, I really am. I'll make it up to you, what do you want?" he asks holding my hands. "From you? Nothing." "Come on. How about a date?" he asks with a big smile.
"So you consider having a date with you is a prize?" I ask with my brow raised. "No. It's the other way around. I consider it a prize for me if you say yes." I just stood there and looked at him.
"So?" he says snapping me out of my thoughts. "Maybe." I say as I take my hands away from his. "Okay fine. When can I get a final answer?" he asks. "When I'm done thinking about it." I say and turn back to look at him smiling at me. "Take all the time you need sweetheart." I immediately blush at the nickname he gave me.
After a while I was in the kitchen with Jessica and Rebecca. Rebecca was busy making some snacks for the family.
"So what do you guys do?" I ask trying to make conversation. "Oh um well I-um- make sure people who do wrong get their consequences." Jessica says. "So like a cop?" I asked. "Um yeah something like that." she says with a smirk.
Weird. I then look at Rebecca awaiting her answer. "Oh me nothing really, just a content creator." "Oh like YouTube?" she hesitated. "Um not really. Um you know what we should talk about though, is how in the world did he settle down for you." she asks in disbelief.
I don't blame her. A girl like me with a guy like him, it's unbelievable. "Rebecca! He's not that bad for her." Jessica says starting to laugh. "Oh come on, we both know him and girls. Every month a different one. I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable."
I just laugh it off. I actually thought they were going to comment on the fact I'm too low for him or something like that. Maybe not everybody is so bad.
We then spent the next half an hour just talking when Drake and Liam come out of no where with water guns. They then started spraying at us.
They chased us out to the backyard and I just ran. I then stopped when I heard no voices anymore. Where am I? "Oh what an easy target." I turned around to see Liam. He had his water gun pointing at me.
"Liam please. Just not the hair." I say as my afro was the only thing on my head. He then lifted the gun so that it was pointed straight at my hair. Oh if he dares. "Liam. Please." I said as I move backwards.
He moves closer to me until he suddenly trips over something. He holds onto me and I go down with him. I land on top of him. "Oh, oh my!" I say. We then start laughing.
"Found the love birds." I hear Rebecca say looking at us. I then quickly stand up and Liam comes up. "They were on the floor on top of each other." Rebecca continues to tell the others. I looked at Drake who kinda looked hurt at that statement. "Oh um we just tripped." I say nervously.
"Okay love birds." Rebecca says with a disbelieving tone.
After a nice day of getting to know everybody it was finally time to go to sleep. Unfortunately I have to be in the same room as Liam. Should've seen that coming.
I then put a blanket on the floor and grabbed a pillow. "What you doing?" Liam asked coming back from the bathroom. "Making my bed." I said casually. "You know we have to be in the same bed." he said with a sigh. "No we don't." I said carrying on doing 'my bed'.
"Look my mother is not the type to knock before coming into my room. What will she say when she sees you on the floor?" he said. I sighed knowing he got a point. "Fine." I said in defeat. I then grabbed everything from the floor and went into the bed.
My phone then notified my of a new message. I look to see 7 messages, 10 missed calls and 4 missed video calls from Micheal. Shit.
Micheal: Baby when are you coming back home?
Micheal: Baby it's been a while now. I have something special here for you.
Micheal: what the fuck Marii, where the fuck you at?
Micheal: are you serious right now. Stop ignoring me, I know you see my texts.
Micheal: Stop being bitch and pick up my calls.
Micheal: Come on baby I need you to come back.
Micheal: I swear if you don't come back home in an hour...
"What's he going to do?" I suddenly hear. I jump and close my phone immediately. "You didn't have to scare me like that." I say holding my chest. "Why he threatening you?" he asked me lookijh me straight in the eyes. "He's not threatening me, and even if he was I'm pretty sure it's none of your business."
It was then silent. Did I just make Mr Augero shut up. Oh wow damn. I then message Micheal telling him everything. I didn't want to tel him face to face because he would've made me stay. He has some kind of separation anxiety.
I then accidentally scrolled down and a message of Micheal apologizing for hurting me popped up. I then quickly got out of the chat when I realized Mr Augero was still looking my way.
"He's the one who hurt you?" seriously oh my gosh this man need s to mind his own business. "Look Mr Augero, I need you to please stop butting into my business. My personal life is off limits." I say putting y phoned about to lay down.
"Answer the fucking question." "Why? So you can rub it in my face." "Because I care Marii." "Care? Care?" I said laughing. "You don't care about anyone, Liam. You only care about yourself and that's it." I said lying down facing away from him.
"You really think that about me?" he whispers. "Actions speak louder than words." I then feel him lie down. I feel his fingers brush on top of the bruise on my neck. He then sighs, "I get why you say that, but with all honesty I do care. You're bruised and hurt by him and you need someone and I'm that someone.
I say or do nothing. I feel his breath close to me. His lips then rest on the bruised skin, sending an impulse straight to my core. "Good night love." he said as he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up to a bright ray piercing my eyes. I groan as I try to adjust to the sudden light.
I then try to get up but felt some weight on me. It was Mr Augero's arm. Now how do you remove someone's arm without waking them up? I then just gently pushed it off of me.
I firstly got myself ready for the day then I headed downstairs. I smelt food so I followed the delicious smell to the kitchen. Simone was up cooking. I offered to help and she let me.
Everyone then started to come down. They sat at the dining table as I helped to set their plates along with the maids there. "Hey um Marii do you mind waking Liam?" Simone asks me. "Oh of course not." I say and went straight to the bedroom.
I walk in to see Mr Augero still in bed sleeping. I did everything I could to wake him but he would just mumbled, "Go away." before going back to sleep. I then was tired of being gentle so I went to the bathroom and filled a small bucket with cold water. I then walk out the bathroom and straight to him. I give him a few seconds to get up but he just stayed asleep. I then splash the water onto him.
"What the hell Marii!" Mr Augero says as he gets up. I just stood there looking at him. "What was that for?!" he asked looking annoyed. "You wouldn't wake up so I splashed you with water." I say and shrug. He groans as he heads for the bathroom.
"Breakfasts ready!" I say before he disappears into the bathroom. Was he annoyed? Yes. Did I care? No. Your lady was not about to waste her whole morning tryna wake somebody who refused to wake up. I then leave the room and go back to the dining table.
A few minutes later Mr Augero finally comes down but still with a frown on his face. "Good Morning Liam. What's with the frown?" Simone asks. "Why don't you ask Marii." he says and sits next to me. I do nothing but just carry on eating the delicious food. I look up to see everyone looking at me to answer.
"Oh he's fussing over the fact I woke him up by splashing water on him." I said casually. I then hear snickers and laughter. "It's not funny. You couldn't wake me like a normal person?" Mr Augero says. "Oh you know I did at first but you just wouldn't wake up. So I turned to the alternative. Oh but don't be mad, please." I said.
"I'm not mad." he says. "Yeah because he loves you." "Yeah I do." I just blush as I looked down at my plate. Wait why am I actually blushing. It's all just a lie. I then felt my head being turned and next thing I know I felt warm lips on mine.
"Liam. Not at the table please." I hear Mr Augero's father say. "Yes sir." he said smiling at me. I didn't know what to do. I just kept quiet and kept on eating. I can't believe it.
He kissed me.