Vivian Flammery.
.
.
.
.
Darkness.
It's everywhere.
I don't know how long I have been standing in darkness.
It's not cold or warm here.
As far as I can see, I saw only darkness. I was walking around here for hours, and all I was feeling was alone. That's all I have been feeling since I don't know for how long.
I remember everything being normal, and then suddenly, everything changed.
I screamed and cried, screamed for help, and prayed for someone to come and take me away from here, and it was heard too. A voice answered, telling me it was all going to be alright and that I was safe.
I know that voice. I heard it before, but where I can't find it, it's frustrating.
I sign and look around once more-nothing but darkness. I sit down there and hide my face between my knees.
Suddenly, I heard something, and I looked up. In front of me stood a man. I can tell he is drunk; I can smell the alcohol from here
He is looking at me with a smirk on his face; it's scary and ugly. He took a step toward me, and with his every step, I took one back.
"Come on, darling, you should have taken my offer when you had a chance, but since you refused, I have to take you my own way."
"Stay away from me!" I yell, but he just laughs and starts walking faster toward me.
Suddenly, my body became frozen. I can't move, no matter how many times I try. He is in front of me. Touch me. I tried to scream, but no voice came out of my mouth.
All I can do is cry. I hate it. I hate the feeling of helplessness. I can't move. It's like I am paralyzed.
Suddenly, there was no one touching me, and I opened my eyes, which I didn't even know I had close.
A different man was standing in front of me, but his presence didn't scare me; surprisingly, it calmed me down.
He was standing so close that I could feel his breath on my face. I was looking into blue eyes deeper than the ocean itself, and I became lost in them.
He took his hand and ran it on my whole arm, from the palm of my hand to my shoulder on my neck, and rested it on my face till it swallowed my whole cheek.
His hands are big and strong, but at the same time, they are so gentle and carrying that I didn't want him to remove them, so I leaned in them and closed my eyes. He steps closer, so I can feel his whole body on mine.
The warmth of his body is calming, and it consumes me like a shred of safety.
He brought his other hand up and did the same; let it rest on the back of my neck. I open my eyes when he touches his forehead with mine and let it stay there; we are both lost in each other's eyes.
"You are not going to be alone ever again, Bellissima. I will take care of you, protect you, and love you with all I have."
I feel like I should know who he is; I had seen these eyes before, but I couldn't tell where.
"Who are you?" I whisper, but he just smiles.
His face came closer to mine, and our lips were almost touching. I closed my eyes. I wanted to feel his lips on mine, but they never touched.
"It's time to wake up, Bellissima." I heard him whisper in my ear.
"What?"
There is just one person who calls me that
When I open my eyes, I meet with such a bright light that I have to close my eyes once more to get used to it.
I opened my eyes again, I saw a white ceiling. I looked around, but no one was there.
It's a dream.
All I remember about the man from my dream are those blue eyes. I look around one more time and see that I am not in my room.
I panic and sit up on the bed. The room is big and a perfect mix of wheat and brown. The curtains are open, and bright lights are coming in.
No matter how beautiful the room is, panic starts to settle in my heart when I see that I am wearing a shirt that doesn't belong to me.
Where the fuck am I?
I am having a killer headache. It feels like my head is going to spill in two. I hold my head in my hands.
When I finally have little control over myself, I try to move, but I feel someone hold on to my lower half. My eyes become wide, and I remove the bedsheets from me as fast as one can.
When I look down and see a small head full of brown hair resting on my lower stomach and a small arm wrapped around my waist, I recognize these brown curls, even though I met her only once.
How can I forget my little angle?
But the question is: where am I, and why is Daisy sleeping beside me before I can do anything? I heard a voice.
"O, you wake up. Good morning, Bellissima."
I look towards the doorway, and I think I die and reach heaven. There, standing on the doorstep, stands Gabriel only in this jogger.
This is the first time I have seen him without a suit, let alone naked, and boy, his muscles are ripped.
He had a cup of coffee in his hand.
I gulped, and I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't notice when he came and sat down beside me.
"And there in she, I became worried when I didn't see her in her bad." He said while looking at Daisy's way.
"Sorry if she disturbs your sleep." He looked at me and smiled.
I keep looking at him, and it feels like I lost my voice.
Come on, Vivian, don't make a fool of yourself. say something. My subconscious scowled at me.
"No, it's fine." I said it, and I mean it. I know I should be worried; I am in an unknown place and not in my clothes, but when I saw him standing there, all my worries and despair were in thin air. Gabriel's presence makes me feel safe. The look in his eyes makes me calm, and I think that as long as he is there, nothing will happen to me.
"Gabriel, what happened? where I am?" I asked him.
''You are in my home, Bellissima.'' Before I can ask him why he started talking again,.
"Well, you had a quite eventful night." His hands fisted, and his jaw clunked.
Damn, I want to touch his jaw to see if it is as sharp as it looks.
Okey, Vivian, stop being a pervert now.
"What do you mean?" I ask, shaking out my inappropriate thoughts.
"Let just say you will not see that scumbag again.''
"Who?" All I remember from last night is when Moly went with some man, but what happened after that?
"Don't you remember Bellissima?" My head is hurting, but I still try to remember what happened last night.
Suddenly, a flashback plays in my head, and I see a man kissing me forcefully with his hands all over me.
I touch my lips with my hand and close my eyes tightly when image after image starts coming into my mind.
I hold my head with my right hand, and my left hand clunches around the bedsheets.
My head is hurting even more now, and a tear came out of my eyes.
I was assaulted, and I couldn't do anything. I was feeling so helpless.
"Hey, hey, you are okay."
I felt his arms go around me, and my body became staff. My first instinct was to pull away, but I let myself relax and let him comfort me. I leaned into him; I didn't even know I was shaking before now. I closed my eyes.
He kept holding my body to his; my head was on his naked chest, and I could hear his heartbeats. His hug is full of warmth and comfort.
One of his hands is around my waist, while the other is stroking my hair. He rocked me back and forth. He gave me comfort with both his hug and his words.
He pulls back after a few moments, and I almost complain when he pulls away. When I open my eyes, his face is close to mine, and he looks worried that when I notice his eyes, they are some of the ones that I had seen in my dream.
Was it him in my dream just now? And there is only one person who calls me Bellissima.
"It's all okay now; you are safe, nowhere here with me." He whispered softly, wiped the tear from my face, and pulled me into his chest again. I didn't fight it; how can I when I like it there? I rest my head on his left side to hear his heartbeat again to calm me down.
We stay like that, with him holding me gently in his arms while I was listening to his heartbeats for what felt like an hour, but it had only been a few minutes.
I just let myself melt in his arms.
"How do I get here?" I whispered.
''My friend owns the club you were in last night; one of my men was also there last night. When they saw what was happening, they stepped in. They recognized you from the other night when we met in the alley that night, so my friend, Archer, called me, and I came to get you.'' He explained, It makes more sense now.
''Oh yeah, I remember now that Archer was the one who was carrying me before I got unconscious.''
I remembered a man from last night who carried me and another one who pulled that asshole away from me.
I felt his arm tighten around me when he heard me, before he kissed my head and pulled away.
I don't know why, but this man makes me feel safe, and that's a nice feeling.
''What happened with him?'' I ask.
A dark look crossed his face, and his face became as hard and cold as stone.
''You don't need to worry about him; I had it under control, but I promise you, you will never see his face again.'' His voice is hard and cold; to be honest, it's scary to hear it.
Before I could ask him what he meant, I felt a small hand on my shoulder, turned around, and looked into the big blue eyes that are the same as his dad.
She looked at me and then at her dad.
"Vivi, you wake up." She squealed and launched herself at me. I held her fast so she didn't fall and hurt herself, but the force had me search back into Gabriel even more.
"Careful princess, we don't want Vivian to get hurt now, do we?" Gabriel told her, and he looked down at me and smiled.
The dark look from before is completely gone, replaced by his usual soft expression and gorgeous smile. His voice became soft and sweet as honey.
I like his smile. It's beautiful, and it gives me butterflies. His smile is the most breathtaking thing I have seen.
"Sorry Vivi."
"It's okay, my angel."
''Vivi, me and Daddy were going to come and surprise you today, but you came before we could. Are you here to play with me? Did you miss me?'' She asked me questions one after another without stopping. I chuckled at her cute behavior.
''Of course angel I come to surprised you became I miss my sweet girl. Do you like it?'' She nodded excitedly and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back while Gabriel was still holding my waist from behind.
It's like they are both hugging me at the same time.
''Yay, we're going to have so much fun.''
''Okey, Princess, before that, why don't you go to your room and get fresh up? Grace will help you, so we can have breakfast.''
''Okey, daddy, Vivi, don't go anywhere; I will come, okey'' She said before going down from bad and running out of the room, going to her, I guess.
''Don't run, princesse.'' Gabriel yelled after her. I laughed at the father and daughter due.
Gabriel looked at me, still smiling.
''Sorry if she bothers you too much; it's just that she really likes you.'' He apologised.
''She is adorable, and it's fine. So who is Grace?'' Words come out of my mouth before I can stop them. I avoid his eyes out of embarrassment.
''Grace is the housekeeper, but Daisy is very attached to her. Grace will look after her until I find the new nanny. I am still hoping you say yes.'' Before I can say anything, he stands up.
''Don't worry about it, Bellissima; we can talk later about it, but first you need to eat something so you can take your medicines, take a shower if you want, and you will find a toothbrush in the bathroom. I will leave you some clothes to change. When you finish, come down for breakfast.'' He leaned down and kissed my forehead, and he left the room, leaving me alone.
I go into the bathroom, and the bathroom is as beautiful as the rest of the house is. I hadn't seen the whole house yet, but one can tell it would be beautiful after seeing the room I was in.
The bathroom is big with golden and white tiles, and the bathtub is big enough to fit two people.
After taking shower I come out and find a shirt on the bad I guess it for me so I wear it.
___________________
_______
This house is a hug. Right now, I am trying to find my way to the kitchen.
I am lost in this house, and the last thing I wanted was for Gabriel to come and find me.
Finally, after some time, I found my way to the downstairs and saw Daisy sitting on the chair and eating pancakes, and Gabriel was standing near her, holding a cup of coffee in his hands.
Gabriel looked up from his daughter, and when he saw me stand there, he was still not wearing a shirt.
His upper body is on display for me to look at. Early in the room, I didn't notice it much, even when he hugged me, because of the shock of what happened last night, but now that I have a clear mind, I can see muscle on his body.
I couldn't help but feel a surge of desire as I took in every inch of his toned physique, his chiseled chest, and his defined abs. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of his muscular body. I took in every ripple and bulge of his toned chest.
His broad shoulders were like a work of art, leading down to his strong arms that were lightly dusted with a trail of dark hairs. My gaze went down to his chest, admiring the way his pecs flexed with each movement. I have this urge to run my fingers along the defined lines of his abs, feeling the hard muscles beneath my touch.
To be honest, he looks yummy enough to be my breakfast.
I watch how his eyes turn darker than they usually are as he looks at my form, which was only covered in a shirt-probably his-from my head to toe. His eyes stay a little longer on my bear lags; the shirt only reached my mid-thighs, so my lags are showing and my hair is tied in a messy bun.
His eyes are drinking me whole, and it doesn't make me uncomfortable like it does when other men do that. He gulped down, and my eyes went to his adem apple and followed its moment, going up and down.
Is it weird that I have this urge to kiss and suck it?
''Vivi, come eat pancakes; daddy made them.'' Daisy said in an excited voice, Break whatever spell we are in.
I look away from his eyes, embarrassed by my own thoughts. I walk towards Daisy and sit beside her. I can feel my hot cheeks; I probably look like a tomato.
There is another plate of pancakes on the table in front of me without carmel syrup bottles, whipped cream, butter and copped banana, strawberries, blueberries, calculate syrup you name it and it there beside the plate.
''I didn't know what you like on your pancake, so I put all of them on the table so you could choose which one you liked.'' Gabriel told me.
''Thanks, Gabriel.''
It's such a sweet thing to do.
He looked at me and gave me a small smile before sitting down on the other chair.
"You are welcome, Bellissima."
Throughout the whole breakfast, Daisy talks about random things, and I listen to everything. She tells me about how happy she is to see me and about her kindergarten.
The whole time, I can feel Gabriel's eyes on me, or maybe I am just being paranoid because why does a man like him look at me like that? He himself is more handsome than Adonis.
''I am so happy that today is Sunday; now we can play games the whole day.'' She said it with a big smile, her eyes practically shining brighter than the sun itself.
''Daisy, darling, first you should ask Vivian if she wants to play with you. What if she has some work?'' This is the first time he speaks during breakfast.
Daisy looked at her father, then looked towards me. All the excitement had gone from her face. She pouted, and sadness filled her eyes.
''Vivi, will you stay and play with me, please?'' She said it in a small, sad voice.
Okey, that is not fair. How can one say no to that face? I thought
I look at Gabriel for help, but that idiot is trying not to laugh. I look at Daisy and sigh. It looks like I am going to stay here for a few more hours. Not that I mind spending time with her.
''No, I have no work; we can play together.'' I say, and her smile is back and even bigger than before.
I can see she knows how to emotionally blackmail someone.
I chuckled I can see myself spending my day playing with her.
"Yay."
"Why don't you go and get a chance out of your Pj's Princess?'' Gabriel said.
She got up from the chair and ran out of the kitchen.
"Thank you, Bellissima."
I looked back at him, confused.
"For what?"
"For staying. For making her smile."
I blushed and looked away from him.
"No need to thank me; she is such a sweetheart."
"And that makes me more thankful that you are here for her."
I blushed harder; it was not his words but the intensity of his stare that made me blush, if that was even possible. And I didn't know how to react to it.
He laughs and stands up.
''I love it when you blush. It makes you more beautiful.'' And just like that, I blush even harder. There is some kind of emotion in his eyes that I can't pinpoint.
He picked up my and Daisy's plates, walked towards the kitchen, and put them in the sink.
''I can do the dishes'' I said it felt weird not doing anything.
''Don't worry, Bellissima. I have people for that; don't worry about them.'' He said to walk towards me and hold my hand, and we started walking toward the couch in the living room.
There it is again-the sparks that run through my body from where he is touching me.
"Why don't we sit and talk?" He said this as he let go of my hand and sat down.
I take a seat beside him, but keep a distance between us.
''About what?''
''Hmm, let's start with: have you thought about my offer about being Daisy's babysitter?''
''Actually, I thought about it, but before I give you my answer, can I ask something? ''
''Of course, Bellissima, anything?''
''You barely know me; why do you want to hire me when you can hire someone who has experience in it?'' I know that it is true. Why would he choose me?
''As a single father, I try to give everything to her. I worked from home for more than two years to be there for my daughter, but I was never able to fill a mother role in her life. No matter how much I try, at first, it was easy, but then, when she joined kindergarten, she started questioning how everyone has a mother and she doesn't.''
He took a deep breath and continued.
''And then one day she comes home from school, and she asks me if her mother hates her. I don't know why she asked that suddenly; maybe someone said something to her in her class. But I don't have an answer to that, so I tell her she was away for work, but she is a smart kid, and I think deep down she knew that she had left her, and she never asked about her mother ever again. But I could see the longing in her eyes when she saw her other classmate with their mother, and my family could see it too, so my mother and sister tried to be there for her and fill it for her but failed to do so. She never trusted any other woman but my mother, sister, and Grace, but when she saw you that day, she kept talking about you.''
He moved closer to me, swallowing the distance between us, and put my hair strand behind my ear that had escaped from the bun and let his hand stay there. It felt like déja vu
Just like how he did it in my dream.
''I saw a trust in her eyes that I never saw before; she trusts you, and that's all I can ever ask for.'' He whispered.
I can feel his breath on my face. His lips are so close that I just want to erase that distance between them and kiss him.
Unknowingly, I start biting my lower lip between my teeth.
His look at my lips, and then my eyes-my heart is beating so fast that I am afraid he can hear it. Both of us are breathing faster than before; it's the first time I've ever felt like this.
I have never been in this position with anyone in my life, and Gabriel makes me lose my mind and have inappropriate thoughts.
And his closeness makes me want him even closer.
He looked towards my lips again, like he wanted to kiss me, and I would not stop him; if he did, I would be more than happy to let it happen.
But he didn't; instead, he put his forehead on mine, closed his eyes, and breathed me in.
"You have no idea what you are doing to me, Bellissima."
My heart skipped a beat with those words and his voice. It's rough and raw, with pure desire in it.
The hand that was on my cheek is now behind my head, keeping my head in place. We stay like that, our foreheads touching and our eyes closed.
It's not long, before we hear footsteps.
"Daddy," Daisy said as she ran towards us and climbed on her dad's lap. She had changed from her pajamas.
Gabriel removed his hand from the back of my head and smiled at his daughter, who was sitting on his lap.
"What is it, Princess?'' Gabriel asked her.
''Would you also play with me and Vivi?''
''I am sorry, Princess, but I have a little work to do first. I will finish it, then I will come and play with you until then you can play with Vivian, okey?''
''Okay daddy. Come on, Vivi, let's go and play.'' She said this as she got down from her father and held my hand, dragging me upstairs.
I looked back and smiled at Gabriel. He smiled back, and there was some emotion in his eyes again that I couldn't recognize.
"Come, Vivi, let me show you my dolls." She said that and dragged me further into the house.
To be honest, I can see myself living in this beautiful house, looking after this even more beautiful and precious little human, and her dad is just a bonus.
I think I have my answer now, if I had any doubts before.
___________________
______
Hey, my lovely readers! I hope you all are doing fine. I am sorry for the late update. My final exams are coming in March, and I have to prepare for them.🥺
I hope you like the chapter.☺️
Please like and comment. It makes my day when I read your comments.
What do you think of the book so far?🤔
Until next time.
Ciao❤️♥️