Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129687 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 519(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“IS SOMETHING WRONG?” Serenity asked the question in a small voice even though she already knew the answer to it. Inside her heart, she knew, because for so long now, her heart had started beating with his and for his.
“No.” But the billionaire’s voice was abrupt, and his gaze didn’t stray to her like it usually did when they were talking. Instead, he kept staring outside the window, a chillingly aloof look on his handsome face.
She asked hesitantly, “Is it because the meeting took too—-”
“Don’t start with that,” Willem snapped.
She paled.
“Stop with the self-pity for now, ja?” His accent had thickened, and the fury in his voice was like a slap in the face. “Do you really think I’m that kind of a bastard to mind how long your meeting with the shrink takes? Do you?” He knew he was unfairly taking out his anger on Serenity, but he couldn’t stop himself. The doctor’s words had rattled him, more so than he wanted to admit, and now he was furious with both Serenity and himself.
Serenity had turned into stone in her seat. She was unable to move, unable to speak or think. She tried to think of what could have possibly gone wrong but could not come up with one reason why Willem would act like he hated her now.
They didn’t speak for the rest of the ride, and when they had reached her home, she said stiffly, “Thank you for the ride, Mr. de Konigh.”
Fuck.
But before Willem could stop the girl from leaving, she was already gone.
And things changed yet again between them.
Chapter Eight
FOR THE FIRST FEW MONTHS following the disastrous meeting with Serenity’s doctor, Willem did his best to get everything back to normal footing with him and Serenity. But as he came to realize for himself, the younger girl’s stubbornness was like no one else’s.
She rarely, if ever, called him by his first name anymore, and eventually, he had stopped calling her his angel as well.
Gradually, the phone calls and emails lessened, Willem deliberately taking his time to reply until he had decided to just stop. He told himself it was better this way, told himself that doing so would prevent anyone from misunderstanding his platonic relationship with Serenity. He would soon learn, too late, that Serenity had spent numerous nights crying herself to sleep, waiting for an email – or a phone call – that never came.
The distance between Willem and Serenity grew even though neither of them wanted to admit it. Eventually, the billionaire had managed to bury all the memories they shared – and all the feelings that came with it. Eventually, Serenity really did become just what the world had come to call her.
Willem Jr.
The girl everyone believed was perfect enough to be Willem de Konigh’s right arm in business.
But for Serenity, it was the opposite.
There was not one day that she didn’t pray for her feelings to stop, not one day that she was able to forget how he had changed her life...and how he was both her light and her darkness.
Two years had already passed since that day in Dr. Fergus’ clinic, and she was still desperately, quietly in love with Willem de Konigh. She had thought she would be able to keep it to herself forever until one day, she saw for herself what love really was.
Her name was Willow Somerset, a 24-year-old junior editor from Greece, who was as fiery as Serenity was reserved. The older girl fascinated Serenity, with the way she hid nothing about her love, no matter how much she ended up being hurt by it.
The Greek billionaire Willow had fallen in love with did not, in Serenity’s opinion, deserve her friend at all. He was cruel, selfish, and ruthless. But for Willow, his imperfections were immaterial, and the only thing that mattered was her conviction that Stavros Manolis was the only man meant for her. Willow had believed in this so much that she had given everything up, fought and sacrificed everything just to have Stavros realize the same truth.
And, one day, Willow had succeeded.
The two were married now, and since that day, Serenity had become restless.
Hope began to burn inside her, causing her to toss and turn every night, wondering if she should do the same.
Surely, she thought feverishly to herself, she couldn’t be so wrong all these years?
Perhaps...perhaps if she took the first step, perhaps if she took the risk, perhaps she would have what Willow had now with Stavros?
Time passed, and her dreams only became more vivid.
Days turned into weeks, weeks became months, and finally, Serenity made a choice. Without knowing it, her life had returned to its old cycle, and Serenity had again allowed herself to become a victim, this time by her own fears and cowardice. She had allowed herself to be content with loving Willem de Konigh from afar because she had unconsciously believed it was all she deserved.