The ticking of his watch echoed in his ear.
Greyson stood against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, his gaze fixed on the woman in front of him.
Emeralde.
She didn't look at him once.
The cameraman said something to her, and she nodded before adjusting her pose.
Greyson's jaw tightened.
She's been avoiding him.
He told her he was going to wait for her to finish, and he meant it.
A few minutes later, the shoot wrapped up.
Emeralde grabbed her phone the second her assistant handed it to her.
"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered, already irritated.
Her brows furrowed as she stared at the screen.
"It's almost midnight. How are you expecting me to leave this place?"
Greyson pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards her.
Emeralde noticed him from the corner of her eye, and she immediately schooled her expression.
"Any problem?" he asked.
She looked at him once before looking away.
"Mind your business."
Greyson almost laughed.
Almost.
She walked past him and headed outside, clearly waiting for her assistant.
The night air was cold, and thunder rumbled in the distance.
Greyson unlocked his car with a click.
"Get in, Emeralde."
She didn't even spare him a proper glance.
Instead, she tightened her coat around herself and kept walking.
A second later, the first drop of rain landed on her cheek.
Then another.
Then the sky opened.
"Please, not now," she muttered under her breath.
Within seconds, the rain started pouring.
Emeralde cursed softly and quickened her steps, but Greyson had already started driving beside her at a slow pace.
He rolled the window down.
"Stop being stubborn and get in."
She ignored him.
Greyson exhaled shaply and brought the car to a stop.
He stepped out into the rain and walked straight towards her.
Emeralde had barely any time to act.
One second, she was walking.
Next, Greyson had lifted her clean off the ground.
"Greyson!" she snapped, struggling in his arms.
He didn't even blink.
"If you hate me that much, you can hate me from inside the car."
Before she could argue again, he opened the passenger door and set her down inside.
Emeralde stared at him in shock, her wet hair clinging to her face.
"Also, I doubt you plan to walk for two hours to your house or your hotel."
She opened her mouth to yell at him.
But nothing came out.
******UK****
Avery stared down at the town through her floor-to-ceiling window.
She pressed the phone tighter to her ear.
She smirked and said.
"Thank you,"
Everything was going according to plan except for the unexpected news about her pregnancy.
Her jaw tightened, and she hunged up. Her grip tightened around the phone.
All this time, she had believed the wrong people.
Five years.
Five years later, her mother was in the care of monsters.
She exhaled sharply, trying to hold back her tears.
She cluched the phone to her chest.
She's missed him.
The man she had left in the hands of the wolves.
She knows Alex is strong, but she's scared.
Scared Veronica had gotten exactly what she wanted.
"I miss you, Alex," she muttered under her breath.